Jet Settin'

So as many of you may or may not know, I'm planning a trip to India sometime in the next year. I have a contact over there through work. I'm preeeetty excited about it. As you may remember from one of my blogs a few times back (they're few and far between so even though I wrote it LONG ago, it's one of the more recent ones...blabbing...) going to India is one of my current dreams. Many people ask me why. I've been trying to think of all of the reasons why. I think really you can boil it down to, I am fascinated by the culture; I LOVE Indian food and Bollywood movies (all that they entail). I love the colors they use. In everything. I am dying to participate in Holi (please look it up if you do not already know what this is. There are Youtube videos). This picture also makes me excited to go...

Another reason I want to go to India is Shane Clairborne's book Irresistable Revolutions. In part of his book, he tells about going to India and working with Mother Teresa. Now I know she is no longer with us, but she amazes me. And Shane's story of working there amazes me.
Another reason I want to go to India, a very large part of me seriously considers doing long term work overseas, however, my life has been very sheltered. I have been overseas, but still only very developed countries. Planning this trip to visit India is exciting because it may open new things for my life. What if I love it? It could possibly change the whole course of my life. If I hate it, I think I'll still want to try going places and see if another area of the world seems to pull me there instead, or maybe I'll realize I just need to make short visits a regular part of my life. Regardless, I'm excited to see what I'll learn from a trip to India.

People keep telling me I'm crazy. They tell me horror stories of someone they know or heard of that went to India. To them, I say, yes, the food may burn my asophogus (no lie, someone...very close to me...warned me of that when I excitedly told them of my plans); yes, there may be large spiders; yes, it may not be what I expect; and yes, it may be dangerous, heck, it COULD kill me (probably not. I'm not so much counting on that.) But you can't tip-toe thru life! Maybe I will contract some parasite. Maybe I'll have to go to the doctor when I get back. Maybe it will make me sad. But maybe it will change my whole life. Maybe I'll make new friends! Perhaps one that looks like the woman in the photo? Maybe I'll try amazing new things! Maybe I'll see things that most people can only dream of! That, I am counting on :)