Day 2

I woke up at 5am because of the time difference and took a very cold bucket shower. I had waited roughly 3-4 minutes for hot water, but that didn't happen so I just filled the bucket with cold water. Although there was an option for the normal shower, the pressure wasn't impressive and I decided to just use the provided bucket and cup method. (See picture...and to clarify, I took pictures of more than just bathrooms.)

After that experience, I stood at the window by our balcony and watched the street wake up for the day. I saw a husband and wife go through some sort of morning prayer routine on their balcony, I saw men pushing carts begin to call out their wares in Hindi, I also heard newspaper headlines shouted out by cyclists, and watched the birds and parrots sway on the telephone wires.

When everyone was awake, we all walked two blocks to the TruthSeekers office for breakfast and orientation. The office is on the second floor of a building and includes a kitchen, a large gathering room, a dining room, two bathrooms, and three office rooms. People come and go throughout the TruthSeekers office everyday, dinner is served every night, and there are beds on the fourth floor of the building for guests to sleep in while in Delhi (some of the single TruthSeekers live up there). Since Delhi is essentially the Washington DC of India, lots of caste leaders from all parts of India will travel there for meetings. The office is open to everyone as long as they are willing to interact with whoever else might be there. I like that within the walls of their office and home, the TruthSeekers are working to see the caste system destroyed.

I should mention that the four main objectives of TruthSeekers are love, equality, dignity, and freedom. They are as much a social justice organization as they are a Christian ministry. Their ultimate goal is to see reconciliation of the caste system in India. Because there is not even a word in Hindi for reconciliation, the TruthSeekers teach it to low-caste Indians by connecting the pieces of truth that are throughout Indian history, traditions, and culture. So many people in India have been told lies about their worth and TruthSeekers wants to give low-caste Indians their dignity, tell them words of truth, and sing them songs of love in order to point them all to God. This was also our goal with each footwashing ceremony we did during the week.

Anyway, after breakfast we spent time in general introductions of both the American team and the TruthSeekers. To name a few: Steve Smith (from Texas!), Sunil Sardar who started TruthSeekers, Deshpande, Earnest, Pranjal, Bhascar, Vincent, Victor, and Dr. Renke. I noticed that there is a unique culture/community about TruthSeekers. Throughout the week they introduced countless social and spiritual leaders to us as "a friend of TruthSeekers" or "a TruthSeeker." Because everyone who is working for the freedom of low-caste Indians is part of the same fight, they consider all of them friends or partners of their ministry.

Throughout the morning we spent time together going over the schedule for the week, tips about food and sleep, then we would sing (I learned several songs in Hindi), and, finally, we washed each other's feet. All in all, I know that it was a crash course in learning about India and the caste system and that we didn’t even begin to scratch the surface of understanding it completely.

At the end of orientation, the women went to the Smith's house (just a few blocks away) and received a clothing lesson from Steve's wife, Robin, and their daughter Irene. In this photo, we have in the back Irene Smith, Ashley Job (13, California), and me. Then in the front is Lynnel Job (California), Jody, and McKenna.

Then we all loaded up in cars and went shopping at FabIndia for our "salwars." The bottoms I bought were called Patiyala pants, the tops are called Kurtas, and the scarf is a Dubatta.

I think we ate dinner at the TruthSeekers office, but I can't really remember. I know I went to sleep around 8 or 9pm because I was pooped!