A Kumar Family Day

Last night was probably one of the most real life, I’m in India, nights you can have as an American. Today we ran errands and went to the bank which is in Vijayawada about 45 minutes away. After errands we went to David and Mercy’s school for a awards assembly Indian style, There school is one of the most academically strong schools in Andhra Pradesh. A public school that is almost completely Hindu in belief and as the Hindu people prepare for a religious celebration this week, the children performed dances and cultural songs. It was a great joy to watch the festivities unfold and surprisingly most of the event was done in English. The hardest part of the night was a 40 minute skit about a god in the Hindu faith as the prepare to worship their gods this week. I’m reminded constantly of the lack of Christians in this great nation. But, I was comforted by God’s gentle reminder of why I’m here. To seek and save the lost, to show through my action Christ’s love for those who He loved first. A sure highlight of the evening was a Michael Jackson performance of Dangerous. Oh yes, full MJ costumes and all. It was awesome! Mercy danced and looked beautiful as always and the evening program ran late into the night. It was about 10pm when we finally left the school and so Suresh and the family decided to stop at a nearby restaurant for what they call “fast food.” A world apart from what I have come to know as fast food we arrived at a small bustling restaurant on the street that had pictures all across it’s walls of food I neither recognized nor understood. My stomach was once again surrendered to this new culture. As Suresh ordered for the family he spoke in native tongue. From what I could make out we were getting at least one vegetable curry. Through food presentation alone I have no idea which was the vegetable curry but the food filled our hunger and after a liter of water the taste buds on my tongue began to recover. I‘ve decided ignorance is bliss when it comes to what I eat here. “Only in India,” it’s what I think the motto should be. Only in India do you eat various curries, see a Michael Jackson performance, see Hindu festival preparation, and call it a regular day. It’s my new life… at least for the moment.

Photos by Kelan Severe at http://www.severephotography.com/c/severephotography