The End is Near....NO TOO SOON!!!

So...it is Tuesday night. I officially only have two more full days at Rising Star. AHHHHH!!! These three weeks have gone by wayy too fast! I feel like I just got here yesterday! I honestly don't know how I'm going to say good-bye to all these amazing kids and people here. They continue to surprise and amaze me every day.

Today it was my group's turn to work with the medical van. We went to a colony about and hour and a half away on the outskirts of Chennai. We left late (which is something that happens here but, hey, that's India for ya!) but we were able to get to the colony and get everything done REALLY quickly. Because we worked with such huge colonies on our overnight trip when we go to colonies that are smaller we get stuff done quick because we all fall into our roles in the system and crank everything out. I did diabetes testing again today but only had to do it on a few people. Very few patients in this colony have ulcers (sores on their hands and feet) because Dr. Kumar has already put the self-care program in place at this colony. They have all basically cured their own ulcers by taking care of them daily. When we first got to the colony it looked like a ghost town--everyone was in their houses--except for one little old man with big glasses held on with string and a big metal pipe for a walking stick. I walked up to him and said hello in Tamil (I have learned a few Tamil phrases since I have been here) and he smiled a huge smile complete with many missing teeth, and said hello back and grabbed my hand and held it in his own for a moment. It is moments like this that make Rising Star amazing. It brings such joy to the people in the colonies when volunteers and medical help come. It is so great to see the happiness on their face. After doing the few patients that were at the colony we headed back to Rising Star.

When we got back to Rising Star we had a little break before we went out to playtime with the kids. I. Live. For. Playtime. I look forward to it everyday. Today I played games on my lap with Suganya and Mahalakshmi (they love sitting on my lap while I shake my knees), I played catch with Subesti, I danced and played basketball with Abirami and Ruthish, I swung Venarason, Rutish, Ranjeeth, and Suganya in circles while they hung upside down from my waist, and finally played the rocking baby game with a bunch of kids (I hole them in my arms like a baby an swing them back and forth). In between all these games are tons of pictures, talking with whatever kids are around, walking around the playground, and just generally enjoying being with all the kids. It is the best time of day to be at Rising Star.

Again, after playtime we went to dinner and after dinner it was time to spend time with our families. I split my time, again, between my family in the boys' hostel and my family in the girls' hostel. It was really fun tonight in the boys hostel because I saw that even though they are rough and tumble boys they still need to be cuddled and loved. Ruthish kept coming up and hugging me throughout the night and Assaday came and curled up in my lap after awhile and might have fallen asleep if everyone had not been up doing homework. One of the boys that I have come to know in my house that is very special is Ragu. Ragu is an 11 year old boy that is so amazing and so great that I feel privileged just to know him. Ragu's father committed suicide a couple years ago so Ragu is now the father of his house. He takes care of his younger brother, Vijay, who is also at Rising Star--he carries all of his brothers' important information in a clear folder in his bag with him everyday. Ragu is not only responsible for his brother but is also one of the oldest boys in our house so he has lots of chores and assignments everyday that he does to help his house mother. He is so great and always on top of things. the last two nights I have helped Ragu with studying and he is just as diligent with studying as everything else. He tries so hard to get everything right and I can tell he has drive and really wants to do well and succeed. He is just another wonderful, special spirit that you will find at Rising Star.

After getting everyone to sleep I walked back to the hostel and am now blogging while our power flickers on and off--gotta love India :)

More Tomorrow! Namaste!