India

I am writing from Union Biblical Seminary in Pune, India. Jac and I made it here safely last week... several taxi rides, a 4.5 hour bus trip and a rickshaw (3-wheelers) ride through downtown is for the most part how we got here. Indians can fit rickshaws through mind-boggling traffic openings - they don't bother with lanes, stop signs, traffic lights or pedestrians for that matter, you merge into oncoming traffic and cars dodge and speed by you as if they expected you to merge ... it's a bit unnerving at first but you realize the system works here and you accept your fate because you have to. Jac and I would still be roaming Mumbai with our bags had my dad not been waiting at the airport. It feels good to turn our minds off and let someone else figure out the transportation details. One of India's largest Hindu festivals is going on now, people are partying in the streets all night and fireworks are visible from our balcony. My dad might as well be Royalty here... we eat like kings and our Indian hosts go out of their way to make us feel welcome. Jac is at an orphanage 40 minutes north with some friends and we leave tomorrow morning for Nepal so I will try and get her to post some pics before we depart. We're on our own starting Oct 9th.. nothing is planned after that date... we have some options but we'll see where we end up - maybe the south or northeast.

It's nearly impossible to describe India in words... a person here described it as God's raw land - loving people, ancient culture and history, spirituality, traditional morals & values, beauty and poverty all in one place. I had visions of what the country might look before we arrived - they weren't even close to the reality. I won't go into it now but my first impression is very favorable, mainly because of the Indian people. I love it here already and it's been 4 days... we have many more.
-Aaron