India Presentation
21 Mar 2012 2 Comments
in March 2012
This past Sunday, I got the opportunity to share with my church what I did while I was in India. For the morning service, I did a brief overview then, at the evening service, I went in-depth, power point and all 
.
Everything went really well and I enjoyed being able to talk about India. It was especially fun to answer all the questions 
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After the evening service, my pastor and his wife invited everyone into the parsonage to eat some goodies and just socialize. Ah, it was fantastic!
And now, I need to keep trudging forward. I’ve applied to a community college. I want to go to college basically to learn more about the world I live in. People fascinate me and I want to learn about why they do the things they do. Plus, I realized while I was in India that I can affect people in a positive, Godly way even here in America, so I hope that by living on-campus I can do that. We shall see 
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I still miss India and a part of me is really sad that I’ve adjusted so quickly back to America. But that’s life, I guess. I just really REALLY hope I can go back to India some day…
Back to Church
12 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in March 2012
So, I went to church for the first time in five months yesterday. Due to miscommunication that was really no one’s fault, I was given/gave myself just Saturday to prepare a presentation for yesterday’s service. However, that was also the day my dad chose to paint the bathroom so coupled to my already feeling a bit sick the paint fumes just made me feel downright terrible. A nap didn’t even fix anything.
By the time Ellie and I started to work on what I was going to do yesterday, I did not feel like doing anything and could hardly think. So, I decided I’d need to call up my pastor and tell him I simply had to wait to present about India until next week. I think it was the best decision in the end because, due to the extra time, I can now make the presentation really awesome .
But I’m nervous 
. I told my pastor’s wife, Susan, that I’m nervous and she said to me, “That’s good. If you weren’t nervous then it means you don’t care about what you’re doing.” That made me feel five hundred million times better .
As for adjusting, bleh. Yup, bleh. It’s official, counter culture shock is definitely worse than initial culture shock. Ugh, I miss doing things the way Indians do them! My family refuses to eat with their hands and when Ellie saw me eating pancakes with my hands the other day she said that I’m weird .
Speaking of my sister… I’m going with her to my aunt and uncle’s when she goes back to college! YAY! So, Uncle Paul and Aunt Karen, we gotta eat meals with our hands!! And make Ellie do it too!! But don’t tell her I told you that. *hopes that Ellie is too busy to read this blog*.
Anyways, it’s a week and a day since I left India and I can’t believe it! The worst part: I’m feeling more and more like India was just a dream .
Must. Blog.
09 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in March 2012
Okay, not blogging anymore is SO weird! I mean even before I began blogging about each day of mine, I was journaling about every day. I’m seriously going through withdrawal though! At random parts of the day, I find myself thinking, “Okay, I have GOT to mention this in my blog tonight!”
Therefore, I simply MUST blog . At least I will today .
Adjusting/getting over jetlag has been slow but steady. The day after I got home, I lost my voice. It was the most annoying thing! I wanted to tell everyone about India but I simply couldn’t. It was really frustrating.
I made an Indian meal for my parents yesterday evening. I got to boss my mom around as I taught her how to make the food . It was LOADS of fun! And my dad actually liked the gobi despite the fact that he insisted that he hated cauliflower . Oh and my gobi turned out better than it ever had. I was very proud of myself.
Today, I FINALLY got around to putting away all my Indian things. I made a jewelry holder on my wall complete with a bangle rack. I am really proud of it. I also sorted through my clothes. All this would not have been made possible without my friend, Amber . She kept me focused.
Anyways, after Amber and I successfully put all my stuff away, we tackled my clothes. I wanted to put on every western-style shirt I had just so I could see what it looked like on me since I had forgotten. WOW! I couldn’t believe how cool some of the clothes I had were! It was like shopping only the clothes were all free . I had never expected it to be THIS weird to wear western clothes again.
Having this time of putting on western clothes really helped me with adjusting to life back in America. It kind of taught me that America has some cool stuff too .
