“Out of all the countries you are serving, India will be the most opposite you can get from America. All 5 of your senses will hit you at once.”
This was the warning I received from anyone that had been to India, once they found out India was our first country. Turns out, they knew what they were talking about!
Sight
- Cows/buffalos, goats, ducks, camels, chickens, turkeys, dogs, cats… everywhere, but most notably, IN THE ROADS. Herds of them. Being shepherded.
- So many beautiful variations of skin tones! Unfortunately, we learned that the people of India don’t even realize how beautiful they are, and crave fair skin. They lighten their skin tone in all the pictures they print of themselves to hang in their homes to the point that I didn’t recognize many of them and even buy lotions to make their skin lighter (compared to Americans who buy tanning lotion)!
- The women wear “saris” or “kurtas” with leggings to cover themselves, their shoulders, and their ankles (if you are married, you are expected to wear saris in public). Modest is hottest. The men, on the other hand, can wear shorts and tank tops for all anyone cares.
Sound
- I have never heard so much car honking in my life. I’m convinced they use it as morse code.
- “Hello, sister!” There are so many languages in India that you can tell where in India someone lives by what language they are speaking, but there are a few common phrases that are spoken in English! Some more examples include thank you, praise the Lord, washroom (that one has for sure come in handy), and “selfie!?”
- Sometimes when you get remote enough, you realize that it’s abnormally silent, and all you can hear are birds chirping, roosters crowing, and cows mooing. These are beautiful, peaceful moments.
- Indian worship music! I want to bring this back to American nightclubs. They get rowdy and legitimately fist pump, clap, and shout along.
Smell
- Remember all those animals I mentioned being all over the roads and villages? If I hadn’t seen them, I absolutely smelled them (and their… leftovers).
- Mealtimes! I always had an appetite because meals always smelled delicious.
- Our teammates B.O. It was inevitable. Sweat was just a part of us.
Taste
- Indian food! Our lips and tongues may have regularly needed a fire extinguisher but the taste was incredible. We learned that the difference between Indian “spicy” and South American “spicy” is that here they use spices to flavor and in South America they use chilis and peppers… I guess we’ll experience that in March!
- Thankfully, Indians also make this side called “curd” to take the edge off their food for when you can’t handle the heat. I’d compare it to sour cream! It’s heaven-sent.
- My favorite breakfast meal our host made for us was what our team liked to call “biscuits and gravy,” although it was neither biscuits nor gravy. I believe they were rice cakes and peanut chutney.
- Thums Up! A product of Coca-cola, we quickly became hooked. Sometimes on our way to ministry we would go to a family’s home just to pray over them and spend time with them and they almost always served us this soda. In addition to it being a little carbonated pick me up, it was about the only chilled beverage we consumed all month, and we did not take this for granted.
- Sometimes we would see a momma chicken walking around the house. After dinner we would realize we no longer saw momma chicken… but our bellies were full and our food was fresh!
- Chai! Can you really ever have enough chai? We usually had it about twice a day in a mini mug about the size of a shot glass and it was a real treat.
Touch (& the feels!)
- Bucket showers… using a bucket of water to bathe behind a closed door. These were the only showers (or “bubble baths,” as Cristin likes to call them!) we took all month… sometimes they happened.
- Squatty potty… the bathroom was maybe the biggest culture shock for me! Instead of a porcelain throne to lounge on, it is a porcelain hole in the ground. No flushing. No toilet paper (they use a bucket of water to rinse and flush). Our team stocked up on toilet paper, a trash can, and air freshener upon arrival!
- The heart strings were tugged all month long! Although we were visiting different churches and homes every night instead of cultivating relationships with a set group of people everyday, we were able to fall in love with some incredible and intelligent people that will always be in our hearts. The first night I shared my testimony, this young teenage girl (in a minnie mouse shirt) asked me to pray for her, for her studies in particular. Afterwards she smiled so broadly and asked to give me a hug! THIS IS SO RARE AND SPECIAL IN INDIA. Please continue to pray for this sweet girl, Lahari. Another special moment in another village included a 13 year old boy who spoke so much english where no one spoke english! He was listening so intently with wide eyes while we were preaching and sharing our testimonies. Before we left he asked to see American “currency.” How smart is he!? We were able to leave him with an American dollar to keep! Please pray for Jeevan, that he stays dedicated to his studies and continues to seek the Lord wholeheartedly.
