Since our life overseas is somewhat of a 'reality show' for some of you (Not mentioning any names, Leslie Harmon!), I decided I'd try to jot down a quick blog about my week since I'm not doing Facebook this month for Lent.
So, we spent the week in the cap (the girls & I) so that I could have some dental work done. It was great seeing a friend we had met way back in the beginning of the process of moving overseas yet hadn't seen since then because they live so far away. God planned it out perfectly that she should be in town the same week we were! That was fun!
We headed back to jump back into our usual swing of things. The ladies headed off for our usual village day after having touched base with our contact and she said she could meet. We try to spend some time discipling her then going with her to her relatives house to do a house church there with her leading. So, we arrived at her home and it was alive with business! She had told me on the phone she had a wedding to attend and wasn't sure she could meet this week, but after we had called to confirm, she felt pressured and, in good Indian fashion, agreed to meet with us instead of go to the wedding. Problem being, we didn't understand it was her next door neighbor's wedding and all the guests were staying at her house and she would be missing out on a pretty big deal. So, we gave her the 'out' and decided to head home. But, not before she invited us to attend the wedding with her! Seeing as how we had nothing else to do during that time, we all agreed it would be a great idea to spend a little time with her! And, dressed in our very casual suits that day, we attended a village wedding and had a blast!
It was a new experience for me. I've attended weddings... Christian weddings, night weddings, expensive weddings, but I'd never attended a day wedding nor a wedding in the village. It was quite a bit different. I had also never attended the entire procession for the groom, leaving from his home, dancing through the streets of his village, to where a bus was parked, waiting for him to do his worship at the village temple, and then loading into vehicles to head to the other side of town where the procession would continue.
Upon arriving, we were 'introduced' to the bride, who was sitting in a dark room in her home, not at all dressed and ready to attend a wedding, let alone her own! We said hello. She appeared extremely nervous and, quite frankly, terrified. It was quite the learning experience.
When the meal was ready, we ate, after sitting around on the floor in one of the rooms in the bride's home just waiting for them to call us for the meal. We came across a couple of guys who were only interested in arguing religion and causing a stir. Again, another revelation for me of how hard it is in this culture to choose to accept a faith that differs so greatly from all you've ever been taught and persecution is almost guaranteed.
So, we spent the week in the cap (the girls & I) so that I could have some dental work done. It was great seeing a friend we had met way back in the beginning of the process of moving overseas yet hadn't seen since then because they live so far away. God planned it out perfectly that she should be in town the same week we were! That was fun!
We headed back to jump back into our usual swing of things. The ladies headed off for our usual village day after having touched base with our contact and she said she could meet. We try to spend some time discipling her then going with her to her relatives house to do a house church there with her leading. So, we arrived at her home and it was alive with business! She had told me on the phone she had a wedding to attend and wasn't sure she could meet this week, but after we had called to confirm, she felt pressured and, in good Indian fashion, agreed to meet with us instead of go to the wedding. Problem being, we didn't understand it was her next door neighbor's wedding and all the guests were staying at her house and she would be missing out on a pretty big deal. So, we gave her the 'out' and decided to head home. But, not before she invited us to attend the wedding with her! Seeing as how we had nothing else to do during that time, we all agreed it would be a great idea to spend a little time with her! And, dressed in our very casual suits that day, we attended a village wedding and had a blast!
It was a new experience for me. I've attended weddings... Christian weddings, night weddings, expensive weddings, but I'd never attended a day wedding nor a wedding in the village. It was quite a bit different. I had also never attended the entire procession for the groom, leaving from his home, dancing through the streets of his village, to where a bus was parked, waiting for him to do his worship at the village temple, and then loading into vehicles to head to the other side of town where the procession would continue.
Upon arriving, we were 'introduced' to the bride, who was sitting in a dark room in her home, not at all dressed and ready to attend a wedding, let alone her own! We said hello. She appeared extremely nervous and, quite frankly, terrified. It was quite the learning experience.
When the meal was ready, we ate, after sitting around on the floor in one of the rooms in the bride's home just waiting for them to call us for the meal. We came across a couple of guys who were only interested in arguing religion and causing a stir. Again, another revelation for me of how hard it is in this culture to choose to accept a faith that differs so greatly from all you've ever been taught and persecution is almost guaranteed.
We left that wedding, headed home, and my friend accepted the invitation to spend the night at my home because she had another wedding to attend that night very close to my house. Having her as a guest was so good for me!!! Being a homeschool mom, I just don't get as many opportunities to build relationships as I would like. So, having the chance to host a friend from the village was really special. We had a blast, I attended a second wedding in one day (this time dressed appropriately in a sari) and really had a fun time!
She left after breakfast on Saturday and I got this crazy idea that it was a good day to totally clean out and reorganize the girls' bedroom. I had a huge mess in the floor, when my landlady decided to pop in for a surprise visit! I felt kind of silly but she didn't seem to mind a bit. She rarely just pops in (I pop in on her pretty often). But she mentioned that she was just really lonely that day so it was really awesome that she decided To come up! She ended up asking Kiley to come down and have some roti and wait for her daughter to come home to play with (after I fed her rice I had made and chai and snacks). Then I went down and she fed me and even made a meal for Jason! She is an incredible cook!
When it was time for her to collect her milk (straight from a buffalo just a five minute walk away), I decided to go with her. It was really neat sitting in on a conversation between her and her friends and actually being able, for the most part, to keep up with what all was being said!
And, it once again gave me a glimpse into the culture. They were discussing the pressure placed on their kids to do well in school because of the caste system and the way it affects jobs. It's interesting how up to this point I've faulted the parents for the amazing amount of pressure they put on their kids to perform well, but after truly hearing their hearts, I caught a glimpse a little deeper into the reason why.
I told Jason, after a straight 48 hours of Hindi and cultural immersion, that I think last year was the year of learning about their culture but this year may be the year of actually sympathizing with them and understanding just a touch of why they are the way they are. I really enjoyed my weekend and hope to have more like them!
-The 4 Cokes
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