Today is a hot one! The sun is up and shining. It is good for drying up the rains, but bad for us white folks who aren't used to the heat. Even the Indians are complaining about how hot it is.
So, a little recap...it turns out that we actually have very little to do with the hospital. We are working only with the school. This week we had the nursery through grade one kids, also known as 3-5 year olds. They are a challenging age to work with. Plus there were 190 of them. We perservered, and they are all now our best friends...he he. Today was our last day with them.
We also do nightly devotions with the children who board at the school, there are about 40 of them. Oh, and for the next two weeks we'll be doing a short devotion at morning excercises for the school. Mark is speaking at church on sunday, and we'll be doing the sunday school in the morning. So they are keeping us very busy.The food here is excellent. We are being personally looked after by the principal's wife, and she watches over us while we eat. Meals consist mostly of some type of rice, some type of spicey potatoe dish, a spicey sauce, and variations on flat bread that helps us to pick up the food and put in our mouthes. We only use utensils for cereal in the morning. I think we're all getting quite good at eating with our hands.
Health of our group has been pretty good. Brian was pretty sick shortly after we arrived here. He had a tropical virus and isn't up to 100% yet, but he is close. We are fortunate to be so close to a hospital. Alaina's stomache hasn't been that well and she spent a day in bed, but she presses on and dances her face off for the kids. I think most of the rest of us are tired and have had our moments of international indigestion, but nothing has been too serious.
We are looking forward to working with slightly older kids who will understand english (or even hindi), and we will no longer need to be interpreted.
Well, I have to pee. I am having fun. I am glad to be here.
If anyone from the Pit is reading...send my parents my paycheque, or my rent cheque for august will bounce!! and have you found my other shoe...suckers!
Love for all...I miss your hugs..(not that the hugs of those here are not sufficient, but i have little holes that can only be filled by certain people's hugs)
Laura aka LStew
Friday, July 23, 2004
Friday, July 16, 2004
ek do teen ood
Howdy,
There is a wealth of things to update since i last wrote. So in the spirit of laziness i'll incorporate some point form type stuff.
We travelled by train to the holy city of Hardwar. There was a huge festival for the god Shiva going on there. People were making their way there, taking water from the Gonga river (the Ganges), putting it in an ornamented carrying 'thing' and then walking it to Delhi (a three day journey, though some cheated and took the train). So the town was full of craziness. We saw a type of fire worship, got mobbed after, i dipped my feet in the Gonga, got rained on monsoon style, ate at a host of different restaurants, saw a lot of white people seeking a lost sort of peace, went to a whole bunch of hindu temples, and stayed at a hotel made of marble. Pretty intense. We spent three days up there, most of which was spent in prayer. I would encourage you to think of that area of the world.
On our way home from Hardwar i got hot soup dumped on me, i then had to change my clothes in an Indian style train washroom. Ask me about that when i get back.
Yesterday we went to the city of Agra, which hosts the Taj Mahal, and it is indeed just as cool as the pictures. Well actually it was very,very hot. We all got a sunburn and sweated like it was going out of style. There were lots of pictures taken, something to look forward to... We also saw the Agra Fort, which at one point held the guy who had the Taj built. Its a long story, I'm sure you can find it here on the net somewhere.
We leave today for the north. It is a 24 hour train ride, which will no doubt be a story to share when we get back. We have been told that it is quite wet up there and we are not too sure what to expect.
Dad emailed me all of the comments you have left for me. Thanks! I miss all of you a lot.
Take care, and happy belated wedding, happy wedding day tomorrow, and happy birthday.
Oh, and ek do teen ood means - one, two, three, camel...we saw camels, water buffalo, an elephant and a LOT of cows.
Love, love and more love,
Laura
There is a wealth of things to update since i last wrote. So in the spirit of laziness i'll incorporate some point form type stuff.
