Our Cramazing May, Episode XIX: Landing in Bhubaneswar

Orissa is also called Odisha.  In fact, I believe that the governing body there just passed a resolution to officially rename it, so that its spelling more closely resembles the phoenetic pronunciation.  We arrived in Bhubaneswar, the capitol of Orissa, and the landscape was different than anything we had ever seen before. 

We deplaned, and when I close my eyes, I remember...it was overcast and windy...so windy that I had to hold my skirt down.  And I smiled....knowing that my son was close by and also knowing that God had given me a sweet kiss with my favorite kind of weather.  Even though our plane had started off very empty, by the time we had left Delhi, it was very full, so we packed tight onto the busses that would drive us up to the terminal.  It's funny how things that seem so unfamiliar at first can seem so familiar just a few days later.  When we would leave Orissa, I would look at the airport setup, and it would all make sense, but on this day, it was all new.

I haven't talked much about Rex, but I was so very proud of him.  He was experiencing new things every hour...things he hadn't even come close to experiencing before!  And he was doing it with ease, with courage, and with joy (almost always).  It was such fun! having him along...we are forever thankful that he came with us.  Often, he would add just the little bit of humor we were most needing, or he would hold our hands, and all would be well.  I love him.

I remember wondering how this airport would compare with the airport in Tirana, Albania, when I first arrived there in 1996.  It's not a fair comparison, of course, because I'm sure the airport in Tirana has been much upgraded in the last 15 years, and I have a sneaking suspision that this airport wasn't nearly this nice then.  Having said that, I was impressed.  I thought it would be much smaller and not nearly as organized.  It was fine and served its purpose quite well.

Rex demonstrating that, yes, Time's Almanac for Kids is just as exciting in Orissa as it is in Wisconsin!

With our 9 bags in our hands and our hearts in our throats, we exited the airport and found a spot to stand while we waited for our CCC staff friend, Satyajit.  I remembered being surprised that so much was written in English and that there were palm trees.  We stuck out like 3 sore thumbs, so we figured that Satyajit would be able to recognize us just fine.  And he did.  :)

While we were waiting, Hoffbeast went exploring a bit, and he found a beautifully-carved, wooden wheel.  Very cool! 

Then he looked closer, and it got...a...little...awkward.  It was a fertility wheel.  We decided NOT to point out this intricate artwork to Rex!

After waiting for a short time, Satyajit arrived.  Okay, one of the great things about blogging the details is that I remember things when I look at the pictures that I had completely forgotten about.  Satyajit (who quickly told us to call him "Tuna") had hired a car to pick us up at the airport.  Great!  Only problem was that we had a LOT of luggage for such a tiny car.  They were totally determined, and between the driver and about 3 other guys that were helping him, they fit everything in.  Tuna sat in the front holding our biggest suitcase on his lap, while Hoffbeast sat in the middle of the back with more luggage, and I sat squeezed in next to him with Rex on my lap and a bag on top of him.  Pretty funny.  No seat belts, of course.

But we made it, and in what would turn out to be a blessing that is more amazing than words can say, Tuna told us that he was taking 2 days out of his schedule to help us, serve us in whatever ways he could, translate for us, and take us where we needed to go...including the orphanage.  In Tuna and his wife, Jeepu, we have new friends that have blessed our lives abundantly.  Tuna and his family would play an incredibly important role during our time in Orissa, and we will be forever grateful for the ways that God used them.

This is our room at the Ginger Hotel, where we would stay for five nights while in Bhubaneswar.  Very simple, with very few bells and whistles, but perfect for our time there.  And a great price!  Our first 3 nights at the Ginger cost us $87 total!  We knew that we would have to spend lots of money in Delhi, as the hotels are very expensive there, so we chose to go cheap in Orissa, and we were very happy with our decision.

We dropped our bags off, took a short nap, and then left for the 45-minute drive to Cuttack, Orissa, where Tom's orphanage was located.  Tuna had hired a mini-van to take us to Cuttack, and we were so thankful to know that he would be with us....we had already gotten approval from the orphange for our friend to come with us just as long as he kind of stood back and didn't interfere in any way with the process.  By the time we were done there, he was a welcomed help to the orphanage.

We walked out of the Ginger knowing that when we walked back in the door, everything would be different because we were going to meet Tom in person!!!