I realize it's been a long while since I've blogged. Sorry about that. Here's a run down of my time up until Koh Jum. I've been writing this as I go, just haven't posted it due to lack of wireless and such.
THURSDAY - November 25th
Wow. It's been a crazy few days. So good, but so full. I am worrrn out.
Left home on the night train to Delhi on Tuesday. I left 1 day before the Murrays because my ticket is multi-destination and so it was quite a bit cheaper to fly on the 24th, rather then the 25th. Go figure. I was in a bunker room with a really nice little family and one other business man. The couple was so sweet. They had a little 2 year old girl. She was a cutie. She also had a mind of her own. And that mind of hers was n.o.t. going to sleep if she had anything to do about it. She screamed and screamed. And then screamed some more. Eventually the mom got up, turned on the light, whipped her shirt up, and gave her a "snack". Hmm…ok. Whatever works I guess :) The mama was super kind and we became friends pretty quickly. She spoke quite a bit of english, as well as her husband, so we talked quite a bit. They insisted I share the dinner that they brought with them. They pulled it out about 9:30, which is around when Indians would generally eat dinner. I, of course, had already eaten but they insisted. It was delicious, but gave me horrible diarrhea...not so fun when traveling. Guess it was worth it for the friendship though. Made it Delhi about 8:00am Wednesday morning. God is so good, and it turned out that Amanda Wherry was going to be in Delhi the same day that I was. (how crazy is that??) And so we had planned a couple weeks before to hang out during the day. It was SOO good to see her! We had lots of fun. Amanda, Katie, Asan, (2 of her friends) Will, and I hung out all day. Will showed us around Delhi and took us to some of his favorite places. My flight to Bangkok wasn't until 1:10am…so it was a very full and long day, but really great. Will graciously dropped me at the airport around 11:00. I made it to my gate and eventually on my flight pretty smoothly.
I thought that I would HATE traveling alone…honestly I was not real excited about it at all. I've gone back and forth to Delhi on the train and stuff, but I've never really liked the idea of flying alone. I don't know why, I just don't. In the end though, I really didn't mind it all. You definitely meet some interesting people. Interesting in good ways and also a few, ya know, just interesting. While I was sitting at my gate waiting to board, I struck up a conversation with the people sitting across from me. I came to find out that they are originally from Germany and had just spent a week in India, and now were on their way to Thailand. I asked them how they liked India. This lady's response was so quick and so harsh I don't think I'll ever forget it- "Hated it! Every second of it. The food, the people, the cities, everything. I will never go back. Not ever again."
Well, ok then. She then proceeded to ask me how long I had been there and what I thought about it. My response- "well, I've been here 5 ½ months and love it. The food, the people, the city I live in, all of it. It's going to be hard to leave." She just sat there and stared at me in shock.
Guess everyone has their own opinions.
Me and my exhausted self, got to Bangkok about 7:00am this morning. Uncle Tim had graciously hooked us up with some friends of his that are living in Bangkok, who so kindly agreed to help me with my China Visa that day. They offered to have their friend pick me up from the airport and go with me to the embassy. It was a huge blessing all the way around. The couple that I had connected with here, are actually missionaries from Singapore. Their friend that picked me up from the airport is originally from China. He has been in Bangkok about a year and a half. He's in the process of getting his Masters. Stanley and Linda live on the AIT campus, and that is how they met each other. Their friend, Qi, was extremely helpful, and so sweet to take time out of his day to help me out. He met me at the airport, and we headed straight to the Chinese embassy. It was a blessing to have him with me, as they all spoke Mandarin. I clearly don't. But Qi does! He was great, and it was all so simple. I handed them 2 copies of the visa application and my passport, she looked them over, stamped them, and said to be back by 3:00pm. According to Qi and Stanley, that never happens. Thank you, Jesus for being in the details! I went back with Qi to the AIT campus, had lunch with Stanley and Linda, got a tour of the campus, and headed back with Qi to pick up the visa. We barely made it back in time! The embassy closes at 4:30, and due to horrible traffic, we cut it pretty darn close. In the end we jumped out of the taxi and ran the rest of the way there because traffic was so bad. Got the Visa, found our taxi again,(that was interesting) and headed to the hotel where I was supposed to meet up with the rest of the gang. Got to the hotel, checked in…surprised and thankful that they let me….and waited for everybody else. They all showed up around 10:00pm, we all had some dinner and everyone else headed to bed. I will be in to join them very shortly. :)
FRIDAY - November 26th
Mel and I had planned to spend most of the afternoon shopping. We had to find appropriate clothing for us all to wear to the wedding, since none us had anything nice enough to bring with. Not on this side of the ocean anyway. We figured it would be pretty simple. Sounded simple anyway. It was a h.u.g.e mall and we just needed to find, dresses, shoes, pants and shoes for the boys, and shoes for Dave. Fairly easy when you have the entire afternoon and evening right? Wrong. It proved to actually be a very hard task. We also needed to figure out phone service for the next month and get all the Visa paperwork sent somehow. We thought those would be the harder things, and the clothes would be easy. It was actually the complete opposite. We got those two things knocked out fairly quickly and easily. Then came the clothes.
Ok, 1st of all, you have the exact opposite of India, and not only is it culturally acceptable to wear shorts, apparently the only shorts females wear are barely even there. When you hold em up, they're about 2in long all together. Apparently this carries over into dresses as well. EVERY dress was sooo short. If we were going clubbing that night we would have been all set, with any color and style to choose from, however, it seemed almost impossible to find one acceptable to wear to a wedding. Long story short (after trying on what felt like the entire mall) we finally decided to just wear black leggings underneath. This opened up a whole new world of options and we found a couple of dresses. Not the cutest thing I've ever worn, but it worked. And I was just glad to be done. And have something that actually covered my booty :) Dave's shoes were pretty funny to find. Long story short, we ended up walking into countless shoe stores and had many a conversation that went something like this- "Will you please show me the biggest size shoe you have in brown? No, I don't really care what it looks like, I just want the biggest one you have." I guess his foot is significantly bigger then most Thai men's. It was pretty funny. The boys pants proved to be much, much harder then expected as well. Oh well. We got it done eventually, and in there somewhere at various times, we had a doughnut, a BEEF cheeseburger, and Cold Stone ice cream. 3 things we haven't had since we left home. In my opinion that made it alllll worth it. We made it back to the hotel about 8:00pm, Mel and Dave went and had dinner and hangout time with everyone, and the boys and I hung out back at the room. All in all, it turned out to be quite the day.
SATURDAY
Today was the wedding!! It was neat to experience a traditional Thai ceremony and then see how they blended the two cultures for the reception. It was a beautiful wedding! So happy for Isaac and Ravi as they start their new life together.
SUNDAY
Mel and the boys and I hung out at the shopping center while Dave made a trip to the train station to try and figure out how we were going to make the 12+ hour trip to Koh Jum, where we would be staying for the next few weeks.
In this shopping center there was a huge supermarket…lets just say it had been a while since any of us had stepped foot inside anything even remotely close. It was a Big C supermarket which is comparable to a Walmart. We were all in wonder at the huge deli, large selection of veggies, real milk, many choices of cereal…and well, just about the whole store. For about an hour we sort of felt like we were at home. We decided life in India would simply just be too easy with a supermarket. Ha. What would we do without the 3 hour grocery runs where you may, or may not, actually find what you were looking for at the various 3-4 little shops you go to? :)
Dave met us back at the store with the news that he had purchased overnight tickets on the train. So we went back to the hotel, packed up, said our goodbyes, and headed to the train station. Getting to the station, finding our train, loading up, etc. turned out to be much easier and simpler then we had imagined. I guess we were all picturing the Indian railway stations…let's just say they're a little bit crazy.
The Bangkok station was very nice, clean, and not too crowded. We loaded up and got situated for the next 12 or so hours.
The train proved to be fairly simple, but it was the getting off, and the next 6-7 hours that we did't really anticipate to be so hard. And long.
1st of all, the train stops for a total of 2 minutes at every small platform along it's route. Tarat Thani is where we needed to get off, and it is indeed, a very small platform. They also do not feel the need to let passengers on board the train know which platform we happened to be stopping at. So you just guess. Or maybe they do let people know, but we don't speak Thai and so we wouldn't know even if they did. Very possible. Anyway, so we decided to just go by the time. We were supposed to arrive at 4:35am. So at 4:30 we were very quickly trying to get all our luggage through the small isles and to the door by 4:35. We failed. Thankfully that was not our stop. We didn't really know that at the time though. Thinking we most likely missed it, we decided to just sit by the doors with our luggage and get off at the next stop. About 20 min later the train stopped. I jumped off, Dave started throwing me luggage, Mel jumped off with the boys, and Dave followed up the rear. It was quite a sight I'm sure. Have I mentioned its 5:00am? We were all a little bit out of it.
Where we got off was a little platform in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere…but it was in fact Tarat Thani. We went and found the "bus station", aka the little shack in the middle of nowhere close to the little train platform in the middle of nowhere. We purchased tickets there, and then loaded up in a van that took us to the bus station. We had about an hour at the station before our bus was scheduled to leave. 1st of all, this bus station was seriously sketchy. 2nd, it was very early in the morning. 3rd, while waiting for ours, we watched about 4 buses arrive and unload. Almost every individual getting of the bus was completely and totally drunk. Apparently the bus ride had been hard on them or something…I don't know. Still trying to figure that one out. Made for an interesting hour at the bus station though, I can tell you that.
We took a 2 ½ hour bus ride, unloaded at another station, took yet another van to some other place, then loaded up into the back of a pickup truck who took us to the pier. After about an hour at the pier we loaded up onto the ferry. Took a 45 min ride on the ferry and then transferred from the ferry to a local long tail fishing boat when we got close to the Island, and they brought us in. All in all let's just say it was a very l.o.n.g. process to get from Bangkok to the Island.
