desert

When I went to training week, they spoke about the realities and the cycles of culture shock and how it is important to be prepared for it when it comes. They told us that the cycle is different for everyone, but that the excitement of being in an entirely new place wears off within a few weeks of arrival. I learned that satisfaction and fun of being in another country ebbs and flows over the course of one year. I learned that there are days where you are going to hate where you are and want to go home. I listened to all of this but had no idea what my experience would be or how 'culture shocked' I would be. I had never been overseas and was rarely around anyone from another religion, culture, or socioeconomic background.

I am on week four, and some of the realities of being SO far away from everything familiar, everything comfortable and everything easy are sinking in. I can't pick up the phone or jump in my car to see a really good friend. I can't go out by myself at night and thus must depend on someone else constantly for safety. I can't understand anyone. I haven't adjusted to the food or the nuances of how people live and act here. I find myself being lonely and clingy and needy in ways that I just am not at home. I hate that. Pretty much all the things I run to instead of God aren't so readily available to me anymore. It's funny because before I left people would always ask me what I'm looking forward to most, and I would always respond that I am looking forward to being in a place where God strips from me the things I use to distract myself from Him. I think I said that not really knowing what it would feel like to be in this place. To literally depend on the Lord for strength daily to get through. I am here to announce that He is definitely answering those prayers whether I like it or not...

Which brings me to my explanation of the title of this post and what I have been going through the last few days. Desert Song has been one of my favorite Hillsong songs for a long time, but I haven't been able to experience it the same way that I can now. Here is a link to the song, and here are the words:


"This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is a God who provides


And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame


I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice, I will declare
God is my victory and He is here


And this is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on his promise I'll stand


All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship


This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow." 


This is the first time and place that I have experienced what I would call the desert, the fire, or the battle culminated and in this degree of intensity. Work is great, but I am alone in such a big place and am definitely feeling dry. I have been realizing that just living here, seeing what I am seeing, and getting to know the culture can't be done on my own. I don't have the ability to muster up all the energy and strength to tackle all the newness, and I have to trust that where I am weak, He really actually and truly is strong. This is a season of my life that God purposefully placed me in and is going to bring me through. He brought me here for a purpose and a reason, and even if I doubt that sometimes or experience being lonely or helpless amidst all the hurt, He is with me. My God is the God who provides. He will be my source of strength, my joy and my portion. I can make the choice every day to believe that He really is enough for me, or I can scramble to cling to anything but Him. 

I am learning very slowly what the appropriate response is and how to actually live out the right mindset. Encouragement has come from friends at home with whom I have shared this and from my own times of quietness. I feel like I am wrestling with him to give him full control and he is winning. I am being reminded of my dependence upon him daily and am challenged by my own lack of faith. My sister gave me this awesome scrapbook for graduation and ended it with one of my most favorite verses:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." -Joshua 1:9

That means that my God is with me in North Carolina and he is with me in South Asia. He has been with me all along and still is here ready to give me all I need to get through this year. Not only that, but he wants to enable me to thrive here. I am praying that I cling to that truth.

Keep our team and these sweet girls in your prayers. Let me know if I can do anything for anyone!!

Kisses!!

"we need not cry very loud; he is nearer to us than we think."

-brother lawrence

relocation

Things around here are always changing! This past week I moved again back to Aimee and Katherine's flat. I was definitely sad to leave Shamina right as we had started to get to know each other a little better, but there was some shifting that had to be done because of space needs with a new intern coming, so I said I would go back. We have transformed this tiny triangle shaped room into the beginnings of a little masterpiece, and I really love it. I'm also more familiar with this area, which is great too!

Today the last intern in this 2010-2011 group arrived from Thailand. I got to know her some at training and am super, super excited to hang out with her here. I definitely enjoy Saturdays here in the city, and have a list of little errands to run so I feel super productive! One thing I would ask you to pray for here is that a friend of one of my coworkers lost her dad last week and found out her husband died in some kind of accident yesterday. I can't imagine.

