Philanthropy: Paying It Forward (Pre-India)

Currently I am sitting at the office, trying to work, but failing miserably.  All I can think about is an experience that happened before leaving for India.  I've been meaning to write about it, but simply couldn't find the time.  Since I can't get it off my mind I guess I'll write about it now....

A couple days before my flight I went to stay in Cape Girardeau for a couple of days.  I had some free time so I decided to visit a little shop downtown that had recently opened.  It is called Philanthropy Fashion.  This is a very unique and overall wonderful organization!  It is a social enterprise focused on social good, which is exactly what my future in India is all about.  They sell beautiful and fashionable clothing, some from around the world, and donate partial profits to local charities.  The store pledges at least 10% of its total sales to these designated charities.  Cape is the first franchise of the mother store, which opened in June of 2007.  Their platform and belief is that a business built around charitable works and grounded in Christ can make a difference in the world.  I didn't know much about this business when I entered their store, but after leaving I felt in awe of the works being completed by this business and its owner.  

My necklace I wear most days with the Giving
Key, my 'dog person' charm, and my Sinfonian
Sweetheart pendant from Andy

I was fortunate enough to meet the owner during my visit.  I found an awesome pair of sandals called Sseko Sandals and mentioned that Africa was close to my heart because of my time spent in Rwanda last year.  The co-operative making these sandals is very similar to the co-ops I encountered while in Rwanda with Global Youth Connect.  I then heard the owner's story, and she listened to what I'd be doing in India. I was so inspired by her!  And apparently she was inspired by me as well which was an amazing feeling.  Before leaving she gave me a Giving Key inscribed with the word Inspire.  She said I had inspired her, and she just felt like she needed to give this key to me.  The Giving Key is a great organization that works to employ the homeless while putting its profits towards transitional homes and facilities.  The idea is that when you buy a key, or are given one, you must not keep it.  Instead, you should pay it forward during some time in your future.  For example, the owner of Philanthropy felt inspired by my story and what I was doing so she wanted to give me something meaningful to explain and share that amazing feeling.  At some point I will pass that key along to someone who inspires me as well.  The entire idea is based upon paying it forward.    

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the first candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. 

Buddha truly knew how to turn a phrase!  All kidding aside, this quote is very important to me for many reasons.  I use it now because it touches so greatly upon the idea of paying it forward, sharing our own success and happiness.  It is so easy to do, yet all too often we bottle up that show of love and good tidings for ourselves as if releasing it will cause us to be unhappy!  Tolerance and compassion are the most amazing and heartfelt ways to share the love.  My current situation is quite the measure of this!  I am surrounded by amazing people who all believe very different things.  It is important to always remember that God never once told us to only be nice and compassionate toward people who think and act like ourselves!  We are commanded to love our neighbors around the world, no matter their beliefs or customs, skin color, sexuality, gender, nationality, ethnicity, etc.  

One class of Girls at my school

Before leaving for India I found myself doubting... myself, my capabilities, my life paths, my goals, my everything.  I knew God had something great in store for me, but when faced with difficulties and the unknown it is easy to forget to trust Him and His plan.  I've tried many times to make my own plans; they do not resemble my current situation at all!  God knew what was right for me, even when I didn't.  Here I am in Hyderabad, India:  the majority here are of Hindu faith, I am living in a predominately Muslim neighborhood, and I am working with a completely Muslim school.  In no way am I here as a missionary.  In fact, India has strict laws against various kinds of conversion between faith, etc. and I am not in the business to be breaking laws!  However, I am free to believe as I choose without interference with my work.  I can show God's love through my actions instead of through words.  Most Indians I have encountered through my school associate white people with Christianity.  This may not be the whole of India, but for my situation it is.  They associate my actions with my beliefs.  Reality check?  You bet. 

Trying to keep that blonde covered!

The moment my troubles and worries ceased was when I prayed.  I prayed for strength and guidance.   When I visited Philanthropy I never imagined a little key would help to transform me so much!  That one incident helped set a lot more in motion than that wonderful lady could have imagined.  I had been struggling without realizing it.... I needed to recapture my own faith and beliefs.  I'm definitely still working on it, but I am getting there.  All too often I explain to people that religion is man-made and will always falter, but faith is truly divine.  I can't explain where I'll be after this year, or five years from now, but I know with a little help I'll be happy and will hopefully still be trying to 'pay it forward' in every way I can.  Because of my faith, I know that I can make it through this year and hopefully do some good along the way. 