It all seemed worth it when we got there though. I have never seen anything so pretty. Beautiful in every sense of the word. I was on the Island for 2 weeks and was constantly in awe of our Maker's creation. The beauty in His creation is like a reflection of His face to me. And I loved being surrounded by it.
We stayed in little bungalows right on the beach. I guess you could compare it to camping in a lot of ways, although we did have a bed. Mel and Dave slept in one bungalow, and the boys and I in another. Every bungalow had one room (that was literally almost entirely filled up with the bed), a bathroom(that was half outside) with running water (most of the time), and electricity (some of the time). Kind of the bare essentials, but it worked. I liked it. You hardly spent any time other then sleeping in the bungalow anyway since you spent most of your time at the beach, so it didn't really matter.
It was a great 2 weeks filled with the beach, the mountains, kayaking, delicious food, beach volleyball, motorbikes into town (THERE'S a story for ya. Ha.), Joe's little snack shack, super friendly people, fishing, a couple trips into Krabi, and just enjoying God's creation.
I didn't have internet, but I did journal a little bit every day. I'll let that two weeks be in the next post since this one's already a mile long. :)
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
love your neighbor
"Jesus replied- Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." -Matt 22:37-39
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." -John 15:12-13
That's not easy. Bottom line.
Sometimes I only love when I want to. Sometimes I only love when I feel like it. Sometimes I only choose to love when it feels convenient.
Sometimes I choose to ignore. Sometimes I choose to try and forget. Sometimes I choose to pretend like I didn't see. Sometimes I choose to turn the other way.
It's easy to love the little orphan with the cute smile and eager hug. It's easy to love the little begger boy selling 10 rupee balloons along the road. It's easy to love the sweet old lady who needs help crossing the street. It's easy to love your best friend when you're hanging out on a Friday night. It's easy to love your little sister when she's being nice to you. But these aren't the only times Jesus calls us to love. It actually happens to be an all-the-time sorta thing. It's not pick and choose. He's very clear. And it's very simple.
Jesus tells us to love others. Others means any person other then yourself…aka everyone walking this planet that is not you. I've been thinking about this a lot lately.
Do I love others the way Jesus loved others? Or sometimes do I only love the ones I want to. First of all, having pity on someone is different then loving them. Feeling sorry for someone and the life they live, is not the same as loving them. Wishing things could be different for someone, is not the same as acting.
As I was sitting on the scooter, watching India pass by me the other day, I had some thoughts that wouldn't leave me alone.
Later that night as I was sitting out on the steps of the church with a blanket and some hot chai, I allowed myself to process it all. Try anyway.
From the front steps of the church you have a spectacular view of the valley of Dehradun. We live up a hill a little ways, and so you're sort of looking down out into the city. City life with the millions of tiny lights is beautiful at night from far away. It's from those steps every night that I'm reminded of the vastness of India. It's huge. There are millions upon millions of people. In those millions upon millions, are another millions upon millions of hurt, dirt poor, starving, empty, broken people who don’t understand their need for a savior.
I see and come into contact with some of those millions upon millions of people everyday. It's hard. It hurts. I don't understand it. It doesn't get easier over time.
Some nights, as I sit there my mind wanders to the impossibility and hopelessness of the reality, and I just want to get on a plane, go home, hug my family, see my friends, and go about the little life that I was perfectly content with about 5 months ago. Forget about the people. The hopeless situations. The masses of starving children. The thousands and thousands of beggars, orphans, widows. Because it seems hopeless and overwhelming. Because it just seems so hard. Because if I pretend like they don't exist, I won't be hurt. If I don't invest emotionally, I have nothing to lose. If I live my life and try to forget, everything will be ok. But it won't. And I can't forget. Those faces are etched in my mind forever. Those stories are fresh on my heart. I know too much not to act. Now that I've seen, I am responsible. Now that I know, I am held accountable.
On this particular night, as I sat there thinking about my day, I went back to the scooter ride and my thoughts. Do these thousands and thousands of hurting people matter to me? And if so, how much? Am I truly willing to give it all to any one of these people? Do I truly care about the old crippled man on the side of the street, or is he just one of the many? Has he become simply a statistic to me? Am I allowing these situations and these people to become personal? Do I value the life of the old lady with the dislocated shoulder that begs outside of the coffee shop who has clearly gotten nowhere in life, as much as I would a successful working lady I might pass on the street back home? Would I die for that homeless man that sleeps underneath the bridge across the street? Do I value the life of the little 5 year old following me around begging for money, as much as I value the life of my little sister? Would I pay as much attention when reading in the paper about the old lady who died of fever in the slums last week, as I would when reading about the beautiful, smart, young girl who lost her life in a car accident yesterday? Would I give my life for the starving, uneducated, unclean, 13 year boy sitting on the steps outside of McDonalds? Would I die for the old drunk man at the bottom of hill, as readily as I would die for my best friend? Do I value the lives of even the destitute in the way that I should?
I pray that I would. I hope that I do.
A person is a person. And God loves them all. We are called to follow suit.
I think I judge people based on their outward appearance more then I would care to admit. When I stop and think about it, at times I find myself subconsciously writing people off in my mind, and that it not ok. We all do it at some point or another. But just because we all do it, that doesn't make it right.
This doesn't just apply to the beggars on the street in India. What is truth is truth. It doesn't matter where you are. This isn't new for me just because I moved to India. I think I'm just starting to see it from different angles. But sometimes loving the very people you live with and are closest to is very far from easy. Sometimes loving your family is a challenge. It's easier to love your little sister the first time she brings you a book to read aloud to her, then it is the 11th time that day. It's easier to love your mom when she lets you do what you want, then it is to respect her when she puts her foot down on something. It's easier to love your little brother when he's helping you with the dishes, then it is when you're missing the movie with your friends because you have to drop him off at band practice. The list goes on and on….
But that doesn't matter. Just because it is hard, does not mean that Jesus doesn't ask us to do it. Love should not be based on circumstance.
You're more likely to love the sweet old lady who needs help carrying her groceries, then the old lady who smells and won't stop asking you for money. More likely to love your brother when he's doing things your way, rather then his. More likely to love your younger sister with special needs on a day that she's cheerful and nice, then a day that she treats you horribly. More likely to love the nice man at the cash register inside the store, then the pushy, half naked, starving, man outside the store. More likely to love the sweet, friendly, old man you meet when buying milk at walmart, then the dirty druggie sitting outside smoking on the corner. More likely to love the cute little girl who waves as she drives by, then the mentally unstable, un-attractive, loud, lady that begs on the corner in Rajpur.
Why? Because it's easier. Because I'm not talking about feeling sorry for someone, or having pity on them, I'm talking about truly loving them. Because it's not as messy. Because it's not as inconvenient. Because you're less likely to get hurt…emotionally it just feels "safer". It doesn't take as much of ourselves.
But that doesn't matter. We are called to love. And love and selfishness do not go together.
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." -John 15:12-13
That's not easy. Bottom line.
Sometimes I only love when I want to. Sometimes I only love when I feel like it. Sometimes I only choose to love when it feels convenient.
Sometimes I choose to ignore. Sometimes I choose to try and forget. Sometimes I choose to pretend like I didn't see. Sometimes I choose to turn the other way.
It's easy to love the little orphan with the cute smile and eager hug. It's easy to love the little begger boy selling 10 rupee balloons along the road. It's easy to love the sweet old lady who needs help crossing the street. It's easy to love your best friend when you're hanging out on a Friday night. It's easy to love your little sister when she's being nice to you. But these aren't the only times Jesus calls us to love. It actually happens to be an all-the-time sorta thing. It's not pick and choose. He's very clear. And it's very simple.
Jesus tells us to love others. Others means any person other then yourself…aka everyone walking this planet that is not you. I've been thinking about this a lot lately.
Do I love others the way Jesus loved others? Or sometimes do I only love the ones I want to. First of all, having pity on someone is different then loving them. Feeling sorry for someone and the life they live, is not the same as loving them. Wishing things could be different for someone, is not the same as acting.
As I was sitting on the scooter, watching India pass by me the other day, I had some thoughts that wouldn't leave me alone.
Later that night as I was sitting out on the steps of the church with a blanket and some hot chai, I allowed myself to process it all. Try anyway.
From the front steps of the church you have a spectacular view of the valley of Dehradun. We live up a hill a little ways, and so you're sort of looking down out into the city. City life with the millions of tiny lights is beautiful at night from far away. It's from those steps every night that I'm reminded of the vastness of India. It's huge. There are millions upon millions of people. In those millions upon millions, are another millions upon millions of hurt, dirt poor, starving, empty, broken people who don’t understand their need for a savior.
I see and come into contact with some of those millions upon millions of people everyday. It's hard. It hurts. I don't understand it. It doesn't get easier over time.
Some nights, as I sit there my mind wanders to the impossibility and hopelessness of the reality, and I just want to get on a plane, go home, hug my family, see my friends, and go about the little life that I was perfectly content with about 5 months ago. Forget about the people. The hopeless situations. The masses of starving children. The thousands and thousands of beggars, orphans, widows. Because it seems hopeless and overwhelming. Because it just seems so hard. Because if I pretend like they don't exist, I won't be hurt. If I don't invest emotionally, I have nothing to lose. If I live my life and try to forget, everything will be ok. But it won't. And I can't forget. Those faces are etched in my mind forever. Those stories are fresh on my heart. I know too much not to act. Now that I've seen, I am responsible. Now that I know, I am held accountable.
