Day 51, Sept. 30

Not much happened today. The only excitement was derived from two walks. One I made with Fr. Deveraj circumnavigated the town of Poolampatty in a small circle. I got to see mostly the industry of the little village. There was a linen mill which the government took over and is using it as a cooperative for women who both learn the trade and make some money doing it. There were also two brick yards where the production was high for the ages old methods they employed. It was like going back to Roman days. Then there were the rice fields. Rice is the main crop of the country. This year the yield is threatened by a significant drought (not withstanding my propensity to bring rain). But, there is a good (if ancient) irrigation system.
The afternoon walk circled the town in a wider radius. This time we were led by the man who was helping the pastor cook for us. This man did not speak English (as very few in the town did). However, he seemed extremely knowledgeable. He showed us crops and trees that were truly exotic. It looked and sounded to me s if these belonged to him. If they did he must be quite wealthy for that area. He led us well and joyfully through the fields. For a while we had a few children with us. They seem to enjoy being around priests; or they are bored during this quarterly recess from school.