I am sitting in the quiet stillness of my little room that I share with a Indian believer. The babies are napping and Kirsten has gone out to do her daily shopping. As I sit, I am reflecting on my time here in India. I have learned so much. One of the things I have learned is that I am not called to live my life in India as my son and daughter-in-law are; however, I am called to shine His light to the world no matter where I am.
As I counted down days for this journey to start, now I am counting down days until it ends. As I was walking up the 50 stairs to our apartment carrying Selah who was fast asleep, I thought “I only have one more trip up these stairs carrying this child.” It made me very sad. As I ate rice and dal at lunch, I was thankful I only have one more lunch left.
I have met so many nice people who have been kind to me. The Aussies who oversee the ashram, the other two American couples at the school, the Indians, the school leader and his wife...amazing people with even more amazing stories.
My first two weeks here were filled with sickness and even a bit of depression. I was not ready to live like I have lived for the past almost 7 weeks. There are not words to express the living conditions. Every day you walk into the streets and try to avoid cow poop. My feet are literally rotting on the bottom. I need a pedicure so bad, but would be so embarrassed for anyone to see the condition of my feet. The smells, the noise, everything was overwhelming. It took almost 3 weeks for me to get the hang of living in India. CL and Kirsten gave me so much grace. I was able to take care of the children; but everything else was too much. There were nights I cried myself to sleep. I was exhausted.
Another thing I learned is that as Americans we are so fortunate. We have so much that we take for granted. I can’t wait to sleep in the king size bed on clean sheets and a ceiling fan or air if needed. I long for a warm shower with water that is fine to drink if it gets in my mouth. I look forward to opening the refrigerator and grabbing Yoplait yogurt ( knowing that no flies have been sitting on top of it). I look forward to putting my glass under the ice maker and knowing crushed ice is coming out and then pouring Diet Mt. Dew over that ice.
I look forward to seeing my family and my friends. My sweet husband gave me his support for this journey. It had to be harder on him than me. After all, I was with the kids. I miss talking to my mother-in-law. I’ve missed phone calls with my sister-in-law during Alabama football. I’ve missed my nieces and have felt terrible that I have not been in Mississippi to support them as they take care of their dad who has cancer. I have missed my friend Sara. She would have jerked a knot in me and helped me though this time. I have missed my friend JJ who I know has prayed for me every day. There are too many people to name that I have missed; but I can’t wait to see you all.
There are a few things I will not miss: cows who head butt you, cow poop, walking in the dark without a flash light, rice and dal, cold showers (even though they feel good when you are hot), hearing the Muslim call to prayer every day at 1:00 pm, stray dogs, the constant honking of horns.
So my journey here in Varanasi ends on Thursday. CL and I will leave school at 1:00 pm and head to the airport. We are heading to Delhi where I will still dodge cows and cow poop and it will still be noisy; however, there is a TGIFridays and other American chain restaurants and I can’t wait to taste something that tastes like it is from home.
Friday we will go to some of the markets, see a few places that are not on our Sunday tour and eat. Saturday we will be leaving by train at 6:00 am for Agra. The Taj Mahal is our first destination and then the Agra Fort. We will have time to shop for beautiful marble elephants before returning to Delhi. Sunday we have an all day tour arranged with a driver and an air conditioned car. I will be able to go back to the hotel and shower before I head to the airport for my 3:30 am Monday morning flight. I fly to London and then on to Dallas. Home around 7:15 pm Monday night. That is about a 26 hour time span.
I want you all to know that living in the USA we are blessed beyond measure. All it took was turning into the little gully in Varanasi for me to know my life will be forever changed.
Love from Varanasi!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Varanasi walk
The Pearce family has had a really good weekend. We started off on Saturday having lunch at I:ba, a nice Japanese owned cafe. While the food was not great, the atmosphere was so nice. It was clean, comfortable, and cold. Lots of restaurants are not air conditioned so being in one with AC was nice.
We came home, got the kids down for naps, took a short rest ourselves, and then CL and I went to Gadolia. Gadolia is the main shopping area in Varanasi. It has all the practical household stuff and then all the touristy stuff too. We went by public auto rickshaw. Better be sure your life insurance is paid up. These guys drive like NY City cabbies. I really wanted to find a cool Indian ring. I have rings from Greece and Italy. They are unique; therefore, I wanted this ring to be really special. My sweet son sat for more than an hour in the jewelry store and poured over rings with me until we found just the right one. The sales person brought us orange sodas. He must have thought we were rich Americans. ;-)
CL and I went to find someone who made dolaks. A dolak is a drum you beat on both ends. They are really fun instruments. We found a shop and actually watched a man as he was making one. We mainly wanted to see them being made and find out what they cost. It is amazing to think they can make a dolak for 1000 rupees or roughly $20.00.
