A Downsized Life

I started a different post with a different tone but realized I was trying too hard to be eloquent, which kind of defeats the purpose of these thoughts. Stay with me...

I came back from India in the summer of 2011 promising myself that I would simplify my life. I saw and experienced some powerful things in India and I didn't want to forsake those experiences by returning to status quo. I remember talking to a sweet friend, half-way around the world at the time, using the amazing technology of the internet. She asked how I was doing, how was I dealing with life in India. I vividly recall the honesty of my yearning, "I can't wait to go home but I'm so afraid to be home."

If you've traveled much out of the U.S. - particularly to developing or third world countries - you might relate with the sentiment. I was so eager to get home to my bed; to the arms of my friends, family, and church family; to my quick grocery store trips for fresh fruits and vegetables; to eat some dang meat without worrying about food poisoning!

Fear crept in, though, after I realized that I lived so selfishly and so comfortably at home without a care at all about the world just a flight (or three) away. The comfortable life, or the American dream, or whatever name you give it, is a very common yet rarely questioned concept in the West. I couldn't see it for myself until I stepped away to live a different life; as short as that time was, it marked me. Whatever it was I worked so hard to achieve back home was not panning out too well. I didn't know how to fix it but I knew something had to give.

Disclaimer: I'm not knocking tradition, or the reward of hard work, or the desire to continue a growing legacy just like your parents or my parents did before us. Depending on what mood I'm in when you ask, I'm either the revolutionary that declares, "Always question status quo!" or the wanna-be-homemaker that reminds, "Hold tight to traditions and the family life!" I lean much more revolutionary in thought, homemaker in action, and I'm still evolving. (end of disclaimer)

India - and my sweet Father God working amidst it - showed me that I had created a way of life that was not for me. I was afraid to go home to complacency, comfort, gluttony, and selfish ambitions. I didn't want to face the bills, the closet full of clothes, the full refrigerator and endless product options. I didn't want to forgot how ashamed I was to stay in a four-star hotel while looking out my patio door at a family huddled in a shamble of a brick hut.

Where exactly did this all come from? Not my family. Not my friends. Not my church or a documentary or a TV commercial with Sarah McLachlen music. I have spent hours talking to my dear ones about these desires that seem so alien and yet so real. I haven't copied or created my own version of someone else's life (at least, not to my knowledge). Yet my good God is teaching me that this life is not my own.

18 months later, one more trip to my country away from home, and many failed attempts to simplify: I find myself weighed down by this life again. Very little has changed externally while my heart and mind have transformed dramatically. My home, my comings-and-goings, my checkbook...they don't portray the internal change. The resulting tension (some may call it hypocrisy) hasn't made for a joyous season and it's time to reconcile the two for real, for real.

Grief has been a constant companion for the last four or five months; when she settled in, she decided to stay as long as she wanted and I learned to not boss her. Instead, tears and anxiety and anger have taken me to the arms of my Comforter over and over again. As Grief packs her bags, I hear the old challenge to lay down my life so that I might find it again. It's not a one-and-done kind of thing, but a daily repositioning of the heart that is prone to wander far from the grace of God.

A sister in Christ wrote a wonderful post that challenged me last fall and a post from Donald Miller today got my wheels turning again. Don so eloquently phrased the life I want to live but had never taken the time to write down for myself. The means look different but the end is the same:

• Connecting with people I love each day
• Having a healthy routine
• Getting sleep and taking a sabbath
• Working on a meaningful project
• Giving generously to the people around me
• Being wise with my finances
• Having some sort of artistic creative expression in my life
• Having a long-term vision for my life
(emphasis mine)

I thought this would be a quick post where I could point you to Don's post, and Lore's post, say a few things and sign off. I guess when the heart pours out, it pours and you don't plug it up.

Will you do me a favor? Keep me accountable to these things. In my post-gone-bad, I waned on about how when I decide to do something new, I jump in full force. It's not a terrible trait - it's served me well professionally - but for a life overhaul, I'm pretty sure one change at a time is easier to swallow. Some of the changes that need to happen will hurt, and I'll question if I really need to follow through, or I'll think I'm further along than I really am. Ask me about my progress when you see me. If there is anything I really know it's that lasting change relies solely on the work of the Holy Spirit, so pray with me and for me that I would die to selfish motives and live for Christ.

