A Passage and Spices from India

Rotary GSE Team from Coimbatore India

Our last week was occupied with hosting a lovely young woman from Southeastern India named Pooja. Pooja is one of five visitors who have come to our Western Cape as part of a Rotary Group Study Exchange (GSE) program. She is the second person from the right in the team photo.

In this Rotary program two Districts in different parts of the world agree to exchange visits. The teams consist of a Rotary leader and four young professionals. Each club arranges hosts for the visitors and we were lucky enough to have Pooja stay with us. The group arrived on Saturday May 1 and will be here in South Africa for just over one month. Our club, Constantia Rotary was the first to receive and introduce them to Cape Town. Our team to India went there this past February.
Airport reception with visiting team and Cape Town hosts
We all arrived to greet the group at the airport Saturday afternoon and then took our guests home. We gave Pooja a brief driving tour thru the city over Kloof Nek, to Signal Hill and back home via Hout Bay. The timing was perfect for seeing sunset on Chapman's Peak Drive overlooking Sentinel Rock and Hout Bay.
Sunset over Hout Bay

While most of the team have traveled before, this was Pooja's first trip out of India leaving behind her husband and two young boys. Knowing this, we wanted to be certain that Pooja felt at home. I can imagine how overwhelming it could feel to be traveling this far on your first trip away from familiar things. It was obvious that Pooja would have loved to be able to share this experience with her family and was missing them.

Once Pooja settled in, she insisted upon giving us many gifts from India - a few items she had made herself including two lovely pencil drawings to traditional items from the region of her home and by request some curry spices! She is from the town of Coimbatore which is in Tamil Nadu, not far from Chennai. We spent a quiet evening and we made fast friends. Pooja showed us many photos of her husband and children and her wedding. She also introduced us to some new Indian foods which we are now eating up!
Evening at Lloyd and Penny's
On Sunday the group was taken to Robben Island and then the V&A waterfront followed by a welcome dinner at our club President Lloyd and his wife Penny's home. The majority of the team is vegetarian so it gave some of us the opportunity to make vegetarian dishes. It was easy for me because I made salad. The evening was a success and we were able to give Pooja a small gift from our club.

The next two and a half days were chockfull of activities. Monday was a vocational day. We introduced Pooja to two jewelers we know and then took her to Simonstown and the Boulders to see penguins. Pooja climbed over boulders to get close to these awkward on land but amazing in water seabirds that have adopted a little stretch of the South African coast as home. We returned home via Kalk Bay and Boyes Drive giving Pooja the classic view of Muizenberg Beach from on high.

rock hyrax which thrives in the penguin reservelone penguin
a breeding pair grooming each other Sunrise Beach, Muizenberg
On Monday evening we made a dinner dish to share with another host family- Wendy and Richard and their team member, Niru. Pooja and I chopped away in the kitchen and she made Pav Bhaji which is basically a yummy spicy vegetarian stew served with toasted buns.

It was definitely a highlight for us to be cooking together and learning about each other's culture and habits. Niru also made a dish typical of her home town, Kerala as well as a classic Indian rice pudding dessert. We all enjoyed quite a feast at Wendy and Richard's home. Wendy and Richard's daughter and fiance joined us allowing Pooja and Niru to meet some other young South Africans.

On Tuesday, there was more sightseeing for the group. I loaned Pooja my rain jacket as the weather did not cooperate for their outing to Cape Point. Pooja arrived home a little soggy but still her happy self. Pooja at Cape PointNiru at Cape Point

Pooja's lively performance at our Rotary meeting
That evening the GSE visitors made their first presentation at our Rotary Meeting. Guests included our District Governor and his wife, members of other host clubs and our young ambassadorial scholar Toni. They presented quite a lot of information on India and themselves which was fun to hear. The professions of the members are artist, tax accountant, film maker, advertising manager and jeweler. They make for an interesting group. It was well received and the highlight of the evening was a traditional dance performed by Pooja for the meeting. She wore a traditional costume with lots of bangles and dangly jewelry, even a temporary nose ring.

Many masalas to make!

After returning home from the dinner Pooja sat with me and gave me a recipe for each of the spice mixtures she brought with her. Through Pooja's good tutelage I have learned that every Indian dish, no matter which masala mix you use also includes turmeric, chili powder and usually jeera (cumin). I look forward to making one of the dishes for Michael this week.

Sadly, Pooja has moved on to her next hosts at Sea Point Rotary but we know she will be well- cared for and received. She has a gentle, loving nature that is infectiously joyful to be around. Even Emma (our dog) who normally growls at anyone who comes into our bedroom "sanctuary" was completely welcoming to Pooja. She sensed Pooja's peaceful and giving nature - and wanted to be close to her.

Fortunately, we will be seeing Pooja and the group again at The Rotary District Conference in Somerset West in mid-May. She was such a delightful guest and we know we have made a friend for life.