Culture Shock

On Sept 21st, I boarded the plane for Chennai, India. It was a 10 hour flight-- the longest one I have ever been on but one of the best flight experiences ever... including a great movie selection, two meals and snacks, socks, and the best part was the provided toothbrush and toothpaste :) Once we landed (finally), made it through the visa check, and collected our luggage, it was time to use the bathroom, again. This is when I encountered Mr. culture shock... Hello squatty potty!! I don't think I was ready for that yet, so thankfully there was a flushing toilet to the right. Then once leaving the airport, I was drastically aware of the climate change. I was wearing jeans and a sweater because it was chilly on the plane (biggest mistake ever). It was 4am in the morning but so hot and we were all already sweating. The humidity and smell combined was overwhelming. Outside of the airport it was really crowded with people and taxis drivers. Walking through the crowds, I have never felt more American in my life (and it doesn't help that I have blue eyes, blond hair, and that I'm the tallest person on my team)! The taxis drive experience to the YWCA (where we were staying for two nights) was like no other.. four of us were cramped in the back, hanging on at every turn. I was so shocked by the traffic and noise even though it was so early in the morning... and the humidity was relentless. Once we made it to the YWCA, we were able to sleep for an hour and a half before breakfast. (Side note: for someone who eats bowls of cereal for breakfast, eating rice and curry took some time to get used to) We met up with the rest of our team from the UK and some from the Missouri, India office. Two of the volunteers are architects from Hong Kong. We spent the rest of the day sharing our testimonies, having culture training, and discussing the projects and ministries we will be working with. The following day we left for Vellore which was a 3 hour bus drive. This bus was our main transportation all week.

We stayed at a missionary rest home called MUT (Missionary Upholders Trust) for about a week and from here we commuted to project sites each day. I'll never forget how welcomed we were by the staff at MUT. We were greeted by auntie Jean and auntie Viji (side note: auntie is a common term used to refer to women who are older than you. Sometimes I was called auntie by children). They took us inside where lunch was ready to eat. They kept offering us water and food and just wanted to make sure we were all well fed. There was a lot of rice and a lot of curry... and this was the day I had a custard apple for the first time! The rest of the afternoon we unpacked and rested. I hadn't even been in India for more than three days and I already had too many mosquito bites to count... and very swollen ankles.. this was kind of funny.. looking. Another thing I had to get used to: bucket showers. Most people take three bucket showers a day just to cool off... and because it was hot and humid-- our clothes needed washing. I hand washed outfits almost every night. I was soon realizing how comfortably I live back in the states and in the UK. God was really showing me how much I rely on comfort and familiarity and was teaching me to let go and to rely on Him alone.