I grab my red bucket, red cup, soap and wash cloth. I step into my shower shoes and prepare to enter the battle ground. Stepping into the light blue tiled bathroom, I am immediately surrounded. All around me there are gnats, spiders, ants and other creepy crawlies that I can't identify (to the other residents these insects go unnoticed). However, this is not the worst part. No, the worst part comes when I have to actually pour the water on my body knowing that it is a breeding ground for worms that would love to us me as a host. There are filters on the faucet but there have been times when smaller worms manage to slip through. The water is cold but there are already chills running down my spine as I prepare to rinse myself off. I am terrified.
I'm sure I have told you all this before, but I have a big fear of parasites. The thought of having something squirming inside me makes me feel violated to the fullest extent. Even in the States this paranoia rests in my mind, but since coming to India, it's not paranoia so much. It has become a real possibility. I know many of you are probably wondering why I chose (of all places) India to study abroad if I have a fear of parasites? Well, for some reason I thought that the college would be more developed in water sanitation. Then, I realized that in India students live in hostels.
Now, don't get me wrong. We have clean water to drink and everything, but our bathing water is not clean. In front of the hostel is a big well ( that's the best way to describe it. Check it out on my youtube video) that collects rain water and is left open for any and everything to crawl in. While washing my clothes I have seen the parasites squirming on the stone slab we use to scrub. Have I seen them climb into the well? No, but I have seen the filters with tape worms in them that were too big to pass through. I also ( and this was scary) caught a small red worm on my leg. I was disgusted, but I am proud to say that I didn't freak out. Not outwardly at least.
I really hope no one takes offense to this or takes this the wrong way. I have bee having a great time in India. It was hard at first, especially for a clean freak like me but after getting past the dirty water, pollution, dead rats in the street and all the other accessories, India houses a unique culture that stands on it own. However, if you decide to travel here, the reality is most of you will have to deal with what I am currently dealing with unless you stay at a nice hotel. So, prep yourself, but also expect to have many of your beliefs and views changed. That's something you can never be prepared for, I guess. Let me give you an example...
My family is Christian, though they don't really practice. I was raised believing in Jesus and heard the words "God fearing" fall from the mouths of my grandparents several times. As a kid I took this to heart. I was terrified of going to hell or having demons possess me so I tried my hardest to be "God fearing." Then, I got older and started developing my own opinions. I realized I didn't want to fear God. Leaders who ruled with fear did not gain any loyalty from their subjects ( look at British history). When someone stepped up as a leader and was respected by his/her public then they would also have the loyalty of said public. In my mind God was the latter. I wanted to respect him, not fear him, because only through respect could I develop a true loyalty to him. So, I sat out on that path, but along the way I met a lot of "Christians" who gave the religion a bad name. They would only worship Jesus so that they wouldn't go to hell and would frequently cast "brimstone and hell fire" at different religions. I couldn't agree that religion included hate so I decided to stray away from Christianity and explore other religions.
What I wanted out of a religion was to essentially feel God. Like really feel him/her moving through me and feel his/her presence all around me, even if it only happened once. I thought I came close to this a few times, but never really got it. So, I continued to explore. When I came to India people would constantly ask about my religious identification (its like asking about the weather here). I found myself stumped by the question and would just answer that I didn't have a religion. No one understood that and so they would assume I was aethiest which I am not. I would correct them, but they then would ask me for my religion? I still couldn't answer. I began to question my religious beliefs again.
Just so you know the city I'm staying in has three main religions: Christianity, Islam and Hinduism and since coming to India I have had experiences with people from each. I noticed two things. First, no one tried to convert anyone else. It was just accepted that different people have different beliefs. This goes for the young and the old. No one was knocking on doors on Saturday mornings if you know which religion I am referring to. Second, nearly everyone I met has an unyielding faith in their God(s). When they pray it is as if they have gone into a religious trance. I was amazed at seeing this and wanted to have the same devotion, but first I had to figure out what I believed in.
I tried to pick a religion and the more I tried, the more I wondered why I had to pick? Wasn't it enough that I believed? I could pray to God without giving him an identity like Jesus, Buddha, Allah because in a way, aren't they all the same? Now, no one slap me for that last comment, but if you think about it what I said is true. They are all these mysterious spirits that rule over us. If we do good we get good back. If we do bad life punches us in the stomach. That's the way it works for every religion. So, if I just try to be a good person, won't God love me despite my religious identity? Because it isn't so much about being the most devout as it is about being the best person you can be to others.