However, I still miss India immensely. And Lissi! Oh how I miss my annoying roommate! Every time I even think of Lissi, I get such an overwhelming amount of emotion. I miss her so much!
I just need to keep trudging on. I am in America for a reason and I need to focus on using what I’ve learned from India to affect the people around me.
Hello, America
04 Mar 2012 1 Comment
in March 2012
I decided I’d better update you on how things are going back here in America . Let’s see… where do I start? I guess I’ll start where my last post left off…
I successfully from Bangalore to Chennai. As I got on the plane to go to Brussels, I went back into denial mode. My brain yet again refused to believe that I was going back to America. Anyways, the flight was like torture! It was so long and I was SO anxious! I just wanted it to be over. But, I made it all the way through .
Once I got to JFK, I was exhausted and really nervous about customs. But it was a complete breeze! They hardly looked at the card I wrote all the things I brought down on. And, I think the only reason why I needed to get my bags scanned was because I was coming from India. The airport security guy told me we had to scan some of my bags so he had my carry-on and the suitcase Lilo let me have scanned. He didn’t even scan the suitcase that had the items I was afraid may get confiscated! Oh and, get this: I had written on my customs card that I worked with livestock (Because of milking one of the cows that one time) and the guy asked if I had the shoes I was wearing while milking the cow with me. Guess what shoes they were? The flip flops I had broken right before getting on the auto! So, in the end, it was a good thing they didn’t come home with me .
So, I got through customs with flying colors! I can’t believe I was SO worried about it. In any case, I saw my dad as soon as I passed through the exit. My two best friends (Sarah and Amber) and my mom were there as well. It was the STRANGEST thing! I felt like I didn’t even know them anymore. They were like strangers to me probably because I felt like a stranger to myself. Anyways, we got the last of my rupees exchanged.
When we got in the car, my parents and friends showered me with American snacks, haha. Amber gave me poptarts and my parents gave me pretzels in my favorite flavor: spicy .
The 5-hour drive home was super quick. After a while, though, I was too exhausted to stay up any longer. At that moment, I think I felt more tired than I ever had in my whole life! So, I slept for two hours or so.
When I got home, everything got weirder. It felt like I’d never left and India had just been a dream. This really upset me since India was most certainly NOT a dream. At the same time though, everything seemed SO different! Like I’d never been here before. It was the strangest thing!! I also became really scared that I’d forget anything about India. I want so much to remember every moment I spent there.
Oh and I met my new doggy and kitty cat!! Cleo, the dog, looks SO much like Pippy! She doesn’t really act like her, thank goodness! Cleo does, however, like to eat EVERYTHING, just like Pippy . Mitzy, the cat, is the STRANGEST animal I’ve ever seen! He likes to play with and attack EVERYTHING. Seriously, he can make a toy out of anything. At one point, I saw his little paw sticking out from behind one of our cabinet doors in the kitchen. Apparently, he likes to climb into cabinets for the fun of it. Oh and he enjoys chasing my other dog, Ginger (who, by the way, I was SO excited to see!!). My cat thinks he’s a dog and my dog thinks she’s a cat .
Anyways, my parents decorated the dining room and got me a welcome home cake . We had Chinese takeout for dinner (my first meal in America was Chinese. How funny is that! It’s all good though because the food was delicious!). Then we had cake .
Amber gave me some presents: a pet rock, a stuff animal and half of a rice krispie treat (she had eaten the other half). My parents had saved presents from Christmas for me. How amazing is that?! So, I had my own personal Christmas. They gave me a really cool shirt, a shawl, two necklaces and a chocolate bunny. They’re awesome .
After that, Sarah and Amber headed home and I was left to do…wait…I don’t even remember what I did after that. Oh yeah! I made my parents chai . I didn’t do a very good job though . My dad didn’t really like his so I drank it for him. My mom really liked hers though, even though it was made with almond milk .
