Only in India...

So I during my stay back here in the motherland, I have made some observations which I will now share with you now.

Enjoy my top 12 of…

Only in India…

~ …is playing chicken with other motorists on the road, an acceptable pastime while traveling.

~ …can you fit four adults & a baby on a motorcycle!

~ …does the shaking of the head mean yes, no, maybe, I don't understand you but I will nodd to make you think I do!

~ …Will you see a dog, two camels, couple of cats, a bunch of monkeys, herds of cows, & other misc farm animals, rosters, hens, & a lizard. All this on a short trip to the store.

~ …is it legal to sell petrol(gas) in empty water bottles, from your house.

~ …have I experienced reverse discrimination, where the white skin people are hailed supreme, almost God like, but Indians treated as worthless in their presence.

~ …will you hear sayings like, "Man-Friday" & "Hyper as a kite", "Morning madam/sir", "It will be here in 10 min."(never to come at all), "You wait here", "Your luggage will be here @ 1am"(5 days in a row & later you get your bag! Sharon;)

~ …can you find "Genuine Copies" of Gucci watches in a legit store!!!! Lol

~ …can you eat curry/masala for breakfast, lunch & dinner:) yum yum

~ …can you be at the beach & there will be people there in their suits & sarees.

~ …will you pay $9 an hr for internet! (yes I'm a little salty)

~ … last but not least, ONLY IN INDIA crows hang out at the beach instead of seagulls!

Love you guys. I'm out.

3 Star What???

So I must apologize to all my faithful readers for leaving you hanging since my last Blog. Also for some of my terrible grammar & spelling, since I was in a hurry & tired. When we last left off, I was going into Sunday. What a day of ministry. The church we were ministering at had no air conditioning, but 10 ceiling fans! It didn't help, bec when you pack 300 people in a 30 by 40 room, all sitting on the floor, it gets hot! We were sweating just walking into the room. It was a 3 & a half hr service, after praying for about everyone there. Some ladies were delivered from demon possession. The guy bringing me the guitar that I was going to playng, handed it to me. The strings were not only wound tight, but some the wrong way. With no tuner, I was about to put my ear to the test… yea… about that. I got the high 3 in, the other 3.. well lets just say Jen & I sang acappella. Some medley I made up of choruses 5 minutes before I got up, 'cause was debating about using their Casio instead of the guitar. When I say Casio, I mean it in very stereotypical way possible, when you refer to a cheap tinky sounding excuse for a keyboard. They were excited at the end when I gave them some xlr cables & 2 mics. Was blessed giving it to them, promising more next year when I return, as during the service I made a mental list of things that would improve their pa system. I was impressed that they did have a projector. So the day ends & we're up at 5am Mon traveling to the domestic airport to fly out to fly out of Goa. The security was a joke. They made a valid attempt, screening our bags etc, but when the ticket counter wasn't open to receive our bags, they allowed us back out past security to have coffee. When finished we reentered not having to rescan our bags!!!! Genius! Our flight was great, got to Goa, the state of my childhood vacations, exchange some more money, rented a driver & off we go to our mystery hotel. As we get close, we notice this area not looking tooo 3 star-ish like Travelocity promised. We get there, & trying to be positive got to the reception desk thinking this is not bad. We walk to our rooms, pass the pool, not bad, whoa topless woman in the pool yikes keep on walking to the room, open the door & !@$%^&*() It smells like urine in Ruth & Sharon's room. There's mold on our ceiling, Sharon's shower-tap knob is falling off, basically at first we were thinking mission's trip. Then after getting our bags n there, we realized… HEY we're on a mini getaway, this is unacceptable. Especially if some local couple just walked out saying the place is "pathetic" So we rented another driver to find us a better hotel. Travelocity was waaaaayyy off on this one! We finally found a real 2 & a half star for $40 more per night but has a pool & is on the beach!!!! So we got the Shiite(pron: sheee-ite) outta there. Today is a rainy & sunny day, depends hat hr it is. We went to a local tailor to have our Indian outfits made for about $15 I'm rediscovering my bargaining skills. We had started at $40. Tomorrow we are going on a tour of South Goa, visiting a spice plantation,& more Hopefully buying my cricket bat & set. This hotel doesn't have wireless, but lets us use the office computer for FREE! That's what I'm talking about. I have more to say, but I will leave you with this… when in India, people will agree to whatever you say or ask, but you will never get it! Lol I'm out

Another hot one in Delhi!

