India // Sunday, Cont...

....and the honking carries on. Fans are everywhere. Even though I can escape the sound with my handy pair or earplugs, the rattle and vibration of the spinning blades seem to rattle my mind as I try to drift asleep. The fans cool the humid and muggy air that surrounds our rooms, which is refreshing. In the nighttime we are privileged to have air conditioning which is extremely nice.

Annie and I woke up at 4 am this morning, possibly because we fell asleep at the early hour of 7 o'clock... I have found that it is difficult to stay asleep here. My mind is constantly wandering. Constantly questioning. Constantly counting my blessings. It is currently 7 am, Monday morning. Yesterday (sunday) was the day of rest. I shared previously about our morning, but the afternoon consisted of a nap, getting acclimated to the temp, talking to the other ladies we are staying with, getting dinner at a local restaurant about 10 minutes down the road, and so on.

The other volunteers are very kind! All the other ladies are from Europe, spain in particular. We met a sweet boy, Alex, who arrived at the airport the same time as us and is staying at a homestead down the road. He is only 17, and is so cheerful. Spanish people are so rad- and very helpful! Two women, Lori & Chloe, who are here from the UK took us to dinner at one of their favorite spots, and answered all of our nagging questions and gave us many tips on how to be successful while in Delhi. Here it is again- Not counting on merely ourselves. Just like the city, the menus are even more foreign. Glancing over the pages of options is so frustrating, for you have absolutely no idea what you may order. The waiter who served us barely spoke english, and our interaction consisted of pointing and various "yes, no, no thank you, I want that. No no, not that, but that". Annie Chloe and I all ordered the "Veggie sizzler with noodles" As straight up as it may get. Although, I swear I almost died from the spice. Haha, oh how I already miss the American spice scale. (I usually order a 0 or 1!)

Just in the short walk to the restaurant my eyes have already been opened to so much. A trash pit- which reeked of rotten things. A barber on the side of the road performing hair cuts, with a small shave station on the side. Dead birds. More wild dogs, which followed us for a little while. Ahh! (not a huge dog fan) I always thought being a man was so convenient when you had to use the restroom. You can go practically anywhere! Yeah, the Delhi men embrace that to the fullest. I saw a man hop off his bike on a buy road and urinate right in front of me. Lovely.

My legs and feet are filled with little bug bites- and now little pools of bloods from scratching so viciously.. Learning that you must be thorough with the bug spray. Even then, I think I blame it on bed bugs, too.

While here, I have been reading One Thousand Gifts: A book about true thankfulness. In the first few chapters I have already been informed of copious ways to be thankful and content. A perfect read while I am here, as well as an applicable implementation for my life back home.

A few things I am thankful for this early morning: 1. Helpful women

2. Annie, and the fact we are willing to braid each others sweaty hair every morning.

3. Running water and a room filled with fans

4. Internet. Ah, how superficial of me. But really though, connecting with friends back home helps me ease into the initial shock of being in a third world country

I dare you to think of a few things you are thankful for today. Living in India is going to shatter my selfishness & improve my grace, I can already feel it. But I must share an honest thought that has been consuming my selfishness- I am really really craving a belgian waffle. From The Spar, specifically.

Well dear Friends, that is all for now! Thank you for reading, and I will post again soon!