This week has been so much better for all of us. I am no longer crying a lot and we have all adjusted to Indian time. Jet lag is killer! Never thought it would bother me that much but was I wrong. Thanks to all you friends who listened to my hurting heart and prayed for me. I know God will never take me where He will not sustain me but He never said it would always be easy. I have adjusted to all the craziness in Silvassa and don't miss home, family, friends, and my dog quite so much :)
On Monday we went to talk to the priest of the local church/school. This area was settled by Portuguese and not turned back over to India until 1954 so there is a big Catholic influence. (The only Christian church here) There are many different protestant churches, including Baptist, in Mumbai, but none here. The priest spoke relatively good English and said he could use me to teach Kindergaten. He wanted to let me teach High School English but said I talked too fast like most Americans and they couldn't keep up with my English...LOL!! He actually told Clara, our hotel "public relations" lady who later told me. We both got a good laugh out of it. I am trying to speak slower now in hopes it will help all the Indians understand me better but you know how hard that is for me! I am so excited to be working with the sweet little Indian children. They are really beautiful children and always so excited to see new people. Ashlyn and Alyssa will go with me the rest of the time they are here and help out in the classroom.
It was amazing to walk into the school and see the contrast to the rest of the city. It is kept immaculately clean. There are 2 computer labs, a chem. and bio. lab, and a library. They are so proud of the school and compared to the way the rest of the city looks, they should be. The children all wore nice uniforms and were neat and clean. I have no idea how much the school costs but am sure it is prohibitive for most of the families in this city. They teach every class in English except one which is Gujarati, the local language. One father told me that the "new generation" in India believes that English is the language of the world and that to be successful you must learn English. The city has a Gujarati school but most children only go to 5th or 6th "standard" (grade). I'm not sure if this school is free like our public education. Taxes are very high in India but doubt the average village person selling vegetables worries about paying taxes. Mostly the workers in the factories, businesses. There is a very high % of children who are never educated. This makes me very sad. So wish I had the funds to start a free English school for any child to attend. What a difference it would make in this part of the world. Good education always comes at a price and these precious people have nothing to pay for food, much less education. Another thing we so take for granted in America. Thank God each day if you have a good school to go to or have an education. It is like Beth Moore says, "if you own a book you are considered rich in most parts of the world!" She is right; I have personally witnessed it.
After we left the school, we went to see Bob at his Sterlite office. It is so much like American office/manufacturing facilities that you forget you are in India when you are inside. We met lots of people in the company and Bob gave us a tour of the plant. Very cool to watch fiber optic cable being made. He loves his job and is having a blast. The company is experiencing incredible sales and growth and he loves the technical part of building up the business and adding prodcution lines, capacity, facilities, etc. (All the left brain stuff that my right brain does not get) So great to see him enjoying a job again :) He is such a witness to his peers at work and when we are together in the hotel. Two other Sterlite employees are living in our hotel. One is Romanian but has lived in America since 1988 and the other is from South Carolina. We all eat dinner together most nights and have lots of laughs. We are buildling relationships and able to talk about the Lord a little each night. God is faithful.
We also went to a clothing outlet at a garment factory in Silvassa. The clothes were really nice and the twins got several things. Everything is made for small people. I am finally getting used to the Rupees. Kind of confusing. Glad I have the twins to do the math right now...will need to bring a small calculator back with me in the Fall. lol
Wed. we went to Vapi, a city about 30 minutes from Silvassa. It is a larger city and there is a lot of industry and chemical plants there. It has better shopping but best of all it is where McDonald's, Dominoes Pizza, and Pizza Hut are located :) Ashlyn, Alyssa, and I first went to Vischal Mega Mart. What a fun store. It is India's version of Wal-Mart. It has everything from groceries to housewares to clothing. They even had a few washing machines, TV's, and window AC units. We spend several hours there and came home with American potato chips, Mt. Dew, Fanta Orange, and several Indian outfits for the girls. Much fun!! Next we went to McDonald's. That McChicken and fries tasted like heaven :) We had our driver come in and bought him lunch. He didn't want to but we insisted and you could tell he really enjoyed it. He would not sit near us but we asked him to join us. The caste system is outlawed in India but still very much alive and well. Jitender, our driver, only speaks a few words of English. It is hard to communicate with him but we make do. He is so shy and sweet and we always thought he was just mean. He just did not know what to do with us crazy American women! We are trying to learn Hindi and we are teaching him English. Slow going but fun. Ever since we have tried to befriend him he has acted like our personal bodyguard. We went to the special local market that they only on Fridays and Jitender followed us and made sure the locals didn't rip us off by overcharging us--which they do a lot since we are foreigners. He really watched us as we walked down the crowded streets so we wouldn't get hit by all the large trucks. He is one of our new projects to teach English and share the Gospel with him.