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead."
(Philippians 3:7-11 ESV)

Life in India - The People, part two

*Note: I meant to write this while still in India but life happened and I'm just posting it now. Thanks for understanding!

Last time I wrote about India, I talked about the people - in general - of that great nation. I didn't get a chance to really dig into my fun times with all of my teammates and the many others that I encountered on a regular basis. That's what I hope to do here - to recount more than just stories, but to express my deepest gratitude for hospitality beyond anything I've experienced to that point.

My business goal for the trip was to train a group of approximately 30 people on how to manage the Quality Assurance function of survey programming at my company. Seeing as I took the lead in refining the process internally over the last few years, I was asked to present it and teach it for two months in Gurgaon, India. I believe my trip was a success regarding this goal and I'm excited seeing the fruits of it today. Being super detail-oriented is not for everyone and I was so happy to see people work very hard to refining this skill in themselves.

My personal goal for the trip was to make friendships that would carry over past the duration of the trip and welcome a large group of people into the cultural fold of our company. I knew that I would get a chance to learn about India like I hadn't yet in the U.S., but what I didn't realize was that India and the people at Genpact would welcome me into the cultural fold of India.

I'm still not sure I can completely convey with words what the two-month experience was like. I was immediately struck with the warmest hospitality by everyone around me, even many people who initially just stared at this pale, blonde-haired, blue-eyed Westerner. (To pretend I didn't stand out and attempt to blend in was a joke, let's be honest. So I embraced it as often as I could!)

A few highlights with these amazing people:

• The impromptu photo shoot in the walkway of the office - *almost* everyone loved getting their personal pictures taken
• Having to repeat myself regarding colloquialisms that are Western and have no relevance in India - I still failed at this, as hard as I tried
• Getting used to the side-to-side head nod that accompanied many of my questions to the class; is that a 'yes', a 'no' or a 'maybe'? (I was doing it myself before I knew it and it still hasn't worn off at home - I love it!)
• The heated QA jeopardy and housey trivia games amongst the blue, red and yellow teams. If I remember right, blue team took the lead many times, right everyone?
• Friday night dinner at Ambience Mall with the QA peeps - still one of my fondest memories altogether. (I learned Indian food tastes better when you eat it with your hands)
• Getting into Sahil's car with all the girls and hearing Taylor Swift on the stereo - so funny!
• The superhero discussion one early morning on the night shift - RAJNIKANTH! (I'm not a person who recalls quotes well but I can still quote things that Bhupendra, Divesh and Lalit said about superheroes - so funny!)
• Akash reminding me that though the weekend started the next day, most of my Saturday would be ruined since I had to sleep most of the day
• Pizza - instead of pronouncing the word with the t-sound like peet-zah, everyone says peez-zah
• Priyanka walking me down to the doctor's office after I gave up on my pride and admitted I was sick
• The look in Vittesh's eyes when we would talk about steak - still cracks me up
• The care and concern everyone would express when I came in tired or not feeling too well
• Everyone encouraging me with their sweet sentiments when I wore "Indian dress" - I still wear it sometimes in U.S.!

And that's just a sampling of things I enjoyed with these great people!

There were several other people that were blessings to me:

• The men who worked in the hotel restaurant - they would see me come in and immediately offer to bring any number of my favorite items (aloo paratha, masala dosa, bhaji, dal, cappucino, egg omelette, dim sum, etc.)
• Head housekeeper, the hotel's general manager and the female assistant manager - always so helpful
• Sweet, cute kids that live in the house behind my hotel building - they always waved "bye, bye, bye" when they'd see me
• All of the drivers, taking me to-and-from the office, all over Gurgaon and Delhi, etc.
• The cute family that stopped me in Kingdom of Dreams to ask me my name and where I was from rather than stare and run away - they were the first ones to do that and were just so fun to talk to
• Shailaja, Manish, Avani and Tanisha - they knew I'd need to adjust some and were really encouraging the entire time
• The Park Plaza restaurant staff - I'd come in alone a lot and they would strike up some really good conversations

I will be forever grateful to the people who showed me nothing but kindness while I was there; no doubt, my trip would not have been so wonderful if it had not been for them.

