Thursday, July 29, 2010
Book #17 & #18: At First Sight/The Rescue
Whirlwind weeks and playing catch-up...
WOW. Sometimes life is crazy.
Looking back on my last post, I'm AMAZED at how much has happened in a short, short amount of time. Amazed, and loving every second of it. :) For posterity's sake, I'm going to do a bunch of posts on everything that's happened, so beware! We'll see how it goes.
To update on our current situation though, we're living at my parent's house in Story City, and our lives are consumed with moving into the next step....and it feels so good! We've been saying good-bye to India for the last 5 months (knowing that we weren't staying), and so to finally be in that "next stage" feels wonderful. Chris is applying for jobs, researching cell phones and cars, and setting up life while I've gotten us settled in our temporary home and begun the frantic process of preparing my school room for the start of the year (which starts in 2 1/2 very short weeks!). More to come on that later!
To go way back, here are some "hiker" pictures of our time in Ladakh...in no particular order. We went with two friends from Woodstock (Laura and Nan), a friend of theirs from back home (Marie), and then there are some pictures of our guide, Rinchen. Enjoy!
Looking back on my last post, I'm AMAZED at how much has happened in a short, short amount of time. Amazed, and loving every second of it. :) For posterity's sake, I'm going to do a bunch of posts on everything that's happened, so beware! We'll see how it goes.
To update on our current situation though, we're living at my parent's house in Story City, and our lives are consumed with moving into the next step....and it feels so good! We've been saying good-bye to India for the last 5 months (knowing that we weren't staying), and so to finally be in that "next stage" feels wonderful. Chris is applying for jobs, researching cell phones and cars, and setting up life while I've gotten us settled in our temporary home and begun the frantic process of preparing my school room for the start of the year (which starts in 2 1/2 very short weeks!). More to come on that later!
To go way back, here are some "hiker" pictures of our time in Ladakh...in no particular order. We went with two friends from Woodstock (Laura and Nan), a friend of theirs from back home (Marie), and then there are some pictures of our guide, Rinchen. Enjoy!
The whole crew at the beginning of the trek.
Amy looking quite cute at the top of the highest pass (around 17,000 feet).
Amy's "tired" face at the end of everything.
Chris and the donkey off of Shrek. :)
Way up high, and loving it!
Our guide Rinchen...we loved him!
Sisters.
One of the men who ran a tea tent along the way.
Mountain man!
Got to be good friends...both with each other and the donkeys!
Rinchen in front of a mound of prayer flags.
Contemplating.
Nap time. Heavenly.
A very happy group. :)
Sisters on top of the world! It was such a neat experience to get to share with Amy.
Backpacks.
Day 1 Pose: Our hiking sticks look like "ones".
Day 2 Pose: Laura couldn't go #2, so we were sad for her. :)
Day 3 Pose: In our three tents.
Day 4 Pose: We were served tea four times ever day...to wake us up, at breakfast,
when we stopped, and at supper. Whoa!
Day 5 Pose: Yoga's "star" pose - five points to the star.
Day 6 Pose: We were wearing the colors of a 6-colored rainbow!
Day 7 Pose: All seven of us made it to the top.
Day 8 Post: Self-explanatory. :)
Wahoo!
Monday, July 12, 2010
But I don't want to feel...
Things have been so crazy lately that I've been able to put off some much-needed processing. I'm still not sure how I feel about leaving this crazy country we've called home this last year, but it is happening...today! And there are still so many things that my heart hasn't resolved.
One of the worst realities in India is the socially present (although officially illegal) caste system. One of the most frustrating situations for me has been the intense differentiation between "staff" and "employees" at Woodstock. In America we call it "white" and "blue" collar, and these distinctions are largely dependent on the amount of skill necessary to complete the task. In India, however, people are still born into professions and it is extremely difficult - near impossible - to change one's economic situation. In the music department there are nine staff and one employee...and the employee is treated very differently. I worked really hard to befriend him and get to know his family, and we ended up becoming really good friends. Shockingly though, I was ostracized because of that friendship. It was extremely frustrating, and entirely unfair.
