India Day 1 - Communication
I didn't sleep much that first night.
It rainstormed, which is rare this time of year in India. But of course, my sleeplessness was more so due to the time change...10.5 hours ahead of home.
Surprisingly, though, I haven't had much jet lag. I thought for sure I'd have lots of headaches and be tired all the time. But I've been pretty good!!
Allison had to go watch the kids in the morning, so I spent my time trying to take little naps, surrounded by mosquito netting. When that failed, I tried on Allison's traditional clothing that she graciously offered to let me borrow so I could feel more appropriately dressed in this part of the city, as modesty is highly valued. That was fun :) Not to mentioned how glorious my hair looked after sleeping on it wet. Haha, case in point:
The woman who owns the apartment where Allison lives, takes Hindi language classes in the morning in their living room, so I was able to meet her instructor. There is also a cook that comes and prepares meals a few times a week for them. She made some kind of curry chicken with rice and roti (whole wheat tortilla). Bit spicy as expected, but amazing! To cool off, Allison had made chocolate chip cookies (I had brought a TON of chocolate for her and Kodi). Mmmm
Before heading out on the town, Allison took me up to the roof of their building to get my first look of the city in daylight. Another friend met up with us and we went out to meet Mary, the wife of a pastor, who would go with us to teach English. The walk to Mary's was my first real taste of India.
***
I'm sure you've heard about the sanitation problems in India. And how crowded it is. And the chaos of traffic. And that cows are sacred. All true times ten. :)
The narrow streets are lined with tiny shops filled with all sort of things. I won't sugar coat it...the dirt roads are littered with garbage and as you can imagine, many unpleasant smells. The shops all look very run down. It is not uncommon to see many stray dogs wandering around. And yes, I did see two cows that day just meandering about.
If there are traffic rules, they are more like suggestions. People, scooters, carts pulled by bicycles, and little cars all going different directions and simply just honking at one another more as a warning to get over. And I am told it wasn't even that crowded in comparison to other places!
I've ridden in these cars a few times by now, and it is amazing to me the tiny spaces they can get through and not hit each other amid the chaos!!
We arrived at Mary's and she invited us in for a little conversation and snacks (crunchy cookies that tasted a lot like fortune cookies). Mary's husband joined us. They were very interested to meet the newbie, me.
Before I came, I was sent several articles about Indian hospitality and culture to prepare myself. One of the articles mentioned that I should probably brush up on my knowledge of politics and current events because those things are a big deal to them. I am not really someone who pays attention, or has much concern for these topics...so I kind of brushed that part off thinking oh, it will be fine, I'm only there a few days I'm not going to get asked those kind of questions!
But there I was sitting on this couch in an Indian home on my first day, getting drilled about how I feel about Trump and what news do I bring them from America!! I kind of stammered through it and spoke more vaguely about how people feel very differently and there have been several non-violent protests.
Later that day, Allison and I talked about how much politics mean to the people here because it really has huge impacts on their lives. As spoiled Americans, yes we experience change from politics, but not to such a drastic degree. Also, I think as Christians we are more at peace about our president...not apathetic mind you...just not as concerned because ultimately the president is just a human who is susceptible to mistakes...and God is in control!
***
Mary informed me about the situation of the family before we walked over to the house to teach English. There were eight children living in this tiny space. The father had recently died of a heart attack and the mother had lost her job. One of the girls has a problem with her legs and crawls around...but she is focusing very hard on her school studies to pass her exams. (Education is extremely valued here for the youth). There were also a few others living in the same building with similar poverty and family struggles.
Before entering their home, I was instructed to cover my head with my scarf.
When we arrived we had to walk through a very narrow hallway in the dark, as the power kept going off and on in the city all day. The room was quite small and the floor was covered in blankets. We could see shelves near the ceiling, and one corner had a small TV and more blankets stacked. I can only imagine that at night they all sleep on the floor in this tiny room. Yet, I was amazed that a couple of them had smart phones!
We all sat on the floor and the men left. They served us some mango soda, and we made small talk (well, me sitting there nodding and smiling, not understanding a word) by the light of a candle. There were about four women and one girl the age of seven.
