when tim asked those of us who have been to india to reflect on our time there, i was pretty excited. reflecting means that i get to relive some of the crazy experiences i had, the amazing people i met and the amazing people i travelled with.
as a team we spent almost a whole year preparing ourselves to go. as we left, i felt pretty comfortable seeing pictures, watching videos and hearing stories of those who had been there before, but i still remember arriving in Mumbai and stepping out of the airport to a wall of air that was thicker than stink. that was the first thing that was going to take
some getting used too. the sights and smells would also require some adjusting and reorganizing of my comfort zones, but was well worth it.
a lot of things have stuck with me from that trip, and i would love to go back to visit again...but here a few things that i still think of often...
it was amazing to see Ray in his element. out for a visit with somefriends or people who needed a visit and back before 7 a.m. to make sure the rest of us were up. and out again for tea and visits after the rest of our head had hit the pillow. truly at home in that place, and i learned more about service and humility from him those 6 weeks than i likely ever will again.
the generosity of the people in that country was amazing. to feed 8 canadians is a big task for most families in canada, nevermind a struggling family from rural india. but the houses we went to, and the people we shared food with were amazing. giving us more food than likely even 16 of us could eat, while only eating rice and maybe dahl themselves. how can i be greedy with all that i have, while they are extraordinarily generous with so little? wow!
the friendships i made with some of the people there were life changing as well. many of us who have been have had the chance to meet and hang out with Joshua Salam. i could go back to india and be satisfied if all i got to see was this guy. he made me feel more at home in his country and his home than anyone else i met. took me on tours of the city, tried
to teach us the rules to cricket, laughed with us, laughed at us and became a friend that i will remember forever and miss until i get to see him again.
ok. this is long enough. i could write more. thats just how awesome that country is. seriously. if you get the chance, you need to go. you will be blown away. and if you do go, make sure to tell me when you get back, i want to see pictures and hear stories. thanks tim, for the
chance to reflect...
9 comments:
ill kick your ass in cricket anytime.
what about finding a chicken head in your food.
sweet.
and when you saw people roasting a dog...
I totally agree on how my Dad was completely in his element there... pretty cool to see.
Brianne were you there in Honduras when we saw the dead dog smoldering on the side of the road? That was nifty.
Nice. Thanks for the glimpse into your time there. Sweet memories! I wanna go too:)
nifty. i thought it was awful.
hey jeremy!
just wondering where you are going to be come april next year. are you moving back to saask? will you be back from china? how long is that stay going to be?
see ya
kk
Ahhh, India, I also love to remember my time there. We have lots of the same memories I think, just different years. But I am thinking about when Tara got crap put on her shoe in Dehli then the guy stole it from her to clean it so she had to pay him to get it back. Good times in India. I would get on a plane now if I could.
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