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Chai Challenges
7/24/09
One big theme of our experience is the issue of communication: how to do it, what it means, and how it works when you are missing vital elements like language and cultural know-how.
In addition to making conversation with new friends here in Kolkata, we have to start thinking about communicating our experiences and new priorities with people back home. I’m not sure how this trip is going to fit into my life, but I know it has been important enough that I will want to share it with a lot of people. We passed around the team cameras this week, so we’ll have lots of images to share.
We have made friends with booksellers or shopkeepers or people at chai stands, where we drink black tea with milk and sugar, cardamom and cinnamon. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve invented “Chai Challenges” – to stop at every chai stall along the way to a predetermined destination. Since a cup of chai only costs one or two rupees (a couple of cents) and most people drink it at the stall, it’s a good way to meet people in our neighborhood and practice speaking Bengali. We’ve made friends and met interesting people, like a congressman for the railroad (the day after a railroad strike) and a man who used to work at the American consulate.
This last week has been fun for me because the language finally started to click. I can talk with people at my placement! It’s nice when communication becomes less self-conscious and conversations feel complete; the focus is on people instead of communication barriers.
Learning about the power of non-verbal communication has been valuable. I am realizing how much power there is in tone of voice; the meaning of what’s said isn’t in words, but in how they’re said. It’s like how God isn’t impressed by what we do but by the heart behind our actions (e.g. David).
Those of us who work with kids describe communication as “amusing.” We point at things and find out what they’re called in Bengali, talk about popular culture and just goof off. To say goodbye at my placement, we made a speech that was translated into Bengali. A staff worker told us the farewell at his slum-based elementary school program was “more of a mob than a goodbye.”
A little goes a long way, and it helps that we all learn words at our placements to bring back to the group. Some of us started meeting for informal “Bedtime Bangla” sessions to learn phrases like, “I like your smile,” “This food is tasty,” “Jesus loves you,” and “I’m (not) pregnant” (our attempt at a joke).
Here are a few phrases that are helpful in getting around: “Nomoshkar” (Hello/Goodbye), “Koto dam?” (How much?), “… koh tai?” (Where is…?), “Kemon acchen/accho?” (How are you?), “Bhalo acchi” (I’m well), and “Khub shundor” (very beautiful).
Next week we will debrief with the other Asia teams. Soon after, a plane will depart for San Francisco, and we will reintegrate into our U.S. lives while translating the experience for friends and family.
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