New Job

So I've just accepted a new position with MCC. :) I am very excited about continuing to work for MCC. I will be moving to Akron, Pennsylvania next weekend, and begin work on September 21st. I will be working in the main office, focusing on online and credit card donations. It will be a challenge to get back into the swing of office life again, but I am glad for the opportunity to work for MCC longer.
This transition is bittersweet. As excited as I am to begin my new job, it is yet another transition I have to go through. The past two months have been wonderful as I've been able to see friends and family again. Yet again, I will be away from my family, my bestest best friend, and my church family. But no matter where I go, no matter how far or for how long, I feel so blessed to have them behind me every step of the way.
I realize that Akron, PA isn't quite as far away as Ranchi...but it will be a different world nonetheless. I don't know if anyone is paying attention to this blog anymore or not, but if you are, I'd appreciate your prayers as I move forward. Only God knows what He has for me next!! :)

Wrapping Up

So I'm beginning to wrap up my SALT year. I left Ranchi yesterday. I'm in Kolkata for a week before until my flight out of India. The next month or two will consist of tons of transitioning. I already feel like my head is swimming. So much moving around and trying to figure out what comes next. I have posted more pictures from my last few months in India. Check them out!

And please pray for safe travel for me and for the rest of the SALTers as we go to Akron for 'disorientation' next week and then safe travel to our homes.

At the moment, this whole year seems like a dream. Did it really happen? Has it really been a year? One year ago, India was this far-away country that I was excited (and a little nervous) to visit. Now, I forget how far from Ohio India is. It seems so close. India is now a part of me, and I will never forget the people I know here. I already hope to come back sometime!

Wholistic Mission

I just helped coordinate a Wholistic Mission Workshop in Orissa, and at times, I felt as though I was just a participant soaking up all of the information too. Wholistic Mission is not a new concept for me, but it was nice to be reminded of it. The idea is to consider the needs of the whole person when you're reaching out to them. So often, we preach about the spirituality of Jesus, how he came to die for our sins and was resurrected. While this is true and central to our fait, it doesn't seem very relevant to the poor and marginalized people who are not sure when they will have their next meal.

We can't overlook Jesus' life by concentrating on his death. Over and over again, Jesus proclaims healing for the sick, food for the hungry, and freedom for the oppressed. As Christians, we tend to spiritualize all of these needs. But Christ was talking about physical healing, real food, and for the oppressed to be pulled out of the systems that oppress them. We preach the good news of inner spiritual freedom, and then get upset when these hungry, sick, poor people don't accept our thological presentation.

For someone who is hungry, the good news of Jesus is a meal. For one who is poor, the good news is sustainable livelihood - escape from poverty. For the oppressed, good news is freedom from the oppressor.
As we think about sharing the good news with people, shouldn't we focus on those physical and social needs first? The people we are serving will want to know about our God then! We can minister to the spiritual needs of the people better when the physical needs are met.


I really appreciate this quote that was hanging on the wall of the center where we held the workshop. From John Stott’s book “Human Rights & Human Wrongs: Major issues for a new century.”

I was hungry,
and you formed a humanities group to discuss my hunger.
I was imprisoned,
and you crept off quietly to your chapel and prayed for my release.
I was naked,
and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.
I was sick,
and you knelt and thanked God for your health.
I was homeless,
and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God.
I was lonely,
and you left me alone to pray for me.
You seem so holy, so close to God
but I am still very hungry-and lonely-and cold.

One month!?!

As of tomorrow, I will only have one month left in India. It's unbelievable! It's strange how I feel like I don't have enough time left. Here's what the next month or so will look like for me:
Tonight I'm leaving for Gopalpur to help coordinate a Wholistic Mission Workshop with MCSFI. I will return to Ranchi on 27th June. After only 2 short weeks back at home, I will leave for Kolkata on 12th July. One week in Kolkata, and I fly out on 18 July. One week of Disorientation in Akron, PA. Then I will spend a few days visiting Heidi in Philadelphia and Christie in Pittsburgh en route to Ohio. I'll make it back in time for the Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale on July 31-August1. (Nothing like finishing a term with MCC and then going right into fund-raising for the organization!)
I have a feeling the next 6 weeks are going to fly by...

