Thursday, December 20, 2012

Top 10 Question People Ask Us

Before we moved to India, we came to visit for about 10 days.  After we returned our friends and family had so many question about what life is like here in India.  Now that we live here, we get so many questions about what our lives are like and what our lives in America were like.  I thought I would share the top ten questions we get asked.  We get asked most of these on a weekly basis, some daily!

A little context for those of you who are new readers.  We live in India(a Hindu majority country) however, the area we live in is a Muslim area.  All of our friends and neighbors are Muslims so these questions are coming from that point of view.  I cover my head out of respect for the people we live among.  I assume if we lived in a different area of the city the questions might be different, but I think many of them would be the same.  I am not in any way making fun of these questions.  I am appreciative that people ask questions instead of making assumptions.  I believe you can learn a lot about people by the questions they ask.

In no particular order here are the top 10 questions:

1.  Do people in America wear the same kind of cloths as us?  
A.  No, only Indian people who live in America wear Indian cloths.  However, they are extremely comfortable.

2.  Do you have kids?
A.  No
Immediate follow up question:  Why not?
A.  We have been waiting to have kids.  We are now in the process of adoption.  This leads to many more questions.  One of those questions usually being, "what is wrong with you?"

3.  How long have you been married?  (this is always connected with the kids question)
A.  3 years

4.  Was your marriage arranged or love?
A.  It was half and half.  Our close family friends introduced us to one another because they thought we would be a good match and then we fell in love.

5.  Do you know how to cook?
A.  Yes
Immediate follow up:  What do you cook?  Do you cook roti(flat bread)?
A.  I cook a lot of different things from recipes.  People in America don't eat roti except in Indian restaurants(this is one of the most shocking answers of all)
Immediate follow up:  If you don't eat roti, how do you ever get full?
A.  I don't know :)

6.  Are you from Kashmir(North India)?  People in Kashmir are lighter skinned and cover their heads.
A.  No, we are from America.

7.  Where are you from?
A.  America

8.  Are you a muslim?
A.  No, we are followers of Jesus(Isa al Masih).  

9.  Did you learn Hindi in school in America?
A.  No, I wish!!

**10.  I have never been asked this question, but Ryan gets asked it quite often.  Is sex free in America?  (not sure all that is behind that question)
A.  No, why do you ask that?

There you have it, a glimpse into the questions that are in a part of our regular life.  There are many other questions, some funny, some sad,  and some very thought provoking.  If you live close to, or work with people from other countries, I encourage you to to ask questions and break down those walls of misunderstanding.  Many things would change in the world if we started asking good questions and listening to each other's answers.  

Monday, December 3, 2012

Joy and Courage

I like to write, I like to share my thoughts on here and honestly I like to get feedback.  Maybe it is because I am living with my husband as the only westerners in a city of 5 million and I want some kinda of camaraderie that comes from this blog, or maybe I just like attention...  Anyways, there are times when blog posts or ideas float around in my head for awhile.  They are usually about what I am learning at the time.

This is one of those posts.  It has taken me a long time to write because although I hope I am learning these things, I am a slow learner which leads me to think I am not actually learning.  I don't want to be a fraud or a fake, but then I thought, "we are all walking and stumbling and trying again, that is why Jesus is so beautiful and grace is so amazing."

There are two words that I have been praying over my life right now.  I've never really done that before, but these words keep coming up in my mind and so I think it is most likely from God.  I also find the opposite of these two words chasing after me, so the best thing I know to do is either pray or eat chocolate and cry.  Sometimes, I do both or all three.

I long to be full of two things right now:

Joy and Courage

Joy and Courage

Joy and Courage

Still working out what that means everyday.  How do you live with joy when things don't go the way you planned or expected?  How do you live with joy when people around you are suffering and hopeless?  What does it mean to be full of courage?  How do you walk in courage and humility?

These are the things floating around in my head and heart.  These are the things God is working out in me.  I wish I could wrap this blog up with a nice ending, but there is no ending right now.  We are in the waiting...in the learning...and that is an okay place to be.

Come, Lord Jesus and bring your Kingdom!

PS:  I wish I had some cool art work to hang on my walls with the words Joy and Courage.  Any ideas?