While we were traveling I would read newspapers in different hotels or on the trains. Most shocking topic - Honor Killings. My friend Kate shared this online article about one of these killings...but as shocking as it is to read about, it's even more shocking to realize that these are common events. I read about three different honor killings in just 2 weeks of travel.
A situation that happened just yesterday: I was cleaning in the kitchen and a man came to the door. He couldn't speak any English, but I gathered that he was from Thatyur (a town nearby), and had recently traveled to Mussoorie to sell some fruits and vegetables. We played a quick game of charades outside our door, and he shared that he had two small girls, and one had just been involved in an accident that hurt her arm. He asked for money and food, and as I brought some things out to him he lifted his hands up to the sky in "praise", then lowered himself to the ground in a bow and touched my feet, calling me 'mem-sahib' (translated "female master"). I was horrified (I quickly encouraged him to get up!) and surprised at this very physical example that the ruler/servant mentality is still alive and well in India.
Along the same lines, I've been feeling confused and convicted about my mindset towards "the poor." During the crazy time in January/February when we thought we were maybe being asked to stay here, God really showed me how unwilling I am to give up 'what I want'. A while after that I started watching the 'Radical Sermon Series'. The pastor talks about Jesus' commands to "give everything you have to the poor and follow me." The pastor didn't say it was absolutely necessary to do that in order to follow Jesus...but he also didn't say that it WASN'T, and that was the biggest part. We so often dismiss Jesus' most radical statements as only being relevant to that situation or that time, but are they? Chris and I started noticing that whenever someone asked us for money, our first reaction was to say no and walk away. WHY!?
After we noticed this gut reaction, we decided to always give when someone asked. And then someone asked...and we gut reacted, said no and walked away. And a second time, and a third time. As we walked away we realized that we had done it again, said we were so stupid, and kept going. And every time it happened, I thought, I'm walking away from Jesus right now.
Over Christmas we stayed with my cousins Jason and Christine for a couple of weeks, and had some really great talks/processing moments with them. One of the things I remember Christine saying is that it isn't our responsibility what people do with the love we give, but it is our responsibility to love them. After we give Jesus' love, it's in His hands.
I've been noticing a lot of the lies I've been believing in this subject. I tell myself, "they might use it for drugs" or "they might be working for a beggar boss" or "people in India are always so pushy, maybe they don't really need it" or "I'll just give them food, 'cause if they're hungry that's what they need anyway, right?". But then I realize that I would never ask for money or food, both because of the humiliation and simply because I've never needed it that badly. Doesn't that fact alone dismiss all the things I tell myself to make rejecting their request easier?! They are at the point that they need it...which is something I've never experienced. How can I just the people living a lifestyle I've never lived?
And so, I feel all over the place. As we've been packing and getting rid of things, the poverty here has become much more evident. People know we're leaving and so ask if we have anything for sale. However, when we quote the price to them (which is usually about half of what we paid for it), they blanch and say they absolutely couldn't pay that much. And so, we basically give it away. And then I feel like I've just been taken advantage of. Am I a sucker? Is this what the Lord asks of us? We're having money issues too...but they're nothing compared to everyone around us. Is the problem in the comparison?
Too many feelings that don't make enough sense. And, it makes me just not want to feel anything. Not the right reaction, but it's just how I feel. :)
One of the worst realities in India is the socially present (although officially illegal) caste system. One of the most frustrating situations for me has been the intense differentiation between "staff" and "employees" at Woodstock. In America we call it "white" and "blue" collar, and these distinctions are largely dependent on the amount of skill necessary to complete the task. In India, however, people are still born into professions and it is extremely difficult - near impossible - to change one's economic situation. In the music department there are nine staff and one employee...and the employee is treated very differently. I worked really hard to befriend him and get to know his family, and we ended up becoming really good friends. Shockingly though, I was ostracized because of that friendship. It was extremely frustrating, and entirely unfair.
While we were traveling I would read newspapers in different hotels or on the trains. Most shocking topic - Honor Killings. My friend Kate shared this online article about one of these killings...but as shocking as it is to read about, it's even more shocking to realize that these are common events. I read about three different honor killings in just 2 weeks of travel.
