Oh, how I miss piano and classical music here! While writing the letter below I listened to some beautiful piano played by Yiruma's Spring Time redolent of my close friends Jeremy, Earl, and Jacob. I miss you guys terribly and all of our conversations(or perhaps my lectures is more accurate) about the fragility of life and the Mission of our great God and and Savior Jesus Christ, the beautiful privilege that He has given to us to be co-laborers with Christ in the salvation of His redeemed children, and encouraging and exhorting you to keep the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our triumphant King precious knowing that this hope kept in mind galvanizes us to vigorous action for His service. It is the reality that is all too soon to come as an overwhelming surprise upon the inhabitants of this dark land. Please, brothers remember those words of comfort and fashion your lives with the reality in mind that life is a breath, a shadow, but a vapor. Then you will understand why we are to be indeed a "peculiar" people(Titus 2:14), and the high calling of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. But above all things brothers keep your eyes "looking unto Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith"(Hebrews 12:2)
Remember also I love you and that the Father loves you with an "everlasting love"(Jeremiah 31:3)
Benjamin
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Letter to My Loving Mom
Hi!
I'm doing fine! The internet has been down lately and I have been busy with arranging plans for my migration to Meghalaya in the North-East to enter into a training institution in the mountains of the North-East near the Himalaya. They provide opportunities for agriculture work and carpentry and a Bible seminary is there to assist in my studies. It is in the country and the altitude is very high I have been told(so high that a few friends I have made from there had acute altitude sickness on the trains on the way down). Presently I am searching for someone that is returning(many family members recently arrived here from the NE to drop off their sons or daughters for college here at Spicer in Pune) to the Northeast especially Shillong. If you look on a map I will be in between Shillong(capital of Meghalaya) and Jowai. The institution is sequestered from the nearest town by about a 30 minute drive I understand. I am quite excited about this wonderful opportunity. I have not informed anyone about this recent change because it has been something that I have been looking into for a couple of weeks and I have been uncertain up till a few days ago concerning whether or not I would go. It is quite the journey across India to Kolkata where I must procure a necessary permit of entrance before I can pass from West Bengal state to Assam state(North-East). I have intended to blog more but time(and the availability of current) hasn't allowed me to do so. There are many facts regarding Maghalaya that would comfort you concerning my safety and well-being such as that English is a major language in the region it has therefore been heavily influenced by the West and is more liberal(free, as opposed to imposing and strict as my friends from the North put it). It is also predominately Christian(Baptist). I have been told that just my presence on the campus will be a blessing to many and that my enthusiasm for practical education(including work, labor to cultivate the physical and mental well-being as well as to assist others and to be a blessing to others) will stimulate the department especially that which I join. This I find humbles me greatly I am not to be an American in this land nor a foreigner but to as much as possible assimilate into the culture that I find myself in(depending on the state India has many diverse "cultures" and it could be said that the culture in the North-East is eclectic mostly derived from China and Mongolia). Thank you for the sandals that you gave me long ago(I think you said they were Louis's). I wear them most of the time and I have walked through Monsoon rains in the Markets(once 4 Kilometers to a friend's flat) and they have faired wonderfully. Thank you also for the books(Atlas and Culture Smart) I have spent not a few hours learning about this land absorbed in those books. Oh, and my friends from all over India have found it very interesting as well. I must go now I am late for an appointment! Please give my regards to Louis and remind Natalie that I love her(thank her for the journal for me please).
I love you
Your Son
Benjamin
I'm doing fine! The internet has been down lately and I have been busy with arranging plans for my migration to Meghalaya in the North-East to enter into a training institution in the mountains of the North-East near the Himalaya. They provide opportunities for agriculture work and carpentry and a Bible seminary is there to assist in my studies. It is in the country and the altitude is very high I have been told(so high that a few friends I have made from there had acute altitude sickness on the trains on the way down). Presently I am searching for someone that is returning(many family members recently arrived here from the NE to drop off their sons or daughters for college here at Spicer in Pune) to the Northeast especially Shillong. If you look on a map I will be in between Shillong(capital of Meghalaya) and Jowai. The institution is sequestered from the nearest town by about a 30 minute drive I understand. I am quite excited about this wonderful opportunity. I have not informed anyone about this recent change because it has been something that I have been looking into for a couple of weeks and I have been uncertain up till a few days ago concerning whether or not I would go. It is quite the journey across India to Kolkata where I must procure a necessary permit of entrance before I can pass from West Bengal state to Assam state(North-East). I have intended to blog more but time(and the availability of current) hasn't allowed me to do so. There are many facts regarding Maghalaya that would comfort you concerning my safety and well-being such as that English is a major language in the region it has therefore been heavily influenced by the West and is more liberal(free, as opposed to imposing and strict as my friends from the North put it). It is also predominately Christian(Baptist). I have been told that just my presence on the campus will be a blessing to many and that my enthusiasm for practical education(including work, labor to cultivate the physical and mental well-being as well as to assist others and to be a blessing to others) will stimulate the department especially that which I join. This I find humbles me greatly I am not to be an American in this land nor a foreigner but to as much as possible assimilate into the culture that I find myself in(depending on the state India has many diverse "cultures" and it could be said that the culture in the North-East is eclectic mostly derived from China and Mongolia). Thank you for the sandals that you gave me long ago(I think you said they were Louis's). I wear them most of the time and I have walked through Monsoon rains in the Markets(once 4 Kilometers to a friend's flat) and they have faired wonderfully. Thank you also for the books(Atlas and Culture Smart) I have spent not a few hours learning about this land absorbed in those books. Oh, and my friends from all over India have found it very interesting as well. I must go now I am late for an appointment! Please give my regards to Louis and remind Natalie that I love her(thank her for the journal for me please).
