This morning I woke up in a nice comfy bed tent (that isn't even mine). I walked over to my closet pile of stuff stacked on a couch and grabbed my nice fluffy quick dry towel.
I proceeded to our very clean kinda clean bathroom that I have all to myself share with 5 other people to take a nice hot cold running water bucket shower.
Did I mention the shower and toilet are in one room? And when I say that I mean, they aren't separated, it's just a room. But that's normal, it's Asia.
As I entered the bathroom, took a look in the mirror (we don't have one of those) at the large array of spiders and their nests above my head, I sighed, and moved on with my morning.
(We would kill them all, but then we'd have too many bugs… so they live in peace and don't bother us while providing us bug free almost bug free living.)
As I turned, I noticed that someone had been kind enough to replace the toilet paper paper towels we are using for toilet paper because no one in this country besides white people use it and they ran out at the store. (Draw your own clue to what they use instead. Hint: It's a hand)
I then took my nice long quick shower, put on a nice clean outfit the same clothes I wore the day before, and walked out of my our bathroom ready to face the day.
I walked into my nice bedroom the room I share with my entire team that is full of tents & couches (it's normally the ministry prayer room) and over to our kitchen table in the middle of the room to have breakfast. I warmed up some water didn't warm up water because the electricity was out to fix some oatmeal, but decided to wait until later when the power came back on to eat.
So then, I grabbed my car keys and ran down the stairs so I could get to work on time grabbed my bible to read and my laptop to do research for our ministry (at least until my battery died).
(This month my team is helping to market and brand the organization we are working with, India Christian Ministries, so instead of being out “in the field” we are spending time in the office helping to share the work ICM is doing… and I kind of love it.)
Fun Fact: Since we live above the offices, they have a power supply for the wifi so they can work through the entire day… even when the power goes out. That's right, Wifi with no electricity!
By about lunch time the electricity came back on and I ate my breakfast lunch (okay half of my lunch).
Thankfully when the power came back on, so did our air conditioning really awesome high power fans that feel almost just like a/c came back on to keep us cool in the warm India weather.
My team spent the day working on our branding and marketing project, hanging out, and trying to remember that the gun shots fireworks outside aren't actually a war going on even though that's what it sounds like.
Carter was really sweet today, too, and picked up Chic-fil-a chicken from the little stand across the street for us for dinner as we listened to the lovely quietness crazy madness of India outside because it's the 4th of July Diwali New Year.
Thankfully, us women didn't have to venture too far today, otherwise we'd have needed to be sure to cover up our stomachs ankles to be dressed appropriately. And that also meant we didn't have to watch out for pedestrians cows as we drove rode in a tuk tuk around town.
Cows are EVERYWHERE in India and roam freely, becasue they are considered holy in the Hindu religion.
Overall it was a fabulous and out of the ordinary normal kind of day on The World Race.
The end.
Today after I woke up, I was greeted by messages and tweets from some special people that are ready for me to come back to America, and a part of me is right there with them.
A part of me is ready to come home to see my friends and family eat tons of Chic-fil-a and sleep in a bed for a week solid. (Kidding… I want to do both)
And a big part of me is excited that in 19 days…. yes, that's right, only 19 days!!!! and I'll be setting foot on my homeland and probably singing, dancing, clapping my hands, and our squad may even bust out God Bless America in unision as we step off the plane. (Either that or we'll sing the national athemn… we haven't decided yet).
Most of us have developed a LARGE appreciation for our country. It's a side effect of being out of the country for so long, I have a good feeling it will never wear off… at least I hope it doesn't)
But then there is a part of me that knows that I'll miss this. The “this” that I described above, the living in community, crazy, weird, yet simple life of The Race. You see, I didn't write my little story to complain, if that's what you were thinking. The opposite actually.
I wrote it because I kinda love it and I find it funny, because not one of those things really phases or bothers me anymore. (The exception would be if we didn't have a western toilet this month… I don't think I'll ever like or get used to a squatty potty… but since we don't have one this month, it's not relevant.)
That's right, I said it. The girly girl who said there was no way I could ever actually do this let alone sleep in a tent and carry a backpack around the world for year, said that.
And that's a beautiful thing.
I've learned A LOT this year (hopefully a blog is coming about some of the highlights). But one of my favorites is less is more.
And even though I enjoy the comforts of home, living like this is just fine with me.
Don't get me wrong, I fully intend on deeply appreciating the things I've gone without for some, most, or all of the race. E.g. HOT showers, beds, and a wash machine and dryer. WOOT WOOT!
But there is freedom in not needing things to be happy and there is a ton more JOY in holding an unloved child than there is in holding my shiny new Iphone.
There is freedom is realizing how short a REAL list of TRUE needs are.
And there is freedom in really finding your joy from Jesus, just because you love Him.
In 19 days, I hit American soil. I start a new chapter as a new woman. And in the mean time I'm going to soak up every minute of bucket showers, tent sleeping, bug killing, 24/7 in your face community living, and dirty clothes as I can and I'm gonna LOVE it.
Our whole team squezzed into one Tuk Tuk.
Why take two when you can have bonding time in one?!
Oh, The World Race… you sure are something.
