a name for a brand of fruit juice here. Come guys…do some research before you go doing stuff like this...

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

A magical place in the middle of the city

Nothing says a good day off like driving an auto.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

 "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop to look around every once in awhile, you could miss it" Ferris Bueller.

I did something I rarely do anymore. I took the weekend off and went exploring. A few friends of mine went up to a tibetian colony for the day. We had yummy food and explored a new neighborhood.

 

 

 

 This is some sort of puffy dough thing.

 

A Nice Day

Like always, if these pictures are good…I didn't personally take them. This was a nice day in a village so I just thought I would share

 

 

 

 

 

 

Water

I have never worried about water before. Until living here. I can do without electricity but water...well, we need it. And it makes me feel anxious when I don't have it. Normally, it eventually comes. But there is a big water problem in my building. And people are starting to get restless. I got my pump fixed but then I was asked to please not turn it on. Which is ok for awhile...but that means that I don't have access to water. This morning, when I found my tank still empty...I stood up on my roof and tried to figure out what to do. You know they say that true character comes out when people get pressed. So, my initial response was... to be a jerk. I need water for crying out loud. I have a 'right' don't I?? The things inside our hearts are so ugly. That's my true character- to be a jerk. And that is a SIN that separated me from God - not just an annoying personality trait that I can laugh off.... And I really believe that I am going without water so that the Lord could show me that. (and honestly, at the touch of a button I could get out of this situation)

I took a few deep breaths, walked down the stairs and met with my neighbor. "Are you taking tension?". she asked (this is their version of- are you upset"?)

I smiled and said "well, I would eventually like water". We went on to talk about her plants and her job and her life. She ended the conversation saying something very sad and revealing under her breath. "here...we live life by trickery". If I would have been a jerk to her--what would that have proven? Why do we want to make ourselves feel big so that others will feel small? So yea, I could have been mad. But, how sad is that- to know that you have to life live by trickery and deceit? When I am living life underneath the shadow of the cross. Why am I living as a child who has no hope? In my sin- I would have been a jerk and made her life even more sad. But in His grace- I can wish her a good day. So, yes, I can I do without water. Because really- He IS the Water. Because really- He tells us to not worry about tomorrow. And so I won't.

The Crazy Just Doesn't Make Sense

So many crazy things happen around here that I don't bother mentioning. Because, really, the crazy just all blends in there together and I forget most of it anyway

I think a lot about the people from the 'days of yore'..... and I wonder how they survived.. But the truth is...a lot of them went crazy, died or burned out quickly. They were only human and made mistakes too so I really shouldn't compare. So I find myself trying to be thankful for what He has given me. The very fact that I even HAVE running water is a blessing in itself. But some days....the crazy just doesn't make sense to me.

Last night, my water ran out. This is a common problem so I just fell asleep. "Water will come in the morning" I thought.

Well, early this morning, I wake up...no water. So I go downstairs to turn the pump on. And this is what the wires look like. This is why I am a little SCARED to turn my pump on. Because yes,YES, those are indeed live wires being connected directly into electrical sockets. Somehow, I manage to get the pump turned on. But still...no water....

After a few hours of waiting and wondering...a neighbor finally fesses up and says...
well...somebody cut your wires.

WHY?

"Well, because your socket caught on fire. So, we had to cut your wires"

AND NOBODY TOLD ME?? I asked
(nobody thought..gee golly...she won't have access to water now...)

"Well...no..". my neighbor answers as he looks at me like I am stupid.

(Me (totally in my head): Ok, I am showing you love right now by not punching you in the face- thanks H for your funny quote)

Me: (out loud) "Ok well...thank you for telling me". I say with a plastered -kindly- but -obviously- fake smile.

(Me (in my head again) :just breath..just breath
And as a disclaimer: I really do have good neighbors. They honestly mean well. But its as if we speak two different languages...oh wait...

So, even if the water doesn't come in the morning...I know that His mercies always do. And I know that I should never act on my impulse to punch someone in the face. :)

Excuse ME? You do NOT have Cirrhosis..

A sad but funny situation happened this week. Yesterday, I noticed that my driver was really upset when he picked me up. Whats wrong? I asked.

"Oh...the doctor says my daughter has Cirrhosis...this is very serious....oh what am I going to do??? He fretted.

"Cirrhosis, are you SURE"?? I answered. (Cirrhosis is end stage liver disease found in alchoholics or people have some sort of condition or disease affecting their liver- but who knows how to explain that in Hindi???)

Yes yes, its Cirrhosis...this is bad....

"Ok, well bring her over tomorrow". I told him

This morning, his sweet daugther came bouncing through my door...perfectly healthy. I asked about her symptoms

The doctor says I have the beginning stages of Cirrhosis...she explained to me.

I usually don't talk this directly to people but I said "Look...the doctor is wrong" And then I showed her pictures of people who have Cirrhosis on the Internet.

We talked some more about her symptoms. I found out that the doctor had made a diagnosis before running any kind of tests.

