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During
the Fall 1998 Convocation, San Francisco District members discussed various
methods of including teachers and other Partners in the worldwide Lasallian
experience. As a part of that effort, a pilot program was launched which
sent six Lasallian educators to St. Joseph's Boys' Village in Southern
India. It is hoped that the success of this program will inspire others
to reach beyond their Districts and join in that part of the Lasallian
mission which calls us to serve the international community.
6/14
Sitting for three hours on the runway waiting to take off in Amsterdam,
my body is tired and my mind numb. I seem to have completely lost Sunday.
I've had no real rest, yet am able to be present to my experience. This
is the longest I've ever been on a plane. Another delay . . . waiting,
waiting, waiting. Later that evening . . . I'm sitting in a Bombay hotel.
Humidity, pungent smells, and dogs barking make up the scene. We had our
first meeting in the hallway outside our rooms. First discussion . . .
What day is it? We concluded it was 4 a.m. on Monday. I have no orientation
or reference point. Nothing is familiar. I think the giant rat behind
the money exchange booth at the Bombay airport is an omen for the trip.
6/15
It is almost impossible to describe. I change between moments of incredible
joy and fearful panic. I switch from feelings of "I want out of here"
- to - "I can't believe I'm here." The smell of the Bombay streets is
hard to take at times, and yet pleasant. It's a mixture of garbage, mud,
and human and animal waste with a touch of jasmine flowers and sandalwood
incense. There is a constant noise of honking horns.
6/18
Arrival at Boys' Village. We are finally experiencing the open space of
the country in the villages and farm lands. The air is clean, and there
are a million palm and coconut trees. It's simply beautiful. Driving away
from the city is like going back in time. Hundreds of years do not seem
to have passed for most of these rural people. Oxen are plowing the fields
alongside rusty old tractors that belong in a Nebraska museum. The bus
barely slows down for the women winnowing grain on the roadside. We are
a hundred miles from any tourist attraction. I like that very much. The
surprise was the reception we got upon our arrival at Boys' Village. Fifty-four
boys, lined up by size, cheer and clap as we enter the gate and step off
the bus. With the women going first, we are ritually blessed with incense
smoke and given the traditional "dot" on our foreheads with a red and
saffron yellow paste, then beautiful garlands of flowers are placed around
our necks by the oldest boys. Such is the tradition of giving "special
guest" status to honor and welcome someone into their village and lives.
From that moment on, I knew this was going to be an interesting experience.
It was an honor I had not yet earned. We retired to our rooms. Jim and
I shared a cottage, which was spartan but adequate. Two beds, two windows,
a large ceiling fan, two chairs, wall hooks, and a second room with shower
and bathroom facilities.
6/19
Brothers Mark Murphy and Joseph Fernando are amazing people. They both
radiate a humbleness that is so refreshing. Looking at the beauty of Boys'
Village and seeing how kind, smart, and talented the boys are - these
men have reason to be proud. I like them both very much already. We visited
the Boys' Town today, which has a population of about 100. A trade school
teaches woodworking, metal working, and welding. They construct and sell
furniture to help finance the school. They also raise coconuts and sugarcane
for consumption and sale. We had an opportunity to meet Brothers from
other areas who were there for a meeting.
6/20
Father's Day Attended Mass, where Brother Lawrence made his first vows.
A celebration followed. Today Nesa taught me to write my name in Tamil.
6/21
First day of work -- Our job assignment is to help rebuild the chapel.
This entails removing, cleaning, and recoloring tile; removing twenty
beams and replacing them with coconut wood; hand-planing new rough-sawn
beams on four sides; replacing tile rippers; hand-planing rippers; coating
beams and rippers with black preservative; refinishing eight pillars;
painting ceiling and three interior walls; tiling fourth wall; hanging
brass light fixtures. We worked under the direction of a head carpenter,
whom we named "Bossman." We gradually earn his respect as workers.
6/23
This old teacher's body aches from the manual labor. I'm not used to such
work! Yet, there is a joy in it all. The simple acts of scraping, painting,
planing wood, and repairing a window all take on great importance here.
The boys are starving for attention. "What's your name?" is a constant
question. As soon as you tell them your name, they expect you to know
theirs. Brother Joseph surprised us with an afternoon off and took us
to meet Brother James Kimpton at his facility, "Reaching the Unreached."
This complex houses 180 boys and girls who, without such a program, would
be destined for a life by the side of the road - one rife with neglect
and abuse. RTU is a marvel! The vision is crystal clear -- to meet felt
needs and touch hearts. This business provides income for the severely
disadvantaged in the area and helps pay for the school where the Christian
Brothers from Boys' Village teach. They also maintain a kindergarten for
abandoned children. The industry of weaving cloth from rough cotton to
fine batiks occupies most of the women while the children are in school.
