Hi there, Emily and I (Maria) are still doing fine over here in India. We are halfway through our 6thweek, which is half exciting and half panic-inducing as we scramble to make sure we do everything Indian while we still have the chance.
The past two weeks have been full of sight-seeing and new experiences. We were really blessed to be able to take in the beauty and extravagance of Mysore Palace, go inside our first Hindu temple and spend an entire day out with some really nice friends of our hosts. We even got to ride on an elephant (which was especially exciting for me because I had never done that before!)
We have been really blessed to attend a great church here with our hosts that is, although lengthy, helpful. In general, Christianity in India is very different from American Christianity. Our Indian friend who is a pastor told us that many Hindus readily accept Christ; they just add him to a lengthy list of deities to worship without understanding his supremacy. So it is common to see people kneeling in prayer at a shrine to Jesus or some saint, and draping flower garlands over crosses. Part of me thinks it is really cool that God can be worshiped in such different ways but another part is sad that many people here don’t understand that God is the one and only creator and master of the universe who truly loves us and wants us to love him back.
The past 39 days in India have taught us so much including how to shower with buckets, capture a cockroach, eat with our hands and use Indian toilets (trust me, this is a skill you hope never to need.) But in all seriousness, the Indian lifestyle has taught us to appreciate the simple things and to approach uncomfortable situations with a sense of adventure. We have also learned some lessons from the people here; especially our wise hosts, Prem and Rita.
Something that I would like to take away from the people of Bangalore is their ability to coexist with people of other religions. There are large Muslim and Christian populations among the Hindus in this city and everyone seems to get along nicely. Students as well as teachers at the school we work in are of all different religions. Just yesterday a Muslim man who works at the school brought Rita, who is the school principal, some biryani prepared especially for Eid (a celebration at the end of the fasting of Ramadan.) Rita has modeled religious tolerance in her ability to love people regardless of their beliefs and Emily and I are thankful to be able to learn from her example.
This past weekend Emily and I took a trip to Goa, where we stayed in a hotel, rested, relaxed and toured different parts of the beautiful Indian state.
One highlight of the trip was an evening boat tour hosted by Swastik Cruises. Emily and I, and around 200 Indians got on a rusty old boat and the party began! The night consisted of traditional Goan dance performances interspersed with periods of high-volume, hardcore dance music during which different groups of people were called up to the front to dance. When all the men were dancing up front we noticed one in particular who had some especially flamboyant moves as well as a dark brown stain on both of the butt cheeks of his khaki pants. We usually say no to creepy men who want pictures with us, (white people are such a novelty to Indians) but we decided to make an exception for butt-stain man before the cruise ended.
Overall our Goa trip was a welcome break full of adventure, but Emily and I agreed that coming back to Bangalore and to the school was a homecoming of sorts. It feels good to be back and we are excited for the next couple weeks during which we are planning to shop for saris, travel to Delhi and celebrate Indian Independence Day.
Please pray for safe travels and for wisdom. Emily and I are going to give a group of students a talking-to because they are really disrespecting and disobeying their teachers. Prayers that our words will be from God and that they will be understood would be appreciated. Please also pray that they can have open ears and hearts to help them appreciate that they are being disciplined for their own good and not to hurt them. Thank you and we hope to see you soon!
A picture at a mosque from our recent outing with friends.