It finally dawned on me...."Oh...could you have PSORIASIS?? I asked. (psoriasis is a common skin disease that causes reddness and irritation) The two disesase do sound very similar to one another

"Uh...I think thats what the doctor meant", I told her

Then she dumps all of her medicine out on the table. The doctor has given her like 20 different creams, lotions, anti- anxiety medication and of course the ever popular antibiotic. She goes onto explain "the doctor says I have a lot of tension in my life because I am not married, thats why I have this disease..."
(this is the sad part)
"Oh, sweet girl...that doctor is WRONG." I told her for the second time. "Just look at MY skin! And I have been single longer than YOU". :)

The stress melted off of her face and the beginning of a smile crept onto her lips.

I knew that there was no way I could undo years of cultural conditioning. But I COULD tell her the truth in that moment. I went on to explain the disease process, how our bodies work...yes stress can cause alot of things but also, it could just be that her body was predisposioned for skin problems- no matter her marital status. Yes, psoriasis is annoying but can be treated with medication and diet.

I went on to tell her the things she should eat and I told her to stop using most of the medicines the doctor had given her. I asked her if she had anxiety attacks. She kinda gave me a blank stare. Again...how to explain anxiety attacks in Hindi?? So...I acted it out for her.

"Uh? Do you mean demon possesion"?? she asked
"Well...no never mind.... "

We ended the visit with coffee and her checking her facebook. She gave me a hug as she walked out the door with a bounce in her step. Even thoughI know I can't win the war...at least I know one battle has been won.

Holi 2012

Its time for Holi again. And while there is a religious story behind it, its mainly a celebration of spring. I went to a few of my neighbor's houses this year for Holi. This is the newborn in a family. He wasn't particularly happy to get colored powder on his face.

Some kids playing in front of my apartment building

treats are always served of course. YUMMY

two of my neighbors getting "colored" as they say

My sweet neighbor

Some kids take a little break from playing

I look like a warrior princess, don't you think?

I painted this heart on my friend's back. They got a kick out of it

Grandpa joined in on the celebrations. I painted a heart on his back too. He didn't want to be left out.

one of the little girls eating some sugar out of bowl. Kids are kids...no matter where ya go

Broken Toe

A very common form of transportation around here is the scooter. I have seen anything from 12 year old to grandmas out riding. It is a very convenient way to go short distances. I have tried my hand at it a few times and it seemed easy enough. Last night I was riding around a peaceful neighborhood. No traffic. No small children or dogs. No cars...except for the parked ones....

I really thought I was doing well as I started to slow down for a speed bump. And the next thing I know, it gets away from me and I find myself falling off the bike and under a parked car. I ding both the car and the scooter up a little. And my helmet and glasses flew off. Within seconds, I was surrounded by people to help me up. I felt a little woozy but no major harm done. Thankfully I had not hit my head. The owner of the car could have cared less that I had scratched his bumper. He just was among the group of men who were helping me up making sure I was ok. No insurance filed although I offered to pay for damages. Accidents are just not as big of deal here, I guess they just happen so much, its apart of life. And I felt strangely not upset.

After a few minutues, I noticed that my toe had started to hurt more and more. I looked it up on the Internet and the verdict is- I think its broken. There is not much you can do for broken toe, you just have to let it heal on its own.

So I have just been sorta hobbling around taking Advil. My boss says that my new Indian name can be Broken Toe. Thankful nothing more complicated got broken.

It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time....

Since Spring lasts all of two seconds around here, I decided that today would be a good day for Spring cleaning. Houses here don't have huge storage places. So, sometimes the best you can get are these built in cubby holes. And my apartment has one on top of my guest bathroom. In my 2 1/2 years of living here, I have just pitched things up there and left it alone. But today I thought it seemed like a good idea to clean it out.

So, I used my ladder to climb up there and I started pitching thing out onto the ground. Well, I didn't realize it at the time but every time I pitched something, I moved the ladder further and further into the bathroom that you can see in the picture. When I was ready to come back down the ladder...I realized....I could no longer reach it!

I sat down in the dusty cubby and tried to figure out what to do. Whenever I get nervous, I have this habit of incorporating more names for God into my prayers. I pray "Oh Jesus Father Lord Jesus God...." and so on. The more tense I get, the more names I add to the list. So...I sat there and prayed "OhGodJesusGodLord...help me figure out what to do".

I decided that I would rather break a leg than my head. I figured if I landed on my feet and broke something, I could at least drag myself to a phone and call someone. But if I landed on my head I was out of luck. As I sat there in the dark cubby, contemplating my future...I thought about people from the days of yore who found themselves in much more dire circumstances than mine. If David Livingstone can fight a lion.... by golly, I can figure out a way to get out of my cubby.

I then focused in on my inner Olympic gymnist...and flipped myself up in the air. Using all of the upper body strength I could muster..I did a couple of "Hail Jesus"s, did a double leg pommel type thing and slowly lowered myself down far enough so I could safely drop. Relief flooded my soul as I realized that indeed...I would not have to drag my broken leg across my apartment to get my cell phone after all.

All of my muscles in my upper body started aching immediately so I took some medicine and rested from the morning events. Later in the day, I told some friends about what had happened. My friend said "next time you get up there, take your cell phone". Good Call. Don't try this at home kids.