We travelled by train to the holy city of Hardwar. There was a huge festival for the god Shiva going on there. People were making their way there, taking water from the Gonga river (the Ganges), putting it in an ornamented carrying 'thing' and then walking it to Delhi (a three day journey, though some cheated and took the train). So the town was full of craziness. We saw a type of fire worship, got mobbed after, i dipped my feet in the Gonga, got rained on monsoon style, ate at a host of different restaurants, saw a lot of white people seeking a lost sort of peace, went to a whole bunch of hindu temples, and stayed at a hotel made of marble. Pretty intense. We spent three days up there, most of which was spent in prayer. I would encourage you to think of that area of the world.
On our way home from Hardwar i got hot soup dumped on me, i then had to change my clothes in an Indian style train washroom. Ask me about that when i get back.
Yesterday we went to the city of Agra, which hosts the Taj Mahal, and it is indeed just as cool as the pictures. Well actually it was very,very hot. We all got a sunburn and sweated like it was going out of style. There were lots of pictures taken, something to look forward to... We also saw the Agra Fort, which at one point held the guy who had the Taj built. Its a long story, I'm sure you can find it here on the net somewhere.
We leave today for the north. It is a 24 hour train ride, which will no doubt be a story to share when we get back. We have been told that it is quite wet up there and we are not too sure what to expect.
Dad emailed me all of the comments you have left for me. Thanks! I miss all of you a lot.
Take care, and happy belated wedding, happy wedding day tomorrow, and happy birthday.
Oh, and ek do teen ood means - one, two, three, camel...we saw camels, water buffalo, an elephant and a LOT of cows.
Love, love and more love,
Laura
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Delhi
Hey Folks,
I am here in New Delhi. It turns out that all of our time in this
city is spent staying at one guest house, which is nice. I am glad that we don't have to move around from place to place.
It feels like we have been here much longer than we actually have. Probably because we have seen and done so much in the short time that we have been here.
The girls have been to a market and bought proper clothing (very
comfy), we've been shown where to shop and eat, been to an Indian fast food restaurant, had an orientation, experienced some CUH RAY ZEE traffic and driving, had two chinese food meals, went to the theatre and saw the movie Troy, and tried to get some sleep.
Mark got here safely, and with him came Alaina's bag. It had been
delayed in Hong Kong. We were glad to see both the bag and our
friend.
The lady who did the orientation reminded me so much of Aunt Margaret. It was very comforting. My first morning here I was kind of spinning in the head. Actually I was rather disappointed with my reaction as I have been to this type of place before. So I did crying, talking, thinking and journaling, I remembered those who were thinking of me back in Canada, had some breakfast and a nap - and I was a whole new woman.
It is quite warm here, but everyone is fond of air conditioning - and so am I! We are sweating a lot and trying to keep up the water in-take. It is an adjustment to say the least.
Some good news: we will have somewhat regular email access while here in the Delhi region AND our train ride north will only be 24 hours rather than the expected 36, plus our train car will be air
conditioned. The only bad news the train travel we are doing is that we will be doing by ourselves. I am not worried, we are traveling first class, which is very safe. We have our first taste of train travel tomorrow (Monday) as we go to Hardiwar (sp?). Please think of us as we do this traveling.
Health of the team is good. There have been some upset tummies and headaches, but nothing that can't be expected from all the traveling and adjusting to a new climate.
Well, I need to take a nap.
Love to all of you,
Laura
I am here in New Delhi. It turns out that all of our time in this
city is spent staying at one guest house, which is nice. I am glad that we don't have to move around from place to place.
It feels like we have been here much longer than we actually have. Probably because we have seen and done so much in the short time that we have been here.
The girls have been to a market and bought proper clothing (very
comfy), we've been shown where to shop and eat, been to an Indian fast food restaurant, had an orientation, experienced some CUH RAY ZEE traffic and driving, had two chinese food meals, went to the theatre and saw the movie Troy, and tried to get some sleep.
Mark got here safely, and with him came Alaina's bag. It had been
delayed in Hong Kong. We were glad to see both the bag and our
friend.
