Day 6 Kerala Celebration
This was an absolutely incredible day! (I think I say that every day…)
We woke up early to get ready for our flight to Kerala,
the southern State where Rani was born and where most of her family still lives. (This was also Pilvin’s first-ever flight—we enjoyed experiencing it with him!) After checking in to our new hotel and enjoying some Indian lunch at its restaurant, (we loved the dish called “Chicken 65”, and some tortilla-like flatbread called porota!), Rani, Tyler, Samantha, Gripson, and Pilvin headed to the village to spend some time with family while the rest of us took it easy in our rooms and slept/relaxed in preparation for a big night…
Rani’s family –and entire village--had spent days preparing a monumental celebration—the official welcoming home of the child who was lost for so many years! They had constructed a fancy stage with a powerful sound system, hired professional traditional Indian dancers, set up multiple chairs with fabric covers and ribbons, and fashioned small bouquets for each of us as honored guests.
Upon our arrival, Rani, her mother (“Ama”), her sisters, and Samantha greeted us in gorgeous, colorful saris.
It was an emotional moment as Ama hugged and held each of us—speaking her heart without words, not allowing the language barrier to interfere with her communication.
They led us into her home—the home where Rani lived as a little girl--where we met up with Tyler, wearing a traditional Lungi
(men’s “skirt”, if you will), and other members of the family and the village.
We realized here that we were also honored guests, and that this was the first time since Rani’s return 10 years ago that her village was celebrating the homecoming of the child they had been missing for 20 years. In other words, this was no small party!
It felt like an undeserved honor to be there, and Rani, Ama, sister Lilly, and some of our team members stood up to speak about the significance of this event.
We enjoyed the music, dancing, home-cooked food, and conversation well into the evening.
It was most certainly an event that each of us will remember always. And, in the end, we all felt like family!
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Posted by: Cheap jordans | July 25, 2011 at 01:27 AM