They sell to retail business and on the premises. According to Brother
James, the competition is getting troublesome as they are utilizing machines
to increase production.
6/24
I long for a hot shower, a cold beer in a frosted mug, and a place to
go to the bathroom without having to look out for creatures and critters.
It's about time for the boys to return from school. This place is so quiet
and empty when they are gone. I love meeting the bus and welcoming each
boy back home. The food is wonderful. The variety of spices and flavors,
mostly variations on curry, is a welcome break from my usual diet.
6/25
Worked with the bricklayer and planed boards. That evening we visited
a village where the St. Joseph's Trust, under the direction of Brother
Sebastian, has established an evening school, a women's forum, and a farmer's
forum. This program exists in ninety villages. Some residents become certified
to teach in the school. The women's forum teaches women independence and
attempts to prevent early marriage. The women we visited were very proud
that they had saved 60,000 rupees (about $1,400). The farmer's forum discusses
the village's agricultural issues. The Trust also provides an opportunity
for the forums to obtain low interest loans. So many lives are touched
by the Brothers here; clearly, the Lasallian mission is being carried
out.
6/27
Up at 5 a.m. for a 7 a.m. boat trip to the game preserve. Then on to a
tour with Brother Paul. We would learn about the local herbs and their
uses and tour a tea plantation. Returning to Boys' Village in the evening,
I felt as though I were going home.
6/28
Started painting the boys' cottages today. Brother Joseph allowed us to
pick the colors. The exteriors were to be white and "bus" green. To complete
this project, we increased our hours, and we now work from 8:00 a.m. to
5:30 p.m., with an hour lunch break. In the evening, we visited another
village and met a local doctor who volunteers three evenings a week at
nearby villages. Then we traveled to two other villages, riding in the
back of the ambulance - a long Volkswagen bus with a painted red cross
and light. Visiting the three villages made for a very long night. Our
journey is half over. Some of these boys are really starting to steal
my heart. I love sitting with them after dinner under the Indian night
sky and playing card games. They all want human contact. They are constantly
touching my arms and legs, holding my hand, and hugging me around my neck.
What child wouldn't want contact? One small boy, named Manni, ran up and
presented me with a homemade envelope containing a page ripped out of
a coloring book beautifully completed in crayon. It's a gift I'll treasure.
I'm actually surprised at the depth of my love for these kids and my attachment
to them. I dread the thought of my departure.
6/29
We finished painting the first set of cottages today. We replaced the
re-colored tiles on the chapel roof. We worked till 6:30 p.m., but were
able to complete the job. Brother Joseph was very pleased. After dinner,
we planned the Fourth of July party. The children will each receive a
bottle of soda and a mango; each cottage will receive a bag of toys which
our group has brought from America.
7/1
We visited a neighboring village in the evening to see the work that the
Brothers are doing there. Again, we received "special guest" status. We're
greeted at the door with cheers and ritual blessings and given seats reserved
for the village elders. We meet the women's forum groups and farmers'
co-ops, and the children perform songs and dance. It is all so amazing.
The Brothers respect and use traditional village customs to better the
lives of these people. They are really doing something profound here.
7/2
We are all working well together, and our communication has reached a
level of comfort. Our "Bossman" has become somewhat emotionally attached
to us and said, "I was thinking of your leaving. I little bit cry."
7/4
After attending Mass, we started the Independence Day celebration with
the children. They ran in sack races and three-legged races and had a
water balloon toss before lunch. We returned to the village and gave the
children sodas and mangoes. We sang the Star Spangled Banner. The children
were instructed to go to their rooms and then return. They discovered
the bags of toys and returned delighted.
7/5
We completed the chapel!
7/6
Finished painting all of the cottages. In the evening, the Brothers took
us to Madurai for dinner and shopping. A wedding reception was in progress
at the restaurant, and we were encouraged to join in the dancing!
7/7
Packed for our trip home. Returned to the "Reaching the Unreached" to
see Brother James and pick up our batiks.
7/8
In the air over India on our way back to Bombay. What will it be like
to be back in California after having experienced this place and these
people? I do know at this moment that "Lasallian" spirituality is alive
and well in this part of the world. I have a thirty-year relationship
with the Christian Brothers. The question now is . . . How am I to respond
to the needs of my students as clearly and completely as the people I've
met here respond to the needs of the people they serve?
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