The lady who did the orientation reminded me so much of Aunt Margaret. It was very comforting. My first morning here I was kind of spinning in the head. Actually I was rather disappointed with my reaction as I have been to this type of place before. So I did crying, talking, thinking and journaling, I remembered those who were thinking of me back in Canada, had some breakfast and a nap - and I was a whole new woman.
It is quite warm here, but everyone is fond of air conditioning - and so am I! We are sweating a lot and trying to keep up the water in-take. It is an adjustment to say the least.
Some good news: we will have somewhat regular email access while here in the Delhi region AND our train ride north will only be 24 hours rather than the expected 36, plus our train car will be air
conditioned. The only bad news the train travel we are doing is that we will be doing by ourselves. I am not worried, we are traveling first class, which is very safe. We have our first taste of train travel tomorrow (Monday) as we go to Hardiwar (sp?). Please think of us as we do this traveling.
Health of the team is good. There have been some upset tummies and headaches, but nothing that can't be expected from all the traveling and adjusting to a new climate.
Well, I need to take a nap.
Love to all of you,
Laura
Friday, July 09, 2004
I'm in Hong Kong, where are you?
Howdy,
I'm coming to you live from the Hong Kong airport! Huzzah. We are doing fine thus far. We are all very tired, but surviving.
We had a chance to take the train into the city this morning and we toured around. Part of the touring was doing the world's larges escalator. What we didn't know when we set out for it, was that it only escalated one way, and when we went that way was down. So we had to climb all of the stairs beside the world's largest escalator. We were drenched in sweat but achieved some sense of satisfaction from doing it. And now I can say that I have been all the way down the world's largest escalator.
I think it is safe to say that we are getting a little tired of airplanes. We didn't get off the plane we started on until 19.5 hours after we got on it. Leg cramp, leg cramp! The food has been good and the movies alright. Though there are only so many times one can watch the Emperor's New Groove.
Our next flight leaves in about 3 hours and then another 6 after that we'll finally be in India.
I'm coming to you live from the Hong Kong airport! Huzzah. We are doing fine thus far. We are all very tired, but surviving.
We had a chance to take the train into the city this morning and we toured around. Part of the touring was doing the world's larges escalator. What we didn't know when we set out for it, was that it only escalated one way, and when we went that way was down. So we had to climb all of the stairs beside the world's largest escalator. We were drenched in sweat but achieved some sense of satisfaction from doing it. And now I can say that I have been all the way down the world's largest escalator.
I think it is safe to say that we are getting a little tired of airplanes. We didn't get off the plane we started on until 19.5 hours after we got on it. Leg cramp, leg cramp! The food has been good and the movies alright. Though there are only so many times one can watch the Emperor's New Groove.
Our next flight leaves in about 3 hours and then another 6 after that we'll finally be in India.
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
Going
How-day,
We had our training at the HQ today.
All of us but Mark are at Alaina's putting all the small details together. We leave from Toronto tomorrow night.
We're getting kind of excited.
My Dad will be doing my posts for me in country. I'll email him and he'll post. I can't send anything out that is of a sensitive nature. So if the posts seem kinda wierd, we'll you'll have to deal with it.
Thank you all for your support it is apprectiated by myself and those whose lives may be about to change (which also includes me).
We had our training at the HQ today.
All of us but Mark are at Alaina's putting all the small details together. We leave from Toronto tomorrow night.
We're getting kind of excited.
My Dad will be doing my posts for me in country. I'll email him and he'll post. I can't send anything out that is of a sensitive nature. So if the posts seem kinda wierd, we'll you'll have to deal with it.
Thank you all for your support it is apprectiated by myself and those whose lives may be about to change (which also includes me).
Thursday, July 01, 2004
A Wee Change
Turns out that Mark can't get his visa for Japan in time to fly with us on Wednesday. But things are good, he was able to get a flight for the next day.
Simon will be our team leader whilst we travel.
Simon will be our team leader whilst we travel.