On this particular night, as I sat there thinking about my day, I went back to the scooter ride and my thoughts. Do these thousands and thousands of hurting people matter to me? And if so, how much? Am I truly willing to give it all to any one of these people? Do I truly care about the old crippled man on the side of the street, or is he just one of the many? Has he become simply a statistic to me? Am I allowing these situations and these people to become personal? Do I value the life of the old lady with the dislocated shoulder that begs outside of the coffee shop who has clearly gotten nowhere in life, as much as I would a successful working lady I might pass on the street back home? Would I die for that homeless man that sleeps underneath the bridge across the street? Do I value the life of the little 5 year old following me around begging for money, as much as I value the life of my little sister? Would I pay as much attention when reading in the paper about the old lady who died of fever in the slums last week, as I would when reading about the beautiful, smart, young girl who lost her life in a car accident yesterday? Would I give my life for the starving, uneducated, unclean, 13 year boy sitting on the steps outside of McDonalds? Would I die for the old drunk man at the bottom of hill, as readily as I would die for my best friend? Do I value the lives of even the destitute in the way that I should?
I pray that I would. I hope that I do.
A person is a person. And God loves them all. We are called to follow suit.
I think I judge people based on their outward appearance more then I would care to admit. When I stop and think about it, at times I find myself subconsciously writing people off in my mind, and that it not ok. We all do it at some point or another. But just because we all do it, that doesn't make it right.
This doesn't just apply to the beggars on the street in India. What is truth is truth. It doesn't matter where you are. This isn't new for me just because I moved to India. I think I'm just starting to see it from different angles. But sometimes loving the very people you live with and are closest to is very far from easy. Sometimes loving your family is a challenge. It's easier to love your little sister the first time she brings you a book to read aloud to her, then it is the 11th time that day. It's easier to love your mom when she lets you do what you want, then it is to respect her when she puts her foot down on something. It's easier to love your little brother when he's helping you with the dishes, then it is when you're missing the movie with your friends because you have to drop him off at band practice. The list goes on and on….
But that doesn't matter. Just because it is hard, does not mean that Jesus doesn't ask us to do it. Love should not be based on circumstance.
You're more likely to love the sweet old lady who needs help carrying her groceries, then the old lady who smells and won't stop asking you for money. More likely to love your brother when he's doing things your way, rather then his. More likely to love your younger sister with special needs on a day that she's cheerful and nice, then a day that she treats you horribly. More likely to love the nice man at the cash register inside the store, then the pushy, half naked, starving, man outside the store. More likely to love the sweet, friendly, old man you meet when buying milk at walmart, then the dirty druggie sitting outside smoking on the corner. More likely to love the cute little girl who waves as she drives by, then the mentally unstable, un-attractive, loud, lady that begs on the corner in Rajpur.
Why? Because it's easier. Because I'm not talking about feeling sorry for someone, or having pity on them, I'm talking about truly loving them. Because it's not as messy. Because it's not as inconvenient. Because you're less likely to get hurt…emotionally it just feels "safer". It doesn't take as much of ourselves.
But that doesn't matter. We are called to love. And love and selfishness do not go together.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Week #2
Ok, here's week #2.
Mon. we headed up the mountain to Mussoorie to spend the day. We had a blast together! The 1st thing we did was go to Landoor. Landoor is a little "town" up on the highest point of Mussoorie. From there you can see the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas. B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. Dehradun sits in a valley of the Himalayas, so our house is surrounded by beautiful mountains, but they are more like large hills compared to the huge peaks that you can see from Mussoorie. It was pretty cool.
We walked the loop up in Landoor and then found a little hole in the wall shop along the road to eat lunch. I love places like that.
After lunch, we went back down to the main part of Mussoorie. Honestly, Mussoorie is a very touristy area, but thankfully not this time of year. In the summer it's crazyyy…the change in the amount of people up there is pretty drastic. Right now it's pretty peaceful and quiet (for India :))
We walked along the main road and explored all the little shops. After that we searched and searched for a Barista that I knew was up there somewhere, but couldn't seem to find. After walking up, down, up, and back down again…just a little further then before, we finally found it. Had some yummy coffee together (this was actually quite humorous…long story) and then Karina and I attempted to find a bathroom for our bladders that had been full since about 10 min after we left home. Why does that always seem to happen? Karina got her 1st "public bathroom" experience in India. You pay rupees and get the privilege of walking into an almost unbearable stench and disgustingness. Then you walk out and the same people who were there staring at you as you went in, are still standing there staring at you as you walk out.
Anyway, we then headed back up the street to try and find a shop where I could get some passport pics taken for visa stuff that Mel was trying to work on. We found one that looked promising. As I was waiting in line to talk to the shop keeper, I look behind me and see Mom and Karina being asked to take pictures with random people over and over again like they're celebrities. It was funny. I Talked to the guy and he said to wait 5 min. About 15 min later (5 in Indian time) a fairly large crowd had gathered and we had graciously taken many, many pictures with people…all of a sudden I hear Karina say "eeewwww, it's peeing on me!" and Mom say "Well move! Don't just stand there!" I turned around and Karina was in fact, being "watered" by a monkey. Mr monkey knew EXACTLY what he was doing too. He did it on purpose. He was literally sitting up on the roof of this shop laughing at her. I have to admit, it was pretty funny….to everyone except Karina. Poor thing. The whole crowd of people standing there thought it was pretty funny too. Haha oh well…sometimes you have to suffer for the story, right? We got the passport pics taken care of and got on our way.
We walked around for a while and then grabbed a rickshaw back up. Our sweet rickshaw driver was very, very old. He could barely move the thing. I hated it. I know that's how he makes his living, and so by hiring him, we were helping employ him for the day, but I still hated it. I felt like I should get out and help push or something. We were going mighty slow. I was thankful when the down hill stretch came around. In some confusion of languages, he thought we wanted to go to the cable cars. So that's where he dropped us. So, we then decided to indeed, go on the cable cars! That was interesting to say the least. The thought of "are we going to die on a cable car ride in the middle of the mountains in India?" definitely crosses your mind, but knowing that the views are amazing, and it's not that far up the mountain, and more often then not, when you take the little bit of risk involved in things, it pays with excitement and adventure, outweighed the initial thought. By a little bit anyway. I was thinking all of this, as we sat in one of only two cable cars running, and it was becoming fuller and fuller by the second. It was literally crammed with people :) That just adds to the worries. But it was fun. Not too terribly exciting, but definitely an experience. And we met some very nice people on the ride back down.
After the cable car, we wandered back up the street (more of a very long hill) to go try and find some dinner. After shopping along the way a little bit, and asking multiple people where The Tavern is, we found it and settled in for some good food. One of Isaac's buddies from school back in the day, owns this restaurant, so we thought we'd try it out. It was yummy. After a late dinner, we realized that where we were meeting Prem and his taxi, aka our ride home, was on the OTHER END of the main road through Mussoorie. In other words, the very long road that we had walked down, then up, then down, and then finally back up again to find dinner. Oops, didn't plan that one very well. Long story short, Mom apparently decided we were in a hurry and walked (Karina and I were practically running) very, very "briskly" back down again. All the way. By the time we got there I was worrrn out…as was Karina. Nothing like a fast walk to make you feel out of shape.
We found Prem, and enjoyed the very pretty ride with a view of all the lights of the city of Dehradun, back home. It was a good day.
Tues. we went back to block printing (another monkey went to the bathroom on Karina during this time. That's twice in one week. Maybe the blonde hair that they're not used to? I don't know) and back to Moravian. By the time we walked home again, we were greeted by some very happy people who shared the great news that Dave's tools had arrived!! FINALLY!! We all headed into Dehradun to Pizza Hut for lunch to celebrate. From there, Mel and Mom went and had some coffee and ran some errands together and Karina, Tenzin, and I headed home to lay Levi down for his nap, hang with Micah, and whip up some brownies for that evening. Mom and Mel came home, we (very) quickly cleaned up, and a bunch of friends came over for "tea" so that they could all meet Mom and Karina. It was a fun night filled with lots of music, laughter, and good friends. Can't go wrong with that.
Wed. morning Mel and I went to Hindi lessons, and ran a few errands. That afternoon Mom, Karina, and I walked up to Moravian to grab everything that we had had them making that they were finished with, and stopped by Jojo and Recha's to grab all the fun stuff that had been purchased a few days before. We hung with Micah and Levi while Dave and Mel attended a wedding, and then headed to Prem's house for dinner.
That. Was. So. Much. Fun.
I loved that my mama and sister got a chance to meet his sweet family and spend an evening laughing, eating, dancing, (yes, lots of this) and hanging out with them. Plus, get the cultural experience of eating dinner at a local's home. We all loved it. AND the food was delicious!
Thurs. was filled with b-fast at Chhaya, going out to the Leper colony, lunch at Motti Mahal, shopping for a cute shirt for Mom to remember India by, ice cream at Baskin Robbins, which turned out to be verrryyy odd due to the lovely Eunichs that decided to show up and demand money while we were there…full story on that later. A tuk-tuk home for the last time, trying hard not to think about what I knew the next day held, a very yummy Tibetan meal for dinner made by some of the ZK guys, and awesome friends that came over to enjoy it with us all. The three of us ended the night with hot cups of chai and warm blankets out on the church steps, under a gorgeous view of the stars. It too, was a very good/full day.
