Long Journey

Sooo, after a long and tedious travel weekend, I finally made it to Thailand. Let me tell you a little about what happened....
Things started out really well. I left from Charlotte and even though my bags were a few pounds overweight they let it slide. They also gave my family a voucher to go back to the gate with me. The flight to Detroit was fast and fairly uneventful. Once I got to Detroit I had to run from gate 18 to gate 64 (it was a LONG way!), with my incredibly heavy carry on luggage, in 10 minutes! I make it, although quite tired and out of breath, and find my seat. The flight was supposed to leave at 3:25. Around 4:00 we're still sitting at the gate and they announce that there's a problem on the plane they're trying to fix, but that it would take about 45 minutes. At 5, we're still sitting there... they say another 45 minutes or so. At 6 they say everything is set and they even show the safety video. 6:30 comes around and we're still at the gate. weird. People are starting to get pretty angry. By 7 they tell us that the crew has become illegal (because we had been sitting there for so long) and that we all had to get our carry on's and get off the plane. They said they'd have a new crew by 8:30 and gave us food vouchers for dinner... 2 problems with that...
1. There are 400+ people waiting in line to get a voucher, and then waiting in line again at the few restaurants that are close by.
2. $6 is not going to buy you dinner in an airport.
Anywho, we get our food and wait until 8:30. At 9 they tell us there's no crew coming, but they are going to put us up in a hotel and that we'd leave at 9 the next morning. Yet again, 400+ people waiting in line for hotel vouchers, then for shuttles. The process took about 2 hours. Made it to the hotel, got up at 6 to catch the shuttle, and get to the airport. Then all 400+ have to wait in line yet again to get new boarding passes. Then the new plane that they had flown in had a problem, so we had to wait for that to get fixed. Once that was fixed we found out there was a crew member missing. We ended up leaving around 1:30. Once we got to Tokyo they had to re-book all our connecting flights... another line. We also had to go back through security. I barely made it to my gate, but 7 sIhort hours later I was in Thailand! Got through immigration and found my bags and my ride, and got to the school.
All in all, it wasn't so bad. Even if the flight had left on time, I would have missed my connection in Tokyo and then I would have been stuck there! And I got some flight vouchers out of it. I arrived a day late, but no big deal, orientation doesn't start until tomorrow.
I will post pictures of the school and my room later. I am definitely going to be painting and doing some organizing/decorating, but that might have to wait for awhile.
Thanks for following!

A New Chapter

As most of you know, in 23 days, I am moving to Thailand. I am going to be teaching 4th grade at Global English School, . (Don't worry, it is very reputable. Not only has my sister checked it out, but I have several friends who have worked there or work there now.) It is located in Nonthaburi, which is right outside of Bangkok. The school year is from mid June to the end of March. I have signed a 1 year contract and could possibly stay several more if things go well, but I am at least planning on being back for the months of April and May of next year.

Although I have never been to Nonthaburi, I spent 6 weeks traveling around Thailand during the summer of 2008. I actually started this blog for that trip, so if you are interested you can go back and read about that trip and my past trip to India last year.

I am excited about this new adventure. There's lots to do to get ready to go. Packing for a year is a bit overwhelming, as is cleaning my room, which can be attested to by any who have seen it.

Here is a video of what we saw riding the Metro in Bangkok:



Here are some pictures:

Finishing Touches

Yet again, I am at a loss for words. There is so much to say, but I just don't know how to say it, and time is so precious! There are so many stories that I want to share. Hopefully when I get home I can post some of them. For now, we are back in Delhi. After 3 weeks in Calcutta we went to Darjeeling for several days to recuperate and gear up for our last week at Asha Mission. It was such a wonderful reunion! We were so happy to see the kids again, and they were very happy to see us. With just a week left, we are all feeling the time slipping by too quickly. We spent our first 2 days back decorating the orphanage for Christmas. We hung lights and cut out stars and made a Christmas tree and a nativity scene. We also put together a Christmas program. Today we celebrated Christmas with the kids. We stayed up so late last night wrapping gifts and getting everything ready. This morning they were so shocked to come out of their rooms and see Christmas presents waiting for them! For many of them this is their first time celebrating Christmas. They were so thrilled to open their gifts and were showring them off to each other. After church we had the Christmas program. They dressed up and acted out the Christmas story and we sung a few songs and performed a few dances. We had a huge meal and just hung out and played all day. It has been absolutely incredible. It breaks my heart to think of leaving, but I am quite certain this will not be my last visit to India. As long as these kids are here, I will keep coming back! Please pray for our last few days that they will be full of life and precious time with these children.

Overview

We have been in Calcutta for 2 weeks now. We have had the opportunity to visit lots of ministry sites and get an overview of the work that's going on here.

We have visited patients in the pediatrics and cleft palate wards and built some really neat relationships.






We have gone to clinics in the rural areas to give out medicine to the locals there.




We have gone to a school in the slums.




We've gone to a school and home for the blind.


We've gone to a play put on by a local school.


We've visited an orphanage in the outskirts of Calcutta that was started by the same man as the orphanage that we've been at in Delhi.


We've spoken at a nursing school.


We've volunteered at Mother Teresa's. (I don't have pictures of this b/c you're not allowed to take any)

We've gone to Pizza Hut and McDonald's.


We've explored the city of Calcutta!




