Hey guys... sorry I haven't written. Shelly and I made it back to Mississippi about a week and a half ago... most of you probably know that and I'm sure not many people even check my blog anymore, but I just figured it wouldn't hurt to put that out there!
I'm not gonna lie.... leaving India was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. When I got on the airplane in Kolkata, I remember looking out the window the whole time we were taking off and just seeing all the palm trees and thinking, "Wow.... I'm going to miss this place so, so much." And I do. There were so many days when I would get so frustrated and just wish I could go home... I hated the heat some days, I hated the inconvenience of everything on others, some days I hated being so far away from home. But somewhere in the middle of those 4 months Kolkata became like home to me. I knew all the streets around where we lived. I knew pretty much every beggar on Park Street by name. I had great friends and I started running into people I knew all over this huge, huge city. Kolkata became my home. And even more than missing Kolkata, I miss DumDum so much it hurts. I was working yesterday and a lady came in with a really cute baby and my heart just ached to hold her because I miss the babies at DumDum so much. I asked the mom how old she was, and she told me she was four and a half months and I had to fight really hard to not shout "Four and a half months!?! But she's HUGE!" It broke my heart to see this baby who was so loved and so big... I couldn't help but think of Akosh and Sagur and Babooshana... all of the babies at DumDum who are three times the age of this baby and still so, so much smaller.
I've only been home about 10 days, but the newness and excitement of it is gone. I've eaten the foods I've dreamed about for months, I've seen my beautiful friends and family, and I've driven my car and sang really, really loudly... and now I can't help but dream about going back to the dirty, dirty streets of Kolkata and hugging my friends so tightly. I pray everyday that God sends someone else to DumDum to do more than feed my friends. They have people all the time who come and bring the kids food, and yes that's so important... but they need love more than anything. They're probably the most lovable people in the world, if only others would take time to see that in them.
I knew coming home would be hard... but I didn't expect this. I guess it doesn't help that I have to make some major decisions about my life and what I'm going to do these next few months. It seems like everyone I meet wants to know what I'm doing next and I wish more than anyone else that I knew, but I just don't. Right now I'm just trying to process a little bit of the past four months... and I think it's gonna take a while. My eyes start to water at least ten times a day when I think about India or talk about India or see pictures of India. I never knew you could love a place so much after such a short time. My heart just literally aches to go back and walk those loud streets and go each morning to DumDum and spend time with my beautiful friends. But, as everyone loves to tell me, I can't be a career volunteer. "It's time to for you to get a j-o-b, Haley... you know, one that actually pays you to work?" I know I'm 23, and I know I'm supposed to be starting some great career and getting my first real paycheck and actually living off of my own insurance... but I've never really done things the way that I'm supposed to and I don't really intend to start now.
I'm not gonna lie... I'm a little afraid that I can't change the world and I'm terrified of living an ordinary life. But that's not what lifes supposed to be about and I know it... I was created to serve God and trust that HIS love, not mine, will change the world. I'm excited about this next part of my journey in life and where it may lead... who knows where I'll be in the next few months? Jackson, India, Africa... only God knows and I'm excited to be a part of what God is doing around the world. Thanks for sticking with me in India... I hope you'll be around for this next part of life.
ps... talking about Kolkata is one of my favorite things in the world, and I'm pretty sure I've already bored my family and close friends with my many, many stories of life in India. Soooo if you want to chat, let me know. I'm still enjoying the beauty of conversations spoken in English.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
One more week to go...
I'm coming home in about 9 days! I've never understood why the end of something always goes by so fast, but it always seems to happen that way. This past week has been a blur. From spending days at DumDum to spending time every night with our friends here... it seems like we are so busy all of the time trying to fit in a little more life in the little time we have left here in Kolkata.
Our time at DumDum keeps getting better and better. I absolutely love those families there, and I know they love us. We met a boy who used to work with our friends there, but he's been gone since we got here on a tour of India. I met him the other day, and he told me they were all so excited to tell him everything about us. He told me that they said that while he was gone that met two angels. I almost started crying when he said that. I don't know if it's because we are leaving soon or what, but our time there seems to keep getting better and better. Everyday when we leave, all the kids walk us to the escalator for the Metro and just wave and wave and blow kisses to us as we ride up on it.... I think I may have to be carried up the escalator on my last day because I'll be crying so much. They ask us every day now when we will come back.. and to bring our moms and dads and sisters... I told them yesterday when they asked when I would come back that I would go home, work work work, save rupees, and then come to India maybe next year. I wish you could have seen their faces... they completely fell when I said it would be at least a year. It made me want to cry.. I felt terrible.
