...what I've been up to. Actually, you might. Because you know how crazy I am.
I've just returned from Virginia, where I attended a "Hindi Day" celebration and gave a speech. A speech in Hindi, a language I am not yet fluent in, in a room full of strangers.
It was really fun. I'm fond of public speaking, but doing it in a language I don't fully know was a first!
And it turns out that not everyone was a stranger. Another student giving a speech was a young man I met at my Hindi meetup group a while ago. It was on his recommendation that I signed up for classes at this school, but I had no idea he was going to be there. He and I hung out afterwards and visited the upstairs temple with his family. We arrived right in time for an aarti.
It was a beautiful temple and had a very spacious, open, and peaceful feel to it. However, I probably won't be going back, since it is a little over an hour's drive from my apartment when there is no traffic at all.
It was worth it for this, though. I didn't understand all the speeches, but I caught the gist of most of them and I ate wonderful food and I took prasad.
It has been a beautiful evening and now I am heading to bed!
I am so unbelievably proud of you.....Wow! I'm just not sure I would have had the courage to do that....I myself had a really great weekend. I attended 2 out of 3 days of a Bengali Durga Pooja. This was my first Hindu religious event and pooja. Will let you know more in my next blog post.
ReplyDeleteKat
Oh, how wonderful, Kat! I can't wait to hear more.
ReplyDeleteI'm Impressed
ReplyDeleteI get nervous and tongue-tied when I have to speak in public even in English.