First, can I just say what a blessing it was to read through all of the blog posts?!!? I have been mia from the blog and not checking it as much as I would like to recently. I just spent a considerable amount of time reading through all of the posts and it is such a blessing to see what the Lord is doing in each of your lives and how He is growing you...so stellar!
Currently, I am sitting in a little cabin in the middle of a horse field in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia....it's peaceful, no car noises, no stinky smells...which is a complete contrast from where I was just three weeks ago. I feel like these last two months I have been all over the board and doing a million things and experiencing crazy things and my head is just spinning from all of it....in a really good/challenging/sweet way. :) For those of you who I have told about the trip, you can probably just skip over reading the rest of the blog post but for those of you who I haven't talked to...keep reading :)
I got back about three weeks ago from a little excursion in Kolkatta, India.....which was a life changing, crazy, humbling, overwhelming and stretching experience....I have fallen in love with the children of Kolkatta and have a huge desire to go back whenever the next opportunity comes up. I feel like there is a ton to say about the trip....so I am going to condense and steal Cresson's idea and just share my top lessons learned and stories and such and then share some pictures so here we go....
2 Random Experiences from the Trip:
- Most Amusing Experience: Aileen (one of my new friends I met while over there, she is from Scotland!) and I were on a walk in a small rural village outside of Kolkatta and got caught in a rain storm/monsoon and ended up having to sprint all the way back to the school we were at for the day while villagers watched us from their huts (don't ask me why we didn't think to take refuge under one of the huts or a tree or something). The Indians ended up insisting that we change clothing because we were drenched and all they had was really big men's clothing. So Aileen and I ended up spending the rest of the day in large men's clothing...the Indian teachers laughed at us every time they looked at us and we got lots of strange stares...lol o goodness.
- One of the Most Influencial Experience: I spent one afternoon in the dump area in Kolkatta where we gathered the children together and had a program for them where we sang songs and told a story. This is the slums of the slums, pigs and goats are all over the place digging through trash right alongside of the people who also make it their living to search through trash for valuable things...I am still not quite sure how to describe it or what I took away from it, but it was just such a shock to me and so humbling to see people still worshiping the Lord with a contagious joy even though they were covered with flies, had open wounds and sores, were living in a dump and probably had countless diseases.
- Most Joy-filled Experience: The girl's hostel...an amazing
2 of the Million Questions I have come back to the US with:
1) What do I do with what I saw/experienced in Kolkatta? The poverty? The filth? The people? The need for Christ?
2) I WANT TO BE A TEACHER!!!! lol, I know that is not a question but it is definitely something I came back with. After teaching English to the kids and loving it in Kolkatta it is so clear to me that for this time in my life the Lord is definitely leading me towards the teaching field and has given me a love to teach and to use teaching as a way to share Christ's love with kids. I guess one question from this I have come away with is....Where does He want me to teach?
Advice for you:
1) Go on a trip by yourself at some point in your life it doesn't have to be somewhere far way away or overseas just somewhere even if it camping in your backyard for a night by yourself....just do it if you have the opportunity, it is an amazing, growing experience...even if it may be a little lonely or scary at times.
2) If you go to India...take toilet paper, pepto bismol, antibacterial stuff, a sweat rag and a fork. :)
What's next for me?!?!?!
Grad. school...AHHHH. I have orientation on Friday and have my first class Monday! I am going to specialize in Language, Diversity and Cultural Studies in the Teaching and Learning program which I am pretty excited about.
You guys are great and such an encouragement, just fyi :) Hope you are having a wonderful day and seeing the Lord's love for you in some sweet way today!
As you were sprinting through the rain, did you yell,
ReplyDelete"C'mon Aileen!"
And then burst into song and dance?