Before I left to start the World Race just 10 days ago, people would ask me constantly what are your expectations for the Race. Every time I responded it was the same boring answer, I have no expectations. At the time I truly thought that was an honest response, but now that I am in India i have realized that it was the farthest from the truth. I didn’t have expectations of what ministry might be like, but I learned quickly I had a vast amount of expectations of what India, and certain aspects of what the Race would be like. If you were to close your eyes and try to picture India, that is most likely what I imagined India to be. Cramped cities with narrow streets and everywhere being crowded. When we got to Manipur (the state in India we are in) I thought that we must have been in a different country besides India. This is NOT what I expected India to be like. Here are 11 expectations I had that have been completely false so far.
1) Being in a a busy city.
We are out in the country here. And although we are in a smallish city where we are staying, you very quickly leave the city and enter farm land.
2) Being in an area that practices Hinduism.
Hinduism it seems, is almost non existent here in Manipur. I have been told that Christianity and Islam are the two most common religions in this state.
3) Being in an unchristian country.
India is not know as a Christian country, but where we are staying, the majority of the people are Christian. In fact the village (more like neighborhood) we are staying in is 100% Christian! Christianity came to the Hmar (pronounced mar) people over a 100 years ago with a single missionary. And although the Hmar people didn’t have another missionary for over 50 years Christianity spread like wildfire. About 50 years ago, the man who started the mission we are working with translated the bible into the Hmar language and that helped fuel the fire for Christ in the Hmar people even more.
4) Not being able to eat beef.
Since we aren’t in a Hindu part of the country cows aren’t Holy! I talked to Soma, who is my teams leader this month, informed me that even though you can eat beef here, you still shouldn’t bother wild cows. Fine by me as long as I can have beef!
5) How Indians look.
I slightly touched on this earlier but this but I was expecting stereotypical looking Indians. A better way to put it is Hollywoods version on Indians. But they look nothing like what I imagined. The Hmar people are decedents from China/Mongolia and although that is not what the Hmar people look like, it the best way to describe there appearance.
6) Having a language barrier.
I would say that the majority of people in the village we are staying in speak english, and fluently. English has been taught in school in this area for a long time so only those who can’t go to school are unable to speak English.
7) It is unsanitary .
Don’t get me wrong, there is garbage everywhere here in Manipur. The trash that doesn’t make it to the rivers/creeks or on the roads is burned in big piles making it hard to breathe at time. There is a Hospital that we have and will be working at throughout the month, that has now been open for 50 years. This hospital is nothing like you would see in the States. The operating room is right next to the main hallway with just a swinging door between the patient and the outside world. But yet in the 50 years the Hospital has been open, they haven’t had a single post op infection. Only God could be the reason for such a sanitary operating room!
8) Being with just my team.
Although I am with my team, Water Fetchers, we are not alone this month. It ended up that all 56 of us, 53 racers and three World Race staff, are all at one location this month. I was expecting to be with just my team of seven this month so having a total of 56 people is completely outside of my expectations. However it is a huge blessing having everyone all together at one location this month. We have spent very little time overall as a squad so this month we will all be able to get to know one another and build relationships.
9) Bucket showers would be easy.
I have taken bucket showers before and I actually found them refreshing most of the time when I was in Costa Rica. When I was told that bucket showers are a very common occurrence I thought that I wouldn’t have a problem. However taking a bucket shower when it is 80 plus degrees out plus humidity, is a lot easier then the 70 degrees that is here. Plus I swear they put the water in a freezer before it comes out the faucet. When I poured the first scoop of water over my head I accidentally yelled out a couple four letter words.
10) Being “uncomfortable”.
I was expecting to be in a cramped living courters, taking forever to make dinner and having to use a hole as a bathroom. Instead we have really nice rooms that they are putting us in, with flushable toilets and all. The people here are also cooking for us as well! Sometimes eating can be uncomfortable because of how spicy the food is. My mouth is usually on fire and i am sweating during dinner time because of my weak tolerance to spicy food.
111 Not being the only white people
The state of Manipur receives about 700 tourists annually. We came as a group of 56, the most the state of Manipur has ever received at once. When we all walk down the road people pull out there phones and record us. They have never seen so many foreigners before at once.
