What I learned in INDIA!

Thousands of languages. The birthplace of four religions. Over a billion people living on a sub-continent of arid desert, barren tundra and teeming rainforest. Poverty like you have never seen it before.

Set up shop, where ever you find the space.

Bustling streets of Old Delhi

I'm guessing this was not the highlight of his day.

Notice anything out of the ordinary? Maybe 2 kids perched on the 3rd story building!!! AWW...

Beautiful faces at the Lotus Temple (the temple were all religions are welcome to pray)

The spice market in Old Delhi

The colorful elephant chalked up during the festival in Jaipur.

Jantar Mantar, Jaipur. Sundials that relate to your horoscope.. jantar mantar means literally 'calculation instrument'. 

Just cruising main street with my ox..

Goat herder near the Monkey Temple in Jaipur.

This is what you see on the highways connecting all the little villages, camel caravans. What concerns me in this picture is the camel's black head and red nose. Just makes you wonder, "WHY?"

Passing through a little village, kids on the way to school

The magnificent Taj Mahal!

Oh the CHILES!!

I went to India because I needed to get away and what I got was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.  What I saw in Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi and in between was both inspiring and gut wrenching. It’s been one week since I returned and I’m still thinking about what I learned.  I try to incorporate a different way of thinking as I am still in awe as to how the Hindus look at the world.

To see the Taj Mahal was breathtaking – but experiencing this culture was beyond words. One of the tenets of Hinduism is to do no harm, and as I learned this includes not just physical but mental and emotional.  One of the worst ‘crimes’ is to break someone’s heart.  I spent over a week listening and learning.  I learned more in one week than I have in the past couple years combined.  To have conversations that don’t contrast but rather compare the similarities between Hinduism and Catholicism was incredible and then to talk about why Mahatma Gandhi was so important.  When I asked if he was like Martin Luther King, I was told it was more than that – his impact had attributes that were similar to Abraham Lincoln, MLK and JFK.

Ghadi's burial site

Ghandi's bedroom. Simplistic. I like it!

What did I learn in India? Many life lessons, that is for sure. I learned that my worst day is probably better than the best day some people will ever have. I learned that the job that I have (that I sometimes don’t want to wake up for) is a profession that I chose, and that I had the opportunity to pursue. Millions of people do not have that chance in India. I get to teach children in a school, and not only that, I get paid for it. It allows me to live in a home that has air-conditioning, warm water, a comfortable bed, sheets and towels and even an occasional treat of Starbucks café latte, or eat out at my favorite restaurant. These things are unimaginable for many in India, yet we consider them a normal part of our lives. When I walk out my door I breathe in fresh air. I never thanked God for fresh air before. I never realized the blessings God gave me in the little things.

When I looked out at the masses of people from inside the car while being driven around the streets of India, I saw such suffering and sadness. I thought to myself, "The children should be safe, happy, and loved. Why are the children sleeping in the streets where anyone can mistreat them and why are they working when they should be in school?” What emptiness I saw on their faces.

My knowledge about this part of the world was based on information I got from other people who already went there and a few TV documentaries. I did not research and I did not plan. I just went “with the flow”.

I had preconceived ideas of how things would be. Like everyone else, I was influenced by my environment and my upbringing. But as soon as I got out of that plane, everything changed. This not only made me learn and realize many things but also ask myself many questions too:

I am a slave to my habits.
Every time I had to get in a car, I would go to the wrong  side. EVERY TIME. My drivers would laugh and remind me of the difference… in vain!  
Patience is a virtue
I used to curse traffic and driving in UAE. I will no more… Not after I experienced the traffic in India. By the way, did you know that most cars have no mirrors? You can choose between theft and reckless driving! 

The over-crowded streets of Delhi

Next time you think your vehicle could overheat, be proactive...

Why do Indians put their car mirrors in? Wouldn't want to hit a "holy" cow!

Don’t be opinionated. Do not judge. It’s all about perception and there is always another way to do the same things.
When I landed in India, I could not help myself but realize how many values were in common with the middle-eastern culture. But later, I had to realize how different it was from it too. From the bathrooms to the restaurants to the way of doing business. I observed and compared.