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Headin' Back To Saskatoon...or Brighton
Hey all, just letting you know that I'm heading back to my parents' place in Brighton in about an hour. So if you need to get a hold me you'll have to do it there. If you need the number you can email me.
My parents have dial up internet too, so I'm not sure how many posts there will be.
I'm getting pretty excited with only a week left till we leave. More and more details are coming together, and they seem to reveal more. I'm sure I'll spend the first hour of the flight reviewing things I forgot to bring. Oh Laura!
I think almost what is more exciting than the traveling is having the whole team together again. We have a habit of laughing a lot. So I'm looking forward to more memories than I'll be able to handle.
My parents have dial up internet too, so I'm not sure how many posts there will be.
I'm getting pretty excited with only a week left till we leave. More and more details are coming together, and they seem to reveal more. I'm sure I'll spend the first hour of the flight reviewing things I forgot to bring. Oh Laura!
I think almost what is more exciting than the traveling is having the whole team together again. We have a habit of laughing a lot. So I'm looking forward to more memories than I'll be able to handle.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Feelin' It
People have been asking me if I'm getting stoked for the trip. Stoked I am, ready I am not.
Mark is back from tree planting! It is so nice to have our leader in the same area code. With Mark's return comes the release of small details that make anal retentives like me happy.
So let me see...some details that I can pass on to you...
This is from an email from Mark, which I'm guessing he pasted from an email he got or that was passed on to him:
Greetings from Raxaul. We are looking forward to the Canadian team arriving in Raxaul on Saturday the 17th July. Sunday 18th will be a rest day & an opportunity to meet folk, attend church, discuss the VBS program and generally relax and settle in. 19-20th July- Preparing for VBS and it can start 21st July and continue for 10 days. .... In addition I have arranged that someone from the team will speak at the English
service on Sunday 25/7/04 and Sunday 1/8/04 ( a 20 minute message suitable for Adults & children). As well as this I will arrange for each of the team members to have a tour of the hospital, go out to a village with the Community Teams to see the kind of work we are doing & to get an idea of village life.
At this point I'm trying to get the small details nailed down for this adventure. It seems that all of my cards expire in August while I'm gone. I also need to get my plate renewal stickers and my drivers license renewed and an e-test for my car. All of that stuff just kinda snuck up on me.
Truthfully there isn't THAT much to do. I think I'm just thrown off by my altered work schedule. One of the other managers at work is on vacation so I'm working mostly closing shifts. Through the week we close at 3am, and then we have to clean. So, lets just say I don't have a lot of motivation to get out of bed during daylight hours.
The End.
Mark is back from tree planting! It is so nice to have our leader in the same area code. With Mark's return comes the release of small details that make anal retentives like me happy.
So let me see...some details that I can pass on to you...
This is from an email from Mark, which I'm guessing he pasted from an email he got or that was passed on to him:
Greetings from Raxaul. We are looking forward to the Canadian team arriving in Raxaul on Saturday the 17th July. Sunday 18th will be a rest day & an opportunity to meet folk, attend church, discuss the VBS program and generally relax and settle in. 19-20th July- Preparing for VBS and it can start 21st July and continue for 10 days. .... In addition I have arranged that someone from the team will speak at the English
service on Sunday 25/7/04 and Sunday 1/8/04 ( a 20 minute message suitable for Adults & children). As well as this I will arrange for each of the team members to have a tour of the hospital, go out to a village with the Community Teams to see the kind of work we are doing & to get an idea of village life.
At this point I'm trying to get the small details nailed down for this adventure. It seems that all of my cards expire in August while I'm gone. I also need to get my plate renewal stickers and my drivers license renewed and an e-test for my car. All of that stuff just kinda snuck up on me.
Truthfully there isn't THAT much to do. I think I'm just thrown off by my altered work schedule. One of the other managers at work is on vacation so I'm working mostly closing shifts. Through the week we close at 3am, and then we have to clean. So, lets just say I don't have a lot of motivation to get out of bed during daylight hours.
The End.