Today was a light day. We were off to a school in Delhi where they are in great need of a Generator. They had postponed their annual dance competition so that we could be there for it today. What an immense blessing it was to me personally. The local dances that these kids put on reminded me of when I was in school here in India, & we had to do these dances. It is just full of Indian culture. Putting aside political views, religious beliefs, convictions, in that moment, watching these beautiful children dancing their traditional dances for God, was what India was about. So rich & vibrant in culture. I have a renewed appreciation for the performing arts of India. As they were in the middle of their program, sure enough the power goes out. Definitely displaying the need for these kids to get a generator to enjoy uninterrupted education in an environment that is not unbearably hot! This humidity really does a number on your energy. In fact our room is so hot, I'm getting irritated along with one of the converters blowing, so I can't charge my laptop & once again trying to copy pics to my external drive & get this out before it dies on me again! We went shopping today after lunch. Not really a great trip, we went to a government regulated mall I guess where there is no bargaining only a set price. Stuff there though was priced a little on the high end, the trade was that it was quality goods. But for trinkets I would rather bargain & get a good deal on something that isn't necessarily good quality, but who cares it's just going to sit on a shelf anyway. So I wait for tomorrow as we hopefully go shopping in the market place. That's where the fun begins. Speaking of fun, I was really dragging towards the end of our shopping spree, so when we got in our vehicles to go back to the hotels, I kinda nodded off in the front seat. Well somewhere during our hr. drive back, the trunk of the car flies open, the ladies start screeming & out roills both my camera cases in rush hr traffic!!!! I try to jump out but vehicles were flying by the car, so I wait half a sec. while Ruth is yelling in my face, "ROBERT THE CAMERA ROLLED OUT OF THE BACK OF THE CAR!!!!!!!!!" I respond calmly as one can be with 4 women yelling, I know I am waiting to get out without getting run over. Well I finally jump out in Delhi traffic run back 20 yards & all these motorcyclists are stopped infront of the 2 cases. Just as well I had bought a flight case for the Canon GL2 so it was in there snug & only the hardcase received battle scars! My other personal camera was ok in it's padded case aslong as no one ran over it, which they didn't. So that was a close call!!! I thank God I am pretty level headed in situations like this. My wife on the other hand… not soo much. While this was happening, she was trying to crawl out over the backseat of the SUV to get on the street to get the cameras. Yeah…. About that whole getting run over by a stampede of rickshaws, motorcycles, vans, cars, buses. Not a good thing. So all is well. We are ministering in different churches tomorrow. I might be singing "How great is our God" & playing someone's guitar, I miss my Aleyna(my T5 for those who don't know her) So hopefully that goes well. I plan on giving my mic cables & a mic I brought with me to shoot interviews with to the church I will be at, as the state of their cables is unacceptable. Besides, I don't want to be cutting in & out while I sing "How _ _ our _ Sing _ me… Well I'm tired, I'm hot, & I'm out.

Gratefulness

One of the things I kinda got tired hearing from people that would return from foreign mission trips was how grateful they were for certain things. I knew that as American's we were doing well as a nation, we had a lot of luxuries. I've grown up in third world countries, I know that what we're seeing & experiencing is a way of life. Not that I am saying that those people were just spoiled Americans getting a spoon of reality out side their little world(sometimes the case is true) but their reports of what shocked them & moved them didn't necessarily surprise me. But after what I saw today with my own eyes, one can't help but think of how fortunate I am to have the opportunities, privileges, resources & funds to dream, & dream BIG! Walking through the slums today & looking at faces through my view finder, I couldn't help think… what if… What if my parents never adopted me, I could have been one of these kids. But if it had not been for God… His plan kicking in, setting out my path, I wouldn't have the privilege & great task of telling these kids stories back in the States. The stories of great difficulties & triumph were overwhelming. A little boy who is a Mission of Mercy kid, saw his dad kill his mom. Talk about trauma. But he sits in one of the few school rooms, learning & singing about Jesus, while he also learns his numbers & alphabets. God has not forgotten these little ones. He just wants us to get involved… to do His will… Get back to the basics of His Gospel. Walking through some of the slums, I couldn't even call it an alley, it was a path no wider than a coffee table winding through the houses if I could even call it that. I kinda felt guilty of complaining about my closet office back home, there were families of 8 eating, sleeping, cooking, & crapping in a room twice the size of my office!(about a 10'x5' room of theirs) Ofcourse running down the center of this "path" was sewer, as it wound through the maze. I'm not a claustrophobic person, but the heat, humidity, tight space, & people crowding in to see what the excitement was about… white people in their slum, made it kinda hard to breathe. The smell didn't bother me, the filth either, nor the poverty. What got to me was that for whom ever in there wants to dare try to make it out of there esp. children, the odds are stacked up, way up high against them. Over 3000 kids in this massive slum don't ever make it to their 5^th birthday. If they do the chances of them sold into bonded slavery or prostitution are high. But God… The ministry we were visiting with today has been amazing, with what they do for these kids. Being the extended hand & heart of God to them. I fell in love with them. I felt like I was walking in the middle of a UNICEF commercial. It was real & it exists TODAY! I have just begun to process what all I saw today. But there is hope in the middle of this, & to know that I am part of that hope makes my faith more valuable than ever! I'm tired of being a puffer fish of a Christian, with my bloated badges of all I proclaim to be & do. I just want to do… for His glory, not mine. Not even for my gratification of doing something humanitarian, but to see lives changed for Him, bec He turns them around to do even greater things in their time!

