Cochin,India (February 28th, 2018 - March 5th, 2018) - Tons of Pictures!
Cochin, India
February 28 - Arrive in Cochin
During orientation, we had a wonderful class by the
Intercultural Specialist faculty, Julia Khrebtan-Hoerhager, examining the
fallacies of creating a “single story.”
Many of my friends and colleagues would recognize this as a variation of
“FACT v. STORY” and humans' inclination to assemble facts into a story adding
interpretations and judgments, believing that this augmented version of the
truth is The Truth.
Similarly, we can create a single story that over-simplifies
complexities or erases co-existing polarities that, if unexamined or not confronted,
can distort our views and understanding of the world. One of the examples Julia had us process was
to generate what notions we had about Africa.
She mentioned how frequently Africa is referred to as if it were a country
rather than a continent; for example, referring to China, India and Africa as
if one is referencing 3 countries. We
were all able to generate common conceptions about the continent, many negative,
without difficulty.
If you get a moment to watch the wonderful TED talk by novelist Chimamanda Adichie that Julia showed, I highly recommend it.
This idea of a “single story” was a wonderful term to
introduce at the beginning of this voyage as it gives us all language to use to
describe deconstructing our stereotypes or having meaningful conversations
about the single stories we are perpetuating.
By this point in the journey, we are (thankfully) hearing
more conversations about single stories and maybe more aware of them showing
up. To my own dismay, I responded to a
prompt for a videotape to the question “What are you looking forward to in
Africa?” with my own version of single story, answering as if the question were
about South Africa. We will be visiting
4 different countries in Africa: Mauritius, South Africa, Ghana and
Morocco.
I have come into India with a single story as well. My mind is filled with images of Slumdog
Millionaire, Mother Theresa, and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. I have heard about the crowds of people, the
caste system, and the dirty but sacred Ganges.
I am expecting excessive poverty, squalor, begging women and children,
and not looking forward to feeling helpless, privileged, and inadequate.
As we sail into Cochin, instead I see a lush green shoreline
with buildings of colonial-style architecture, bustling fishing, and small
dolphins playing along the edge of our boat.
Quite a different view than I had expected.
India is SO hot. Both
for mosquitoes and decorum, we need to wear long pants and shirts with
sleeves. Most of us have bought
“elephant” pants (lightweight cotton pants with elastic in the ankles) by now
and are glad to have them for this port.
Fortunately, immigration is in an air-conditioned building, but we had
about a 5-minute walk in the hot sun to get there. I was working on the pathway (although in the
shade) and was sopping wet by the time we were done.
Later RD Kelly and Adam; RD Dallawrence and Cynthia and I
ventured out to explore. Tuk-tuk (this
version is 4-wheeled) drivers crowded outside.
They were relentless, offering day-long rides for $5. Ignoring them was not an option as they continued
to clamor, “Ma’am, ma’am,” walking along aside us. One guy walked with us for about 10
minutes. I found it distracting and
irritating and then amusing and then frustrating. Dallawrence played along with the back and
forth. By the end the tuk-tuk driver was
telling him he’d give him a ride for free.
We had met 2 students coming back to the ship as we were leaving who
said they’d already been scammed by a driver who drove them in circles rather
than to their requested destination. The
fee was small, but it still made us a bit more alert.
The ship was docked at Willingdon Island, a part of Cochin
that had been created by dredging. There
was a system of ferries that connected the island to Ernakulam and Fort
Kochi/Mattancherry, all part of the Cochin area.
We walked to the nearby ferry where, for about 40 cents, we
rode across the river to a shopping district with lots of small stores,
wholesale shops, and spice stalls.
Trip Advisor directed us to a small restaurant with a
friendly owner who welcomed us in and set us up with a lunch of local foods
including boondi raita, paratha, pulao, chana masala. It was a great adventure and cost the 5 of us
less the $20 total. It turns out the
owner had retired as an engineer from Sony and taken over the restaurant from
his mother. He clearly enjoyed sharing
his culture with others and the locals flocked there as well.
After lunch, we continued our shopping, buying some candy to
restock our snacks and clothing to restock our wardrobes. Once again the shopkeepers were very
friendly, asking where we were from, telling about their children who were at
university abroad, and snapping pictures.
Hot but happy, we headed back across the water for a shower
and dinner at the ship, leaving Ernakulam behind.