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  - Jeremiah 29:11

Catching Up!

For everyone reading this around the globe aka my family, friends and old co-workers, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for further updates!  Things the past two weeks have been rather hectic and crazy.  This post is going to do a little 'catch-up' on information.

My roommate, Lillie, and I are dressed to impress!

First, following my grand arrival in Southeast Asia I realized I was in for a heck of a lot more than what I had previously bargained.  Everyone has those moments of desperation while starting something new where the only thoughts entertained are things along the lines of 'is it time to go home yet?' etc.  I have quickly realized that I have to learn the language.  Asap.  I knew this, but have put it off in hopes of figuring out just which language is most useful.  Telugu is the foremost language in the city, with English and Hindi.  However, Telugu is not a useful language to me following this fellowship.  It's kind of like how I learned so much Kinyarwanda last year, only to have lost all my skills after leaving Rwanda.  I have entertained the idea of learning Hindi, but have continuously questioned its use to me after this year if I decide not to work exclusively in India.  I would like my language choice to help provide me with a marketable skill so that my big-kid job following grad school will possibly 1. pay more and 2. be more exciting.  After talking to my school owner (more on this in a minute) I realized another popular language among the Muslim community in Hyderabad is Urdu.  This language is also spoken elsewhere, particularly in Pakistan.  Job searching with a not-so-common language fluency that is related to a highly sensitive area for the government could help me out later on!  Urdu is actually a language closely related to Hindi.  Because of this, many people have said Hindi should be the way to go.  I have been trying to find an Urdu/English translation book in the city, but no luck thus far.  Also, finding a tutor has been hard since most people learn Urdu through their family and religious center.  I haven't made up my mind yet, but hopefully after meeting with my school I can clarify my options.  I believe Urdu is widely spoken by teachers and students.

Moving on to my school: Mohammed Memorial Educational Society. I met my school owner the other day, Mr. Mustaq, and am very excited to begin work!  I was supposed to meet with him at the school this past Monday but once again the IDEX schedule changed.  Surprised? Not really.  I was then supposed to go this past Wednesday, but I had a lovely visit planned to the FRRO (Foreign Regional Registration Office) so I could register as a foreign resident.  Thursday was out since Mr. Mustaq was away from the school, and although I am supposed to go tomorrow I'm not sure if that will work either because our IDEX meeting is supposedly extremely important tomorrow.  Either way, Mr. Mustaq gave me the directions by bus for the school so I'm excited to try that out instead of taking those awful auto rickshaws!  We'll see if I ever actually get there.... But during our very brief meeting, Mr. Mustaq and I quickly discussed a few ideas for this year.  I can't wait to bring back the books and Leappad Learning systems for the new library!  Also, he seemed thrilled at the idea of pairing his school with more outside organizations since it would provide services at little-to-no cost for him/the school.  Overall, I know it is going to be a tough year; but I cannot wait to begin working on a legitimate schedule that will allow me the freedom to truly impact Mohammed Memorial.

p.s. It is located on Dairy Farm Road..... I feel like smelly cows will be surrounding the neighborhood.  Goodness I hope not!  

Britney Spears sing-a-long?

I'm trying to think of other exciting things that have occurred the past two weeks.  Like I mentioned, yesterday I went to the FRRO and have officially been deemed worthy of Indian residency!  Seemed a little redundant considering all of the papers submitted had already been turned into the Indian government in my application for a visa.... oh well.  It didn't take long at all!  Other fellows' did, but I guess I was lucky.  Other fun things include meeting all of the other fellows, parts of our training, and exploring the city.  Our group went to a karaoke bar one night which was really fun!  All of us blonde fellows thought it would be hilarious to sing Britney Spears, but unfortunately the DJ never called our turn.  Probably a good thing!  A weird thing here though, every place closes extremely early.  Like 11:30pm.  All of my sorority sisters in Cape Girardeau are probably having small heart attacks just imagining a bar closing at that time!  Another interesting thing is that some of the 'hip' places are Hard Rock Cafe and TGIFriday's.  'Merica!  haha I couldn't believe it!

