Jan. 21
So I went
“running” this morning. That’s right! I actually got my butt out of bed at
5:50am, put on every possible layer I had (as it was, my hands and nose still
froze before I reached the lake) and headed out for my 3.5 - 4 mile adventure.
Armed with my headlamp in one hand, and a sizeable rock in the other, I cranked
up my “running playlist” on my iPod and left. The headlamp was more of a
flashlight since it really doesn’t get light here until 6:15ish, and the rock
was for the dogs that I have heard so much about from other staff members.
Apparently a big reason why people have quit running around the lake in the
morning is the dogs that live in that area. I assumed it was the packs of stray
dogs that I hear howling at every possible hour in the night, but it’s actually
the pet dogs of people who live around the lake that are the problem. They feel
like you’re encroaching on their territory when you go past, and have been
known to chase after runners, nipping at their heels…. Awesome. As if running
doesn’t suck enough, let’s add in the possibility of rabies shots! Well
apparently I was sucking wind so hard that I wasn’t even seen as a viable
threat to their territory, because I didn’t see a single dog this morning.
Jeeze, I was pathetic looking though. A 4-mile run, which granted I haven’t
done for a while, has never been so painful. I was ready to walk before I was
even 5 minutes in. In the end, my time was pretty bad and I may as well have
run a 50k for how much I felt it throughout the day! It was only later tonight
after dinner when I re-realized that Kodaikanal is approximately 3,700 feet
higher in elevation than Missoula… So that made me feel a little less pitiful.
Although
the higher altitude is not a total excuse, I know now that expecting the same
time/effort here, as a run at home is just not feasible. If I end up going
again tomorrow, I’ll definitely try to take it slower, walking a bit more and
running a more consistent but slower pace. Eventually I do want to make it a
habit to get up and run though. I mean, If I don’t do something to burn a few
more calories, I’m going to come home far rounder than when I left thanks to
all this awesome Indian food. Luckily, even if I end up sleeping in tomorrow, I
have swing and salsa dance class to look forward to in the evening!
Jan. 22
So the definite highlight of today was finally going SCARF
SHOPPING! I don’t know if I’ll be able to express how happy I was to do this…
first, let’s set the scene by saying that I only brought one scarf to India
because I knew that I would want to buy more. That means I have been wearing
this ONE scarf everyday for the last 19 days. Why not give the poor thing a
break you say? Well scarves are not only a great way to make outfits
conservative here (I already get looked at enough, I can’t even imagine the
unwanted attention I would acquire if I showed more skin), they are also very
useful in the mornings when trying to keep warm against the cold and fog. So
not only are they gorgeous, they’re super useful! I love scarves…ah, I should
write an ode or something. Anyways, Mariah and I were able to each buy 3 new
scarves at this wonderful Tibetan market by the lake (where we go our blankets),
and now I feel like I have an entirely new wardrobe.
The close second to favorite part of my day, was dancing! This
was the staff dance class that happens every Wednesday from 7:00-9:15ish.
Usually the first hour is swing dance and the second hour is salsa. But today
Ms Leah was sick, so it ended up being a bit of a free for all. We reviewed
eastcoast swing, we reviewed the salsa steps for a while, and then it kind of
went crazy! We learned prachathe, we learned merengue (my favorite), and Mariah
and I even lead a line dance to Cotton Eye Joe. Oh man, I just love it! I look
forward to Wednesdays every week because I know how much fun I’m going to
have….. you need to youtube “merengue” and tell me that it doesn’t look like a
blast!
Jan. 24
Alright,
so today….somehow this morning I was able to get my butt out of bed and go for
a "run". Mariah hadn't slept well, so again I was going by myself.
Honestly, that's how I prefer to run, but I was still entering my run this
morning expecting a fairly miserable time (dying cardio-wise, possible dogs,
the constant stares from the locals, etc.). Well it turned out that this run
was infinitely better than the one on Tuesday! I'm not saying that I didn't DIE
again, but I knew what to expect and was able to pace myself far better. I
ended up running a majority of the time (slower than before but more consistently)
and actually cut a couple of minutes off my time.
But
the best part came about 1/3 of the way through my run, during this kind of
sketchy place. I say “sketchy” because it was an unlit section of the path, it
was very residential (so I was expecting dogs here), and there were no other
runners/walkers on the path so I was totally alone. Well I’m running, clutching
my rock in one hand and my headlamp in the other, and I totally had a God
moment. I thought to myself “it’s pretty incredible that I haven’t seen or
heard even a single dog yet on my runs” and immediately I get this feeling like
someone saying “Well, duh!”. And it occurs to me that it’s totally a God thing
that I haven’t had any problems with the dogs. It sounds kind of silly, but
I’ve been praying for motivation to get up and run in the morning. I know
establishing this routine would make me feel better about being in Kodai, and I
know it would make me feel better about myself. Well I have been so afraid of
the dogs, and so uneasy being outside that early in the morning by myself that
it has kept me from running. So in this moment I feel God saying, “You asked
for motivation. You’ll still have to get up and go, but I’m going to take away
that fear that has been keeping you. I’m giving you some peace of mind.” And it
was SO COOL! It totally influenced my run and my attitude, because now it feels
so doable to get up and go. I feel so much more confident (not in my stamina,
or my ability to run the whole thing… yet) but just in stepping out that door
and going. And I know that there may come a morning where I do encounter a dog,
but this idea no longer terrifies me. I know that somehow it’ll still be ok… my
mother may not feel the same confidence I’m experiencing :) but I’m loving this
feeling!
All in all, today may be one of the
best days I’ve had since being in India. Not only was the run way better than I
expected, but it’s Friday, and it’s Day 6 (the school operates on a 5-day
school week, but a 6-day cycle….yeah, I don’t know why) which means that there
was special staff snack today during tea time. There were banana brownies,
peanut butter shortbread bars, and TWO kinds of cake from a local bakery (thank
God I ran this morning). Today after
school, there are apparently school pictures (I have a feeling I’ll be known as
the frizzy-haired white-girl after this), then I head to main campus to help the
swing dance club, and later Mariah and I have plans of going shopping for some
local Indian outfits to wear this Sunday on “Republic Day”. This is a big
holiday celebrating the introduction of the Indian constitution in 1950.
Everyone dresses in their most festive outfits, and the day is full of
fireworks and dancing. Finally, after all of this is done today, Mariah and I
go home, set our alarms for 6:00am and try to get some semblance of sleep
(however unlikely that is, remember the fireworks?) before waking up and
chaperoning a 7-hour hike tomorrow with 20 middle-schoolers. If you haven’t
been keeping me in your thoughts and prayers, now would be a great time to
start…. Thanks.
Phew…. That was long post! Well done
for making it to the end. For that, you get to see the view that I came back to
this morning after my run. This is taken right in the front yard of our house.
It overlooks all of the plains, which the locals call “The Jewelbox” because on
those rare, clear evenings, you can see all the lights of the cities below. It used to be the best view in Kodai before they built that dreadful
observatory place… oh well. It’s still a great scene to wake up to.
This is looking to the left, down a pathway called Coaker's Walk. On the weekend this place is flooded with tourists!
This is looking straight ahead. That's the sun coming up over the clouds covering the Plains.
And this is that observatory place just a little farther to the right. It was only built a year or so ago, and everyone living in the compound I'm at was furious about the construction.
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