A full day in Berhampur

I apologize for being MIA from the blogosphere lately. The two weeks before Christmas I did a lot of traveling and lately we have been busy with all the Christmas festivities. I have so much to share from my travels. As I see new places and meet new people I continue to fall in love with this country. But one of the things I like most about traveling here is coming back home to Jeypore where I feel like a member of the family. Watching seven precious children become so delighted and excited to see you is a great feeling.

I want to share some photos from our trip to Berhampur, the second largest city in Orissa. We met some amazing people as we visited different missions in the city. The Missionaries of Charity, (the order of sisters founded by Mother Teresa), have a center where they take care of orphaned and abandoned children, the mentally challenged, and serve as a medical dispensary. We also visited a leprosy colony outside the city. While they live there, they are able to work in the gardens and grow their own produce. Another mission we saw was a home for deaf and mute children. They are clever, perceptive, and full of life. Finally, we visited a home for physically challenged girls. This was all in one day and it was a lot to take in. I continue to be humbled by seeing others' suffering and how they continue to live joyfully without complaint.

My first time seeing an elephant walking in the street among the traffic. Awesome.

The people of India

A few snapshots of the people of India with a little tribal dancing thrown in...

The small occurrences of daily life in India

I was inspired to write this post while eating yet another lunch of rice and vegetables. I unknowingly ate a green chili and half of my mouth still feels like it's on fire. It's a small thing that has become somewhat commonplace, yet is a distinctive part of my life in India. Some other common things that characterize life here . . . A small roach and a trail of ants running across the counter as I make a cake in the kitchen; making sure to set my alarm so I can take a bath with hot water before 8 when the power goes out for an hour; the afternoon siesta; playing outside with the kids and being called in for spicy chai and biscuits, decoding and correcting the chidren's "Yoda-like" inverted sentence structures -- (ie. "so many chocolates I have"); walking through the market and averting my eyes as a man relieves himself in the street; greeting curious, staring children in their own language (namaskar) and watching them smile with delight; women carrying loads of hay, rice, or vegetables on their heads; watching the gigantic bats (possibly Indian flying foxes) flying over the house as dusk falls; and of course tucking my mosquito net under the mattress before I crawl into bed.

Saree Shopping

My enculturation continues: I now have my first saree! The choices of fabric are seemingly endless and a little overwhelming when they start pulling out fabric and throwing them down in front of you. But definitely a fun experience. Once you have the fabric, a tailor has to use some to make a blouse. A week later it was all finished and I got to try it on. Easier said than done. There seems to be an art to wrapping the 6 yards of material around yourself. My goal is to learn how to do it by myself. Everyone here found it very amusing to see me in a saree and a small photo shoot ensued. Enjoy!

For your viewing pleasure

Sorry for the delay in posting.  The past couple weeks have been busy and now I am in the midst of traveling in Orissa.  It has been great having my friend Justin here.  He provided some welcomed help with the kids and I know Chito was happy to have another boy around.  We are having a blast experiencing and exploring India.  Take a look...

We went to a tribal festival called PARAB in Koraput.  A little bit like the state fair Indian style.  I'll put some other photos of the festival up later.  It was awesome.

  This is an old one from the Diwali festival.

We took the kids for a little picnic and saw MONKEYS in the wild!  I was thrilled. This is us feeding them biscuits and nuts.  If you weren't fast enough they would come and snatch food from your hand.  There were lots of screams and kids yelling at me to give them more biscuits as the monkeys were getting impatient.   

We took a walk in some rice fields that are ready to be harvested.  The scenery was beautiful.

                Justin and I helping the children write an essay about our monkey adventure.

                             We found some pepper and coffee plants!  Two of my favorite things.

                                           Having a little fun on our road trip to Rayagada. 

Explaining the unexplainable: an attempt

“How can you explain this?” Justin asked me as we drove past another row of shacks built out of palm fronds. That’s what I’m undertaking I guess in writing this blog; to try to paint a picture of India with my words. But at a certain point, words don’t suffice. I’ve been getting to know India over the past month. She’s been revealing her charms to me and yesterday I realized that I’m falling in love with her.

We left before dawn to start the five hour trip to Vishakhapatnan to pick up Justin from the airport. We stopped in a small town in the mountains for breakfast. Kishore and I stood and waited for a man to make tea for us. To my left, a woman and her son were arranging fruit on a straw mat on the ground to sell. To my right, a tribal man was squatting on the ground. Our eyes met. I’ve gotten used to people staring at me but his gaze was intense and seemed to penetrate me. The image is burned in my mind. On the wall of the shop selling tea were pictures of Hindu gods and Jesus right next to each other. Struck me as funny. Later on we were driving through another town and I noticed a woman sweeping the area in front of the door to her tiny “house”. As the ground is filthy dirt and dust that has been packed down, I thought, “what is the point to sweep it?” I stopped myself and instead saw her sense of pride and self-respect in wanting to clean the small piece of ground outside her door and at least sweep away the pieces of trash that had accumulated. It’s easy to see how dirty and at times wretched a place is and think it’s just a lost cause, but seeing this woman inspired me. I’m amazed at how people will find a way to maintain their dignity.

