Smell that?

Do you smell something? Smells like a new car to me.

Yes, we joyfully took possession last night of our new car. We are so thrilled that it all came together exactly as we had hoped and prayed. At 3 pm Friday afternoon the new owner of our previous vehicle gladly took possession of his ‘new’ car, and within two hours we were taking possession of our new one. Before pulling out of the lot with the new car we prayed that God would keep it safe, us safe in it, and make it last a loooong time and be a very useful tool for us and our work.

We are very happy, and even more thankful for all who had a part in making this a reality for us. Thanks to you all!!

What a night!

Arrived home last night from my recent trip to the US. Overall things on the trip went good. No flight delays to speak of, no major hassles of any kind, and only minor weather challenges. However, that last few miles were a bit different.

Normally when arriving by an international flight into India the airline provides ‘landing cards’ used for immigration and customs purposes while in flight, leaving you plenty of time to fill it out. However, on this night the airline had no landing cards on board, so that meant a mad dash to get to the immigration hall, find and fill out a card and get into the line. This same feat was being accomplished by all of the nearly 350 people on the flight, making for an interesting scene.

But wait, it gets better.

I passed through immigration with no trouble and headed downstairs to the baggage claim area. And I waited . . . . and waited . . . . and waited. By the time there were only about 20 of us left waiting for bags (out of the aforementioned nearly 350 people) I began to worry. There were no more bags coming out on the conveyor belt. Some of us were looking at each other as if to say ‘This can’t be good’. Finally more bags began appearing after some time, my two among them. Whew! That was scary.

But wait, it gets better.

I passed through customs without so much as a glance from the customs agent, and headed outside to find my requested taxi driver, who I expected to be standing with a sign with my name on it. No such luck. No one with my name, and no one looking for me either.

I headed over to the pre-paid taxi stand, only to find the poor chap inside dead asleep on the floor of his office. I almost felt bad waking him up to do the job for which he was being paid. I told him where I wanted to go, paid the fare and collected my receipt. Shortly after that a young man began escorting me to his waiting car to take me to my appointed destination – home.

We loaded the two bags into the trunk of the car and I climbed in. The driver climbed into his seat, and then began shouting out the window. A few other young men, seeming to know just what was needed, took up positions behind the car, and started pushing. Yes, pushing. Apparently the starter on the car was not working, so the good old bump start method was being employed.

After pushing the car up and down the taxi lane a few times, with me sitting in the back seat the whole time, they concluded the only way this was going to work is to take a second car and push the car faster. So, off one of them went to find a suitable car.

But wait, it gets better.

While sitting waiting for the push car to arrive, all the while blocking the whole taxi lane with our incapacitated vehicle, I saw in front of me an accident involving two cars that simply were not paying attention. This happened directly in front of the car I was sitting in. The two drivers got out and began the dance of determining who was at fault, lightly assaulting each other, and attracting a growing crowd.

About this time, the push car arrives. However, due to the crowd of gawkers, we can now not go anywhere. After a few minutes the driver gets impatient and begins honking persistently, trying to part the crowd with his horn. The push car gives us a nudge, and we begin rolling.

After proceeding a few hundred feet thanks to the propulsion from the push car, the driver pops the clutch and our chariot comes to life. Of course, he did not wait for the push car to back off before doing this, so the jolt of the clutch being released caused the push car to slam that much harder into the back of our car. Not sure how much damage was done to either car, but neither driver was in the least bit worried.

After arriving home, most of the drive being spent with no headlights on (not easy to do at nearly 3 am), I unloaded my things, and gave the driver a small tip. He was not happy with the amount, but I told him that for all he put me through, he was lucky to be getting that much. Next time, fix your car right and you will get a bigger tip. Of course that only made me feel better as he likely did not understand any of that part.

But wait, it gets better.

Finally, I am home. A moment I have waited for for over two weeks. I move my bags near the elevator, only to be told by the watchman that the lift is not working tonight. What?? You must be kidding. Now I am faced with a 6 storey hike with two 50 pound suitcases and a 25 pound carry on bag. Not my idea of a good ending to my journey, especially considering the events of the last two hours. Thankfully my wife offered to come down and carry one of the bags for me, making my trip up possible in only one trip.

So, at long last, home, with all my bags. Tomorrow will be a fun morning watching my wife and kids open up the bags with all the goodies inside for them.

New car

Went today and ordered our new car. My wife and I went together to make the final decisions on what to get, what options to request, etc. We are so thrilled to be able to do this. A dream come true in many ways. We use our car for so much, and are very much looking forward to getting something more reliable than the one we have right now.

After some significant delays (due to lunch hour, etc.) we were shown the various options we needed/wanted, and had taken one of the cars for a final test drive.

One of the funny things about this process was while discussing various options and accessories for the car. They offer undercoating here, just like car dealerships in America do. Funny thing to me since it rains only three months out of the year, and never snows, therefore they don’t salt the roads, etc. I don’t think I have ever seen a rusted out car here to the point of offering some incentive for getting the undercoating. We passed on that option.

Another funny thing was being asked “Do you want a fridge in your car?” Was not ready for that one. “A fridge? Uh . . . . . ummmm, well . . . . .no thanks.”

Turns out they have the car we want in stock, which surprised us quite a bit. There are a few small things they need to do to modify the car to be exactly what we need/want, so they said it would take about 3-4 days to do that work, and then we can go get the new car.

So, by mid-week next week we should be sporting around town in our new ride. Very exciting stuff for our family.

Leave an impression

Got the chance to go golfing with some friends from one of our US partner organizations yesterday. I like golfing, but due to our living situation I get to do it at most once or twice a year. That translates into me being pretty much a hack on the golf course.

I was generally true to form for most of the day, starting out rough, slowly getting more comfortable with the clubs (I have to rent every time I play) I was using, and gaining confidence in my skills. That pattern holds true up to about hole 12 or so, where my lack of consistency in playing shows up. I begin to fade, get lazy in my swing, make silly mistakes, and my scores go up.

By the 18th hole, I was ready to be done. My hands were getting tired and having trouble holding onto the clubs firmly enough throughout my swing. I had shanked my drive a little to the right side of the fairway, landing behind some pretty tall pines on the side of the fairway. I was now faced with a decision. Hit out the trees and onto the fairway hoping for a good third shot toward the green or go for broke and punch through the trees, over the water beyond the trees and go straight for the green, which directly and abruptly met the water via a 4 foot retaining wall on the front edge.

I chose the second option. This was my chance to leave a grand impression. I chose a 5 iron, settled in to a steady stance, and swung away. The ball stayed low under the trees, rose quite a bit just beyond the trees and carried flight over the water, finally dropping down with a plop onto the green and rolled to within 10 feet of the cup. Spectacular!!

After a series of ‘Wow! That was amazing!’ and similar comments from my playing partners, I headed to the green and drained a decent putt. If nothing else, it left a good impression in my friends’ minds. I may have scrapped the whole round, but that one hole redeemed me just a little bit.

They say first impressions are the most important, but sometimes leaving a positive final impression is worth a lot too. Finish well, as they say.