We had lots of laughs & giggles. Sharon got cow dung on her white pants! Jennie got sewage splashed on her leg, another lady almost got pick pocketed, Ruth's ankles were swollen, I almost had my Camcorder swiped & so much more, but at the end of the day it was sooooooo worth it.

Tomorrow is a light day, thank God. We almost didn't make it through the day walking around in the intense humidity. I continue to eat well & identify with my culture. We go shopping tomorrow evening, so if you want something, I'll see what I can do. I'm tired & out.

Fed Up!

What a full day today. Jen was up at 5 this morning, she slept on the plane & then could go to sleep when we arrived. I got up at around 6:30 to a beautiful Indian morning. Nothing like waking up to a bunch of crows squaking at your window sill. We headed to breakfast to a huge buffet of Indian & American food. As promised, I ate like a pig, then enjoyed some delicious Indian tea. How I've missed it. Throughout the day I have been experiencing some Bourne flashbacks. If you've seen the movies, you know what I mean. But everytime we were somewhere, or driving around, I would see name brands & flash back to my younger years here & remember instances or memories. My Hindi has started to come back to me, enough to where I can understand most people if they are speaking slow. Not enough to where I dare utter a word out, as then I would have to hold a conversation. After breakfast & a quick devotion, we headed out to a small school tucked away in the midst of a slum. They had prepared for us a little program where they performed dances & recited scripture. WOW. Those kids were special. I standing in the midst this lake of kids, I could sense God's love & delight for & in them. How amazing! It was a humid one today. We moved from school, to school where these kids who are abandoned, got food, shelter, education & even teaching about Jesus. They were so appreciative. They all treated us like VIPs, which made it even hard for me, bec I was once one of them! If it hadn't been for God, I could be roaming around some slum in Bangalore... To think of where God has brought me from & now I am returning. It excites me to even wonder where next He is taking Jennie & I!!! During the course of the day, as we visited schools & churches, a bible college, an all girl's dorm the power went in & out. Boy it got hot when there was no fans running. HAHA as I type this the power just went out in the hotel. Thank God for batteries. We got to visit a house where kids are taken off the streets & given an education. The conditions we merely acceptable but they were working on that. That's why we were here. They we cooking for about 20 kids on 1 burner! They said the ladies would get up at 4 in the morning to start cooking because of it. So we found out how much it would be to buy they a double burner to add to what they already had & found that it was about $120 so we all chipped in & got one for them! It was great to see the ladies excited that they were going to get a new burner. Through out the day as we visited different locations, they kept pumping us with snacks. We had Dominos for lunch!!! Go figure. It was pretty good, ofcourse very Indian tasting. As I drove through down town Delhi tonight, I saw Subway, Pizza Hut, Baskin Robins… The Indians are catching up. Still looking for a Starbucks! Lol So I've eaten so much today I can't fit a lifesaver in me:) I am Fed Up! Well I was back at the airport tonight to try & pick up the teams missing luggage. What a nightmare. Some of it was there, but stuck in customs due to the bulk candy in it. Sharon's is still not here, but supposedly arriving tomorrow. I'll believe it when I see it. Miss you guys, but not really lol I'm soaking it in here. Today felt almost like 3 days. We flashed through so many slums, Leper colonies, & such it was nuts. Tomorrow we are going to the largest slum in Asia! That's sounds like a mighty boast, but apparently this place is the real deal. I'm sure it's gonna be an emotionally draining day. Well I've been long, I'm tired. Check out some pics I posted in my India album. Much love. I'm out.

Touchdown in New Delhi!!

