September, 2007

Romi's Wedding

July 15 I left for Delhi to visit a good friend, Romi. I met him on my first trip in 2004 and stayed with him and his family. He was and still is working as a teacher to children in a slum area of Delhi. We have been thinking a lot about Romi for the last few months. His mother-in law had accused him and his wife of robbing her house and that they were living together for eight years, neither of which was true. We thought that the marriage would alleviate the problem. The mother was at the wedding and even bought a beautiful bed and dinning room set but has continued to press the court case.

Anyway, it was good to see my friend, although it was short-lived. I took a 50-hour train ride from Trivandrum to Dehli (July 15-17), celebrated the weddng on the 18th and jumped on a plane on the 19th to host some friends from San Francisco. They arrived on the 20th and as I write this update they are debriefing the 10-day visit. More about their blessings below.

Friends from the City

From July 20 – 31 we were hosts to friends from the City. I wish that I could say that we had more for them to do but they’re stay here was very special. Everyone had their own opportunities to traverse the village and make acquaintances. We will try follow up on those relationships during the next few weeks. We also invited a couple friends down from New Delhi to provide training for us, our friends from the states and some other students from the surrounding villages. It was a well-presented lesson that simply taught how to tell stories and ask a few questions that open up more discussion. After two days of training we took it to the streets, along with translators. One couple had the opportunity to meet, talk and have chai with seventeen people in the course of two hours! We also had a trip to the very southern tip of the continent, visiting the city of Kanyakumari. Just off the coast, three seas converge, the Arabian Ocean, Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal.

Of course, no trip would be complete without visiting with the orphans. This time they came to Greg and Pranjal’s house. It was a great time of more story telling, games and bubble blowing, and, of course, arts and crafts, topped off with a wonderful lunch. We’re not sure when the next group of friends is coming but the Moys’ parents will be visiting soon, as well as Pranjals’ mother and father (their first visit to the areas after the birth of their first grandchild). Consider yourself invited!

Blowing the Taco Stand
Well, the very next day we all (Greg, the Mays, Mahadevan, Usha, Pranjal and Ricky) jumped on a train and headed for the east coast city of Chennai, the fourth largest. We met another friend from the states who had started an orphange, Little Flock, in a rural suburb of Chennai. We spend only a couple of days at this wonderful establishment.
They began discussing this venture in 2000 but the project was expedited after the 2004 tsunami. Little Flock is operated by a non-profit in the states and a non-government organization based is Chennai. The eight-acre piece of land is home thirty-four orphans from different regions of the state. The goal is to eventually build housing and provide staff for one hundred children. It was good to get an idea of all that is involved with starting this type of venture and nice to see the good work that is going on in Chennai.

After this visit Greg and the Moys departed the country for some R&R. Greg met up with friends from the states in Thailand, and the Moys headed to Hong Kong and spent time with Wilbur’s family. Then, it was back home where language study begins again!

Priorities, Thanks, Needs

• Two months after moving into his home Greg has finally gotten a stove! This may not prove well for the weight loss scheme.


• The continuing process of learning the language.


• We have all been healthy.


• Safe travel within and outside of the country.


• The November delivery of the Mays’ baby boy.


• Safe travel for Pranjal’s parents early this month.


• Discernment on establishing financial parameters with our national team.
  

What You Didn’t Know(AND PROBABLY DON’T CARE ABOUT)

• Public urination is not an infraction in India.
• No sound permits are needed in India, which makes it easy for temples to broadcast their worship songs at 4:30 in the morning or during festivals, and there are always festivals. It is considered bad luck to celebrate between July 17 and August 17, but that doesn’t mean you can’t worship.
• The Tamil word for diarrhea is baedhi.
  

