Another two-week blog

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January 10- January 28

Well, another two week (plus) blog. This one will be shorter, simply because less happened. I can assure you this two-week thing won’t become a habit, simply because I don’t do habits very well. You’ll see.

When I left off last blog, I was feeling better, and so was B. I went to work on Monday at Revelation, where I spent the day weeding a different pineapple patch, but this time with a couple of my fellow workers- a couple of young (not that young, it turns out) men from the nearby village. One is an Aurovillian, and about mid-twenties. The other is in his thirties with a few children and a wife, he is a villager although he has worked at Revelation for 17 years. We talked a bit, and weeded carefully throughout the morning. The young man had a head-cold, and so we tried to give him some room and leeway to leave and come back as he needed.
On the way along the bike paths here I saw a monitor lizard, about 4 meters ahead of me on the road. He was maybe 5’ long, with half that body. Cool. I saw a couple native raptors too, which are differently colored and harder to see than the ones we have at home. The birds here are amazing- we need to get a comprehensive Peterson’s- style field guide (birds, reptiles & mammals) like the one I brought to Africa.
The next day, B & I went to take some pictures for my ‘boss’ at Revelation. This was ok, as I was starting to feel under the weather again… yep, again. We took a ton of pictures and had a great time just wandering around. No workers were around today, so we took pics, found some peacock feathers and then went home. I think we are getting into ‘maintenance’ time now, when projects start to get planned for after the coming hot season, although there is still plenty of work.
Wednesday was spent in a relaxing busy-work project: myself and a different worker spent the morning mulching in the park. The park area is a section of the Revelation land (a small portion of the 85 acres) that is somewhat cleared of undergrowth, and with a path through it. I weeded out some immature moulou (easier while they are young, for sure) and practiced recognizing native hardwoods versus immature, faster-growing invasive trees (who don’t get mulch). We used up all the mulch by lunch-time, and my co-worker assured me he would be gathering more after lunch.
Thursday at Verité I was given ownership of one of the long extended beds in the garden for a project my boss there, G, wants me to do. She wants to do more ‘biodynamic’ gardening. This is sort of like a permaculture “lite”- using some of the techniques of permaculture, but only part of the time, whereas permaculture involves a complete commitment. So I spent most of the day happily gathering wood and making a raised bed of soil, covered with compost and then straw. I saw quite a bit of wildlife, too, especially after G came back to help with the composting: Saw two more of the beaked worm snakes, a rainbow iridescent skink that just seemed happy as all to lay about in our hands or on our shirts, more of those guys and some skink type lizards with red tails, that G was certain were poisonous. I scoffed at first, but then reasoned that I don’t really know, and retracted my skepticism. She told me she has seen a wild cobra, angry with its hood raised, and many other snakes. Cool. I also saw a hawk at one point, and more parrots today.
At lunch I met a young social scientist from Germany, who is doing her schooling in the Netherlands. She is studying for the equivalent of a Master’s degree, focusing on how people communicate about sustainability. We had a good talk, and plan on meeting later to talk shop.
The next day, Friday, I was paired with the oldest woman on the Verité gardening team. Our mission: build a raised trellis structure for the future long and green beans. Our tools: a crowbar, some scrap wood, twine, a shovel, a saw and a set of snips (small pruners). It was fun to work with her; she let me take the lead, until she thought I needed help. Then she would step in, speaking full Tamil sentences to me, until things were right. I learned that the word for ‘rope’ or ‘tie’ is suspiciously close to the phonetic opposite of English for the same: cutl. That was comedic, let me tell you- dealing with ropes, wood, saws and snips… she repeatedly telling me cutl and me grabbing a saw or snips, until I got it.
I had a lunch date with my French instructor (I am her English instructor; it’s a good system), and we were done a bit early, but I hung out with my fellow workers until we all could leave. I wished them a “Happy Poongal” and learned that half the team is getting let go. Apparently this happens every year, but still its kinda sad to think how much quieter the gardens will be next time.

