Dinner with a Friend

I met a very nice young man here at Mother Teresa's Mission. His name is Stephen. He came here yesterday on his motorcycle. The kids love to sit on it and pretend they are driving. He is good friends with all of the sisters and workers here and is so good with the children. He and his family live close by so he drops by whenever he can.

Stephen works at a call center and makes more than his 39 year old father who works constructing large buildings. His English is very good and this makes all of the difference in the world when it comes to getting a good paying job here. He did not learn English in school, since the people here want to keep their own language, Gujarati, a form of Hindi. He taught himself just listening to travelers coming through while working at a local Pizza Hut.

Stephen asked if I would like to see Gandhi's memorial museum today on his day off from school and work. The museum is wonderful, filled with documents, newspaper stories and pictures of Gandi and his wife. They were fascinating people and I will surely read more about this man when I return home. Gujarat is Gandhi's home state and there is a large bronze statue of him in the town circle.

Last night I went with Stephen to his Catholic church service. He goes twice each day, once in the morning and once at night. The service is interesting and in English. I felt the word "sin" being used a few too many times - reminding me of my own Catholic upbringing. The whole concept terrifies me as I feel it creates fear, guilt and shame, something there is way too much of in our country. Coincidentally, I actually bought a book called, "Guilt and Sin" by Ramesh back in Bombay the other day as I passed through on my way here. I attended the morning talk at his apartment and saw many of the same friendly faces I saw when I attended back on January 19th.

After church Stephen took me back to have dinner with his family. He has two younger brothers, 14 and 16 years old. Stephen is 19. His mother is so kind and works so hard to take care of her family. They live in a small, tight community. All the families live in small government buildings, close together, with sidewalks weaving between them. Their house is only two rooms. One room has a bed and a television, which Stephen purchased with proceeds from his job. It is the only one in the neighborhood, so children are frequently found here watching cartoons. The other room is the kitchen where his mother cooks the meals. There are pictures of Hindi Gods all around and Stephen, who has just converted to Catholicism, put up pictures of Jesus and a cross.

We sit on the floor, Stephen and I, while his mother serves us and the others watch and giggle as I fumble eating with my fingers. The food is some of the best I've had in India. (Home cooking is the way to go if you have the opportunity.) We have dal and lentils, served in a small metal bowl. In a larger plate is white rice and a curry with vegetables. She has also made chapatis and roti, a crispy thin bread which I don't much care for. The mother will eat afterwards in the kitchen, while the boys eat together. The same I am told for the sleeping arrangements - Stephen and his father sleep on the floor and his two brothers on the bed. His mother sleeps in the kitchen.

The whole neighborhood is there to see the American. So many children, and they all come up to shake my hand and say hello. A neighbor man is there and his wife brings over their two month old baby for me to hold. Another man who is a high school geography teacher drops in to say hello . Everyone is so nice and lots of smiles fill the small room. I take pictures and show them on the digital camera. Everyone gets a big kick out of this.

To me, this is what India is all about. Seeing people where they live, talking to them and hearing about their culture first-hand, showing them that Americans really do care about them and their country, not just about money and big business. As I lie down to go to sleep, I thank God for another surprisingly amazing day here in India!
Amen ~ Lynne