As Global Partners in Life looks for new opportunities to have a greater impact around the world, this fall I went to India. With some research I had done earlier in the year, I learned the worst conditions for orphans were in India. That piqued my interest — and luckily I had a contact that was in India — so when I left China, I went to India.
Upon arriving in India, it was as though my senses were being overloaded! There were so many new sights, sounds, colors, and smells, so I was thankful I had a little traveling to other countries to prepare me for India. All that I was absorbing was fascinating! Oh, and did I mention the heat and humidity? I was there during the monsoon season, so it literally rained every day I was there and it felt like about 96 degrees Fahrenheit! So the combination of heat and humidity was impressive daily!
One of the first things that caught my eye was how animals of all shapes and sizes roam freely through the streets and shopping areas. This really was a funny story in the photo above. The man seated by the tree was selling corn, and the cow wanted some of his corn. To accommodate the cow, but not give away his best merchandise, the man put some of the corn husks and trimmings on the ground. He had a large bag of good corn on the other side of the tree. The cow took what he could easily get on the ground, and when the man became engaged with a customer, the cow went around to the other side of the tree and ate some of the man’s good corn!
Another thing that caught my eye was how elaborately the long distance hauling trucks were decorated. These trucks would be taller that the ones we see in the States, and sometimes their cargo was stacked on top of the trailers, with large nets trying to hold everything on the trailer. On the back of almost all of these large trucks would be the request to please blow your horn. The drivers of the trucks would have a very difficult time seeing you, so they politely ask for you to blow your horn when you approach them.
