Day 14

Day 14

June 6, 2011

This week is the beginning of adventure week! I am so excited! The only downer to this week is seeing one of my really good friends here leave. She is leaving on Sunday, but because we are leaving for Rajasthan tomorrow morning at 4:30 AM and staying til Sunday evening I will not get the chance to see her again. Luckily she is only from Canada so it gives me an excuse to go visit. She will definitely be missed by many though.

            Besides that fact though, I am really looking forward this week. After two weeks of entering data and making comparison charts of the kids in the Indian state of Rajasthan we finally get the chance to visit the schools and meet the kids themselves. I cannot wait to compare the true condition to what the charts say. Plus to travel to a new state in India and see the diversity will be amazing. Every time we tell people from India where we are going there eyes get big and exclaim how beautiful it is there. From what I know of Rajasthan it is far more rural than Hyderabad and has a completely different environment and culture. Part of this trip for me was to learn obviously the medical side of things and do all that I can to help people, but to have the opportunity to travel and experience the culture in a new was is truly a blessing and answer to my prayers. After our week in Rajasthan we will fly to Delhi and meet up with the other interns for the weekend. It is going to be so nice to wear western cloths and feel like a normal tourist again! In Delhi we will explore the capital city and see different sites, but we will also be able to go on a train ride if not take a car to Agra which is about two hours away to see the Taj Mahal. I think this is a site almost every imagines when they hear you are going to India. Now I can say I have been there… who knows maybe I will even by a souvenir mug for all the chi I have been drinking. It will be fun to play tourist for a weekend getaway. I hope I will be able to keep everyone up to date on this exciting week ahead, but if not be prepared for a long post when I get back! Pray that God works in marvelous and amazing ways!

I can’t believe I already have been here two weeks. I know that this week is going to fly by and by the time I get back I will already be halfway done with my time here in India. India can most simply be described as interesting. Everything is so crazy and out of order. When you first arrive you wonder how anyone could manage to survive in such a mental world, but the more time you spend looking beyond the surface you grow to respect and admire the people and the lifestyle they embrace. I love India. The bright colors of women’s sarees matches perfectly with the culture all around. I realized today I will really miss some of the things about this place, but more so the people I have encountered. They are wonderful. The way they laugh and make fun of themselves at stupid jokes. The heart they have to serve you (although they can be quite bossy). They joys over quality time with friends and family. The community in India is great. They take you under your wing and do almost anything to make you feel at home. I am so glad I have a long enough time here to really get to know people. If not, I think I would have come in and left still judgmental and built up my walls even more. I feel them starting to crumble. I feel like I am finally figuring out just how things work and really embracing the culture. It is good for now, but the amenities of home will be very welcoming…although I may have to continue showering with a bucket every once in a while for memory’s sake. This week the thing I have learned to appreciate the most about home is a washing machine. The bucket can do the job of cleaning myself…but cloths are another story. You can wash them, but the dirt that is in you cloths is almost disgusting and you can never get them fully clean. Laundry is going to be real fun when I get back…good thing my mom packed a trash bag to seal in the stench for the plane ride back.