After that, I just did random things like facebook and…dang…what did I do?! I must have been SO tired! I’ve forgotten what I did. Oh well . Oh yeah!! I got a phone call from another one of my friends…then one from my sister…then one from my brother…then one from my other sister (I didn’t get to talk to her though because I was way too tired by that time). It was almost like my whole family was actually at my Coming Home . I was, however, still a bit sad about them not being there in person .
I slept last night with my baby girl (Ginger) and Mitzy in my bed. Oh how I’ve missed it!
Being home is definitely bittersweet. I miss Kollegal, the girls, Lissi, Rachel, Jayne Yolanda, the dorm mothers and Michael immensely! And India! I really miss India. America seems so empty and boring compared to India. Oh and COLD. SO COLD! I keep feeling like being in America is just temporary, Like living here is just a short vacation from my real home in India. I know that after a while, I will adjust and things will become less dreamy and strange.
Goodbye, India (1 Day Left in India)
03 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in March 2012
It has been an emotionally exhausting day.
I didn’t sleep very well at all last night because of nerves. I woke up at around 10.
After a breakfast of oatmeal, Lilo took me to Commercial Street to meet up with Rachel and her mom and do some more shopping. We assisted Rachel’s mom in buying some Indian clothes and then we had some drinks at a nearby restaurant. After that, Rachel’s mom left and Rachel and I went do some shopping of our own.
We, of course, got more nose rings along with some other things. We were heading back when we passed by a white couple eating McDonald’s French fries. And we got a craving .
We found McDonalds and once we go inside we discovered that it was absolutely PACKED with people. I couldn’t believe it! Once we’d gotten our food, we had to wait five or ten minutes for a table to be free despite the fact that there were three floors of tables! Who knew McDonalds was so popular in India?!
Anyways, when we were finished eating, we grabbed an auto and drove back to Ron and Lilo’s house. When we got there, we sat down to tea and some talking. Then, Rachel and I set to work on organizing my bags.
After all this, I was finally free to take a nap. And nap I did! Ah, I felt so refreshed when I woke up!
Anyways, we chatted with Ron and some friends of Ron and Lilo’s for a bit and then had some chicken curry and rice for dinner.
7:30 hit and it was time to leave.
On the hour’s drive with Lilo and Rachel, I was in still in complete denial over the fact that I was leaving. However, when we got to the airport and I gave Lilo a hug goodbye, it hit me. I am leaving India. I am leaving Lissi, Rachel, Ron, Lilo, Jayne, Yolanda, Munjula, Sumitha, Sujatha, Michael, my dorm five girls and all the other girls of the home. That’s not even mentioning all the people I met and talked with and got to know.
Anyway, I fought back tears as Rachel and I walked towards the airport. It’s Indian rules that no one but the person flying is allowed in the airport, so Rachel and I hugged and said our goodbyes then I proceeded on my own.
I got into the airport and after checking which desk I should go to, I gave Rachel a thumbs up then headed for check-in.
It was quick and easy. My bags went through without any problem. Once I’d received all my tickets, an airport employee accompanied me all through security and then to the gate. Having him there to show me the way calmed my nerves and emotions but, still, my hands had been shaking so bad!
I am now waiting to board my flight to Chennai. From there, I go to Brussels then to JFK airport.
I’m leaving India… I’m leaving India… Oh my gosh…
A Day in Bangalore (2 Days Left in India)
02 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in March 2012
Hm, what kind of day has it been today? I dunno. Adjectives are so hard to come by these days…
Anyways, I got out of bed around 9 or something then took a (hot ) shower. And then I had breakfast.
At around 11-ish, Lilo took Rachel and me to a Samsung place so we could get Lissi’s laptop fixed. We did a lot of problem-solving and waiting before they finally found the problem. It was in the battery charger.
After we’d bought a new charger for Lissi, Lilo took us to Commercial Street for a bit of shopping. Rachel and I both really wanted more nose rings so we found Jewelry Street and stocked up. Oh my goodness, those Goa sellers ripped us off! We got like six nose rings for the same price we paid for just ONE nose ring in Goa. What’s worse, the nose rings we got here were real silver. In Goa? Not so much. SO ANNOYING!