We also found out that we will be going into the remotest parts of Silvassa and outter villages with the Red Cross. Sterlite sponsers the local mobile unit. It has a fully equipped/stocked van, a doctor and a nurse, and goes out daily from 9am to 3pm. The twins and I will be going out with them 3 days a week to help with mobile medical clinics. Ashlyn is very excited as this is what she wants to do when she becomes a doctor. Should be great experience. Pray we are able to communicate in some way and show the love of Jesus to these people. I cannot imagine just how poor their living conditions must be.
This evening we have been invited to a family party of the plant manager of the copper cable plant. It is being held at a hotel across the street from ours and should be lots of fun. We are heading downtown now to see if Alyssa and I can get a traditional Indian outfit to wear.
Thanks for all of your continued prayers. I know that they are the reason we are doing so much better here and God is blessing us each day. Love to all....Kim
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Going into town
Today all 4 of us went intothe town to the vegetable market. Pretty unbelievable what we saw. The street was lined on either side with carts and people selling all sorts of beautiful veggies, fruits, rice, etc. I had never seen some of them before and have no idea what they were. The locals used old scales with weights to measure the veggies for sale. Eveyone in the market was amazed at the "fair-skinned" people walking around (us!) We caused quite a stir. I did not see one other Westerner all day while we were out. There are a few in our hotel but I amm sure they are here on business. Silvassa is a union territory of India, not an official state, and it has set up excellent tax breaks and electricity discounts for business. Lots of foreign businesses have opened locations here and that is what has put Silvassa on the map lately...literally. You can hardly find an older map with the village on it.
The trash heaps and just plain nastiness on the streets it something most Americans cannot comprehend. Worse than any major American city at its worse that I can think of. The smells of rotting food that they just throw into piles was rough at times. Makes me thankful for our little hotel here. It is kept very clean. The shops on the main streets were interesting. Each one carried one specific item. Boys' clothes at one store, girls' at another, womens' another, etc. Everything you can think of had its own store. You could not buy shoes where you buy clothes. Electronics were not in the same store as phones. It is so crazy. Shopping is more like hunting!! Ashlyn got a traditional Indian outfit; long tunic top with fitted pants underneath. She looks cute in it; even if she is red-headed and almost 6 feet tall...not your average Indian woman :)
Bob goes back to work tomorrow and I dread it because the twins and I feel so isolated. We are going to talk to his HR person about volunteering on the company Red Cross vehicle and I am going to call the local catholic church and school to see if there is something we could volunteer to do there with the children. Please keep praying for us as we deal with immense homesickness and try to find our way. Also, remember how good you've got it and be extra nice to your local trashmen :)
The trash heaps and just plain nastiness on the streets it something most Americans cannot comprehend. Worse than any major American city at its worse that I can think of. The smells of rotting food that they just throw into piles was rough at times. Makes me thankful for our little hotel here. It is kept very clean. The shops on the main streets were interesting. Each one carried one specific item. Boys' clothes at one store, girls' at another, womens' another, etc. Everything you can think of had its own store. You could not buy shoes where you buy clothes. Electronics were not in the same store as phones. It is so crazy. Shopping is more like hunting!! Ashlyn got a traditional Indian outfit; long tunic top with fitted pants underneath. She looks cute in it; even if she is red-headed and almost 6 feet tall...not your average Indian woman :)
Bob goes back to work tomorrow and I dread it because the twins and I feel so isolated. We are going to talk to his HR person about volunteering on the company Red Cross vehicle and I am going to call the local catholic church and school to see if there is something we could volunteer to do there with the children. Please keep praying for us as we deal with immense homesickness and try to find our way. Also, remember how good you've got it and be extra nice to your local trashmen :)
Friday, June 18, 2010
Trip and 1st days in India
We left Jacksonville, FL at 10 am on 6-15-10. First stop Atlanta, next stop was Paris, France and we finally arrived in Mumbai, India on 6-16-10 at 2 pm EST (midnight in India). 32 total hours. International travel is not as glamourous as you might think! AirFrance flight was great; all the baquettes you could eat :) We were exhausted but excited to get to the Sahara Star Hotel in Mumbai. It was amazing. So modern and beautiful inside. The outside, however, was a mess. It looked like it was still under construction...but wasn't. You would never have known it was a state of the art hotel inside; as nice as any Ritz I have ever been in. The bed even had this cool control panel that allowed you to adjust lights, TV, music, air, even had two buttons for aromas for the room. I told Bob I wanted one of those in Silvassa...HA!
Our driver picked us up the next morning and we toured some of Mumbai. Wow, what a city of diversity. I have never seen so much poverty and depravity. Hard to believe. There is also lots of wealth in the city and it smacks each other in the face all day long. Don't know how the people survive so well together. I was totally overwhelmed and not ready for what I saw. It is one thing to read about it and see pictures of it and another to watch humans living in it. Of course, there are the funny things like animals walking the streets. Think of it like this- water buffalo walking down Broadway St. in NY. That is exactly what it was the equivalent of. Crazy! Everyone uses the horn- not to be rude but as a way of saying "here I am, don't hit me". Hilarious. The back of trucks have "Horn OK Please" painted on them. We visited a beautiful old cathedral and an Indian "mall". They are definately into pushy sales here, not unlike the Caribbean and Mexico. Since it takes 3 hours to drive the 60 miles from Mumbai to our village of Silvassa, we left early to beat the traffic.
