Natalie Bastian – Weekly Report No. 3
Last week I told you about how I am familiarized with the Indian food. This fact is still right, but just for the food here in St. John’s. When I went this week for the medical camp again, I ate for the first time in a typical Indian “restaurant”. As a plate you get a leaf from a banana tree. I ordered Chapatti and chicken, which I know from the kitchen of St. Johns. But in the restaurant they take no consideration if you’re European or not. Although it was very spicy and after eating my lips felt like bburning, it was delicious!
During the medical camp we stopped again at different places to take care of the Diabetes. At one stop the church was decorated very colourful, which looked very beautiful (you can see it in the picture) so I asked after the reason and they told me that a bishop will come in the next days.
A visit at a mental care hospital was really interesting for me but contemporary it was a stark perspective. They allowed me to go into the rooms of their patient and some of them were just lying there and staring at the wall. I had never seen that in this beautiful country, where the people are always happy.
But also in St. John’s itself I had a good time this week. Pater Jose allowed the kids to look a movie in the evening. I didn’t understand something of the movie (it was of course in Malayalam), but when I remember the laughing of the kids, it had to be a funny movie.
Aber auch in St.John´s hatte ich eine schöne Woche. Pater Jose erlaubte den Kindern einen Film am Abend zu schauen. Ich verstand zwar kein Wort, da der Film auf Malayalam war, aber wenn ich mich an die lachenden Kinder zurück denke, muss es ein lustiger Film gewesen sein.
On Friday a teenager of the town visited St. John’s. She had birthday and baked a cake for the kids. So we spent the time before eating supper with eating cake and it was a hilarious view because most of the kids were smudged on the whole face and in their hands with the cream. But it wasn’t the only birthday this week. On Monday it was Pater Matthews birthday and we celebrated it at breakfast – the whole family of St. Johns had come and together we sang and ate cake. On the same day (it was 21th of September) there was a big function in Thiruvalla. Together with three sisters , Pater Jose and Pater Matthew, I went there. The event is every year on the same date and they celebrate Sree Narayana Guru Samadhi. This year it was the 85. Anniversary and there were about 10,000 people. It was incredible hot and people urged into shadow. On our way back home we had lunch at the family of Sister Francis and I have felt like I knew them since many years, because they were so warmly. After another visit at a friend of Pater Matthew, our car was full with bananas and apples.
From India, Natalie