I will have some more pictures to upload in a couple of days. I am definitely starting to feel more accustomed to this place and more comfortable with getting around.. PTL! Last night we had a girl's night at my friend Robin's house and Katherine made fried green tomoatoes, chicken, cornbread and green beans big-time southern style. Followed of course by a viewing of the classic, Steel Magnolias. It was really fun. More updates soon! xoxox

metro

What.an.experience.

Today I tried out the metro for the first time. I was going shopping with my friend Dona and my roommate Shamina to look for some Indian tops (Kurtas). Dona had told me about this place that has lots of clothes at great prices in this indoor/outdoor market area, so we decided to go after work today.

In order to get there, you have to take the metro. I was nervous to say the least, because I am realizing that I am not as much of a fan of large crowds as maybe I thought. We got our tickets, went down the stairs, waited for awhile and then hopped on. Just kidding. You do not hop on this metro. You barge and shove and barricade on. At least tonight you did, or you didn't make it on. Interestingly enough, the women pretty much go to the right side of the car and the men go to the left. I found my way on, headed right as instructed and was holding the bar above me for support. A few seconds later, Shamina was like Laurel, rotate. That would be because a man's hand was riiiiight about a centimeter from a place I didn't want it to be, so I thought, good eye girl and I rotated.

As more and more people packed onto the metro, I was trying to think of this as an adventure. I was looking around me, soaking in this extremely cultural experience, and then it was time to get off. Hmmmm. I have never been into screamo music/mosh pit experiences, but there I was in the middle of one. As I was trying to push my way to the door to get out, I was literally being thrown from left to right and back to left and then.... I felt something yanking on my arm and took a moment to determine whether or not it was still in fact attached to my torso. Yes, it was. Things were looking good but I still had about two feet to go and the car was moving.

And ladies and gentlemen, I made it off. With the end in sight, I mustered up the sass, energy and strength to exit the cart alive. And better yet, we made it to the market and I got a couple new tops for the equivalent of 6 USD.

Never a dull moment around here!

PTL

I will never forget the first time I heard what has turned out to be my fav acro (acronym...) of all time uttered from the lips of Miss Alyssa Williams. "PTL...what does that mean?" I asked, filled with curiosity. "Praise the Lord!... duh," she responded. My life has never been the same since. So, imagine my excitement, shock and sense of divine arrangement when I saw the sign that is posted on the front door to my flat: 

Destiny. The best part about PTL is that it is extremely catchy and can be used in such a wide variety of circumstances. I challenge you to incorporate it into your vocab. In my upcoming abbreve edition I promise not to disappoint- there will be subcategories for acros AND compbreves (compound abbreves. get ready!)

I have officially moved into my new place and am slowly feeling a little more at home here. The flat is actually pretty large and is verrrry colorful. The living room walls are, you know, lime green and my walls are bright blue. Here are a few pictures so that you can finally have a visual!

The road that I live on looks like this- the picture was taken last night and the lighting is awesome! The second one is the pool at my complex. Everything is decorated for Puja. You might be like OMG wow that is nice that you have a pool! But keep in mind that in order to swim in it, you have to wear a shirt and pants. Any takers now?

This is my bedroom right when I first moved in. I'm working on it :)

And the kitchen. I don't know if people really have ovens here, but we have the stove top and a microwave, which is actually really nice. I'd put a picture of my bathroom, but I don't want anyone to worry about me, haha.

So basically the move went well. I need to get a mattress that is the size of my bed, because right now it is a twin on a queen frame. Slight ghetto riggage but I am counting my blessings here. I know that everything is going to get easier as time goes on, so I am really depending on that. 

Work is awesome. The office people are fabulous and here is a picture of Dona, my 'colleague' I guess you would call it, Aimee the finance intern from California, and Prabhat, my supervisor. He is a pretty jolly man.  

