True Life: India
India is hot. Like sweat 2 minutes after you get out of the shower hot. And it’s very flat. I don’t really know what I expected India to look like but somehow it’s different than what I thought. But not in a bad way. It’s very flat and then off in the distance I can see mountains that, after coming from Nepal, are pretty much big hills. It’s very dry here and even though it is monsoon season, it has just sprinkled here and there in the past two weeks. There are peanut fields and paper tree fields that make up a lot of the flat ground. I am staying in Ongole, which is on the West coast of India and it’s very rural. So don’t take my descriptions for all of India. That would be like me visiting Kansas and writing a blog about how flat the US is and we all know that is far from the truth. So this is just a little vision of my reality in India.
The women wear beautiful colored saris that wrap all around their bodies and most of the men wear collared shirts or just normal pants and t-shirts. Many of the older men wear what I would describe as biblical diaper shorts? And even though India itself isn’t very clean, the people take pride in being clean. Houses are made of concrete block and are usually one to two rooms. The caste system is mixed here, so you can drive by a house and grass hut within 30 feet. The driving here is very crazy. You can pass anyone at anytime. And by anyone I mean any bicycle, motorcycle, auto(3 wheeled taxi), jeep, bus, pedestrian or herd of water buffalo. And when you’re passing them, oncoming traffic is centimeters away from hitting you. Amazingly, I haven’t seen many accidents. There are water buffalo everywhere. Literally. In the city walking down the street, on back roads, and in front of stores. The people here respect the cow and all their cousins including buffalo and it is no big deal to stop traffic for a whole herd to mozey across the street.
I am staying at the Indian Christian Ministries(ICM) building which is in the shape of a cross and looks like a palace from the outside but the inside is very open and very concrete. I am staying in a big room with 11 other girls. There are two bathrooms and thankfully we have showers in the bathrooms and western toilets not squattys. There isn’t AC but there are three ceiling fans in our room that have been lifesaving. This month is all squad month so there are 44 of us living together, which has actually been an awesome experience. We have been able to have all squad worship and devotions and we eat together every day which has definitely unified our squad.
I would say the biggest struggle for me is sleep. I’m on my sleeping pad which is not a problem. The sweating all night and having bugs crawl on me at night is the issue. I’m not sure that I’ll ever get used to it but I pray for bug protection and a cool breeze every night. Food is my second biggest struggle.
Indian food is hot. Sometimes it’s the good kind of hot, like hot wings back home that burn in a delicious way. But sometimes it’s a bad kind of hot, like the kind that burns all your taste buds off and makes you sweat. I have come to find that there isn’t much variety in the food selection in other countries. My meals are rice, some kind of spicy sauce or chutney to put on the rice, chicken that is very hot and mostly bone, and a chapatti. Chapatti is my second lifesaver in India. It’s essentially a doughy tortilla and being the carboholic that I am, it is heaven. There is always food on my plate at every meal and our hosts are always giving us portions that could last me at least two meals. I expect to gain all the weight I lost in Nepal back.
The people are amazing. Indians are very laid back and grateful people. At least that’s my experience thus far. My favorite relationship so far is with our TATA driver who takes us to ministry every day. The rides range from 10 minutes to 2 hours and they are always bumpy. There is always upbeat Indian club music blaring from the speakers and our favorite song is “it’s time to party” only because it has that English phrase in it. Our driver stays with us at ministry and gets involved helping us figure out some of the Indian games the kids show us. He has become our friend and we look forward to each adventure we have with him.
The kids at each CCH home are just as amazing as the pastor and his wife that take care of the home. My team makes fun of me because I can fall asleep on the rides to ministry but as soon as we pull up to the house and I see the kids, I am fully energized for them. We help them with homework and English, and play lots of games. I love the innocence of children, and the simple joys they get out of this life.
I don’t have one word to sum up India but I can say that it has made me appreciate a lot of things back home like my family, friends, and my bed. I am blessed to be where I am because I know it is exactly where God wants me. It’s not about where I am, it’s about what I’m doing where I am. It’s not about the heat, unclean water, or bugs. Those are things that will change from month to month but my mission won’t ever change. I’m in India to share God’s love no matter what the circumstances and I will do so with a joyful heart.