What is it about India?

I have been trying to put my finger on just what it is about this country that I love. Although I haven’t been able to draw any conclusions, I have had fun reminiscing about ongoing quirks or funny experiences I’ve had in this culture.

1. There’s always room for one more in any mode of transportation. Family of 4? One motorcycle’s all you need. Have a matchbox car? That’ll fit 7-8 people, easy.

2. It is always appropriate to answer your cell phone, even in the middle of a meeting. Leaving the room is optional. (I have been informed that voicemail does exist, but it’s impossible to retrieve messages, so voicemail does not exist here.)

3. If something is scheduled to begin at a specific time, be sure to arrive at least an hour later. Recently, I went to a wedding that was scheduled for 4:30. We arrived at 5:50, just as the ceremony began.

4. When meeting someone on the street, it is always appropriate to ask “कहाँ जा रही हैं?" “Where are you going?” or “आप खाना खायी हैं” “Have you eaten?”

5. It is inappropriate to ignore the above questions when asked. The correct answers are always “Around” and “Yes. I have eaten.”

6. It is appropriate to inform a person if he or she has gained weight. Even though I ‘have reduced’ this year, I am still considered ‘मोटी’ (fat).

7. The electricity can and will go out at any time. Prepare with mobiles and torches (flashlights).

8. The electricity will stay off for any random length of time. Most common is 1-2 hours, but be prepared to be in the dark for 8 hours…or 5 minutes.

9. If it rains, one can assume that any and all planned activities are cancelled for the rest of the day. Even so, my experience indicates that most activities continue as planned, just with fewer people. (I will see if this ‘rule’ changes now that monsoon season is beginning!)

10. Sarees are not as horrible to wear as some foreigners would have you think. I make up reasons to wear my sarees and enjoy every minute of it.

11. When greeting the foreigner walking down the road, children are taught to always use their best English. “Good morning, Didi” is used at all times of the day, until one kid smacks another on the shoulder and says, “It’s evening!” This comment is then followed by another chorus of “Good evening, Didi!”

12. If you see a foreigner in a restaurant, it is acceptable to stare. If you get up enough courage, send your little girl over to ask (in her best English) “What is your name?” For bonus points, send her a second time to ask, “Where are you from?” Feel free to continue to stare. (Oh, yes this happened! The Indo-foreigners Gang can verify it.)

13. Tailors do not understand the concept of loose-fitting clothes. Yes, I’m sure I don’t want my arm flab bulging out from my sleeves, thank you very much!

14. Always charge a “foreigner tax” when transporting foreigners in your taxi/auto/rickshaw. This tax at least doubles a reasonable fare. If the foreigner somehow knows what the fair price should be, gasp and look appalled that she would even suggest such low price. Only negotiate when she walks away.

15. If you are in a hurry and the line is too long in the grocery store, walk around the cash registers and put your merchandise at the other end of the counter. Sometimes the cashier will take your items before helping the customer who has waited patiently for his/her turn to check out. (This doesn’t work most of the time…it only causes an uproar by the people who have been waiting in line, but there’s always at least one person who does this every time I go to the store.)

16. Any daily task can take much longer than anticipated. For example, one time I was waiting in line at the grocery store. I was next in line to be checked out. The electricity blinked off and back on, but the cashiers’ system froze and no one could check out. By the time they rebooted the whole system (amidst all of the customers jockeying for position in the line that could open first), my cashier disappeared. I seriously considered trying #15, but then just took my place in a different line and paid…45 minutes later than anticipated.

17. There is no such thing as personal space when waiting in line. Pushing the person in front of you somehow gets you there faster, and if there is a counter, crowd to the side of the person currently being helped and shove your paperwork or money toward the worker. (Luckily, the rules bend a bit when ladies have to wait in the men’s line. Leave at least a little bit of air between men and ladies.)

18. A ladies’ line is always available at rail ticket and post offices. When the line is all ladies, the pushing rule is in full effect.