Fri. we got up super early. 4:15 to be exact, and headed to the train station with Prem. Jumped on a train and were on our way to Delhi. Mom had a mouse under her seat the entire duration of our train ride, which was a bit humorous. When we got to Delhi, we were greeted by our friendly taxi driver that Will had graciously hooked us up with, Grover. Yes, that is really the name that he introduces himself with. Haha how awesome is that name?! After about 10 min of trying to convince Mr. Grover that we did not want to go and sight-see the temples, but would rather just be dropped at the mall until it was time to head to the airport, we were on our way. We spent about 4 hours at the mall, which consisted of walking around, shopping a tiny bit, and dinner at TGI Fridays. 7:15 came wayyy to fast. Grover picked us back up and took us to the airport. Will Frazer was awesome, and super kind to agree to meet me at the airport at 8:00 and get me back to the train station, make sure I actually made it on the train, make sure I actually made it on the right train etc. Even though I had been trying to prepare myself for the moment that I knew was coming, it didn't help, and 8:00 also came wayyy to fast. Man, it was tough to say goodbye. No matter how many times you do it, I don't think it gets any easier. I kept telling my self "it's alright, you'll see them again in 7 more months"…but that didn't help. At all. It was hard, but God is good and I'm so incredibly thankful for the sweet, sweet time that we were able to spend together. It was such a huge blessing and tons of fun. Memories were made together in those two weeks that will last a life time. For some reason that I can't really explain, it just helps to know that she can actually picture what I'm talking about when I'm telling Mom about my day over skype. She’s been here, met the people I love, experienced a little bit of the life I live, seen the city I've grown so fond of, smelled the smells I smell, tasted the food we eat etc.
Thank you Jesus for the family that I have. Thank you that goodbyes are so stinkin hard. Because they're so hard, I know that I've got something special. Something that's so special, it's hard to let go of. I am blessed.
oops, sorry. Pictures are from bottom to top.
Mon. we headed up the mountain to Mussoorie to spend the day. We had a blast together! The 1st thing we did was go to Landoor. Landoor is a little "town" up on the highest point of Mussoorie. From there you can see the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas. B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. Dehradun sits in a valley of the Himalayas, so our house is surrounded by beautiful mountains, but they are more like large hills compared to the huge peaks that you can see from Mussoorie. It was pretty cool.
We walked the loop up in Landoor and then found a little hole in the wall shop along the road to eat lunch. I love places like that.
After lunch, we went back down to the main part of Mussoorie. Honestly, Mussoorie is a very touristy area, but thankfully not this time of year. In the summer it's crazyyy…the change in the amount of people up there is pretty drastic. Right now it's pretty peaceful and quiet (for India :))
We walked along the main road and explored all the little shops. After that we searched and searched for a Barista that I knew was up there somewhere, but couldn't seem to find. After walking up, down, up, and back down again…just a little further then before, we finally found it. Had some yummy coffee together (this was actually quite humorous…long story) and then Karina and I attempted to find a bathroom for our bladders that had been full since about 10 min after we left home. Why does that always seem to happen? Karina got her 1st "public bathroom" experience in India. You pay rupees and get the privilege of walking into an almost unbearable stench and disgustingness. Then you walk out and the same people who were there staring at you as you went in, are still standing there staring at you as you walk out.
Anyway, we then headed back up the street to try and find a shop where I could get some passport pics taken for visa stuff that Mel was trying to work on. We found one that looked promising. As I was waiting in line to talk to the shop keeper, I look behind me and see Mom and Karina being asked to take pictures with random people over and over again like they're celebrities. It was funny. I Talked to the guy and he said to wait 5 min. About 15 min later (5 in Indian time) a fairly large crowd had gathered and we had graciously taken many, many pictures with people…all of a sudden I hear Karina say "eeewwww, it's peeing on me!" and Mom say "Well move! Don't just stand there!" I turned around and Karina was in fact, being "watered" by a monkey. Mr monkey knew EXACTLY what he was doing too. He did it on purpose. He was literally sitting up on the roof of this shop laughing at her. I have to admit, it was pretty funny….to everyone except Karina. Poor thing. The whole crowd of people standing there thought it was pretty funny too. Haha oh well…sometimes you have to suffer for the story, right? We got the passport pics taken care of and got on our way.
We walked around for a while and then grabbed a rickshaw back up. Our sweet rickshaw driver was very, very old. He could barely move the thing. I hated it. I know that's how he makes his living, and so by hiring him, we were helping employ him for the day, but I still hated it. I felt like I should get out and help push or something. We were going mighty slow. I was thankful when the down hill stretch came around. In some confusion of languages, he thought we wanted to go to the cable cars. So that's where he dropped us. So, we then decided to indeed, go on the cable cars! That was interesting to say the least. The thought of "are we going to die on a cable car ride in the middle of the mountains in India?" definitely crosses your mind, but knowing that the views are amazing, and it's not that far up the mountain, and more often then not, when you take the little bit of risk involved in things, it pays with excitement and adventure, outweighed the initial thought. By a little bit anyway. I was thinking all of this, as we sat in one of only two cable cars running, and it was becoming fuller and fuller by the second. It was literally crammed with people :) That just adds to the worries. But it was fun. Not too terribly exciting, but definitely an experience. And we met some very nice people on the ride back down.
After the cable car, we wandered back up the street (more of a very long hill) to go try and find some dinner. After shopping along the way a little bit, and asking multiple people where The Tavern is, we found it and settled in for some good food. One of Isaac's buddies from school back in the day, owns this restaurant, so we thought we'd try it out. It was yummy. After a late dinner, we realized that where we were meeting Prem and his taxi, aka our ride home, was on the OTHER END of the main road through Mussoorie. In other words, the very long road that we had walked down, then up, then down, and then finally back up again to find dinner. Oops, didn't plan that one very well. Long story short, Mom apparently decided we were in a hurry and walked (Karina and I were practically running) very, very "briskly" back down again. All the way. By the time we got there I was worrrn out…as was Karina. Nothing like a fast walk to make you feel out of shape.
We found Prem, and enjoyed the very pretty ride with a view of all the lights of the city of Dehradun, back home. It was a good day.
Tues. we went back to block printing (another monkey went to the bathroom on Karina during this time. That's twice in one week. Maybe the blonde hair that they're not used to? I don't know) and back to Moravian. By the time we walked home again, we were greeted by some very happy people who shared the great news that Dave's tools had arrived!! FINALLY!! We all headed into Dehradun to Pizza Hut for lunch to celebrate. From there, Mel and Mom went and had some coffee and ran some errands together and Karina, Tenzin, and I headed home to lay Levi down for his nap, hang with Micah, and whip up some brownies for that evening. Mom and Mel came home, we (very) quickly cleaned up, and a bunch of friends came over for "tea" so that they could all meet Mom and Karina. It was a fun night filled with lots of music, laughter, and good friends. Can't go wrong with that.
Wed. morning Mel and I went to Hindi lessons, and ran a few errands. That afternoon Mom, Karina, and I walked up to Moravian to grab everything that we had had them making that they were finished with, and stopped by Jojo and Recha's to grab all the fun stuff that had been purchased a few days before. We hung with Micah and Levi while Dave and Mel attended a wedding, and then headed to Prem's house for dinner.
That. Was. So. Much. Fun.
I loved that my mama and sister got a chance to meet his sweet family and spend an evening laughing, eating, dancing, (yes, lots of this) and hanging out with them. Plus, get the cultural experience of eating dinner at a local's home. We all loved it. AND the food was delicious!
Thurs. was filled with b-fast at Chhaya, going out to the Leper colony, lunch at Motti Mahal, shopping for a cute shirt for Mom to remember India by, ice cream at Baskin Robbins, which turned out to be verrryyy odd due to the lovely Eunichs that decided to show up and demand money while we were there…full story on that later. A tuk-tuk home for the last time, trying hard not to think about what I knew the next day held, a very yummy Tibetan meal for dinner made by some of the ZK guys, and awesome friends that came over to enjoy it with us all. The three of us ended the night with hot cups of chai and warm blankets out on the church steps, under a gorgeous view of the stars. It too, was a very good/full day.
Fri. we got up super early. 4:15 to be exact, and headed to the train station with Prem. Jumped on a train and were on our way to Delhi. Mom had a mouse under her seat the entire duration of our train ride, which was a bit humorous. When we got to Delhi, we were greeted by our friendly taxi driver that Will had graciously hooked us up with, Grover. Yes, that is really the name that he introduces himself with. Haha how awesome is that name?! After about 10 min of trying to convince Mr. Grover that we did not want to go and sight-see the temples, but would rather just be dropped at the mall until it was time to head to the airport, we were on our way. We spent about 4 hours at the mall, which consisted of walking around, shopping a tiny bit, and dinner at TGI Fridays. 7:15 came wayyy to fast. Grover picked us back up and took us to the airport. Will Frazer was awesome, and super kind to agree to meet me at the airport at 8:00 and get me back to the train station, make sure I actually made it on the train, make sure I actually made it on the right train etc. Even though I had been trying to prepare myself for the moment that I knew was coming, it didn't help, and 8:00 also came wayyy to fast. Man, it was tough to say goodbye. No matter how many times you do it, I don't think it gets any easier. I kept telling my self "it's alright, you'll see them again in 7 more months"…but that didn't help. At all. It was hard, but God is good and I'm so incredibly thankful for the sweet, sweet time that we were able to spend together. It was such a huge blessing and tons of fun. Memories were made together in those two weeks that will last a life time. For some reason that I can't really explain, it just helps to know that she can actually picture what I'm talking about when I'm telling Mom about my day over skype. She’s been here, met the people I love, experienced a little bit of the life I live, seen the city I've grown so fond of, smelled the smells I smell, tasted the food we eat etc.
Thank you Jesus for the family that I have. Thank you that goodbyes are so stinkin hard. Because they're so hard, I know that I've got something special. Something that's so special, it's hard to let go of. I am blessed.
oops, sorry. Pictures are from bottom to top.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Visitors!
K, first of all, sorry that it has been so long since I last posted. Things were crazy, and then Mom and Karina came to visit (yeah baby!!) I feel like so much has happened…this may be a long post folks. I should have just posted a day at a time while they were here, but clearly I didn't.
Anyways, it was such a good 2 weeks with them! I'm so incredibly thankful for the time that they got to spend here, and all the sweet memories that were made. Definitely refreshed my heart.
