For me, a day spent overseas on a Compassion trip emotionally equals about 6 months of emotions at home. It is like the show “24” where in one hour Jack Bauer is trying to prevent terrorists from blowing up the world and in the next hour Jack Bauer is reuniting with his long lost daughter. As you look at my last 24 hours, it may not seem that emotional or dramatic, but you have realize that 25 hours on a plane, 105 temperatures, extreme jetlag, 5 hours of sleep and the intensity of being in India, all contribute to making a day more emotional. So here is the timeline on the emotional rollercoaster.

Saturday

9:00 pm: confused – Land in Delhi and walk out of airport into chaos of people, taxis, pollution, lack of signs, and men grabbing at your luggage.

9:30 pm: amused – Hotel is a bit of a dive and so it’s time to be flexible.

Sunday

2:00 am: freaked – Have a weird dream that gets me up out of bed.

7:00 am: delighted – Leaving skanky hotel and head to the airport for the flight to Kolkata.

11:00 am: happy – Landed in Kolkata and met up with the Compassion India staff who are highly capable of handling 10 Americans.

12:00 pm: surprised and overjoyed – Found out I am going to meet my daughter’s sponsored child on this trip.

3:45 pm: inspired -Visited the tomb/memorial and home of Mother Theresa.

4:30 pm: heartbroken – Visited Mother Theresa’s orphanage. 275 beautiful children.

5:30 pm: Overwhelmed- Visited a large palace like structure called Victoria memorial in 103 degree temperature with swarms of people, monkeys dancing in the street, people begging, horns honking, and Indian men wanting to take pictures of the 10 white Americans.

7:00 pm: Frustrated – Having major technical problems with posting and blogging. Hotel computer guy called in to help.

8:00 pm- Relieved – Spence fixes my technical problems by downloading some software. 9:00 pm – Excited- I am finished blogging going to bed.

9:05pm – Homesick – I just thought of my babies and my husband and got tears in my eyes. Stephen, Julia, Grace and Isabel, I love you. I wish you were with me.

Check out the Compassion India Blog Site to see everyone blogging on this trip. 

(Ok, my internet connection is so slow in my room that its now 11:30 pm in Kolkata and I am still trying to post, thus I can’t do links or pictures tonight, yep I am in India).