Saying your homesick for Texas is like saying your hungry for air. It's not really something you can help. I've been in India for about 6 weeks now, & the more I see of it, the more I like it. There is a simplicity to the people which makes them very crude, but coming from a society of complexes, issues, over thinking etc, it can be refreshing. A love for traveling is bittersweet. The more of the world you see, the more you realize how big it is, and want to keep seeing more. Trying to assimilate and staying true to yourself can be a contradiction hard to manage. Some people are genuine, some will screw you given the chance.
Life in Texas is beautiful. I often think of my friends, good music & honky tonks, beers at the stables, listening to the stories of the wiser generations, bacon & eggs for breakfast, my old boots and my old freedoms. Life in India is beautiful in its own rights, too. The beach is just walking distance away, and we eat coconuts and bananas that grow on the trees here in the ashram (i.e.- if you are reading this, send a blender & rum). Although the life is harsh, the peoples bodies adopt better. People of all ages sit on the floor, lift heavy things, walk for long distances, etc. Although some of these strengths are visible through character lines on the skin, the body underneath is usually in better form. I want to share two individuals with you today.
The first is a little boy named Bangladesh. I have been told that when he first came to the Ashram his stomach was bloated from starvation, he barely spoke and acted out violently when he did. He is mentally handicapped in some way but I'm not too familiar with such diagnostics. I think he's maybe severely autistic, but I could be wrong. Anyway, this is his first year in a 'special school'. He's 12 years old like a handful of the other boys and plays along well enough most of the time. His body is slightly more matured than the others, and his jaw and chin protrude out a bit as if he's pushing it forward. At night when it comes to story time, all the kids gather around like the toddlers. Bangladesh always wants to read about animals. He comes up to me with an encyclopedia of animals and wants me to read him the entire thing.. every night. I ask him to pick ten animals & we can learn about just those. There is usually a theme & lately its sea animals. "Does it bite?" "Do they live here?" "Do they live in Texas?" Those three questions are asked after we finish with each. *****TBC********
The 2nd person is one of our cooks named Arul Mary. I think both her & her husband William are from nearby villages. 'Ol Bill is the gardener here at the Ashram & there son Marionos is home schooled along with some of the other toddlers by a French volunteer. William takes their little tike to mass in the mornings, in the mid afternoon he brings us fresh coconuts & his wife makes him a snack. When his son is done with school he follows him around & imitates his movements out of love and admiration. William shows fatherly affections to the other little ones too which is beautiful. The children here at the orphanage are usually surrounded by women, & 'foreigners' at that, so it's nice to see them have healthy interaction with a man of their own culture. Arul Mary & William met each other four hours before their marriage. Let me give you a minute to let that sink in.. ****TBC****
