Spiced Coca Cola and a Korean Blessing

What I got up to on Saturday...

The hospital's open on Saturday mornings, so after a morning at work I took a trip out of the campus. I'm not allowed out alone due to the fact that I'm not only one of, but all three of, young/white/a woman so this was quite an event! 

A girl I'd met here who is on work experience between school and University had invited me to her house and then for a bit of shopping. I felt very honoured to meet her family and to be shown her home. Prathna's parents work with the church and attached school so her house is within a larger commune resulting in little private space and  eating and bathing that would be considered public by British standards. Everyone was friendly towards me and I can see that this kind of communal living must be a fabulous place to grow up in. I met her parents, sister and grandmother.

Outside Prathna's Grandmother's home

We then ventured into Allahabad and visited two clothes stores and a third shop that provided me with rations of biscuits and a bar of Dairy milk. The week before I'd bought two 'kurtas', which are long colourful tops worn with trousers. They're much cooler then the shirts I'd bought with me, and are very lightweight. On sunday I discovered another fact too late much to the peril of my white clothes - the colours run in the wash! Prathna persuaded me to spend more money on a fancy kurta from an upmarket store that she said looked Indian enough to wear back home. After shopping, she bought me food from one of her favourite street side eateries. We shared a chicken biryani and paratha with small mutton burgers. I was then told that I just HAD to try coke masala, a local favourite drink. Masala is the Hindi word for spices, so I was a little apprehensive. I was right to be apprehensive - the mixture of spices, salt, pepper and cold coca cola is enough to confuse any non-Allahabadian's taste buds. I can almost certainly say that it was a once in a lifetime experience! Even the experts leave the dregs at the bottom.

Yummy authentic Indian takeaway

I was returned to hospital and heard singing coming from the chapel. I ventured closer to discover that it was fit to burst with inpatients watching a dance. 

Terrible photo, but you get the idea

This turned out to be annual entertainment from a group of Korean-born-but-now-living-in-India Christians. The two hour long session comprised of traditional dances followed by a Bible based drama and group prayer session. They were intrigued by my presence (neither a leprosy patient or of Asian origin!) and I was given one of the scarfs and boxes of national sweet treats that were being handed out to the patients. They then asked whether they could pray with and for me. So, after an already busy day, a Welsh girl was being sung a Korean prayer in India. 

I'm sure that stranger things CAN happen but I can't pinpoint anything that matches this in my lifetime!

Me with the group