It is official, I have landed in the US. I cannot comprehend that I will be home tonight. It does not feel real that I just said goodbye to people and a culture that have made such an impact on my life these last 3 ½ months. I am excited to go home, but I can’t help but miss India and all that came with it.
I have been thinking and reflecting a lot lately.
I have been thinking about how to share my trip. I saw, learned, and experienced more than I ever thought possible in 3 ½ months. What parts do I share? A lot of things cannot be fully understood unless you actually experience them yourself.
I have been thinking about what changes I am going to make in my life. I learned so much, but that means nothing unless I apply what I learned.
I have been thinking about what I was exposed to and want to explore deeper. Poverty, consumerism, contextualization, caste system, sex trafficking, and the list goes on and on.
I have been thinking about how I help my community and make a difference here. Most of the problems that I saw in India can be found in some form or another in the US. It can be overwhelming to think about all the problems and injustice that exist. I may not be able to fix all of them, or even any of them. What is my passion? Where do I want to start making small small change?
I have been thinking about how much change God has made in my heart and I hope and pray that change continues.
Those are just a few of the MANY things I have been thinking about.
Hopefully, sometime soon, I will be able to make sense of these scattered thoughts and put them into action.
Thanks to all you readers for your prayers and encouragement through this whole journey!
Merry Christmas everyone!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
And we're off!
Saying goodbyes has not been fun, especially when I don’t know if I will EVER see these people that made such an impact on my life again. That is sad too think about. However, I am so thankful to have met wonderful people that make saying goodbye so hard. I will also miss the city of Coimbatore. The door man that greets me with a cheerful, “Good morning madam” each morning when I get the paper, walking around racecourse seeing all the people, and yoga on the roof are just a few of the little things I will miss. Enough of the sad stuff. Thanks to the travel packet we received yesterday, I will share about our travel to the north.
Tomorrow morning we leave for Calcutta
In Calcutta we will visit-
Sari Bari:
Sari blanket making NGO whose employees are women who were all working in the sex trade.
Ramakrishna Mandir and Museum:
A famous temple
Kali Temple:
Another Temple.
St Paul’s Cathedral:
It was the first Anglican cathedral in India and is today the seat of the Church of North India bishop of Kolkata.
Then a LONG train to Varanasi (11:45 AM – 2:35 AM)
Is famous for the “ghats,” or stairs down to the river Ganges, where devotees go to bathe, believing that such bathing removes sins and impurities. Many Hindus believe that if one dies in Varanasi and is immersed in the Ganges at Varanasi one will immediately obtain Moksha, or liberation.
The Ghats:
A small number of ghats are “burning ghats” where dead bodies are cremated, typically on pyres made out of sandalwood (so as to cover the smell of burning flesh). Once the bodies have been completely burned the bones and ashes are immersed in the Ganges. A special breed of snapping turtles were bread to eat the flesh that doesn’t burn completely.
Sarnath:
Sarnath is the site of Gautama Buddha’s first sermon after he received enlightenment.
Varanasi Walks:
A tour through the twisting back alleys of old Varanasi and a sunset boat tour of the Ganges .
Open Hand Café:
Manufactures, exports and retails fairly traded high quality Indian-made textiles, garments, bags and handicrafts,
Then a train from 12am - 11:45am to Jaipur
Amber and Jaigarh Fort:
To get to the temple we are riding an ELEPHANT! Yes, another check on my India bucket list!
Bus to Agra!
Fatehpur Sikri:
Ancient abandoned capital of the Moghul Empire.
Agra Fort:
It is the place where Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal, was imprisoned by his son.
The Taj Mahal:
The Taj was started in 1632 and completed in 1648, built by the Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. We are going on a sunrise visit!
Train to Delhi!
Red Fort: Also built by Shah Jahan.
Within this packed schedule we will have some free time.
Then, on the 15th I head home. Bittersweet.
Don’t know how much internet I will have the next two weeks. I will try to update you when I can.
Bye for now :)
This is a picture from the candlelight ceremony we had Wednesday night. My friends Christy and Jenifer.
Tomorrow morning we leave for Calcutta
In Calcutta we will visit-
Sari Bari:
Sari blanket making NGO whose employees are women who were all working in the sex trade.
Ramakrishna Mandir and Museum:
A famous temple
Kali Temple:
Another Temple.
St Paul’s Cathedral:
It was the first Anglican cathedral in India and is today the seat of the Church of North India bishop of Kolkata.
Then a LONG train to Varanasi (11:45 AM – 2:35 AM)
Is famous for the “ghats,” or stairs down to the river Ganges, where devotees go to bathe, believing that such bathing removes sins and impurities. Many Hindus believe that if one dies in Varanasi and is immersed in the Ganges at Varanasi one will immediately obtain Moksha, or liberation.
The Ghats:
A small number of ghats are “burning ghats” where dead bodies are cremated, typically on pyres made out of sandalwood (so as to cover the smell of burning flesh). Once the bodies have been completely burned the bones and ashes are immersed in the Ganges. A special breed of snapping turtles were bread to eat the flesh that doesn’t burn completely.
Sarnath:
Sarnath is the site of Gautama Buddha’s first sermon after he received enlightenment.
Varanasi Walks:
A tour through the twisting back alleys of old Varanasi and a sunset boat tour of the Ganges .
Open Hand Café:
Manufactures, exports and retails fairly traded high quality Indian-made textiles, garments, bags and handicrafts,
Then a train from 12am - 11:45am to Jaipur
Amber and Jaigarh Fort:
To get to the temple we are riding an ELEPHANT! Yes, another check on my India bucket list!
Bus to Agra!
Fatehpur Sikri:
Ancient abandoned capital of the Moghul Empire.
Agra Fort:
It is the place where Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal, was imprisoned by his son.
The Taj Mahal:
The Taj was started in 1632 and completed in 1648, built by the Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. We are going on a sunrise visit!
Train to Delhi!
Red Fort: Also built by Shah Jahan.
Within this packed schedule we will have some free time.
Then, on the 15th I head home. Bittersweet.
Don’t know how much internet I will have the next two weeks. I will try to update you when I can.
Bye for now :)
This is a picture from the candlelight ceremony we had Wednesday night. My friends Christy and Jenifer.
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