19. Be sure you are in the right line. Banks are confusing enough that you may wait for an hour in one line, get to the front and find out that you need to use a different counter.

20. Never take your toothbrush into the bathroom on the train. (See my “Smile” post on 28 Dec 2008 for a more complete explanation.)

The Indo-foreigners Gang

So much has been happening. Sorry it took me so long to let you in on it. Most of my time outside of work is spent with Pastor Rakesh and Leni Paul. They have a ministry here in Ranchi, reaching out to the young people in the city. I’ve been able to take part in their Youth Impact program and Impact City Church that began several months ago. It has been such a blessing to join them in their vision to make an impact on young people, who can then impact their society here in Ranchi, and in India.
Leni is from Brazil, and she came to India a few years ago. She married Rakesh in 2006 and they moved to Ranchi about a month before I got here. It’s been great to talk with her about her experiences in India too. Some things about India just can’t be explained to Indians. And Indians can’t explain them either! It’s nice to have another “western” perspective. I’m sure that Brazil and the US are completely different cultures, but compared to India, they seem the same to me!
Rakesh and Leni have basically adopted me. Every week we’re going somewhere or doing something. Usually, Rakesh’s good friend Pastor Finni joins us. The four of us are together so much that we’ve been dubbed the “Indo-foreigners gang”. Many of our outings involve prayer meetings and Bible studies, but we also make time to just hang out. Every week, we travel across town to our other friends’ house to watch downloaded episodes of 24 in HD on their big screen. Never thought I’d do that in India! (By the way, I am now totally addicted to 24…I’m sure all of you 24 fans out there know exactly what I’m talking about!)
It is going to be very hard to leave this place and these people. I had prayed for connections and relationships to begin here. My prayer has been answered, and now I realize that having these relationships makes it so much harder to think about going away.
People keep asking me when I will return to Ranchi. It’s never a question of “if,” it’s “when?” And I wish I’d have an answer. I wish I could say, “January. In January I will come back to visit.” Or “in 2 years.” Sometimes I forget just how far away from Ohio India actually is. I can’t just come visit for a weekend. I really don’t know when I will return to see my Ranchians. I’m glad I still have 2 months before I leave.

In the News

I’m famous! Okay, not really. But I did get my picture in a local newspaper. I attended a Christian Leaders Conference in Ranchi. So when the paper wrote an article about the conference, of course they needed pictures.



I really didn’t want my picture in the paper, because I really don’t think I should be big news. But I’ll admit, it is kinda cool to have my picture surrounded by a bunch of Hindi! (Who cares if the caption says I’m praying when my eyes are open and I’m clapping!)

Cousins

This post has been a long time in coming. So my cousins, John and Heidi, came to visit me in India. It was so much fun having them here. Other than stomach issues, travel issues, and general tiredness, it was a wonderful whirlwind of a week.
I got on the train to Delhi on Friday afternoon, set to arrive at 11am on Saturday. I planned to get fresh and take rest (yeah, I'm now Indian) at our guest house before going to meet them at the airport at 8:15. But as trains go...I should have expected the late arrival to Delhi. I got off the train at 6pm, had enough time to drop my bags at the guest house and rush over to the airport. At least I made it there before they did!
We spent the next day in Delhi, shopping and visiting Red Fort (apparently I can visit the same fort 3 times in one year!). Monday morning we took a bus to Corbett Tiger Reserve. We stayed there for 2 days (our longest stay in any one location!) Tuesday we had a safari. It was a lot of fun, even though we didn't get to see any tigers. I think I'm destined to not see any big cats on any of my safaris. :( Oh well.
Wednesday night, we took a bus to Dehra Dun. The plan was to visit Mussoorie, but stomach issues foiled our plans. Kudos to Heidi for enduring that 8-hour bus ride! We returned to Delhi on Friday and met up with Liz, Priti, and Priti’s cousin, Suku for shopping.
Saturday morning the 6 of us boarded the train to Agra. We were among the 500 people who did not have confirmed seats, so most of us had to stand for most of the 3-hour ride. I didn’t mind so much. Standing on a train is infinitely better than standing on a bus!
Once we reached Agra, we visited Agra Fort (known also as Red Fort) and eventually made our way to the Taj Mahal. John, Heidi, and I hung out there until sunset (Priti, Suku and Liz had train tickets back to Delhi that night). We visited a few shops before having dinner on the rooftop of our guest house.
Easter morning, after watching the sunrise over the Taj (our guest house had a great view), we took the train back to Delhi, had lunch, and went to the Gandhi museum and visited Raj Ghat, the cremation site of Mahatma Gandhi. In the evening we enjoyed killer samosas. By enjoyed, I guess I mean that I enjoyed them. John and Heidi had a bit of trouble with theirs! I guess there’s a reason they say you shouldn’t eat street food until you’ve been here for 2 weeks.
After the samosa incident, it was time for them to head to the airport. I was sad to see them go, but it was so good to have them here for the week! After seeing family again, I don’t feel like I’m so far away from home. India’s not that far away from Ohio, right?