March 1 - Mattancherry & Jew Town
Judy, the SAS Counselor, and I decided to take the ferry in
the opposite direction to explore fort Kochi/Mattancherry, the area first
settled in Cochin. This required finding
a different ferry stop near the ship but we decided we would bravely venture
forth. Once again we were swarmed with
tuk-tuk drivers, all of whom seem convinced we needed their services. This time they motored along behind us, checking
in with us every time we tried to check Google Maps or slowed to see if we had
gotten to the ferry embarkation point. I
was determined not to use them, but eventually yielded as Judy began to look
hot and we began to doubt if we were really headed in the right direction. Immediately 3 tuk-tuks came over. Once they saw how much we were paying, 2 of
the drivers pointed to the 3rd driver, an older man, to take
us. We tried to communicate with him
where we were headed by pointing to the map and I was a little worried when he
didn’t seem to be able to see it (I
hoped, like me, he just need needed his reading glasses.) We were barely aboard, when he made a right
hand turn down a side street and dropped us off at the ferry – apparently we
had been just minutes away. We laughed
and continued on our way.
Our first stop was the Mattancherry Palace aka the Dutch
Palace, one of the oldest buildings of the Portuguese who had settled
here. It had been built and given to the
king of Kochi to “pacify” them after the Portuguese plundered a nearby
temple. The building retains exquisite
mythological murals in the tradition of Hindu temple art and had curated
displays that gave a lot of background about the Kochi royal families and their
matrilineal lineage.
We had hoped to stop by the Paradesi Synagogue, which is
also in the area, but it was closed.
Instead we shopped in the wonderful local craft stores in the area known
as “Jew Town,” appreciated some fine handiwork done by women and sold through a
cooperative,
And enjoyed lunch by the water at a beautiful local
restaurant.
to another exquisite sunset behind Fort Kochi.
March 2 - Mother
Theresa Mission
One of the SAS trips was a half-day visit to one of the
missions established by Mother Theresa.
Someone had a ticket they were giving away, so I decided to join the
trip. We went by bus to a part of Cochin
I had not yet visited. It was
interesting to see the business areas and nice homes in the area.
Eventually the bus parked on a side street near some cattle
grazing in the city and we walked through a local neighborhood – (attracting
quite a lot of attention).
It was interesting to note the religious diversity in the
area – with a Hindu temple, mosque and then, of course, the Catholic Church
next to the mission.
Our guide pointed out many of the plants growing in people’s
courtyard that were both attractive and a source of food. Equally interesting were the goats that
walked the streets. Each seemed to have
a rope collar so we guess that they may belong to families, but it was not
clear how they know who belongs to who.
We had told that we would not be doing service at the
mission; we were there to learn. As it
turns out, this mission focuses on taking care of girls with disabilities. There were about 30 girls with a variety of
disabilities there. We were able to
smile, wave, and make any connections that we could with the children. We got a few smiles and even a hello, which
was quite fun.
Otherwise we learned a bit about Mother Theresa’s work, her
vision to help the people of India, her commitment to healing touch, her belief
that God blessed the poorest of the poor and that God loves all regardless of
their religious beliefs. The nuns we
spoke with embraced these teachings in their work. They hand wash all the clothes of the
children as part of the commitment to staying in physical contact.
The surroundings are modest with most of the children
sleeping in beds in two rooms. They have
one little “therapy” room with music, balls, and small colored lights for
stimulation and another prayer room with a large painting of Jesus holding some
of their children on his lap. We asked
the nuns about their experiences. They
trained in Calcutta where the main mission is and several had worked at
missions in the US: New York, Washington, North Carolina, Chicago. One of
the interesting comments made by the nun was her reflection that in India the
need is for rice whereas in the US she saw the need for
connection/belonging. She talked about
how each person could do more to reach out to the people, even in their family,
who are isolated and alone.
In addition to caring for the girls, this mission reaches
out and involves the community, also serving the poorest of the poor. Some of those they help come and volunteer to
help with the children by cooking or washing.
Volunteers are welcome from around the world although they
must provide their own housing and stay a minimum of 3 months. Financial donations all go to the main
mission in Calcutta and are distributed from there. Material donations are coordinated so that
they come from quality sources—you don’t just drop off medication, you would
need to purchase it from a particular source.
The mission does need to comply with governmental regulation which
includes meticulous accounting for all donations. They do not, however, accept governmental support. They do not save for the future, but rather
live from the belief that God will provide what is needed. One of the students asked the nuns if they
needed to do daily devotions—I heard the nun reply that they have 6 hours a
day!
