American Mistakes

 It is only normal to make foreigner mistakes in a foreign land. I’m sure mine have been noting but comical.

There was the time Ms. Leishimi and I went to visit a name named Ragan. In India, older people and authority are given terms of endearment along with their name, such as brother Silas or sister Ella. If you are Garo, you are baboo, nono, achu, ambi, dada (small boy, small girl, older man, older woman, brother respectively) and so on. We came near to Ragan’s house and were unsure if he was home. And so I checked. I yelled “RAGAN!!!” Just like an American, just like in Westside where the residents yell “WHO IS IT!?” from the top of the steps. I should have said Achu Ragan or achu or just not yelled. That would have worked too.

There was the time I ate in the female staff’s house after being invited in repeatedly. Authority later told me, that that would not be tolerated.

Then there were the many times I exposed my money to passersby and thankfully didn’t get mugged.

There were the many times I told the kids I was “going to bazaar” instead of specifying which bazaar I was going to. They still ask me where I’m going on Monday’s and think it’s the funniest thing.

There was the time I talked way too fast to anyone and everyone even though I know the English of the people here isn’t the best and no one can understand me.

There was the time I went to the girl’s bathroom at the restaurant cause the sign wasn’t very clear.

And then there was the time I tried a king chili at lunch… the boys offered me a king chili (pepper) at lunch today. I like hot things and like to challenge my pallet (while on the side trying to prove that I’m not a punk and am willing to try pretty much anything). Well I tore the pepper up with my fingers because the guys told me it was really hot and that I shouldn’t eat it in one bite. Not a problem. They said just to wash my hands really well afterward. Noted. I finished the pepper and my meal; it was a nice one. Then we played UNO like we have recently been doing every lunch. Then my eye itched. And then I just slightly brushed my eye with my finger.

And then someone took a blow torch to my eye. American mistake. The worst mistake. Before Ice Princess (for John) :) Then my eye burned as I fled to my room three quarters blind because I wasn’t wearing my glasses and had an eye closed; having them open was worse. I ran into a clothesline because I couldn’t see and everything is too low for me because nothing is my size. Then I put saline solution in my eyes thinking that would help; it didn’t. So I ran to the spout and flushed my eyes for who knows how long. I got wet. Really wet. The pain at first wasn’t going anywhere and I just knew the dreaded poison was reaching every layer of my eye and I knew I would go blind and never see the face of my smiling wife ever. Too far? Ok too far. In the end, it all washed out with soap, and my sopping wet self went to scrub my hands, nails, bones… to get all the oils out. The guys were concerned which was nice and made me feel a little better that they had done the same before. Still a silly typical foreigner, and in my case, American mistake.

And yet, how many times does the Lord give us such wise council, fare warning, and sage advice concerning everything about our lives? And how many times do we not listen because we think, “ill do it later” or “He doesn’t know what He is talking about.” Unfortunately for us, we don’t always listen and get king chili oil in our eyes. Fortunately for us, His blood like flowing water from the biggest spout ever, covers us, washes our sin, our mistakes, and everything else that is not like Him. And then He makes beautiful things out of our mistakes. Our wrongs into rights, our dirt into flowers, our hate into love. And that’s all right if I do say so. It’s fantastic actually. It’s the beauty of serving the Being of all creation. The one who formed our galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy (look up that Hubble telescope picture if you haven’t seen it).

His Word points us back to Him, away from wrong, away from sin, and back to Him. Why don’t we read it and use it more often? I’m certainly guilty. All the time. And yet, He’s helping me get back to it. Back to the basics. Back to Him. Back to life. Hopefully He will for you too.

That’s what India has taught me today.  

Alabanza.