Monday, June 21, 2004
Not Helping
I would like to state that the unseasonable coldness that Ontario is experiencing is not helping to prepare our team for the crazy-go-nuts heat that we will encounter in India.
Friday, June 18, 2004
Itinerary
This is the exact email I got from Simon...
So. as the official team treasurer, I got our budget...with dates of where we will be and when!!! WOOOOOOOOOTT WOOOOOT! So, feel free to post these on your blogs, to mass e-mail them to people who might be praying for you, whatever you want to do. Perhaps people knowing where we will be will give them more focus for their prayers as they know when we will be travelling and such. Without further ado...OUR ITINERARY (based on the dates given...i think it might be subject to change, i dunno).
July 7: departure for India
July 9-11: Delhi
July 12-13: Haridwar (with day trip to Rishikesh on the 13th)
July 14-15: Delhi (Agra Fort and Taj Mahal on the 15th)
July 16: departure for Raxaul
July 17-August 5: Raxaul
August 5: leave from Raxaul
August 7-10: Delhi (tour of Delhi on the 9th)
August 10: spread the joy back home!!!!
So. as the official team treasurer, I got our budget...with dates of where we will be and when!!! WOOOOOOOOOTT WOOOOOT! So, feel free to post these on your blogs, to mass e-mail them to people who might be praying for you, whatever you want to do. Perhaps people knowing where we will be will give them more focus for their prayers as they know when we will be travelling and such. Without further ado...OUR ITINERARY (based on the dates given...i think it might be subject to change, i dunno).
July 7: departure for India
July 9-11: Delhi
July 12-13: Haridwar (with day trip to Rishikesh on the 13th)
July 14-15: Delhi (Agra Fort and Taj Mahal on the 15th)
July 16: departure for Raxaul
July 17-August 5: Raxaul
August 5: leave from Raxaul
August 7-10: Delhi (tour of Delhi on the 9th)
August 10: spread the joy back home!!!!
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Left Hand
Howdy all,
Its a rainy day in Hamilton, so what better time to update the blog? No doubt my landscaping and sod laying buddies will read it today as they have an unexpected day off.
We're sort of getting down to crunch time. I'm finding that I almost have more things to do for my life surrounding the trip, than for the trip itself. ie getting my car tuned up, doctor's appointments, seeing people etc. And this nasty thing called work gets in the way of it all. ha ha.
I got asked about the name of this blog. Don't Use Your Left Hand...its a reference to..well, uh, you wipe yourself with your left hand, so you don't use it, or rather its very disrespectful to use it for much else.
Vell I need to be in communication with other team members about various small details.
Come back soon!
Its a rainy day in Hamilton, so what better time to update the blog? No doubt my landscaping and sod laying buddies will read it today as they have an unexpected day off.
We're sort of getting down to crunch time. I'm finding that I almost have more things to do for my life surrounding the trip, than for the trip itself. ie getting my car tuned up, doctor's appointments, seeing people etc. And this nasty thing called work gets in the way of it all. ha ha.
I got asked about the name of this blog. Don't Use Your Left Hand...its a reference to..well, uh, you wipe yourself with your left hand, so you don't use it, or rather its very disrespectful to use it for much else.
Vell I need to be in communication with other team members about various small details.
Come back soon!
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Comment System
I've received some questions about how to use the comment system. I am hereby going to try and make it a little more clear.
Where is says comment - click there and another window will open which will allow you to post a comment for all (and me!) to see.
Where is says comment - click there and another window will open which will allow you to post a comment for all (and me!) to see.
Email Response From Alaina
I sent Alaina the same email that I sent the rest of you. This is how she responded:
"Wouldn't it just be easier to keep me abreast of the details of your trip to India by just telling me, while we are in India?"
This was followed by a LOT of laughing by me!
"Wouldn't it just be easier to keep me abreast of the details of your trip to India by just telling me, while we are in India?"
This was followed by a LOT of laughing by me!
