To God Be The Glory

As this journey comes to an end, I can only say: All thanks be to God. All thanks. I post a lot about the things that I have experienced here in India, but you all must know that God’s favor is behind it all. And prayer is what gets me through each and every day.

I don’t think I’ve ever made one of my prayers public so here goes nothing. I wrote this prayer shortly before I left for India and I have decided to share it with you because the only reason that this experience was possible is because of God. God has most certainly taken care of me during this time and I am so grateful. I posted this prayer in my room and read it frequently because it served as a reminder of why I was here, it got me out of the hustle and bustle of everyday India life, and it kept me focused.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for this opportunity. You never cease to amaze me – a Fulbright award . . . to India! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. As I prepare to take this trip, I must admit that I am nervous and anxious to say the least. This is BIG Lord & I am going to be so far from all that I know . . . as my heart yearns to be calmed & put at ease, I ask that you remind me that I am always, ALWAYS in the palm of your almighty and protective hands. Please grant me safe travels from the beginning to the end of my trip. Please calm the hearts of my family members. Just be a fence around me Lord. . .

Also, please help me to make the most out of this opportunity. I won’t waste it Lord, I promise. Just please do your work through me . . . help me to fulfill the purpose that you have for my life at this time. Help me to remain focused. Help me to do a good job. Help me to be a good representation of the U.S. and black women :-) I am still shocked that you have done this for me . . . But, my oh my, am I grateful!!! Help me to be your vessel . . . help me to show my students to dream big. Help me to set a good example. You know I still have trouble with the fact that people admire me. All I can say is: Thank you for shining your light through me, for I know that nothing I do/accomplish is because of my own merit. I am only where I am because of your unfailing mercy and grace. Thank you.

I’m excited Lord. I think this is going to be great :-) Hold my hand please . . . Let’s do it! In Jesus’ name, I pray . . . Amen.

-Jessica

At the end of the day, this prayer was indeed answered. I had an awesome time. I am absolutely in love with my students. I was safe and protected every step of the way. My family and friends are all well in America. Yes, my God listens to and answers prayers.

My Favorite!

I’m just gonna call it what it is – the most appropriate name for this post would probably be: An Ode to Violet, but that’s awkward hahahahaha. Anyway, this is my homie. And it made my day/week/month/year that she came to India to see me. Although I have already talked about the visits of my friends to India, I feel the need to say a few words separately about this one because her trip/visit was especially meaningful to me. Violet’s visit was so special because during my time in India, she has been the one (in conjunction with Jesus of course) taking very good care of me and who made this trip possible (and by possible, I mean she kept me sane lol). With this being my first time out of the country, and for nine months no less, I knew that it would be difficult being away from family, friends and all things familiar for so long. Luckily for me, homesickness was at a minimum and I have this girl to thank for that. She went out of her way to check in on me regularly, she sent me my favorite magazines each month, we burned up a ton of minutes on both of our phones at all kinds of crazy hours, we skyped our behinds off . . . the list goes on. And then on top of all of that, she flew ALL the way to India, just to see me!!! I mean I was too excited to hang out with this girl – you have no idea!

Aside from how awesome of a friend she’s been during this time and how unimaginably excited I was to see her, the coolest thing about her visit was her desire to really get into this whole India thing. She demanded a sari, which I had to pick out and have tailored before her arrival, so that she could wear it to the Taj Mahal. She wanted henna hands. She wanted to get a salwar kameez suit tailored. She would not let me keep her away from street food. An elephant ride was put on the agenda all the way back in November. Yes, this girl was serious about getting as much out of India as she possibly could and I did my best to make sure she got it all :-) At the end of the day, I am so happy she came and I am glad that I got share this experience with her :-) #thatisall.

My Favorite Moments!!!!!

Nine months in India have flown by. I seriously cannot believe that it’s over. As I think over this experience, I have decided to highlight a few of my favorite moments. Trust me, there are many more moments that brought me joy, but here are my top 5 (in no particular order).

My 25th Birthday

As we all know, 25 is viewed as a BIG deal – one of those milestone birthdays. And I had the pleasure of turning 25 years old here in India. One of the coolest things about this birthday was that my mom and sister were here visiting me! My mom and I share the same birthday and since I went to college when I was 17, I haven’t spent my actual birthday with my mom due to the fact that it’s ALWAYS finals week during my birthday – but who knew that I’d have to come all the way to India to get to spend my birthday with my mom. That was great, but my students are the ones who really made this birthday one to remember.

