Anyway, today I ended up going to the Methodist church down the road where Tony is pastor.
It's nice to know some things know no cultural bounds; like the fact that the sound system in a church will NEVER EVER work the way you want it to. It's a law of nature, sort of like things on earth will always fall down... the volume or mics will always go up!
Of course wherever you go church will be run a bit differently. The main thing here was that afterwards everyone wanted to greet the pastor at the door (I'm quite used to people sneaking out the back way or hustling off before he can get there, for whatever reason.) And then we all went to the back room and had tea!
The Govinders (I think that's that Indian family's name) were very happy to see me, and invited me to sit with them during the service. Their daughter gave me a kiss on the cheek in greeting which I was a little taken aback at at first. You know, just because you know about things doesn't mean you know how you're going to react when you're in the middle of them. After four or five other women did that I realized what was going on, but it was still new on me. Also, it only happened with people I met while caroling the other day, so there are parameters (I guess they have to know me and like me before they'll do that... oh, and it's only between men and women or women and women, I haven't seen any men kiss each other on the cheek yet.) And while not unusual, that kind of behavior isn't typical of all people in the area. I'm told that Tony's is "a particularly warm church". Whatever that means.
Anyway, I'm expecting to be "kidnapped" by the Govinders sometime now.
Everyone rested for several hours during the afternoon, and I took the opportunity to tidy the bedroom up. What with true squalor right down the road I can't say I've been living so badly, but I've really let my little area become a terrible mess over the last few days. (You realize I've been here for a full week now? Well, I've been officially out of the country a whole week, anyway.) So that's good; I don't want to give the impression that I'm like this all the time!
I also took a shower later in the evening, AND I'm very proud of how I've come along. I put the plug in and saved the water in buckets so it can be used to, you know, fill the tank when the toilet's flushed or whatever. (I wouldn't use my shower water on the lawn, unless there were some particularly stubborn weeds or something.) I feel obliged to make my best effort to do that kind of thing, because I'm suddenly aware of just how many times I use the toilet or wash my hands now.
Not a bad development, really.
Finally, we went to AJ's church in Pinelands for a special service called Nine Lessons and Carols. (Interestingly, this particular service format came about in 1880 in Cornwall! And now it's broadcast annually from King's College in Cambridge.) All arranged, by the way, by our music master himself.
It was a really lovely service. (I take great and not-so-secret pleasure in watching my friend conduct a choir.) The first song featured a bodhran, which was exciting. Also, halfway through someone let their little girl out into the aisle, and she stood there imitating the conducting for awhile (and in time too!) before turning and deciding the rest of the congretation needed leading too and took over them. I was almost in hysterical fits and had to sit down, it was so funny and cute!
Not really a photo opportunity, but here's AJ with one of the preist dudes.
When he shook my hand he did something unexpected and then held on to it, and I'm sorry to say when he pulled it closer to him I kind of reflexively jerked my hand away. I felt bad about that. (BAD anthropologist! BAD!! NO interrupting the cultural exchange!) I'm told he probably didn't notice my little white weirdness. *sigh*
Oh yes! And on the way there we picked up this really delightful older lady named... Kath? (I'm just awful with names, I've got to get a grip, really!) She's nearly 90 years old, but seriously spry and talks your ear of and best of all she knows she's talking it off and makes no apologies and is fortunately fun to listen to as well. And a total flirt, talking about how all these men like to help her get around (she's had a couple of bad falls lately and had to have hip surgery and such) and as much as she enjoys being surrounded by men they must like being around her as well.
I hope when I'm coming up on the other side of a century I'm still just as flirty as I am today! She must have been a riot when she was my age (and drove her parents mad, no doubt.)
Aww, she looked away just at the last minute!
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