India. Month number four! Since landing in India this culture has been overwhelmingly different than anything else that I have experienced. Ever. Cows, temples, trash and mustaches are everywhere.
My team and I are working in the coastal region of Andhra Pradesh with a ministry called Sarah’s Covenant Homes. Every day I get to go to Victory Home, a home for abandoned kids with special needs to hang out with these kiddos. To be honest, it’s really hard. But it’s also amazing to get to show love to these sweet kids. I will have one little boy named Michael who I get to focus on for the month.
When we’re not at ministry, three teams stay together in one room above a church in the city. This has been interesting. When you have 20 people sharing a bathroom you know that you’re truly living in a close community.
We eat street food every day, which has been fun. Most of the time I am in search of food that won’t set my mouth on fire. It’s been an adventure. I love getting to explore every day.
There are so many little difference that make up this unique culture. The women cannot show their ankles and have to wear either Punjabis or sarees while walking around the city. We cannot smile or make eye contact with the men if we do not want to be seen as flirting with them. We cannot use our left hand at all because it’s disrespectful. Since there is no toilet paper here, they use their left hand to take care of business. If someone is saying yes to you, they do not say yes or nod their head. They bobble their head side to side. This can get very confusing very quickly. There is no silverware, so everyone always uses their hands to eat. There are always cannons sounding in the streets.
It's going to be an awesome month!
