20-22/jan sailesh, rina & prita

The first thing we’ve done after waking up: Tourist office. Not every town has a tourist office, so we had big expectations. But they didn’t have so much info. Just a few things about the simlipal park, and its prices. In a building that seemed to be closed. It looked that they didn’t wanna work that much!! After the info (just the price of a one day tour with a jeep), and the breakfast, sailesh came to pick us up with his motorbike. There was room for 3, but even for 4! (all this in a normal motorbike)
Sailesh made a quite long presentation, introducing us as a very respectfull people, that had studied in the university, that had been traveling a lot, in serach of new people, new cultures, and maybe knowing ourselves a little bit better. Looking for our place in this world, with a global perspective, but without forgeting the local… a little bit too ‘bombastic’ and exagerated. And I was the one to talk. The point of our visit was not only to talk about us in english, but to describe new places, and to see new ways of understanding life and future. And I think that for being an english teacher, he was doing a very big job. There was something of spiritual in his words, and of guru in him. With a very openmind, without forgeting the hindu traditions, that can be seen at any corner, and at any time. So I talked about barcelona and catalunya, about spain and europe. About the times under franco, the transition, the actual situation. About the different realities and nationalities of spain, and about catalan. About gaudi, about the education in spain, public and private, about the chance to get a job, about the salary, the minimum, about the traditions… and they were asking things. They knew about barcelona, because of the olimpic games. Zac talked about the US, and everyone seemed to be very interested. The land of milk and honey!!!
After a couple of hours, and the thankfullness of all the students (between 18 and 25 years old, maybe 20 people), we were invited to his house, to have some snacks. As we were feeling very confortable, we were invited also to dinner. After that he asked us to repeat it the day after, and to have dinner again with them.
We talked about hindu tradition and religion, about arranged marriages (that still are done), about their past as a couple, about casts (he is from the 1st cast, the brahmans. The 2nd one is the warriors cast, shutria, like the family of his wife, rina, Then the business men, and then the untouchables. Inside each cast, there are also subcasts), about their dreams and projects. Everything was so easy!! We connected very well. He was 35 years old. Rina 30 or 32, and prita, 4. A very nice family. The day after was quite similar. After the class, meeting with them. For me the best part, even if meeting with the students was very interesting, for their quiestions, and their answers.Everything was so familiar, I mean being with them. And then food that rina offered to us was so tasty!!! Home made!! She is also english teacher. She had been traveling a lot, when she was younger because his father was working at the army.
We decided to invite them to come with us to similipal. They have no so many chances to travel, even if they do so once a year. It was also a great to spend one single day with them, without worries, without the institut…
And so we did. We met at 9 am, and went towards the park. The road was horrible, but the driver was driving very good. We saw a couple of monkeys, a deer, that we even touched, because he wanted to play with the little prita, and an elephant. In a quite wild environment. We saw a couple of very very nice waterfalls. But the nice thing was to be with them, make jokes… And prita was the cuttest and sweetest girl I've ever met. She called us uncle zac and uncle jordi!!
So, another unexpected thing!!!

25/1/05