New Family

God is faithful. He is continually showing me that He hasn’t forgotten about me, even when I’ve forgotten what I asked for! I was reminded recently of a blog entry I had written at the end of December about smiling. The entry was brought up because of a question asked during a campfire. “Why Laura always smiles for no reason?” I hope it’s not weird to quote myself in my own blog, but who’s gonna stop me anyway. This was the response I had written: “I have reasons! That particular time, I was thoroughly enjoying the evening. That campfire was an answer to prayer. I have been longing for a group to just hang out with, and I found it! (even if only for that one night).”
What stuns me is the last comment in parentheses. If only for that one night. I had no idea if I’d ever see those people again; if I’d ever get to hang out with them again. But now, I get to see those people at least 3 times a week! While I was off traveling to Bangladesh, the Andamans, and Nepal, I missed them. When my parents came to visit, my favorite part of the trip was when they got to meet them and get to know them too! (And I know Mom and Dad enjoyed that as well. Just ask them about MY India.)
God answered my prayer in December, giving me just a glimpse of the new family He had placed for me in Ranchi. I don’t know what I’d do without them now! Praise the Lord!
Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

February has come and gone...

This month has been super-crazy for me, which is why I haven't written anything until now. Basically, I haven't spent more than 2 consecutive nights in any one place since the end of January, so you can kind of get the idea of the amount of traveling I have been doing. Here's just a brief review of my life since my last post:

Bangladesh:
Christina, the other SALTer in India, and I had to leave India for our visas to be valid for the rest of our term. So we flew into Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, on January 30th. We met Dave, the Bangladesh SALTer at the airport and he showed us around for most of the week. It was great to see Dave again and we really had a good time hanging out together. It was interesting how similar India and Bangladesh are, but even more interesting to realize how different they are as well. For one, they speak Bangla, which is similar to Hindi, but I couldn't really understand much of it.
One of the highlights of the trip was when we visited a small village called Pirgacha. We had to take a vangari to get there (a bicycle with a flat bed for us to sit on the back). It was so peaceful getting away from all of the hustle and bustle that is in the cities. The society in that area is matriarchal, and even the atmosphere surrounding the landscape seemed to reflect that. It was so peaceful. Christina and I weren't sure if we wanted to go back to India. When we arrived back in Kolkata on Feb 6th, we got some coffee, got a taxi, and both sighed. And then burst out laughing. It felt so good to be back in India where everything's normal! Yeah, I said normal. Everyone spoke Hindi, it smelled like India - we didn't feel out of place anymore. Such a crazy feeling!

Mom and Dad!:
A few days after returning to Ranchi, I flew to Delhi to meet my parents on Feb 10th. We had such a wonderful time together. It was great to see them again, although it was a bit surreal. In my picture of India, my parents weren't there...but then they were. It was as if worlds collided. But in a good way. We visited the Taj Mahal in Agra, rode elephants in Jaipur and toured around Delhi. After 6 days in the same car, I even made friends with our driver. He seemed to enjoy the fact that I knew Hindi. (That was actually a source of entertainment on a number of occasions.) My favorite part of their visit was when we came to Ranchi and they got to meet all of my friends and coworkers. The whole time we were tourists, I didn't particularly enjoy it. It wasn't MY India. Ranchi is MY India. It was so much fun to share with them the people I know and the things I've been doing for the past 6 months. We kept joking that I may stay in India for years and years...I think Mom and Dad may actually be afraid of that now! Don't worry. I'm still not even sure what's going to happen after returning in July!

