Hey, I made it!

I arrived safely to Bangalore yesterday! I love it here. It's very different from Delhi. The first difference I noticed was the temperature. It's in the 80s in the day and 70s at night. The sun seems a bit more intense, but the weather is perfect! Not too humid or hot..yet :)

I am amazed by my living situation. It's much better than I could have ever imagined and I can't believe this is where I'll be living! I'll try to post pictures of the new apartment and neighborhood sometime this weekend. The street we live on is very quiet and safe. I haven't seen other parts of Bangalore, but first impressions are that it is more Westernized, quiet, safe and definitely not as bustling as Delhi. There are several parks here as well and there's even one close to my apartment. Everything is so green here to me in comparison to Delhi. Yesterday, my new roommate showed me around our neighborhood, took me by some markets and also by the office where I'll be working.

Today, I went out again to a busy market area of the city to look for material for clothes. I didn't bring many of my own clothes here with the intention of purchasing national clothes once I arrived. It's kind of fun to shop for fabric, but overwhelming at the same time because there are so many different styles, patterns and fabric materials to choose from. I bought enough fabric for three "salwaar suits" and each set cost around $6-$7. My next adventure is to find a tailor to make my clothes for me.

Next week I will be going through a lot of orientation type things for my new job and will be working on my language study plan. My primary focus for the first three months will be language.

Please pr. for my language acquisition. I'll be learning Urdu, but it's going to be a real challenge in this city because most people speak English. I'll probably end up going out to find Urdu speakers in the community rather than having the opportunity to be immersed in the language and culture - please pr. for opportunities and boldness on my part.

Thanks for your thoughts and pr.s! I'll do my best to keep you updated all the things I'm learning and my new adventures in Bangalore.

Peace,

C

The Taj.

Hello All,
I'm recovering from a bad cold so things are looking up here. I had a day off this weekend so we took a trip to Agra to check out the Taj Mahal (click on the link under "Pictures" to the left to see pics from the Taj!).

I have three days left of training here and then off to Bangalore. I was able to meet with my new supervisor today which made me all the more excited to get to my city and get started. It will also be much warmer in Bangalore. It's been pretty chilly here the last couple of days (40s at night + no heat in our bedroom). I guess "cold" is relative. I heard that it's 5 degrees fahrenheit back home.

The next three day's training will focus on language learning. These days are long and are more taxing mentally than anything else. Please pr.:

-that I would be able to find some renewal in the evenings
-that my health would continue to improve
-opportunities to share stories and start conversations
-safe travels to Bangalore on the 25th

Rejoicing in All Circumstances.

Dear Friends,

It's been a whirlwind here the last couple of days. I've been learning how to become a better storyteller (the stories coming from the good book). It's a bit harder than it sounds. We've been hearing 3-4 stories a day and then trying to tell at least one of them back without omitting any important details, of course. It's actually pretty fun and an awesome way to bridge with people. I wish I would have used this tool of sharing with others while I was still at home. I think it could be equally successful there, you just need to have several stories logged away so that you can call on certain stories given the particular circumstances. Wish they did more of this training for followers back home!

My heart breaks everyday for the people here. The lostness is overwhelming and often brings me to tears. Please keep pr.ing. It's a challenge and a daily battle. I come home feeling exhausted, but I know that our father is working and is stronger than anything else that's out there. I don't know if I fully believed in sp. warfare when I was back home, but it's evident here like I never would have imagined. I'm trying to persevere and rejoice in all circumstances. I try to remind myself that I am only here for a short time in the scheme of things. My hope is that I can make the most of it.

Here are some of my requests:

-rich times with the father and in the word - that they would be a priority over everything else

-good health for me and my team. I think all of us have been sick at least once, some still struggling with health issues.

-rest & a time of renewal each day.

-contentment where he has placed me day-to-day, minute-to-minute

-boldness

-joy - that it wouldn't be stolen by the things that wear on me here/exhaustion


I can't begin to convey my gratefulness to all who are lifting me up. I really could not do this without you. Everyday is a battle, light fighting against the darkness. I'm overjoyed to have you as part of my team here even if you are thousands of miles away.

Let me know how I can be pr.ying for you!

Yours,

C

Common Items/Foods

Dear Friends,

Things continue to go well on this side of the world. I'm continuing my training this week. Most everything we're learning is practical, such as how to barter for autos, how to shop at the market for both food and clothing, how to catch a train, common phrases in the local language, etc.

I thought I'd try to give you an idea of the prices here and how far (or not far - see the peanut butter entry below) money goes here.

~40 Rs = $1

30-40 Rs. (~$1) - typical price for an auto depending on how far you're going and how much you bargain with the auto driver. Today, I went to see some historical sites that were about a 40 min. auto-ride from my flat and the best price I could get was 70 Rs. I felt defeated because I was told that the auto should only cost 30-40 Rs., but after trying to talk down five different auto drivers over a fifteen minute period, I caved. I have to get better at bartering!

99 Rs ($2.52)- shampoo (Garnier brand- made here, thus the cheap price)

25 Rs ($0.63)- toothpaste

70 Rs ($1.78) - 1 roll of tp (yes, one roll)

111 Rs ($2.83)- box of cereal (I have seen cereal as high as $7 here, but I tried to shop around a little and got it for the price listed.)