We used flash cards with pictures to teach them names of emotions and some nouns. We would show them the picture and say the word in English and they would repeat. Then we would add more and more to the pile, every time reviewing the words already learned. "Who is happy? Who is crying? Who is worried?...." and they would point to the correct card. The girl who had issues with her legs was very bright! She picked up on the words immediately and her memory was amazing!!
After they had learned several new words, we stopped the lesson for the day and they brought us little cups of hot chai tea (oh and was it good!!). See, even though they suffer incredible poverty, there is a custom in India called "the guest is God." They were happy to serve us even though we were there to help teach them.
We took a few pictures with the women and even though there was a definite language barrier, we all laughed at how similar women are when a camera is involved. After a picture, one girl looked at it and quickly when to open the window, primp, and try to take the picture with us again so she would look better. Typical girl! Haha! But also, fair (light-colored) skin is a standard of beauty here. And I'm sure next to us, in a dimly light room, she came across as much darker. :)
I was amazed at how quickly we bonded with these women. But I think that's how women in general normally are. We are social creatures, no matter our ethnicity. By the time we left we hugged and shook hands. I could see the happiness in their eyes...they were so tickled by our visit. We may not speak the same language, but there was no mistaking how much love was present among us.
We walked back in a light rain through the muddy streets, mainly in silence, thinking about what had just happened. Also, normally at home I LOVE walking in rain on a hot day...but I got the feeling that maybe is not as acceptable here. lol
***
Kodi and Allison took me to a favorite place of theirs that night called the Rose Cafe. It was a quaint little shop with more Western food and fresh desserts. The theme was definitely roses, and the place was decorated in flowers, painted pink, with a "shabby chic" atmosphere. It even smelled strongly of roses!!
The food did not disappoint. We shared a mushroom bruschetta. I ordered an opened faced sandwich with mushrooms, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and melted cheese. We relocated to a table outside under a rose covered trellis for dessert of waffles with chocolate gnache and vanilla ice cream.
We returned to the apartment to watch a little Netflix before bed. Some things don't change. :)
It rainstormed, which is rare this time of year in India. But of course, my sleeplessness was more so due to the time change...10.5 hours ahead of home.
Surprisingly, though, I haven't had much jet lag. I thought for sure I'd have lots of headaches and be tired all the time. But I've been pretty good!!
Allison had to go watch the kids in the morning, so I spent my time trying to take little naps, surrounded by mosquito netting. When that failed, I tried on Allison's traditional clothing that she graciously offered to let me borrow so I could feel more appropriately dressed in this part of the city, as modesty is highly valued. That was fun :) Not to mentioned how glorious my hair looked after sleeping on it wet. Haha, case in point:
The woman who owns the apartment where Allison lives, takes Hindi language classes in the morning in their living room, so I was able to meet her instructor. There is also a cook that comes and prepares meals a few times a week for them. She made some kind of curry chicken with rice and roti (whole wheat tortilla). Bit spicy as expected, but amazing! To cool off, Allison had made chocolate chip cookies (I had brought a TON of chocolate for her and Kodi). Mmmm
Before heading out on the town, Allison took me up to the roof of their building to get my first look of the city in daylight. Another friend met up with us and we went out to meet Mary, the wife of a pastor, who would go with us to teach English. The walk to Mary's was my first real taste of India.
***
I'm sure you've heard about the sanitation problems in India. And how crowded it is. And the chaos of traffic. And that cows are sacred. All true times ten. :)
The narrow streets are lined with tiny shops filled with all sort of things. I won't sugar coat it...the dirt roads are littered with garbage and as you can imagine, many unpleasant smells. The shops all look very run down. It is not uncommon to see many stray dogs wandering around. And yes, I did see two cows that day just meandering about.
If there are traffic rules, they are more like suggestions. People, scooters, carts pulled by bicycles, and little cars all going different directions and simply just honking at one another more as a warning to get over. And I am told it wasn't even that crowded in comparison to other places!
I've ridden in these cars a few times by now, and it is amazing to me the tiny spaces they can get through and not hit each other amid the chaos!!