Life in India - The People, part one

*Note: I wrote this while still in India but life happened and I'm just posting it now. Thanks for understanding!

Let me tell you all something that you may not know: the people of India are some incredible people. Trust me, I don't dole out that compliment very often (a rather unfortunate matter all of its own). I tend to think people are morally corrupt until proven otherwise (I kid, I kid). Seriously though, I have been blown away over and over again by these beautiful people - their hospitality, the love of family, their commitment to hard work, the devotion to tradition, and more than anything, their resilience. If there is anything that would keep me in India, its the people.

About 1.2 billion human beings live in all of India. To give you some perspective, India's landmass is slightly more than 1/3 of the size of the U.S. While the U.S. has approximately 311 million people, India has four times as many people! All that to say: India can feel just a little crowded, especially in "touristy" places or in the cities. Also, the hard truth about India is that it's technically still considered a developing country, despite the large number of technology and IT-related companies that find a home here. As a result, there are hundreds of millions of people living at what many people consider extreme poverty.

For my entire trip in India so far and especially to/from Agra, I question, "How do people manage this lifestyle everyday?" I'm not talking about the person who makes a decent living and is able to provide well for their family. I'm talking about the people I see cooking food for their families on the sidewalk within a short walk from my hotel. I'm talking about the women who sit on the side of the road with their babies running around only in t-shirts in the gravel dirt, waiting for who knows what. My Western sensitivities and ideas about living are assaulted over and over again by what I see all around me. I live a plush life in Texas and there is a part of me that cannot remain the same after seeing what I've seen. And I don't want it to! Almost daily I am struck with a pang of guilt and another "Why?". Why, that as I tuck myself into this nice queen size bed in this 4 or 5 star hotel, a family literally just downstairs from my room lived in a brick hut that was just knocked down by a developer?

I don't want you to hear me saying something I'm not so let me be clear: the Indian people do not need my/your/our pity. That is not my purpose in writing all of this. More than anything I want to be challenged and to challenge you all in your way of thinking about life and its many pleasures. Do not take anything you have for granted. It is all a gift.

I've talked to Fima, Manish, Avani and Shailaja about this a few times over the last few weeks. I cannot bear to be silent about what I see and I have so many questions. How do they do it? What goes on in a mother's heart and mind when she hoists herself onto the back of a motorcycle, knowing she has only two hands to hold onto to safety for herself and her baby? How do you decide whether to roll down your car window to give the legless man down below a few rupees? What happens when 120 degrees outside threatens to drain you of your life and there is no escape?

Many will say that I can't bother with all the "what-if" and "why" thoughts...they'll overwhelm me, they say. Others say to do what you can and trust God with the rest.

I have yet to find an answer that fits and feels right. I don't want to walk away from India more selfish than I came - grateful to learn a life lesson about my abundant blessings and leave it at that. No, that won't do.

So, what to do? I know a few good resources available immediately that can provide some help to someone here in India - great and small.

First, there is Compassion International - one of my favorite organizations. There are tons of beautiful faces attached to beautiful kiddos that need some support for school, healthy food, etc. If you're interested, check it out! I am planning to choose an Indian friend for my buddy Juan in Nicaragua. Maybe a girl this time!

Also, As Our Own is a wonderful organization based in India that serves to "rescue children from lives of slave labor, such as organized begging and the sex trade." You can easily sign up for their email distribution list or follow them on Facebook to keep up with tangible and intangible needs there.


Finally, there are several other organizations that commit themselves to the people of India: in financial ways, in physical resources, in prayer, etc.

• Water.org for clean water
• WorldVision.org for child sponsorship
• Love146 for prevention, awareness & recovery from sex trafficking

I am sure there are many, many more to list but these are a few that jump out to me by either experience with each org or word of mouth from others.

The people I encountered in the office (amazing people!! see a picture of some of us below), all of the car drivers, hotel staff, restaurant staff, rickshaw drivers, market salespeople, hospital staff...they were exceptional! They were all so warm, welcoming and very eager to make me feel at home as much as possible. I would not have made it through my time there were it not for them!