So, I didn't chose a religion. Instead I chose to simply believe in God and try to do the right thing on a daily basis (my basic beliefs). When I pray, I pray to God without giving him a specific name. India may have blown my germ radar off the charts, but it has also provided me with life lessons that I hope to share. I've just shared one with you all.
I'm sure I have told you all this before, but I have a big fear of parasites. The thought of having something squirming inside me makes me feel violated to the fullest extent. Even in the States this paranoia rests in my mind, but since coming to India, it's not paranoia so much. It has become a real possibility. I know many of you are probably wondering why I chose (of all places) India to study abroad if I have a fear of parasites? Well, for some reason I thought that the college would be more developed in water sanitation. Then, I realized that in India students live in hostels.
Now, don't get me wrong. We have clean water to drink and everything, but our bathing water is not clean. In front of the hostel is a big well ( that's the best way to describe it. Check it out on my youtube video) that collects rain water and is left open for any and everything to crawl in. While washing my clothes I have seen the parasites squirming on the stone slab we use to scrub. Have I seen them climb into the well? No, but I have seen the filters with tape worms in them that were too big to pass through. I also ( and this was scary) caught a small red worm on my leg. I was disgusted, but I am proud to say that I didn't freak out. Not outwardly at least.
I really hope no one takes offense to this or takes this the wrong way. I have bee having a great time in India. It was hard at first, especially for a clean freak like me but after getting past the dirty water, pollution, dead rats in the street and all the other accessories, India houses a unique culture that stands on it own. However, if you decide to travel here, the reality is most of you will have to deal with what I am currently dealing with unless you stay at a nice hotel. So, prep yourself, but also expect to have many of your beliefs and views changed. That's something you can never be prepared for, I guess. Let me give you an example...
My family is Christian, though they don't really practice. I was raised believing in Jesus and heard the words "God fearing" fall from the mouths of my grandparents several times. As a kid I took this to heart. I was terrified of going to hell or having demons possess me so I tried my hardest to be "God fearing." Then, I got older and started developing my own opinions. I realized I didn't want to fear God. Leaders who ruled with fear did not gain any loyalty from their subjects ( look at British history). When someone stepped up as a leader and was respected by his/her public then they would also have the loyalty of said public. In my mind God was the latter. I wanted to respect him, not fear him, because only through respect could I develop a true loyalty to him. So, I sat out on that path, but along the way I met a lot of "Christians" who gave the religion a bad name. They would only worship Jesus so that they wouldn't go to hell and would frequently cast "brimstone and hell fire" at different religions. I couldn't agree that religion included hate so I decided to stray away from Christianity and explore other religions.
What I wanted out of a religion was to essentially feel God. Like really feel him/her moving through me and feel his/her presence all around me, even if it only happened once. I thought I came close to this a few times, but never really got it. So, I continued to explore. When I came to India people would constantly ask about my religious identification (its like asking about the weather here). I found myself stumped by the question and would just answer that I didn't have a religion. No one understood that and so they would assume I was aethiest which I am not. I would correct them, but they then would ask me for my religion? I still couldn't answer. I began to question my religious beliefs again.
Just so you know the city I'm staying in has three main religions: Christianity, Islam and Hinduism and since coming to India I have had experiences with people from each. I noticed two things. First, no one tried to convert anyone else. It was just accepted that different people have different beliefs. This goes for the young and the old. No one was knocking on doors on Saturday mornings if you know which religion I am referring to. Second, nearly everyone I met has an unyielding faith in their God(s). When they pray it is as if they have gone into a religious trance. I was amazed at seeing this and wanted to have the same devotion, but first I had to figure out what I believed in.
I tried to pick a religion and the more I tried, the more I wondered why I had to pick? Wasn't it enough that I believed? I could pray to God without giving him an identity like Jesus, Buddha, Allah because in a way, aren't they all the same? Now, no one slap me for that last comment, but if you think about it what I said is true. They are all these mysterious spirits that rule over us. If we do good we get good back. If we do bad life punches us in the stomach. That's the way it works for every religion. So, if I just try to be a good person, won't God love me despite my religious identity? Because it isn't so much about being the most devout as it is about being the best person you can be to others.
So, I didn't chose a religion. Instead I chose to simply believe in God and try to do the right thing on a daily basis (my basic beliefs). When I pray, I pray to God without giving him a specific name. India may have blown my germ radar off the charts, but it has also provided me with life lessons that I hope to share. I've just shared one with you all.
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