After leaving the dolak shop, we wandered the streets of Gadolia. It reminded me of Chinatown. People everywhere. We got a much calmer rickshaw driver on our way home.
Kirsten had made a wonderful soup for dinner. It was full of veggies and she made toasted cheese sandwiches. Kirsten is amazing in the kitchen. She has so little to work with but every meal is really good.
I went to bed early sine I had to get up at 5:00 am for the walk and boat ride through Varanasi. Of course the first thing I did when I got up was check the score of the AL/Ole Miss game. It was half time and I was disappointed to see the score was 17 - 7. By the time we left for our walk Alabama had put up another 14 points on the score board. CL texted us the final score and I was really happy to see those Black Bears fall. (Sorry Ole Miss friends. That’s just the way I roll!!!!)
We met our guide, Garima by the Assi Ghat. We got on a boat and began our journey to the burning ghat. The sun was just coming up and it was cool. The view from the river was great. Varanasi is the oldest city in India. Not only is it old, it is quite dirty; however, the view from the water is a different story. It was simply amazing to see people bathing in the Ganga. They come to cleanse their bodies and pray to their gods. They also wash their clothes in the river. Young, old, male, female, skinny, fat...doesn’t matter. They believe by bathing in the river they are made pure. They even brush their teeth with the river water.
We finally got to the burning ghat. We were able to take pictures from a distance; however, there were 6 families giving their loved one up to the gods, so we had to be discreet. So, as I understand it, the dead body is transported to the river. It is carried through the streets draped in cloths. The son of the dead person shaves his head and touches no one for 13 days. If you are a widow, pregnant, been bitten by a snake, or have a skin disease you may not be burned and have your ashes placed in the Ganga. According to our guide, each fire is started with a coal that has been burning for a 1000 years. They first unwrap the body down to the white cloths. Then they dip the body in the river. Then they place it in the fire. We watched this process with many other tourists. I guess they are accustomed to having people watch; but I felt a little awkward.
We left the burning ghat and began a walk through the alleys of Varanasi. I am not kidding when I say alleys. Trees were growing through the sidewalks and they would touch both sides of the buildings in the alleys. We saw several temples. We witnessed people bathing in a pool that was supposed to cleanse. We watched people pray to their gods at make shift temples. This place is amazing. Speaking of amazing, The Amazing Race shot an episode here last season. A guy CL spoke to regularly and practiced his Hindi was in the episode. Kirsten pointed out all the places we went that were on tv. I love the Amazing Race so I was quite excited to see all the places.
I got way more information than I could ever process. By the time we finished walking we were in Gadolia. I had no idea we had walked that far. We took a public auto rickshaw back home. After being out almost 5 hours, showers were in order. Dominoes delivered our Chicken Golden Delight pizza for lunch. At this point everyone is resting. It has been a really good weekend filled with fun and relaxation. It is hard to believe I only have one more weekend in Varanasi. Now that i finally feel good, I am beginning to like the place. Headed home in 15 days! Awe, America! How i love you!
Until later! Have a good week.
We came home, got the kids down for naps, took a short rest ourselves, and then CL and I went to Gadolia. Gadolia is the main shopping area in Varanasi. It has all the practical household stuff and then all the touristy stuff too. We went by public auto rickshaw. Better be sure your life insurance is paid up. These guys drive like NY City cabbies. I really wanted to find a cool Indian ring. I have rings from Greece and Italy. They are unique; therefore, I wanted this ring to be really special. My sweet son sat for more than an hour in the jewelry store and poured over rings with me until we found just the right one. The sales person brought us orange sodas. He must have thought we were rich Americans. ;-)
CL and I went to find someone who made dolaks. A dolak is a drum you beat on both ends. They are really fun instruments. We found a shop and actually watched a man as he was making one. We mainly wanted to see them being made and find out what they cost. It is amazing to think they can make a dolak for 1000 rupees or roughly $20.00.
After leaving the dolak shop, we wandered the streets of Gadolia. It reminded me of Chinatown. People everywhere. We got a much calmer rickshaw driver on our way home.
