tonight marks two weeks since I've come to India.
Today has been a rest day, and soon I'll go to pick up dinner for the family. I know where I am, I'm well adjusted, I eat the food here, and I haven't felt sick once.
I'm lucky to love it here.
I have a great love for India, but it makes my heart heavy to learn of its woes. So many people in India are hurting, so few wrongdoers face any consequences, and trust is hard to come by. I hurt for the frightened, oppressed and battered women of this country - believe me when I say that there are more than you could imagine. And there is nothing they can do.
This is not a curry-flavored America. This is a different world.
There are so many things that I'm learning. Even in such a short amount of time, I return to the truths that I've learned here before. So much more trust in the Father is needed to exist and function here. I'm also constantly reminded of his great and steadfast love. He provides. When I think I'm spent, I find energy and strength to continue. In being so stretched, I find I'm better than I knew I was - better than I hope to be when I am comfortable.
I have had too many funny, ironic, embarrassing and heartwarming experiences already to enumerate, but I thought I would share just a couple of my favorites with you.
-
One was when I went out shopping to Kamla Nagar with Praise. We were searching everywhere for really big, characteristically Indian pants - the Patiala. Finally we found some for a good price, and in good tourist fashion, I had no change. (Nobody wants to break your 500 here... it's like buying something for $7.50, handing the vendor a $10 bill and being laughed at. The ATM will only give me 1,000 and 500 rupee bills, so HOW am I supposed to get any change if I have to give it out every time I buy something??) After scolding me, the man relented and was getting my tens and fifties out of his pocket. As I was waiting, the vendor behind me saw all of this going down - I'm sure he thought, "Here's a girl who's here for a week, knows nothing about India, and wants to bring cultural things back to her home!" He called out to me and I turned to see him holding a poorly constructed green blouse with ruffles and buttons that I probably could have bought at Wal-Mart. "Marm," he crooned, "here, you see - Indian top! Very nice - you like to buy!"
I LOST it. Every time I think about it I crack up again. Good effort, bhaiya.
-
Yesterday, after meeting with the CBC Family (which has grown considerably since I was here, by the way - I can now tell you from experience that every single seat is filled in only one of the three services. I moved out of my chair to make way for others and was sitting with 7 or 8 other youths on the steps down into the basement. Something about that really makes my heart full. Like, here's something that's being done right. The good news is not being dressed up, just presented simply; there's little to no production value, the culture breeds irresponsibility and inconsistency, and still the place packs out week after week.) a few of my friends came over for lunch and to get ready for the house service we were going to attend for encouragement later on. I didn't know they were coming, so I went out shopping for a few things I needed. When I got home, there they were, and we ended up eating, chatting, and singing together for close to four hours. It was just such a gift to have a comfortable, happy time of fellowship with people who to me already feel like family. It's hard to really know people who come from completely different backgrounds than you - but I do know these people. I am learning to understand and predict their personalities, finding out how to read them, and am truly appreciating their company.
The comfort of that afternoon is a gem in my treasure of memories here so far.
So, what have I learned? If there is only one thing, it's this:
Don't let your plans get in your way.
There have been so many frustrations for me already just because everything always changes. I want to prepare, I want to save myself the headache of split-second issues, I want to perform to the best of my ability. But I've been baffled by the last minute workings of the people here.
I have to put the planner down.
I have to be willing to be flexible.
After all, I'm not the one who directs my steps.
Love from Delhi,
changed, changing, and change-ready julie.
Today has been a rest day, and soon I'll go to pick up dinner for the family. I know where I am, I'm well adjusted, I eat the food here, and I haven't felt sick once.
I'm lucky to love it here.
I have a great love for India, but it makes my heart heavy to learn of its woes. So many people in India are hurting, so few wrongdoers face any consequences, and trust is hard to come by. I hurt for the frightened, oppressed and battered women of this country - believe me when I say that there are more than you could imagine. And there is nothing they can do.
This is not a curry-flavored America. This is a different world.
There are so many things that I'm learning. Even in such a short amount of time, I return to the truths that I've learned here before. So much more trust in the Father is needed to exist and function here. I'm also constantly reminded of his great and steadfast love. He provides. When I think I'm spent, I find energy and strength to continue. In being so stretched, I find I'm better than I knew I was - better than I hope to be when I am comfortable.
I have had too many funny, ironic, embarrassing and heartwarming experiences already to enumerate, but I thought I would share just a couple of my favorites with you.
-
One was when I went out shopping to Kamla Nagar with Praise. We were searching everywhere for really big, characteristically Indian pants - the Patiala. Finally we found some for a good price, and in good tourist fashion, I had no change. (Nobody wants to break your 500 here... it's like buying something for $7.50, handing the vendor a $10 bill and being laughed at. The ATM will only give me 1,000 and 500 rupee bills, so HOW am I supposed to get any change if I have to give it out every time I buy something??) After scolding me, the man relented and was getting my tens and fifties out of his pocket. As I was waiting, the vendor behind me saw all of this going down - I'm sure he thought, "Here's a girl who's here for a week, knows nothing about India, and wants to bring cultural things back to her home!" He called out to me and I turned to see him holding a poorly constructed green blouse with ruffles and buttons that I probably could have bought at Wal-Mart. "Marm," he crooned, "here, you see - Indian top! Very nice - you like to buy!"
I LOST it. Every time I think about it I crack up again. Good effort, bhaiya.
-
Yesterday, after meeting with the CBC Family (which has grown considerably since I was here, by the way - I can now tell you from experience that every single seat is filled in only one of the three services. I moved out of my chair to make way for others and was sitting with 7 or 8 other youths on the steps down into the basement. Something about that really makes my heart full. Like, here's something that's being done right. The good news is not being dressed up, just presented simply; there's little to no production value, the culture breeds irresponsibility and inconsistency, and still the place packs out week after week.) a few of my friends came over for lunch and to get ready for the house service we were going to attend for encouragement later on. I didn't know they were coming, so I went out shopping for a few things I needed. When I got home, there they were, and we ended up eating, chatting, and singing together for close to four hours. It was just such a gift to have a comfortable, happy time of fellowship with people who to me already feel like family. It's hard to really know people who come from completely different backgrounds than you - but I do know these people. I am learning to understand and predict their personalities, finding out how to read them, and am truly appreciating their company.
The comfort of that afternoon is a gem in my treasure of memories here so far.
So, what have I learned? If there is only one thing, it's this:
Don't let your plans get in your way.
There have been so many frustrations for me already just because everything always changes. I want to prepare, I want to save myself the headache of split-second issues, I want to perform to the best of my ability. But I've been baffled by the last minute workings of the people here.
I have to put the planner down.
I have to be willing to be flexible.
After all, I'm not the one who directs my steps.
Love from Delhi,
changed, changing, and change-ready julie.
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