So I’m downing shots of Indian chai tea everywhere I go. I
can’t get enough of the combination of buffalo milk, coffee grounds, and real
sugar. I’ve never been breathing better thanks to the “lightly� spiced Indian
food they are feeding us; my sinuses have never been clearer. Staying hydrated
is not a concern anymore, as I usually drink one liter of water with each meal.
Just as I’ve began to learn some actual phrases in Tagalog back in January in
the Philippines, I’m moving on to Telegu here in southern India which doesn’t
make sense to me at all yet. It’s scary to share the road with buffalo, cows,
motorcycles, autos, cars, and semis- yet I’m in one piece today. The Indian
head bobble remains a mystery; the answer may be yes- even if the head goes
from side to side.
There has been more than one instance where we have been
pleasantly surprised because of the local couple traveling with us using the
wrong English words. On Sunday we took an outing to a “waterfall� that was “an
hour and half away� then “one hour� away. Thankfully, it ended up being only
thirty minutes from the orphanage. As our auto screeched to a stop at the crest
of the mountain, over the horizon was a gorgeous view of the “Indian ocean.�
There was no waterfall, no water falling- no water movement whatsoever. We were
at a dam. The waterfall was the dam. It was not the Indian Ocean.
The most scandalous words that have come out of Mounibab’s
(Moni-bob) mouth have been:
“Who is Justin Beiber?� “Facebook? What is that?� “We only
have clean movies here in India.�
These are the most shockingly refreshing questions that I
have been asked here in India, and possibly on the whole race. Shocking
because- let’s be honest- who doesn’t know about Justin Beiber or Facebook?
It’s refreshing because it’s an exciting reminder for us to know that it’s very
possible to live without Beiber and Facebook. The world does not revolve around
Beiber. And neither should yours. Facebook eats up so much of the precious time
that God has given us. The world doesn’t revolve around Facebook either.
Let’s take a peek at the layout of an Indian marriage. For a
specific example, I’m staying with Mounibab and Babland (Bob-land). They are
traveling with us, eating with us, and drinking…..chai tea with us, laughing
with us, joking with us, and learning English with us. Watching them interact
over the last two weeks has been interesting. Mounibab entirely submits to her
husband and respects him completely. Babland never oversteps his boundaries
when requesting something, in no way abusing his wife’s submission. He is
caring, respectful, and a true man of God. This shows the true maturity and
responsibility of them both.
Without all the unnecessary media including Facebook and
Beiber, Mounibab and Babland can really concentrate on serving each other and
building up their relationship. On Facebook you can view hundreds of
relationships and can subconsciously compare yours to theirs which simply
creates problems.
Mounibab is only 19 and Babland is 25. I’ve never met a
couple that is so dedicated to God and so respectful to each other with this particular age gap. It’s
inspirational to see, and unique to both us and India.
Then I found 10 rupees on the ground and I bought biscuits
for the boys. India’s pretty neat.
