What A Weekend!

So since I haven't been on here for a couple of days i'm going to start from Friday, the day that I should have written, but due to my complications I was unable to do so. I spent all day Friday throwing up and being sick for some unknown reason, but then again T.I.I(This Is India), the famous acronym used by all the volunteers, was my only answer. You can feel my frustration can't you? Well that night the kids got to watch this slide show of some old pictures that were taken of them when their hostile was located in the city of Chennai, and the only reason I know that is because for a short amount of time I went out and saw some of it to get fresh air, but then after that I went back to bed. Saturday come around and I feel so much better! Thank goodness! All of us coordinators and two volunteers went to Mamallapuram, the beach city right in the Bay of Bengal. The whole day we spent relaxing at the beach, swimming, and a few of us were brave enough to get the Indian massages. I did not because I had already done the whole exotic massage from another country thing, and my experiences in Cambodia were almost perfect and I didn't want to mess that up with an oily Indian massage. When the girls were done I asked them how it was, and they said oilllyyy! I just smiled and nodded. The food at the resort was awesome! I got to spend some time with Esther and that was fun. We walked around the tourist markets and she bought some cool jewelry and some shirts for her fiance. I also got some cool pictures of me on the beach! I mean if I am in a exotic country like India I have to get some pictures of me on the beach so I can show the girls when I get back! On the way back we stopped at our favorite place to get lunch/dinner. In India they have this amazing bread called paratha, but it's pronounced parota. It's amazing! It's like a naan bread, but more tortilla like. I don't know how they exactly make it, but it's one of the best things to eat here in India. So we're on the side of the street eating this amazing bread, and I notice behind me this huge rack of Indian music. In my head I freak out and I go to buy some. On these cds they have like 120 songs! That is amazing because back in the states we can only get like 20 on one cd. Well each was like 30 rupees, so for three I spent 90 rupees which is almost $2 in the states. I love India because everything here is so cheap! The cd covers are so funny. They have pictures of girls dancing and the guys are wearing who knows what! We got back around 7:40 and then we hooked up a huge projector so the kids could watch Robin Hood. Every Saturday the kids watch some sort of movie and have popcorn. So I guess I can still feel like I am somewhat back in the states! Today was by far the most exciting day so far spent in India! Out of everything strange and bizarre that happens in India this totally knocks it out! So we were planning to go to church but we didn't have a driver. We called our other driver Regindren, who lives in the Nelvoy village just right outside of where our hostel is. It takes us two hours every Sunday to get to church because that is the closest Mormon church from where we are. So as we're driving Regindren hands us these photos of what looks like some festival. We find out this is a tradition that goes on in his village and his sister's son was going to be there and his family. We ask him if he was sad that he was going to miss it, but he does not know English very well and did not seem to get the question. The four of us volunteers pointed to the photo and said, "Are you sad that you're going to miss this?" He said, "Yes, 9-1." We felt so bad that we decided to miss church and go back so he could go be with his family to be a participant in this festival. Sometimes we get frustrated because the drivers cannot meet our needs of transportation, but we don't know what they're missing in order to come out of their way to do us that favor. We asked him if we were allowed to come and he said it was ok. So he takes us back and the three girls change into Chutidars which are the typical casual outfits the girls wear in public. Sarees, another type of outfit, are more formal and are used for church and nice events. So, after we were all changed we went with him to this festival, and I am glad we did because I probably will never see what I saw again! The festival didn't start till 9:30 so he invited us to his home to meet his family. We met his wife and his four daughters. They were all beautiful. So, finally we get to this festival right down the street from where Regindren's house was and they had six boys from the age of 8 to what looked like 16 sitting down getting these fruits sewed into there back and chest. The village had a huge temple and inside the temple there were two old men that would yell praises. There was a man on the roof taking up leaves and what looked life offerings to put on the roof of the temple, there were two old women possessed and just dancing in a wierd manner in front of the temple, and then to the side of the temple there was a group of men playing drums and this wierd trumpet and chanting as they played. After the boys had their whole upper back and chest of sewed on fruits, they entered inside the temple to get these huge hooks hooked in their lower back. One hook was hooked into them on each side of their back. As the hooks were being placed in their back, the old men inside the temple would yell different sayings, but they would yell them at the same time. So while all this is going on, I and the other 3 volunteers just looked at each other not knowing what the heck was going on! All of us were asking so many questions and we finally got to know the festival happens as a praise to one of their Gods. The boys can have this done at any age, but they have to be unmarried to do so. Regindren had this dedication to the Gods done three times! It was funny because as the boys were going through the first step of having the fruits sewed onto their skin, Regindren pulled up his shirt to show us his scars on his back. They were hideous! We kept telling him he was a real man for having it done three times. I just can't imagine the pain they feel as they get fruits sewed on their skin and hooks hooked in their back! The last step is they have to get this tattoo of a trident on their tongue! By this point I don't know what to think! After all the steps are done they get yellow rope and through the hooks they tie the rope to these carts for the Gods. Two boys had to pull carts while the other four pulled a bus all decorated with flowers! Now imagine how painful it would be to have hooks in your back while pulling a flowery bus! I guess if it was a regular bus it wouldn't worth it right? I asked Regindren how far they had to pull the carts and the bus, and he told me 10 feet. I thought WOW! So all that pain to just pull a cart and a bus for 10 feet?! Screw the Gods I wouldn't do it! I don't know what Regindren was talking about when he said 10 feet because after the ceremony was finished they kept going from the village all the way down the street. Unfortunately, we did not follow them that far. This was by far the most interesting thing I have ever seen in my life! I guess this is what happens when you skip church in India. After the ceremony we went back to Regindren's house and all of us got a family photo. We thanked him for allowing us to come with him and his family to the village festival. I have to say though throughout all that time we were there Regindren never stopped smiling. He was so grateful to show us his family and he was so happy that we spent that time with him. Regindren is one our drivers and he has been working with us for a few years now. He's an awesome guy and you can always see him with a smile on his face! I just love the people here. No matter what part of the world you are from they all accept you as one of their own. Whether you go to the colonies or out in public each person you talk to can teach you something you didn't know. This country is full of love and joy and I love being here! These people will walk up to you and ask you for your name and to them knowing your name makes their day! I wish America could be like India in that aspect! I wish more people back home could have as much love and joy as these people in India do. Try to incorporate love and joy throughout all you do and I promise you that your life will be happy and joyous like these Indians. They have nothing and yet they still have so much joy and happiness, and while we have a lot more than they do sometimes we are still not happy. Just think about that and then see what is really important in your life. I miss all of you and I love each one of you back home! Be safe and take care!