I took the train to Delhi Sunday the 17th and picked Mom and Karina up from the airport. We spent two nights there and then headed back to ddun. Going to pick them up was interesting. I took the 5:10am train and got to Delhi about 12:45pm. After I got there I took a taxi from the train station to the mall and just hung around there for the day til their flight got in. It was a very big (and extremely nice) mall, but spending about 7 hours there, I definitely have had enough of it for a while. I think I literally went in every single store. I'm sure people wondered why I kept walking by….over and over again. Ha. I do have to say though, I ate subway for the 1st time in 4 months and it was so good! After a couple of hours I decided to kill some time by going to a movie. This ended up working out perfectly because I had my heavy backpack with me. I tried to get the guy at the information desk to just let me keep it there for the day, but he wouldn't let me. When you go to a movie though, if you have anything more then a purse they make you check it. So I could keep my wallet and phone with me, but my backpack had to go in a locker. After the movie I went out the back way and "forgot" my backpack for the day. I know that's kind of cheating the system, but the nice security guard man didn't seem to mind too much when I came back to claim it at the end of the day. It was so nice not to have to carry that heavy thing around all day.
Got a taxi and left the mall around 8:00pm to head to the airport. This was the part that Mel and I were a tiny bit nervous about just cause It was dark at this point, but it was no biggie and I got to the airport about 8:30. Mom's flight was delayed a few hours, so by the time they finally got in it was around 11:30. Oh my goodness, it was so good to see them walk through those doors. Didn't seem real. My mom and sister came to India! They were here with me. God is so good.
By the time they finally got through baggage claim, customs, etc, and I saw them, I had been waiting almost 3 hours outside the airport. People would come and go and I would still be sitting there. Everyone was curious about the white girl hanging out by herself and so over the 3 hour period I made lots of friends. By the time Mom and Karina finally walked through the door the whole group of guys who were also "waiting", were cheering. Haha. They were so happy for me. It was pretty funny. We hugged, grabbed a taxi, hugged, got to our hotel, hugged, hugged, and maybe hugged some more. Man, it felt like longer then four months since I had seen them last. It definitely did my heart a whole lot of good. There were some tears of joy involved for sure.
By the time we actually got checked in and settled in our room it was almost 1:00am. We were all starving and pretty disappointed to find that nothing was open. (surprise, surprise) so we settled for some of the many fruit snacks and granola bars that they brought me and got some sleep. Monday we just hung around the hotel and got lots of rest. It was a good day. Tue. we took the 5:50am train back home. That was an adventure to say the least. Getting to the train station and on the train was a little frustrating. My goal was to have a taxi already lined up the night before, get up early, and be to the train station with lots of extra time since it's huge and none of us really knew what we were doing or how to find the right train, car, seat, etc.
K, so 1st of all, our driver was just a jerk….he also ripped us off which was frustrating. He was late. Then started for the airport…not where we needed to go. Finally got going the right way, but then he stopped for the "luggage police". Luggage police, smuggish police. Yeah right. No one else stopped at this "check point" of his. He told us that they needed 1000rps ($22) before we could leave. I may be wrong but I highly doubt any of this was true. He was just trying to get some extra cash. Sadly it worked. He and I argued for a while, but he was refusing to go anywhere til I paid him and I was scared were going to miss our train, so I did.
We finally got to the train station. He and I had a conversation that went like this. Taxi guy- "park? It will be extra." Me- "How much extra will it be?" Taxi guy- "175rps" Me- "Why so much? It doesn't cost that much to park" Taxi guy- "I give you good price. 175prs final." Me- "Fine then, no I don't want you to park. Too much. Just drop us please."
Soooo. What does he do? He parks wayyyy on the other side of what technically isn't even the actual train station and tell us to get out. We're stupid and follow cause we have no idea what else to do. We split the heavy suitcases up between the 4 of us and proceed to climb over a little wall thing and over about 7 sets of tracks. Like where you're NOT SUPPOSED TO WALK. As we're dragging all the heavy luggage behind us. I'm sure we were quite a sight to behold. We f.i.n.a.l.l.y make it to the station with about 15 min til our train is scheduled to leave. Our lovely taxi driver tried to leave us at platform 1. He was ready to be paid and high tail it out of there. He knew just as well as I did, that we were not supposed to be at platform 1. And since the agreement was for him to help us find our train, that's what I wanted him to do. After 10 min of walking back and forth trying to find our names on the list and asking for help a few times, he and I finally discovered that we were supposed to be at platform 15. Did I mention we were at 1? We had 5 min to get all the way across the train station to the next to last platform and find our seats before it took off without us. Mr. taxi driver decide this is the perfect moment to let me know that he now needs his 175rps for parking. Ummm seriously? He SO did not park. Where he decided to "park" is partly what made us come literally like 1 min from missing our train. He frustrated me. I don't think I did a very good job of being Jesus to him. Oops. I should have done better. I know I have no excuse.
We ran across the train station and jumped on our train with literally about a minute to spare. But we did make it, which is all that really mattered I guess. Got here about 1:30pm on Tues, had some delicious lunch that Mel had sweetly prepared for us, unpacked a little bit, and I showed them around Rajpur. Wed. we got up and headed out to JoyBells. I took them out there the same way that I always do it when I'm by myself. It was fun for them to experience Indian public transportation for the 1st time :) Getting to take them to the place that I've fallen in love with to meet the kiddos that I adore, was so awesome. I loved it. They loved it. The kids loved it. It was really neat to get a chance to show them where I spend so much of my time, and super cool for them to meet the kids that I get the privilege of hanging out with so much during the week. We spent most of the day there and then headed home for some of Bimla's cooking, which I've grown to love and look forward to, but Mom and Karina certainly weren't big on. They ate it with a smile upon their faces though! :)
Thurs. we grabbed a tuk-tuk and headed into Dehradun for the day. We had so much fun! I took them to some of our favorite local stores and then we ate lunch at China King. (While they were here, I took them to all my favorite restaurants so far…this was one) After lunch we hit Melting Moments to grab a brownie for dessert(a place I tend to visit fairly often…can’t go wrong with a brownie and a coke for about $0.50) and then spent most of the afternoon at Palton Bazaar. It rained on us, (1st time in almost a month) but we still had fun. Did some fun shopping at all the little hole in the wall shops lining the streets. It was fun for them to experience the local market. After Palton we walked to Barista and had some coffee. Mel and I have dubbed it the place to go if you just want to kind of escape the craziness of India for a few moments…definitely visit at least twice a month. It's almost like India's version of a Starbucks. While we were there I introduced Mom to one of the employees that I've become friends with and he paid for her coffee. Apparently she made quite an impression :) After coffee we wandered around Dehradun for a little while and then headed to dinner at my favorite place (by far.) Motti Mahal. In my opinion they have the best Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani in all of Dehradun. We ate at about 6pm and since Indians generally eat so late, there was like no one else there. That turned out to be a good thing though, because we could not keep it together. For some reason we all thought everything was so funny. Part of what amused me were the things that Mom and Karina thought were so odd/different. I guess a lot of things that were weird or different to me at first have just become fairly normal now, and so it was funny to watch them wonder. Trust me, in India you "wonder" about a lot! It's just so different than home and what you're used to. We had so much fun though, and Mom ate the butter chicken like a pro even though her mouth was completely on fire. Her face was literally red and her body felt hot from the spice. That was another very amusing thing to Karina and I.
She has the most sensitive of a tongue out of anyone I’ve ever met, but she tried/ate everything regardless. Have I mentioned I love that woman? After a few pictures, many a pepsi, lots of good food, one to many laughs and thoroughly amusing/entertaining every server in the restaurant we headed home to say goodbye to Dave, Mel and the boys who where headed to a church retreat for a few days.
Fri. We got up and walked to the Block Printing place. It was cool to show them that neat place. I've spent many a morning there working on different stuff and have become good friends with sweet old Mr. Rahaman. When it comes to words, we can't communicate all that well, due to his lack of English and my lack of Hindi, but we've learned over time how to work together, and somehow we can usually get what we're trying to say across one way or another. He is seriously one of the sweetest old men I’ve ever met. We did some fabrics and then headed back to Rajpur, walked up the hill, (that becomes SO much longer when you’re walking) to Moravian. I showed them where all the tailors that we use work and showed them some of the previous stuff the either Mel or I had had them working on. It was cool for them to see that place, just cause now it's one more place that they can actually picture when I talk about it. And they got to meet all the tailors that we've (mostly Mel) been working with. After that we walked back down the hill, (If the hill is worth mentioning, you know it very big and very long. Just mentioning.) got on a tuk-tuk and went to Pizza Hut for lunch. After lunch we went and picked up our signs (tell you about those later) and then headed home for dinner. We had some left-overs and then made hot fudge sauce and home-made brownies, which we ate snuggled into warm pj's with vanilla ice cream (freezer burnt…cause apparently that's the only way you can get it around here) Yummy. It was a good night.
Sat. We went to block print again to try and finish things up and then also stopped by Moravian to check on a few things they were working on. After that we walked down to a little café/coffee shop right in Rajpur called Chhayah and had lunch. Let's just say I know now what NOT to order if I ever go back there for lunch haha. Everything that we ate were things that I had never tried there before…I've just always ordered coffee, or breakfast, never lunch. I think I'll stick to what I know :) After lunch we headed up the hill to Jojo and Richa's local home furnishing studio. That was fun for them to get to see. Mom purchased many a candle stick, among other things, that I'm sure will be appearing in our AR living room very shortly. They have SO much fun, cute, cool, stuff at their shop. They design and build it all. It's pretty cool. Anyways, after that we headed to the sign guy (later) and then we went and had McD's Indian style.
