…a very hot race!!
At 5:30 am the tribe sneaks out of their sleeping places. Secretly they assemble to strategise their plans. Their journey will be far and they will encounter deadly beasts such as water buffaloes and snakes. They will suffer through the scorching heat to achieve their goal. But they will do it, because they are a tribe known for their endurance and strength. They are the Ama-Jikalezas.
…and GO! The race begins! Chief Jikaclara runs to draw a lot for the best van, and warrior Jikadude searches for an orphan boy to take along. Meanwhile tribe elder Jikaestee and tribe younger Jikaliesl get the supplies for the journey and they cheer their chief and warrior on.
The race is from the orphanage to the great Taj Mahal, with seven tasks to do on the way. All of us pile into the van and the race is on! Around the first corner we find a herd of Water Buffaloes and we stop to do our first task – to hug a Water Buffalo. The first buffalo we picked, clearly didn’t want to be hugged, but fortunately our second choice didn’t mind the attention of the strange foreigners.
We obtained a new pair of shoes at the orphanage before we left, and we had to bless someone with them, so the owner of the water buffaloes got a new pair of shoes. Task two accomplished!
Our other tasks included finding out five things about the Hindi culture by means of conversation, and searching for a foreigner from a country we’ve been to or are still going to this year. We also had to order at a McDonalds without using English or signs, and find 20 Bible verses on poverty. Lastly we had to take a photo with a Snake Charmer (a flute player who lures a snake out of a basket to make it dance).
We arrived at the Snake Charmer just seconds after the Brown team, but we left ahead of them, leading by only a few seconds. From there to the Taj Mahal we had a neck-on-neck race. Their van beat us there, but we managed to get some rickshaws before them. The rickshaws raced to the end, and we finished just seconds ahead of the Brown team. Overall we came second, with the Blue team being the winners.
A local took us on a backside tour of the Taj Mahal. We were taken through the original gardens and saw the magnificent engravings on the outside walls. The Ganges River flows just behind the Taj Mahal. It is in the Indian customs to sprinkle the ashes of a deceased in the river, or even to put the corpse itself on it. We also visited a Hindu temple that is built into the wall of the Taj Mahal and were taken to the crematorium nearby.
The day was truly interesting and we had a lot of fun. Compiling the list of Bible verses gave us a refreshed perspective on poverty and God’s commands concerning the poor. Returning to the orphanage felt like returning home, because home is where the heart is, and these little children have captured our hearts with their mere being.
