Indian Village Girls?





Our visit to Barchowli was a memorable experience and my friend just sent me these great pictures to prove it. Maria and I got to be typical Indian village girls (minus the sunglasses!) carrying water from the well with our heads. I was amazed I could do it without snapping my neck! It was like being transported back to the mountain in Nepal where God first brought Maria and me together…

The train ride back to Delhi on Monday morning was also memorable, but for different reasons. We intended to catch the express train but somehow ended up on the regular, local one instead. Each stop saw hoards of young Indian men piling in; it was the morning rush hour to Delhi and we were packed like sardines. Not only was I literally unable to move, I found it hard to find space even to breathe! Making it worse, I could feel people touching me but I couldn’t see them.

Normally I shout aggressively at the men who try to touch me, but this particular situation didn’t seem very stable. That coupled with the innumerable newspaper stories about deadly stampedes at train stations convinced me to keep my mouth shut and try to focus my thoughts elsewhere.

At some point it got so bad that a merciful Indian woman who had been watching the situation develop motioned for me to join her on the other side of the seats. As I slowly extracted myself from the crowd of Indian men packed all around me, they took the opportunity to touch me more freely. At my wits end, I finally let loose with a frightening “STOP IT!” and escaped to the relative safety of the Indian woman’s bench.

Then, a well-dressed Indian man who spoke English explained to me that I had made two mistakes; One, I didn’t take the express train and two, I didn’t sit in the “ladies only” car. I can safely say that I will not make these mistakes a second time…

Speaking of memorable train rides, Saturday night I board the Karnataka Express to Bangalore. It’s a forty-hour journey - sleeper class - and I’m armed with Ambien ™ in case the going gets rough. I’ll arrive on Monday afternoon with enough time to shower, rest, and head to the airport to meet Fred at 4:45 the next morning. Inshallah, we’ll find a place to cook up our very own Thanksgiving meal.

After all, there’s so much to be thankful for! Like the epic learning adventure that is my life, the multitudes of good people – my family and friends – who love and inspire me, and, Hamdullah, my good health. What more could a girl ask for?

Love and light to all,
LMA