A situation that happened just yesterday: I was cleaning in the kitchen and a man came to the door. He couldn't speak any English, but I gathered that he was from Thatyur (a town nearby), and had recently traveled to Mussoorie to sell some fruits and vegetables. We played a quick game of charades outside our door, and he shared that he had two small girls, and one had just been involved in an accident that hurt her arm. He asked for money and food, and as I brought some things out to him he lifted his hands up to the sky in "praise", then lowered himself to the ground in a bow and touched my feet, calling me 'mem-sahib' (translated "female master"). I was horrified (I quickly encouraged him to get up!) and surprised at this very physical example that the ruler/servant mentality is still alive and well in India.
Along the same lines, I've been feeling confused and convicted about my mindset towards "the poor." During the crazy time in January/February when we thought we were maybe being asked to stay here, God really showed me how unwilling I am to give up 'what I want'. A while after that I started watching the 'Radical Sermon Series'. The pastor talks about Jesus' commands to "give everything you have to the poor and follow me." The pastor didn't say it was absolutely necessary to do that in order to follow Jesus...but he also didn't say that it WASN'T, and that was the biggest part. We so often dismiss Jesus' most radical statements as only being relevant to that situation or that time, but are they? Chris and I started noticing that whenever someone asked us for money, our first reaction was to say no and walk away. WHY!?
After we noticed this gut reaction, we decided to always give when someone asked. And then someone asked...and we gut reacted, said no and walked away. And a second time, and a third time. As we walked away we realized that we had done it again, said we were so stupid, and kept going. And every time it happened, I thought, I'm walking away from Jesus right now.
Over Christmas we stayed with my cousins Jason and Christine for a couple of weeks, and had some really great talks/processing moments with them. One of the things I remember Christine saying is that it isn't our responsibility what people do with the love we give, but it is our responsibility to love them. After we give Jesus' love, it's in His hands.
I've been noticing a lot of the lies I've been believing in this subject. I tell myself, "they might use it for drugs" or "they might be working for a beggar boss" or "people in India are always so pushy, maybe they don't really need it" or "I'll just give them food, 'cause if they're hungry that's what they need anyway, right?". But then I realize that I would never ask for money or food, both because of the humiliation and simply because I've never needed it that badly. Doesn't that fact alone dismiss all the things I tell myself to make rejecting their request easier?! They are at the point that they need it...which is something I've never experienced. How can I just the people living a lifestyle I've never lived?
And so, I feel all over the place. As we've been packing and getting rid of things, the poverty here has become much more evident. People know we're leaving and so ask if we have anything for sale. However, when we quote the price to them (which is usually about half of what we paid for it), they blanch and say they absolutely couldn't pay that much. And so, we basically give it away. And then I feel like I've just been taken advantage of. Am I a sucker? Is this what the Lord asks of us? We're having money issues too...but they're nothing compared to everyone around us. Is the problem in the comparison?
Too many feelings that don't make enough sense. And, it makes me just not want to feel anything. Not the right reaction, but it's just how I feel. :)
Sunday, July 11, 2010
On the Road for Education
Announcing to the world - I've decided to run the "On the Road for Education" half marathon on October 24th in Mason City. I'm so excited! My goal is to run the marathon portion of this race next year, but I thought I should do a half marathon first. At first it was just my sister and I, and then on the trek Marie and Laura decided they'd like to do it too....calling all runners, anyone else want to join?!
Here's the Official Website.
Here's our Training Schedule.
And here's the running group so far...
Training starts Sunday. Oh boy!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Ladakhi People
The people in Ladakh are beautiful, both inside and out.
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LADAKHI PEOPLE
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Friday, July 09, 2010
Ladakh Landscapes
As we've been organizing our thoughts about the trek/travel time, we (Amy and I) decided to do different types of posts (mostly for our family members, who are of course obligated to read both!). SO - I'm going to post general picture groups while Amy will outline the daily events. This trip was a DREAM...I think you'll be able to see why. :)
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LADAKH LANDSCAPES
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The pointy peak in the middle of the back of the picture if K2...not a bad view, huh?!
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