It's the people of India that I will miss most of all.

I want to write again about the people of India but more specifically about my new teammates, the guys and gals that opened up their minds and hearts to welcome me in. Stay continued for part two...

(Take one)

(Take two...more open eyes!)

(A fun group of people)

Life in India - Trip to Agra

I think it has been a whopping three weeks since I wrote much of anything on this blog. So sorry to everyone who has been trying to keep up via the blog! I've tried to update facebook fairly often but even then, I'm struggling to post things because I have been all over the place lately.

So, first things first - you need to hear and see the trip to Agra!

Jai Gurudev temple on the road to Agra

We left Gurgaon around 6:30am on Saturday morning and almost immediately started the trip to Agra. The drive itself took about four and a half hours and we arrived in Agra at about 11:30am. Just like most of my rides around Gurgaon, my eyes stayed peeled open on the ride to Agra - we drove through so many villages along the way, I didn't want to miss anything. We saw temples, colleges, city life, camels, cows - all while driving 90-100 kmph in Indian traffic!

Highway sign pointing us in the right direction

Traffic jam!

Auto rickshaw repair stop

Statues of gods ready for purchase

Another traffic jam, this time with bulls (or cows or water buffalo - whatever they are!)

When we arrived in Agra, all I could think about was finally seeing the Taj Mahal. The drive was definitely worth it. Trust me when I say that pictures don't really capture the beauty of this place. Inside, it's not that fascinating since there is no electricity and it's quite dark. But the outside is beautiful up close and far away. Even the idea of being at the Taj Mahal - this place that was built over 400 years ago and took 22 years to build in total - left me mostly speechless :-)

The entrance gate to the main attraction. It was very beautiful on its own!

As you walk towards the entrance, the anticipation increases...

Almost in full sight...

There it is!!

A view back at the entrance gate from a platform that holds the Lady Diana bench

SHADE! Sweet relief from the heat

One of the two buildings that flank the Taj Mahal

The interesting part, for me, about the Taj Mahal is the amount of work that went into building this place. Not only is it almost entirely symmetrical in every way, every single fleck of color in that white marble is in-laid by hand with gemstones. The Arabic that surrounds most of the arches of the building were created with pieces of black onyx

Our director, Mark, hired a tour guide for the trip around Agra and after visiting the Taj Mahal, the tour guide took us to a nice restaurant for lunch, followed by a few stops at some shops that create similar artwork found in the Taj. The first shop dealt with marble artwork in-laid with gemstones and jewels. The amount of time and hard work that goes into the smallest item is incredible. The coaster below includes more than 40 individual pieces of gemstones that are cut to size manually by the men who do this trade for a living. One 4 foot diameter table with probably about 50-75 of these flowers on it will take a team of men about 8-9 months to complete. One table top - three men - 9 months of work. Incredible!

After lunch and all the handicraft shops, we stopped by Agra's Red Fort. Unfortunately, I had quite a headache from the heat and sun so I stayed in the van with Fima while the other 3 people in our group went inside Red Fort. It didn't take long for Agra's most needy people to approach the van and ask for money; in less than one hour, we likely saw 6-8 different kids or women. This is the most difficult thing to see in India, by far. I have acclimated to the cows, the pigs, the trash, the crowds, the lack of English in most places, the spicy foods but these faces - I'm not sure I have ever felt so helpless in my life. But...that is a post all of its own.

Once the visit to Red Fort was finished, we made our way out of Agra and back to Gurgaon. I thought riding in a car with an Indian driver during the day was nerve-racking; night rides are terrifying! I trust these guys - it's their job to drive everywhere - but it doesn't keep me from getting carsick or jumpy when we drive just a little too close to a family of five on one motorcycle.

That's right - a family of FIVE on ONE motorcycle. You won't believe it unless you see it. In one instance, the mother sat on the very back with her infant bouncing in one arm as she held onto the bike with her other hand. I couldn't help but think about all of the side airbags and expensive carseats and helmets that are abundantly available in the U.S. And yet, this is normal everyday life for millions of people here. It makes the cramped car rides in my dad's single cab truck with the whole family seem like a cakewalk.

 Kids playing cricket - if there's an empty field, people are playing cricket!