We made it! 14 hours later & I still have my sanity & all my luggage! A couple of people's luggage didn't make it, Sharon(missing 1 bag) & the couple middle maning this whole trip for Mission of Mercy missing both of their checkin's. Just one of those frustrating things about flying that you pray it never happens to you but then feel bad it happend to your friend. I'm def. glad my stuff made it since I had some video gear in there. I did take the GL2 as one of my carryon's. Well in my previous blog I mentioned about my excitement level not getting out of hand, well we were taking off & it still wasn't really hitting me, kinda surreal. After watching Spiderman 3, Charlie & the chocolate factory, some king of queens, a Hindi movie!, learning some Hindi phrases, taking some uncomfortable naps in positions that were just awkward, eating airline food... 14 hrs later we're flying over Delhi & as the flaps go down, we make our final approach, fly over the begining of the runway, the wheels touch down & BOOM! My heart jumps, Robert's home! It was great! As they open the hatch, the smell of India rolls in the cabin. haha It takes an Indian to appreciate that. There's no smell like Indian BO!!! Get to immigration & I'm thinking this is my home country, no probs. I made it through security in Newark, no cavity checks(praise GOD!), I should fly through this. NO! !@$% I walk up to the booth, & "Prakesh" indicated on his stall, asks me all these questions about my passport, wants to see my Green Card, wants to know why I'm here.... I just remain civilized & make it through. It was quite amusing to see how interested the Indian airport security was in my Golf bag which had my tripods & some other camera gear. They kept stopping me asking me what it was, what's in it... I wanted to say nonshallantly, oh it's just my bazooka case. But anyways. Make it to our hotel, which is nice, except for one last snafu! Wireless internet as promised is NOT free! but get this, it's $9USD an hr!!!! WHAT!?!?! Somehow through much communication which never got through to them, I got charged for an hour so here I am sitting 12:50am Thurs India time, 3:20pm Wed U.S. time posting my first blog from the motherland. Ofcourse right away I ordered room service with my first Indian dish here back home. Delicious:) I better plug my batteries in & hurry up here since my hour is almost up!lol grrrr... I'm gonna have to find an internet cafe' somewhere around. What a ripoff. I am so americanized with my entitlement issues lol. I miss Natalia, so Wendy, Kitkat hug her for mommy & daddy. To all my Ohioan's I was sitting in Newark waiting on my plane & saw Mansfield on CNN under water. I hope you guys are ok! Let me know. Oh another thing..... I miss my cell phone:( I miss it sooo... bad that I just might get a trac phone here. Must... stay... connected.... I've been long, rambling on. Love you guys. Thanks for the prayers & support. I'm out!

Packing & Panicking

So here I am, about to embark on a new adventure, back home to India. Exciting stuff. I don't think the excitement has really hit me though. I have been so disappointed in my younger years of life that I have vowed now to never let myself get all worked up until I can actually see evidence of something coming into reality. So I think once I have made it to the airport & not forgetting anything(which reminds me I need to pack my toothbrush) clear security prayerfully without a cavity search & them thinking I'm Osama's Nephew(didn't shave my beard this time.... what's the point it doesn't work) find my seat on the plane & take off without delay... then I will get a twinge in my heart & know we are on our way!!!! Jaded... maybe, but that's how I minimize hurt & disappointment, both which are inevitable in this life. Anyways, we're taking Natalia to close friends house in about a half hour & we will be at peace knowing she's in the hands of a well seasoned mom who I know will take great care of her.(thanks wendy & kitkat) Well I better get going, bec if you know anything about me I tend to be a procrastinator & have now only packed my video gear, but no clothes! lol So stay tuned, show my page some love, email me djmac59@hotmail.com. If you don't see anything for a couple of days, don't worry I will catch up. I have to make sure I can secure wireless while I'm there. Love you guys. I'm out.

Growing Pains

It's been a while since I've posted a new blog, & even though I have a ton of things to do, I somehow couldn't resist posting one. I certainly had an interesting morning, as we've been in the midst of potty training Natalia, & boy that has been an experience. It's not like we really forced her to, she's been willing, & has had her successes but today was all about failure. OMG!!!@$%^ I don't want her to feel like we're rushing her into this, but we're trying to get her to be consistent. We leave for India in exactly 11 days, & I'm concerned that all our efforts to get her trained are going to go down the drain. I feel bad leaving her back here in the States, but for our sanity & her safety it's best. I was thinking this morning, I really don't remember my potty training days. Guess it wasn't that traumatizing. Does anyone really remember? I am tempted to call my mum or dad to get their take on my growing up phase of putting it on the toilet. I do remember a story I was told about when I was I guess 2 & I had an accident where I pooped on the carpet, so I ran to the bathroom & got some TP & ran all the way down the steps, picked up the turd & put it in the ashtray (parents were chain smokers) LOL My activities were given away as my parent's got home from work & found a long trail of TP from the upstairs bathroom all the way to an ashtray in the living room! Ooopps forgot to break the tp. That's about all I remember about my childhood in regards to potty training. Parent's advice is def. welcome. I'm out.