And my desk! One thing I would love to point out is the mug on there that I will admit is filled with tea. Tea! I have NEVER been a tea drinker, mostly because it seems like way more natch of an activity that I am comfortable with, but due to the fact that our little room in the office feels more like a sub-zero freezer than an office building, I have to do something to keep myself warm. And due to the fact that my options are tea or coffee, I go with the Taj Mahal tea. The only way I will drink coffee if it is at least 70% cream- and not just any cream- the vanilla or hazelnut International Delight kind. And although this is an international atmosphere and it would be quite delightful to find it in the local market, I have yet to see that happen. So tea it is.  

There was also an American flag at my desk before I got there, so of course I wave it proudly. 

                                                                      

Let's see. I must take a moment to say that I am so honored and excited that I have seemed to build quite the faithful set of readers. It is thrilling but also has been making me feel the pressure to find new and interesting things to post about, so I have been on the lookout for cultural things I would like to share with everyone. This post I am going to mention three things- the auto rickshaw experience, the head bob and the Forcefield. Ready?

I am choosing this particular auto rickshaw to give you a clear picture of how much people here seem to like bling. Anything that could be bedazzled is, and why not include your rickshaw? I think that Pimp my Ride should do a special series here and focus their efforts on rickshaws. So I am taking these things to work now for a number of reasons- they are actually way faster than taxis because they weave in and out of traffic and can squeeze into and through spaces that a car cannot. The drivers love to pack AS many people AS POSSIBLE into them to make as much money per ride, so it is not at all uncommon to see one with like 6 or 7 people crammed on. The other day Katherine and I got on one and were riding along feeling awesome. Sun was out, cool breeze was going, we were feeling like movie stars. Then this other man got on, squeezed in beside me, and I made the mistake of smiling and saying hi. Big mistake. For the rest of our time together in the back of this rickshaw, he stared at my face smiling (from about 7 inches away) and put his arm over my shoulder so that he could squeeze Katherine. It was kind of hilarious and I won't make that mistake again. 

Next on the line up is the head bob. I am having trouble thinking of how best to describe this so that you fully understand. The head bob is something that really confused me for the first little while, because every time someone was saying yes, I thought they were saying no. To practice, put your head straight up and then move it in an almost 90 degree angle towards one of your shoulders. 

That is the head bob. And here, it means 'ok.' So. I ask someone a question and they kind of jerk their head towards their shoulder and I never knew what was going on. I am going to copy what one other IJM intern in another city wrote on her blog about it- so funny!

"Also, the constant head bobble everyone does here continues to give me trouble. When someone wags their head side to side, I instinctively assume they’re telling me “no.” Lie. They’re just acknowledging what I’m saying. They could be saying “no,” or “yes,” or “okay,” or “maybe,” but you never really know unless you look at their eyes and listen for what follows or guess from the context of the bob. This makes it really awkward when someone is bobbing their head “yes” and I’m nodding up and down in agreement, but from the conflicting directions our heads are moving, I seem to be accidentally disagreeing. It’s a habit I’m trying hard to break. First step: stop head movement of my own. Next step: learn the bobble. Wish me luck."

The Forcefield. I wish I could say that I came up with this BRIL (...liant) name myself, but I cannot take credit for it. I am having trouble finding an appropriate illustration, so I might just have to get a picture taken when I am actually using the Forcefield. I have previously mentioned that traffic here is chaotic to say the least, and there is almost no order to it at all. Basically, he who honks loudest goes the farthest. Special priority is also given to smaller vehicles because of their aforementioned ability to weave around quickly. Crosswalks are not exactly the same as they are at home. If you want to cross the street, you just start walking. So what is the Forcefield might you ask? It's basically a very 'girl with an attitude-esque' talk to the hand motion given to all cars speeding at you 30 mph telling them that YOU are crossing, so slow down. It is hilarious. I love watching it happen. There will be 40 cars/buses/trucks/bicycles/motorcycles coming at you, but if you throw up the Forcefield, they just stop so that you can cross. It may look to an unexperienced outsider that you are about to lose your life, but they always stop. Try it sometime!

