India Day 13-16

Still Alive...

Oh my goodness so much to write and no time at all. Seriously I have 2 minutes...I'll try and get back to this computer tonight.

One tease: I saw the Taj Mahal last night!!!

Day 13-16

So much as happened, I seriously could sit here for hours and type all that my heart desires to tell you. But I think I may have to reserve all the smaller details for coffee/tea dates with each of you. Seriously, I'd love love love to tell more detailed stories of my journeys here, so don't hesitate to ask for a story time date when I get back.

So day 13 was labeled as "American Day" because we ended the mission trip with a trip to the shopping area and dinner at Hard Rock Cafe. Yep, they have them all over India too. I am pretty sure that restaurant hasn't missed any large city in our world. [Random other common things are that amusing to see here: Ford, Pizza Hut, Nike store, McDonald, and Coke (which makes be proud to be from the ATL).]

Shopping was stressful with all the bargaining you have to do. It's a game of manipulation and being someone who wants to trust everyone...I am having a hard time living in a country where everyone wants to manipulate and take advantage of the foreign white girl. Between that, being stared at everywhere I go, and having families ask to take pictures of me....I cannot wait to be able to blend in again. I've officially decided I never want to be a celebrity. Despite all that...I did get a few awesome items for really cheap.

At Hard Rock, I was tired and exhausted from 4 hours of shopping outside in the market and basically had a pity party in that bathroom for a couple minutes. I cried a few tears out of exhaustion, back pain, headache, and wishing all my friends weren't leaving on my birthday. It was dumb...but I pulled myself together and headed back to the table of 15. As soon as I sat down, all the servers came over and brought me a mini birthday cake, proceeded to sing at the top of their lungs, and I blew out the cake. I thought that would be it. Oh no no. I made the first cut into the cake (an Indian tradition) and then the orphanage owner told me it was another tradition to eat the cherry off the top of a pile of whipped cream on a plate. I am no idiot so I knew what was coming...thus I was a little nervous, which I respond to with laughter. Every time I went to eat the cherry, I would get the giggles. Finally, I went to eat it and lo-and-behold, I got pied in the face. The server was super nice and spread it all over my face too. Thank you, kind sir. My pity party quickly ended and I started the celebrations to one my the best birthdays yet. Will and Elyssa then topped off the dinner experience with cheesecake for me. Seriously...bless you both for that.

We returned home, packed, played card games, and enjoyed each other presence before 1/2 the team headed back home at 3am. I pretended I was Indian and gave Kari henna and had an amazing conversation.

Day 14
I awoke to only 2 other girls left in the room. It was really sad. Spend the rest of the day packing, cleaning, and saying our goodbyes to the kids. And the kids wished me happy bday and gave me a hug. It was awesome. I got help putting my Sari on. At first, I felt a little awkward in it, but the more I wore it, the more I fell in love with it and felt beautiful. We (Mallory, Tim, Mike, and I) headed to the airport ourselves at 2pm to catch our flight to Delhi. We arrived with 3 hours to spare so we hung out just having conversation and eating dinner. At dinner, I got compliments on my Sari and I mentioned it was my birthday Sari...next thing you know I got a free cookie and free strawberry milkshake. I felt a bit like a princess.

We arrived in Delhi, made out way to the hotel and crashed for the night.

Day 15
Woke up and went out to buy bottled water...next thing you know we are riding an auto rickshaw to a market, end up in a tourist agency, and are looking at packages for out trip to Agra (the city the Taj Mahal is in) on Friday. We go figure, the one day that the Taj is closed is Friday...so we had to leave in 30 minutes if we wanted to see it (Thursday was out because that is when I had planned to meet my World Vision child). So within 30 minutes of planning and such...we were packing and heading to Agra in a car with a precious 70 year old driver named Sharma. Best driver EVER.

"There are 3 things you need to be a good driver in Delhi: 1)Good Steering 2)Good eyes 3)Good luck" - Sharma.

So by 4:30pm we were at the Taj, with a personal tour guide who spoke English well (hard to come by here). It was Aaaaaamazing. Huge. White. Sparky. At Sunset. So cool. We had a photo shoot, of course. Too many to count actually. Sadly, my camera battery died but Mallory had a ton on her dangnice camera. During our shoots, we had many Indians take their own photos of us...not the Taj...just the white folk in India. So weird...I just can't get over their amazement in my difference in skin color.

We came up with the praise T.I.I which means "This is India" which is a steal from the movie "Blood Diamond." Basically, we use it anytime that we experience something so strange that can only be explained by the fact that we are in India. The people taking photos of us is one of the moderate TIIs. I can't wait to compile a list of all out TIIs, it's going to be ridiculous.....

So after the Taj, we learned about cashmere carpet, marble, and semi-precious stones and how each of them is made and their history in India. Very cool stuff.

Ate at Pizza Hut...Indian type, of course. So good.

I think I had 4 cups of Chai at this point in the day...[In India, its polite to offer Chai to anyone who is in your house or business for any length of time and its tradition to accept always. PTL it's chai and not coffee.]

Went to sleep in our hotel in Agra and woke at 4:30am to head to Delhi again to meet Luxmi.

Day 16
Sadly, a little bump in the road happened [Luxmi was at a wedding and couldn't come till tomorrow and they couldn't contact me]. But no fear....We settled the bump and I am planned to meet her and her family tomorrow at her house!!! This was also great because it gave me time that I had wanted to go and guy her some school supplied for her. So this evening I did that and go really cute stuff. She might be the most trendy 7 year old girl in Delhi school system. I am stocked to meet her. Seriously, I am bubbling with joy just thinking about it.

The rest of the day, we had a little auto tour with Sharma (we hired him for the rest of our time here) of Delhi. First, we saw the Lotus Temple, which is a temple for Da'hai, which is a basically universal uniterialism. I can't explain in details I want to from here...but His spirit moved there. Ask me for that story. And of course, the building is simply gorgeous. Delhi is the capital of India so we go to see the President's house, the congress building, the ministry of defense and something else. I don't really remember what they were used for but they were pretty [ I am such a girl]. We saw the India Gate which is memorial to all the fallen Indian soldiers of WWI. We also spent 2 hours at the National Museum, where we got to see lots of art and artifacts from Indian history. My favorite section was seeing Trial clothes and finding statue of J.C. hidden on the top floor amidst all the hundreds of Hindu and Buddhist statues. Got to represent.

Ok....so turns out I've been here an hour and a half. The hotel even served be awesome peach tea. Seriously, I am so beyond blessed here. But it's hard too. Constant [words to Him] is needed for protection against scary people and all the darkness surrounding this place. I've never actually felt a place be empty until I got here. So keep [talking to Him] and do leave comments or shoot me an email. It's easier to keep going strong when I know I have an army behind me.

Love you all.

[Fun India Fact: The chipmunks here act like squirrels.]