Pictures!!

Just a quick note...I finally figured out how to put up more pictures so that it doesn't take forever. I have added a link to my facebook photo album. Check it out!

I'm in India!

I don’t even know what to write right now. I’ve been doing so much reflecting already and I can’t remember what I’ve written and what I’ve only thought. I can’t believe I’m in India! The thought hits me almost every day. And I can honestly say that one year ago I didn’t even know this could be possibility. It’s amazing how God works!

Things have begun to feel like I’m actually living in India now. Up until this point, we’ve been setting up our flat and lots of loose ends needed to be tied up, and my clothes were at the tailor for a month. Now, I have my salwar suits, our flat is mostly finished, and things just seem to be falling into place. It has been a whirlwind for the past month, traveling from place to place, and right now, I get a bit of a break from moving around. Unless something comes up at the last minute, I’ll be able to get used to living in Ranchi for the next few weeks.

My Hindi has been improving, very, very slowly (bahut dhire dhire). I wish I could type in Hindi. The script looks very cool, but I’m told that typing it is very complicated. So I’ll just settle for typing with my usual alphabet.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about what it means to be a foreign woman in India. Most of you have no idea how complicated that sentence just was. It’s one thing to be a woman. It’s another to be foreign. It’s completely confusing to be a foreign woman. Just walking down the street, everyone’s always looking at me. I’m getting used to it. I’m actually somewhat amused by it. I often wonder if they stare just because I’m foreign or even more so because I’m a foreign woman. Things that I can’t just go up to people and ask. I’ve seen people elbow each other so that their friends won’t miss seeing the “amriki” (American) walking down the street. On the up-side, I’m extremely recognizable. Like when I went back to the fabric store where I bought all of my salwars, he knew exactly who I was (and he asked “why only one suit? last time you bought 13!”) The tailors knew exactly who I was and what my clothes looked like the last time I stopped by to pick them up. I didn’t even have to try speaking Hindi to them. The guy at my usual phone booth takes really good care of me too. He’s very kind and even offered me a little breakfast after I called my parents. Then again, I don’t think he gets many long distance phone calls to the US. He’s sure to want my business again!
Thanks to everyone back home who has been praying for me and writing me notes and sending birthday cards. It apparently takes about a month for mail to get here, so I’m now celebrating my birthday all over again! You have no idea how wonderful it is to have all of your support and encouragement. It makes me feel like I’m not so far away from home. And then it hits me again – I’m halfway around the world. I’m in India!

Back in Ranchi

Okay, so most of you didn’t know I even left Ranchi. And now I've been back for a few days. But anyway, on Saturday morning, I went with Priti to Chendwa for a youth meeting. Chendwa is a small village in Jharkhand, and about 50 youth came from all over the area. All of the youth belong to tribal groups and they were excited to find out that I grew up on a farm, just like them. Saturday afternoon, during one of the sessions, I was asked to share about myself and about Mennonite youth in the US. Priti translated for me. I think that really helped me connect with them, and one thing I said was that I wish I knew more Hindi so that I could get to know them. After that, they all wanted to talk to me and ask me questions. It was hilarious! One or two of them know a little bit of English, so they would talk to each other in Hindi, mostly trying to figure out how they were supposed to say things in English. I was excited that some of the time I could actually understand them when they were speaking Hindi. It will still take a while, but at least I’m beginning to learn more.
Saturday evening they had a cultural program and a group from each area sang several songs, then they performed a tribal dance. After each group went (and Priti and I presented one English song), everyone began dancing together. So naturally, I had to join in. It was so much fun! They were all very impressed that I could pick it up so well. Who knew that we’d be up dancing until 12:30?! And then Sunday morning, we got up around 5:30 (yeah, ouch!), and after a morning worship service and lunch, we caught a bus back to Ranchi. I think everyone from the villages was returning to the city that day. 3 buses passed by because they didn’t have any more room. Finally we were able to get on a bus. We had to stand for the first 45 minutes or so, but eventually with people getting off and on, we were able to sit down for the remaining hour and a half. I was so exhausted after the weekend, but I am very glad I went.

PICTURES!!!

Finally! Pictures!

I finally had time and an internet connection that works! Enjoy my first month in India!

First is tea break at the MCC India office in Kolkata. Can you believe it, mom? I like tea!