Sun. We went to the river. That was soo much fun. We had a picnic and then explored. I had been to this particular river one time before with Dave, Micah, and TP. We had explored a ways up the river and discovered some really cool, beautiful, waterfalls and caves. I wanted to take them there and show them what we found last time, and also explore further up the river with them. We walked all the way up until it dried, and you couldn't go any further. It just got prettier and prettier along the way. It felt like we were in some exotic tropical rain forest or something. It was gorgeous. God’s creation is just plain stunning sometimes. We had lots of fun climbing big rocks, finding waterfall after waterfall, exploring etc. After the river we came home and just hung out for the afternoon. Played lots of cards and relaxed. That night we went to Orchard for dinner. Easily the best restaurant in Rajpur. It was yummy.
Alrighty. Well, since this post is already miles long, stay tuned for the next week of our time together tomorrow. Adios for now.
Here's a few pics
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Anyways, it was such a good 2 weeks with them! I'm so incredibly thankful for the time that they got to spend here, and all the sweet memories that were made. Definitely refreshed my heart.
I took the train to Delhi Sunday the 17th and picked Mom and Karina up from the airport. We spent two nights there and then headed back to ddun. Going to pick them up was interesting. I took the 5:10am train and got to Delhi about 12:45pm. After I got there I took a taxi from the train station to the mall and just hung around there for the day til their flight got in. It was a very big (and extremely nice) mall, but spending about 7 hours there, I definitely have had enough of it for a while. I think I literally went in every single store. I'm sure people wondered why I kept walking by….over and over again. Ha. I do have to say though, I ate subway for the 1st time in 4 months and it was so good! After a couple of hours I decided to kill some time by going to a movie. This ended up working out perfectly because I had my heavy backpack with me. I tried to get the guy at the information desk to just let me keep it there for the day, but he wouldn't let me. When you go to a movie though, if you have anything more then a purse they make you check it. So I could keep my wallet and phone with me, but my backpack had to go in a locker. After the movie I went out the back way and "forgot" my backpack for the day. I know that's kind of cheating the system, but the nice security guard man didn't seem to mind too much when I came back to claim it at the end of the day. It was so nice not to have to carry that heavy thing around all day.
Got a taxi and left the mall around 8:00pm to head to the airport. This was the part that Mel and I were a tiny bit nervous about just cause It was dark at this point, but it was no biggie and I got to the airport about 8:30. Mom's flight was delayed a few hours, so by the time they finally got in it was around 11:30. Oh my goodness, it was so good to see them walk through those doors. Didn't seem real. My mom and sister came to India! They were here with me. God is so good.
By the time they finally got through baggage claim, customs, etc, and I saw them, I had been waiting almost 3 hours outside the airport. People would come and go and I would still be sitting there. Everyone was curious about the white girl hanging out by herself and so over the 3 hour period I made lots of friends. By the time Mom and Karina finally walked through the door the whole group of guys who were also "waiting", were cheering. Haha. They were so happy for me. It was pretty funny. We hugged, grabbed a taxi, hugged, got to our hotel, hugged, hugged, and maybe hugged some more. Man, it felt like longer then four months since I had seen them last. It definitely did my heart a whole lot of good. There were some tears of joy involved for sure.
By the time we actually got checked in and settled in our room it was almost 1:00am. We were all starving and pretty disappointed to find that nothing was open. (surprise, surprise) so we settled for some of the many fruit snacks and granola bars that they brought me and got some sleep. Monday we just hung around the hotel and got lots of rest. It was a good day. Tue. we took the 5:50am train back home. That was an adventure to say the least. Getting to the train station and on the train was a little frustrating. My goal was to have a taxi already lined up the night before, get up early, and be to the train station with lots of extra time since it's huge and none of us really knew what we were doing or how to find the right train, car, seat, etc.
K, so 1st of all, our driver was just a jerk….he also ripped us off which was frustrating. He was late. Then started for the airport…not where we needed to go. Finally got going the right way, but then he stopped for the "luggage police". Luggage police, smuggish police. Yeah right. No one else stopped at this "check point" of his. He told us that they needed 1000rps ($22) before we could leave. I may be wrong but I highly doubt any of this was true. He was just trying to get some extra cash. Sadly it worked. He and I argued for a while, but he was refusing to go anywhere til I paid him and I was scared were going to miss our train, so I did.
We finally got to the train station. He and I had a conversation that went like this. Taxi guy- "park? It will be extra." Me- "How much extra will it be?" Taxi guy- "175rps" Me- "Why so much? It doesn't cost that much to park" Taxi guy- "I give you good price. 175prs final." Me- "Fine then, no I don't want you to park. Too much. Just drop us please."
Soooo. What does he do? He parks wayyyy on the other side of what technically isn't even the actual train station and tell us to get out. We're stupid and follow cause we have no idea what else to do. We split the heavy suitcases up between the 4 of us and proceed to climb over a little wall thing and over about 7 sets of tracks. Like where you're NOT SUPPOSED TO WALK. As we're dragging all the heavy luggage behind us. I'm sure we were quite a sight to behold. We f.i.n.a.l.l.y make it to the station with about 15 min til our train is scheduled to leave. Our lovely taxi driver tried to leave us at platform 1. He was ready to be paid and high tail it out of there. He knew just as well as I did, that we were not supposed to be at platform 1. And since the agreement was for him to help us find our train, that's what I wanted him to do. After 10 min of walking back and forth trying to find our names on the list and asking for help a few times, he and I finally discovered that we were supposed to be at platform 15. Did I mention we were at 1? We had 5 min to get all the way across the train station to the next to last platform and find our seats before it took off without us. Mr. taxi driver decide this is the perfect moment to let me know that he now needs his 175rps for parking. Ummm seriously? He SO did not park. Where he decided to "park" is partly what made us come literally like 1 min from missing our train. He frustrated me. I don't think I did a very good job of being Jesus to him. Oops. I should have done better. I know I have no excuse.
We ran across the train station and jumped on our train with literally about a minute to spare. But we did make it, which is all that really mattered I guess. Got here about 1:30pm on Tues, had some delicious lunch that Mel had sweetly prepared for us, unpacked a little bit, and I showed them around Rajpur. Wed. we got up and headed out to JoyBells. I took them out there the same way that I always do it when I'm by myself. It was fun for them to experience Indian public transportation for the 1st time :) Getting to take them to the place that I've fallen in love with to meet the kiddos that I adore, was so awesome. I loved it. They loved it. The kids loved it. It was really neat to get a chance to show them where I spend so much of my time, and super cool for them to meet the kids that I get the privilege of hanging out with so much during the week. We spent most of the day there and then headed home for some of Bimla's cooking, which I've grown to love and look forward to, but Mom and Karina certainly weren't big on. They ate it with a smile upon their faces though! :)
Thurs. we grabbed a tuk-tuk and headed into Dehradun for the day. We had so much fun! I took them to some of our favorite local stores and then we ate lunch at China King. (While they were here, I took them to all my favorite restaurants so far…this was one) After lunch we hit Melting Moments to grab a brownie for dessert(a place I tend to visit fairly often…can’t go wrong with a brownie and a coke for about $0.50) and then spent most of the afternoon at Palton Bazaar. It rained on us, (1st time in almost a month) but we still had fun. Did some fun shopping at all the little hole in the wall shops lining the streets. It was fun for them to experience the local market. After Palton we walked to Barista and had some coffee. Mel and I have dubbed it the place to go if you just want to kind of escape the craziness of India for a few moments…definitely visit at least twice a month. It's almost like India's version of a Starbucks. While we were there I introduced Mom to one of the employees that I've become friends with and he paid for her coffee. Apparently she made quite an impression :) After coffee we wandered around Dehradun for a little while and then headed to dinner at my favorite place (by far.) Motti Mahal. In my opinion they have the best Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani in all of Dehradun. We ate at about 6pm and since Indians generally eat so late, there was like no one else there. That turned out to be a good thing though, because we could not keep it together. For some reason we all thought everything was so funny. Part of what amused me were the things that Mom and Karina thought were so odd/different. I guess a lot of things that were weird or different to me at first have just become fairly normal now, and so it was funny to watch them wonder. Trust me, in India you "wonder" about a lot! It's just so different than home and what you're used to. We had so much fun though, and Mom ate the butter chicken like a pro even though her mouth was completely on fire. Her face was literally red and her body felt hot from the spice. That was another very amusing thing to Karina and I.
She has the most sensitive of a tongue out of anyone I’ve ever met, but she tried/ate everything regardless. Have I mentioned I love that woman? After a few pictures, many a pepsi, lots of good food, one to many laughs and thoroughly amusing/entertaining every server in the restaurant we headed home to say goodbye to Dave, Mel and the boys who where headed to a church retreat for a few days.
Fri. We got up and walked to the Block Printing place. It was cool to show them that neat place. I've spent many a morning there working on different stuff and have become good friends with sweet old Mr. Rahaman. When it comes to words, we can't communicate all that well, due to his lack of English and my lack of Hindi, but we've learned over time how to work together, and somehow we can usually get what we're trying to say across one way or another. He is seriously one of the sweetest old men I’ve ever met. We did some fabrics and then headed back to Rajpur, walked up the hill, (that becomes SO much longer when you’re walking) to Moravian. I showed them where all the tailors that we use work and showed them some of the previous stuff the either Mel or I had had them working on. It was cool for them to see that place, just cause now it's one more place that they can actually picture when I talk about it. And they got to meet all the tailors that we've (mostly Mel) been working with. After that we walked back down the hill, (If the hill is worth mentioning, you know it very big and very long. Just mentioning.) got on a tuk-tuk and went to Pizza Hut for lunch. After lunch we went and picked up our signs (tell you about those later) and then headed home for dinner. We had some left-overs and then made hot fudge sauce and home-made brownies, which we ate snuggled into warm pj's with vanilla ice cream (freezer burnt…cause apparently that's the only way you can get it around here) Yummy. It was a good night.
