day 4

I cant believe its only day 4

Today was Sunday. Mass at 7am, in the chapel in the compound. Mary Ellen and I got there about 20 minutes early and we noticed almost everyone sat on the floor. So we followed suit. Also, everyone was barefoot, with shoes left outside. Soon after we sat, they began the rosary, in hindi. I picked up on it around the second decade. The mass was said in all hindi, with a bout 9 or 10 songs throughout. We stood once and nealt once. My back was killing me (and still is 15hours after)! Communion is very different at well. The women first of all are on the right hand side of the church, the men on the left. Male children in the front left. The men went first, followed by the women, followed by the children. I went with the children, as I was sitting withthem. The offtory included bananas and hard boiled eggs. I think there was a new nun being inducted into the convent.

Aften mass, we had breakfast and then napped. Everal hours later we had lunch with 11 people. Two guest nuns, two guest priests and several Jesuits I had met the night before. We had this corn flake looking piece of food. It was deep fried and aboutu 100x the size of a regular corn flake. There was pork curry and several vegetables. I tried a little of everything, and washed some of I down with a glass of sprite. Mary Ellen left early and followed suit soon after. I took a few pepto bismals and laid down. Something wasn’t settling right.

I woke hours later, sweating, just missing tea time. I played gin rummy with mary Ellen winning by a large margin. I talked with the one visiting priest and he told me how a lot of Indian families are falling apart no day because the youth is more drawn ot the city and when they come back they want to lead a different lifestyle in the village and it classes with the expectations of the village apon them. The mosquitoes were starting to bite, so I retired to my room to journal.