Finally Here!

I have often heard people say that the journey is more important than the actual destination. Well, on our journey to India, we were really just concerned about getting there. Our trip started off disastrously, as we got to DIA only to realize that the first leg of our travels, the plane ride from Denver to Chicago, had already left! Luckily we were able to quickly book a later flight to Chicago that would get inn just before our connection to Delhi. And because there was nothing else available, my sister and I enjoyed first class seats to chicago! But that was where the first class experience ended.

On the fourteen and a half hour flight to New Delhi, we sat next to two crying Indian babies who really didn't want to go to sleep. The flight was long, but after a lot of movie watching and barely edible food, we made it! Well sort of... We still had to make our connection to Chennai, and our flight from Chicago was late. We got to the check in counter quickly, knowing we only had an hour until our next flight left, but the people working there didn't seem to be interested in that, and they just kept asking us for some kind of coupon, which we obviously did not have. But we finally got our boarding passes, and after waiting for about 10 elevators, (apparently the escalators were closed) we got to the concourse. Our gate was of course as far away as it could have possibly been, so we knew we had to run. As we navigated the Delhi airport, I saw I sign, directing us toward our gate, which said "walking time 15 minutes." So we sprinted across the crowded airport, trying not to run into anybody, and we finally got to our gate, covered in sweat. We made it on the plane, but just as they were closing the doors.

After arriving in Chennai, we were hit by close to 100 degree, humid heat, and it was 10:30 at night. We stood in the heat with the mass of people that had just flooded out of the airport, until we were finally able to get in a cab. We struggled to tell him where we were going, but finally he understood us, and we were on our way to our hotel. I don't think I realized that they drive on the left side of the road in India, but I also don't think it really matters. There really are no road rules. Lane lines are mere suggestions, and horns are used instead of turn signals. We managed to narrowly avoid hitting many motorcyclists, bikers, and other cars, and finally made it to the Marriott, only to have our car searched before we could enter. We slept well after a long day, (or days I guess) of traveling, but in the morning we had more to do. We hopped in a bus, inside of which could not have been less then 110 degrees, with the other volunteers we had just met. A couple hours later we were at Rising Star Outreach, and the campus was beautiful.

It was a long, stressful trip, but it was all worth it just to see how excited all the kids were to see us, their new "uncles" and "aunties" as they call us. It is hot here all the time, and the power and ac goes out about every 15 minutes. The food is usually good, but we have no idea what we're eating, and the drinking water is warm. You have to squat over a hole to go to the bathroom, and our showers are just buckets. It is humid and there are bugs everywhere. But it is he people here that make it all worth it. They are amazing, and we couldn't be happier to be here.