I can honestly say that I have never ever, in my whole life, felt more special and loved than I did on my birthday while I was at school. Let me first say that my students had been wishing me a happy birthday for about a week prior to my birthday, reminding me of how many days there were until my birthday was to come. On the morning of my birthday, I was greeted by students with presents and cards before the morning assembly; in each of my classes my students greeted me with their own unique Happy Birthday renditions; in the hallways all day long every kid I saw (whether or not they were in my class) wished me a happy birthday; and even some of the primary kids who I worked with on a dance came to the staff room to present me with flowers and handmade cards. I mean it was the best day ever. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to turn 25. Those kids have no idea how much that day meant to me. I am so grateful. Oh and it didn’t end there, I even received belated birthday wishes the day after my birthday (even from the students who saw me and wished me a happy birthday the day before) – I guess they didn’t want my birthday to end either ;-)

Visits with Friends/Family

I don’t know how I got so lucky as to have 5 people come little ole me in India. But Lord knows that I am so thankful. My mom and sister were the first to make the trip in December and it was great. Those two are my right and left hand girls, we are truly a team, so it was great to be with them again. And you know, family is family, so we had fun getting on each others’ nerves and simply being who we are when we are together.

 Now seeing my mom and sister would have been enough to make me happy, but then in March the friendship train made its way through India too! I got to see my best friend since childhood - Jaclyn, my Spelman Sister – Ieshaah, and my favorite person from law school – Violet. It was great for me to be around people that know me and love me for real. There’s nothing like spending time with old/good friends– skype, facebook, gchat, and email don’t do friendships justice (although they help us out tremendously when distance is an issue). We saw the Taj, rode elephants, drove rickshaws, ate some good food, talked for hours on end, and even took a trip to the hospital (Jess got sick :-/ whomp whomp whomp) – all in all, we had a good time and I am so grateful that they made the trip. It was an experience of a lifetime for each of us ;-)

Games Period with my students - this is many moments ;-)

Now this was a recurring experience, but I loved it so much. As much as I enjoyed teaching, I loved the time I spent with my students out on the playground during their games periods. I seriously looked forward to playing with them and even Jessica Ma’am would be disappointed when it rained or when games period was cancelled for any reason :-/ I learned some cool games – handball, gallery, coco, ice water and throw ball. And I taught them some of my favorite games – simon says, Chinese jump-rope, freeze tag (which turned out to be ice water lol) and telephone. Some days I would have up to 3 games periods in addition to my classes. I was a busy Ma’am – and I was happy. I will surely miss playing with my kids – they kept me young and added sunshine to my days.

Holi

The Festival of Color! Ya’ll know I love color, so this was a wonderful experience to have here. I am so so so glad that I was here for this holiday. And I am so lucky to live in an awesome neighborhood (shout out to Malviya Nagar). We a great Holi celebration in the park and it was a ton of fun. Other than the water fights and color throwing, my favorite thing about Holi is that everyone – young and old – participated and had a good time. No one was off limits and it was just some good “clean” fun. I wish we had Holi in America – this is one thing I am truly going to miss.

Jessica Week

I already posted about this, but I must say that one of the best weeks that I had here in India was when I got to spend some quality time with myself. We were all on fall break and everyone else decided to explore India, I opted to get to know New Delhi more intimately ;-) I pampered myself – mani, pedi and massage. I spent plenty of time outside and I made a trip to favorite at place in the city Haus Khaz village/Deer Park. I did some sightseeing and went to the zoo! Took myself to a movie. Had some good food – including sushi and waffles ;-) Learned more about Gandhi-ji. Saw a play. I had a great time! I may need a Jessica week more often, we’ll see how that goes ;-)

Friends Make the World Go Round :-)

Delhi. Agra. Delhi. Agra. Jaipur. Delhi. Jessica was a busy lady for the first two weeks of March. I had the pleasure of having three friends come and visit me, all the way in India, over the course of two weeks. I did my best to show them the parts of India that I know and love, which is why Agra and Jaipur were the cities of choice (well, I was supposed to go to Amritsar, but a serious illness got in the way :-/ ).