A few more things before I am done with this post, but I found a place that sells the most delish Naan bread and I have been ordering it for lunch. 

Also, the Puja festival is in full force these days, and the shrines are EVERYWHERE. As are lights, songs, drumlines (starting circa 5 am..), speeches, crowds, etc. Here are a couple pics of the "Pandels" near my house.

As far as work goes, this week I got to go for the afternoon one day on a field trip with all the girls from one of the aftercare homes. All of them have been rescued by IJM and it was really cool to meet them and see how strong they are. They call you "auntie!!" and come up to hold your hand, hug you, smile, etc. I loved it! Some of them looked really young and a couple were pregnant or had babies, but it was great to see how much of a difference IJM makes in the lives of individual people, and how terrible things would be for them if we weren't able to get them out. One of the girls I was hanging out with told me that she wanted to be a lawyer or a police officer when she grows up so that she can get other traffickers put behind bars like the one who trafficked her. I hope I can spend time with them again. 

I am officially on my third week here, and as much as it seems like time passes by slowly here, I think I am gradually getting in the hang of things. With how many people there always are anywhere, I am really coming to value and like my alone time. I have gotten a chance to read more, sleep more, etc.

Thank you all again so much for your emails, love, support and just general awesomeness. I have my mailing address now, so if you want to send me anything, email me and I will give it to you. Comment about that- my address actually includes a landmark. Haha! Also, if you want to set up any skype dates, my username is laurel.gillespie and I am 9.5 hours ahead.

Please keep me in your prayers as I continue to adjust. This is a little bit harder of a transition in some ways than I anticipated, but I know that God is giving me the strength and the spirit to get through it all and begin to appreciate things about this place. This weekend I am going to see some of the festival things and will hang out with some of the other new interns some more. I've also found a church I like, so PTL for that too :)

Have a wonderful weekend!! Hugs and kisses!

harem pants and goddesses

Hello friends!! I am so excited to be writing again, although I am extremely apologetic that I haven't been more diligent in my updates! I can't believe over a week has passed since I arrived in this crazy city, and I can definitely say that with each day I become less overwhelmed and more used to the idea that I am here to stay awhile. I have been crashing with two other girl interns since I arrived, but will be moving into my apartment with my roommate on Wednesday. Let's see- I will attempt to update you in really fun categories- how exciting!


work: The first week went really well, and I spent a lot of time getting adjusted to the office, learning the dynamics in my department, and reading lots and lots of articles, stories, cases, etc. to make myself more familiar with the work. I am loving the 30 minutes of quiet time at the start of each day. I received my first project of stories I am going to be writing about and am stoked to be working on them. I love the other girl in my department and the IT guy- I have been giving him sour patch kids to take home to his daughter in exchange for helping me with my computer- apparently she loves them and I don't blame her. All in all, I am learning so much and am definitely trying to take everything in. The office is full of a very hardworking and dedicated group of people, and with each day I find myself more passionate about justice and more excited about the on-the-ground work that is performed here in South Asia. Speaking of hardworking, in this country it is customary to work and go to school six days out of the week! We work until 6 every night, and then by the time it takes to get home it is already seven. This week I get to go spend the day with some of the interns who work in the aftercare homes and meet all the girls from one of the homes. I am so excited.


food: Oh my. I am not extremely adventurous in this area quite yet because a) I am- simply put- too terrified about getting sick b) I hate spicy food and 3) my palate has not quite adjusted to this region. Last week I basically ate peanut butter sandwiches or went to nicer restaurants for sushi/Italian/muffins. The problem that I am already determining is that it is tricky to eat healthy when eating out all the time. I am excited to move in with my new roommate because I hear that she cooks a lot and it will help me eat more balanced meals. I definitely plan on getting in on that. I also have decided that I want to work out much more regularly because I know it will help me feel more energized and more fabulous altogether-- and there is a gym at our complex! Katherine and I actually had quite the culinary success tonight though- we made chicken pasta stuff, green beans, and bruschetta!! I am also still searching for a place to get this infamous naan bread- because I tried it once at a restaurant here and my taste buds are still in a state of heavenly bliss. 