Another meaningful story to me was the host who described an
experience Mother Theresa had had. She
saw a young girl crying near her mother who appeared to be stirring a pot. As Mother Theresa investigate she saw that
the pot was empty. When she inquired,
the mother said she was trying to give the little girl hope. (And I am coming to believe hope is such an
important thing.) Mother Theresa came
back in a little while with a large bag of rice that would last the mother 10
days. A few days later she stopped by to
check on the family and found the child crying and all the rice was gone. When Mother Theresa inquired why the child
was crying, the mother responded, “There are 3 other families next door with no
food. How could I not share?” Our host said that was his experience as
well, that those who were in the greatest need were very generous with what
they received. It is a reminder to me
that generosity costs very little and that hoarding resources can be expensive
in a different way.
We wound our way back through the neighborhood streets to
the bus.
It was interesting to be in what seemed to be a working
class neighborhood. It looked like this
might be where our tuk-tuk drivers live. One father drove his children by us in the
back of his tuk-tuk as they waved at us.
I think he may have brought them out just to see us! Children from the school noticed us, giggled,
and said hello in English. We stopped
to watch a local hand-make bread.
March 3 - Duty Day
As the RD on duty, I was asked to accompany a student to the
local hospital to have a consultation with an oral surgeon. From hiring the tuk-tuk driver to negotiating
the payment system to experiencing the crowded and intense hospital environment
while waiting for the appointment, it was a fascinating experience. There was a desk set up specifically for
foreigners, which was interesting in and of itself. It was clear that we got some priority
treatment, like being walked to the front of the long payment line. Our tuk-tuk driver, who had been hired with
the understanding he would wait for us, was an invisible presence who kept
appearing wherever we ended up in the hospital just as we needed something. It was impressive. It was hard to make sense of any particular
organizational flow. Although not
“dirty” the hospital also didn’t have that shiny cleanliness of US
hospitals. It was old and well-worn. The student and I marveled as we watched
people poor water from a large receptacle into a stainless steel cup and then
pour it into their mouths without touching the rim. The same cup was used by the next
person. This struck me as precarious in
a hospital environment.
Once inside the oral surgeon’s office, however, things
looked as modern as ever and it was clear the student was in good hands. The student had to get some medication,
which she picked up at a pharmacy booth outside the hospital that advertised
they spoke English.
All went well until we got back and the tuk-tuk driver
protested that the student hadn’t paid him enough (even though it was more than
she’d originally negotiated.) She was
cool and calm though, and said it was enough and walked away.
March 4 - Kerala
Backwaters
Travel to the Taj Mahal was the main event for most people on
SAS. The trips were scheduled in such a way that I was not able to go on a
bunch of the trips because of my duty schedule.
I really wanted to challenge myself to do some independent travel
locally. The backwaters of Kerala (the
township that Cochin is in) were one of the “must sees” of the area, so I set
about trying to visit in the area.
Although not straightforward, I did manage to arrange a trip
for myself, Joon,
and Deborah (a lifelong learner) to go along a canal for the
afternoon in a covered canoe.
Small houses were built right on the canal.
And our guide stopped to let us talk with some local
fishermen who were casting a circular net with weights into the canal to pull
up fish. It was amazing to watch how
smoothly they could coil up the net and cast it out onto the water, landing in
a perfect circle as it settled to the bottom.
Our trip ended as the sunset. It was a beautiful, tranquil trip and a
perfect way to appreciate that India is quite a diverse place.
March 5 – Duty Day
Another duty day. Everyone
needed to be back on the ship by 2 pm today, so not a particularly big deal
except there is a lovely hotel just a short walk from the gangway with a
bar. Students loaded up before returning
to the ship, so at one point we had 6 students in medical observation,
including one rolled on in a wheel chair.
(Everyone is lucky that the immigration officials were tolerant and
allowed us to bring them on-board.) I am
grateful to my RD colleagues who all joined me in observation to deal with the
fray. I heard that there were a bunch of
students staggering around the ship later, who hadn’t been pulled into
observation. I suppose their blood
alcohol level was still on the rise as they came through shipboard
security.
Noteworthy observation that despite being brought in in a
wheelchair, that student was appropriately contrite and thankful for the
assistance in contrast to another student who was outraged and angry that we
wouldn’t let her call her mother while she was drunk. A glimpse into people’s true self, I guess. A small few whose behavior interferes with the
at-large experience. And off to
Mauritius we go….
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