June 2007

Travel Tribulations and Blessings

The first weekend in June we all enjoyed a time of “rest”. Mahadevan and Usha spent time with their son Ricky, as it was his last weekend before school started. They had the opportunity to visit Mahadevan’s grandmother. Up until a week ago they had not seen their grandmother is ten years, and his grandmother had never seen Ricky! It was pleasurable time for them all.
Wilbur and Ana spent the week on at a town on the west coast but on their ride there they had a flat tire, which caused a minor delay. Pranjal and Greg visited a school in Madurai, a.k.a. the temple city, in light of the plethora of temples found there. The bus stopped for a short break but left without them, along with Greg’s money, camera and passport! Fortunately, one bus driver was leaving in the same direction and knew where their bus driver stops for lunch. They were dropped off on the highway and jumped back on their bus to complete the six-hour journey.
Pranjal and Greg just returned from another excursion up north. One of friends, Manoj, who we meet last summer has been and was recently hospitalized. They went to visit him in a Yotmah, Maharashtra. This included a 36-hour train trip to Nagpur and then a 3-hour bus ride to the hospital.
Manoj was not in good shape, physically emotionally or spiritually. He had been given much encouragement from those closest to him. It turned out the he tested positive twice for HIV. This was the fourth such case in his small village of about 30 families. Pranjal and Greg spent some time with him for the next three days. The day after we left he began eating and the next day was released from the hospital. Please keep him in your thoughts. A couple of his uncles have stepped up to help and one of Pranjal’s friends works a facility that assists people with HIV.
On the train trip to Nagpur, Greg and Pranjal meet a labor leader who invited them to speak in Amarvati. This was a Sunday evening occasion, in open air, the first in over a few decades. Greg also had the opportunity to speak in Pranjal’s hometown, Umri, that morning.
Another door was open on the train trip home. They met another gentleman who was in the Information Technology business and who was providing assistance to villagers in low income areas around southern India. We hope to be in touch with him more in the near future.
All together Greg and Pranjal spent over 90 hours on the train and bus in this week-long trip.

Wedding Invitation

Last summer, Ana made became friends with a woman, Vimela, who teaches at a school that prepares women to be preschool teachers. A few weeks ago, her nephew (sister’s son) invited us to his wedding. Although none of us knew him at all (we had never met him), Ana’s relationship with Vimela was our ticket.
Weddings in India are quite festive and can include an entire week of dinners and other gatherings. Often times weddings are very public with the bride and groom riding through town on horses followed by a small band and procession of friends. We did not actually do to the wedding which is usually only attended by those closest to the family and which can last a couple of hours. We were able to attend the wedding reception that included over 300 family members, neighbors, and foreigners!

Time with Ricky

Wilbur had the idea that each of us should spend a little time with Ricky, our host’s son. Now and then Wilbur will play music on his laptop and record a movie of Ricky dancing. This is quite entertaining as we gather around the laptop to watch and laugh. Sometimes Ricky and Ana frolic at the beach or they spend time of the Moy home. On one occasion Ricky and Greg walked around the neighborhood taking pictures of people and landscapes and other things. Eventually, we will post these on the web. Altogether, we enjoy spending time with Ricky but with school in session he is very busy.
Of note: This young boy, all of age seven, speaks three languages- his native Tamil, Hindi and English! A couple of the photos his took is pictured below.

Orphan Excursion

We had the opportunity to spend more time with the orphans before they also went back to school. On Friday afternoon we all piled into a couple of cars and headed to a swimming hole in, about an hour’s drive from the village. After having a nice lunch we all ventured to the swimming hole. One of the more precious moments was when Greg left the pool. Reshma greeted him. As we mentioned last month, this little girl was so shy last summer. Well, she just grabbed Greg’s hand and began chattering with no end. Unfortunately, Greg did understand a word she had said! They are all back in school and with our language study we are not sure when we will see them again, but we do look forward to it.
While Greg and Pranjal were traveling up north, Ana and Wilbur were present when school supplies were brought to the orphans. There is a concern that the orphans are not getting enough tutoring and we have discussed the idea of spending some of our time during the week helping they study. More to come!

Priorities, Thanks, Needs

• Greg moved into his home on June 26 and Pranjal moved in on July1! Much relief from the dingy hotel.
• The continuing process of learning the language.
• We have all been healthy.
• Manoj
• Romi, Greg’s friend in Delhi, is getting married on July 18. This wedding is being rushed because the bride’s mother wants her daughter to be married. This has led to some tension because Romi’s family is still in mourning after the death of his brother in November. Typically, families will not celebrate for an entire year after the death of a family member. Also, Romi has no funds for the wedding but friends are providing assistance. Greg plans to attend the wedding.
• A team coming from the states will be here in mid-July. They will be here for 11 days and there are a number of logistics to be completed.

Q &A

Q: What is the cost of gas?
A: Over $4.00 a gallon (Rs. 48/ litre, you do the math)

Q: Can we send you anything?
A: Yes. Letter, photos, etc. can be mailed. I have set up a wish list at http://www.wishrepublic.com/. You can log on and pick what you want to send. Items must me mail by July 14. They can set to:
FBC-SF
c/o Gregory Byrnes
22 Waller Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

Just click on “Search”. My email address is GMByrnes@gmail.com

I also made a wish list on Amazon.com. Click on “Find Gifts”, then “Wish Lists”. Typing “Gregory M. Byrnes” will get you directly to my list. The items will be sent directly to FBC.

–Blessings GMB