We had some technical difficulties getting out of America. Our first flight was cancelled due to plane damage which set us back one whole day and our second flight placed 1/3 of the squad on standby (but we all made it on). Approximately 83 hours after leaving launch, we FINALLY made it to Hyderabad, India where we’ve been for the past few days.
While we’ve been in Hyderabad, we’ve been receiving further training specific to India.
In India (and most other countries in Southeast Asia) it is expected that you take off your shoes before entering a home. There have been 50 of us staying here the past few days. This is only half of our shoes!
The jet-lag on our first night was pretty intense. India is 9.5 hrs ahead of the US east coast. About 75% of the squad woke up between 4 and 5 am. We decided to watch the sunrise and have a time of worship on the rooftop together.
The rooftop became a pretty common place to hang out over our few days here. This is a shot of the city at night from our rooftop.
In India, there is a fairly specific style of dress that women adhere to. A typical outfit consists of a kurta, scarf, and leggings or other long pants. Most people on the squad had to venture out to pick up some, myself included. In order to get to the mall we had to take a tuktuk. Tuktuks are sort of like taxis except that they feel more similar to go-karts. They have three wheels and are open air. Traffic in India is crazy!
Tuktuks parked along the side of the street
My view from the backseat of a tuktuk
Two of my teammates and I went to the mall together. Our tuktuk there was pretty uneventful, but it is monsoon season here and by the time we were done shopping it was absolutely pouring rain. We still had to tuktuk home. As you can see the sides are very open. We were absolutely drenched by the end of our 20 minute ride home. It was the most fun I’ve had in a while. 10 out of 10 WOULD recommend.
Monsoon season is not a joke here. It rains pretty frequently in the afternoon, but is usually finished within an hour or two.
Tonight my team will be saying goodbye to Hyderabad and hello to Bangalore. We will be taking an overnight sleeper bus to our final location for this month. Most of our squadmates have already left and I’ve got to admit that I’m pretty antsy. We are so excited to get to Bangalore to meet our host and begin our ministry!
One last view of the city of Hyderabad
More updates to come soon!
Love,
Kristen
