Thomas journals

December 2011:  An Update from the Thomases, former mission workers in Northern India During our weeklong Eid-al-Adha break from our teaching positions at ISG-Jubail School in Saudi Arabia, we took our son Coleman back to Woodstock School in northern India.  Believe it or not, Cole is a senior this year!  He wanted to visit his former classmates at the boarding school in the Himalayan foothills one last time before they graduate and go their separate ways. For us, it was a time to visit with former colleagues and students and check on the progress of projects that this church supported during our four years in India. Some things had changed – the new international airport terminal in Delhi was stunningly beautiful and modern. Many things had not changed – the air pollution upon exiting the airport still burned the throat and stung the eyes. The eight-hour drive from Delhi to Dehra Dun was still fraught with fright as we dodged camels, ox carts, huge trucks and people on bicycles

Americans in Saudi Arabia invariably complain -- rightly so -- about the incredibly casual and selfish driving style, and the apparent breeziness with which local drivers run stop signs, red lights, and other driving behaviors we have been conditioned to abhor.  Recently the government started publicizing its "Sahel" crackdown on speeders, by launching several radar cars and remote cameras at intersections -- this slows drivers to the 75mph limit in the immediate vicinity of the radar car.  But that is the only obvious enforcement of any traffic laws. Yesterday when driving home on the expressway -- 3 lanes in each direction -- traffic slowed for an accident up ahead.  Cars immediately filled the three lanes and each lane on either side.  As an ambulance plaintively wailed its siren behind us, slowly inching through the cars blocking its way in the "breakdown lane", Barb bemoaned the stupidity of the local drivers and the apparent inability of traffic police to ca