We arrived at Mary's and she invited us in for a little conversation and snacks (crunchy cookies that tasted a lot like fortune cookies). Mary's husband joined us. They were very interested to meet the newbie, me.
Before I came, I was sent several articles about Indian hospitality and culture to prepare myself. One of the articles mentioned that I should probably brush up on my knowledge of politics and current events because those things are a big deal to them. I am not really someone who pays attention, or has much concern for these topics...so I kind of brushed that part off thinking oh, it will be fine, I'm only there a few days I'm not going to get asked those kind of questions!
But there I was sitting on this couch in an Indian home on my first day, getting drilled about how I feel about Trump and what news do I bring them from America!! I kind of stammered through it and spoke more vaguely about how people feel very differently and there have been several non-violent protests.
Later that day, Allison and I talked about how much politics mean to the people here because it really has huge impacts on their lives. As spoiled Americans, yes we experience change from politics, but not to such a drastic degree. Also, I think as Christians we are more at peace about our president...not apathetic mind you...just not as concerned because ultimately the president is just a human who is susceptible to mistakes...and God is in control!
***
Mary informed me about the situation of the family before we walked over to the house to teach English. There were eight children living in this tiny space. The father had recently died of a heart attack and the mother had lost her job. One of the girls has a problem with her legs and crawls around...but she is focusing very hard on her school studies to pass her exams. (Education is extremely valued here for the youth). There were also a few others living in the same building with similar poverty and family struggles.
Before entering their home, I was instructed to cover my head with my scarf.
When we arrived we had to walk through a very narrow hallway in the dark, as the power kept going off and on in the city all day. The room was quite small and the floor was covered in blankets. We could see shelves near the ceiling, and one corner had a small TV and more blankets stacked. I can only imagine that at night they all sleep on the floor in this tiny room. Yet, I was amazed that a couple of them had smart phones!
We all sat on the floor and the men left. They served us some mango soda, and we made small talk (well, me sitting there nodding and smiling, not understanding a word) by the light of a candle. There were about four women and one girl the age of seven.
We used flash cards with pictures to teach them names of emotions and some nouns. We would show them the picture and say the word in English and they would repeat. Then we would add more and more to the pile, every time reviewing the words already learned. "Who is happy? Who is crying? Who is worried?...." and they would point to the correct card. The girl who had issues with her legs was very bright! She picked up on the words immediately and her memory was amazing!!
After they had learned several new words, we stopped the lesson for the day and they brought us little cups of hot chai tea (oh and was it good!!). See, even though they suffer incredible poverty, there is a custom in India called "the guest is God." They were happy to serve us even though we were there to help teach them.
We took a few pictures with the women and even though there was a definite language barrier, we all laughed at how similar women are when a camera is involved. After a picture, one girl looked at it and quickly when to open the window, primp, and try to take the picture with us again so she would look better. Typical girl! Haha! But also, fair (light-colored) skin is a standard of beauty here. And I'm sure next to us, in a dimly light room, she came across as much darker. :)
I was amazed at how quickly we bonded with these women. But I think that's how women in general normally are. We are social creatures, no matter our ethnicity. By the time we left we hugged and shook hands. I could see the happiness in their eyes...they were so tickled by our visit. We may not speak the same language, but there was no mistaking how much love was present among us.
We walked back in a light rain through the muddy streets, mainly in silence, thinking about what had just happened. Also, normally at home I LOVE walking in rain on a hot day...but I got the feeling that maybe is not as acceptable here. lol
 |
| Waiting for the rain to pass |
***
Kodi and Allison took me to a favorite place of theirs that night called the Rose Cafe. It was a quaint little shop with more Western food and fresh desserts. The theme was definitely roses, and the place was decorated in flowers, painted pink, with a "shabby chic" atmosphere. It even smelled strongly of roses!!
The food did not disappoint. We shared a mushroom bruschetta. I ordered an opened faced sandwich with mushrooms, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and melted cheese. We relocated to a table outside under a rose covered trellis for dessert of waffles with chocolate gnache and vanilla ice cream.
We returned to the apartment to watch a little Netflix before bed. Some things don't change. :)
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