Kirsten had made a wonderful soup for dinner. It was full of veggies and she made toasted cheese sandwiches. Kirsten is amazing in the kitchen. She has so little to work with but every meal is really good.
I went to bed early sine I had to get up at 5:00 am for the walk and boat ride through Varanasi. Of course the first thing I did when I got up was check the score of the AL/Ole Miss game. It was half time and I was disappointed to see the score was 17 - 7. By the time we left for our walk Alabama had put up another 14 points on the score board. CL texted us the final score and I was really happy to see those Black Bears fall. (Sorry Ole Miss friends. That’s just the way I roll!!!!)
We met our guide, Garima by the Assi Ghat. We got on a boat and began our journey to the burning ghat. The sun was just coming up and it was cool. The view from the river was great. Varanasi is the oldest city in India. Not only is it old, it is quite dirty; however, the view from the water is a different story. It was simply amazing to see people bathing in the Ganga. They come to cleanse their bodies and pray to their gods. They also wash their clothes in the river. Young, old, male, female, skinny, fat...doesn’t matter. They believe by bathing in the river they are made pure. They even brush their teeth with the river water.
We finally got to the burning ghat. We were able to take pictures from a distance; however, there were 6 families giving their loved one up to the gods, so we had to be discreet. So, as I understand it, the dead body is transported to the river. It is carried through the streets draped in cloths. The son of the dead person shaves his head and touches no one for 13 days. If you are a widow, pregnant, been bitten by a snake, or have a skin disease you may not be burned and have your ashes placed in the Ganga. According to our guide, each fire is started with a coal that has been burning for a 1000 years. They first unwrap the body down to the white cloths. Then they dip the body in the river. Then they place it in the fire. We watched this process with many other tourists. I guess they are accustomed to having people watch; but I felt a little awkward.
We left the burning ghat and began a walk through the alleys of Varanasi. I am not kidding when I say alleys. Trees were growing through the sidewalks and they would touch both sides of the buildings in the alleys. We saw several temples. We witnessed people bathing in a pool that was supposed to cleanse. We watched people pray to their gods at make shift temples. This place is amazing. Speaking of amazing, The Amazing Race shot an episode here last season. A guy CL spoke to regularly and practiced his Hindi was in the episode. Kirsten pointed out all the places we went that were on tv. I love the Amazing Race so I was quite excited to see all the places.
I got way more information than I could ever process. By the time we finished walking we were in Gadolia. I had no idea we had walked that far. We took a public auto rickshaw back home. After being out almost 5 hours, showers were in order. Dominoes delivered our Chicken Golden Delight pizza for lunch. At this point everyone is resting. It has been a really good weekend filled with fun and relaxation. It is hard to believe I only have one more weekend in Varanasi. Now that i finally feel good, I am beginning to like the place. Headed home in 15 days! Awe, America! How i love you!
Until later! Have a good week.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Food for Thought
I am dreaming of all the places I want to eat when I get home. I am going to list them and if you want to go eat with me, let me know.
Newks - Newk’s Q
Ruby Tuesday’s - salad bar
Logans - steak
Fresh Market - meatloaf and vegetables
McAlisters - Spud Max
Cheddars - fried chicken salad
Mexican
Fannin Mart - fried chicken and vegetables
Mugshots - hamburger
Chinese - after about 2 good weeks with no rice
Newks - grilled chicken caesar salad
Can you tell I am starving? I see rice and dal everyday. Please help me eat my way down Lakeland Drive.
Newks - Newk’s Q
Ruby Tuesday’s - salad bar
Logans - steak
Fresh Market - meatloaf and vegetables
McAlisters - Spud Max
Cheddars - fried chicken salad
Mexican
Fannin Mart - fried chicken and vegetables
Mugshots - hamburger
Chinese - after about 2 good weeks with no rice
Newks - grilled chicken caesar salad
Can you tell I am starving? I see rice and dal everyday. Please help me eat my way down Lakeland Drive.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Last night I got some earplugs and found a cold towel to wrap around my neck so that I could sleep. After a good night's sleep, I woke up thinking about how it would feel to take my shoes off and walk across my lawn. I have seen a total of two pieces of grass since arriving in India. Grass is rare. When I get home, I plan to kick off my shoes and walk across my yard. I might even stretch out on it. Oh, to see grass.
