Morning Bells: The Start of the Day
As I write this, it's 6:30 a.m. in Bangalore, Monday morning. The time is 8:00 Sunday evening in Kalamazoo. I've just been through a very noisy hour. Crossing 9.5 time zones is tough on the body and trying to get the internal time clock adjusted takes a while. Sleeping through the night is especially hard when your body tells you it's one time and your cell phone tells you it's another. I'm sure this morning I'll be hearing from a number of students about their difficulties sleeping. And, no doubt, many will chime in when someone mentions a noise outside that woke them up.
For me, it started around 5:30 a.m. About this time the car, truck, and bus horns started to kick into high gear. Some horns are really quite exotic, like the ones that play a little song rather than a simple beep. 5:30 was also marked an extended bell clanging. The bell reminded me of a movie about the American westward expansion showing a steam locomotive with a large brass bell. Clang, clang, clang, clang (repeat for a minute). This is also about the time of other far-off bells calling worshipers to morning prayers.
The next layer of sound is a crowing rooster. Around 6:00 a.m. the pigeons get active. One student yesterday swore she heard howler monkeys and I suspect those were pigeons cooing in concert. Now, add dogs. In addition to dogs in the surrounding blocks, the university has guards canvassing the campus at night with German Shepherds and sometimes they growl and bark. Loudly. Pparents, this is a good thing - your children are on a very safe campus.
The sun is just now starting to rise and I'm going to head out to greet the cacophony with a morning run. As our Monday is beginning, the day for friends and family at home is just starting to wind down. Good morning? Good night? What time is it?
A Full Day of Activities
Our official program started with a "Traditional Indian Welcome" as the students saw a mosaic of fresh flowers that decorated the entrance to one of the campus buildings. We were each given fresh flowers to wear around our necks which was followed by the welcome dance and the "Lighting of the Lamp."
Following opening remarks by Dr. Suniti Phadke, the students were able to interact with a Christ University faculty member who has created a documentary about the "women of the salt pan" - these are women who, because they were married to a salt worker (arranged marriages), they too must work in the salt pans. Hopefully I can convince a student to blog about this for us.
A formal lunch was hosted by Fr. Thomas, Christ University's president. The afternoon included a tour of the campus to see the eco-friendly initiatives of the university. Below is a shot of Joe with Prof. Steven Lamar of Griffith University. An Oracle facility is in the background. Bangalore is the IT hub of India.
Eco-Friendly Campus (by Ricco)
In the picture below we are learning about a "green zone" initiative at Christ University. Waste paper is collected across campus and recycled, much of the work done by women from the slums. Jason, in the blue shirt, is our tour guide and he explains the process of turning waste into handmade decorative paper products which are then sold. This initiative not only provides a social benefit by contributing to the livelihood of women and families but also fills an environmental mission.
As I write this, it's 6:30 a.m. in Bangalore, Monday morning. The time is 8:00 Sunday evening in Kalamazoo. I've just been through a very noisy hour. Crossing 9.5 time zones is tough on the body and trying to get the internal time clock adjusted takes a while. Sleeping through the night is especially hard when your body tells you it's one time and your cell phone tells you it's another. I'm sure this morning I'll be hearing from a number of students about their difficulties sleeping. And, no doubt, many will chime in when someone mentions a noise outside that woke them up.
For me, it started around 5:30 a.m. About this time the car, truck, and bus horns started to kick into high gear. Some horns are really quite exotic, like the ones that play a little song rather than a simple beep. 5:30 was also marked an extended bell clanging. The bell reminded me of a movie about the American westward expansion showing a steam locomotive with a large brass bell. Clang, clang, clang, clang (repeat for a minute). This is also about the time of other far-off bells calling worshipers to morning prayers.
The next layer of sound is a crowing rooster. Around 6:00 a.m. the pigeons get active. One student yesterday swore she heard howler monkeys and I suspect those were pigeons cooing in concert. Now, add dogs. In addition to dogs in the surrounding blocks, the university has guards canvassing the campus at night with German Shepherds and sometimes they growl and bark. Loudly. Pparents, this is a good thing - your children are on a very safe campus.
The sun is just now starting to rise and I'm going to head out to greet the cacophony with a morning run. As our Monday is beginning, the day for friends and family at home is just starting to wind down. Good morning? Good night? What time is it?
A Full Day of Activities
Our official program started with a "Traditional Indian Welcome" as the students saw a mosaic of fresh flowers that decorated the entrance to one of the campus buildings. We were each given fresh flowers to wear around our necks which was followed by the welcome dance and the "Lighting of the Lamp."
A formal lunch was hosted by Fr. Thomas, Christ University's president. The afternoon included a tour of the campus to see the eco-friendly initiatives of the university. Below is a shot of Joe with Prof. Steven Lamar of Griffith University. An Oracle facility is in the background. Bangalore is the IT hub of India.
In the picture below we are learning about a "green zone" initiative at Christ University. Waste paper is collected across campus and recycled, much of the work done by women from the slums. Jason, in the blue shirt, is our tour guide and he explains the process of turning waste into handmade decorative paper products which are then sold. This initiative not only provides a social benefit by contributing to the livelihood of women and families but also fills an environmental mission.
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