India!!!

Our instructors, Cheryl and Karen and my friend Laura

I finally made it to India and am soo excited about it. The flight from Singapore to Chennai was interesting in that we were definitely the minority. Once we got to the airport and were waiting in line at immigration, I noticed that everyone was staring at us. After walking through the doors to find our shuttle, we were bombarded with people trying to get us to take their taxis. This wave of heat and claustrophobia came over me the second I stepped outside. We finally found our shuttle for the Marriott Courtyard and started on our way. That first drive was absolutely insane. There are zero traffic laws in India. People swerve in and out of traffic and they back three or four people onto their mopeds, including baby's perched precariously on their mother's hips. We also almost hit some people who were trying to cross the street right in the middle of the freeway. We made it to the hotel and before they would let the car in the gates the security guards and a dog had to check the engine and undercarriage. Once inside the gates they had us go through metal detectors and had to scan our bags before we could go in, so I felt pretty safe staying in our hotel.

The next morning we woke up to the most fabulous breakfast buffet at our hotel. They had pancakes, waffles, doughnuts, brioche rolls, fresh fruit, tons of indian food to sample and ice cream. We pigged out for a bit and then headed out to the streets to do a little shopping. We drove in what they call autos or rickshaws with a motor. Once again, we almost hit about 20 people weaving in and out of traffic, but for some reason, I felt strangely safe in our little rickshaw. Once we got to the shopping we bought some traditional indian clothes and some trinkets. At one point a group of five of us got separated from the rest of the group and we felt a little lost. We didn't really know where to go or have a desire to be adventurous because everything was a little overwhelming...the heat, all of the people, and the constant staring. We finally found them thanks to a nice lady begging with her child who pointed them out to us. After we had shopped sufficiently enough, we headed back to the hotel to meet up for dinner.

The front desk recommended the Sheraton hotel for dinner and we ended up having to pay way too much for a meal cause we were all hungry and tired of traveling once we got there. But that food was good. We cooked our own chicken right in front of us and had rolls galore. The mushroom ragout was definitely the best sauce of the night.

The Young Women

The next morning we got ready for church and once again pigged out on the delicious food. I even helped myself to a waffle with ice cream on top cause I figured it would be the last american food I would have access to. After breakfast they loaded our bags onto the Rising Star trucks and were were on our way to church. Their church building is in the bottom of a building with security guards and all. Church was such a good experience. I needed a little religion in my life after a week of traveling and running around in Singapore. It felt so good to be there with those kind people. They were so welcoming and I enjoyed trying to decifer their indian english. During the middle of the rest hymn the power went out and it was pitch black until the emergency light kicked on, but we just kept on singing. I even got to attend young women's with the girls. The lesson was on heritage and it was interesting to see the difference between the cultural differences in our lives. After church there was a baptism of a little girl who had lived in an orphanage. One of the women who spoke at the baptism had been in the church for 25 years and had been the foundation of that ward. She spoke about how the ward would become this girl's new family. I really enjoyed the whole experience.

After church we hopped back on the trucks and headed out to Rising Star two hours away. The ride went from building after building, to open fields and thatched roof huts. Rising Star's campus is absolutely beautiful. There is a school, a volunteer hostel, playground, a mango grove, and lots of stray dogs and snakes. We had a short orientation to the place including a demonstration of how to use squatting toilets and how to take a bucket shower. After talking about all of the rules we headed up on the roof for dinner. We ate our first home cooked indian meal and went around and talked about our highs and lows aka happy and sad, for the day. The meal was really good but I am worried about getting sick of the food in a little while. After dinner we headed over to the children's dorms to play with them for an hour before they went to bed. The children are so cute and wanted us to sit right next to them and read the whole time. They are adorable and just want someone to pay attention to them. I love them all already. After playing with them, we all attempted to take bucket showers which was an interesting experience. But the campus feels so much safer than being in the city. The people are all so nice and considerate. I'm a little worried about adjusting to the heat and the humidity, but i've already learned that you have to get a long shirt to cover up you butt sweat stains, so i'm on my way.