 Jaclyn: First up was my best friend, who I have known since I was nine or ten years old. She came for a week and the original plan was to travel to Amritsar and Agra, but my body had different plans so Agra was our only trip. Nonetheless, we had a great time, and she was so happy to see the Taj Mahal. While we were in New Delhi, we had a chance to go to my favorite place – Haus Khaz Village, we ate some good food and of course we went shopping! She also had the opportunity to visit the Gandhi Memorial and Museum – thanks to my wonderful roommate Abby as I was too sick to make that trip. Also, on Jaclyn’s last day we celebrated Holi!!!! It was so much fun and she was happy to be here to experience such a fun festival.

Ieshaah & Violet: After dropping Jaclyn off at the airport, I waited a few hours and picked up Ieshaah lol. We spent her first day hanging out at Old Fort and stuffing our faces. Then later that evening, I had to get Violet!!!! We did some shopping – went a little crazy, there’s just so much to choose from and it’s so cheap! Then off to the Taj Mahal we went! We enjoyed the Taj (Violet & I wore saris!) and Agra Fort the next day. We then made our way to Jaipur, which was a BLAST!!!! Our hotel (Hotel Pearl Palace) was amazing! We got lucky with a really cool auto driver who took us around both days – Super Sameer, who we called Super-Ji or Supa Dupa-Ji ;-) We rode elephants, saw too many gorgeous buildings/forts/places, drove the auto, shopped some more and ate plenty. A good time was most certainly had by all. Our days in Delhi were a bit more lowkey (once again Jessica got sick) and Violet spent the remainder of her trip taking care of me :-/

March was a great month because I got to spend time with some lovely ladies and their visits were an awesome way for me to end my time here in India. I am ready to go home. So glad for the time I spent here, but I’ve got to get back to reality and to those who love me ;-)

Books Part IV: Books that Spoke to My Soul

One of my absolute favorite things to do is read, read and read some more. I would live in a bookstore, preferably BusBoys & Poets’ 14th & V location, if I could. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I got some serious reading done since I’ve been in India. So far, I’ve read roughly 15+ books and I really wanted to talk about them on my blog. I was supposed to start doing this a LONG time ago, but you know how it goes – procrastination got the better of me and I now have to find a way to tell you about these books without making a ridiculously long blog post. In the interest of reader ease, I have opted to put the books I’ve read into several categories to make it more manageable. I wouldn’t say that I have written book reviews here, more of a stream of consciousness with regard to some great books that I have had the chance to get into over the past several months. I hope you see something you like :-)

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Part IV: Books That Tugged on My Heart Strings . . .

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

This book will go down as one of my top 10 books in life. I could not put it down and read it over the course of 3 days. The story was compelling and I found myself feeling for both Maryam and Laila. I spent a significant about of time in undergrad focusing on women of color and their experiences of domestic violence and this book reminded me of why I am so passionate about that issue. Women’s lives, all over the world, are marked by, interrupted, destroyed and forever changed due to violence that they experience in their homes and in their communities. If I had to pick one book as my favorite since I’ve been in India – it would be this one. Read. This. Book. It will change your life.

Eat, Pray, Love  by Elizabeth Gilbert

I know, I know. How cliché – Eat, Pray, Love in India – of course it spoke to me, right? But seriously, I loved every minute of this book. I had already seen the movie a couple of years back, and I enjoyed it – but the book had me going through some things (lol). It is much, much, much better than the movie because you get a glimpse into this woman’s mind and heart, in a way that a movie cannot adequately portray.

While I was reading this book, all I could think was gosh, I wish I had the money to go run away for a year to the countries of my choice. It got me to thinking, if there were 3 things that I need to focus on, what would they be???? Maybe I could Discover, Swim, Write.

The discover part of my trip would have to take place in an African country. Preferably a French speaking nation so I can practice :-) I’m thinking Senegal! I say discover because I would like to know more about Africa and the transatlantic slave trade. While I am not sure which part of Africa my ancestors are from, I know my roots are somewhere on that continent and I pray for the chance to spend some serious time in Africa.

Next I’d like to swim (well actually swim, sail, jet ski, surf, etc). I love water, but I am ashamed to admit that I cannot swim, but I am committed to changing that in the next year! Not sure where I’d do this either, but I’m thinking Australia. I’d love to live on the beach, I’d take a hut and I’d be one happy Jessica.  

