India. What do you see? If you asked me two weeks ago, I would list off something like this in no particular order:
- Taj Mahal
- Saris
- Curry
- overcrowded slums
- Hindu idols everywhere
- Adorned elephants
- naan
And the list goes on. I’m sure we all have our own ideas about what it might look like, taste like, sound like, smell like, feel like. Well I can honestly say none of the above have had anything to do with my experience. So here’s me cracking down on any assumptions you all have of India.
Looks like:
- fall, leaves on the ground everywhere
- Groups of children who are bold and say hello and make leaf crowns and bouquets of flowers for you
- College. We live in dorms for a seminary school
- Tons of bare trees to hang hammocks on
- trash all along the roads
- roads are caked with dirt
- Thrift markets
- The murky pond where I meet the Lord
- Prayer mountain down the street
- Tuktuks everywhere
- Churches everywhere, too
- A bakery down the street with Ghiradelli level brownies
Smells like:
- Pig. We have a lot of porky neighbors
- Fried dough. My favorite breakfast
- Squatty potty (the hole in the ground that replaces a toilet)
- Chai tea
- Buster the rank smelling neighborhood canine
Sounds like:
- Worship concerts blaring in our backyard
- Honking scooters and tuktuks
- Lots of silence, too especially in the mornings
- Pigs being tortured
- Lots of laughter
- Barking and playing doggos
Feels like:
- cold mornings and hot afternoons
- Crunching leaves between my fingertips
- Dumping cold water over your head to take a shower
- Bumpy rides in the back of pickup trucks
- Hitting the hay every night on a Big Ag sleeping pad
Tastes like:
- chai tea and cookies
- Lots of rice
- Brownies and chocolate balls from the bakery down the street
- Chupa Chups the Asian rainbow airhead
- So many grapefruits (or elephant fruit as they call it)
- Lattes, ice cream and French fries from life cafe
