Some First Impressions

Well, I've been here a week and so far it's been much like a little vacation. I have been taken good care of by my host family at the guesthouse and by other ex-pat friends in the city. However, I've been limited in what I can go out and do since I don't know the city well enough yet, don't speak any of the language and don't have a phone that works yet. So I've done a lot of reading, journaling, watching local TV, and chatting over meals with the guests that have been in and out. Saturday I was able to get out with my friends to see the circus (which by the way was my first circus ever and I'll be honest, unless it's Vegas, probably once was enough) and it was interesting to see all the cool human tricks and performances. But the ending was really abrupt and kind of sad because a horse act stumbled, fell and pinned it's rider underneath and the poor girl hobbled off stage clearly hurt. Then there was like a buzzer of some sort and it was over. People just got up and left. So no grand finale at this bad boy!

Sunday, I attended my first Muslim wedding reception. It was interesting because it's more of an open house come and go type of thing. Most people come and spend time at the bride and groom's respective homes and may only see one or the other. We attended the groom's home because that's my boss and most everyone I'm friends with here knows him. So we were escorted to their new bedroom in his parents house and told to just relax awhile. Then after an hour maybe, we were taken downstairs and ate lunch at this tables set up outside. The men and women do everything separately as is their custom so we were split into two sides with a curtain in between. The food was nice, a spicy chicken dish and rice and lamb curry with some various side dishes. But it was also traditional in the sense that you had to eat it with your hands, so basically it was a giant mess and I'm sure they laughed at me behind my back ;) You try eating non-sticky rice with curry sauce on it with only one hand! After eating, we went back up to our "room" for the afternoon and many people came up to see the newly remodeled room and were often surprised by the three white women hanging out in there. Some spoke to us, others just smiled and many people wanted to get a photo with us!

Around 4pm, the bride and all her family arrived to the house and there was a ceremony of sorts where he showed her the place where she would now live and we took a couple pictures and then left shortly after meeting her. It was truly an all day event! Monday was a national holiday and there was a parade in New Delhi on TV with guest of honor...yeah, you guessed it...our President, Mr Obama and his wife! I swear he is following me! Then today, Tuesday, was my first strike experience. Apparently these happen from time to time and for really no reason that any of us seem to understand but it basically shuts down the entire city with absolutely no cars on the road and very few businesses that are open. If you choose to drive during a strike, they will apparently throw rocks at your vehicle. I chose to spend the day with my friend Kristi and her family and we played some games and watched a movie while enjoying the last bit of a 4 day weekend. Tomorrow's the big day when I start to work and I'm looking forward to getting into a routine!

Some of my first impressions about the city and India in general are this...

1. It's hot...pretty much always
2. There's no rules when it comes to driving...honking is a must and you can pass any vehicle at any time, given that you honk, no matter what side of the road you are driving on. They both go both ways! It's crazy!
3. People are going to stare...it's just the way it is. Luckily I've already had this experience before in other countries but it's still sometimes a bit to take. Like for example when you walk into a fabric shop to pick out clothing for the first time and all 20 male employees are staring at you, throwing different colored prints at you left and right and then marching you to another shop to take your measurements in front of anyone that might be watching haha.
4. I will be in a lot of random stranger's photos...with FB able to now identify people automatically in pictures, that's a bit crazy! Who knows where I'll show up...kind of like a Where's Waldo game.
5. Chai tea is like water here. You are served it everywhere! But it's delicious so no complaints.
6. An employee will follow you around a store with about a foot of space in between to answer your every question, carry a bag to put your items in and just to breathe the very same air you are breathing lol...the ole' personal space...gone!
7. Going to a doctor will be vastly different. They work out of their homes and getting a prescription seems like a breeze. I haven't been sick but have gone with a friend. Also it costs about $3 for an office visit.
8. There are a variety of smells, many I expected...some good, others not so good.

That's it for now...I'm sure more to come as I get out and explore the city! Thanks for taking an interest in what my life is like here :)

Leaving the Familiar Behind

I've arrived! I have to remind myself of where I am at different moments throughout the day. And I still have no mental capacity to keep track of what day it is...I think once I get into a routine that will change!

