One Girl

Last week, I had the privilege of going on an operation as an observer. We only rescued one girl this time (as planned), but she was very young. I am thankful that we were able to rescue her before she was transferred to a brothel. She is an orphan and was sold to the traffickers by her own sister and brother-in-law. It gave me joy to see the hope she expressed when she was told about going to an aftercare home where she could study. The problems of poverty and trafficking are huge, but there are some differences we can make...

Beggars

I watched Slumdog Millionaire shortly before leaving the U.S., and it certainly rings true in many ways. For one, organized begging is a problem here. Women walk the streets begging with babies over their shoulders, but it's impossible to tell whether the babies are their own. One friend of mine watched a woman making her rounds with a crying baby; when the baby finally stopped crying and seemed to fall asleep, the woman hit the baby until it started crying again.

And so, with this information, I harden my heart to the suffering around me. Even passing observation tells me that it is all theater. The girl who comes up to beg, scrunching up her face as if dying of hunger, I see the next day running and laughing as she plays on the street.

But what if even the laughing and playing are deceiving--just momentary bits of happiness in a world of suffering. The divide between rich and poor is real here. The caste system, although legally abolished, still holds thousands in poverty. What will become of the girl on the street in another ten or twenty years? And if I don't like that answer, is there anything that can stop it? I wish I could write an answer, but on this front I have only questions.

Brothels

I haven't been able to blog much since I don't have internet where I live anymore, but I thought it worthwhile to put something on here for my last week of work.

I have been thinking about what I have learned over the last twelve weeks. But I don't know if "learning" is the right word. Learning conjures up books and lectures. I think this summer has been more about experiences. This last week, I'll try to share a few of those experiences:

Earlier in the summer, I had the opportunity to visit a brothel, thanks to a connection with a local NGO called Oasis.  Oasis works with both pimps and prostitutes, providing education, health care, recreational activities, counseling, and God's hope. In my work, I'm used to seeing pimps and madames as evil men and women who deserve to be jailed.  But Oasis sees the same people as victims of an evil system.  And I understand.  Some of the madames were forced prostitutes themselves.  Many of the pimps start at a very young age as cleaning and errand boys.  They are thrown into a vicious system where good and evil, normal and tragic, are turned upside down, and there is no one to point out truth.  

That's not to say that I don't believe the pimps and madames should not be prosecuted to the fullest extent allowed by law.  But I think I do have a better picture of reality now and the need for the structures of oppression to change.

Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer is my favorite city so far! The city is in and around a fort, which rises up from the desert like a magical sandcastle. The city seems to have become wealthy from the caravans that would come across the desert. The detail work in the sandstone is beautiful even in normal people's homes (which were probably owned by statesmen hundreds of years ago). Jaisalmer is said to have the only living fort in the world--the fort itself is filled with private residences, hotels, and tiny shops. The largest landmark within the fort is the Maharaja's Palace, below.

As I mentioned, the sandstone carving is amazing. The photo below is a detail shot of the Maharaja's Palace, and the shot below is from outside one of the five Jain temples within the fort.

We are privileged to be staying in a hotel right on the fort walls. Below is a picture of it--Hotel Khilla Bhawan. With only nine rooms, it is small and intimate.

We have a beautiful room, balcony, and private bath, but common terraces and lounging rooms abound where guests can enjoy the evening breeze and a fresh-brewed cup of masala chai.

Jaipur Photos

Every city we visit is better than the last! We are in Jaisalmer now, but I'm a little behind on photos, so I'm posting some pics from Jaipur.

The next several pictures are inside Amber Fort, about a 20 minute drive from Jaipur's old city. We hired a tour guide to take us through, and it was worth it just so he could take pictures of us (we usually don't have that many pictures of ourselves). The fort was beautiful, with hand-painted surfaces, carvings, and inset mirrors to reflect the light of candles.

The next three shots are just random pictures I got in Jaipur--a pottery shop, snake charmers, and an elephant. Supposedly, Rajasthan represents the "real" India. Every region of India is different, but it is neat to be thrown back to a desert world of camels, elephants, turbans, and saris.

Agra and Jaipur

Doug and I are taking a week off of work to travel around India. Our first stop, of course, had to be the Taj Mahal in Agra, which we visited yesterday. It is an amazing work of architecture--it is all carved out of white marble, and the parts around the main mausoleum have inlaid stones, as many as sixty-six stones making up a single four-inch flower.

We spent less than one day in Agra and then headed to Jaipur, the former capital of the state of Rajasthan. We're nearing the end of our 24 hours here, but we stayed at a beautiful estate house (Samode haveli), which has been converted into a hotel, in the old city. While we were not fighting traffic or trying to confirm our tickets for our next train leg, we enjoyed touring the City Palace and Amber Fort.

More pictures to come...

Enemies

In Psalm 3, David cries, "How many are my foes! How many rise up against me!" But I've never really felt like I had many enemies, and this Psalm has not been particularly meaningful to me as a result. In a way, I still don't feel like I have many enemies, but in the work that we do, we have many. Those people in power who abuse that power certainly are our enemies. By rescuing victims and working for better enforcement of laws, we weaken their power.

The problems here are so widespread that we can't even count our enemies, but I am sure many of them know us and hate us. We must be wise in what we can take on with our resources; yet, as David says: "I will not fear the tens of drawn up against me on every side.... From the LORD comes deliverance."

Human Dignity

Although some girls are forced into prostitution, other girls choose it. Recently, my roommate and I were discussing why a girl would choose to prostitute herself. Certainly, there are many factors which contribute--how badly she needs money to survive, whether her family puts pressure on her, and whether she holds moral convictions about prostitution. But my roommate ultimately concluded that any girl who prostitutes herself does so because she has never learned the dignity of her own life. I'm still processing whether or not I agree with that statement, but I do believe that slavery, including forced prostittution, is a violation of human dignity.