CL took Eva back to the doctor for her follow up visit. The doctor was pleased with her progress. We all met for lunch at a place called Shimlahs. Now most of you know by now that Indian food and I are not agreeing. This place had some grilled chicken that was out of this world good. I told Kirsten to order for me and she made a great choice. Our waiter did not understand our order and actually doubled it so we have left overs.
It was awesome to wake up and find that Northwest Rankin had won the homecoming game and crowned a lovely young lady as queen. It really made my heart swell with pride for the student body of NWRHS.
CL and I are looking forward to waking in the morning to football scores from around the SEC. Roll Tide Roll!
Hope you all have a good Saturday!
CL took Eva back to the doctor for her follow up visit. The doctor was pleased with her progress. We all met for lunch at a place called Shimlahs. Now most of you know by now that Indian food and I are not agreeing. This place had some grilled chicken that was out of this world good. I told Kirsten to order for me and she made a great choice. Our waiter did not understand our order and actually doubled it so we have left overs.
It was awesome to wake up and find that Northwest Rankin had won the homecoming game and crowned a lovely young lady as queen. It really made my heart swell with pride for the student body of NWRHS.
CL and I are looking forward to waking in the morning to football scores from around the SEC. Roll Tide Roll!
Hope you all have a good Saturday!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Dr. Pearce on call
It seems we are running an infirmary here in India. Eva is much better today after not eating for 3 days. She has a cough; however, all other issues seem to be better. This morning she got up, walked straight to her mother and took food right off her plate. She was soooooooo hungry! We laughed out loud.
Now baby Selah is running fever...100.6. She has gone to school with mom and dad. I expect she will visit the doctor this afternoon.
Eva and I are cuddled up on the bed watching The Flizbins on dvd. If you have never heard of the Flizbins, please google.
We have been inside for 3 days now. Cabin fever is beginning to set in. I am thankful I am here so the kids can go to school and keep life somewhat normal.
Last night was the last night of a festival for Hindus. Very loud music was played and idols were taken to the river to be dumped. Also last night, we had dogs fighting outside. I would not be surprised if the streets are covered in blood or dead dogs. It was a loud, crazy, hot night.
Every night when I go to bed I pray that a cool breeze will blow through the windows. Unfortunately, last night just wasn't a night for cool breezes.
I have been away from home almost a month now. I have never appreciated home like I do now. I never want to lose this feeling. All I will have to do is look at the pictures I have taken. My life will forever be changed.
Hopefully, my next blog will be full of fun and excitement.
Now baby Selah is running fever...100.6. She has gone to school with mom and dad. I expect she will visit the doctor this afternoon.
Eva and I are cuddled up on the bed watching The Flizbins on dvd. If you have never heard of the Flizbins, please google.
We have been inside for 3 days now. Cabin fever is beginning to set in. I am thankful I am here so the kids can go to school and keep life somewhat normal.
Last night was the last night of a festival for Hindus. Very loud music was played and idols were taken to the river to be dumped. Also last night, we had dogs fighting outside. I would not be surprised if the streets are covered in blood or dead dogs. It was a loud, crazy, hot night.
Every night when I go to bed I pray that a cool breeze will blow through the windows. Unfortunately, last night just wasn't a night for cool breezes.
I have been away from home almost a month now. I have never appreciated home like I do now. I never want to lose this feeling. All I will have to do is look at the pictures I have taken. My life will forever be changed.
Hopefully, my next blog will be full of fun and excitement.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Holy Cow
Saturday:
Namaste! This has been a really fun day. I have felt good for the first time since we got here. Back tracking a bit....Thursday night I dehydrated again! It was much worse than the first time. I nearly passed out and I screamed for CL. He and Kirsten covered me in icy towels. My hands and feet were totally numb. They finally got my body temp down, and I went to sleep. I stayed in bed all day Friday. Nothing was going to keep me from visiting McDonalds at the IP Mall today. We went to FabIndia (nice Indian clothes and accessories) and then we went to McDonalds. The chicken nuggets and fries with a cold Diet Coke tasted like pure Heaven. After being sick, my food consumption yesterday was 1 banana. Right now I am under the fan trying my best to stay cool.
We are all looking forward to a skype date with Charlie and GMoma. Yesterday was GMoma’s birthday. It will be so nice to talk to her even though it is a day late.
I have 30 more days here in India. Please pray that my days with be healthy and happy.
We will wake up tomorrow morning and Alabama will be playing Florida. Roll Tide Roll!