Sunday, June 13, 2004
Another team member
Introducing....Sandy Newbigin
Sandy is a toddler sized, stuffed puppet made from recycled denim. My Mom constructed her (and many others), but poor Sandy was the only one left. So, she is immigrating to India! I'm sure she will fit in!
Sandy is a toddler sized, stuffed puppet made from recycled denim. My Mom constructed her (and many others), but poor Sandy was the only one left. So, she is immigrating to India! I'm sure she will fit in!
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
The Team
I thought I'd let you get to know the rest of the team a little better....
(left to right)
Dylon Nofziger: Dylon grew up in north of Lethbridge, Alberta. He had no electricity or running water. I don't know if they have running water now, but he said that he parents have solar power. He has at least two siblings. He spent part of his highschool years in Oregon, which is where both of his parents are from. Dylon LOVES learning. He is seriously one of the most focused people I have ever met. I'm pretty sure he is a Religion major. He was an RA (residence assistant/advisor) this past school year and will be one this coming year. On the team Dylon is both the medical man and the luggage watcher.
Brian Raidt: Yes Brian is a few years older than the rest of us, but he is still very much a kid at heart. Brian studies art and is darn good at it. He spent eight months in the Philippines on a missions trip and brings a lot of that experience with him to this trip. He is from Goderich, the home of radar. He is a very generous and caring guy. He is also the king of editing and can often be found with someone else's paper and a red pen in hand. On the team Brian is the VBS co-ordinator.
Alaina Frankruyter: Alaina is pretty. We have been told that we will be best friends by the end of this trip by virtue of being the only females on the trip. I think Alaina is studying English at Redeemer. If not, than she should be. She is also quite gifted in the area of Theatre Arts, which could be why she is the teams Drama Co-ordinator. She grew up in Brampton, which she calls India jr, and has endured a lot of ribbing from her neighbours about paying so much to go to India when half of its population lives in her neighbourhood.
Mark Sinke: This man is our fearless leader. And I really mean that he is fearless. He has such a strong trust in God. This could be why he is tree planting in Thunder Bay until one week before the trip, going on the trip, and then leaving us in Hong Kong, where he'll fly on to Japan because he's teaching English there for at least a year. Mark did go to India last year with a group of Redeemer students. They traveled to a different area, but we have been thankful for Mark's experience in the country. He just graduated from Redeemer in May and is from St. Catherines.
Laura Stewart: that's me. I am going into the second semester of my second year at Redeemer. I am a Religion and Theology major and I am minoring in Theatre Arts and Missions. I am a lactose intolerant dairy farmer's daughter with one brother, John. I am from Brighton, which if you travel on the 401 is near the big apple. I am a manager at the Pita Pit in Hamilton. After highschool I spent 5 weeks in Ghana, West Africa on a missions trip with Youth For Christ. I am the teams music co-ordinator.
Simon LeSieur: Simon is coming back for a return engagement at Redeemer. Meaning he's sort of coming back for a fifth year. He'll be picking up some cool extra credits and R.A'ing along with Alaina and Dylon (almost makes me wish I was a first year again). Simon lives with his Mom in London, ON. His Dad lives in Quebec (I think in Montreal). Along with Dylon and Alaina, Simon has been to Amsterdam (and Mississippi?) with Redeemer. He was the Church In the Box treasurer this past year. Simon is also our team treasurer. I think he may weigh the least on the team, so we hope he doesn't blow away with the money.
Monday, June 07, 2004
Thursday, June 03, 2004
Easier
Howdy,
In anticipation of the trip to India that I am a part of I thought I would start this blog.
Hotmail isn't too fond of uber mass emails, so the hope is that when I can get internet access I will update this blog. Then you can come and read the update and be..updated!
I will try and post at least once a week before we go, just so you can be up to speed on our last minute preparations.
In anticipation of the trip to India that I am a part of I thought I would start this blog.
Hotmail isn't too fond of uber mass emails, so the hope is that when I can get internet access I will update this blog. Then you can come and read the update and be..updated!
I will try and post at least once a week before we go, just so you can be up to speed on our last minute preparations.
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