Anyways, Rachel got some money exchanged and said hello to her old neighbors (she lived here in Bangalore until she was eleven). Then, Rachel got a call from her parents, who had just arrived in India this morning, and it was decided we’d meet up with them and eat some lunch.
We grabbed an auto and found them close to a restaurant. It was SO great to finally meet them! Rachel has been telling us so much about them!
We went into the packed restaurant and ordered some mesala dosa. Rachel, Rachel’s mom and I just ate away, dipping the dosa in somba and chutney with our hands. Then, Rachel and I looked over at her Indian father. He was carefully spooning chutney on his dosa then using his spoon to cut it and eat it. We both just started cracking up laughing. And laughing. And laughing. It was SO funny! The one Indian among us was eating with a spoon! Of course, after a while, Rachel’s mom and dad asked us what we were laughing about and we told them. Her dad later told us that he didn’t want to get grease on his hands. I’ve decided that Rachel is right: her Irish mom is more Indian than her Indian dad .
Once we’d finished eating, we headed over to the room Rachel’s mom and dad are staying in and just sat and talked for a while. Dang, her parents are interesting! Her mom kept giving Rachel a hard time about how much weight she’s gained. Once she was done telling all her fat jokes, Rachel’s mom gave us chocolate .
We attempted to head out the door for like an hour before finally leaving. We grabbed an auto then drove back to Ron and Lilo’s house.
We just chilled for a while before Rachel’s parents arrived for dinner. Lilo prepared a really great meal for us!
Once we finished eating, we just sat at the table and talked for a while and then we moved to the living room and drank tea while talking some more. It was so great to listen to everyone’s stories and opinions.
Then Rachel left with her parents.
After that, Ron and I talked about a lot of different things. He asked me what I was doing when I get back to the states and he gave me some advice about how I should handle being back after five months here. He also gave me some pointers about the super fun plane ride I’m gonna have! It was great getting to talk to him. It reminded me of all our conversations five months ago.
I’m leaving tomorrow. It still hasn’t set it. I’ll have to let you know when it finally does .
I Love You, KGH (3 Days Left In India)
01 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in March 2012
It’s been a day of goodbyes.
I couldn’t sleep last night because I was so anxious. So, I got up and successfully got most of my stuff packed.
I slept for a little while after that then got up at 6. Lissi woke up the girls and I went out for a morning walk.
When I got back to my room, I finished the rest of packing then just hung out with the girls until breakfast. At and after breakfast, I continued talking with the girls.
Once they went off to school, I went back to my room and took a much-needed nap.
I awoke at around 11 and then went to get Rachel so we could go into town and see a silk factory. It was SO cool! They were spinning the silk onto spools using really loud machinery.
After that, we got some stuff at a nearby shop and went back home. Rachel needed to talk to Sujatha about the fortnightly report so I tagged along.
As lunch time drew near, Rachel and Sujatha finished talking and I headed back to my room. Lissi, who had woken up feeling a bit sick had gotten much worse and could only lie in her bed. I was SO upset! She was going to go to Bangalore with us so she could say goodbye to me at the airport. However, due to how sick she was, she wouldn’t be able to go. I had been planning on her coming since January and now we needed to say goodbye at the home. So disappointing!
In any case, I wasn’t hungry so I just sat with the girls during lunchtime and said goodbye to those who had to head back to school. I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to the little ones before they left, so I went to their classroom and they all gave me a big hug. It was SO cute! They kept telling me about how they are really sad that I’m leaving and that they don’t want me to go. It broke my heart!
After that, I went around to the all the dorm mothers, field workers and cooks (one of them looked like she was about to cry when I came to her. I told her “no sad” just like she said to me when I cut my finger so long ago.) and said goodbye to them then went back to my room, said a quick and relatively painless goodbye to Lissi and then took my luggage to the bungalow. All the college girls trailed behind me.
