Local Connections: Return of the Sprinkler Dance and the Population of Jupiter

My apologies for not blogging sooner. Last week, I lost my internet connection for several days, and have not found the time to blog since. Nevertheless, work is busier than ever and evenings are increasingly booked. Fortunately, the evenings are also equally diverse. Here are a few examples:

1.This past Friday, I attended my first Hindu wedding-eve festival. While I am accustomed to people staring at me, attendance at this ceremony drove my celebrity status to new heights. Before I get there, let me give you a taste of the atmosphere. Temporary party structures are booming business here and this wedding was no exception- 8-10 feet of sheer fabric in vibrant colors is draped over temporary tubing to create wide entranceways and festive gathering forums. Throughout the site, the fabric hangs overhead creating a colorful and undulating ceiling. The entire community is present and everyone smiling. Dosas, naans, rotis, and various curries are freely dispensed to those in attendance. The wedding party is getting ritually covered in turmeric paste globbed in chunks and streaks from head to toe. Then the dancing starts. This particular festival installed a host of sprinklers into the overhead pipes forming the ceiling. Suddenly, the sprinklers erupt and spew out sheets of water. Simultaneously, the enormous speakers hidden behind the fabric walls blast into Punjabi dance music. As seemed inevitable, those already covered in turmeric paste race to the area under the speakers and start dancing. Now, I am not a dancer, but then again, neither was I given a choice. In minutes, I found myself covered by copious amounts of turmeric paste applied by countless Indian hands, dragged underneath the sprinklers, and doing my best to keep up with the Punjabi dance moves of limber Indian men. I say men because, as wild as this party was, the conservative culture's presence still dominates, creating two separate groups- one for men, one for women. I do not feel the need or desire to comment on the awkwardness of being covered in yellow under a shower, while dancing with a host of energized men. Unexpectedly, however, I had a great time and really felt accepted into the community by my local friends.

2.The next evening, I hesitantly accepted my neighbor's perpetual invitation to go to the “club” with him. Fearing that I would end up in one of this city's famed dance bars, I was nervous about the trip. Nevertheless, his ceaseless invitations and kindness compelled me to go. I quickly found relief when we arrived at the club- which was a private club with tennis courts, pools, and a roof terrace restaurant. Our group headed to the roof and consumed a wonderful meal, courtesy of my neighbor. However, it was the discussion during the meal that remains with me. My neighbor is Hindu- a fact hard to miss considering the 7 foot Shiva tapestry and Ganesh idol adorning the corner of his flat. Almost before the first plates arrived, he engaged the table, which included two friends of mine who came for back up if the feared scenario arose, with Hindu beliefs and answers to life's most common questions. Even though his explanations were elaborate and alien stories to me, they were not the most interesting thing. My neighbor knew that we were all Christians. Interestingly, this knowledge prompted him to pick and choose various passages from the Old and New Testaments and synchronize them with Hindu beliefs. For example, he went on a long dialogue about how true some of the ten commandments are, especially “Do not kill.” He claimed that the significant part of this commandment is that it does not say “Do not kill men,” rather it says “Do not kill.” Ostensibly, this means do not kill men or animals, which pleased him. He proceeded to blend this concept with his choice to be a vegetarian as a Hindu stemming from his belief that this commandment was uttered cognizant of reincarnation. Our explanations and attempts to insert our point of view on the matter were largely rejecting, including my friend's mentioning of the term hermeneutics, which led to a long discussion on our limited understanding of the universe, namely the peoples and cultures of other celestial bodies like Jupiter and the sun. The evening ended without us getting much chance to communicate our beliefs, but we were assured that we would have many more meetings in the future. I look forward to these meetings both because they intrigue me and because I can't help but wonder whether our ever-present God feels humored, angered, saddened, or what, when he listens in.

There are many more stories to tell, but they will have to wait.

I am still amazed at the continuing support of people back home. Thank you so much. God continues to bless me.