Welcome to India, where the possibilities of catching a deadlu disease are endless. For schistosomiasis, a snail that enters your bloodstream to infect every part of your body ultimately leading to paralysis, please press one. For rabies, press two. For dengue fever, malaria or any other disease, please press three. If you would like to be attacked and instantly killed by your elephant, as the master of an elephant was yesterday in Kochin, please press four. Actually, if you are Jason, know that you are immune to all of the above.
Believe it or not, I am doing GREAT and am extremely enthusiastic about the upcoming weeks. I believe my preparations for this trip have surely paid off. I took a bunch of shots and am taking Malaria medication on a daily basis. On top of that, I am taking two asthma treatments and daily Claritin. The weather here is similar to that of the Dominican Republic where I constantly sick because of its humidity and vegetation. I don't think I have been this healthy in a place like this. I am energized!
Kerala is absolutely beautiful! The area in has hundreds of large, comfortable homes. Many of them are brand new and have Spanish tiles. I visited forests which are filled with wildlife. The people here are fairly well educated and speak English as their second language. They are also beautiful, unselfish and kind. I am very impressed with this place.
Approximately two months ago, I wrote a general message in search of an instructor. I received a reply for Narayanan Namboothiri, a 33 year old scientist who works for the Indian government (soon to be Dr. in Agriculture/Microbiology). Yesterday, he showed me copies of my emails.
I have been in India for three days and believe I already made lifelong friends. Narayanan's family is extremely wonderful and giving. His father is one of the greatest Kathakali dancers who has performed all over ther world. His home is in a peaceful village near Kochin where not even mosquitos come to annoy. His brothers, Govindam and Vrishna are also good people. They live in the two homes next door. Vrishna is a great singer who pretends to be your radio with no off botton. He follows me around and sings. Govindam is a Hindu priest. I am staying in his home. Their wives are also pleasant. Sima, Narayanan's wife, is helping me with my Malayalam (Kerala's language). She takes pride in having taught me words like "nandi" (thanks) and "sucam" (how are things?). Everyone giggles when I try to pronounce these words. We often visit people's homes. It's funny when they all surround me and stare. It is as if I was some kind of strange cartoon character. I also think of them as being very strange. All of them have a particular head tilt that can be confused with disapproval. When you first meet someone, they look at you as if they are going to kill you and then smile. Narayanan has this "Don Quixote" energy to him. His extreme enthusiasm about everything, his slender demeanor and high level of intellect make him very interesting to watch. About two hours ago, Narayanan and I were riding the motorcycle and came accross a colorful parade. I was extremely excited to see the drummers and the beautiful flowers adn the elephant wearing gold jewelry. However, I don't think I was able to express this joy as clearly as Narayanan. He couldn't believe how fortunate I was to experience an event that rarely happens. His facial while performing Kathakali are very exaggerated making him an extraordinary dancer. He and his friend, Krishna, performed for me. I could go on and on about these people but since Narayanan and part of his family are staring at me as I type, I am feeling a bit uncomfortable. The other people in the cafe may also be relieved if this bulk of people leaves.
The training is very intensive. Narayanan is a wonderful teacher. His father trained me but he is ill so Narayanan has been doing most of the training in his father's home. I have been banging on the floor with my bare feet and doing eye movement drills. The facial expressions are very difficult so I pretty much suck. However, Narayanan and his father have complemented me on my body movements telling me that compared to many foreign dancers, I am by far the best trainee because of my rhythm. Thanks Patrice!
|
