Home Stays (Part 1)

This past weekend the students had the chance to go on a home stay with students from the college. In order to hear their perspective on the experience, I'm going to let them tell about it:

Becca and Emma:

Temple

Our home-stay was spent at our friend Jennifer's home in Coimbatore. We were taken to the Perur Temple where we were given an extensive tour by a family friend and were even allowed into the rooms marked by golden archways where Hindus believe their gods live. Afterwards we drove to the foothills of the Velliangiri mountains and spent the afternoon at the Dhyanalinga Yogic Temple where we bathed in an underground pool made of solidified mercury and spent time in silence within the massive dome structure.  We also went to a horror movie, ate a chicken masala burger at McDonalds, shopped at the mall, and spent an afternoon at an amusement/water park.

With Jennifer at her house

Becca riding the sumo-wrestler ride at the amusement park

Stevie and Faith:

This weekend we went to Ooty, a city spread out in the cool lush mountains and segregated by tea and vegetable crops. The father of our host family is the pastor for Bread of Life Church, so we were able to sleep on site. The first evening we had the privilege of being welcomed into a tribal village and witnessing a miracle. Only a few of the people could speak English and everyone knows we can’t speak Tamil, so smiling and the mispronunciation of each other’s languages was the communication for the evening. As guests, we were welcomed to sit on the large bed in the hut and enjoy the delicious meal while our hosts watched us eat. After our meal, a mute man entered the room and fell at the pastor’s feet. Several minutes of intense praying by the pastor and the elder women in the hut, the man collapsed, seemingly unconscious. Within the next minute he sat up, stood up, put his hands to his chest and whispered “stotram” (praise the Lord). From mute to talking in under ten minutes, in this small hut, in the middle of nowhere. The presence of God was so powerful during our entire weekend but it was that night that made us feel truly blessed to be here.

Stay tuned for more stories from the rest of the student's home stay experiences!

Happy Onam!

Happy Onam from ISP!!!

             

      Onam is the harvest festival in the neighboring state of Kerala. Today, Onam was celebrated at school through cultural dances and a ‘rangoli’ or ‘flower design’ competition. The students were off at their internship sites for part of the day, but came back early in order to watch the festivities. Rangoli is an intricate design in a circle that is created entirely with different varieties of FLOWERS!! The Malayalee (or Kerala) students at BACAS competed in teams to create the best rangoli design. Taylor, who is an art major, thoroughly enjoyed watching the designs come to life.

In the afternoon, the Malayalee students put on a show with traditional (and non-traditional) dances and songs. The girls wore beautiful white saris which are traditional in Kerala and many of the guys danced hip-hop. There was even a girl who sang a Taylor Swift song in a 'southern drawl'!!

               

This was truly a cultural introduction for the students to life in India in the way that programs are run but they definitely enjoyed it! Each state has pride in their unique culture and so it was good or us to get to experience that energy!

To see more photos from the celebration please visit our Facebook page: India Studies Program (ISP)

Hostel night!

Friends. Food. Dancing. What more is there? Every Tuesday night the ladies of Batch 5 will have the opportunity to go over the girl’s hostel for dinner and a visit. Many of the ladies studying at BACAS live in a hostel nearby because their families live outside the city or even in the neighboring state of Kerela. Since our students are not actually taking classes with the Indian students, the only time to interact is during lunch time, so hostel night gives them the chance to really form friendships. The girls at the hostel are so kind to welcome our students in and have a great time showing their rooms and telling stories. This is a good time to get away from school life and see how much we have in common.

Not only are the girls very sweet, but Tuesday night is also roti night! In South India, rice is the staple, eaten at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As you can imagine, it can be hard for us Americans to take so much rice, which is why rotis (like a fried tortilla) are so exciting!

Indian dancing is an art form and the girls at the hostel seem to have it pretty much nailed. They were kind enough to try to teach us a few moves and give us a demonstration. I think we will still need a little more practice but for now all we can do is try to teach them the Macarena and the Electric slide!

