Schindler's List & Expectations

If you haven't seen Schindler's List, you should probably make it a point to sit down and watch it. It's good. At the end of the film, after saving the lives of more than a thousand Jews, Oskar Schindler breaks down while he ponders aloud how he could have done more. Why didn't he sell his possesions to get enough money to save just one more person? Why didn't he do all he could?

In my travel experience I have always had expectations of my destination. And often times, I've been correct. I expected that Ireland would be cold, even in the summer. True. And I expected that people in Venezuela would speak Spanish. Duh. But just as often, I've been wrong. I expected Australia to be hot and sunny all year. It was cold and rainy when I arrived. And the seasons finally changed to hot and sunny, it brought thousands of flies with it. Wonderful. I expected that Ghana would have a town dump and garbage service. Only half true. There is a garbage service, but they just rake trash into piles and burn it on the side of the road. No dump site necessary.

But most often in travel, I find I have expectations that I didn't even know I had. I expected the people of Fiji to be extremely exotic and different. They were different from me, but I swear every woman had the exact same hair cut. Round afro. I visited Yellowstone National Park and realized you could drive right up to every point of interest; no hiking required. Almost too easy. I don't know what I thought those places would be like, but I was taken aback when confronted with reality.

So we fly to India this Sunday. Expectations have already changed a little bit. Our team has changed a few members and we've only needed to fund one extra plane ticket. In essence, we reached our fundraising goal. Supply packages are arriving every day in the mail. We're trying to figure out exactly what and how to pack. And I sit here thinking about what India will be like. What are my expectations? People say it's crowded. They says there are lots of different smells [some good, some bad]. The say don't shake with your left hand and men and women don't associate much. India may be the most culturally foreign place I've ever been. Despite my best efforts to be flexible with my expectations, I can feel them building up.

I expect to be stressed out. I expect that working with the blind will be extremely challenging. I expect to laugh and play with kids and show them a good time. I expect that this adventure will change me. But I also expect to be a little bit like Oskar Schindler at the end. I expect that my hindsight will be clearer than my foresight. I will see my mistakes and know how I could have fixed them. I will realize that I could have done more.

So I will pray for wisdom and strength and courage. And I will try to do my best in the present. Because regardless of all preparations, I really don't know what to expect.

-Nick