Looking back on India

As most of you know, I spent all of June and July in India and just got back around a week ago. It was one of the most difficult and rewarding experiences of my life. Honestly, I'm still trying to process it all, but this post will be about my general experience of living in another country. If you want to hear the awesome God stories, I would love to tell them - but you'll have to sit down with me sometime.


Here we are, from left to right: Lee Beukelman, Elena Noll, Laura Benson and myself. This is on the morning of June 1, when we really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

Our project for the summer was to hit the campuses of Delhi University and make friends with students, so we could learn about their culture and share about ours. We made a lot of close friends during our time there - by the end of the summer we could step onto the campuses and always run into someone we knew, or at least someone who knew us. We were the token white people in our neighborhood, and the media went to town with it. By the end of the summer, our team had at least 5 photos in the newspaper and one appearance on the national news (in the background). Here's one example:

I'd never been a minority before I set foot in India. It's not like it surprised me that I looked different than everyone else, but it was a feeling I'd never really dealt with before. When we stepped into a room, everyone's eyes were instantly glued to us. It was pretty common to see people pull out their cell phones and snap photos of us as we walked down the street or rode on the subway. Sometimes this was fun - I was more than willing to pose with random groups of Indian guys - but sometimes it was just too much attention. There were several times when I just felt desperate for an escape, a place where I could just be alone and unnoticed, but that's not easy to find in a city of some 20 million.

Aside from the crowds, first thing you'll notice about New Delhi is that it is boiling lava hot. Temperatures got up to 120 degrees (F) while we were there. Here's the second thing I noticed - it's dirty. There are cows roaming aimlessly in the streets, stray dogs picking through piles of trash on the sides of the road, and let me tell you - I have smelled some things this summer that I have never smelled before.

Needless to say, my first impression of Delhi was not good. The first week was difficult - I would get up in the morning, take my bucket shower (no shower heads) and dread walking out the door into the scorching heat. I questioned whether it was worth it - what good could I possibly do in a place like this? I was made to be an American - there are some people who can thrive in places like this, but I'm not one of them.

I was wrong - I knew it then, and I'm assured of it now. Sure, the living conditions aren't as comfortable as America - but is that necessarily a bad thing? People are still happy there and they appreciate what they have. The power may go out randomly twice a day, but it's a fact of life - you deal with it and keep on living. Indians have some of the strongest families I have ever seen. Family always comes first, and most children live with their parents their entire lives - even after they're married. I think America would do well to take some lessons from India in how we treat our family and friends.

However, India's strong sense of tradition is holding the people back in a lot of ways. For example, the caste system has been a source of oppression in India for thousands of years. Some say it has disappeared in the urban areas of India, others say it's stronger than ever. Both sides will agree that it still exists in the country, and still plays a big role in the social structure of the country. It seems that one's sense of identity in India is almost entirely dependent on one's parents - your parents decide your religion, who you will hang out with and, ultimately, who you will marry.

Regardless, I fell in love with the people of India. I miss my friends in Delhi and I hope for a chance to go back someday - if only to see how things have changed. The current generation of Indian students seems quicker to question some of the negative aspects of the culture, so it will be interesting to see what happens in that country in the next 20 years. That said - I thin the majority of Indian culture is amazing. The clothes are beautiful, the food is unique and spicy (I'm still partial to Chinese...) and their festivals...well, let's just say Indians know how to party.

If you get the chance to travel overseas, do it - I can't encourage it enough. It's difficult, especially when it comes time to transition back to life in the U.S., but I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. We watched God move in some powerful ways while we were there and it was an honor to be used to further the work in India. If you want to hear more, I'm glad to tell it - I've barely scratched the surface.

In conclusion, here is a list of note-worthy things I did this summer:

• Got charged at by a bull on the sidewalk.
• Ate this:

• Learned how to play cricket and taught Indians football. Both equally hilarious to watch.
• Opened a can of pineapple with an Indian can opener (a hatchet).
  
• Threw up at an Indian amusement park - that's what you get for going with two Indians who aspire to work for NASA...
• Played "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias on guitar for people about 3 million times.
• Got attacked by a large monkey in the foothills of the Himalayas. I have always hated monkeys (click here), and now I have even more reason to.
• Attended the International Toilet Museum, where I learned to appreciate human waste sanitation and received my own ball of petrified human "excreta." Click here for video.
• Rode on a man-powered ferris wheel (see video below):