The Many Faces of Jetlag...

Currently Listening Kansas see related

Back Home

After all the jovial farewells were expressed, the hugs were given, & waving was completed, I found myself sitting in the front of the Sumo & realized I had tears streaming down my face.  Thinking it was dark and my driver, Ramesh, would not notice, I heard him ask “Why are you crying?”  How could I explain the emotions running through me?!  As we drove on roads that had become oddly familiar, there were very few cars.  I was surprised as we drove through Secunderabad how few cars there were in this area that is always quite congested during the day.  The emptiness of the roads seemed to reflect the emptiness I felt inside as I left all of those I had come to hold so dear; as I left the place that had become home; as I left the sights, sounds, & smells that had become so oddly familiar.  Just as I felt like I was finally feeling somewhat adjusted, I had to up and leave.  I’ve heard people say “home is where the heart is” and my heart definitely started feeling at home in India.  Although I’m home to my life in the ATL, I can’t help but feel like I have left a part of my heart behind.  These past two months have been an experience I can’t duplicate and won’t be able to even if I return to India.

Last night I ate a grilled steak and broccoli salad and enjoyed every bite.  This morning I drove down the road on the right hand side.  I have not heard one horn honk in the last two days.  The very light traffic was in nice orderly lanes.  I have not seen one autorickshaw.  The air is clean.  I have not seen one man, um, micturating at the side of the road.  I went to Starbucks where I had the perfect cup of coffee: ½ house decaf, ½ Verona with Splenda & ½ & ½ creamer!  I had a hair cut & foil/color.  I’ve done 10 loads of laundry…and my apartment smells so good!  I’ve ironed clothes with an ironing board.  I have walked on carpeted floors.  I have gotten a manicure & pedicure…yes, radish toe & infected feet and all!  All these things would indicate that I’m back in the US.  I’m so glad to be back and I’m very happy to be spending time with all the people who I know and love and who know and love me.  YET I feel such a dichotomy within my soul – I feel torn between two worlds.   All this to say, pray for me as I’m experiencing a bit of the reverse culture shock and the cultural re-adjustment that comes with re-entry. 

I’m back & will share more later when I have time to process the last few months and re-adjust.  Bear with me! 

Love to you all!  ~ Heidi

Independence Day

This year's Independence Day has to be one of my favorites by far.  There's just something about celebrating your own country while in another country that makes it fun.  Not to mention there were so many Americans there ... and potato salad!...and family!!

My precious little 2nd cousin

My cousin & I!

Super Clark!

So Super Clark, who will be 5 years old in a week & half, is also an amazing photographer.   This one is an artistic angle of my nose & he even captured the essence of one of the zit on my temple.  A few more of his masterpieces...he likes to work in themes as you may or may not be able to tell...

Not to be left out, Clark's 3 year old sister took one of him in keeping with his theme work 

Surreal

It seems so hard to believe that I've spent my summer in India.  There's a part of me that can't wait to get home and part of me that never wants to leave.  What a strange dichotomy between my Am life & my Indian life.  My experiences here have been surreal, yet these experiences are growing oddly familiar & comfortable.  Today I visited the "pipe village" where people - including some of my students - basically live in pipes that have been sealed & modified into their "homes".  These people have nothing, yet act like they have everything.  I have everything & live like a pauper.  I'm just beginning to see what Jesus meant when he said "Blessed are the poor in spirit."   I have so much more to share, yet I can't wrap words around some things. 

I apologize for not being better in touch.  The bombings you may have heard about where in Bombay, which is much further west of here, so no worries about my safety...I'm completely fine.  I didn't even think to let you all know I was OK, so I apologize if any of you had any undue worry.

I'm trying to send some pics when I have the opportunity, but it takes a while to upload.  Here's some more pics for good measure!

These pics are some of my favies.  When I first arrived in Hyderabad, this is how I got here from the airport via AutoRickshaw, a.k.a. auto.  I had 3 suitcases, a laptop case, & a backpack, plus Megan who came to get me, and myself.  We literally rode with luggage under our legs & our legs hanging out the windows of the auto. It was quite nice actually.

"Coming out"... So this was my first day of wearing a saree & it was a pretty big deal...lots of pics.  The kids LOVE taking pics using my digicam.  Some of my precious ones with me!