The morning after the conversation, I read from Psalm 8 and was struck by the value God has placed on human life. Verses 4 to 6 read: "What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet . . . ." I was reminded about the many girls who do not wish to return home because they are "spoiled"--even though they did not voluntarily enter the flesh trade. I pray that the girls and women trapped in prostitution here will come to know their worth, despite the way their fellow humans have tried to take it away.

Religion

Religion is so integrated into everyday life here. It's no secret whether someone is Hindu, Muslim, or Christian, and we have people of all those religions in our neighborhood. The mosque pictured below is just a few minutes walk from where I'm staying now, and you can clearly hear the call to prayer five times a day from my place. It sounds like a man singing right outside my window!

The local mosque.

In addition to the mosque, religious symbols abound. Little displays in front of individual homes may contain a crucifix or a Hindu god. In the mornings, I often see people touching the crucifix below my apartment as they walk by, as if for blessing--but I haven't figured out if they are Christian or if they have just incorporated Jesus into their polytheism.

A crucifix, the stairs leading up to my apartment, and my roommate.

Religion is also reflected in what people eat. Most restaurants around here do not serve beef or pork, so as not to offend Hindus or Muslims, and the menu is almost always divided into vegetarian and non-vegetarian sections.

Water

Water here is rationed, although I'm not sure how the determination is made as to who gets how much. Some of my friends regularly run out of water in the evenings because the whole apartment building shares a supply. In my apartment, at least, we have our own water tank. It gets filled up around 4-5am every morning, and we can use as much of it as we want (we've never run out since I've been here). Although we have a shower head, the water is not pressurized, so my roommate has introduced me to "bucket showers" -- performed by filling a bucket with water and then using a small pitcher to rinse off. At least it's hot enough that I haven't minded the cold "showers" too much.

The water tank above our door to the bathroom. I try not
to think about the fact that our drinking water comes
(through the filter) out of that tank...

Transportation

I thought I'd start putting in a little more of everday life here. The husband of someone I've met here was pushed off a train today. Apparently this happens regularly, as the trains are so packed during rush hour. Luckily, he suffered only a few bruises--I'm told that several people die on the train system every day.

The buses are also packed. The first day I was here, a bus was stopped, and a crowd of people tried to squeeze on even though there was absolutely no standing room left. Finally, the bus took off, and one determined man jumped up as the bus was moving, grabbed a window, and found just enough space to plant one foot in the doorway, with the rest of his body hanging off the side.

After hearing the horror stories, I have stayed off the buses and trains, instead opting for an auto-rickshaw. This economical form of transport can squeeze up to three people and zips along even the small dirt roads, honking impatiently at the pedestrians who dare to share the road. The interns use it to get almost anywhere around here.

An auto-rickshaw driving down the main market road near our home.

Worship

I was reminded at church a couple days ago of King David's statement at Araunah's threshing floor: "I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

I first remember hearing these words at a missions conference almost ten years ago. But sacrifice means something more to me now than it did then. Ten years ago, sacrifice meant adventure, travel, and new experiences. Now it means all those things, but it also means time away from family, foregoing career opportunities, and enduring the loss of the luxuries I've become accustomed to as an adult. So what am I sacrificing for? The message reminded me that it's not just about rescuing victims, although I certainly care about their welfare. It is also about God's worthiness of my worship. And because God is both just and loving, He has made clear (in Isaiah 58, for example) that His idea of worship involves breaking the chains of injustice and setting the oppressed free.

One expat coworker told me the other day that he hates this place with a passion. And yet he loves it. There is no place he'd rather be than right here, rescuing victims and seeking justice for them against their oppressors. I wonder if that's what Jesus felt when he came down to our dark world to set us free.

Chutney Selection

My roommate and I went out to dinner Saturday night at the Indian restaurant (Namak) of a nice hotel (Sahara Star) near the airport. It was expensive and I only liked one of the three dishes we ordered, but just going out was a welcome retreat from the hubbub of the city.

We devoured most of the "bread" before I remembered to whip out my camera.
From the top, going counter-clockwise, we had pickled onions, a tomato chutney,
yogurt and black sesame chutney, mint chutney, and tamarind chutney.

If you don't know or haven't guessed already, I love food pics! So expect to see plenty of those here. I'll try to get some more interesting stuff up when I get a chance to snap a good shot. I just haven't had the courage to whip out my huge camera in our neighborhood yet...

Latte Break

Just before leaving the States, I saw part of a show on which baristas were competing to make the coolest designs on top of their coffees. I thought it was pretty cool to notice this only a few days later after having traveled across the world:

It was great to take a break and have some caffeine at this cute cafe...

Too bad it's not walking distance, but at least it's not a far drive.

First Day

I'm finally here! I arrived last night around 9pm, cleared immigration, got my luggage, went through customs, met up with two other interns who came to meet me, and was on my way out by 10pm. The flight over was good--at least for a 14 1/2 hour flight. There was a ten-month old baby next to me with her dad, but she was incredibly good and didn't cry at all during the flight. Apparently, her mom and grandmother were on business-class on a different flight. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with her dad for taking her all alone!

Today was pretty laid-back. I slept in until 10:30am after jetlag kept me up in the early morning hours. One of the other interns, Stephanie, has offered to let me stay with her at least until the end of the month, and another pair of interns said I could stay with them from late July onwards. So I just have to figure out housing for July now!

I had lunch and dinner with some of the other interns and staff. The people at the office are great--so warm and friendly! I am looking forward to starting work and getting to know everyone better.

Me, with two of the other interns who just arrived as well.