So, that's it for Agra and the Taj Mahal. I hope you enjoy the pictures! I will follow up this post with another about the many visits I've made to Delhi in the last few weeks.

Love you all!

Agra and Taj Mahal Preview!

Training has really ramped up over the last week or so and I don't have as much time to do blog updates at the moment but I promise to make time this weekend. That being said, I have a few pictures for a little preview of our fun in Agra to see the Taj Mahal.

And it happened...

I got the sick stomach. Boo!

Granted, it could be much much worse. I'm mostly dealing with stomach cramps, "washroom issues" and absolutely no desire to eat a real meal. My diet for the last 72 hours consists solely of bottled water, Clif bars, raw almonds, honey Teddy Grahams and cheddar flavor rice snacks - all items from home.

I felt very confident (first mistake!) after my second or third day here - I had tried various cuisines and successfully avoided any sign of an upset stomach. I got adventurous my first day in the office for training (second mistake!) and tried a cheese and mushroom panini with a small iced latte. Whoops! I think that's what set this off. That, or the ravioli from the hotel that had tons of black pepper in it. I'm not sure which is the real culprit.

In any case, I am looking for a straw to sink into my bottle of Pepto Bismol. Everyone is very accommodating and wants to help; constant offers of medicines or "safe" meals are offered, though at this point, I am not sure there is a safe food for my current state. I promised I would try some Domino's pizza tomorrow for lunch so pray I am able to eat by then! I had an Indian-style grilled cheese for lunch today; while it tasted delicious, I think it only irritated my stomach more. For my American friends, try adding diced tomato and onion along with a soft cheese - maybe monterey jack - for a grilled cheese. It's delicious!

Other than my gastro news (you are so lucky for reading, right?), most everything else is going well. The training is coming along nicely, especially after today's session. I gave the class their first glance at a real-life questionnaire and what they will be working with on a daily basis. Whereas the questions about Days 1 and 2 were difficult to pull out from the crowd, now there are a great amount of questions. A general sense of wanting to discover the purpose behind why clients do the things they do for research is bubbling up. I love it!

The rides between the hotel and the office hypnotize me. I sit wide eyed every time! I wish I was brave enough to bring out my camera to share this with you all; I do not want to be rude or being "touristy" though I will likely succumb soon :-) Let me tell you this - the people of India are about the nicest people I have ever encountered. Ever!

Several people have asked about the flight here and my sleep schedule switching over to local time. It's been a real challenge. I would not suggest a 15-hour flight to anyone! Ack! It was difficult for me, I will just say that.

My sleep schedule has not acclimated just yet - it's only been 6 days. This week, I leave my hotel at 7:15am (8:45pm CST) to be at the office before 8am. I get back to the hotel around 3pm (4:30am CST) and most days I sleep right away, missing dinner and waking up again around 11pm or midnight. I then do some training prep for a few hours and sleep for 1-3 hours before waking up around 6am for the new day. Of course, today that schedule worked great, I feel very rested but my training schedule changes next week to 3pm-10pm so I will have to adjust all over again!

I must work on some more materials before 6am comes to soon; it is 3am right now and I am wide awake.

Until next time - cheers!

Stoplights

I'll keep this one brief - I'm so busy building decks for training this week! The team members here are very well prepared for our time in India, so we blew through my first two days of training in just one day!

I had my first "unpleasant" experience at a stoplight today. When I say unpleasant, please do not hear me saying annoying, irritating, frustrating, etc. I say unpleasant - for lack of a better word - because my conscience and heart hurt a little after pulling away.

I was picked up by our private driver for the trip back to the hotel from the office. It is a brief trip, maybe 15-20 minutes, though I am probably underestimating it. My eyes fly wide open as I try to take in everything going on around me during every car or rickshaw ride. For an observer like me, I have been overstimulated constantly the last few days!

Anyhow, the driver picked me up in the late afternoon so we hit a bit of traffic on our way to the hotel. When sitting quite awhile at a stoplight with cars all around us, a young boy caught my eyes and as soon as he caught mine, he appeared at my car door.

Let me say that I was prepared for this scenario. I knew to expect young kids asking for money and being rather persistent about it. This was my first bout with it, though, and it is still fresh on my mind.