On Sunday, R (the leader of Revelation) was to lead a “forest walk” through Revelation. This is part of a new program implemented by the Forest Group here in AV to help people better understand the incredible work that has been done, and is still being done, in the Green Belt. R is perfect to begin the series because he is not only knowledgeable and passionate, but articulate. It was a good trip, and I collected about an hour’s worth of footage, which I will of course give to him for his records.
I was exhausted by the time we were done, but I filmed most of his talking, and I think we got some good footage. B had been recruited to experience the inaugural use of an ‘organic’ pesticide- made of fermented cow’s urine, dung, milk, curd and ghee. This is applied directly to the plants, and as is washes away it is good for them too.
I didn’t go. I was wiped out, and went to bed. I even napped some. B came home, we ate and helped with the Poongal celebration: this involved gathering mango leaves to make into garlands for the cows. The men (actually the sons) had spent the morning folding palm leaves into spirally tentacle-looking ornaments for the horns. That evening, the cows were led around by our host and a family (male) friend. I helped hold the three cows and one calf while they were blessed with camphor, marked with the red-and-yellow powder, and finally given sweet rice on pumpkin leaves as a treat. Our host kept shouting “Poongal-ooo!” and B joined in a little. It turns out most people don’t do this anymore because cattle are being replaced by cars, motorbikes and tractors, which explains why it was such a small celebration. We then went into the nearby village to the temple (yes, the temple we hear every morning).
On the way, our host showed us ‘his’ tree: his father had planted it for his birth and it was still alive and thriving- a mango that he said “still gives good fruit” He showed us the plot where his dad’s house used to be, and where he had been born (both now empty lots). We also saw one of the schools he helps run, and then the temple.
Loud. Wow. This beautiful and decrepit little one-room temple, dedicated to a local goddess who is, we were told, one of Kali’s 4 or 5 sisters. Now, it has, lashed in a sturdy but very unaesthetic way, MASH-style loudspeakers to its ornamental painted carvings. It was so loud that we could not talk even while hundreds of meters away, yet there were people who’s houses were right next to this monstrosity of noise having conversations on their porches! No wonder they don’t hear the dogs. We went back to the bakery, met a couple pleasant and rather articulate Israeli women, decided we couldn’t eat what we had ordered and went to bed.
Well. Thought I had gotten better. I’d been feeling woozy, and not 100% for a while, and lately the dogs have really been extreme. I was wrong. I apparently had a fever so bad that B was concerned enough to wake me up and bathe me in cold water. She called my mom and got instruction on what to do about my fever.
I was so fatigued, I think my brain figured out how to keep me asleep through fever-dreams: I was having nightmares, so that every time a dog was barking or howling, I would dream there were hundreds of little stone altars in the land around here, marked with the turmeric and red powder (some with only one, and some with both). Each altar potentially had a dog, and if I heard the noise I had to go around, find the altar and somehow, I am not clear on this, ‘transfer’ the dog to another altar, and then to a tall, thin, shadowy figure. This figure would then transfer the dog elsewhere and the noise would stop- unless it was done wrong. Then I had to start over.
Yeah, so that’s what B woke me up from. I was really upset- I had finally gotten some sleep, and my fever worried her so much that she had to wake me. I guess it was really bad- really super bad. So after talking to my mom (who suggested I sleep under the running shower head, no thank you) she dunked my feet in cold water and blanketed me with a wet towel, and rubbed a cold wet cloth on me. This happened a couple times this weekend. But it worked, along with some Tylenol.
We have given up getting the capsule, and are looking for quieter lodgings.
On Tuesday (Monday was the third day of Poongal, and thus a holiday) we went to the clinic.
OK, so we are in the clinic. It is clean, small, with a waiting room containing 4 locking file cabinets, a desk, computer and receptionist. She took our info and was fine to us. I also saw a couple mosquitoes hanging around, and thought to myself that the last place, or one of the last places, you want to be while being bit by a mosquito is an infirmary in India. I killed at least one, but I thought one had gotten me, but I don’t have a bite so I believe we dodged that (imaginary or real) bullet. The doctor was a godsend. I mean, a real God’s-send. Firstly, he patiently listened, clarified, and asked direct easy to answer questions. He didn’t once try to put words in my mouth. He let us babble even. He took appropriate measures.
The doctor was this tall, razor-thin German man, quiet and patient. He just simply understood. And took action. He prescribed a bunch of stuff- like a list of stuff from things we would consider ‘home remedy’; such as acidophilus and charcoal to an antibiotic that is so new we have to go to a city to get it. We are still not 100% sure of a diagnosis, but I am pretty sure it is the Lyme’s symptoms coming back due to sleep deprivation.
On Wednesday we learned that even local Tamil do not, on average, celebrate Poongal. We saw this in the village, and we had been told, but we were confronted by it at La Terrace café, where we stopped to meet our taxi- we were early, and so went up to have some fruit & ice tea (they were out of sorbet). The Tamil (Aurovillian) who works behind the counter (one of two that recognizes us and even has learned that we both answer to either name) was delighted and astonished to find we had attended a Poongal. His shocked exclamation of “Where?!” and his delight at hearing B’s description of it was a sad reminder of what we had been told before (by our host) about the loss of the tradition.
We had a follow-up visit to the clinic on Friday, followed by my weekly French/English lunch. Firstly, the news: no parasites. The doctor talked with us a while, and went on a bit of a tangent about the differences in Christian European history and Hindu/Tamil history. He also told us that often white people can’t adjust to the semi-tropical/tropical atmosphere, and that many get or stay a little sick their entire time here. Nice way to give people a positive outlook, doc.
After that, we had our lunch, and then relaxed for the weekend. We did get to the AV market- a sort of farmer’s market/flea market in a clearing outside the Solar Kitchen. There was a ring of folding tables, with goods ranging from free tea and ragi treats to (locally designed and produced) electronic solar chargers and crank battery chargers, to local farm produce, to recycled Tetra-pack purses & bags. Interesting to say the least.
That takes us to Sunday, which was just spent talking with our hosts about rice farming, or time spent relaxing on our deck or in the hammock chair. I am certainly a lot better, and expect that next week I’ll be back to volunteering in the forest.
Hope you all are well, and healthy!
Peace,
Stacey & Beryl

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