Myself & one of the teachers... 

More of my precious ones...

Me & some of the teachers during my favorite time of day "chai time"... I don't know what's up with the weird skin tone.

I really did ride a camel a month ago...in a skirt!  I'm so made though because last weekend when I was dying of chickun gunya, everyone went to the zoo & got to ride elephants except me.  Schnarf, schnarf!

Infectious Diseases & My Need for Sympathy

So infectious diseases run rampant here in India and things are quite dirty here.  Open sores are not good to expose to the elements, which I failed to keep in mind with my gnat-bites/sandflee bites/mosquito bites.  Apparently scratching the fire out of them was a bad idea b/c now I have infected mosquito bites which were oozing (most of the oozing has stopped, I think).  I thought ample amounts of rubbing alcohol and the anti-itch cream was doing the job, but apparently not.  Therefore, my ankle sores are infected and puffy and hurt very badly.  Ah, but I'm a smart girl and I have learned my lesson, so when my pinky toenail accidentally ripped off in a toe-nail filing injury, I thought it would be wise to make sure the tender pinky toe was not exposed to the elements, so I decided clear nailpolish was very similar to liquid bandaid, so I thought I'd use that.  Seemed to work for a day or so.  Pause.  Enter into another story.  Two nights ago, I went to the bed with the chills.  Yes, it is monsoon season & things are a bit cooler here right now, but not "get the chills cool".  A good night's sleep should resolve that.  I went to school the next day tired with my body achy all over.  I chocked it up to playing volleyball the night before when it's obvious that I'm well past my volleyball-playing prime. After an exhausting day, I thought I'd do some lesson plans, yet my body said that was a bad idea.  As a matter of fact, my body thought it was such a bad idea that it decided to rebel by causing my face and ears to burn and my body chill...a.k.a. - a fever.  After going to bed at 5 p.m., I awoke at midnight with the sheets soaking wet.  Seeing that I was potty trained 27 years ago, I thought it was odd that I would wet that bed at the ripe old age of 29.  Hmmm.  In my dazed state, I realized that it was simply the breaking of a fever and that what is wet will eventually dry.  Too exhausted to do anything about it, I lay in my own feverish lake o'sweat and went back to sleep never to awake....well, at least until 7 a.m.  14 hours of sleep later, one would think I would feel better, but I was still tired & achy & my stomach every now & again stabs me just to remind me that I am alive.  I awoke to a throbbing pain in my pinky toe as well.  I now realize that the pinky toe is a highly underrated appendage.  As I look down at my toe wondering what all the fuss was about, I saw that my toe was swollen up, as one of my teammates described, like a radish.  You do not realize the value of a healthy pinky toe until your pinky toe becomes ill and puss-filled.  I decided perhaps the nailpolish was not the wisest of decisions, so I decided immediate removal was the best bet.  Upon removing the nailpolish, a lovely yellow-colored liquid freed itself from the prison known as my pinky toe. My dearest little pinky continues to be red and swollen and I think is holding a grudge against me for the toe-nail filing incident as well as for my attempt to cover up my grievous murder of the toe nail.  In conclusion, I'm pretty sure I have the newest form of malaria known as the chicken guree something something, as well an infected pinky toe that will probably end up being amputated before I leave India, not to mention scars on my ankles that will forever tatoo memories of India on my body permanently.

All this to say, as I was reminded at faculty devotions today, REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS!  Again, I say REJOICE!  God continues to teach me and I continue to have the privilege of doing what I love to do.  He is a good God in every way and always allows all of our circumstances - infected pinky toes, infected bites, & fevers - for a reason even if we don't know why!  Praise Him for being such an amazing God world all over! 

And on a selfish note, some pics so you can feel sorry for me and see the progression of the bites...

The below picture is so you can see why I do not want to seek medical treatment here.  This was at the International Health Vaccination Office.  There were used needles just laying around & other bottles of vaccinations just sitting out, not being monitored.  Ew!  Needless to say, I did not get my JapEn vaccination here as I thought I might.

At the onslaught of the infection...nice & puffy & oozy.  Today it is an especially lovely swelling.  I feel like I have elephant ankles!

Sorry, no pics of the radish toe...I didn't think to take pics of that!  I promise I am busy doing things here other than taking pics of all my little wounds

Love to you all from India!