India | Cultural - Personal Post

So, I had the pleasure of going to India this past March. The reason for the trip was to not only explore India and the beauty there, but to meet people and learn about their culture and who they were, pray with them, and to see where God was working and where we could join Him. It was really cool to be able to do this!

One of the girls that I spent much time with had polio. She spoke no English, but Hindi, and we were able to sit with her and pray for God to heal her. She was actually a beggar, and spent most of her day begging. Most people wouldn't even give her any attention. But we decided, if Jesus were here today, He would be sitting right next to her and would love her. I know that sounds radical - and it was! Jesus was radical, and as a follower of Him, if I am actually following His teaching, I do these sort of things. That's what He did - prayed for the sick and healed them. He also did many other things, but, I won't go into all of that right now! :)

We met so many beautiful people and I loved the time I spent there. I wish I could go back to meet with them again, just to chat and see how they are doing.

These are a small few of the pictures I took on the trip. I hope you enjoy them! It was a lot of fun for me to visit another culture. I tried not to take all the 'tourist-y' type pictures, but, I slipped in a few. :) I tried to look at India from a different pair of eyes. Hopefully you see that in the following pictures.

We're ready to go! :) A few of my homies on the plane.

My view outside the plane. I can't remember if this was in Phoenix or in England. Probably England.

Traffic is so lovely in India. :) You have all sorts of transportation - autorickshaws, rickshaws, cars, bikes, the metro (train), etc. 

So this is the girl that we met that had polio. She has the most beautiful smile. I am so glad we were able to meet her. I really liked her very much. :)

A few men who decided that the steps at the Masjid were comfy to sleep on. :)

So the picture to the left, are different people washing for prayers. 

These men were praying. I didn't realize it until after I took the picture and got home, but all of these men are in a different position praying. I thought it was very cool.

This masjid was beautiful!

And this is BY FAR my favorite picture of the trip. This man was praying. 

Some cute street kids in the masjid! They were a lot of fun. :) They like gum (which I ran out of because I kept giving them what I had! ha! Note to self: bring LOTS of gum/candy to give out!) 

The picture on the left is of Old Delhi at night. It's crazy the amount of people there! To the right is Old Delhi in the daytime. The wires everywhere astound me. I just hope and pray they never have an electrical fire or something.

I caught the glimpse of the rickshaw driver. :)

Some friends in the doorway of some beautiful ruins we saw - and me to the right. I actually managed to have a few pictures of myself from this trip! You know, that's always the photographer's problem. Since I am always taking pictures I never have any of myself there at the event. Now there is proof I was actually there. :)

Okay - who can tell me what movie this picture above looks like? There is a particular scene - we began acting it out. :) (Johanna was really into it!) If you know comment below!! :)

So I really love the above picture, but I have to be honest. I didn't take it! My talented friend Johanna did. :)

Okay, so, I wasn't planning on showing any food pictures, but I had to slip this one in at the end. These are called "Chili Fries". And YUMMY they are! :) We discovered them whenever we were eating at this restaurant and people next to us ordered them. We asked them what it was and we decided to order the same thing. They do taste as spicy as they look, but they are SOOOOOO good! I was pregnant when I was in India and I think I ate some form of potato (mostly french fries) every night for dinner. I think I was obsessed. :)

That was my trip to India. Would love to hear your comments below about your experiences in other cultures! Thanks for reading!

 

Abstract

Typically, when I session, I love to photograph people - their expressions, their cultures, their love, etc. The pictures you're about to see, I randomly shot while around different cities. It's very different than what I normally shoot, but I think it is good to branch out from what you're comfortable with.

Going on this trip was way out of my comfort zone. The culture being completely different, I didn't know what was down or up. I couldn't speak the official language, I didn't know what any of the dishes were (except one or two), I didn't even know how to get around the city! It was a mess, but what a growth opportunity!!

I feel that in order for me to grow in any aspect, I have to push myself beyond my normal limits - beyond my normal comfort zones. Hopefully, you've seen different things that I've never produced before on my site in the past month or so.

There is much more to come after these pictures - two senior portraits and many more pictures from my trip explaining the culture that I experienced for the past three months. I hope that you've enjoyed these.

Hope you enjoy your weekend. :)

Making Chapati!

The staple here in this country is rice and a bread called, "Chapati". Theoretically it's easy to make, but a girl like me has some trouble. :) I'll one day refine my skills to become a great Chapati maker.

The dough consists of flour, water and salt. Once you knead it into the correct consistency, you make little balls, roll them out, slap them in your hands a few times and then throw them on the skillet. Once one side has spent some time cooking, flip it, and let it cook some more. Then at some point, you put it on the open flame (like she is doing in the picture above). Once it gets some brown on it, it's finished. :) 

Before and after shots of the Chapati!

It looks difficult, but it's not that difficult. And it's tasty with curries and other meals. Yum! :)

Off to go work on my chapati-making skills! ;)

Shrines

As we walked into the building of the first shrine we had ever visited in our lives, we were amazed at the details of every tile and carving. The beauty of it was so enrapturing - you could never take it all in. It was simply too much.

Shrines like this one cover this city like churches do here in the Southern U.S. There are too many to visit, but all are so beautiful in their own way. We had the privilege to visit two of the many to see the culture and experience what people living here do day-to-day. It was said to us that 70% of the people in the city visit the shrine at least once each week.

The inside was just as detailed. The left picture is looking directly up at the ceiling. It went so high. It makes you wonder, since it is so old, how long it took to create this magnificent structure with all its detail. The right picture is of one of the graves. Men and women come here weekly to pray. They rub the cloth on their faces that lays over the tomb and throw flowers on the grave - the reason they do it is to not only show respect, but to also gain favor. They believe that these pirs, or saints, are the 'gateway' if you will to praying to God. Almost like an intercessor. 

These are pictures that were taken looking over the city. It seems that these shrines are in the center for all to go to them.

This was another shrine nearby the other one. It was just as beautiful in its' details.

Have a Great week!

Place of Prayer

In every city you can count on hearing a hazan, which is the call to prayer, five times a day. It is beautifully sung and loud - so loud you can hear it in your home most of the time. There are countless number of mosques everywhere. It would be very hard to miss this aspect of this country.

Some of the architecture is unreal and absolutely beautiful. I have never seen such beauty in architecture infront of me.

I just happened to be walking by this mosque as the sun was setting.

Hope that you enjoy your day today!