Reflections of the First Year

Today makes one year since we moved here(a year and one month for Brian).
As I was thinking about what life has been like I realized that if i could "blanket" the past year, it would have to be described as comparing (India to the U.S) and acclimating. The comparing has tapered off a bit since getting over culture shock around month 6, but it still happens unconsciously, everyday. It feels like most of what I blog about besides our kids is differences b/w India and the U.S. (usually with a bent towards the conveniences of the U.S:) so I thought today I would post what I love about India...
#1 The people. As a whole they are very friendly, caring and serving people. Hospitality is abundant here. They welcome foreigners and do not have anti-west sentiments (or atleast don't show them:)
#2 The culture...tradition, religion, 1000's of years of history, all culminate into a vast, complex and varying land. I've only scratched the surface of learning about Indian culture.
#3 The food. We love it! Cooking here is truly an art, one which I still have yet to attempt, after a year. Yes I am afraid to fail (and work so hard for one meal:) so I leave it to the experts and enjoy it when I get to eat out:)
#4 The Potential. Even though India is centuries old, it's democracy and economic development are still young. The cities are booming and improving. Life for many is much better than it was a few years ago. Hopefully this will continue to trickle down to the poorest people.
#5 A Simple Life. Even though we live very well by Indian standards it is still much simpler and scaled down than in the states. There is no pressure to have a "nice" home, stylish wardrobe or latest gadgets. Even though we weren't really "hip" in the u.s.:) the tempations are still always in your face. But here you can wear flip flops to every event, formal or non-formal, and the walls are made out of concrete so you can't hang anything on them even if you had the latest decor:) (well it is possible but i haven't figured out how to do it:) It's freeing.
#6 Being Sanctified. There's a lot to be "battled" with here. For me it's been being content where God has me vs. where I wish I could be at times. Or grumbling about little conveniences that I was used to having and now don't. Or trying to figure out how a stay-home-mom can help the masses of people living in poverty and then continue to do nothing about it. Or how to break thru in conversation with a Hindu about my faith.

Here are some interesting statistics about India...
It is a nation made up of more than one billion people speaking 1652 languages and living in 17,500 villages, towns and cities in 28 states and 7 Union Territories. On a global scale one out of every 6 persons is an Indian.

So, here's to India and to our next year of learning!