Song and Dance

I’m remembering what my life was like at Luther Seminary these days as I correspond with various faculty and staff there, interpret LS culture to international students here, set my mind on administrative projects, try to write formal and diplomatic emails and letters, set up appointments with people who are FAR too busy, and spend WAY too much time in front of a computer. Although it doesn’t sound all that great, I haven’t minded so much. Maybe because I have had such a long break from it, I am in such a different setting and role now, and for a week or two it is not such a bad thing to do!

But I begin with a weekend NOT about office work at all. On Friday night, Shobha arranged to take two German young woman and me to a dance place. We started early because the gate at HMI closes around 10:00 and the city is about 40 minutes away. I went against my principles and joined them in eating at a US-based chain restaurant (Pizza Hut), but it tasted pretty good anyway. We arrived at the dance place so early that no one else was there and there wasn’t even music playing yet, but we chatted and looked out over the city and drank our complimentary beverages (it’s ladies night at this place on Fridays). I then rushed back to HMI in order to meet Vijay and Punam for our overnight bus trip to Vijaywada (actually Gudivada).

Gudivada is Vijay’s hometown and he and his family help to run a ministry there called ‘Reach Nations with the Gospel’ (RNG). There are several projects within the organization, but this weekend was a special time to present rice, lentils, a saree, and some other items to families in several small communities who were greatly impacted by a cyclone a few months ago. We went from village to village for a short program, and I was asked to sing a Telegu bhajan each time. By the end of the two days, all the guys helping with distribution were joining me for the song and even singing it as they rode in the big truck from site to site. We had a flat tire on the way to the first village (see photo), but were content to chew on sugarcane, coconut root, and other various fruits or snacks we found around us as we waited. We also visited Vijay’s home – which is next to the church where his dad is pastor (see photo). Overall it was a good experience, and it really made me think a lot about how difficult it is to do relief work well. I watched Vijay and others struggle to decide what to do about additional people from other communities who came to also receive the packets. I also processed my feelings about charity, generosity, gratefulness, etc.

We arrived back at HMI early on Monday morning and I immediately started my computer work (re-typing my blog and catching up on emails from the weekend). However, that evening I was invited to attend a therapeutic dance session. It was set up especially for a group of HMI women and I was glad to be included and very curious about what it might be like. It turned out to be a really wonderful, but intense evening. Although I am slightly self-conscious about dancing, I felt very comfortable with these 6 women and in fact, I was relieved to let go of some of the cultural hesitancies that I experience daily - which have started to become entirely to used to! So, the first self-revelatory experience was that I am inhibited more than I thought in this culture. I have been commenting so much on how easy it has been to fit into places like UTC, the Ekka world, and HMI that I forgot that there are still some ways even in those places that I am on guard - constantly careful to not do anything inappropriate. It was such a relief to let go of it all and be child-like, free, and to even go unnoticed in my own little world in some of the exercises! And at the other extreme, my boundaries were challenged by the session as well. Shobha and I were partners in an exercise where we had to look into one anothers’ eyes for a REALLY L-O-N-G time. It was a very vulnerable thing where I felt like we two strong, independent women were actually able to see the scared little girls inside. Yikes! I had to laugh when I saw Shobha the next morning wearing her sunglasses quite happily!

The other big thing I have been involved in this week is singing! Yes, I know, you are all shocked and in awe that I would ever do such a thing. HMI’s devotional time is brief and informal. There isn’t much music, which I really miss. However, one of the students here is from Tanzania and a very good musician, so he asked me if I would join him in singing a few songs at devotions. How could I say no? We sang 3 pambios (Swahili version of a bhajan) and it was much fun. Since then, I have been asked to sing a couple other times, including a spontaneous devotion in which I taught 3 global songs. People say they enjoy it so much, and people seem to have ‘ear worms’ (that’s what Germans say when there is a song stuck in your head) with the songs, so that is great, but we have a ways to go in getting people to move, clap, or sing out!

And finally, there was another dance presentation on Thursday afternoon. A group called Chindu came and shared some dramatic dances that either originate in the dalit community here or which represented some aspect of the dalit experience and culture. The photo is a dance they did to show how women are oppressed by caste, class, and gender. I learned a few things and it was a powerful presentation, especially with the sound of the dappo (drum) pounding in my ears.

I think this blog will be a bit more brief than usual. It's not that there aren't a ton of things to say, but I just can't sit here and type any more! Instead, I think I will put two other blog entries on this site for you to read at your leisure. Neither of them is written by me. One is an article by my friend, Moses at UTC, who has summarized some of the overwhelming tasks of pastors in a multi-religious context. The other is a poem that a student here at HMI sent me. Enjoy!

Sara