Soon, the auto arrived and we got all the luggage inside. Just as I was about to start saying my goodbyes to the college girls, my flip flop that I’d had all through my India adventure broke. I couldn’t believe it! I had one of the girls run back to my room and bring me a pair of Indian shoes that were too big to pack.
Once I’d been re-shoed, I said goodbye to the college girls then Rachel and I zoomed off in the auto.
WOW. I couldn’t believe how simple saying goodbye was. It was like I wasn’t the one leaving, someone else was and I’d just be back soon and see the girls again. I also couldn’t believe that not a single tear was shed. I think it’s going to take some time to finally register that I may never see the girls again. It was as if I was simply in shock and my brain was refusing to face the reality of leaving KGH. Instead, it made sure not to let me feel any emotion at all. It was really strange…
We made it to the bus stand and lugged my heavy suitcase onto a bus headed for Bangalore. By this time, I was exhausted and slept through half of my final Indian bus ride.
It took four hours to get to Bangalore. As soon as we got off the bus, an auto drive came to offer us a ride. Once we told the driver where we needed to go and got the price down to 180 rupees, we started the drive.
And drove. And drove. And drove. Oh my goodness, this driver had NO idea where he was going! He kept going around in circles and asking directions every ten minutes. It was SO annoying! Rachel, especially, was reaching her last nerve.
Once we’d finally made it to Ron and Lilo’s house, the auto driver demanded that we pay 250. Rachel fought tooth and nail, but, eventually, we were both just so exhausted, we gave him the money (of course, when we told Lilo how much we paid, she told us we should have gotten her and she would have made sure the driver accepted our price ).
As soon as I stepped into Lilo’s house, it was like going back in time. I felt like I was the person I was five months ago: that girl who was scared to death and had to keep reminding herself that she was in India. It was honestly incredible. I reflected back to every moment I spent in this house. Like when Ron was telling me about the snakes and scorpions and made me scared about going to Kollegal. Or when I went shopping with Lilo and took pictures of every cow and street dog I saw. Or when we went to church and I simply couldn’t finish my meal so Ron ate the rest for me. I can’t believe how much has changed since then. I can’t believe how much I’ve changed. It’s insane…
Anyways, Rachel and I met Martin, a friend of Ron and Lilo’s then, after dropping off our luggage in our room, we all sat down to dinner. Lilo made us noodles with beef and mushroom sauce on top. YUM! Yet again, it reminded me of the meals I ate here five months ago and I remembered how I didn’t like the juice but drank it anyway since Lilo kept giving me some and how I learned of my deep hatred of beetroot in this very house.
After the meal, we just talked and drank tea for a while. It was so great to listen to Ron’s stories again! And Martin had some pretty good ones as well .
I am going to get on a plane and go back to America on the day after tomorrow. It’s SO unreal! I’m not ready to leave India! I don’t think I’ll ever be. I just can’t believe this is happening…
Last Day at KGH (4 Days Left in India)
29 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
It has been a… leapy day.
I woke up at 9, I think. I don’t remember. Wait, no! I woke up for breakfast! But I didn’t go because Yolanda had invited me into town for breakfast.
So, I hung out with the girls during their breakfast then took a shower and got dressed and THEN went to the bungalow to meet up with Yolanda.
We had breakfast at the Dosa Bar, as usual, and then walked around town for a little while.
Once we got back to the home, Lissi and I went to Munjula’s dorm for devotions. It was pretty typical, nothing different happened.
It was lunchtime after that but I wasn’t hungry and I was really tired so I took a quick nap until like 1:30. After that, I grabbed Lissi and we headed into town to do some shopping.
We came back to the home at like 4:30. The new boy puppy had arrived and he is SO cute! His name is Doner. I don’t know that means and it’s a very strange name, but this is India…
Anyways, then I found Reeta and she did mahindy on my hand.