We know a lady at DumDum named Sanjasmita and she just had a baby when we were in Nepal. She isn't really that nice, but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that when we met her she was 8 months pregnant and now she just had a baby and has to sleep every day on the hard concrete. She has two other kids, Sonjana and Sanjay and they are sooo bad but only because they don't get any attention. Her husband, Bapi, is a drug addict and drinks all the time. She's probably one of the most unhappy women I've ever met in my life. Well, we got a package from America full of children's clothes and teddy bears and other things, so Shelly and I took a few things and went and got them gift wrapped for her and her baby. It was a beautiful package and we got a friend to write a card for in Bengali about how much we loved her and her family and would pray for her new baby Mongol. When we got to DumDum we couldn't find her, but everyone was freaking out about the gift (I don't think they had ever seen something so nice) so they all ran around the station trying to find her. She came walking up a few minutes later, just smiling. We gave her the package and she gave us little Mongol to hold, but she didn't even know how to open a gift. Everyone helped her, and she just loved the things inside. Her husband came up, and she showed him everything and read him the card and all. He's really never even spoken to us, but he insisted that we sit with them and then he gave someone all of his rupees to go and buy us some chai. I'm sure Sanjasmita has never received a gift before, and I know it made her feel so special to sit in the middle of a crowd (Indian people are SO nosy.. there were at least a hundred people gathered around her ) and open something from us. Please pray for little Mongol... he's only 3 weeks old and his life is already so, so hard. I wish we could do something like that for every single person at DumDum. They are all so special, and I really would give them the world if I could.
Shelly and I are still trying to plan something for our friends this last week. They are cooking us lunch on Monday and are so excited about it. Please pray we don't get sick... we don't want to spend our last week here stuck in our apartment. And please just pray that this last week they will know more than ever how much we love them. We pray all of the time that God would give us His eyes to see them and that His love would just radiate in all that we do there. We can't tell them about Jesus because we can't really speak to them, but I know that God's love is more powerful than just about anything in this world. Please also pray for Shelly and me as we get ready to come home. As much as I've hated India at times, it feels like home to me now. I'm going to be leaving a huge, huge part of my heart here, and I dread coming home just as much as I look forward to it. Thanks for remembering us here in India, and thanks for remembering our beautiful friends and family here!
Our time at DumDum keeps getting better and better. I absolutely love those families there, and I know they love us. We met a boy who used to work with our friends there, but he's been gone since we got here on a tour of India. I met him the other day, and he told me they were all so excited to tell him everything about us. He told me that they said that while he was gone that met two angels. I almost started crying when he said that. I don't know if it's because we are leaving soon or what, but our time there seems to keep getting better and better. Everyday when we leave, all the kids walk us to the escalator for the Metro and just wave and wave and blow kisses to us as we ride up on it.... I think I may have to be carried up the escalator on my last day because I'll be crying so much. They ask us every day now when we will come back.. and to bring our moms and dads and sisters... I told them yesterday when they asked when I would come back that I would go home, work work work, save rupees, and then come to India maybe next year. I wish you could have seen their faces... they completely fell when I said it would be at least a year. It made me want to cry.. I felt terrible.
We know a lady at DumDum named Sanjasmita and she just had a baby when we were in Nepal. She isn't really that nice, but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that when we met her she was 8 months pregnant and now she just had a baby and has to sleep every day on the hard concrete. She has two other kids, Sonjana and Sanjay and they are sooo bad but only because they don't get any attention. Her husband, Bapi, is a drug addict and drinks all the time. She's probably one of the most unhappy women I've ever met in my life. Well, we got a package from America full of children's clothes and teddy bears and other things, so Shelly and I took a few things and went and got them gift wrapped for her and her baby. It was a beautiful package and we got a friend to write a card for in Bengali about how much we loved her and her family and would pray for her new baby Mongol. When we got to DumDum we couldn't find her, but everyone was freaking out about the gift (I don't think they had ever seen something so nice) so they all ran around the station trying to find her. She came walking up a few minutes later, just smiling. We gave her the package and she gave us little Mongol to hold, but she didn't even know how to open a gift. Everyone helped her, and she just loved the things inside. Her husband came up, and she showed him everything and read him the card and all. He's really never even spoken to us, but he insisted that we sit with them and then he gave someone all of his rupees to go and buy us some chai. I'm sure Sanjasmita has never received a gift before, and I know it made her feel so special to sit in the middle of a crowd (Indian people are SO nosy.. there were at least a hundred people gathered around her ) and open something from us. Please pray for little Mongol... he's only 3 weeks old and his life is already so, so hard. I wish we could do something like that for every single person at DumDum. They are all so special, and I really would give them the world if I could.
