Stranger in the Motherland

Thanks for reading - and thanks to those of you who have emailed/facebooked with words of concern for India. It is rather crazy right now...people are quite shaken up by the bomb blasts in Mumbai. It's been so sad to watch the news and see/hear what's happening there. Please do join me in praying for those in Mumbai and for India in general - there's so much unrest at the moment. I'll keep you posted on things that I hear from this end.

Finally in India. 30 something degrees to 77 degrees [non-stop rain, slightly humid but with a light breeze]. I laughed when I pulled back the curtains of my bedroom window on Monday morning...snow?!? Ah well - a nice surprise. It did cause a little delay at the G.R. airport since the runways had to be cleared, but I made it to Chicago without any trouble [my bags weighing in at 47 & 49 lbs...although I was prepared to send stuff back with Cherith if the bags were over 50 lbs...I may have been able to save her a trip to buy Christmas gifts - LOL!] - met up with my bro at O'Hare and we boarded our flight to London. We did have an hour delay in Chicago since they couldn't get the cargo door shut...but we made it to London with just enough time to run off the plane, get through the security check, and run onto our flight for Dubai. We snapped one picture in London, but on the escalator 'cuz we didn't have time to stop...LOL! :-) I figured that even though it was 9am in London it was actually 2am G.R. time, so I popped some Tylenol PM [thanks Leesh!] and 15 min. after we left the ground I was out like a light...good times. We landed in Dubai with [again] just enough time to run off the plane, go through security, and board our connecting flight to Chennai/Madras [India]. I was still tired, but the adrenaline was pumping a bit...almost to India! I couldn't even believe it...it had been such a long time since I'd been back to the motherland...but here I was...on a United Arab Emirates flight with almost all Indians [there were two European gals with us]...picking at an in-flight dinner of chaat [appetizer - potatoes, garbanzo beans, onions, lime, mango, cilantro...very tastey], chicken dho piaza [like chicken tikka masala], parathas [like naan], lime rice and lentils, mixed pickles, cucumber raita [yogurt], laasi, chai, and an Indian custard like dessert. Hilarious! I don't normally order all that when I go to a restaurant! I took a picture-don't worry ;-) We landed in Chennai at 2:30am on Wednesday, and I was still in disbelief...oh my goodness...India!!! Even as we taxied in I could see that a lot was still the same [and it's true - in the midst of a million changes and a serious population growth, so much is still the same]. As soon as I stepped into the terminal I stopped in my tracks and said to my brother, "I remember this smell" - the mix of hot food, spices, humidity, exhaust, animals, jasmine flowers, and factories. We were greeted by my parents, sister-in-law [Betsy], and Betsy's parents...they were all quite excited and raring to go! My bro and I were excited too but a lot more tired and trying to take it all in. People, auto-rickshaws, taxis, bikes, scooters...and it was LOUD!! I just started cracking up! :-) We were also greeted by heavy rains...and it hasn't let up at all even as I type this. Driving through flooded streets was quite an experience - water was EVERYWHERE!! I shot a little video of it - will try to post it soon. Once we got to the place we were staying that night we rested a bit and then got together with everyone for a lovely lunch at Betsy's parents' home. Later that afternoon/evening we ventured out in the rain to a hotel where Betsy's parents had arranged a thanksgiving party...in honor of her birthday but also as a time for us to gather to give thanks and worship together. It took us awhile to get there 'cuz of the flooding but we made it...although not without some drama on the way. If it weren't dark out I would have taken some pics or shot some video...we almost had a head-on collision with a buffalo that was running down the middle of the street [going in the wrong direction obviously], and then we saw an older gentleman get run down by two guys on a motorbike. The guy driving our car stopped and tried to flag the bike down but they took off...poor guy was just lying there in the middle of the street, covered in water...man, my heart started racing! Thankfully he was able to sit up with the help of folks around...but he was definitely hurt. And I had just been thinking how wild it was that no one was getting hit in the midst of the chaotic driving - yikes! We finally made it to our destination. It was great to see some relatives whom I hadn't seen in 20 years! We got right into talking about the old days and shared in some wonderful laughter. Betsy's Dad had brought a guitar along and convinced my brother and me to lead some songs...it warmed my heart to be able to share in worship with my family.

Like I mentioned earlier, the rain has not stopped at all. It took us almost 3 hours to get to my parents' home this afternoon. I was quite taken back by everything happening around me - folks just getting on with everyday life [with the "little" hurdle of water everywhere], animals roaming about, people and all sorts of vehicles going in all directions, trash floating in the water, run down shanties trying to stand strong right next to beautiful glass front stores, business men with briefcases walking down the middle of the road with dress pants rolled up to their knees, kids and adults in minimal clothing [not because of the rain but because they don't have any] simply standing around getting drenched...and here I was riding about in a sturdy SUV, head up against the window, trying to take in the reality around me...and my heart began to break.

I'm at my parents' home now...in my room with the windows open, fan running, listening to the crickets and the rain hitting the cement terraces, trying to process the past 48 hours, and wondering if I should attempt to sleep [it's about 3am]. I think my inner clock is all messed up - it was mid-afternoon when I left G.R., 7 hrs. later it was morning in London; another 7 hrs. later it was night in Dubai; 3 hrs. later it was morning in India...I'll get on schedule soon.

It's been good to be back with my parents...to be in their home and under their care. I've forgotten what it's like to eat 3 meals a day [at regular meal time], and eat spicy food for breakfast...my stomach is hanging in...barely. [Benita, if you're reading this - yes, I have been enjoying some real South Indian coffee - there's nothing like it!!!] Tomorrow starts all kinds of activities...relatives coming over to visit, need to run some errands with the folks, chase the monkeys away from the property...you know, that kind of stuff. Yes, I will keep my camera with me...never know what you may see here.

To my American friends [and others who celebrated on Thursday] - trust you had a very blessed Thanksgiving!