The wait is over...

The frustrating days of an obnoxiously slow internet connection are finally over! Today we got broadband internet. It's been a good lesson in not taking modern conveniences for granted. Apparently this has been a 6 1/2 month process. First, a land line had to be installed. For six months the telephone company refused because the telephone wire is easily stolen and we live a good distance from the center of town. But after some coaxing, bribery, and an agreement to recover costs for any stolen wire, we got a land line last week. And today the internet.

I am excited to finally share some photos. So I'm still new at blogging and as this is my first time posting pictures, the following are not in the order I wanted but you'll get the idea.


Some of the girls on an afternoon hike in the mountains.

Drying clothes. Check out the colors, and those are mango trees in the back!

Gardening in the backyard. They're in the process of planting spinach, cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes, bananna trees. (I'm in the process of persuading them to let me help. They have an idea that Americans are "sensitive" and I have to continue to tell them that I can get my hands dirty and do work too.)

Meet Noel. He will be 3 at the end of December. It's a challenge to get a good picture of him. He has an adorable face, but don't let that fool you. He is quite the manipulator.

The kids in their room. (Notice the mosquito nets hanging from their beds)

Back row: Teresa (13), Snigdha or "Mama" (11) from left to right

Front: Chito (7), Karuna (9), Angela (9), Florence (8)

Hope you enjoyed! I will post more photos and stories very soon.

Diwali, samosas, and motorcycle rides

Within my first few days of being in India I experienced Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Traditionally a Hindu festival, it has become more secular and is celebrated all over India by lighting candles and oil lamps, decorating buildings in Christmas lights, and setting off fireworks. We went up on the roof of the house to eat cake and set off an array of small fireworks and sparklers. The kids went crazy over it. A lot like the 4th of July. In the city, fireworks went off for several hours into the night. The next morning I learned the other side of Diwali. In our district, two people died, a hundred were injured, and 60 homes were burned as a result of the festivities. This happens every year all over the country.

I continue to be immersed in the Indian culture. I've eaten my first authentic samosa, a pastry filled with a spicy potato filling, and I'm enjoying the fresh papaya grown in the backyard. Yesterday I went to pick up my new Indian clothes. Earlier in the week we went into town to buy fabric and then we took it to a tailor who actually made the clothes. The colors are great. Going into the city this time meant riding on the back of a motorcycle instead of going in the jeep. It's definitely more of a rush as you're hoping that other motorcycle, truck, or cow doesn't run into you. Also a much more authentic experience of being in the streets that attracts more stares as well. Every local we talk to wants to know who I am, where I'm from, etc. For the first time in my life I know what it's like to be the minority.

So once again I'm not able to upload photos...the internet definitely tests my patience. Hopefully one day I'll be able to show you some pictures.

I made it!

Sorry for the delay in posting. I got the Internet where I am staying a couple days ago but it is sporadic and slow.... so I'm learning patience and never again will I take a fast Internet connection for granted.



So after an exhausting 36 hours of flying and sitting in airports I arrived in Vizag, India where I met Father Mihir. From the minute we left the airport and began the drive to Jeypore in his jeep I was confronted with the reality that I am now in a drastically different world. Thanks to watching movies and reading books about India, I wasn't totally shocked by what I saw but it was hard to fathom that I was actually seeing these things with my own eyes. The traffic is absolutely chaotic but somehow everyone swerves to avoid each other at the last second. Lots of mopeds and auto-rickshaws, bicycles, some cars, and don't forget to look out for the ox-drawn cart or the herd of goats crossing the road right in front of you. The latter half of the drive was through some mountains and the scenery was beautiful. I had heard that India is a land of contrasts and I experienced this in the first hours of being here. Here we are driving in a nice, air-conditioned jeep and then we pass some villages and see tribal people including an old man standing on a rock wearing only a loincloth and holding a staff. If I had been quick enough to take a picture it could have been on the cover of National Geographic. The ancient, the old, and the new all seem to mix and coexist with one another.



When we got to the house in Jeypore, the kids who I will be teaching greeted me with a garland of flowers and a song to welcome me. Precious. Since arriving, I have been getting to know everyone and settling in. It is very peaceful here and life moves at a slow pace.

I'm trying to upload some photos but the internet is too slow right now. Hopefully I can get some up soon.

More to come....

Signing a blank check...

While I was talking about my upcoming trip to India with a good friend, she said that it's like I'm signing a blank check. There is so much that is unknown about this trip and I don't quite know what to expect. I do know it will be an adventure....one that starts today as I begin the long journey to Orissa, India : 24 hours of flying, 1 night spent in the Mumbai Airport, and a 5 hour jeep ride. Crazy. I think it's finally sinking in that I'm about to be in India for 6 months and I am getting really excited. And I'm excited about sharing some of my experiences with all of you!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned...