India Trip: Days 1-3

I promise, I really will cover my whole trip.

It just might take me a while. :)

So, my group arrived in India at 7 in the morning on Saturday. I can't remember at what point, though I believe it was afternoon, we took a lovely four hour nap. I'm pretty sure that was the highlight of the day, for me. :)

Anyway, we also went and did some shopping. Clothes shopping in particular. This was the only time we went to an 'indoor' store the entire trip. We got taken to a fairly nice 'department store' style shop, with different items on each floor. It was at this shop that I got by far my favorite Indian outfit. It was made a light, cool, silky material and it was the reason I didn't die of heat stroke while we were over there. Though it started smelling really bad, since I only got to wash it once... Anyway!

After we were done clothes shopping the shop owner took us up the the top floor of his shop where he had a bunch of rugs and carpets. This was the REAL highlight of the day. He had us sit down on a padded bench against the wall while he and a few other workers did a 'rug show' for us. They pulled out the different sizes and kinds and (very dramatically) rolled them out for us to see. And they served us Chai Tea! All of their rugs were SO beautiful! All hand sewn and super soft and shiny. They even had really tiny ones that you might hang on a wall or something, with camels on them. I was *this* close to buying one, but I didn't really have that much money to spend on something I wasn't sure I'd use.

This was such an amazing experience. Obviously, they weren't just doing this to be nice, as the did want us to buy their rugs, but it was such an amazing illustration of hospitality! It was a shopping experience unlike anything you'd find in America.

Anyway, I think it was after this that we went back to our hotel and took a nap. I'm not positive, though. In the evening we had a surprise birthday party for Josiah. He works for YWAM Idaho, though he's currently living in India because his wife is Indian. (Please pray that they'll be able to get a visa for her soon!) We went over to their hotel (which was just a few blocks from ours) and had a lovely dinner with them. There was cake too! Though, it was quite different from cake here. Obviously. :)

After this, we went back to our hotel and went to bed... A little after midnight we woke up to welcome the rest of our group to India! And then we crashed again.

Our second day in India (Sunday) was full of even more shopping. Everyone who'd come in the night before needed clothes, etc. Josiah's wife, Binu, went shopping with us to be sure we payed a fair price for everything. It was SO hot and I was completely exhausted by the time we were done shopping. At some point before or after the shopping, Josiah told us (meaning all the girls) the story of how he and his wife met, fell in love, and got married. Seriously, it was the cutest story ever. :)

That night, we headed out of New Delhi. We walked about a mile in the humid heat to the train station, with our huge hiking backpacks on. It was miserable. We loaded on to the train, though, and I was pleasantly surprised to find we were in an AC car. It was quite nice, actually! More similar to an airplane than I'd been expecting.

We had a four hour train ride to Agra, then an exciting first ride in an Auto Rickshaw, a little three wheeled car with no sides. We made it to our new hotel at around 11, and I think this was probably my most depressed time. I was exhausted from all the traveling and heat. I was homesick. And our new hotel in Agra wasn't exactly 5 star. Or 2 star, for that matter. I went to bed in a pretty pathetic state of mind. But I was excited to get to start real ministry stuff the next day.

Unfortunately, the next day we didn't actually end up having much ministry stuff to do. In the morning we walked to the Mother Teresa home, but we were only given a tour. Apparently they didn't realize we actually wanted to help out, not just get the tour. They did tell us we could come back the next day, however, and gave us the time that would work best.

Our afternoon activity was much more interesting, even though it wasn't really ministry yet, either. We did a 'Treasure Hunt'. We drove to one train station in Old Agra and split into three groups. We each had to find our way from that train station to the Red Fort Train Station, about a mile and a half away. On the way we had to take pictures which represented the Seven Spheres of Society (Church, Family, Business, Education, Arts & Entertainment, Media & Communication, Government & Law).

It was overwhelming and very uncomfortable, but a great way to feel completely immersed in the culture. We walked through so many fascinating areas where I could hardly believe what I was seeing. One of the funniest things about Indian people is that they have very strong feelings about whether they do or do not want their picture taken. Either they REALLY want it or they REALLY don't. We had so many kids following us through the streets asking us to take their picture and adults would stop us and ask for their picture as well.

When we got to the Red Fort, one group was already there. While we waited for the last group, a whole bunch of 'spectators gathered in a circle around us. They would just stand back a little ways and watch us. And sometimes they'd get out their cell phones and take pictures of us. It was the strangest thing! I felt like a celebrity everywhere I went, because people were always taking pictures of us or wanting to shake our hand or wave at us. I feel rather starved for attention, back in the good old US of A, where no one notices when I walk down the street. :D

Alright, that does it for our first three days in India. Sorry for the long post, but a lot happened!

Till next time!