Before I knew it, it was 5:30 and I had yet to teach Rachel how to make gobi. So I went to the bungalow and taught her, YAY! It was a lot of fun!
At 6, I hurried to get Sujatha then we went to my room and she helped me into my sari. After that, I got ready for the function. The function for my going-away .
Pallavi helped me with my hair using the flower string that Lissi got for me. Then, at 6:30, the function started.
It was SO WEIRD! I was not used to being the center of attention! All the girls kept oohing and aahing over my sari and my hair and my jewelry and my makeup and all that. Such craziness!
Each dorm sang a song the one girl from each dorm gave a speech and a card. Unfortunately, all the speeches except one were in Kannada.
Oh my gosh! Dorm two sang the “From East to West” song that I taught them! I was smiling through the whole thing. It was AWESOME!
After the dorms’ presentations, Lissi and the dorm mothers gave me gifts. Then Lissi said a speech for me. Finally, it was time for me to give a speech. It was terrible. I am such a terrible speaker!
Anyways, we had a dinner of bidyoni then I hung out with the girls for a little while. After that, Tonu and Kavya came to my room and helped me pack a little bit.
Before long, I was stressed. Really stressed. Everything was such a mess and my mind was so disorganized. I couldn’t focus.
So, Lissi and I decided we should call it quits for today and go to the bungalow for some ice cream . During which time, Sumitha came with Doner. She said to us, “watch this!” and ran into Rachel’s room. Sure enough, Doner followed close behind. Then, Sumitha raced to the room next to Rachel’s and Doner trotted along after her. It was hilarious!
And that was my last day at KGH. Right now, my emotions are numb. It hasn’t set it that I’m leaving this place and these girls tomorrow. And I don’t think it’s going to set it until I get home and see how much I miss India and all its craziness…
Last Tuesday at KGH (5 Days Left in India)
28 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
Another awesome day .
I woke up around 9 after a pretty good night’s sleep. Of course, I was still tired since, yet again, I stayed up really late .
In any case, I got ready for the day then, at 10, I headed to the kitchen to help the cooks. They gave me a strange vegetable to skin and I set to work. However, after peeling for about twenty minutes, one of the cooks grabbed Reetha so she could translate something to me. Apparently, Sumitha had forbidden the cooks to let me help because of me leaving soon. So, she said I should just go take rest and enjoy myself. Oh Sumitha!
I resisted for a little bit then finally gave in. As I left the kitchen, one of the cooks said, “no sad” and I assured her that I’m okay, haha. Those cooks are SO sweet and I’m going to really REALLY miss them.
I got back to my room and prepared a devotion for the devotions being held in our room. Then, Lissi and I headed out to town to get some biscuits for our guests. We also got cream buns. YAY!
As we prepared the tea, Jayne, Rachel and the dorm mothers arrived. We sang for a bit then Sumitha told a story about a pastor/song writer. Then I shared my devotion and we prayed.
It was lunchtime by the time we finished devotions: my last ever devotion in our room .
I had no appetite though so I just dozed off for like an hour. When I came to, I felt dizzy, nauseous and hot. It was SO hot! I can’t believe Indian weather gets even hotter than it was today! Lissi came in the room and pestered me about drinking for a while but I honestly felt like if I put anything in my stomach, I’d throw up. Eventually though, Lissi got me to drink some lemon salt water and I felt A LOT better after that. Then, the two of us just lay in our beds and chatted for a while about marriage and adventure and stuff like that. It was SO great talking to her!
At 3, I grabbed Rachel and we headed into town. We went the beauty parlor of a woman who is friends with the home. Rachel got her eyebrows done then I asked if she’d put henna/mahindy on my hand. She agreed happily.
She did AMAZING! It looks SO cool! Then, she insisted on doing my other hand as well. When she finally finished, I asked her how much I owed her and she told me nothing. I insisted on paying her though so she told me to just pay whatever amount I wanted. I gave her all the ten notes in my wallet, which unfortunately only came to two . I wish I had had more…
Anyways, we said good bye to her then I shopped for some more things I wanted to take to America with me. By 6, we were ready to go home. We caught an auto and headed back.