style: And by style, I mean my own personal style. I am sure you are all dying of curiosity about how my style has evolved since arriving in the third world. I am happy to report that my desired 'bohemian' look has been a huge success and has been quite easy to pull off. I did manage to find a pair of black harem pants and plan on wearing them every day. They are incred - so comfortable, so genie-esque, and look perfect with a pair of big earrings and some gladiators. Pictures coming soon of course. I am living proof that it is possible to go to the third world and not turn grunge. Also, I would add that the 'dress code' here isn't quite as intense as I thought it would be. I was expecting to always have to wear like a loose saclike dress over loose pants with a scarf and that is simply not the case. I think because it's such an enormous city, more Western apparel is acceptable than maybe in more remote areas. So no need to worry about me. 


how I can create a Paradise 4.0: For those unfamiliar with this term, paradise 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 are the names of the rooms I lived in during the last three years in Chapel Hill. Paradise is the word of choice because somehow- the way that I (together with my various roommates) chose to decorate made everyone who entered feel as if they entered a state of extraterrestrial delight. It's that easy. So obviously for me, this move made me a little nervous that I wouldn't be able to continue the tradition, but I come bearing good news for all. I visited my room on Saturday when I moved some things in and was extremely pleasantly surprised. The walls are blue, the curtains are orange, the bed is a queen and the bed frame is really pretty. It's super important to me that I have one place that is a place of refuge for me in this city, and as soon as I entered I saw potential. Long story short, I found a gorgeous hand-printed bedspread, some festive pillows, and have everything in the works to not disappoint this year. Before and after pics in the next update. Do not fear!


Puja:  I don't know a whole lot about this, but Puja is this enormousss Hindu festival that is going on right now in the city. The only thing I can compare it to is Christmas in the U.S. However, Puja causes way more traffic, commotion and craziness than I have ever seen Christmas cause. The celebration officially starts on Wednesday, and people have been constructing these shrines, buildings, fences, makeshift temples, lights, etc absolutely everywhere. I don't know a ton about this festival, but basically it celebrates the mother goddess of destruction, Durga. At the end of the week, there is a huge processional where the people carry the shrines and statues and dump them in the river. Anyhow, I have never seen actual carved-image 'idol worship' upfront like this. It seems like I read about it in the Bible and have never understood until now the fact that people, millions of them, do place their faith in idols and carved statues. It reminds me of Lev. 26:1, where God commands his people not to "make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it." This is definitely a unique and different experience, and it's really breaking my heart for how lost so many of the people are as I see people stopping to worship the statues everywhere in the city. 


God: My relationship with the Lord is growing already since I have been here. I was definitely excited in coming to be placed somewhere that I will have more of a reliance on Him and more of a need for His constant presence in my life. I am learning slowly that without God's strength I probably can't survive here. It's a hard place to live, and although there is a lot of beauty here, it is a very sad and very very lost place. I am praying a lot lately that God will show me how I fit into the equation here and how I can find my place amongst the darkness. Work definitely keeps me focused on why I came, and it helps me feel my purpose here. However, I want to experience all God has for me while I am here and really live in a way that gives Him glory and makes His name great. God has been helping me realize a lot of things even in the past week. I was talking on Saturday to Vic about how overwhelming the poverty here is, and how I feel so helpless in a place where the need is just SO great. If I had the power, I would give all the kids healthcare, clothes, food, an education, lots of love, toys, etc. We got to talking about the story in the Bible about feeding the 5,000 and how important it is to give something and trust God to multiply your efforts and do with it what He wills. Join me in praying about what that can be for me. In all seriousness, though, I am very humbled and grateful that God is having me go through this year because I don't know if growth would be the same for me at home. 