Even back home, I have a hard time with not desiring to empty my wallet for people just like this boy. Do I empty my wallet every time? No. Do I give cash away when I have it at times? Yes, absolutely. Did I do that today? No.

Without becoming too philosophical about the entire subject, I will simply say that I am torn in both ways. There are many people in need, not just in India but everywhere really. What do you do in these situations? There are many scams that I could be too naive to see because my judgment is clouded by my emotions. Should that really matter though? What is the difference between the smiling Indian boy and the scraggly old man in Dallas?

I want to have open hands/be generous AND I want to be responsible. Should a line be drawn here? I'm not sure.

So, anyway, those are some thoughts rolling through my mind here at almost midnight. Those thoughts and that big, toothy grin accompanied by the persistent window-knocking and "ma'am, ma'am, ma'am, ma'am".

How to: Ride a Rickshaw 101

Wow. First full day in India and I already made my way into a manual rickshaw! Rickshaws are small carts, usually for 2-3 passengers and are motorized, manually pedaled like a bicycle or pulled. I didn't realize that some people are clueless about rickshaws so...

This is a picture of a common auto rickshaw in India (and maybe other places, I am not sure)

And this is an almost identical picture to the manual rickshaw I rode this afternoon/evening...

In the interest of lighter suitcases and no worry about blowing up my home electronic appliances, I did not pack my hair dryer, flat iron, alarm clock, etc. You need plug adapters and voltage converters for those things and I heard these appliances would be very inexpensive to buy once I got here. So, seeing as my first day of training is Monday (and it's 2:20am Sunday right now - Happy Easter! He is risen!), I needed to venture out of the hotel compound and find a flat iron. The hotel staff and my local contact said to call a driver for the trip to the market because walking there is a 30-minute endeavor in 90+ degree heat.

The last person we spoke to before leaving hailed a rickshaw - a manual one at that - and who are we to argue, right? 30 rupees for the trip (~$0.75) and we're there! So, we leave and immediately see why this ride is so cheap! If you've been to Mexico and I say that the road conditions and driving are worse than Mexico, you will know how crazy it is. The signs that line the highway speak volumes: "Lane driving is sane driving!" Not that I mind it too much - when in Rome, right?! People give lots of cautionary honks along the way (honking is not an aggressive behavior like at home) but wow! Talk about asking the good Lord for safe travels hahaha!

We arrived at the open-air market and in my mind I determined to not stay too late as I did not want to experience the rickshaw in the dark. Many Indian friends suggested that I not stay out of the hotel past dark so that was in the back of my mind as well. What happened though? We became so intrigued with the shops and just plain observing everything around us that it was past sunset before we asked for a ride back to our hotel.

Galleria open-market in Gurgaon

Let me say a couple of things here before going on: first, "we" includes Fima - my Canadian teammate - and myself, i.e. we both are fair-skinned people that stand out quite well as the tourist type; the roads in the city are DARK at night as street lights are not that common; many of the locals do not speak English very well; NOTHING has a formal street address - every place is only labeled with a city phase (district) number, identifying what part of town it is. So, I can't just say - "hey, take me to 12345 Gurgaon Avenue" - street addresses don't exist.

So we've approached the curb, ready to hail a rickshaw for our supposedly quick trip back to the hotel. Immediately a bidding war takes place between two rickshaw drivers and Fima is reminding them, "we only paid 30 rupees to get here, we are not paying more than that." We climb into one rickshaw just for him to say no, the other guy will take us (not sure why the change of heart after he won the bidding contest). We agree to pay him 40 rupees because we really just want to get back since it's past dark already.

Needless to say, we fell for the ole switcheroo and ended up at an apartment complex whose name is not even close to the name of our hotel. My gullible mind says that this guy just doesn't know what we told him about the hotel while Manish - my Indian co-worker who arrived late this evening - says that the rickshaw driver pretended to not know so that he could turn back around and take us to the right hotel for a higher fee. Please take a moment and attempt to understand this logic.

1) He manually cycled the cart, easily weighing 400 lbs, in the opposite direction of the hotel before turning around. 2) He might have been 5'2" and maybe 100 lbs. 3) He had to ride UP A HILL. 4) It was dark, late, crowded, and the traffic was quite thick. Why do all of this for 20 extra rupees?!