We have one more week here, then we head to Darjeeling for a few days to rest and spend some quality time as a team. Then we go from there back to Delhi to spend our last days with the precious kids we've come to love at Asha Mission.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. It's been busy here lately. Not only that, but I just can't seem to find the words to describe how things are here. Unless you've been to India, it's hard to explain what it's like. There really isn't anything to compare it to that would give you a true picture of life here. Hopefully one day soon I will be able to sit down and put my thoughts together. But I did want to let everyone that I am alive and well and loving it here. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We got together with several Americans here and put together the best Thanksgiving meal that we could with our resources :) We had turkey and potatoes and green beans. It was wonderful. I am so thankful for this time to be here in India and to travel and just have my eyes opened to all that God is doing around the world.
I hope everyone is well and enjoying this holiday season. I miss you all. Thanks for the prayers. I can't believe that I only have 3 more weeks here!
I will try to write a better update over the next week or so, thanks for being patient with me!
Love,
Liz


Here's a picture of the whole Thanksgiving gang

Varanasi

We were able to plan a short day and a half trip to Varanasi on the way to Calcutta. I was sooo excited! I've always wanted to go to Varanasi. It is considered an extremely holy city, not just for Hindu's, but for almost all religions.
We took a night train to get there. It was a very nice train, but I was sick the whole night and day that we left, so I spent most of it sleeping.
Once we arrived in Varanasi we crammed all 5 of us and our luggage into 1 taxi and headed for our hostel. The hostel that we stayed at was run by a hippie couple from Australia. Their outreach is to the hippie travelers that come through the city seeking truth and answers. What an incredible ministry! The harvest is plentiful there! So many foreigners and even indians come through the city desperately searching for answers and peace and spiritual awakening. Because of this, the city is much more 'westernized'. The locals are used to seeing foreigners and we don't get stared at quite as much and many more people know English are are friendly towards us. The couple, Brenden, Leaf, and their 5 year old son Tarren, are amazing. Their hearts are so beautiful and sincere and we were so encouraged by them. The hostel is beautiful! It's like a green oasis in the middle of a bustling city. They have a huge yard and a garden and have decorated everything so nicely. From their roof you can look out over the Ganges river and see the whole city skyline. It's breathtaking!
We spent some time getting to know them and helping do some yard work. Then Leaf took us out for a girls night. We went to a Japanese restaraunt and then took rickshaws to a market where we got bangles to match our outfits. I've never seen so many bangles and sparkles in my life! It was a lot of fun. Then next morning we took a sunrise boat tour of the Ganges. Our boatman was supposedly one of the most famous. He sings to you as he rows you down the river. As the sun rose, people came down to the river. Some were there doing the ceremonial washing, hoping for some kind of miracle from the river, which is considered a goddess. Others were simply bathing or doing laundry. The air is filled with sounds of bells, monks chanting, and the eerie call to prayer. There is such a spiritual heaviness there. This so called holy river is filled with rotting bodies and sewage and all kinds of things, yet everyone is so blind to it. They even say that the river is clean! It was an interesting experience. My heart is heavy for those people. We spent the rest of the afternoon getting lost in the gullies of Varanasi, exploring the ins and outs of the city. Our time went by so quickly. I wish I could have spent a month there! There is so much to see and do, and so many people to build relationships with. But we had to leave. We crammed in another taxi that afternoon and headed to the train station to go to Calcutta. It was quite a ride. We rode the sleeper class, which is basically the one that the everyday indians ride. You can get on or off at your convenience. Beggars get on and off as well as street venders. We spent 17 hours on the train before arriving in Calcutta! Definitely an experience I won't soon forget.
We are here now in Calcutta volunteering at Mercy Hospital, a hospital run by Calcutta Mercy Ministries. Please check out their website, it is an incredible ministry! So far we have been able to take some time volunteer with Mother Teresa's organization, the Sisters of Charity. We have also toured the hospital, learned a lot about the organization, and visited children in the pediatrics ward. We have a full schedule, and I can't wait to see all there is to do here in Calcutta.
Thanks for all the prayers and comments! I miss you all, but I am loving my time here. Dec. 19 is going to be a very sad day!
I'll try and post pictures soon.

Travels

It's been an amazing few days here at Asha Mission. We've gone to Pizza Hut, had the AIM team over for church, and had a fun birthday celebration today with cake, pop corn, balloons, and games. We are all having so much fun!! It is difficult to think about leaving in 2 days, yet exciting at the same time. I've always wanted to travel around India. We leave Thursday on a night train bound for Varanasi. In Varanasi we are staying with an Austrailian missionary couple who run a hostel for the spirtual seekers that come through India's most holy city. We hope to encourage them and help out in whatever way we can, while also seeing the sights of the 'city of lights'. On Saturday night we get on another night train and arrive Sunday in Calcutta. In Calcutta we are working with Calcutta Mercy Ministries (there is a link to their website on my first post). The 4 girls I am with are nurses and will be working in the hopsital. I am not sure what I will be doing, but I know there are plenty of opportunities to serve, especially since we will be the only volunteers there at this time. After 3 weeks in Calcutta we will get on another night train headed to Darjeeling in the great Himilayan mountains! We will spend 4 days there sight-seeing and debriefing out time. Then we will return to what we now consider home, and spend the remainder of our time with these beautiful children. We are going to have a huge Christmas party and there are more birthdays coming up that will be celebrated as well.
Sorry this is so brief and lacking detail. I have so many stories I would like to share but am currently lacking the time and energy. I will post more as soon as the traveling days are over. In the meantime, enjoy some pictures from the last few days :)