Shelly and I are still trying to plan something for our friends this last week. They are cooking us lunch on Monday and are so excited about it. Please pray we don't get sick... we don't want to spend our last week here stuck in our apartment. And please just pray that this last week they will know more than ever how much we love them. We pray all of the time that God would give us His eyes to see them and that His love would just radiate in all that we do there. We can't tell them about Jesus because we can't really speak to them, but I know that God's love is more powerful than just about anything in this world. Please also pray for Shelly and me as we get ready to come home. As much as I've hated India at times, it feels like home to me now. I'm going to be leaving a huge, huge part of my heart here, and I dread coming home just as much as I look forward to it. Thanks for remembering us here in India, and thanks for remembering our beautiful friends and family here!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Almost over...
I can't believe that in about two weeks I'll be heading home. It's so strange.... one minute I cannot wait to get on that airplane, and then the very next second something happens and thinking of going home makes me want to cry. I have absolutely loved these past few months in India. It's been so much fun... I've never felt more free or alive in my whole life. There have been so many frustrating moments, and so many times when I just wanted to pack my bags and take the next flight home... but I think that's just India. It's not the easiest place to live, but it's a place that I've come to love over these past few months.
I'm excited about these next couple of weeks. Shells and I have already made a list of all the things that we have to do and it's pretty long. We always talk about how much we will miss this or that, and how much we will not miss a lot of things (numbers 1-10 are all the smell of something). I've started dreaming about cheeseburgers and washing machines and actually feeling clean for the first time in months. Coming home is going to be great, but I'm going to miss India so, so much. Mostly I will miss the friends I've made here and the randomness of this crazy country. There isn't a day that passes where we don't say "This would only happen in India...." So that's where we are now... getting ready to spend a great last two weeks and getting ready to say a lot of hard goodbyes. Please pray for us as our time winds down... I know it's going to be so hard to leave!
On a side note, there's been an outbreak of scabies at DumDum. Every day we go it seems about two or three more kids have it. I know what you are probably thinking... don't touch those kids!! But with only two weeks left, there's no way we can go there and not hold these beautiful children that have become like our family. If you think about it, please pray that we wouldn't get scabies because well, who really wants scabies?? I can't talk about it much or I start itching... so that's all about that. I hope all is well back home... see you soon!
I'm excited about these next couple of weeks. Shells and I have already made a list of all the things that we have to do and it's pretty long. We always talk about how much we will miss this or that, and how much we will not miss a lot of things (numbers 1-10 are all the smell of something). I've started dreaming about cheeseburgers and washing machines and actually feeling clean for the first time in months. Coming home is going to be great, but I'm going to miss India so, so much. Mostly I will miss the friends I've made here and the randomness of this crazy country. There isn't a day that passes where we don't say "This would only happen in India...." So that's where we are now... getting ready to spend a great last two weeks and getting ready to say a lot of hard goodbyes. Please pray for us as our time winds down... I know it's going to be so hard to leave!
On a side note, there's been an outbreak of scabies at DumDum. Every day we go it seems about two or three more kids have it. I know what you are probably thinking... don't touch those kids!! But with only two weeks left, there's no way we can go there and not hold these beautiful children that have become like our family. If you think about it, please pray that we wouldn't get scabies because well, who really wants scabies?? I can't talk about it much or I start itching... so that's all about that. I hope all is well back home... see you soon!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Beautiful Nepal!
We are back in Kolkata after a grand adventure in Nepal!! I don't have time to write much, but here are a few pictures from our two weeks that we spent in the most beautiful country! After about 48 hours on a bus and train, we made it back into kolkata this morning and were soo glad to get off of the train!
Nepal is really probably the most beautiful place in the world! My two favorite things we did were elephant riding and bungy jumping. We had the cutest/biggest elephant I've ever seen... his name was Mootie and he took us all over the jungle in Chitwan N.P. Mootie was really the biggest elephant I've ever seen... and after our jungle safari, Tharu Kahn(his driver) took off Mootie's basket and let us ride all over the village on him bareback. Then we went to the river for the "elephant bath" that really just ended up being us swimming with this huge, sweet elephant for about 30 minutes. I'm not sure I could ever explain how much fun this was... I'm trying to figure out how I can get my own elephant now!! Our last day in Nepal we rode a bus to the border of Tibet and went bungy jumping!! They have one of the highest freefall bungy jumps in the world... it was sooo scary but so much fun!! We don't have any good pictures of us jumping, but we have the DVD to prove that we actually did it! The mountains were incredible and there was a big river beneath the bridge.. it's definitely something I will never forget!!
