India

Well, now the first week is over and everything is going good so far. I have stayed healthy, gotten use to the time change, am okay with having Indian food everyday, and have held up emotionally pretty well, until today. This morning I drove down to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort. The drive there was about three hours and leaving at four in the morning eliminated the crazy traffic. Arriving at the Taj was just like arriving anywhere else; people trying to sell stuff, get money, give rides, tours, etc. I have gotten pretty good at giving people the cold shoulder so the walk was no problem. I got my ticket, which was more because I was foreign, and got searched. I then proceeded to walk past the monkeys, dogs, and guards with guns towards the world’s most famous monument of love.

Emperor Shah Jahan started the construction of the Taj Mahal in 1631 as a monument to his wife who died in childbirth. Shah Jahan loved his wife so much that he spent the next 23 years constructing this monument to her.  The Taj Mahal was finished in 1653 and is considered one the world’s most treasured manmade sites. Shah’s plan was to make an exact replica of his wife, Mumtaz’s tomb, only instead of all white marble the second Taj would be made black. The second Taj would be Shah Jahan’s, a way to show that his wife was a pure reflection on himself. This idea of love and that someone can be all the good inside of you has touched everyone’s heart at one time, but the feeling has never been shown in the way the Taj shows it.

Walking down the first pathway I could see the large dome over on side of the ancient wall, but the effect didn’t set in until I stepped through the large red gate and I could see the pure shine coming through the fog. I have seen pictures of the Taj, but nothing prepared me for this. I was stopped in my tracks and overwhelmed with its power. I was hit with a rush of emotion. I thought about Shah Jahan’s love and then I thought about those I love. I thought about how much I miss everyone and how much more I will miss them in the weeks to come. I wanted to be right where I was, but I wanted to be there with my family and with my friends. I wanted more then anything to share that experience with them.

As many know Shah Jahan’s journey didn’t get much easier. Soon of the completion of the Taj Mahal Emperor Jahan’s son overthrew him and put him into jail. Shah Jahan was locked away for the rest of his life with only the ability to look at his creation threw a small window in his cell. Shah Jahan was finally reunited with his wife after he died and was buried next to her in the middle of the Taj.

Though I too am isolated from the people I love I know in the end I will also be reunited! About 13 weeks till I return and I am very excited, but I still have a lot of work to do and I am equally excited to get to it!

The Taj through the fog.

The Taj Mahal!!

Some very smart young boys I got to talk to in Agra.