Don't Hit the Cow!

Admit it.  You've all been waiting for it...can't blog about India without having a cow story.  :)  We had just climbed into the auto rickshaw we were going to ride to the metro, when a cow started walking across the road!  Of course, the cows in India aren't the pretty black and whites we think of.  They're more like scroungy, mangy, skinny cows with a wide variety of colors.  This one happened to be the same shade of tan as all the dust blowing in our faces.  I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the cow to face plant into the side of our rickshaw.  However, with a well-timed maneuver on the part of our driver, we were able to avoid this disaster.  Sounds like a once in a lifetime story, right?  Well, the fact of the matter is, there have been several cow stories just like this one.  It's a part of life here in India.  There have been many much more harrowing rickshaw rides than this, and there have also been much smoother ones.
Something I've learned while I've been here is that part of working within this culture is simply living life.  That means riding the rickshaw and almost hitting a cow.  That means praying that you don't run over the random peacock that walked in the road (yes, that happened).  That means sweating A LOT and drinking gallons of water to stay hydrated.  That means relishing the moments when the power works and trying not to move when it doesn't.  That means enjoying your shower whatever the temperature as opposed to using a bucket to dump water on your head.  That means praying over everything you eat that it doesn't make you sick, even at the nicest of restaurants.  That means accepting the fact that Hindi is nothing like English...and you don't understand half of what's being said around you.
This blog has truly only given you a tiny glimpse into the life I've lived while I've been here.  Not every day is filled with powerful God moments and revelations of life direction.  Some days are just filled with praying the water truck comes so the girls can take a bath.  Some days are simple spent sweating.  We've watched a lot of British TV.  I've also watched a lot of Disney cartoons on Youtube.  We've eaten a lot of mangos...and a lot of peanut butter and jelly.  We've had more animal moments that I could count with both hands (and not just with cows! The pigeons here make for great story material!).
Some days the girls don't listen.  Some days they're tired because there was no power to keep the fans running while they slept.  Some days that do really well!  It all just depends.  That's life in India.
It truly makes you appreciate the small joys in life, the little victories no one else may understand.  Today, the girls painted self-portraits.  And you know what?  Only the two littlest ones ended up with scribbles.  Eight girls painted what they were supposed to.  And you know what?  Each one was unique and different.  No one copied each other!  And you know what?  The girl who normally draws only butterflies and flowers no matter what she's instructed to do?  She painted a face, and hers was one of the best in my opinion...even with the flower off to the side (you can't win everything!).  It's little victories like these that make the days fly by.  They don't always make for great blogs, but they sure stick out in my mind.