Tuesday, July 20 - Headed to Bangalore

(Note: read the previous posts, below, if you want to hear about the trip in chronological order. Background: The first half of this day's entry-- as well as catching up on previous journaling-- was written while on the plane to Bangalore. The second part was written after the fact, later in the week.)


When we woke up this morning, I felt fine, and was one of the few ready in time to meet up in the lobby at 5:15am. However, we loaded into a tiny van, and on the way to the airport-- crammed into the back corner, battling between stifling humidity, and the rain and city smells that entered when I cracked the window next to me-- I started to feel really unwell, dizzy and nauseous. While in the airport waiting for James and Angela to start our check-in, I had to go sit down, and was plied by the others with bottled water and comforting words.

It turned out our flight was canceled, so we headed to head to another airline to try and get on the earlier 6:35am flight. Not only was this a lot of shuffling around trying to get things straightened out (my teammates kept me strengthened with goldfish crackers and carried my backpack-- what a great bunch of people!) but it meant we wouldn't have time to pick up food anywhere before we boarded (our original flight was not till 7:10am), and I'd been greatly anticipating donuts from Coffee Day-- figuring that a lot of the reason I wasn't feeling well had to do with the fact that I hadn't eaten more than a granola bar (and, now, a few goldfish) since lunch yesterday-- we hadn't stopped for dinner (both due to time, and no longer really trusting our bags to be left with the van attendant), and though the hotel had offered to get us food the previous night, we'd all been too tired at that point to bother.

The airline staff got us rushed in, even helping us cut in line at the security screening point, and scurried us off to our gate just in time for boarding (we later discussed how much more helpful they'd been, than would be expected if in the same situation in the U.S.) We had to take a bus to our plane, and I was hoping it wouldn't turn out to be a tiny puddle-jumper. I was assigned to seat D, which I guessed wouldn't be an aisle seat unless we were 6-across, and in my current state I wanted to be as near an aisle as possible, lest any turbulence cause me to vomit on my neighbor.

So we boarded the plane... and it quickly dawned on Kaitlyn & I that there were 6 rows in First Class. We were both assigned to row 5. (!!!!!!) Brad joined us, and I realized we were the last 3 to get boarding passes, and thus were bumped up to the only seats still available. The seat next to me, and 3 in the row behind were empty, so I got Brad to ask if anyone in our group would be able to come join us, but were told (very nicely, after at least pretending to go consult with someone) that it couldn't happen.

So I have spent the past couple hours in absolute luxury. Sometimes, God really knows what you need. I thought I needed some time and a donut, but he gave me a footrest (for my now-enormous ankles) and a breakfast served in courses (with real dishes, no tinfoil, and-- count 'em-- six utensils wrapped in the cloth napkin and tied with the little navy-blue rope), instead. Thanks, God. I should know you've always got my back. Today, you knew far better than I did, what I needed.

I've never not wanted a plane ride to end, before, but I could stay in the seat for hours, being attended to by polite, genteel flight attendants bearing tea cups and hot towels. I haven't slept in First Class yet, or explored the options on the pop-up screen tucked away in my left armrest. Yet I got out of it what I needed, more than enough in fact, and now feel 100 times better, and ready to embark on the real body of our trip, here in Bangalore and elsewhere in the south.

Even as I write this, we are on our final descent-- the countryside is beautiful, red earth, green grass, lots of trees (many planted in rows, like a tree plantation) and sandy-colored watery patches here and there-- and the little plane icon on the drop-down screen is almost over the word "Bangalore." No one's come through to make me put my seat-back up or my foot-rest down, but I'm going to put my journal away now-- I feel the landing gear coming down-- and watch the beginning of the trip rise up to meet me.

Tuesday, July 20, cont. - Welcome to Bangalore

Arriving in Bangalore was an almost instantly different experience than being in Delhi. From the minute Raj picked us up at the airport, I felt definitely more under control-- in the sense of feeling safe and like someone knowledgeable and trustworthy was taking care over us. This feeling continued when we arrived on base (driving through a swarm of uniformed and utterly adorable schoolchildren from the on-campus Good Shepherd School) and with all the other OM staff we met that day.

After getting out things into our rooms, we had a gathering with the OM staff. They had a big banner with (almost) all of our names, welcoming us, and were very hospitable and appreciative of our arrival. We sang a couple of songs together, and we were each introduced (and draped in beautiful flower leis) and had a chance to say a few words. After that, we met with just some of the leadership staff and went over our itinerary for the week, about which we were all very excited.

Then... shopping! Two of the women, Bindu and Marina, went with us women and helped us show (and negotiate) for salwars and other items we'd wanted to buy while here. (I'm still not entirely sure what the guys managed to do during all of this time, since they did not appear to come back with any purchases. I think Brad took a lot of pictures, of course.)

(The picture at right is us with the sales guy from one store where we'd spent so long deciding and negotiating, we need a picture with him before we finally departed.)