3 weeks in India: 'I will never be the same'

from the Ventura County Star

By Clair Tenney

For three-and-a-half weeks over winter break, I embarked on a journey that changed me and my entire outlook on life. Along with 13 other California Lutheran University students, I went for a trip to India led by professors Dr. Paul Hanson and Dr. Druann Pagliassoti. The previous semester of studying the country and seeing slides could never have prepared me for what was to come.

My first week in India was a long one. I frequently cried over the sights I was shocked by — sights that I wanted to run away from at the time, sights now that I miss.

Roads are complete chaos. I have never been somewhere with so much noise. New York City does not even compare. People use horns to communicate everything. Not one single car, motorcycle, bike, bus or rickshaw stays on the correct side of the road. Vehicles whiz head on and, just when it looks like they will collide, one moves just ever so slightly.

Animals roam the streets just as if they were cars or people. The people feed hundreds of stray dogs. Cows, considered holy in the country, walk along the street beside you. Sometimes, they stand in the middle of the road and cars just honk and drive around them. Peacocks are in the trees and the sidewalk, camels carry carts of goods or people, and monkeys swing from the buildings and come within inches of you.

Every time we stepped off the bus, sellers of tourist-type items would surround us. They will follow a group for blocks, pushing their items in front of your face, touching you and moving from person to person.

Starving, barely clothed babies

The poverty in this country was unbelievable to my American eyes. Seventy percent of India's population lives in poverty.

Beggars are everywhere. But, unlike most in America, who stand stoically waiting for you to drop coins in their cup, in India, they come up and pull on your clothes, tug on your arms and stand in front of your face for up to 10 minutes. We were taught never to make eye contact with them or speak to them. Mothers bring their starving, barely clothed, crying babies right up to you. It took all my willpower not to cry in front of them and give them all my money.

India is the most dirty and smelly place I have ever visited. Bathrooms are regularly soaked in water or urine. You can't drink water unless it is bottled. The only fruits and vegetables you can eat are those that can be peeled.

Despite all of the craziness, India holds so much beauty and spirituality.

I have experienced the Golden Temple in Amritsar, a sight that literally took my breath away. I will forever remember how I felt and the sounds of the beautiful Sikh people worshiping God. I went to Mother Teresa's orphanage and played with children for hours, falling in love with one little boy so much that I cried when I left him and made the decision to one day adopt a child from this wonderful country. I visited the Taj Mahal, a sight that symbolizes India.

Camels, elephants, temples

I took a boat ride down the holy Ganges River, where hundreds of men and women bathe, and I watched as a group of men prepared their relative's dead body to be cremated and thrown in the water. I went on a camel ride through the desert and small villages where the children followed us around like we were celebrities. I smoked Indian tobacco with the village men and learned Indian dances. I rode an elephant to the top of a castle and received an elephant blessing in a temple. I climbed 417 steps to the top of a temple in Trichy, where I looked out upon the city and I felt I could see the world curve.

I strongly encourage everyone to visit this magnificent country. After living in India for only a few weeks, it is hard for me to be back in the United States where people have everything, but see none of it, only striving for more. It makes me think that material possessions only make us unhappy, after seeing children overjoyed by their simple toys — a rock with a string tied around it — and adults worshiping God because they have a pair of clothes to wear.

I will never forget seeing people with leprosy beg on the sides of the road. I will never be the same after seeing at least 100 people with decapitated limbs drag their bodies along the dirty ground. I will never forget the sounds of the call of prayer to Muslims ringing out across the cities. I will never be the same after seeing people get down on their hands and knees thanking and worshiping God for the little things they have.

Even with the little that Indians have, it is hard to feel sorry for them because, in reality, they have everything. I even feel jealous of them. They have simplicity and they have true happiness. Mother Teresa said of the Indian people: "The poor give us much more than we give them. They're such strong people, living day to day with no food. And they never curse, never complain. We don't have to give them pity or sympathy. We have so much to learn from them."