emails: To everyone who has sent me personal emails, I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. I have been trying to keep up, but honestly I can't express to you how much they mean to me. I definitely feel disconnected to the developed world and home, but emails and Facebook stuff brightens my days so much. I am also able to tell in more detail what is going on here at work that way. I definitely must give a special shout out to my precious boyfriend who has emailed me every single day :)


celeb status: I have never felt so celeb as I do here, and it's awesome because all I have to do is a) be in public and b) be white. I don't know when I am going to get used to people pointing and staring at me, but it is the craziest thing. It's not a very diverse place, so I guess a pale white girl like me is actually pretty exciting. The other day this girl stopped me and my friend on the side of the road and was like "You girls are so beautiful!" It was so presh. I wish that she didn't have to go and we could have been friends. Anyways, just a funny phenomenon that I wasn't really expecting.


That's about all I can think of for now! I seriously love all of my faithful readers so much and feel super awesome knowing that I have gained a respectable readership :) Please keep me in your prayers, keep in touch and let me know if I can do anything for you from afar!


ABBREVE OF THE DAY: natch. Natch is one of my fav abbreves and I use it frequently. Natch would be the abbreve for 'natural' and I especially like to use it to refer to the more Carrboro-esque kind of person. Anyone who wears Chacos (Jessica Jones I am still mad at you), enjoys going without showers, and taking sporatic nature walks would go my general natch folder. 


My dad suggested that I do a special abbreve edition on the blog so that I can familiarize everyone with my lang of choice. Yay or nay?

song

I was super encouraged by this song this morning at work- It's 'Unfailing Love' by Chris Tomlin. 

"You have my heart
And I am Yours forever
You are my strength
God of grace and power

And everything You hold in Your hand
Still You make time for me
I can't understand
Praise You God of Earth and sky
How beautiful is Your unfailing love
Unfailing love

And You never change God You remain
The Holy One
My unfailing love
Unfailing love

You are my rock
The one I hold on to
You are my song
And I sing for You

And everything You hold in Your hand
Still You make time for me
I can't understand
Praise You God of Earth and sky
How beautiful is Your unfailing love
Unfailing love

And You never change God You remain
The Holy One
My Unfailing love
Unfailing love

And everything You hold in Your hand
Still you make time for me
I can't understand
Praise You God of Earth and sky
How beautiful is Your unfailing love
Unfailing love

And You never change God You remain
The Holy One
My Unfailing love
Unfailing love

I will praise You
Praise you God of earth and sky
How beautiful is your unfailing love
Unfailing love

And You never change God You remain
The Holy One
My Unfailing love."

monkeys

Today when I was walking to lunch with some friends at work, we passed this man who was carting around these two little monkeys. We stopped to take a picture with them- you can see that I was pretty nervous at first! They were sooo cute. I made sure to wash my hands thoroughly afterwards before eating- I'm sure he had about 85 billion colonies of germs from roaming around the streets. We gave him about 1$ and the monkey shook his head because he wanted more- it was hilarious.

I am not feeling well at all these days- I think it is a combination of the jet lag, the climate change, the stress of being in an unfamiliar place and most especially the pollution. I try to stay inside as much as I can because the air is making me sicker and sicker. I'd definitely appreciate prayers for my health- currently I have a sore throat, sinus headache, am ache-y all over and just feel terrible in general. That being said, the people in the office are so accommodating of me and understand if I need to rest. Today I left at about 2 pm to go home and sleep. I decided to stop by the grocery store on the way home because I really need some breakfast and snack food to eat. Oh my.