(photo credit to our very own Faith Boyle)

Shopping for salwars

Salwar kameez is a traditional Indian outfit made up of pants, a long tunic shirt (kurta) and a scarf (dupatta). The students are required to wear these clothes in accordance with the dress code at BACAS. However, it really helps them to fit in more and shows that they are embracing the culture. Not to mention that they are so beautiful!

Yesterday the students had the chance to get in some much anticipated shopping. We traveled by bus (first time) to a market to sort through piles and piles of clothing at the different shops.Thankfully their peer mentors were along to help with sizes, bartering, and fashion advice! Next they stopped for a coffee break and a small small snack and tried parantha- definitely a winner!!!

Trying parantha

 Hanging out with new friends

After a little more shopping, we felt like we had succeeded and it was time to go home. Since it was getting late, we decided to just catch an auto which is always a fun and exciting way to travel!

This morning the students arrived at church dressed beautifully in their traditional salwar kameez. Batch 5 is ready for classes to begin tomorrow!

Ahlan!

Ahlan! I’m Poornith Ninan. I’m the new program assistant at ISP. A little about myself, I was born in the state of Kerala (also known as God’s Own Country) and raised in the Middle-East. I recently graduated from Bharathiar University with a Bachelors in Business Management. Previously, I’ve been working as a student assistant with the ISP and I own a travel agency as well. I love travel and trying new cuisines. I look forward to meeting you and building a meaningful relationship with you over the semester. I’m here to do whatever I can to ensure that you have an amazing time here in India.

Namaste! Vanakkam! Jambo!

I am so excited to meet this new batch of students and get to know you all and walk along side you on this journey. And trust me, it’s going to be a fun and crazy journey! You are going to be challenged in your faith, your viewpoint, and hopefully your attitude and actions in your life back home.

Let me introduce myself so that I’m not as much of a stranger to you. My name is Hannah Brown and I just graduated in May from John Brown University in Arkansas with a B. S. in Child and Family Studies. I grew up in Nairobi, Kenya which really grew my desire to travel and to experience new things. For the Spring semester of my Jr. year of college, I had the opportunity to go on the India Studies Program and it absolutely changed my life! I loved how alive and crazy India is and I really enjoyed getting to know the people and traveling around to see the beautiful sites. It was so fun to ride an elephant, tour the Taj Mahal, swim in the Indian ocean, and celebrate the Indian festival of colors- Holi. The very best part for me, however, was the relationships I made with the people in my batch (group). They challenged me and encouraged me and we helped each other grow. I can honestly say that some of those people are still some of my best friends a year and a half later.

I’ll be honest though that there are some hard things that you will see and experience in India such as power cuts, heat, and beggars. This is where I come in- I will be there living along side you to teach you some of the ropes like how to cross the bustling streets or what food to order. I hope to also support you as you encounter culture shock and process how to apply what you are learning to your everyday life.

You may have some questions or concerns going into this semester such as what to pack (or not pack) and what to expect. Feel free to message me on Facebook regarding those questions-I am here to help!

I kept a blog while on my semester in India so if you would like to get a little idea of what is in store for you, you can check that out at http://india-hannah.blogspot.com/2012/01/on-my-way.html . You can also go to the India Studies Program page on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/pages/India-Studies-Program-ISP/172820189398536 and 'Like' it to see lots of pictures from previous semesters and keep updated.

One more thing: be sure to tell your friends and family to follow this blog because this is where they are going to be seeing updates throughout the semester of what we are up to. I will do my best to keep them in the loop by posting stories and pictures of you on here!

See you in India!     ~Hannah

Goodbye Batch 4!

Another semester has come to a close and ISP is sad to be saying goodbye to another group of students. Batch 4 - we have loved having you in India and are so excited to see what you will do in the future! We're taking a break for the summer but watch us this fall for new adventures with Batch #5.