Independence Day

Well, friends, today is India’s Independence Day.  I’m currently sitting in the Chicago airport waiting to board my last flight home.  I can’t connect to the internet, so I’m typing this on Word and I’ll post it later.  My thoughts have been with India and all my sweet little kids today as they celebrate the nation I have come to love.  So, in celebration of Independence Day, here are the top ten things I love about India.

1.       The people.  Seriously, they are incredible.  Obviously there are the bad seeds, just like there are in any country.  However, the vast majority of the people that I have met in India are beautiful, strong, resilient, and extremely friendly.  I love driving down the street waving to people and watching their faces light up with a smile as they wave back.  I have learned so much from the people I have met in India, especially the leprosy-afflicted in the colonies.  I had so little time with them, yet they had a huge hand in changing my heart and my life. 

2.       The colors.  Everything in India is brilliantly colored.  The clothing, the signs, the houses, the horns of the cows that wander the streets.  I love the bold, unapologetic colors that paint the landscape and culture of India.

3.      The fabrics.  India has the most beautiful fabric ever.  I love the bold, extravagant designs found so often on the sarees and chuddidars.  I love that they are endlessly bedazzled, metallic, or patterned.  Some of my favorite mental pictures from India are those of glittering, shimmering fabrics hanging in dingy, narrow alleys.  The fabric is a perfect example of how people try to bring a touch of beauty to their lives.

4.       The transportation.  Watching people travel around on the streets is one of my favorite things. I never would have believed you could fit 6 full grown humans onto a single motorcycle, but you sure can.  I am constantly amazed at the things people carry around on their motorcycles.  All you need to transport gigantic, bulky items is your motorcycle and your friend to hold it. Indians know how to pack the car completely and totally full of people, cargo, animals, you name it.  I can’t tell you how many times we have laughed about all the crazy things we see out on the roads.

5.       The cows and goats.  They have free reign in India.  They wander around on the sides of the roads, in the middle of the roads, through people’s houses, on the sidewalks.  At Rising Star, we have a goat named Lola.  She regularly walks into the school, into the Elephant house, into offices.  I love all the weird things you see the cows and goats doing.

6.       The monkeys.  I love seeing them in trees or climbing on people’s houses.  I wish this happened in America.

7.       The prices of things.  So many things in India are so cheap!  I love that you can get a full-blown, delicious meal with drinks for around $3.  I love that you can haggle with store owners to try to get a good price.  Rupees are seriously the best.

8.      The smells.  Okay, so this one is more sentimental.  I don’t actually love the smells, I just love that it’s a part of India and is so unique to the area.  Often, when we walk around, we catch a “whiff of India”.  It’s a smell you can’t understand until you experience it.  It’s a mix of burning trash, cows, dirt, and urine.  It’s absolutely awful, but I love that it’s something you can only experience in India.

9.      The faith.  For the vast majority of people in India, religion is a deep-rooted part of their daily lives.  Whether they are Christian, Hindu, Muslim, or anything else, they recognize and praise the presence of a greater being in their everyday lives.  I have talked about this before, but faith here is so sustaining.  It gives people hope when their lives seem so dire and tragic.  Their faith helps them to smile, to work, to serve.  So many people have such tangible faith.  They have taught me so many lessons about trust in the Lord and child-like faith.

10.  Rising Star Outreach.  It is a slice of heaven.  It is a sanctuary in a place of chaos and turmoil.  It is full of tiny hands, smiling faces, and deep-rooted love.  It is my home-away-from-home.  I feel like I truly have family at Rising Star.  The children, the volunteers, the house mothers, and the school staff have come to be my amazing Indian family.  I am so grateful that I have them in my life.  Even now, away from Rising Star and India, I feel their love and their prayers.  I hope they can feel mine.  I am eternally grateful and indebted to these people.  If you want to experience life in a way that will change you forever, volunteer at Rising Star.  Sign up for a session, fall in love with those sweet little faces, and let it push you.  I can’t tell you how grateful I am that I had this opportunity.  I love my Rising Stars!