Old City

Inside the Charminar

I have also been sick.  I don't think it was from food or water.  I was getting a lot of mosquito bites and decided to spray DEET bug spray.... unfortunately the humidity had me sweating like a sinner in church, so the DEET was everywhere (even my face and hands).  I'm betting that I ingested some because I was throwing up for 2-3 days following the day I sprayed myself.  It may have been something else, but my bet is on the bug spray.   I actually missed the Heritage Walk through the old city, the Charminar, and breakfast at the palace. Ugh.  I made it to the meeting spot, but after throwing up that morning's water and banana next to  the bus stop.... I figured it was time to go home.  I paid a bit more with an auto to get home, and then tipped him an extra ten rupees because he stopped halfway through so I could throw up.  So glad to have had a nice/semi-understanding auto driver for once.  

My eye after the swelling began to go down....

&& on top of being sick, one day recently I woke up and my right eye was swollen shut.  We think maybe some kind of bite or allergic reaction?  Good news: it went away after a few rounds of benadryl and eye drops.  Bad news:  I looked hilariously stupid.    

Birthday girl, Mariam!

What have I learned? People here are actually really friendly.  It took me a bit to appreciate this, but I'm starting to understand.  Sometimes the staring really is uncomfortable, but realizing the men do not have x-ray vision helps to ease my mind.  When I (or my silly auto drivers) need directions, asking anyone on the street is a quick and (usually) easy way to get from point A to point B.  Also, it is really fun to have women in saris and in burquas come up to me asking me random questions, usually out of both curiosity and their perpetual need to practice their English.  Another nice gesture?  Random people wanting to have us over for dinner.  We met a lovely mother and daughter from Chile at the vegetable market who are here teaching.  We went to their house a few days later to break the fast (Ramzan is currently happening!  Happy fasting!).  It was also her daughter's birthday, so we ate dinner with their friends from Sudan, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia.  It was a nice night ending with cake and a fun game of Uno.  Yes, I did win once!  

  

Another day I will devote a post to all of the fun places to shop and all the 'cool' things I've bought to make living here easier.  For example, the picture wall I've made above my too cool for school sheet set from Big Bazaar India?  That's making my life easier!  

Maybe I'll also remember some more interesting stories from the past two weeks.... I know there are a lot more!  But to leave you all with a fun little laugh: I saw this sign on the way home from the FRRO.... GENIUS COLLEGE!  They sure have set the bar high for themselves....

Struggles.

Keeping my cool under the pressure of obtaining a visa? Check.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.  Be cheerful.  Strive to be happy.  

Every day resilient people face the world head on, managing to live and prosper with their decisions and actions.  The struggles and triumphs of life,whether large or small, are what make each day fascinating.  I learned long ago that every person has a cross to bear, often hidden, and it can change continuously throughout life. Little or small, each process affects each of us differently.  I've always had a tough time with this because I walk the line between wanting to save the world by 'helping' everyone, and understanding my own limitations.  I hate to admit when I cannot achieve something I have set my mind toward.  Because of this, setbacks affect me a lot!

Luckily for me, I have led a blessed life.  I have worked hard to achieve goals, and can often maneuver plans to avoid major derailments.  However, being from the Midwest (and my momma's family is from TN) means some Bible belt sayings have been ingrained into me since birth:

• If God brings you to it, He'll bring you through it.
• I know God won't give me more than I can handle, but I just wish He didn't trust me so much.
• If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.

.... just to name a few.  Good news, I have been fairly successful thus far and God has liked my plans and has never let me break under the weight of any life problems.  But when I decided to take a year off after graduating my life plans began to change, causing unavoidable struggles that I wasn't quite prepared for.  I'm not going to pretend that I didn't put myself in this position; however, I hate when I feel like I can't make something happen or when my plans get thrown around.  Lately I have been re-examining those old gospel sayings and letting loose a bit more, and putting a bit more trust into my prayers.  After all, being upset will not help me out any.  With that being said, I know I am still perfectly capable of throwing  a massive temper tantrum!  This past week proved that, even if it was done fairly privately.  This weekend also showed me that prayers and hard work do pay off.


Andrew and I drove to Chicago so I could apply in-person for a same-day visa.  Unfortunately I had been misinformed, and same-day visas were not issued for such a long employment duration.  My new employer in the U.S. that deals with the IDEX Fellowship, along with my newest employers in India, had supplied me with all of the documents necessary for my application.  For anyone planning to apply for a long-term visa to India (especially for employment, etc) get prepared!  Wow!  Very long process. I was lucky enough to deal with some very nice and helpful people at the Consulate's outsourcing office.  I suggest you read everything at least twice before beginning and print multiple copies of each item in order to make sorting and organizing easier.  p.s. Wal-Mart does not allow you to print pictures in 2" x 2" dimensions, and the passport photos are not quite 2x2.  I suggest you take your head-shot a little farther back, and then trip a wallet size down to a 2x2.  Good luck!


