Loving Fort Cochin

The music that was coming from the Santa Cruz Basilica on Sunday morning drew me off the streets in to its doors. A fiddle, keyboards, a bass and drums sounded unusual for a Sunday morning church service. The church was overflowing with people. The brilliance of the multi colourful saris on the hundreds of women was a visual magnet. I am beginning to think that saris are like snowflakes; no two are alike. And I also think that the women in India become even more beautiful because they wear them.

I am intrigued by the combination of Catholic and Hindu practise. I recently met a nun who was wearing a sari and a necklace of the cross. I suppose it would be like a Jew practising Buddhism (Jew-Bu) and when I think about it, the way we see Godliness is all the same; treating others with respect and compassion. It’s just our basic understanding of God that differentiates us. Michael Franti wrote a song that says, “God is too big for just one religion”. I think there is enormous richness in the different practises and habits that we bring from our religions. And I suppose that mixing religious beliefs sometimes makes us even richer.

Paul bought me a beautiful necklace for my birthday in Fort Cochin. Shopping in the markets is always exciting! It’s one of the ways we get to know the people and the culture. I find the proprietors here eager to connect, a little pushy and very gracious and kind. Yes…you must haggle with the price, and, once you get an idea of what something should cost, it’s easy. I think, at this point, I have completely replaced my Canadian wardrobe with Indian. With the heat as intense as it is, wearing a lot of clothes is unbearable. Loose fitting, light cottons, and modest clothing are perfect. And I love the colours! Things are so ridiculously cheap. If I were to come to India again, I would leave Canada with my backpack almost empty with the intention of filling it up here.

We are staying in Fort Cochin longer than we thought we would. It is such a great little town. Personally, I could live here (and apparently the buzz line with our children is we aren’t coming back); I have been smiling since we arrived. Here are some of the things that keep me smiling here:

We’ve rented bicycles! It feels so good to be back on a bike. It makes it so easy to get around and I also get to avoid being on my bad foot. I love being mobile, able to travel longer distances and staying off my feet.

People in Cochin seem to genuinely love us being here. Big smiles and audible “Gut morning!” or “Hello” are so common as we pass people on the streets. Even young children and teenagers seem comfortable welcoming us to their town. And it’s a humble welcoming. Recently I read that Fort Cochin has about 30 different religions and they all get along well. That’s something to be proud about and they are! That friendliness and togetherness filters down into neighbourhoods and homes, and I feel it when I’m out in the streets. I truly feel in sync!

I have been having daily Ayurvedic massage for my feet and I think it’s actually helping! Whether or not it is, doesn’t even matter anymore because I have met Saraswathi. Saraswathi is my massage therapist. She’s small, dainty, dark and beautiful. Each day she has worn a different vibrant coloured sari. Before each massage she carefully ties a towel around her waist to avoid the therapeutic oils damaging the silk.

During my first massage, Saraswathi playfully touches her index finger to the cleft in my chin and says, “You husbant say you darling?” Not understanding at first, I asked her to repeat, which she did. “Oh”, I said, relieved that I did understand, “Actually, Paul doesn’t really ever call me ‘darling’. But sometimes he calls me ‘sweety’.” She laughed, and ever since then she often says, “Sweety, How sweety?” The ‘t’ is exaggerated.

I wondered where she even got the idea. I had a vision that she’s innocently exposed to western film and television. Maybe she saw Leonardo DiCapprio and Kate Winslet in mad passionate love scenes and thinks that's what all westerners do. Or maybe it’s more like Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in those old hokey love scenes.

Saraswathi admired my dark blue toe nail polish. Today, after my massage we have a date to paint her toenails. It’s just a way of bringing west to east. And…oh yeah! My feet are getting so much better!

Our Yoga practise in Fort Cochin is thriving. We found Sajee a humble Indian Yoga teacher who invites us into his home for learning and practise. Sanjay is 44 years old and lives in Fort Cochin with his wife daughter and son, mother and aunt. We found his home/Yoga studio by careening our way through alleyways and narrow roads following the arrows with the word Yoga red and yellow letters posted on tree trunks along the road.

At first I thought 3 hours of daily Yoga practise would be too much. But a rich balance of meditation, challenging poses, and relaxation not only help the 3 hours fly by, but when class is over I feel enriched and just a little bit wiser. Sajee is a great teacher because he makes me feel safe. I have achieved a few really challenging positions through his guidance and encouragement because he is right there helping me. And, with 3 -5 people in the class Sajee is able to completely attend to each person. When he’s working with me, I know he’s with me completely. Yesterday during final relaxation, Sajee noticed there were mosquitoes around me. Without any disturance, he gently applied mosquito repellent so they wouldn’t attack. It made me realize that I could completely give in and commit to experiencing what I’m there to learn. What a great gift for a student; to know that I can let go, try new things, and take big risks because I will be protected and supported. With that, I can do anything.

Sajee is a wise and loving soul who seems so connected and informed about the ways of the universe. He says things like, “We each of us have a religion that leads to the same place”, or “There are tears of honey (when we cry for love or joy) and tears of salt (when we cry because of sadness or anger)”. Our 3 hours (4:00 – 7:00) culminates in our evening meal, prepared and served by his family members. We all eat this delicious food together. When, each night, I say a special ‘thank you’ to whomever prepared the food, Sajee says, “Please. Just say thank you to the food.” Yes….I get that. And how wonderful to have those who know what to do with it! It’s, for me, the perfect balance between appreciating God and Godliness.