We have a little less than a month left of our time in India... I can't believe it! I am excited because the end is usually the best, but it also always seems to be the fastest! I'm already starting to dream of sweet tea and mexican food... I guess that will make coming home a little easier!!
Monday, March 31, 2008
I'm on top of the world!
Rickshaw Accidents: 7
Motorcycle Accidents: 1
I'm in Nepal and it's beautiful! Shelly and I got here on Friday morning after riding a train for 12 hours, crossing the India-Nepal border on foot, spending a day in a Nepali ghost town with pretty much nothing because of political strikes, and then riding a bus for about 16 terrible hours through some amazing mountains (driving in Nepal is pretty much like driving in India and it's about ten times worse when you are flying around sharp curves)! To say we were glad to finally make it to Kathmandu would be an understatement! The Nepali people are so unique and probably the most beautiful people I've ever seen.
We are staying with our friend Bhuwan's family and friends and they have been so wonderful and are taking us all over the city. We rode around on motorcycles our first day here and went to see some beautiful temples and palaces and yesterday we climbed to this huge Buddhist temple that looks over all of Kathmandu. The view was incredible! This morning we woke up at 3:30 and rode motorcycles up this beautiful mountain to watch the sunrise. It was really foggy and I'm not sure I've ever been so cold, but it was definitely worth it. They say on a clear day you can see Mt. Everest, but we couldn't see much. It looks like I may leave Nepal without actually seeing the top of the world! The drive back down the mountains was incredible- we went through all these small villages and it was exactly what you think Nepal would look like!
The next few days are going to pretty much be one big adventure and I'm SO excited! Tomorrow we are going bungee jumping in the Himalayas on the border of Tibet(if you happen to think about us tomorrow a little prayer would be nice)! Later in the week we are traveling to Pokhara, a beautiful city in the mountains, and going white water rafting. We are also going on an elephant jungle ride in CHitwan N.P. and are hoping to visit a couple of villages also- those are my favorite!
So we have a pretty big week planned! I miss our friendsin Kolkata, but it's been pretty nice to get away from the craziness of India. The political situation isn't exactly stable in Nepal right now because of some big elections coming up, so if you think about it, please pray that we would stay safe during these next few days and that the big elections coming up here would be peaceful. I hope all is well back home... see you back in India!
"Before the mountains were made, before you had given birth to the earth and the world, before time was, and for ever, you are God."
- Psalm 90:2
Motorcycle Accidents: 1
I'm in Nepal and it's beautiful! Shelly and I got here on Friday morning after riding a train for 12 hours, crossing the India-Nepal border on foot, spending a day in a Nepali ghost town with pretty much nothing because of political strikes, and then riding a bus for about 16 terrible hours through some amazing mountains (driving in Nepal is pretty much like driving in India and it's about ten times worse when you are flying around sharp curves)! To say we were glad to finally make it to Kathmandu would be an understatement! The Nepali people are so unique and probably the most beautiful people I've ever seen.
We are staying with our friend Bhuwan's family and friends and they have been so wonderful and are taking us all over the city. We rode around on motorcycles our first day here and went to see some beautiful temples and palaces and yesterday we climbed to this huge Buddhist temple that looks over all of Kathmandu. The view was incredible! This morning we woke up at 3:30 and rode motorcycles up this beautiful mountain to watch the sunrise. It was really foggy and I'm not sure I've ever been so cold, but it was definitely worth it. They say on a clear day you can see Mt. Everest, but we couldn't see much. It looks like I may leave Nepal without actually seeing the top of the world! The drive back down the mountains was incredible- we went through all these small villages and it was exactly what you think Nepal would look like!
The next few days are going to pretty much be one big adventure and I'm SO excited! Tomorrow we are going bungee jumping in the Himalayas on the border of Tibet(if you happen to think about us tomorrow a little prayer would be nice)! Later in the week we are traveling to Pokhara, a beautiful city in the mountains, and going white water rafting. We are also going on an elephant jungle ride in CHitwan N.P. and are hoping to visit a couple of villages also- those are my favorite!