37 Rs ($0.94)- 1 packet of Ritz crackers

37 Rs ($0.94) 1 packet of Oreos

111 Rs ($2.83) - box of instant oatmeal packets

165 Rs ($4.21) - 12 oz (this is 12 oz., people. Not even the full size!) Peanut Butter

70 Rs ($1.78) - Liter of milk (the safest way to drink milk here is in a box carton, unless you want to buy it fresh and then boil it. It does not come in gallons that are already pasteurized as most of you are accustomed to. The milk is not found in the refrigerator section, but on the shelf. You may have seen something similar to this if you have been to Europe or Latin America. Similar to how soy or rice milk is sold in the States.)

I haven't bought much in the way of fruits and veggies yet because we've been eating out a lot here. Depending on where you go, you can get a great price for a full meal. This afternoon I had a large meal (rice, dal, naan, curry) for around $2.55. What is naan and dal, you say? Here are few common dishes found here:

Naan- tear shaped thick tortilla like white yeast bread cooked in a clay oven

Dal -lentils

Aloo meat - lamb and potato curry

Paneer- soft white cheese from milk similar to tofu - takes on the flavor of whatever spices it is cooked in

Biryai - rice and Indian spices with veggies or meat

Pura tandoori murg - whole tandoori chicken



Hope this is giving you a better picture of what life is like here!

-C

Come Take a Ride With Me...

This is a typical ride in an auto (auto-rickshaw). I take an auto almost everywhere that I need to go, unless it is within walking distance. Other forms of transportation in this city include buses, taxis, scooters, and bicycles.

See if you can find me in this video!

Here

This is an email I sent to my family about my first experiences in S. Asia. I apologize in advance for some incoherency of this email. I'm very jet-lagged :)

Dear Mom & Dad,

Ahhh, I made it! Can you believe it? The flights were all fine, although I just barely made my connection in Frankfurt. On the last and longest leg of the trip I met up with several people I knew (such a wonderful sight!) and actually slept a little for the first time that day/days. I'll also have you know that the food on Lufthansa airlines is amazing.

A few minutes before our plane landed, a flight attendant came to tell me that one or both of my pieces of luggage had not made it. Honestly, I really didn't care at all by that point. I was exhausted, didn't know what day it was, and was actually a bit relieved that I'd have one or two less bags to carry. After waiting for my luggage at the carousel (getting your luggage is a total free-for-all - you have no idea!), I spotted one of my pieces of luggage, but the second was indeed not there. After waiting in line for an hour and a half to report my lost luggage, I finally was able to exit the airport! Than about a 30 min. ride to where we are staying (which is really nice and I'm so grateful for). We got in at 5AM India time and then slept for 2 hours and then have been up today starting right away in orientation and exploration.

I don't even know where to begin in describing S. Asia. It's like nothing I've ever experienced or imagined. It's kind of surreal really and mostly still a blur in all my jet-laggedness. The only way I can think of describing it to you is that it's a carnival-like atmosphere with lots of dust and honking horns everywhere. Also, there is different smelling smoke that mixes together in the air and creates this strange amalgam of smells. A mix of potatoes smoking, incense being offered, etc. It's not as smelly as I had imagined though.

The hardest part was today when I was out shopping for some "culturally appropriate" clothes and there were several children tugging on my shirt begging me for money or begging for me to purchase what they were selling and I just had to walk by because I knew these kids are part of a "beggars circle" where they don't see hardly any of the money given them and give most of their money to a sort of ring leader type (think Oliver Twist).

Bartering is a big part of purchasing things here, especially transportation. We use autorickshaws to get around the city. Basically, it's expected that you will haggle with the driver to bargain for a better price and you have to pretend to be extremely disappointed when they give you their first offer in order to get a better fare. I've noticed that it helps to talk to them using an Indian accent. Even though many people here speak English, it's still difficult for them to understand Americans at times. Also, being in this little autorickshaw in the traffic - kind of scary I have to admit, but I'm honestly at the point where I'm like, "these people know what they're doing, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the ride." But it is insane. It's like NYC traffic on drugs or something. Red lights mean nothing and the bigger vehicle always has the right of way.

Anyway, I'm completely exhausted and going out into the city really wears on you, but hopefully this will get better once I'm less jet lagged. One good thing is I never go anywhere alone in the city even during the daytime. Slums are a very real thing here. This is truly a land of contradictions - slums next to beautiful buildings. There's so many new and different things to take in here - my brain is on overload and I know that I'm only aware of half of the things that are going on since I'm so overtired. I can't imagine this all becoming "old hat", but maybe it will over the next few years. Time for bed!

Love,

C

A Word On Discretion

When posting to this blog and in any email correspondence with me, please be selective in the vocabulary that you use. Do NOT use any word like m.ssion, mi..ionary, m.sl.m, etc. Also, please refrain from using "churchy" words as much as possible.

This is primarily for the protection of any friends that I make during my time in South Asia as well as for fellow colleagues.

Although this may seem frustrating and inconvient, there are several ways to "creatively" communicate. If you're unsure what to post, then don't or use general terms.

As one friend put it so nicely, "Think of it as real-life Taboo. You get used to reading between the lines." Thanks for understanding.