Lastly, I would write! I want to write at least two books in my lifetime and I need some time to get my thoughts together and start putting pen to paper. I have a lot f ideas floating around lol. I know I don’t need to go away to do this, but it would be nice to set aside 3-4 months of my life to start my life as an author. Still no idea of where I’d do it – I’m thinking England or somewhere in Europe. Don’t ask why, I just feel like I could be inspired by some cool libraries at the Universities. Aww well, a girl can dream. Maybe I’ll get my chance to Discover Swim Write. We’ll see . . .

All in all, Eat Pray Love was great. It’s a book that I plan to read again in a couple of years. Even if the movie didn’t move you, trust me when I say the book is so much better, so give a chance if you have the time.

    

The Cry of the Giraffe by Judie Oron

I picked this book up on a whim because it had a drawing of a young African girl on the front cover and I don’t see that often here in Indian bookstores (actually I don’t see that often in bookstores in America either).  Anyway, The Cry of the Giraffe is based on true events surrounding the civil unrest, famine and religious persecution of Ethiopian Jews who fled to Yerusalem, their spiritual homeland, in the 1980s. You know 1980 isn’t that long ago and this book reminded me that all over the world groups of people are fighting for their lives and their faiths.

It made me wonder what would I do if I lived in a country that shunned me because of my beliefs? Would I have the courage to flee? Would I be willing to stand on my faith in the face of strong opposition, violence and extreme poverty? I have taken being Christian in America for granted. But after reading this, I pray that if ever faced with persecution, I would have courage to stand by my God because God has surely stood by me. This book brought parts of the Bible home to me, especially the Old Testament, and my faith was strengthened even though Christianity wasn’t the religion in question.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

 After reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, everyone told me that I had to read – The Kite Runner, so I broke my “no more books” rule and got myself a copy. The book tells the story of a friendship between a wealthy boy and his father’s servant. They grew up as if they were brothers, but class always seems to get in the way. Another book set in Afghanistan, the author does a wonderful job of weaving the troubled times of the nation with the story of the boys. This book is powerful because it shows how choices of our childhood can and will follow us well into adulthood. It’s a story of redemption after the unforgivable. It is beautifully written and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I think we can find a bit of ourselves in each of the characters – life is complicated and so are humans. Read this book too ;-) Khaled Hosseini is two for two when it comes to me.

Books Part III: Fun Reads :-)

One of my absolute favorite things to do is read, read and read some more. I would live in a bookstore, preferably BusBoys & Poets’ 14th & V location, if I could. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I got some serious reading done since I’ve been in India. So far, I’ve read roughly 15+ books and I really wanted to talk about them on my blog. I was supposed to start doing this a LONG time ago, but you know how it goes – procrastination got the better of me and I now have to find a way to tell you about these books without making a ridiculously long blog post. In the interest of reader ease, I have opted to put the books I’ve read into several categories to make it more manageable. I wouldn’t say that I have written book reviews here, more of a stream of consciousness with regard to some great books that I have had the chance to get into over the past several months. I hope you see something you like :-)

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Part III: Books I Read Just For Fun

32 Candles: A Novel  by Ernessa T. Carter

I saw this book on the Essence Magazine reading list a few months before I left for my trip and it tells the story of a woman born to a mother who didn’t love her and who has a fairly rough and un-enjoyable childhood. Her biggest problem – she believes that she is ugly and unworthy because that is what she has been told all her life. Long story short, she runs away and “recreates” herself – the path is difficult as the story showed me that simply by changing my surroundings doesn’t mean that a “new me” will automatically surface, you have to deal with your issues or they will follow you and find you. Always. The story reminded me of one of my Joyce Meyer devotional readings that said “Whatever you run from will always be waiting for you somewhere else.” (The Confident Woman Devotional – “No Excuses” September 19). If you’re looking for a coming of age story for adults, this is great one :-) #ilovedit!

