India: Nutrition as Behavior and Language & Cultural Immersion

In January 2010, a group of students accompanied two professors on a three-week journey to India. Dr. Betsi Little, Professor & Chair of Psychology, led the Nutrition as Behavior course, in which students examined the effects of nutrients on the body and the behavioral ramifications of food availability for high versus low income families.  Stacy Kitahata, Professor & Chair of Intercultural Studies, led the Language & Cultural Immersion Experience course to introduce students to the process of language and cultural acquisition in a global setting. 

The following blog entries provide examples of student experiences on the trip.

Where to begin?! India has been an epic adventure! We visited palaces, rode elephants, ate amazing food, made new friends and had spiritual journeys.

I had a unique experience teaching at a western school for missionary families. I had the privilege to co-teach with Hannah and Rachael in the pre-k/kindergarten class. There was a total of five students but believe me that was enough, they kept me on my toes! 

The other school that I'm sure you all have heard about is Yuvaloc. I have gained such a deep love for this school and all the people that are apart of such a great creation. Everyday I am greeted with smiles and warm welcomes by both the staff and children. 

It's true when they say that God works in mysterious ways! God has provided me with quite the spiritual journey, it was hard to transition into such a different culture. I was tested and challenged in many ways. I listened, I gave, I taught, I watched. I was a friend, a student, a shoulder to cry on. I was given new eyes to see Gods gifts even in the midst of drastic hardship.

by Angie Bronson

India, for those who have never visited, echoes some of the stereotypes people have of this vast country all over the world; but it also goes above and beyond those generalizations.  It could be said that all of the sensory aspects of India are in the eye of the beholder. It is colorful, loud, chaotic, beautiful, overwhelming. At one moment, the stench of garbage assaults your nostrils, but in the next moment, sweet incense from a Hindu shrine wafts by, just in time to keep your stomach from retching. My eyes may fall upon the bright turquoise of a woman's sari, the sequins and rhinestones glinting gold in the sun, only to notice that she is balancing on her head a basket of gray stones, a concrete building looming in the background. A child's idea of fun and play may be climbing the piles of trash and rubble, chasing their friends with flowers in their hair and no shoes on their feet. The unceasing traffic weaves and honks: somehow never colliding, despite the constant flow of pedestrians, rickshaws, delivery trucks, and cows. Faces peer out of every nook to first gaze in astonishment, then smile, then wave. The sharp contrast of cheerful and industrial, praise and cacophony, soft fabrics and dusty streets all somehow form a cohesive image. They make sense together, though my Western mind finds it hard to grasp. The people live with constant noise, blistering heat, offensive odor, and unevenly cobbled streets without blinking their eyes, as if they have never known life any other way.  Of course, they haven't.

by Megan Flaherty

We had the privilege of attending a four day conference on January 13 - 16 with the teachers of Yuvalok. Also participating in the conference were staff and volunteers from Young Life in Bangalore. There were 7 young adults that made up this group. They were friends of Casey's and soon became friends of mine.

This was the last thing that I had expected to have happen while on my trip to India. I had planned on being in a classroom with children and working with teachers. Obviously we came in contact with people everyday but I did not plan on hanging out with people my own age.

The nine of us would stay up late after each day’s event and talk about life, like the things that are different and those that are similar between our cultures. We also discussed theology. I think that the most memorable thing is sitting under the stars singing worship songs and just being together in fellowship. It is nice to know that I have brothers and sisters in Christ that I can call friends on the other side of the globe.

by Jason Clifton

Walking through these dusty streets reminds me of the roads where Jesus walked, and the disciples followed. I think about Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. This last Sunday I sat in church, head covered and feet bare. It made me think about what it means to take off your shoes when on holy ground. My feet were dirty, so it didn't feel like I was honoring the idea of the place being holy. I started thinking about how the disciples feet were dirty too, but Jesus washed them anyway.  I thought about how I'm sure Moses' feet were dirty when he approached God's presence in the burning bush.

It made me consider why I wear shoes. They separate me from the ground. Even if this separation is only from hurtful rocks but from none of the dirt since I’m only wearing sandals. I thought about God coming as Jesus to be closer to us and pictured Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, being with them on their level.

I think taking off our shoes is God's invitation for us to be closer to Him, to remove one more degree of separation between us. It is to remind us that He welcomes us into His presence and sends Jesus to wash our feet so that we may properly sit before the Father.

by Sara Harris