The Boy Who Cried Elephant
On Wednesday evening, Narayanan and I fled to Kochin to hide. The man who was to deliver my costume was coming the following morning. The people who made my costume aren't supposed to know that it is for an American. The price would at least double. Instead, Govindam (Narayanan's father) said it was for him. We slept over Sima's (Narayanan's wife) parent's house (Narayanan's uncle and aunt). That night we saw the Kathakali show I had previously mentioned. At that show, I had a different role. Since the dancers all know the costume designers, Narayanan decided to introduce me as Dr. Jason Trinidad the scientist. Note that I know nothing about science. Had they asked me any of the theories, I would have had to respond "yes, I know about Albert Einstein...." yet another lie!
On Thursday, we checked out Kochin and went to an art museum. Kochin is a congested city with fairly poor architecture. As I mentioned previously, I would much prefer visiting cities like Chennai or Madurai with incredible temples. I did visit one nice temple and took pictures.
In the evening we returned to the nameless village and had the time of my life. We went to a pre-engagement feast. There where many of the people I had previously met. They made me feel like the guest of honor by having me stand with the family for pictures and always conversing with me. I have been to many parties where even if I know the people, I find myself standing there staring at a wall. I believe myself to be the sociable extravert. But I feel more comfortable when I am accompanied by good hearted people who embrace you. Right after writing this sentence, the man next to me asked me where I was from. In many places, it would be considered rude to talk to someone in an internet cafe. I find it to be quite the contrary.
I am staying at Narayanan's brother's house. He has a seventeen year old daughter. They tell me that their daughter will have a say when she is arranged. They will provide her with a list of pictures of different possible husbands. She will be able to decide which one is right for her although their horoscopes have to match aswell. Another girl showed me a picture of her fiancee. She just met him and is excited to marry him. It is interesting how different these relationships are from ours. The concept behind this arrangement is that the partners will be friends forever. However, I don't see any close relationship between any man and woman. This includes relationships between mother and son. Govindam (Narayanan's brother) seems a bit closer to his daughter. This, of course, is strictly a western observation. I am aware of the differences in communication. However, I also see how close men are to men. When we sat at the tables, I noticed that I was sitting with just women. When I looked around me, the women were sitting on one side of the patio and the men on the other. I was sitting on the wrong side and socializing with the wrong people. I unfortunately discovered this at the end of the dinner.
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