We finally arrived back to our hotel, he demanded 60 rupees with a big smile on his face and while Fima was generous with 50 rupees, I relented (for the sake of ending the argument) and pitched in the last 10. 60 rupees is equavilent to about $1.50 and whether or not he "got lost" intentionally, I don't mind adding in just a few more cents. This guy probably makes $100-150 in a month, let him have it.

You'll be happy to know, the entire experience allowed me to purchase just one pack of gum and some chocolate biscuits (cookies). More than that, I had an experience that even Manish has never had himself! SWEET!

All was relatively safe and I enjoyed it. Eh. Lesson learned, right? And in case you're wondering, I did not purchase a flat iron. I guess "cheap" just means cheaper than a Chi or something. The prices were 1700-2000 rupees, i.e. $40-49!*

Until next time, friends - cheers!

*Update: I found out today that shopping in Gurgaon is a great deal more expensive compared to nearby Delhi. So, in fact, flat irons can be quite cheap, just not in Gurgaon apparently!

My first time across the Atlantic Ocean!

Hello friends & family!

Here's the first of what I hope is many posts about the big trip to India! It's 1:05am CST, I'm fully packed and almost completely ready to go. I can hardly think about sleeping which actually works in my favor (for the first time EVER). I'll need to sleep for the first few hours out of Chicago (I layover there after flying out of DFW) so that I can start transitioning to Gurgaon/Delhi time. When I arrive in Delhi at the end of my 15 hour flight, it will be 5:45pm local time which is about 7:15am CST. Needless to say, I'll be about a third of the way around the other side of the world and "transition" is a kind word compared to what I'll actually be doing. Gurgaon is ~8,200 miles from Dallas!

My manager, Sandy, asked me if I'd be interested in traveling to India to train people at a new partner company and it was all I could do to keep from jumping out of my chair with a big "yes!" I have only dreamed about visiting India, experiencing its rich culture and actually seeing in-person the second most populous nation in the world. With ~1.2 billion people, India will most surely be a near opposite of Texas's wide open spaces.

For the entire two months, I will be in the city of Gurgaon - a large IT hub in the state of Haryana. There are so many things I'd love to talk about. Most people have asked two main questions: what are you most excited for? What are you most nervous/scared about?

The answers to those questions have varied over time. Excited for...authentic Indian food, being in India, training others to do something I really enjoy, the heat, being a part of a big initiative with my company, seeing sights (the Taj Mahal!!) that I've only read and seen pictures of. All very exciting, all on my list at one point or another. Fears or anxieties...food sickness, jet lag, clogged ears from the flight, safely getting around the city, having all of my materials ready when they're needed for training, being understood well despite my Texas tongue, forgetting cultural sensitivities.

These things have made up a majority of my conversations as of late. Just over the last couple of days, though, a new concern has creeped up: homesickness.

It was one of the very first concerns Sandy had for me when presenting the opportunity. I waved it off, nah! Me? Get homesick? I love to travel! I've dreamed of living in other cities, taking long trips across foreign lands, even being a missionary in various places. I was sure homesickness is just not something built in me.

Unexpectedly, that attitude took a turn sometime last week and I started to see things a little differently. First, my best friends surprised me with a night of fun eating hamburgers (not much beef in India), drinking wine and enjoying one another one last time before the trip. Then, the reality of the trip started to sink in - I'm actually going to India! The real switch happened when my mom started crying over the phone during the most simple conversation. To make it worse, she mentioned my dad is having an even worse time "keeping it together" than she is.

That little phone call made all the difference. I spend so much time independent and doing life that I forget how intertwined we all are. It will be a fantastic experience, I do not doubt that at all! But, I'm being honest with myself and the possibility that homesickness might settle in.

That's what this fancy (or not so fancy, depending on your standards hah!) blog is for...to battle homesickness and in the meantime, share a few funny stories and pictures. I hope you enjoy and please leave comments!

I will try to post again once I'm setting into my apartment in Gurgaon and am no longer a walking zombie. Thank you for all of your support, thoughtfulness and prayers!