Farther Than I Meant To Go, Longer Than I Meant to Stay  by Tiffany L. Warren

Another book I downloaded on my kindle for coming to India, this was an easy read. Focusing on the life of a woman who was not happy with her 36 and single self. She played with fire because she was tired of being alone and she got burned to say the least. This book showed me to make sure I am careful with who I decide to welcome into my heart and my life. The damage can be great. Not a male-bashing novel, this book reveals how important it is to find security in yourself before you seek it out in the world and in this case in the arms of a man. With a quite a few twists and turns, my mouth definitely fell open a few times while reading this one and I recommend it if you’re looking for something fun and quick.  

Losing My Virginity and Other Dumb Ideas  by Madhuri Banerjee  

This one was just for fun ;-) I saw it at the Delhi Book Festival and I had to pick it up because the title brought a smile to my face for some reason. The main character, Kaveri, is a the top of her game professionally, but as she nears the big 3-0, she finds that there’s one major milestone she has yet to cross off of her personal to do list – losing her virginity. Her solution – she makes a vow with herself to lose it by the time her 30^th birthday comes around. As you imagine, a declaration like that can lead to some hasty decisions and unforeseen consequences. The cool thing about this book is that you get to see how a “grown” woman deals with being a rookie in the dating world and it gives perspective to the benefits and potential downfalls of waiting until you get yourself together to start looking for romantic relationships. In a short amount of time, Kaveri learns a lot – about herself, her wants/needs, about men and what she’s looking for in a relationship.

Ain’t No Sunshine  by Leslie DuBois

This book was pleasant surprise. I downloaded it on my kindle because at the time it was free or like 99 cents (it’s 2.99 now lol) and I figured it couldn’t hurt. It’s a short book; I read it in two days because I had to know what happened next. The book is set in 1960s Virginia, so racism is of course on the table, but what kept me reading was the constant physical abuse experienced in Stephen’s home and how his friendship with a neighbor, Ruthie – who is black, helped keep him alive. Yes it’s a love story but as the story unfolds, it’s not what you expect. Trust me. I seriously couldn’t put it down and I am sure a few flies flew in and out of my mouth because my jaw dropped repeatedly while reading this one.

Books Part II: Virtual Life Coaches :-)

One of my absolute favorite things to do is read, read and read some more. I would live in a bookstore, preferably BusBoys & Poets’ 14th & V location, if I could. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I got some serious reading done since I’ve been in India. So far, I’ve read roughly 15+ books and I really wanted to talk about them on my blog. I was supposed to start doing this a LONG time ago, but you know how it goes – procrastination got the better of me and I now have to find a way to tell you about these books without making a ridiculously long blog post. In the interest of reader ease, I have opted to put the books I’ve read into several categories to make it more manageable. I wouldn’t say that I have written book reviews here, more of a stream of consciousness with regard to some great books that I have had the chance to get into over the past several months. I hope you see something you like :-)

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Part II: Books That Helped Me Get My Life Right

• No Apologies: Powerful Lessons in Life, Love & Politics by Alisha Thomas Morgan

I have had the pleasure of meeting Alisha Thomas Morgan only twice in my lifetime, but I remember the first time I heard her speak during an event at Spelman - I told myself that she was a woman worth watching out for. A woman that I would like to be like. And when I read in our Spelman Alumnae magazine that she wrote a book, it took me all of 2 minutes to whip my kindle out and download it. I have to be honest here . . . it took me a while to actually read it (I have got many a book on my kindle waiting to be read hahaha) – but once I started it, I could not put it down. One of the reasons I’ve admired Representative Morgan for so long is because she is so honest and open. She has a laundry list of accomplishments under her belt, but she never pretends that it came easily to her and she personifies the saying “fall down 7 times, get up 8.” She openly shares her successes and failures (both personal and professional) in this book and I think that every young black woman should take a look. You’ll learn something about yourself (trust me) and you’ll know that whatever your dreams, you’ve got the stuff inside you to make it happen. Read this book – you won’t regret it.

• The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where YouWant to Be  by Jack Canfield

One of the reasons that I wanted to live out of the country for an extended amount of time was so that I could step out of my comfort zone and really think about the things that I want to accomplish during my lifetime. Lord knows I have some BIG dreams and I am working to bring them to fruition. What I loved about this book was that it was straight to the point and it provided a road map for making/setting goals as well as how to make dreaming big a way of life. This book taught me to dream as big as I possibly can . . . and then dream BIGGER! I’m working on it ;-)

More books to come!!!! Happy reading :-)