She Made Me Laugh. Stephanie Emmons
fuzzy, disoriented, and annoyed. The voice was announcing that we were almost there, and it was time to prepare for landing.
Miriam and I looked out the window, suddenly wide awake with the happy knowledge that we were about to land. We saw lots of water, waving palm trees, and a few buildings. Looking at each other with silly grins, Miriam whispered, “We’re in India!” A few minutes later, we landed in Cochin in the south of India. I was so excited.
As I stepped off the plane, the heat embraced me like a warm, wet blanket. Back home in Canada, we had bundled up against January’s biting cold. Now we were in the heat of a tropical country, and it was heavenly. Our big adventure was finally underway. Our hosts, Father John and three religious sisters, were there to meet us. Friends of Miriam’s had traveled to India and stayed with them the previous year. These friends had put us in touch with Father when we started making plans months earlier. He was delighted to have us come.
The little welcoming committee came rushing toward us, all smiles and chatter and waving arms. They greeted us heartily, like long-lost friends, though we had never met. We would stay with them for the first two weeks.
Here’s part of a letter I sent home once we arrived in Cochin and got settled:
Okay Margie, we made it!
We arrived in Cochin with no problems. Father and some nuns met us at the airport. Their driver, Baby, carried our bags. The ride from the airport to the place where we were staying was crazy! You know Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disney World? It was like that. And picture this: one narrow road, no dividing line, driving on the left, many, many motorcycles, rickshaws, bicycles, Mack trucks, taxis, and people walking everywhere. It seems they communicate mostly by honking. I was startled many times, but it was thrilling! Miriam and I had to hold onto the seats in front of us for dear life. I kept closing my eyes. We couldn’t stop laughing so hard, like when you’re on a terrifying roller coaster, trying not to scream! Miriam’s awesome. She makes me laugh a lot. We had a good long sleep last night and I’m feeling much better. This morning, we were offered three varieties of bananas. I tried some of each and they weren’t too bad. I really wish I didn’t hate bananas. Miriam loved them. And here is my great news of the century: On Feb 9, Mother Teresa is coming here to Cochin! MOTHER TERESA! It’s the 100th anniversary of the Catholic Diocese here and she is coming to give the keynote address! Father has known about it but he waited to tell us in person. And get this—he said he would see if we could meet her! I can’t believe this. By then, we will have been to Calcutta and back, and who knows—maybe we’ll have met her there already. Wow. Oh, and this morning we washed our clothes in buckets, outside on the roof. The sisters showed us how to scrub them on a slab of rock. The view from up there was stunning. Well we’re off to find a bank so we can cash some travelers’ checks. The sisters are taking us shopping for saris! Loving this.
Miss you.
Love Steph
My first few days there were all about the senses. Everything was so new and fresh. In many ways, it was good.
One morning, Father John took us to a little roadside fruit stand and bought several pineapples. The man there said they had been picked that morning. He cut one open with a massive, ancient machete and offered a piece to each of us. The glowing yellow flesh was sweeter and yummier than any candy I’d ever tasted, and I know candy. In Canada we pay an awful lot for pineapples, despite the fact that days or weeks pass between the picking and the eating. But in India, these beauties cost the equivalent of pennies. We went so crazy over them that Father bought a whole bunch for us to take home. They didn’t last beyond the day.
I went up on the roof alone whenever I had the chance. I liked being around people and all, but I’m also an introvert, so I grabbed moments of solitude when I could. I loved sitting up there in my little sanctuary, looking out over the towering tops of banana trees. I’d never been a fan of bananas before the trip (okay … hated them) so I wasn’t exactly swooning over them as I had the pineapples. But they still beat the heck out of any banana I’d ever tasted back in Canada.
When I called home and talked to my brother Rob, a few days after our arrival, I was endlessly complaining about the heat. It had sometimes hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and I don’t do so well in the heat. He then said he had just come in from a half hour of shoveling after a huge snowfall. That shut me right up. I didn’t miss the Canadian winter one bit, although it occurred to me several times every day that I was very far from home.
Numerous times over the next six weeks, whenever it occurred to us, Miriam and I would gleefully exclaim to one another, “We’re in India!” It was fun to say and just such a bizarre thing to hear. Plus, it was so hard to believe that we were actually there, I think we were trying to make it sink in. Pretty sure it never really did.
Not everything was rosy, though. Here’s part of another letter I sent home:
Dear Margie,
I want to tell you a bit more about my first day here in Cochin. It was a very hard one. We’d been traveling about thirty hours and I had only been able to sleep about three hours in total. So I was absolutely exhausted—as bone tired as I’ve ever been. We finally touched down in Cochin in the south of India, and a very friendly Father John was at the airport to meet us. I almost cried. I think I’d been secretly worried that no one would be there and we’d be left to fend for ourselves. But no, there he was, along with his driver named Baby. I felt the warmth of reassurance wash over me, like God was saying, See? I told you I’d look after you. After the introductions and getting settled in the car, we were treated to that jarring and jolting thrill of our first experience in traffic. Wow. It was nerve wracking but strangely fun too.
Then we arrived at the place where we’ll stay for the first week—the residence of a priest and several nuns. We asked Father if we could use the phone to call home and he said we could. He showed us to his office and I called my Mom. She was thrilled to hear from me. We started catching up and she said she missed me a lot and had been wearing my scarf. I was so thrilled that I could finally tell her all about the trip, my worries, and whatever else I wanted. There was so much to say! Then for some reason, Father took the phone out of my hand and said, “Hi Mom! Don’t worry, she’s in good hands with Father, okay? Bye now!” and he hung up the phone. Just like that. She was gone. I felt like I’d been shot. I was so exhausted and I needed so much to talk to my Mom and was nowhere near finished. Of course I knew she would be very upset too. I burst into tears (mostly anger) and he grabbed my face and buried it in his chest, sort of petting my cheek over and over, saying, “There, there, no need to cry! Your Father is here. Why are you crying? You must miss your mother a lot.” I was beside myself, crying hard as I pushed away from him. He looked bewildered, as if he truly had no idea why I was so upset. He told Miriam she could make her call. I said I was going to our room, bolted from the office and ran all the way.
When I reached my room, I jumped on my bed and just sobbed. I was thinking I could only phone when he said so, that he’d be around all the time, etc. I felt desperate to be back home. I was still bawling my head off when Miriam walked in. I unloaded my feelings, holding nothing back. She was supportive but seemed very worried. I told her I was going to set my boundaries and tell him off. I had to tell him where I stood! I was feeling pretty bold in my hurt, sleep-deprived state. Poor Miriam … I think she was really concerned. Here we were on the very first day and I was about to alienate our host—one of the few people we knew in the city … in the country! She asked me to have a good sleep before I said anything to him. I agreed. It turned out to be a very good idea because in the morning I did gain some perspective and didn’t quite feel so raw or injured after I had slept. Thank God for Miriam who saved me from myself. At breakfast Father assured us that the next time we wanted to call someone all we had to do was ask, and we could talk as long as we liked. Gotta run. Can’t wait to tell you everything! Say hi to everyone for us! Love Steph
3 MISERABLE