So.. where to start? The import section is.. very small and it was an entertaining shopping trip. There are guards EVERYWHERE inside the grocery stores, and when you check out, they tie your bags closed and mark your receipts to prevent shoplifting. They had three kinds of Lay's chips: American sour cream and onion, Indian masala, and some Mexican kind- that's it! If you know me well you know that I LOVE juice, and the juice here is good, but I don't recognize any brands so it is really hit or miss. The fruit I am too scared to eat, and I am really unsure of everything else.

Snack aisle.

I came across RAMEN NOODLES and was about to jump for joy until I realized that the only kind they had were spicy Indian Masala ones. wahhhhh!

On my quest for some snack food, I came across this treat: Aloo Papad anyone?!!?

I was going to buy some rice, but I realized that there were a lot of different kinds in bins, and I was a little confused about what the difference was between Tulsi Bhog and Chana Dal. This is going to take a lot of getting used to! I was able to walk away with some bread, some raspberry jelly, some cereal and some juice. PTL!

I really think work is going to be so awesome once I get into the swing of things and feel better. I am waiting to get some large projects and already have the beginning stages of one. The work that they do is so incredible and it is exciting to be on the front lines and know from the source what all is going on. It's really cool that there are 30 minutes of 'stillness' at the office each morning, followed by corporate prayer and worship. It's a great chance for me to be much more disciplined in my prayer life and I am excited about the devotional journal I am going through that was a gift from Mrs. Bowles :)

Life here is really overwhelming, but I know that God has me in a place where He wants me. Most importantly, I am really being stripped of most of my comforts and am slowly realizing that joy comes from a relationship with the Lord, not from earthly things, and I believe that this year I will learn that in a way I haven't been able to before.

More updates soon! Love you all so much!

adaptation

Hi!! I have completed my first weekend here!! I am getting more and more used to the time difference and the jet lag is sloooowly getting better, but I know it will be a few days until my body is used to an opposite time zone. I'll tell you how things have been going and what I have been up to since my arrival in this beautiful city. Saturday I woke up kind of late and went to this really cute English-style breakfast/brunch place called Flury's with Katherine and Aimee. They are being so awesome about making me feel so at home and much more comfortable- I am so super thankful for them!

After the lunch, we went to a mall because I HAD to find a hair dryer of course and I also wanted to find some harem pants. A lot of people here wear them, and they are totally Aladdin-esque and exotic and I absolutely love them. It was interesting because the mall was exactly like malls at home, and it wasn't far at all from where we stay. I know I will like going there sometimes because the air is so clean and it's a reminder of home. At the mall we met a staff couple who lives here and whose daughter (my age) is visiting for a few months. It was really nice to meet them and get to know them some- I know it will be awesome to have a 'mom and dad aged' couple here. Let's see.. After the mall we went to another mall and by the end of that trip I was falling asleep in the car- SO extremely tired and jet lagged and I couldn't pretend to be awake anymore. I came back and took a majorly serious nap and then was up for a little, went back to sleep, woke up at about 5 am and started my day then. I couldn't go back to sleep. It was cool though because I talked to several people on Skype and got to catch them up some. 

Today was the best day EVER and marked my official falling in love with this city. We went to a church  that was really nice- pretty big and they played songs that I am familiar with at home. I loved the community and the fellowship and could tell that people there were very close. It was actually the church's 5 year anniversary so they had this big celebratory lunch afterwards at a Chinese restaurant which was really fun. I was sitting with these three national girls who were SO nice and were asking me lots of questions about America and what my impressions were like so far. One of my goals here is to make several friends who are actually from this area, and so I asked them for their cell numbers so that I could call them when I got mine and we could do something! They seemed really excited about it and when I left they were like "We'll be expecting calls Laurel!' So presh! I will also say that I loved seeing people of all different nationalities and skin colors worshipping the Lord together- it reminded me of heaven and got me excited about getting involved at this church. 