I love you
Your Son
Benjamin
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Thoughts
I've been away for a few days tackling some seemingly insurmountable problems. I'm learning so much about the Indian culture here. Indians from all over India are here studying BTHeology, BBusiness&Administration, B ed(or simply BTH, BBA, and B ed). I have learned to distinguish which region of India people are from by the hue of their epidermis and their facial structure. The black Indians are from Tamil Nadu or South India and those that look like Indonesians, Koreans, Chinese, Mongolians, and Philipinos are from the Northern parts such as Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland. It is summer time here(2 weeks left) and there are few foreign students here(a few Malaysians, Burmese, and Chinese(theirs one sitting next to me right now actually)).
In a few weeks the students will begin to arrive just in time for registration which begins on the 20 of June. Monsoon season is coming soon. I am looking forward to its advent having never experienced such weather before. It isn't actually too hot right now(albeit sweat is running down my leg!) since summer is drawing to a close. For breakfast they serve bread(white) with dal(which is hot split lentil curry, I think) a banana(the bananas are smaller green and sweeter here) and some hot(very, very hot) drink that looks like hot chocolate, tastes like hot chocolate but is not hot chocolate! And for lunch and supper they serve rice and dal. It is tasty(they also serve a spicy alternative to the dal made of garbanzo beans which I echew) but is very monotonous. The only fruit provided is bananas(which I have learned that if I do not have bananas I am very, very weak. I read this in one of my India books, provided by my benevolent mother, and began to eat bananas here. Then I regained my strength. Before I had been exceedingly weak, barely able to walk around. I thought I was experiencing early symptoms of Malaria) and I have to go outside of the campus(a kilometer away) to purchase some mango juice(which energizes me and provides me with the vitamins that I am not receiving at the caf here, vitamins such as A which helps(noticably) my skin look and feel smooth, it was becoming rough without it in my diet, and vitamin C which helps with my cough). Bananas and Mangoes are the only available fruits nearby.
I have noticed that I have the deepest voice on campus here(and I'm sick). Most Indian men(perhaps the spicy food perpetuates this) have soft, higher pitched voices compared to Americans. I hadn't noticed this in America but this may be because Indian Americans eat other foods besides there own. Most Americans eat a variety of national foods. I find myself frequently saying things like,"In America we.....", here as I encounter peculiar Indian customs. I must admit I have to stifle a certain pride that swells in me sometimes concerning my homeland here. This is ironic because I am not exactly patriotic(I can hear a few friends laughing in agreement here). Indian women from Tamil Nadu(South India) wear beautiful saris(I don't think I need to describe these) of all colors and fashions. My favorite color is a royal dark purple so those really stand out to me.
Tamil Nadu culture is quite interesting. I'm learning much about this particular region's culture from a friend that is with me constantly, Pastor Peter. The culture in Tamil Nadu is probably the most traditional Indian culture on the entire subcontinent. Men do not interact with women, boys do not speak with girls, and women after marriage generally don't even look at men. I must admit this certainly explains the low, very low(compared to America's 60%) divorce rate but I am sobered at the thought. I have many friends that I have learned from that are not of my gender. I cannot imagine who I would be without their influence. Interesting.
Markets here are as stereotypically expected(busy, very, very busy) but I have experienced what letters cannot accurately describe and that is the stinging odors, disconcerting horns, and the adrenaline rush when an auto rickshaw speeds by just a few inches from my side as well as from the frightening circus horns from the giant trucks racing by. There are venders that carry all kinds of peculiar as well as necessary wares in the market. I would call the markets bazaars actually(here in Pune). The first time I went to the market was to purchase a mattress, pillow, sheets, and a converter. It all came out to be less than 10 dollars.
I guess I'll answer the questions I've received regarding the bathroom facilities here in India now. Within all modern hotels they are, well, modern but everywhere else they are simple holes in the ground and no, no toilet paper is provided. ha. I wasn't surprised having been well informed(warned) concerning such before coming here. It's different to say the least.
The weather is cool in the mornings and at night(still warm enough to require the fan and to sleep without sheets to be comfortable). During the day it is quite hot compared to the more mild temp I was accustomed to in Pennsylvania. I have earned(as I walked to various stores, offices, and vender) myself a dark tan(darker by the day).