The drive to Silvassa was interesting. There are officially 2 lanes on each side of the highway but they became up to six at any given time. Horns blaring and drivers "overtaking" (passing) each other. The twins and I managed to sleep some of the way. We had so much luggage that it barely fit into the Toyota minivan. We had to hold some of it. Along the way we saw huge, beautiful temples built for the gods and people living in shacks or under tarps. So sad. The farther we got outside Mumbai the more rural it became. There are lovely mountains and lush forests only miles from the Arabian Sea. The farmers were plowing fields with a single plow pulled by a water buffalo and the women worked in the fields wearing beautiful saris with a baby on their hip. I saw a man plowing with an ox at the same time a big John Deere tractor passed us on the road. Diversity!
We arrived at the Ras Resort (a loosely used term!) which is the hotel we will be living in. We have an apartment-type set up. Two bedrooms with a sitting room between them. It reminds me of an old hotel from the 60's. It is very clean but basic. The staff are very sweet and eager to help us. The Daman River runs right outside and it is pretty. The locals have build shrines on the shore of the river to worship the river gods in hopes of good rain and more water. Idol worship is very prevalent here and it infiltrates every aspect of their lives. They have little statues of gods in their cars, on the porches, their jewelry, pictures, everything. The elephant god seems to be very popular in this area. There is a large shrine to him on the front steps of our hotel. I am sure we are some of the first Christians some of them have ever met. I pray we are able to show them truth.
The twins and I are having a bit of a hard time adjusting to everything we have seen and feeling isolated. Bob has been here for 2 months now and is used to it but we need a little time. Lots of tears these last two days but I know it will get better as we get out and meet people. The village is very small but we really want to go see if there is anywhere we can volunteer or find something to do. Bob's company sponsors a Red Cross vehicle and we plan on riding along to give out medicine and humanitarian aid. Keep us in your prayers are we try to adjust and find God's place for us to serve over here.
Our driver picked us up the next morning and we toured some of Mumbai. Wow, what a city of diversity. I have never seen so much poverty and depravity. Hard to believe. There is also lots of wealth in the city and it smacks each other in the face all day long. Don't know how the people survive so well together. I was totally overwhelmed and not ready for what I saw. It is one thing to read about it and see pictures of it and another to watch humans living in it. Of course, there are the funny things like animals walking the streets. Think of it like this- water buffalo walking down Broadway St. in NY. That is exactly what it was the equivalent of. Crazy! Everyone uses the horn- not to be rude but as a way of saying "here I am, don't hit me". Hilarious. The back of trucks have "Horn OK Please" painted on them. We visited a beautiful old cathedral and an Indian "mall". They are definately into pushy sales here, not unlike the Caribbean and Mexico. Since it takes 3 hours to drive the 60 miles from Mumbai to our village of Silvassa, we left early to beat the traffic.
The drive to Silvassa was interesting. There are officially 2 lanes on each side of the highway but they became up to six at any given time. Horns blaring and drivers "overtaking" (passing) each other. The twins and I managed to sleep some of the way. We had so much luggage that it barely fit into the Toyota minivan. We had to hold some of it. Along the way we saw huge, beautiful temples built for the gods and people living in shacks or under tarps. So sad. The farther we got outside Mumbai the more rural it became. There are lovely mountains and lush forests only miles from the Arabian Sea. The farmers were plowing fields with a single plow pulled by a water buffalo and the women worked in the fields wearing beautiful saris with a baby on their hip. I saw a man plowing with an ox at the same time a big John Deere tractor passed us on the road. Diversity!
We arrived at the Ras Resort (a loosely used term!) which is the hotel we will be living in. We have an apartment-type set up. Two bedrooms with a sitting room between them. It reminds me of an old hotel from the 60's. It is very clean but basic. The staff are very sweet and eager to help us. The Daman River runs right outside and it is pretty. The locals have build shrines on the shore of the river to worship the river gods in hopes of good rain and more water. Idol worship is very prevalent here and it infiltrates every aspect of their lives. They have little statues of gods in their cars, on the porches, their jewelry, pictures, everything. The elephant god seems to be very popular in this area. There is a large shrine to him on the front steps of our hotel. I am sure we are some of the first Christians some of them have ever met. I pray we are able to show them truth.
The twins and I are having a bit of a hard time adjusting to everything we have seen and feeling isolated. Bob has been here for 2 months now and is used to it but we need a little time. Lots of tears these last two days but I know it will get better as we get out and meet people. The village is very small but we really want to go see if there is anywhere we can volunteer or find something to do. Bob's company sponsors a Red Cross vehicle and we plan on riding along to give out medicine and humanitarian aid. Keep us in your prayers are we try to adjust and find God's place for us to serve over here.
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