Vendors on the streets of Delhi

Literally a restaurant where you must eat and run(to the nearest bathroom). Oh, so dirty!

You will first get a whiff, then the gagging reflexes begin, finally you see the urinal on the street corner. Happened one time too many.

Thee reason I didn't have an appetite in India.

Hate it or love it? More functional than most but still difficult for this western girl.

Poverty is everywhere. What are we doing to solve this problem?
I saw people sleeping on the highway separators and on the sidewalks trying to protect their faces from the 42C burning sun with a woolen cloth. I saw an old woman picking up the cigarette that a man smoked and threw on the floor and try smoking whatever was left herself. I saw men and women peeing and defecate on the sidewalk next to the highway with “no shame”. I saw people living in unspeakable conditions in unspeakable places and I saw shops that looked more like a desperate initiative to sell anything.

Dogs and a girl rummaging through the trash in Jaipur.

Getting some cuddle time at the Mother Theresa Orphanage in Agra.

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Girls comb the beach looking for lost goods of the tourist.

Being able to secure a steady income is a luxury.
Women trying to make a living by working in a tiny shop with no door, no a/c, no nothing. Men shaving another man’s beard on the street. People constantly moving excessively heavy weights. Children doing ANYTHING for a few rupees.

I would have said, "Impossible! You want me to do what?"

I thought this was quiet practical. Why do you need an entire room, when the outside of the building ( with an awning and mirror) will do just fine. This was a typical sight in India.

Daycare..

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Varanasi is known for their silk products.

The cutest little boy that was working away in the silk factory

Young girls crammed in a little room sewing beads onto a beautiful sari

Not everyone has access to running water.
Women are washing clothes on the street. Men are filtering water river water with a towel. Children are bathing in barrels of rain water.

The drinking fountain in Delhi

The villagers well and main source of water

Washing clothes in the Ganges River

Washing clothes in the Ganges River

Pumping water from the well in Varanasi

Not everyone has access to electricity.
Men ironing clothes with coals on the street. Women cooking food for their families by fire. Children burning torches walking down the road.

Heating some tea and bread in the early hours near the Taj Mahal.

Love is universal.
In less than a week, total strangers became people I really cared about, love and think about everyday. In India, I discovered a vision of spirituality that makes more sense to me than anything else I’ve come across — the advaita (or non-dual) idea that all life is part of one god-consciousness; that duality only exists in the field of time and space, and is illusory.I agree with Mahatma Gandhi, who said, “I used to believe that god is truth; now I believe that truth is god.” I agree with Joseph Campbell who said, “People are not looking for meaning in life; they are looking for an experience of life.” I agree with Carl Jung who said that, “The purpose of human existence is to light a candle in the darkness of mere being.” And I understand why Buddha gave a teaching in which he simply held up a flower and said nothing.

Mosque in Old Delhi

Lotus Temple

The Qutb Minar is a red sandstone 213-foot-tall tower. The construction of Minar was started in 1201 by Qutub-ud-din-Aibak, the first ruler of the Slave Dynasty of India.

During the holy festival in Jaipur, the dancers stop to get their picture taken with me. ha

Call to prayer at the local mosque in Agra

I think you know this one =)

This statue sits under "the Bohdi tree" where Buddha found enlightenment.

A holy man doing his thing!

6 am meditation in Varanasi

Women cleanse themselves after a funeral in the Ganges River

Ganges River

A holy man can't go without his chi!

Money does not buy happiness.
In the consumer-oriented and materialistic west, we have come to equate money and happiness. However, in more traditional societies, like India, this link is not so resolutely forged. It has been my experience that some of the happiest people I’ve met are also some of the least materially well-off. As long as people are getting their basic material needs met, they can be happy — with the right attitude.

I definitely realized how much I take for granted on each given day. Thank you God for all that you have provided me. Thank you God for enabling me to travel and explore.  It was one unforgettable experience!