Here's the gist of what it took to get here. I left Phoenix on Saturday, January 17th around noon and headed for Seattle. Had a short layover there and boarded a flight to Dubai (which is 14 hours!) and took a taxi to my friend's home and got a pretty good night's rest and then boarded my last flight to India (3 1/2 hours) around 3pm on Monday the 19th arriving in India about 9pm that evening. Needless to say, it took awhile! But I had absolutely no issues and even got a break on my overweight luggage. Praise for that!

The week prior to leaving was spent partly in TN, setting up my sweet Grandma with my old computer, internet and the ability to keep tabs on me via facebook or reading my blog. Prayers will be appreciated that she can navigate and remember all my instructions haha! While in Tullahoma, I had the chance to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins by meeting halfway between Birmingham and since Obama seems to be on the very same travel pattern as me lately, they are fully convinced that I secretly work for the CIA! :) He seriously was in Phoenix, Nashville, Chattanooga and I heard today that he plans to be in India this weekend!!! Crazy haha!

While in TN, I also had the chance to catch up with my dear friend Amy and that was such a nice treat before leaving to head back to AZ. I arrived back in Phoenix on Tuesday and spent the rest of the week in crunch mode, meeting with friends, packing, finishing last minute projects, laughing, crying, packing, repacking, saying goodbyes, reading books and racing cars with my nephews, hugging and kissing them endlessly and eating all my favorite foods. Did I say packing??? It was an insane week but I felt pretty calm going into Friday and spent my last day with family and was mostly ready to go. I even managed to get a few hours of sleep the night before I left on Saturday which was a miracle!! I think I must have said Prov 3:4-5 about a hundred times in my head to calm my brain to be able to rest.

A good chunk of my family was still there on Saturday morning and a few special friends helped to see me off. As I knew it would be, saying goodbye to my 3 year old nephew was by far the hardest part of leaving and I still tear up about every couple of hours. So thankful for internet and skype to keep in touch but it will be abundantly different. An amazing pocket of friends and family wrote me encouraging notes to have while I'm here and I only read them once on the flight to Dubai because I didn't want to be the crazy American girl with the ugly cry!

On the flight to India, I experienced something new on a flight. They gave each passenger a lemonade drink before we even took off. I found that interesting and random lol. And as they walked up and down the aisles, they sprayed a thorough dose of air freshener, which was also new for me. I'm all for clean smelling air, but was hoping it wasn't an actual strong fragrance, cause you know that would never go away with recycled air. Luckily the scent didn't linger.

Arriving in customs in India, I prayed I wouldn't have any issues getting through security and all went well. I managed to get in the slowest moving line and it felt like forever before I could go collect my bags. But as I came down a small escalator, I realized all the people that were waiting to pick up their friends and loved ones, were visible behind a glass wall and my sweet friend Kristi came and walked out a bit to catch my attention and as soon as I saw her, I was filled with such relief. I had made it! She helped get me settled into my new accommodation and I went to bed soon after. The place I'm staying is so lovely and the host family who runs this guest house is amazing. Kind, generous, and wonderfully helpful. Here's a link to see some photos of where I'm staying

http://commongrounds.in/common-grounds-guest-house/

I'll update next time with some first impressions of Calicut! So grateful for safe travels thus far and the incredible welcome I've received. Thanks for joining me on the journey!

Two Weeks and Counting!

Passport and visa check!
Move all my stuff to storage check!
Shots and vaccinations check!
Say goodbye to family and friends...processing :(

It's hard to believe as I sit here in my very nearly empty apartment that I will be getting on a plane bound for India in just two weeks time. The to-do list is growing by the day...the more I check off the more I add on! Emotions are all over the place. One minute I'm giddy with excitement about what's to come, the next I'm packing away a picture or scrapbook crying into my coffee cup. And there's the occasional freak outs when I say out loud, "I'm really moving to India." But all that to say, I know this is what I'm meant to do for at least the next year and I'm thankful beyond belief for the support I've had along the way. I hope to be able to keep everyone entertained with funny anecdotes of all the cultural mistakes, mishaps and adventurous experiences along the way. I am so blessed to have an incredible support system behind me as I try something definitely out of my comfort zone and I hope that many of you keep in touch while I'm gone!

2015 Happy New Year and here we go! Stay tuned!