Next is me with Pratima, who works at MCC India in finance and administration.

We left Kolkata after only 2 days to get to Ranchi for Youth Sunday. Here are some of the youth singing and dancing. It was a very good service that lasted all day!

Our flat in Ranchi

My flatmate, Liz, cooking over our one-burner "gas." It takes a long time, but we've been able to cook some pretty tasty dishes already!

This is the road to our flat.

The MCSFI office.

This is one of the streets in Ranchi that we use the most. It's really not busy in this picture.

Inside the office. On the right, Amy. On the left, front to back is Priti, Sonwani Uncle, and Liz.

I was invited back to Kolkata to help with the MCC Asia Regional Meeting for New Wine/New Wineskins. I met people from all over Asia that work with MCC offices or in partnership with MCC.

One of the table discussions that happened during the week.

Some of my new friends... He Wen from China, Retno from Indonesia, Tiya from Indonesia and Kyong Jung from South Korea.

Banyan tree at the botannical gardens. This is all one tree!

At the end of the week, we all went on a riverboat cruise on the Hooghley.

Don't you just love finding random lizards crawling on your bedroom wall? I know I do!

Amy and me at the office.

Typical Day

A typical day for me begins around 7am. Well, I'd like it to begin around then, but it doesn't always happen that way. Every 2 or 3 days, I have to mop the floor (Mom, you would be so proud. I mop!) The mornings I don't mop will be laundry days. I read the morning paper and have breakfast. Cooking is very slow, because we only have one small gas tank with a burner. My goal is to kill at least 3 mosquitoes every day. I think of Ben every time, because I have to get them by clapping my hands together. I must say, I'm getting pretty good at it! Then I get cleaned up and go to work by 9:30. Work always begins with devotions. By 10, we have gone over our tasks for the day, and we begin work. My work is mostly with the accounts (go figure!...pun intended). Right now they do it manually, so part of what I hope to accomplish is to get it on the computer. There are 6 staff at MCSFI. Rev. Emmanual Minj is the director, and his daughter, Priti, works on some of the projects. Sonwani does some work with projects, but his main task is to pull together a history of the Mennonite Church in India. I'm interested to read it once he's completed it. Amy works on some of the projects too, but she also works for Jharkhand Council of Churches because Rev. Minj is also the secretary of JCC. Liz is the other volunteer. I guess she's technically a service worker, but she extended her SALT term for one more year. So that's our office. Around 10:30 or 11:00, it's tea time, and I always have to laugh. Our coasters are old 3 1/2" floppy disks (they make great coasters, btw!) 2pm is lunchtime, 4 or later is afternoon tea (and I'm starting to enjoy tea...gasp!), and we usually leave work by 5 or 5:30. Then there's only enough daylight to run to the store and come back home. Then any other chores are completed and dinner is at the earliest 8pm. Usually it ends up being 9 or 9:30. By 10 it should be time for bed, so I crawl under my mosquito net and read a book or something before falling asleep.
Our schedule is somewhat flexible at work so if I need to run a lot of errands, it can be arranged during the day so it doesn't get too late in the evening for me to be out. Plus we've been trying set up our flat (aka apartment), so that's taken some time.
I laugh a lot during the day. There are just random things that come up on a regular basis. Like little frogs hopping around our house. One big one comes around every now and again. Lizards too. I haven't seen any snakes yet, but I'm sure they're around somewhere.
My bathroom sink requires the use of 2 knobs. One to get the water to the sink, and another for the faucet. Thank goodness for nice neighbors who showed us that. I thought my sink was broken!
The electricity goes out at least 3 or 4 times a day, for unknown lengths of time. We have an emergency light that comes on if the electricity goes out, so it's become routine that when it goes out, we grab the light and bring it to whatever room is being used. Then when it comes back on, we return the light.
This may be minor, but the light switches here are the opposite of what I'm used to. I usually flick a switch up for on, but here, they all have to be pushed down. At least they're all consistent. And a switch is also used to turn an outlet on or off. I'm gonna be so confused when I get back to the US. I won't know how anything works.
Oh, and if I drive like a maniac when I get back, that's just Indian driving. If there's space between other vehicles, take it. It's fair game.
Thanks to everyone who has been praying for me and thinking of me.