operation station

God bless operators! I just got done calling India to let the Missionaries of Charity know when we'll be working with them, but I had some troubles gettting started. I was unsure of how to make an international phone call, even though I had all of the correct numbers for country code and city code and the Motherhouse. So my dad suggested that I call the operator and ask. He was very helpful and told me to leave out the zero before the city code and it worked! Very exciting.

Although the phone call itself was very uneventful. They just said we were most welcome to come and when we get there to ask for Sister Corrina (I think - it was a very poor connection. But my roommate Meggan, who's been there twice will know.)

Yay! I am getting so excited! Now I am all ready to go with everything. Maybe I'll buy a train ticket online before leaving. I also still have to get my vaccinations, but I have those appointments made already. And I should probably find a camping backpack to use as luggage since I don't own one.

Jesus, thanks for being so faithful in helping all of these plans to start coming together! Thank you especially for Kim, who has been influential in getting this all off the ground, despite her extremely busy schedule! You are lovely!

cars, planes, and babies

Today I am in Connecticut until Friday visiting my dear sister Annie who was on my NET team with me! My plane didn't come in last night until 11:30pm and I leave Friday at 6:00am, so my visit is short, but life is always fun and exciting whenever Annie's around. It is so good to see her!

Also, my cousin and her husband just adopted a little boy from Korea! (My cousin was also adopted from Korea when she was an infant, so it's pretty neat!) His name is Owen and last Saturday there was a baby shower for him in Omaha. We played a few games, opened presents, and ate. My favorite thing was we all got to design a onesie for Owen! My sister and I did a joint effort and made a night sky (moon and stars) that said "goodnight moon, goodnight owen." It was a lot of fun. Good idea for a baby shower if anyone is planning one.

Also, my Grandma called me a couple of days ago saying that she was giving up driving and wanted me to have her car because I'm her namesake. She has such a generous, beautiful soul! It must have been so hard for her to make that decision, but I am glad that she at least lives where she does. She is close to my aunt and uncle who are always willing to drop everything and help her. Also the community she lives in has daily busses that can take people shopping and out to do fun things, so she can still remain fairly independant.

Jesus, please bless my Grandmother. Thank you for your faitfulness to her. Also bless my cousin Tricia, her husband Ben, and their new little son Owen. Help them to grow into a happy, holy family. And thank you for this time that You have given me to spend with Annie. May it be a wonderful visit and may we encourage each other and draw each other closer to You!

rangoli

Today in my India class, we learned about some forms of Indian art. This class was really interesting because we learned about Rangoli, which is a type of temporary art made with sand in India. Each morning, a woman from the household would go outside and create a design, usually a geometrical one off of a dot grid, in the front yard. They use a sand that is made of limestone powder. For general daily purposes, this art is made with white sand, but for festivals or marriages or other special occasions, many different colors may be used. Sometimes people decide to freehand their designs and create something more whimsical. Also, grains or flower petals are often used in place of or in addition to the sand.

Many of us were commenting about the American mentality that we need to keep all of our creations. We took pictures of what we had each done and made a lot of comments about it as we were doing it. Our teahcer, on the other hand, said that in India, people do not get attached to their designs because they know that at the first sign of wind or rain, their hard work will be washed away. The most similar thing I could come up with in American culture was sidewalk chalk, although I know plenty of children who cry when the rain washes away their masterpieces. I also found it interesting how Rangoli is often a group effort. One woman will be the main artist, but others will pitch in by filling in colors or helping create a certain area of the design. To Indians, rather than the exclusive goal being the enjoyment of the finished product, the process of making these Rangoli is designed to be enjoyed and calm people. It was a most enjoyable class. I hope to be able to do Rangoli again someday. Maybe I’ll have to go buy some sand…

my new "special friend"

So my roommate Kim and I joined a gym yesterday in an attempt to build up some muscle and weight for our trip to India this summer. (We'll probably need it since we may loose it all from being sick as happened to our other friends who have gone there.) So far we've gone twice and it's really fun! I discovered that I actually like to exercise! Well...it helps to have a friend there too.

Apparently Kim had called them on Monday and the guy said that there was a deal ending yesterday that you could sign up for $35/month with no sign on fee ($100) when they usually wanted a sign on fee of $450 and $50/month member fee. So she went over there and aparently this was not the deal at all. (We're not really sure what it was.) The guy was trying to have her get the really expensive one and she refused. She asked if she and I could get the family membership together ($100 sign on fee and $70/month total) and he said absolutely not until she was about to leave and then he said it was ok.

So now the gym probably has Kim and I down as a couple...but hopefully they just put "family" instead!

God bless you! Happy Ash Wednesday!