When I got to my room, I just relaxed for a little bit then followed Lissi to study time. However, I got sidetracked by Pallavi and Nagarathna. I talked with them by the playground then, when the mosquitos became unbearable, we took a walk together around the premises. We stopped for a bit to watch the sunset then Pallavi went back to her room and Nagarathna and I sat on a bench and talked some more. It was all so awesome!
When the dinner bell went off, Lissi and I headed to the bungalow to grab Rachel and go into town for some chut.
Chut Road was PACKED. So many people were buying and selling food. We got some gobi, noodles, chapatti and watermelon. The food was all really delicious!
As we walked back, I looked around and became extremely sad as I thought about how much I’m going to miss the streets of India.
When we got home, I taught Rachel how to make kettle corn and now Lissi, Rachel and I are sitting down to an Indian movie and munching on kettle corn .
Tomorrow is my final full day at KGH…
Last Monday at KGH (6 Days Left in India)
27 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
It has been an exhausting yet incredible day!
I actually slept pretty well last night and successfully woke up at 6. After I checked on the girls (they were all already awake), I read my Bible then went for a walk so I could talk with God. I was close to my room when Jaya ran up to me and said that I should take a girl with me when I go for a walk because I looked sad. Fascinating…
Anyways, I got back to my room around 7 and went back to sleep. I wanted to sleep as much as possible before 10 because I needed energy for the long day ahead.
I awoke at 8 and had my first breakfast with the girls since coming home from Goa. It was the good ol’ sweet stuff I had when I first arrived at the wonderful KGH.
And then… I went back to sleep.
Just after I woke up again, Sumitha was in our room and she said to me that if I’m tired I don’t need to go to the village (where we’d visit Jaya’s dad and Akila’s parents) with her today. I insisted that I could go. Sumitha finally gave in and said that I could go .
So, I got up and got ready to head out.
At 9:45, Sumitha and I grabbed an auto and we started the journey to the village. We drove for a good fifteen minutes before reaching a river. There was a small boat next to a dock on the bank. Next to the dock, there were workers shoveling sand into piles and then taking round rafts out into the river to get more sand. It was really interesting.
Anyways, Sumitha informed me that we would be taking the small boat across the river. YAY! Once the boat guy was ready to go, the passengers who had brought motorcycles rolled them onto the boat as well. So, we had a boat full of motorcycles .
Once we got to the other side, Sumitha decided that she didn’t want me to have to walk all the way to the village (I think she still thought I was super tired ) so she had me get on the back of a random guy’s motorcycle then sent me on my way.
We arrived at a house in the village and the guy who had been driving the motorcycle beckoned me in. I was a bit apprehensive about the whole going-into-a-random-stranger’s house thing but went ahead anyway.
A guy was inside and he led me to the living room (which was really small and dusty-looking but had a TV encased in a securely locked and very expensive-looking cabinet. It was SO strange.) and said (using hand gestures) that I could sit on the bed. So there I was: Alone in a house with a random Indian man who I was not able to communicate with. I was growing a bit scared but then the man’s wife and daughter showed up and I felt a lot better.
About ten minutes later, Sumitha also joined us. She informed me that we were in Akila’s house and the man and woman are her parents. The woman sat down in the door way to the living room as the man went off to get Sumitha and me coconuts. Sumitha explained that, in India, when a woman is on her period, she can’t cook, wash clothes or go into the living room. She has to only stay in one room of the house and no one besides her is allowed to touch her plate. She also can’t go into anyone else’s house. So, the husband gets stuck with all the wife’s duties . Poor dude: not only does he have to deal with an emotional wife but he also has to do all the housework.
Anyway, Akila’s dad gave us each a coconut, a plateful of snacks and a cup of milk. I nibbled on the snacks while Sumitha spoke with our hosts. They talked and talked and talked. And it was all in Kannada so I just kind of sat there. Sumitha understood how I was feeling and encouraged me to take a nap but I simply couldn’t bring myself to do it so I just wrote in a notebook I’d brought instead.
