Pongal (and a few new pics)

So, the kids are off school for all of this week except Monday (my first day of working at the school). I am excited to really start working at New Creation next week, but I appreciate this extra week for me to adjust, discover more of Auroville, and take lots more pictures ( : Oh yeah, and I started doing my homework for UW this week which was a bit of a pain. It took me way too long! I spent half the time figuring out just what I had due. About every 15-20 minutes, Raj would look in the window and say, "Done with homework now, Matt? We walk now?" He is the most adorable kid here. I'll probably take him home with me. I don't think his Mother would like that.



Raj likes to take walks with me. Today I walked him to his house for Pongal. All of the kids left Roy's Place today and will not be back until Sunday. I will see at least a couple of them in the market on Friday. I will miss them a lot, but again, it will give me a chance to familiarize myself with this place a bit more and to really organize myself for my homework. Right now my homework consists of preparing for getting a job essentially. I am in two classes through the teacher education program: 1) Portfolio and 2) Teaching in Secondary Schools. Portfolio is a chance to put all that I have learned into one neat package that will help me sell myself. Teaching in Secondary Schools helps me with the realities of teaching in that it is a regular job that I have to apply for, show up for, sign a contract for, and so forth. I am hoping that in the end I won't have to use either of these classes immediately and that instead I will be able to work at Northwest Christian for a year or five. I think about that often: working at NWC, in the Northview Bible Church Youth Group, and attending whatever they call the college group at church now (I call ETTS). I miss all of them so badly. It's not so bad, though, because I get to talk to my Mom, Dad, Brother and two Sisters on Skype almost every day ( : Sometimes I don't really know what to say, but it doesn't really matter.



I guess I don't have too much to say today. I'll tell you about Pongal in detail later. In short, it's a sort of Thanksgiving holiday here. Pongal is actually a sweet rice mixed with cashews (everyone LOVES cashews here!). I've had some. It's ... okay. It's a welcome break from all the spicy food I normally eat, but it is certainly no substitute for a nice, processed, partially hydrogenated Butterfinger Bar. All I can say about Pongal right now is that they burned all of their old clothes on Tuesday morning (symbolic of letting old things pass) and that there will be a celebration on Friday which will include painting cows and chasing them through the town. Poor cows. Poor people who end up in front of the cows ... hopefully not me. Oh yeah, I also heard there's lots of eating. OH!!! And something really funny: Shankar and I tried to describe a turkey dinner to a class of 8th grade Tamil students on Monday as a way to connect to Pongal. It was hilarious! They were totally shocked by eating such a large bird. Yeah, and stuffing is extremely difficult to explain to someone who has never had it before. At least it's difficult to explain in a way that sounds appetizing.



I have some new pictures and a video, of course. Tomorrow I'll walk for a while around Auroville and add some more. One set of pictures and the video are of the organic garden project at NCBS. The other set of pictures I took of the school itself and on my way back from school to capture a bit of the New Creation Community. It is a beatiful place (duh!).



NCBS Organic Garden: http://picasaweb.google.com/magicalmatt/NCBSOrganicGarden#

New Creation School and Community: http://picasaweb.google.com/magicalmatt/NewCreationSchoolAndCommunity#

Video of NCBS Organic Garden:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n1IXQk4D4Q