I have been and continue to be impressed with the plethora of BTH(bachelor of Theology) students that are here and their attitudes. The institution had 176 BTH students last year. It is evident that many are neophytes that have either been sent here by family without choice or simply appraise the career admirable or something like that. I have made it my duty and purpose to unite these students. I have found few(I don't think few is a good word) that have a jovial attitude concerning Christ, His imminent advent, and the joy in being a co-laborer with Him for the salvation of His sheep that is rarely evident in America. Instead there is a certain anxiety apparent on their faces(they seem to be focused upon some seemingly insurmountable difficulty and not upon the Deliverer that is our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ our Jehovah-jireh, the living God that [provides] answers.
This note marks the transition that I will begin to make in this blog to make it more edifying to my family(including my extended family, which includes all those bought by the precious blood of our Savior) and friends. His banner over us is love.
In His Hands
Benjamin
In a few weeks the students will begin to arrive just in time for registration which begins on the 20 of June. Monsoon season is coming soon. I am looking forward to its advent having never experienced such weather before. It isn't actually too hot right now(albeit sweat is running down my leg!) since summer is drawing to a close. For breakfast they serve bread(white) with dal(which is hot split lentil curry, I think) a banana(the bananas are smaller green and sweeter here) and some hot(very, very hot) drink that looks like hot chocolate, tastes like hot chocolate but is not hot chocolate! And for lunch and supper they serve rice and dal. It is tasty(they also serve a spicy alternative to the dal made of garbanzo beans which I echew) but is very monotonous. The only fruit provided is bananas(which I have learned that if I do not have bananas I am very, very weak. I read this in one of my India books, provided by my benevolent mother, and began to eat bananas here. Then I regained my strength. Before I had been exceedingly weak, barely able to walk around. I thought I was experiencing early symptoms of Malaria) and I have to go outside of the campus(a kilometer away) to purchase some mango juice(which energizes me and provides me with the vitamins that I am not receiving at the caf here, vitamins such as A which helps(noticably) my skin look and feel smooth, it was becoming rough without it in my diet, and vitamin C which helps with my cough). Bananas and Mangoes are the only available fruits nearby.
I have noticed that I have the deepest voice on campus here(and I'm sick). Most Indian men(perhaps the spicy food perpetuates this) have soft, higher pitched voices compared to Americans. I hadn't noticed this in America but this may be because Indian Americans eat other foods besides there own. Most Americans eat a variety of national foods. I find myself frequently saying things like,"In America we.....", here as I encounter peculiar Indian customs. I must admit I have to stifle a certain pride that swells in me sometimes concerning my homeland here. This is ironic because I am not exactly patriotic(I can hear a few friends laughing in agreement here). Indian women from Tamil Nadu(South India) wear beautiful saris(I don't think I need to describe these) of all colors and fashions. My favorite color is a royal dark purple so those really stand out to me.
Tamil Nadu culture is quite interesting. I'm learning much about this particular region's culture from a friend that is with me constantly, Pastor Peter. The culture in Tamil Nadu is probably the most traditional Indian culture on the entire subcontinent. Men do not interact with women, boys do not speak with girls, and women after marriage generally don't even look at men. I must admit this certainly explains the low, very low(compared to America's 60%) divorce rate but I am sobered at the thought. I have many friends that I have learned from that are not of my gender. I cannot imagine who I would be without their influence. Interesting.
Markets here are as stereotypically expected(busy, very, very busy) but I have experienced what letters cannot accurately describe and that is the stinging odors, disconcerting horns, and the adrenaline rush when an auto rickshaw speeds by just a few inches from my side as well as from the frightening circus horns from the giant trucks racing by. There are venders that carry all kinds of peculiar as well as necessary wares in the market. I would call the markets bazaars actually(here in Pune). The first time I went to the market was to purchase a mattress, pillow, sheets, and a converter. It all came out to be less than 10 dollars.
I guess I'll answer the questions I've received regarding the bathroom facilities here in India now. Within all modern hotels they are, well, modern but everywhere else they are simple holes in the ground and no, no toilet paper is provided. ha. I wasn't surprised having been well informed(warned) concerning such before coming here. It's different to say the least.
The weather is cool in the mornings and at night(still warm enough to require the fan and to sleep without sheets to be comfortable). During the day it is quite hot compared to the more mild temp I was accustomed to in Pennsylvania. I have earned(as I walked to various stores, offices, and vender) myself a dark tan(darker by the day).
I have been and continue to be impressed with the plethora of BTH(bachelor of Theology) students that are here and their attitudes. The institution had 176 BTH students last year. It is evident that many are neophytes that have either been sent here by family without choice or simply appraise the career admirable or something like that. I have made it my duty and purpose to unite these students. I have found few(I don't think few is a good word) that have a jovial attitude concerning Christ, His imminent advent, and the joy in being a co-laborer with Him for the salvation of His sheep that is rarely evident in America. Instead there is a certain anxiety apparent on their faces(they seem to be focused upon some seemingly insurmountable difficulty and not upon the Deliverer that is our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ our Jehovah-jireh, the living God that [provides] answers.
This note marks the transition that I will begin to make in this blog to make it more edifying to my family(including my extended family, which includes all those bought by the precious blood of our Savior) and friends. His banner over us is love.
In His Hands
Benjamin
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)