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....