Sat. We went to block print again to try and finish things up and then also stopped by Moravian to check on a few things they were working on. After that we walked down to a little café/coffee shop right in Rajpur called Chhayah and had lunch. Let's just say I know now what NOT to order if I ever go back there for lunch haha. Everything that we ate were things that I had never tried there before…I've just always ordered coffee, or breakfast, never lunch. I think I'll stick to what I know :) After lunch we headed up the hill to Jojo and Richa's local home furnishing studio. That was fun for them to get to see. Mom purchased many a candle stick, among other things, that I'm sure will be appearing in our AR living room very shortly. They have SO much fun, cute, cool, stuff at their shop. They design and build it all. It's pretty cool. Anyways, after that we headed to the sign guy (later) and then we went and had McD's Indian style.
Sun. We went to the river. That was soo much fun. We had a picnic and then explored. I had been to this particular river one time before with Dave, Micah, and TP. We had explored a ways up the river and discovered some really cool, beautiful, waterfalls and caves. I wanted to take them there and show them what we found last time, and also explore further up the river with them. We walked all the way up until it dried, and you couldn't go any further. It just got prettier and prettier along the way. It felt like we were in some exotic tropical rain forest or something. It was gorgeous. God’s creation is just plain stunning sometimes. We had lots of fun climbing big rocks, finding waterfall after waterfall, exploring etc. After the river we came home and just hung out for the afternoon. Played lots of cards and relaxed. That night we went to Orchard for dinner. Easily the best restaurant in Rajpur. It was yummy.
Alrighty. Well, since this post is already miles long, stay tuned for the next week of our time together tomorrow. Adios for now.
Here's a few pics
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Saturday, October 9, 2010
promise
You walk down the street and you see it everywhere. You are surrounded by it here. There is no escaping it. You can choose to ignore it or become callous to it, but that doesn't change the reality of it. You stare it in the face everyday. The poverty. The brokenness. The beggars. The orphans. The widows. The precious people that have been given up on, left as nothing, passed by. The hundreds of thousands trying to find hope and certainty in things other then Jesus. People at the temples slowly giving themselves away day after day as they're trying to find life. Being led by things other then the truth that sets us free. You can almost feel the brokenness around you.
We live in a cruel and unjust world. That's just a fact of life. Life is hard. Life is not fair. And the way some people live is unimaginable. There are so many people lost, broken, empty, that we pass by and interact with everyday. I'm reminded of how broken and lost our world is a lot more here. I know it shouldn't necessarily be that way, but it's true. I'm surrounded by it. I know that I am surrounded by it at home too, but it just feels different. You see it more tangibly. All the time.
But amidst the poverty and brokenness God keeps speaking to my heart about hope, healing, and His promise of redemption. I've been learning that His promises are like the stars; the darker the night, the brighter they shine. Someday HE will make ALL things new. He has this world so tightly in His grasp. I read this passage a few weeks ago in Psalm 22, and it's really stuck with me.
"The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise Him-may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him, for domination belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him-those that cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve Him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn-for He has done it."
If that isn't promise I don't know what is!
There is so much darkness in this world-it's all around us, but in the dark, He just shines brighter. He, as well as His promises, remain the same no matter the circumstances. No matter how we feel at the moment, His promises and truth stay the same. I'm learning that though there is destruction, poverty, and hurting in some way or another almost everywhere you look, God is here. He is here. He is faithful. He is at work. He is in the midst of it all. Though the hurting seems so strong, His love is stronger. He tells us that He will bear our burdens. He knows the needs of each and every person on this planet and whether we choose to believe it or not, He's intricately involved in each of our lives. His name alone shines through the darkness. Man, I can't wait for the day when everyone learns to recognize it.
This song has encouraged my heart lately. This is my favorite verse-
This is my Fathers world. O let me not forget. That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Fathers world: the battle is not done. Jesus who died shall be satisfied, and earth and heaven be one.
Love that. We have so much to hold onto.
Jesus, thank you that death is defeated. Thank you for your absolute, boundless, immeasurable hope. Thank you that it is stronger than this afflicted world. Thank you that your promises penetrate the darkness. Thank you that your love exceeds all and that you offer it in abundance. Lord, I pray that we would emanate your hope wherever we go. That we would speak of your promises boldly and eagerly. I pray that we would look past circumstances and into the heart. Thank you that we all, in some small way, get to be apart of your redemption plan. You have strategically placed each of your children where you want us to be and I pray that we would take advantage of the opportunities you place before us everyday. Whether it's convenient or not. I pray that we would not lose sight of the big picture, but continue to pour out our lives as you have called us to do. Thank you Jesus, that as we pour out, you are continually filling us up. I pray that you would give us your eyes, and that we would allow ourselves to be broken. To be hurt-to feel the pain of those around us. I pray that we would get personal. Because only then can we truly see-and only when we truly see, can we truly love.
We live in a cruel and unjust world. That's just a fact of life. Life is hard. Life is not fair. And the way some people live is unimaginable. There are so many people lost, broken, empty, that we pass by and interact with everyday. I'm reminded of how broken and lost our world is a lot more here. I know it shouldn't necessarily be that way, but it's true. I'm surrounded by it. I know that I am surrounded by it at home too, but it just feels different. You see it more tangibly. All the time.
But amidst the poverty and brokenness God keeps speaking to my heart about hope, healing, and His promise of redemption. I've been learning that His promises are like the stars; the darker the night, the brighter they shine. Someday HE will make ALL things new. He has this world so tightly in His grasp. I read this passage a few weeks ago in Psalm 22, and it's really stuck with me.
"The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise Him-may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him, for domination belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him-those that cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve Him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn-for He has done it."
If that isn't promise I don't know what is!
There is so much darkness in this world-it's all around us, but in the dark, He just shines brighter. He, as well as His promises, remain the same no matter the circumstances. No matter how we feel at the moment, His promises and truth stay the same. I'm learning that though there is destruction, poverty, and hurting in some way or another almost everywhere you look, God is here. He is here. He is faithful. He is at work. He is in the midst of it all. Though the hurting seems so strong, His love is stronger. He tells us that He will bear our burdens. He knows the needs of each and every person on this planet and whether we choose to believe it or not, He's intricately involved in each of our lives. His name alone shines through the darkness. Man, I can't wait for the day when everyone learns to recognize it.
This song has encouraged my heart lately. This is my favorite verse-
This is my Fathers world. O let me not forget. That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Fathers world: the battle is not done. Jesus who died shall be satisfied, and earth and heaven be one.
Love that. We have so much to hold onto.
Jesus, thank you that death is defeated. Thank you for your absolute, boundless, immeasurable hope. Thank you that it is stronger than this afflicted world. Thank you that your promises penetrate the darkness. Thank you that your love exceeds all and that you offer it in abundance. Lord, I pray that we would emanate your hope wherever we go. That we would speak of your promises boldly and eagerly. I pray that we would look past circumstances and into the heart. Thank you that we all, in some small way, get to be apart of your redemption plan. You have strategically placed each of your children where you want us to be and I pray that we would take advantage of the opportunities you place before us everyday. Whether it's convenient or not. I pray that we would not lose sight of the big picture, but continue to pour out our lives as you have called us to do. Thank you Jesus, that as we pour out, you are continually filling us up. I pray that you would give us your eyes, and that we would allow ourselves to be broken. To be hurt-to feel the pain of those around us. I pray that we would get personal. Because only then can we truly see-and only when we truly see, can we truly love.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Spike.
We have a puppy! A few weeks ago Mel, Micah, Levi, Sirjen and I were driving into Dehradun to run a couple of errands. The boys were getting kind of restless in the car and so Mel made up a game. She told them to count all the animals that we passed. So, because of this, we were all looking for animals. A couple minutes later she and I saw a cute little black puppy on the side of the road. No words were exchanged, but somehow we just both kind of knew what the other was thinking. And we were thinking the same thing. She pulled over and I jumped out, asked the monks (we found Spike in front of the monastery :)) if it was ok if we took him or if he already had a home (he clearly didn’t), grabbed the dog and jumped back in. After about two minutes had gone by and the realization that we just picked up a puppy that is now a responsibility to take care of forever set in, there were a few "why did we just do that??"('s) voiced. But we all knew we wanted to keep him. Micah called Dave to get the final ok and the conversation went like this. "Hey papa, guess what? We caught a puppy! Can we keep him?" Dave said yes, so after our errand we grabbed some puppy food and headed home. Micah affectionately named him Spike.
Upon returning home we discovered that the mystery bugs crawling ALL over him the entire time I held him on my lap in the car, were lice. Literally hundreds and hundreds of them. The poor little guy was covered in them. Lovely. So needless to say, we very quickly put him in a bucket and bathed him. Then treated him for his nasty lice, which I'm so thankful I didn’t get. I think one of the only things worse then getting lice, would be getting lice from a dog :) Gross.
For the 1st 6 or 7 hours we thought maybe he was the perfect puppy. He didn’t poop or pee inside at all, didn't whine, didn't chew stuff up etc. He was great and pretty stinkin' cute.
Then came night. A howling, whimpering puppy in your bathroom (that’s full of poop and pee) at 2am when you're trying to sleep isn't quite as cute all of a sudden. He is now an outside dog. Both during the day, AND at night. He got himself kicked out to the front porch pretty quick. All in all he's a good little puppy though, and he entertains Micah and Levi for hours during the day. They love playing with him.
So anyway, Spike the puppy now has a safe, warm home full of lots of rough little boy love. I’d say he’s pretty content here with us.
isn't he cute?
Upon returning home we discovered that the mystery bugs crawling ALL over him the entire time I held him on my lap in the car, were lice. Literally hundreds and hundreds of them. The poor little guy was covered in them. Lovely. So needless to say, we very quickly put him in a bucket and bathed him. Then treated him for his nasty lice, which I'm so thankful I didn’t get. I think one of the only things worse then getting lice, would be getting lice from a dog :) Gross.