After lunch today, Vic (the man who is here with his wife and daughter) took me, Aimee and Robin to a village where he goes every Sunday after church to bring candy to the kids and take pictures of the people. He comes back with printed photos and the village people absolutely ADORE him. Today we travelled via bicycle rickshaws- one for me and Vic and one for Aimee and Robin. I have to say it was a little weird becuase I felt like a princess riding through this super poor area, so I liked to get out of it and play with them when I could. A lot of them have never seen a picture of themselves, their children, or their families together. The kids would come running at us and even though I was in an impoverished neighborhood where they all have essentially nothing, the joy of the occasion made is so fun and I LOVED it. These people are absolutely gorgeous. I am not that good at taking pictures yet, but I captured some awesome ones. A lot of them I am posting on Facebook, but I'll put some of my favorites up here :) I can't wait to do this every Sunday, and I am looking forward to budgeting money to bring them treats. The tough thing is that I want to give them all an education, all food, all clothes, all houses, and all tons of hugs. But, given what I have, just going to spend time with them and seeing them all laugh and be SO excited to see us come made it absolutely perfect. 

                                                  

                                                  

First day of work tomorrow! yay! Keep the emails coming, they mean so much :)

Oh, and a picture of traffic:

LOVE YOU ALL-

destination

Hello again everyone! 

It is approaching midnight here now and I am so so so turned around about what time it is! 

I thought you all might be interested in a full recap of my journey, and of course my initial impressions of the city :)

Here we go... 

The friend I made on my super long flight was asking me some general questions about what I was doing this year, and I told him that I was working with a human rights NGO. He has been in the US for the past 8 years but was returning home to South Asia for the first time to see his family and be where he grew up. Anyways, he was super nice and gave me the lowdown on a lot helpful things. He also bought me a Swarovski crystal pen from the Sky Mall to have as a token of thanks for coming to his country to help people. It was really kind. 

I got to my second city inside the country and had an 11 hour layover in front of me. I had a little scare basically getting scammed into giving this man money at 3 am who made me get in a car with him to go to an ATM, but crisis was averted and I got out alive. I can give you a better explanation via email if you're interested. So for the rest of my layover I got eaten by mosquitos, sat on top of a cart on top of all my bags, checked out the new kind of bathroom (an experience in itself) and then I saw this sign in front of me and knew that the day was going to get better: An Airport Spa! I made the judicious decision to get a facial because it had been like 3 days since I was able to wash my face and I knew it would help pass the time and make me feel cleaner. Best decision of the day hands down. My last flight was only 2 hours and I slept through the whole thing. When I landed, I couldn't believe that the day had come, I was here, and that I wasn't leaving for almost a year. Both bags came in fine (slash RIP the side zipper of one of them Mrs. Arrington..) and I had no problem contacting the other girl intern who was picking me up. The office driver took me to the flat of two other interns, where I am staying for 2 weeks until my roommate gets back so that I am not alone at the beginning.

My first impressions (I am definitely going to get photos up of all these things as soon as I can)

-People who warned me about cows walking around everywhere were NOT kidding. We passed about 100 of them on the street/sidewalk just coming back from the airport

-The driving is RIDICULOUS! There are no side mirrors really, no lanes, no organization whatsoever, and the taxi drivers just go in and out like maniacs. I hear you get used to it

-It is extremely hot!

-I keep getting the feeling that I am on a jungle safari trip, I'm not sure why. I also feel like I am in a dream and I am going to wake up in Greensboro tomorrow.

-Also, as far as a visual of the city, all I have seen so far is crazy lanes, buildings everywhere, carts/tents/TONS of people sitting on the side of the road selling things. There were also a few babies walking around in diapers or naked just playing in the mud on the street

-The food is extremely cheap- I went to a restaurant and got a sandwich for like $1.30 or something

-Everyone in the office, Katherine and Aimee are all extremely nice. I am getting excited about my first day of work on Monday. More updates to come! Tomorrow I am going to go around and sort of get acclimated and begin my search for a blow dryer! Obviously.

Love you all so much. Thank you for your prayers! This jet lag is going to be intense..

xoxox