Yesterday, I found myself pondering just how I would make Easter a special day, as pretty much the only Christian in the village. I was struck by two ideas. First, I should throw an Easter party and invite all of my English-speaking friends. What better way to spend the day than making food for and serving people I love? On top of that, I had been meaning to invite them all over for a while, and time is running out. Plus, I was able to use the party to introduce Nesaru and Lilyane to important people in the community of foreigners. And, it was kind of a farewell party I could throw for myself.
Second, I decided that I needed to have an Easter egg hunt. Last time I visited Brian and Sonia, they had given me three eggs from their chickens. So, I boiled those eggs, borrowed Vandana's markers, and decorated them. (You would be amazed at just how many web sites there are out there which answer the Google query of “how to boil an egg.”)
And then in the morning, I hid them.
The time it took me to brush my teeth and wash my face in the morning was hardly long enough for me to forget where I put them, so it was not a long search.
After eating my eggs, I had a little Easter Sunday service for myself. I read all four Gospel's accounts of the Resurrection and then sung and worshiped along with a recording of OCF singing “In Christ Alone.” It was a good start to my Easter.
Other than preparing for the party in the evening, I decided that I would take a real Sabbath and not do anything even resembling work. The next eleven days until I leave are sure to be stressful, crazy, and emotional. I needed this oasis of lovely calm before plunging into that. Although, I did need to go down to Sidhbari and take a bus four stops down to Sheela Chowk to find carrots for my curry, and I bought the vender all out of carrots too. It's not carrot season any more, I guess.
I spent the afternoon peacefully embroidering and then cooked my curry and chocolate cake, finishing just as the first of my guests arrived. I had to borrow chairs from both Vandana and Dr. Kusum, but we got a nice circle of chairs out on my porch while we chatted and had dinner. Maya brought a lovely salad (when you live in India and can't trust most fresh produce, a good salad is a heavenly thing) and a pineapple up-side-down-cake. Kishwar brought some Sprite. Didi brought herself, which was quite a lot of work for her to walk all the way up to my house in itself, so I was really glad she came. Dr. Kusum came up with some raita (spicy yogurt salad thingy). Lilyane and Pia brought juice with them. Andrew and Nesaru trickled in with some olives and a big 2 candle for my cake (celebrating two years here). Brian had some web site work to do, so he and Sonia came rather late, but they brought ice cream and a chocolate bunny with them. The bunny was Swiss chocolate and had been blessed by a prominent Tibetan monk. With all that, it was a feast and a party. And my, do I have left-overs.
I really had a great time seeing everyone and hosting them. After all the hospitality all of them have shown me, I really leaped at a chance to give back. This was almost certainly the last time I will see Nesaru. Before I leave, even, he is taking off for a vacation, traveling around India. We parted on very good terms, and I'm glad for that. The rest of these people I am sure I will see at least once more. Kishwar and Maya are talking about having a goodbye tea party later this week, and I've still got plenty of work to do with Lilyane on the web site. Dr. Kusum is going to cook me dinner next Sunday, and I think Sonia and I still have a date for cooking together.
If I'm not careful, it's easy to get overwhelmed with all I have to do and all I want to do before I go, but amidst that, I can't forget all of those people who have made my experience here what it was.
All in all, it was a beautiful Easter.
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