Andaman Islands:
On Feb 21, just hours after Mom and Dad began their trip home, I flew to the Andaman Islands to visit Dan, a service worker with MCC in India. Liz and I joined him there and got to visit some of his coworkers and took a ferry out to Haveloc Island, where we stayed for 2 nights. On the 23rd, we went scuba diving! :) Such a fun experience! Well, fun at least after I finally got past the shock of breathing under water. I have been taught my whole life not to breathe under water, and I nearly freaked out when I first tried to get used to the regulator (breathing-thingy). But once I was used to it, I had no problems, and it was actually quite fun. The next day, we went to a beach that is called one of the most beautiful beaches in all of Asia. The water was absolutely beautiful. So clear! I don't think pictures can even capture how beautiful is was. It was also fun traveling around with Dan and Liz again, like we had done in Rajasthan after Christmas. [Side note...Dan and I found out we're related! Yay for Mennonite geneology! Lol]

Nepal:
After returning to Kolkata on the 25th, we caught a plane to Kathmandu, Nepal on the 26th for our MCC Cluster retreat. Dan, Christina, Liz, and I flew together and met the rest of the MCC ex-pats working in India, Nepal, and Afghanistan. We are currently in Pokhara hanging out and getting to know each other better. I have met Amos and Heidi, the Nepal CRs, Micah and Charlotte, Nepal service workers, Ben, the Nepal SALTer, and Hannah, a service worker in Afghanistan, and Glen, another service worker in Afghanistan. Earl, Sarah, and Sri are also here from India. This is such a fun group of people to have on a retreat. We all get along really well and have a great time together. This morning we rowed across the lake, then hiked up a very large hill to a Peace Pagoda. It was still a bit hazy, but I got my first real look at the Himalayas. Such a beautiful sight!

There are already so many more stories than I can share, and traveling so much just piles them up. Check out the pictures. I just wanted to let you all know what I've been up to, and yes, it is as unbelievable and amazing as it sounds. :)

Slumdog

So I watched Slumdog Millionaire (maybe some of you have heard of it). It is a very well-made movie. The basic story is about this young man who goes on India's version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," but he's accused of cheating when he gets farther than anyone expected him to. He grew up in the slums of Bombay (now Mumbai), so how could he possibly know the answers to the questions asked? So he goes through memories of his life and how he came to know the answers to the specific questions asked of him on the show.

The movie shows a very real, but very sad side of India. Some people here do not like the movie because it only shows the negative or underbelly of India. But there are many different Indias. Yes, there is an India of extreme wealth and power. There's a middle class India, which appears to be growing. The majority India is of people who have enough to live, but are just getting by (in the US, these people would be considered poor, or below the poverty line.) But still there is another India of extreme poverty, where children are put to work, or people are made to be beggars, mutilated to bring in more money. This is the India shown on the screen. While this may not be the India of many, it is an India that exists.

I enjoyed the movie. For those few short hours, it was as if I was back in the US, watching a film about a country I had visited, and certain things made me smile and think "only in India." I could even follow some of the Hindi conversations without needing to read the English translations on the screen. :)

I'm falling in love with India. Which India? I don't know. All of them. I'm beginning to feel like India is a part of me, and somehow I am a part of India. One of my friends here keeps telling me that I'm Indian. I eat extra chilies during my meals, and I eat with my hands. I join in the tribal dances any chance I get. I'm speaking Hindi more and more. In some ways, I feel like I belong in India. And yet, in other ways, I'm totally the foreigner. This country is so complicated. And I'm afraid that my feelings about this country are just as complicated. On that note, I hope everyone had a Happy Republic Day yesterday! :)

Cold!