For the 1st 6 or 7 hours we thought maybe he was the perfect puppy. He didn’t poop or pee inside at all, didn't whine, didn't chew stuff up etc. He was great and pretty stinkin' cute.
Then came night. A howling, whimpering puppy in your bathroom (that’s full of poop and pee) at 2am when you're trying to sleep isn't quite as cute all of a sudden. He is now an outside dog. Both during the day, AND at night. He got himself kicked out to the front porch pretty quick. All in all he's a good little puppy though, and he entertains Micah and Levi for hours during the day. They love playing with him.
So anyway, Spike the puppy now has a safe, warm home full of lots of rough little boy love. I’d say he’s pretty content here with us.
isn't he cute?
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Touch.
A few facts about Leprosy
1. It is completely curable with modern meds.
2. It is not hereditary or sexually transmitted.
3. It is not the actual disease that causes loss of limbs.
4. It one of the least contagious diseases known.
5. About 95% of the world is naturally immune to it.
6. There are 2 different kinds of Leprosy.
"Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by a bacteria, Mycobacterium leprae. It is also known as Hansen's disease, named after it's discoverer Gerhard Henrick Armauer Hansen. Skin lesions are the primary external sign. Left untreated, leprosy can be progressive, causing permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes. Contrary to folklore, leprosy does not cause body parts to fall off, although they can become numb and/or diseased as a result of the disease."
A couple of weeks ago I visited the Leper colony with Mel. It was amazing. Very neat place. You drive through the gate into a beautiful, peaceful, quaint, almost village-like place. Micah, Levi, Tenzin and I spent the morning walking around exploring the place while Mel did some business stuff. We walked around meeting and hanging out with people and we also got to watch them work. It was so cool. The people were all SO sweet. Most do not speak very much English, but a smile and a TOUCH is worth a lot. The work they do is amazing and very interesting to watch. I could have sat there all day. They make handmade fabrics. They have ten big looms and they turn piles of plain ole cotton into beautiful fabrics, scarves, table cloths, curtains…just about anything you can imagine.
I walked into one room where a bunch of sweet old ladies were sitting on the floor on their little mats turning piles of cotton into thread. You walk out of that room into another little building were the big looms are, as well as tons and tons of dyed threads. It was so interesting to watch how they weave the fabrics. In another room there were a few people working with sewing machines. From there you walk across the yard to another little building where they do the dying of the thread. Vibrant colors everywhere. They are very skilled workers. Especially considering the fact that most of them are weaving with hardly any fingers left on their hands. Among many other things.
We walked all over the grounds and met so many kind people. There are quite a few little houses spread out over the grounds and then in the back there is an apartment complex type thing were the people who are really sick (basically dying) live.
All in all it's a very quaint little place. Green vegetation everywhere. Sweet smiles on the faces of everyone you meet. Kids playing. I liked it.
Walking around, it made me happy that they have such a sweet, quiet place to live and work. But on the other hand, it made my heart hurt. It made my heart hurt that these sweet people are considered outcasts to society. They cannot leave. They cannot walk down the street to buy groceries. They cannot go on walks with their family. They cannot go explore the world they live in. They can't go visit friends. They don't even HAVE friends other than the people in their same position. Their freedoms have been taken away. They live in their own little world. It's a nice little world, but can you imagine being labeled as they are? Living with restrictions like they do simply because you were sick? Sick with something that 95% of the world is naturally immune to. Something that is hardly contagious. Something that is completely curable. Curable, but you can't afford the treatment for? You are considered nothing. Worthless. An outcast to your own people. Simply because most are uneducated about the disease. They are ignorant to the truth. The social stigmas of Leprosy are so strong.
I've wondered why Leprosy is so much worse in other countries. Why, for instance, there are so many more cases in India then there are in the States. Why we don't hardly hear about it, unless it's somewhere across the ocean. The reason why is sad. Leprosy is 100% curable. It is highly unlikely, if not nearly impossible to catch it through contact with someone infected. The difference between India and the US though, is that we can afford the treatment. In many, many more cases then not, they can't. They cannot afford the meds, but they wouldn't want to go to the Dr about it anyway because once people know you have the disease, you will never be treated the same again. You are considered "cursed by the gods" or "unclean" and people are scared that you will spread it. You become an outcast. By your people. Your friends…your FAMILY. When in reality, the meds are taken for long periods of time, however, even after only a few days of multi-drug treatment patients are rendered non-infectious and they can no longer pass the disease on to others.
People living in third world countries are also at a much higher risk of developing it in the first place because of the very common horrible living conditions. Conditions that compromise their immune function.
I loved spending the morning there. They are amazing people. But every time I introduced myself to someone new, or smiled at a sweet old lady, or hugged one of the kids, or said hello to the grounds' workers, my heart broke a little bit more. It broke because I was reminded of the reality that these people are forgotten. They are invisible in so many ways. There are things I take for granted. Things like touch. Things that seem so simple, but are so important. Things that are part of making life full. Hugs, kisses, someone rubbing my back when I'm sick, someone holding my hand, being touched on the arm. In the society they live in, they do not get that. That fact makes me sad. I loved the joy and smiles that I received just from touching someone's hand. Giving them a hug. Rubbing their arm. But it made me sad that this is so uncommon for them. It made my heart break when it surprised them that I was simply willing to touch them.
Jesus touched. He touched and He loved. We should do the same.
1. It is completely curable with modern meds.
2. It is not hereditary or sexually transmitted.
3. It is not the actual disease that causes loss of limbs.
4. It one of the least contagious diseases known.
5. About 95% of the world is naturally immune to it.
6. There are 2 different kinds of Leprosy.
"Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by a bacteria, Mycobacterium leprae. It is also known as Hansen's disease, named after it's discoverer Gerhard Henrick Armauer Hansen. Skin lesions are the primary external sign. Left untreated, leprosy can be progressive, causing permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes. Contrary to folklore, leprosy does not cause body parts to fall off, although they can become numb and/or diseased as a result of the disease."
A couple of weeks ago I visited the Leper colony with Mel. It was amazing. Very neat place. You drive through the gate into a beautiful, peaceful, quaint, almost village-like place. Micah, Levi, Tenzin and I spent the morning walking around exploring the place while Mel did some business stuff. We walked around meeting and hanging out with people and we also got to watch them work. It was so cool. The people were all SO sweet. Most do not speak very much English, but a smile and a TOUCH is worth a lot. The work they do is amazing and very interesting to watch. I could have sat there all day. They make handmade fabrics. They have ten big looms and they turn piles of plain ole cotton into beautiful fabrics, scarves, table cloths, curtains…just about anything you can imagine.
I walked into one room where a bunch of sweet old ladies were sitting on the floor on their little mats turning piles of cotton into thread. You walk out of that room into another little building were the big looms are, as well as tons and tons of dyed threads. It was so interesting to watch how they weave the fabrics. In another room there were a few people working with sewing machines. From there you walk across the yard to another little building where they do the dying of the thread. Vibrant colors everywhere. They are very skilled workers. Especially considering the fact that most of them are weaving with hardly any fingers left on their hands. Among many other things.
We walked all over the grounds and met so many kind people. There are quite a few little houses spread out over the grounds and then in the back there is an apartment complex type thing were the people who are really sick (basically dying) live.
All in all it's a very quaint little place. Green vegetation everywhere. Sweet smiles on the faces of everyone you meet. Kids playing. I liked it.
Walking around, it made me happy that they have such a sweet, quiet place to live and work. But on the other hand, it made my heart hurt. It made my heart hurt that these sweet people are considered outcasts to society. They cannot leave. They cannot walk down the street to buy groceries. They cannot go on walks with their family. They cannot go explore the world they live in. They can't go visit friends. They don't even HAVE friends other than the people in their same position. Their freedoms have been taken away. They live in their own little world. It's a nice little world, but can you imagine being labeled as they are? Living with restrictions like they do simply because you were sick? Sick with something that 95% of the world is naturally immune to. Something that is hardly contagious. Something that is completely curable. Curable, but you can't afford the treatment for? You are considered nothing. Worthless. An outcast to your own people. Simply because most are uneducated about the disease. They are ignorant to the truth. The social stigmas of Leprosy are so strong.
I've wondered why Leprosy is so much worse in other countries. Why, for instance, there are so many more cases in India then there are in the States. Why we don't hardly hear about it, unless it's somewhere across the ocean. The reason why is sad. Leprosy is 100% curable. It is highly unlikely, if not nearly impossible to catch it through contact with someone infected. The difference between India and the US though, is that we can afford the treatment. In many, many more cases then not, they can't. They cannot afford the meds, but they wouldn't want to go to the Dr about it anyway because once people know you have the disease, you will never be treated the same again. You are considered "cursed by the gods" or "unclean" and people are scared that you will spread it. You become an outcast. By your people. Your friends…your FAMILY. When in reality, the meds are taken for long periods of time, however, even after only a few days of multi-drug treatment patients are rendered non-infectious and they can no longer pass the disease on to others.
People living in third world countries are also at a much higher risk of developing it in the first place because of the very common horrible living conditions. Conditions that compromise their immune function.
I loved spending the morning there. They are amazing people. But every time I introduced myself to someone new, or smiled at a sweet old lady, or hugged one of the kids, or said hello to the grounds' workers, my heart broke a little bit more. It broke because I was reminded of the reality that these people are forgotten. They are invisible in so many ways. There are things I take for granted. Things like touch. Things that seem so simple, but are so important. Things that are part of making life full. Hugs, kisses, someone rubbing my back when I'm sick, someone holding my hand, being touched on the arm. In the society they live in, they do not get that. That fact makes me sad. I loved the joy and smiles that I received just from touching someone's hand. Giving them a hug. Rubbing their arm. But it made me sad that this is so uncommon for them. It made my heart break when it surprised them that I was simply willing to touch them.
Jesus touched. He touched and He loved. We should do the same.
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