After a little while, the man brought each of us a plate piled with rice and curry. Oh my gosh, there was SO much rice and curry! It was really good though.
There were just a few bites left on my plate and I was doing my best to get it all eaten when the man decided to plop more curry on my plate despite my avid protesting. GAH!
I finally finished and felt like my stomach was going to explode. Then the man brought us each a cup of lemon juice. Goodness gracious! I felt kind of bad about it all because they were so poor and yet they were giving up all this food for us. I mean I really didn’t even need to eat anything if it meant saving them money. However, I’m sure if I tried to refuse it, they’d be extremely offended.
In any case, Sumitha talked for a bit longer then told me we were going to Jaya’s house. We came to another very small house which, again, had a very expensive-looking TV set in the living room, and met Jaya’s dad. He seemed so shy and for a little while I was afraid he didn’t want us there. However, after Sumitha was finished talking to him, he insisted on giving us coconuts because he felt jealous that we got so much special treatment from Akila’s family and he didn’t get to give us anything.
Oh my goodness, I could barely drink the coconut water let alone actually eat the inside. I was SO full. Fortunately, Sumitha was feeling the same way so she put the flesh from both of our coconuts into a plastic bag to save for later so that Jaya’s dad wouldn’t be offended over us not eating it. As we were leaving the house, Sumitha had Akila’s parents and Jaya’s dad gather around so we could pray. As Sumitha was praying, I opened my eyes briefly and noticed that the three of them were only slightly bowing their heads and had their eyes open. I accidentally caught Akila’s dad’s eyes and as soon as he saw me looking at him, he shut his eyes probably because he didn’t want to offend me. I found it all very interesting…
After a quick stop at a bathroom (which was really weird because apparently Akila’s parents don’t have a bathroom in their house so they had to lead us to another person’s bathroom. I couldn’t help but to wonder how much of a hassle that is for them when they need to go in the middle of the night.), we went back to Akila’s parents’ house and Sumitha chatted with them until it was time for the bus to come.
We waited at the bust stop for a good half hour before it finally arrived. It was PACKED! I had to stand in the aisle and grab on the bars attached to the ceiling to keep myself from falling on top of people. After a few stops, however, the amount of people thinned out and Sumitha and I each got a seat.
We arrived at Kollegal after an hour on the hot, sweaty bus then Sumitha took me to a hotel (restaurant) and we had juice and tea.
By this time, I was about ready to just fall asleep right at the hotel table. I was exhausted!! Who knew that just sitting and listening to people speak in a different language could be so tiring?
Once we’d finished our drinks, we started the walk to KGH. On the way, I asked Sumitha why Munjula and Sujatha don’t go to the villages to speak to the families. She told me that it was because she went to Bible College and has training in evangelism. It was then that I discovered that we hadn’t just gone to Jaya’s and Akila’s families to tell them how their daughters are doing but we went to evangelize. So awesome! At that moment, I wished I could speak Kannada so I could have helped Sumitha talk with them.
Sumitha also informed me that Akila’s parents are becoming more and more willing to become Christians but no progress has been made with converting Jaya’s father.
Once we got to the home, I went to my room and just crashed on my bed. I slept SO deeply!
I was awoken by Lissi who had just come back from study time. She told me that she, Jayne and Rachel wanted to take me out to dinner tonight. So, I got ready to go.
Once we’d gathered everyone up, the four of us headed into town. Oh how I love India’s night air!
We went to the good ol’ dosa bar and ordered some North Indian food. It was absolutely fantastic! We talked and laughed and enjoyed a really yummy meal.
We took our time walking back to the home as we were all really full and not quite ready to end the night.
The day after tomorrow is my last full day at KGH. These past five months have the fastest months of my life. I can’t believe I have to leave everyone behind and go back to the “real world”…
