COCHIN

After arriving in Cochin around 2:00 PM, the overwhelming majority of kids on my trip quickly made their way to the pool bar on the seventh deck for some hot dogs and burgers. Oh the joys of American food. Jenny and I decided to explore Cochin that afternoon and ventured out with a cab driver. We had two goals for the afternoon: find an Indian flag and visit the Jewish Temple and the Jewish quarter of Cochin.

Our cab driver ended up staying with us the entire afternoon for $20 (which was probably way more than he should have received) and acted as a guide. Whenever we exited the cab to go into a shop or down the road, he accompanied us on foot as well. The Jewish Quarter in Cochin was really cool. There were lots of little souvenir shops with tapestries, blankets, t-shirts, menorahs, candlestick holders, etc. Another bonus was finding Hebrew writing and the Star of David everywhere. We made our way through the quarter, which was relatively small and probably consisted of a two block street, to the entrance of the synagogue. The guards made us leave our bags outside the building which made me paranoid of being robbed the entire time we were touring inside.

The temple was smaller than most but elaborately decorated. There were chandeliers, bright colors, and the ark was adorned with lots of jewels. The decorations clearly screamed India and it was wonderful seeing a Jewish temple in South Asia. As a result of the Spanish Inquisition and expulsion of the Jews from Spain, many fled to India and the state of Kerala. The Cochin Synagogue was built in 1568 and is still active even though the number of Jews in India has decreased significantly. Today the temple has only ten congregants from five different families however services are still held on both Friday nights and Saturday mornings.

Visiting the temple in Cochin made me really proud to be Jewish. Though I’ve been to Israel and Jewish Quarters in Spain and Eastern Europe, I felt an equally strong if not a stronger connection with Judaism in India because it is so far removed from what I associate with Judaism. The sense of pride I felt could be related to the fact that I was in a 400 year old synagogue in a country that was dominated by mainly Hindus and Muslims. We had persevered and even though there are only ten congregants at this temple, they were still there and practicing. It was remarkable, overwhelming, amazing, pick your adjective.

The second part of the afternoon was devoted to finding an Indian flag which was pretty much impossible. I had failed in Chennai, Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. All of the previous store workers had told me that it would be very hard to find a flag because there wasn’t an election going on and it wasn’t a national holiday. We basically told our driver “take us to where we could buy a flag.” After two failed attempts of ending up in small textile shops we found a small shop owner who lo and behold sold flags. Granted the flags were hand painted which better translates to having random paint blotches in various locations but it didn’t matter… mission accomplished. So far the flag hunt is going well though some of my flags are not the correct size but I am slowly realizing that this task is a lot easier said than done.

That night Rachel, Jenny, and I got our own tuk tuk driver (meaning he would stay with us throughout the night) and went to a recommended local Indian restaurant. Up until this moment we had mostly been eating “Indian food” that always had a couple simple dishes like plain rice or pasta and cream sauce, so I never had to fully go native. I figured on the last night I would try my luck. The owner of the restaurant ordered our meals for us and I made sure to tell him that I was picky and to go easy on me. I LOVED what he served me- I forgot the exact name but it was basically chicken and eggs in a crunchy pastry wrap thing. I probably got the simplest Indian food ever made but in my mind it definitely counts as Indian. Jenny and Rachel went wild with different sauces and dishes but unfortunately the pepto was not enough. At least they got sick from an amazing meal. On the way back from the restaurant the tuk tuk driver asked us if we wanted to drive the tuk tuk. Without hesitation Rachel and I responded yes. Driving the tuk tuk was awesome- it was actually really easy and set up like a motorcycle with handlebars rather than a steering wheel. For something we had been driving around in since Cambodia, it was cool to actually drive one.

The next day I went on a field trip to the Chendamangalam Village, a rural village two hours outside of Cochin. We were hosted by a women’s group and brought inside the village where we saw traditional dances and songs, and were made a traditional Indian lunch. Note about the lunch: I had to eat (and look like I was enjoying) River Fish in a green curry sauce. For those of you who don’t know, I don’t do fish. I consumed half of it before I felt that it was a sufficient attempt and would not be considered rude to stop eating. I was able to interact with the women and learn about their lives. There were fourteen members in the woman’s group and the purpose of the group was to microfinance female business ventures. Their motto was along the lines of empowering women through women. They stressed the importance of education and learning a trade so that women in rural areas could learn to be self-sufficient. These groups are becoming more common in rural India and it was amazing to see these women really striving to reduce the great gender inequalities.

Once again my camera proved to be a friend maker- this time to a ten year old boy who was one of the group member’s sons. I ended up with about one hundred more pictures that day of the village and random things he thought was worth photographing. At the end of the day I gave him a mechanical pencil I had in my bag and he was so amazed and thankful for it. The gifts we received were cooler- the group hand made us beaded purses and filled each purse with a bag of many different spices. Overall it was a really amazing day and I loved the fact that I was able to meet real Indians and was welcomed into their village, lifestyle, and culture. It was a much needed break and experience from the many tourist sites.

Brooke and I were just discussing how hard it has been to write our India blogs. It is easy to retell where we went and what we did but really hard to convey why India was so amazing. I’ll give it a shot. I think the reason I loved India is because it was so different than anything I had ever been to before. The Indian culture is so welcoming and it was remarkable to see so many happy, and I mean genuinely happy Indians who had so little. I constantly push myself to do better or get more- in essence I am never fully content because there is so much more that I can achieve. I am a very happy person and content with my life thus far but would not be content if I did not pursue higher ambitions. In India I feel as though that drive or need to earn more, do more, achieve more, is reduced. Perhaps it is not that they are happier but rather content and more grateful. Always being thankful allows them to live happily and without resentment of what they do not have. India is a completely different world with a lot of disparities and heart breaking qualities. After visiting the country I believe that there are more heart “mending” or “strengthening” qualities than breaking ones. Go to India- you won’t get it until you visit.