Life in India so far

Hello everyone,

I haven’t had internet access which is why the long delay in communicating.

Where am I?

I am on the outskirts of Cuddapah at the Bishop's House in the state of Andrah Predesh in South India. . I haven't been into town yet.

The House is an old stone building that was abandoned as a Seminary many, many years ago and while the design is effective for keeping cool, the electricity and the water are both serious problems. A new House is under construction but probably won't be finished until after I leave.

What’s the food like?

I eat my meals with the resident priests in the dining hall. There is a cook (Mary) and a table boy (Su basha Chandra, age 20; they call him “Boss”) so I don’t have to worry about where my next meal is coming from or if I have to do the dishes. But they are feeding me to death. India is famous for its hospitality and they insist on feeding you if you are visiting. I think I am averaging seven meals a day, not including snacks. The food is spicy hot but generally unidentifiable. This morning we had some kind of rice dumpling and a variety of “stews” that are poured over the cakes. It’s all good so I try not to think about what I might be eating. I eat what I am served regardless. I even have had coffee. They make their tea and coffee the same way: half milk and half sugar and spices and only a tiny bit of coffee or tea. I can’t usually tell much a difference. I’d still rather have diet coke but I don’t think that’s on the menu.

What have I been doing?

Yesterday, my first day on the ground here, Father Ravi and I and N. Rajaiah, a clerk headed to Holy Rosary Parish, about two and a half hours north. It’s a huge parish where 800 people show up for mass on a Sunday. The Priest is on his very first posting and has only been there 30 days. There is a full school K-8, plus a convent that runs a boarding school, a hospital, and a farm. Sr. Peter showed us around and it is amazing how much work they do. Nuns apparently are the same all over the world and Sr. Peter may not have had the title of “head mistress” but let me tell you, she was clearly in charge.