By the way, it is 89 degrees in here right now and it is 9:00 pm. Way to hot to try and sleep.
Sunday afternoon:
CL and I were so excited to wake up and find that at half time Alabama was up 17 - 10 against Florida. We kept up with the game on his phone. A big Roll Tide from Varanasi, India. Five wins!!!!! 3 wins against ranked teams. Can’t look beyond the next team; however, LSU seems to be the team that will be the hardest to beat.
After a peanut butter and cracker breakfast (don’t judge...it is good protein), we walked down to the Ganga River. Check out the pictures on FB. On the way there, a cow that looked just like the Chic-fi-let cow decided to leg butt me. I have a huge bruise. I was going to take his picture; however, I went screaming down the street. We got to the river and the beggars wanted our money, the guys who take you on a boat ride were trying to convince us we needed to go out on the water, and every dark face wanted to pinch the cheeks of our two little ones.
We came back to our gully and ordered pizza. Pizza is a Sunday staple. Once again, don’t judge. If you were eating rice and dal everyday, the taste and smell of pizza would consume your every thought too.
CL and Kirsten will be leaving shortly. They have a meeting to attend and then a small group from school will come over for satsung (a time of worship).
So for the last two days, I have felt good and have not cried from sheer exhaustion. Thankful things have looked up for two days. We are all hoping for a good week. Kirsten and I are planning to take a guided walk around Varanasi and a boat ride on the Ganga. It would be so helpful if the temp dropped at least 10 degrees.
Tuesday:
No one feels good. Please pray for us! Eva is running fever.
The best thing that happened today is that we were able to get internet. We no longer have to rely on going somewhere and hoping the power is on. Sooooooooo thankful.
Until later!
Namaste! This has been a really fun day. I have felt good for the first time since we got here. Back tracking a bit....Thursday night I dehydrated again! It was much worse than the first time. I nearly passed out and I screamed for CL. He and Kirsten covered me in icy towels. My hands and feet were totally numb. They finally got my body temp down, and I went to sleep. I stayed in bed all day Friday. Nothing was going to keep me from visiting McDonalds at the IP Mall today. We went to FabIndia (nice Indian clothes and accessories) and then we went to McDonalds. The chicken nuggets and fries with a cold Diet Coke tasted like pure Heaven. After being sick, my food consumption yesterday was 1 banana. Right now I am under the fan trying my best to stay cool.
We are all looking forward to a skype date with Charlie and GMoma. Yesterday was GMoma’s birthday. It will be so nice to talk to her even though it is a day late.
I have 30 more days here in India. Please pray that my days with be healthy and happy.
We will wake up tomorrow morning and Alabama will be playing Florida. Roll Tide Roll!
By the way, it is 89 degrees in here right now and it is 9:00 pm. Way to hot to try and sleep.
Sunday afternoon:
CL and I were so excited to wake up and find that at half time Alabama was up 17 - 10 against Florida. We kept up with the game on his phone. A big Roll Tide from Varanasi, India. Five wins!!!!! 3 wins against ranked teams. Can’t look beyond the next team; however, LSU seems to be the team that will be the hardest to beat.
After a peanut butter and cracker breakfast (don’t judge...it is good protein), we walked down to the Ganga River. Check out the pictures on FB. On the way there, a cow that looked just like the Chic-fi-let cow decided to leg butt me. I have a huge bruise. I was going to take his picture; however, I went screaming down the street. We got to the river and the beggars wanted our money, the guys who take you on a boat ride were trying to convince us we needed to go out on the water, and every dark face wanted to pinch the cheeks of our two little ones.
We came back to our gully and ordered pizza. Pizza is a Sunday staple. Once again, don’t judge. If you were eating rice and dal everyday, the taste and smell of pizza would consume your every thought too.
CL and Kirsten will be leaving shortly. They have a meeting to attend and then a small group from school will come over for satsung (a time of worship).
So for the last two days, I have felt good and have not cried from sheer exhaustion. Thankful things have looked up for two days. We are all hoping for a good week. Kirsten and I are planning to take a guided walk around Varanasi and a boat ride on the Ganga. It would be so helpful if the temp dropped at least 10 degrees.
Tuesday:
No one feels good. Please pray for us! Eva is running fever.
The best thing that happened today is that we were able to get internet. We no longer have to rely on going somewhere and hoping the power is on. Sooooooooo thankful.
Until later!
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