So we have a pretty big week planned! I miss our friendsin Kolkata, but it's been pretty nice to get away from the craziness of India. The political situation isn't exactly stable in Nepal right now because of some big elections coming up, so if you think about it, please pray that we would stay safe during these next few days and that the big elections coming up here would be peaceful. I hope all is well back home... see you back in India!
"Before the mountains were made, before you had given birth to the earth and the world, before time was, and for ever, you are God."
- Psalm 90:2
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Happy Holi!
Yesterday was the Holi Festival in India, also called the Color Festival. It's probably one of my new favorite holidays... it was SO much fun! I'm still not exactly sure what the festival is for or what it's celebrating- something about crops but that's all I could figure out. Shelly and I left our apartment yesterday morning and I was literally purple five minutes later. Everywhere we walked people would yell Happy Holi! and run up and smear color on our faces. We went to one street and everyone was outside dancing and there was a little band of drums and a rickshaw leading people around... color was flying everywhere and everyone was just laughing and dancing and having the best time! By the time we made it back to our apartment we were COVERED in paint- I was pretty much black! It took so long to get it all off... I'm still a little pink and blue in some places!!
Shelly and I are going to Nepal this week and we're sooo excited! We still aren't sure when we are leaving (we aren't so great at planning in advance), but I'm pretty sure it will be one day this week. We have a lot of Nepalese friends from school and we are really hoping to get to meet their families- I'm really excited about that! I've heard nothing but really great things about Nepal so I'm excited to go and see it!
Tomorrow is Easter, so Shelly and I are going to church and then to lunch somewhere in Kolkata. I'm sure it will be a great day, but I know we will miss home a lot tomorrow. I would love to fly home for the day and spend Easter with my family! We went to my friend Shaid's farmhouse last night and Shelly and I tried to talk them into having an Easter egg hunt with us... they didn't think it was a good idea. I hope you all have a great Easter back in America... eat lots and lots of good food for us!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
My Indian Family
Namaskar!
I can't believe we have less than two months left in India. I'm not gonna lie... some days I get excited about coming home and seeing my family and friends and Shells and I talk all the time about what kind of foods we are going to eat our first few days back (it's pretty much always the same.. a steak!) but then to think of leaving my friends here makes me so sad. Yes... I know I can come back and visit, but it's not like I can email them or call them when I get home. My closest friends here live on street corners and in rickshaw parking lots and beneath train tracks. I guess for now I can't think of leaving... I'll just be here.
It's been the best week. We've been spending every morning or afternoon at DumDum this week, and it's been so much fun. I absolutely love those families. Shelly and I have gotten really close to a lot of the moms there, and it's so nice to just go and sit with them. Most of them are younger than us, and it took them a long time to warm up to us. We didn't think a lot of them liked us at first, but I think they just didn't want to bother getting to know us because no one stays for long. Well, we're pretty much best friends with all of them now. They're so protective of us when we're there and always make sure we don't sit in the sun (they love our white skin and we love their dark skin... we always argue about who's is the best) and they tell everyone we're their sisters. The picture of the lady and her baby is my friend Mogoli and Babushna. He's probably the cutest baby in the world and she's such a good mom. I think they give little Babushna all of their food because he's so chunky! She always gives me Babushna when I come and tells him I'm his American mama. I really, really love this family. Shelly and I really want to do something special for our friends there before we leave. I love the part in the Bible where it talks about throwing a banquet and inviting the poor because they can't give you anything in return. We want to do something special for our friends at DumDum but really have no idea what to do. We have probably about 30 or so friends there, but when you start giving out things the kids start coming from EVERYWHERE. We brought chocolate a couple of days ago and I saw kids I haven't seen in the two months I've been here. I don't know where they come from... but they come. If you think about it, please pray that we would think of something special to do for our friends at DumDum. No one ever does anything for the moms and dads and grandparents... people bring food and all for the kids, but no one gives them anything. We just want them to know that we think they're special!
Shelly and I went to Sealdah on Friday to see our friends that we haven't seen in a long time and had so much fun. They decided we needed makeovers, and before we could say anything they had pulled out all of their makeup and jewelry. To say that I looked like a clown when they finished would be an understatement. It took all I had not to burst out laughing when I looked in a mirror and then at Shelly. To make it all complete, they pasted two dots on both of our heads. I thought I was never going to stop laughing when I left! It really was so nice to hang out with them where they live, though. They love to share their things, even though it isn't much at all. I think we could probably all learn a lot from them.
That's about all from Kolkata, so dta-dta (good-bye in Bengali) for now!
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