Food
Meals are all eaten by hand (right hand only) and most times are served on the floor. Though food was much spicier than I was used to, it was always served with rice so I was able to make it work…and my tolerance has increased dramatically. Meals were usually rice and a curry/vegetable sauce. Chicken in India is literally diced (bones, livers, hearts and all) and cooked in a sauce. I became less and less selective with the pieces of chicken I was willing to eat as time went on. We weren’t able to pick up much Telugu (the native language), but definitely learned how to say “konchim, konchim” (small, small) when our hosts insisted we take seconds and thirds of whatever they cooked. Breakfast was always a hearty meal of either angel hair pasta with sugar, a couscous type concoction with peanuts and seasonings, or rice with some kind of veggies or “lady fingers” (occra). Hosts don’t eat with their guests. If our hosts did come in the room while we were eating, they simply watched us eat and asked us how we liked the meal.
Chai tea happened every morning and evening. In general, cold drinks are considered communal. People pass around the same cup of water and pour it into their mouths. They have mastered the art of swallowing while pouring, which allows them to drink a lot in a small amount of time…and it looks way easier than it is (try it, you will see).
Exercise
Heading into “town” usually attracted unwanted attention, so my teammates and I pretty much only left the house for ministry. Physical activity came in the form of yoga and Insanity work out videos outside. We always attracted a small audience of onlookers while exercising and occasionally had to pause to let herds of water buffalo pass by, but overall we were able to get a little bit of exercise in.
Shepherds
As Americans, we don’t often come in contact with shepherds. However, the village we lived in was full of shepherds tending to goats, buffalo, ox, etc. They passed by our house every day and could be seen on the streets blocking whole lanes of traffic with their herds. Each shepherd had a unique way, a distinct voice. Some clicked more than yelled, some simply said “hey! hey!” but across the board, the animals in their care knew their voices. It reminded me of John 10:27, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” What a blessing it was to see these people care for their herds day in and day out, to be reminded that our Shepherd cares for us in much the same way. Always there, always looking out for us, always certain of where He is taking us, ensuring that our needs are met and never letting us wander so far that we cannot hear His voice.
Wells
Drinking water was purchased from businesses in town, but water used for any other purpose was drawn from the well on the side of the house. To get water, we dropped a bucket down into the well and pulled it back up with a rope. I had just finished studying the story in John about the woman at the well when we arrived in our village. What a beautiful way to connect with scripture and enter into a much fuller understanding of what occurred “now my eyes have seen” (Job 42:5).
Water Buffalo
We wanted the opportunity to milk a water buffalo while in the village, but were told that you must have a relationship with a buffalo before they will let you milk them. To keep us from being kicked or rejected, our host would not allow us to try. Maybe next time! 😛
Hope you enjoyed this little snippet of what village life looked like!
If you are interested in seeing videos that my team/squadmates put together, please click the below links:
Ministry Month – Click Here and Click Here
Thanksgiving Day – Click Here
Thank you for joining me on this adventure 🙂
Love you, God Bless!