It’s been cold here. I’m actually wearing socks today, not to mention long sleeves and a shawl. But the hilarious thing is that it’s only cold inside the office. If I get too frigid, I can just go outside in the sun and warm up. Ok, so I guess “cold” is relative. After hearing about Ohio weather being down to –21F and snow everywhere, I don’t think I have any room to complain about the temperature here.

I have to thank Ohio weather right now though. It’s because of that weather that I haven’t worn socks until now. While most people are out in the sun wearing coats, sweaters and caps, I am comfortable in short sleeves and sandals. The only trouble is, I’m a little afraid of what summertime here will mean for me…

I guess I’ll find out soon enough. Summer begins by the end of February. (So much for Ohio’s winter until April, eh?) So by about April, I should be miserable. I’ll keep you posted.

Rajasthan Pics

I have finally gotten my pictures from Rajasthan up. There's a link to the right.

Trip to Rajasthan

During my Christmas break, I went traveling. Liz and I met up with Dan, another service worker, in Delhi, and traveled to Udaipur and Jodhpur in the state of Rajasthan, back to Delhi, and then back to Ranchi together. It was quite a week, and we even changed plans to include one more destination. We did so much traveling that all but 2 nights were spent on trains or buses. Here’s the short version: Christmas Day – Liz and I left from Ranchi at 11:30 pm. Dec 26 – on the train. Dec 27 – Delhi. Dec 28 – Udaipur. Dec 29 – Udaipur. Dec 30 – Jodhpur. Dec 31 – Delhi. Jan 1 – on the train. Jan 2 – Arrived in Ranchi at 8:30 am.
Now for the highlights. The first day in Delhi, we had breakfast with Christina, the other SALTer in India this year. Several of her friends from home have come to visit her, so we got to meet them too. Then we visited Red Fort before catching our train to Udaipur. Udaipur is a beautiful city. We had a very relaxing time for the two days we were there. We stayed in a guest house by the lake. We had a wonderful view of Lake Palace, City Palace, and Monsoon Palace from our guest house. Since we were staying in a “tourist” section of town, we saw many foreigners walking down the street. And all of the shop owners wanted us to buy something from them. But we weren’t usual tourists. People absolutely loved it when we spoke Hindi with them. We decided to go for a walk away from where most of the tourists go. We drew a lot of attention from the children down one street. One little boy showed us a quarter and a nickel from the US and asked us to change the money for him. When we didn’t, he tried to sell us an old clipboard! He may be a successful shop owner one day!
Jodhpur is known as the Blue City, and it is! All of the houses are blue. It is the color of Brahmin (the highest caste in Hindu society), but everyone, Brahmin or not, began to paint their houses blue. Blue is also considered a mosquito repellant. (One lady informed us that it doesn’t work!) The day that we spent in Jodhpur was my favorite day of the whole trip. That was the day I found out that I’m Punjabi…at least I look like I’m from the Punjab (Western India between Rajasthan and Kashmir). We were walking up the hill to visit Jodhpur Fort and many people were stopping us and wanting to talk with us along the way. (I’m sure they also get a lot of visitors up that street!) One man told me that I look Punjabi. I wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not. But then we got to the fort. The guy explaining the audio tour told me the same thing. Throughout the tour (and even in town the rest of the day) people kept wanting to take pictures with me and told me I look Indian. Even as we were walking through the market, Dan overheard several people who were looking at us saying something about a Punjabi. So I guess I believe them. I stick out so much in Ranchi. So maybe to blend in, I should visit the Punjab…
While we were in Delhi New Year’s Eve, we found out that our train was going to begin late. Instead of leaving at 7:30, it wouldn’t go until 11pm. We went to the train station at about 9:30, but as we were waiting, found out that we wouldn’t actually leave until 2am. We were able to board the train at 11:50, and when 2009 began, I was locking my backpack under the seat. Happy New Year! Lol. Instead of reaching Ranchi at 7:30pm on New Year’s Day, we got in at 8:30am on the 2nd. At least we got a full night of sleep before reaching Ranchi!
I’ll try to post pictures as soon as I can!