Getting Ready For Travel to India
How does one go about preparing to travel to India? There are Visa applications, and visits to a travel nurse - a booklet of information on how to avoid getting sick, not getting malaria or other tropical diseases.
What should I wear? How can someone who hates hot and sticky weather imagine 70º to 90º and 70% humidity without sleeve-less tops and shorts? Lots of deodorant, I guess ....
How can I live with out my computer? I certainly don't want to lug it around, so I guess I'll survive. I've got an android-enabled NookColor, so that should provide internet if that is available. Phones that work in India seem to be expensive for one trip and most US phones (like mine) are not GSM so you cannot just put in a sim card that will make it work there. Wait! Just found the answer: http://travelindiasmart.com/cellphones.php! Buy a cheap gsm phone from Amazon ($14 used), and purchase the sim card in India (for about $3) and purchase minutes. In India, mobile phones can still RECEIVE calls even if the minutes have expired. No camera phone because some sites in India do not allow cameras and you'd have to check the phone at the entrance.
But how does one prepare to visit a country with such a huge population, such huge problems, and ... such a long history? Some reading has helped. Here are a few books that were wonderful reads: A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry, White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, and my two all-time favorites by M. M. Kaye, The Far Pavilions and Shadow of the Moon.
There's a wonderful 6-part BBC series (available on Netflix) called The Story of India (Michael Wood) which is, of course, beautifully done and gives an overview of the history of India - much better than reading a history book!
Did you know that there were Christians in India well before any Christians reached Europe? St. Thomas is believed to have landed in Kerala before 72AD since he was martyred in Madras in that year. According to Indian tradition, the apostle established 7 churches in Kerala with 3,000 members. It is considered the cradle of India Christianity. Today there are around 25 million Christians in India, about 3% of the population.
I am so looking forward to this experience of another country where I will have the opportunity to have real conversations with those who live there. So many of my travel experiences have been to countries where my language deficiencies make communication difficult.
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PW Statement of Purpose Forgiven and freed by God in Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves
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