Newbie Perspective

It's 3 am here in Chennai, but I'm wide awake. My body is still confused about where I am. But since my mind is racing thinking about everything I've experienced so far I thought I'd share a little with all of you.

This is my first trip to India and as a newbie I think there is so much to take in and experience that it's hard to organize it all and explain it briefly but I'll try. It's only been one day actually in India and all ready I'm struck by the vast contrast to the States. In the US, the oldest things you'll ever see are 200 years old. Here in India the old and the new mix together. You can go to someplace with history dating back to 50 AD and pass a cell phone store on the way. Also space here is different. Chennai is a city of 10 million people so you don't see a lot of places where there is room to spread out. Buildings are built right on top of each other.

There are people everywhere even in the middle of the night. Driving is an adventure because there is definitely no extra space on the road. We've seen mopeds and motorcycles with families of 4 riding on them. Time is different here. In the states we always are in hurry, rushing to get to the next thing or finishing the next project. The pace here is slower. Time is relative and the experience or relationship seems to be more important than the task. That is really refreshing for someone who tends to always be on the go.

It's also been unique to experience being so different that everyone notices you. A large group of Americans isn't easy to hide here. Today as we visited places in Chennai many people were staring at us. Jessica Ekema and I had several people approach us and ask to take pictures with us at St. Thomas Mount. I've noticed when we gather to talk, there are always Indian people who come up and stand close wanting to know what we are doing and what we are talking about. People are so kind to us everywhere we go, offering to help us or greeting us warmly.

In a couple hours, we will get up and catch a train to Kalavai. For the vets, they talk as if they are going home tomorrow and can't wait to see their friends. For the newbies, we are all filled with anticipation knowing that this week is going to be a life changing experience for all of us. Either way, I think I might not be the only one awake with anticipation right now. :)

Shari Wolfgang