Weird, but apparently my original employment visa application was rejected (ish)....  Luckily, I not only kept my cool in the office, but was complimented and thanked by the staff for being so positive and understanding! Ha!  It wasn't anyone's fault, it is just a frustrating process with lots of paperwork.  But the process is in place to protect the country and its citizens so I took a breath and dealt with it.  Although I thought I was screwed at this point, the office informed me they had re-submitted my paperwork under an entry visa (usually reserved for Indians..... my blonde hair and blue eyes definitely do not qualify me!) and would stay in contact with me even though I was leaving Chicago.  It was nice to see that they cared so much about their jobs and the people they were working with each day.  


Even though I kept my cool in the office, and was incredibly thankful for the help, I was distraught in the car on the way home and admittedly had a private breakdown after leaving the office.  After the initial blowup I clammed up, not speaking again until after passing Joliet.  After we just talked normally, I started to feel better.  Thank goodness Andy's so supportive!    


I was just worried since it was so late in the day, and I had no way to speak to my employers or do anything else with the application.  But the next morning I was able to confirm with my employers that this visa is acceptable with them and that the Consulate had recommended this for me (which hopefully means approval,right?!).  I didn't hear anything until yesterday (Fri) and finally received the email I had been waiting for.... my visa had been approved!  Until I am holding my passport and visa in my hands, I don't think I'll quite believe it.  However, it is so very wonderful to know that I'm allowed in the country!! 

Did I mention little Toby Chestnut came with us to the Windy City?

My struggle was one I never even thought I'd have:  I completely underestimated this process.  I still have a lot going on, and the stress hasn't completely left, but things are looking up.  And although the time in Chicago was busy and stressful, I really did have an amazing time with my two boys!  I am really going to miss Andy and our little puppy, Toby.  It is hard to believe that I leave in T-18 days.  Unbelievable!  I appreciate all of the prayers and support from my family and friends lately.  And sorry to everyone who has had to listen to me cry over this process!  Leaving so soon has left me highly emotional! I think I'll end this now; sorry for the terribly long post!  Next post I'll write about all the cool experiences from the Chicago trip, including our visit to the Little India neighborhood!  Hopefully this helped some lonesome soon-to-be traveler who is lost with this process.  Keep calm and carry on <3          

India & Senioritis

This post is dedicated to lots of info on India, and how I have an extreme case of senioritis. 

I thought you only get this senioritis stuff in high school?!  Ugh.  Good news?  The countdown is getting smaller until graduation! Bad news?  I'm currently sick with the flu and missing classes.  I guess that means I'll have even more work since I'll be playing catch-up. 

Hyderabad at Night

Moving on to India and my future home city: Hyderabad.  First of all, Hyderabad is also known as the City of Pearls.  As a Tri Delt, this must be fate.  The pearl is the jewel of Tri Delta.  It is the one jewel that grows, developing from a tiny grain of sand into a thing of great value and beauty.  Hyderabad was once a global center for the pearl and diamond trade, and it is currently deemed the "Best Heritage City of India."  Hyderabad is the capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh, a political hotspot in India.  The Telangana movement is a widespread political demand of creating a new state from the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, separate from India as a whole.  Hyderabad is still the center of some strikes and minor agitations.  The city is highly diverse with a variety of beliefs and cultures making up the citizenry.  The city is comprised mostly by Hindus, but over 40% of the city is Muslim.  The city also contains extremely small groups of Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, etc.  The majority of citizens speak Telugu or Urdu, but a variety of languages are spoken including English.  Hyderabad is an up-and-coming tech city, but its past beauty is evident in the old city areas.  Hyderabad is located in an area where the northern and southern portions of India meet.  Climate in this portion of India is warm year-round, but hits its peak temperatures in March, April, and May.  Monsoon season will be interesting while I am there; it will have already started once I arrive.  Also?  Tollywood (2nd largest film industry in India after Bollywood) is present in Hyderabad!  My goal is to maybe land a part as an extra for one of these films.... I'll keep you updated on how that works out!                  

Click here to see a video the IDEX crew found about India.  It isn't specifically Hyderabad, but it's got a lot of interesting shots of India.  I hope there aren't snakes like the ones in the video.... I know there are, but I'm refusing to believe it at this point.  I hate snakes...