This is a magical place...

This is what I have decided after being at Rising Star for 3 weeks: this is a magical place. The Rising Star campus is just outside the village of Thottanaval (it's a VERY small village). It is kind of in the middle of nowhere to be honest. But one great thing about this is that it is because it is so isolated from the world that it seems so magical. One thing that I compare it to is the movie "Australia". If you have seen Australia (whether you loved it or hated it) Rising Star is very comparable to Far Away Downs--the ranch in Australia where the movie takes place. These places are similar because they are both in locations of absolute beauty. The mango grove on Rising Star's property is ridiculous. Another similarity is that both places are isolated--it almost seems as if you are in another world. But the biggest similarity between the two is that they are safe places no matter what is going on. Because Rising Star is so isolated and because the people that work here are all so kind and amazing you can't help but feel completely safe and secure on this campus. The safety that I am talking about does not necessarily mean I feel safe from some uncertain threat--it's a safe place for you to love with all your heart and never get hurt, try your hardest and never feel discouraged, act stupid and never be judged. That's why I think it is a magical place...and why I'm not ready to leave.

Today my group was supposed to be working on the construction site, but we all woke up to a HUGE rainstorm. The rain was literally coming down in sheets. It was awesome and so nice to not have sweltering heat like when I first arrived. Instead of construction I had a choice between the medical group and tutoring at the school and of course I chose the kiddos. I spent the day helping kids with reading comprehension, helping them write sponsor letters, and assisting Katie (one of the volunteers for the whole summer) with her moral science class. It was a nice laid back day with the kids and I loved every minute of it.

After school I had a break and took a glorious nap (it's amazing how fast your energy gets zapped here). Once I woke up it was time for talent classes! Yay! All the volunteers are asked to teach talent classes on Wednesday and Friday afternoon. These are fu things for the kids to work towards by having good behavior. Last week I did not get to do a talent class because on Wednesday I was with the medical van and we got back REALLY late and we missed the classes. We did not have talent classes last Friday because we were all in Delhi. I was really excited to finally teach tap and dance with the kids. I had four kids in my tap class and it was really fun. I taught them a few basic tap steps and they did really well! They showed me a dance they had learned to Jai Ho and then I showed them my tap shoes. I hadn't worn them the whole class because we were in one of the houses and all the floor is concrete which is really bad for tap shoes because it scratches the taps. I was about to put the shoes away when Saraswathy, the house mother for the room who had been watching the whole class, asked me to put them on and show some stuff. I said I would so I put them on quick and just showed them a few steps. Saraswathy's face lit up. She absolutely loved tap dancing. She then told me to do a tap dance to Jai Ho. So I did a quick improv to the first minute of Jai Ho and, trust me, it was nothing special. After that I put on Jai Ho one more time for the kids to dance. By this time the other talent classes had gotten out and kids had gathered at the door of the house because of the music playing. Christraj (one of the little boys who is CRAZY and always running around) ran in and started dancing so hard I was cracking up. The bell for prayer rang halfway through the song so I turned off the iPod and started packing everything up. As I was leaving I thanked Saraswathy again for letting me use her room. Again, she complimented me and emphatically told me how beutiful the tap dancing was and how much she loved it. This was a great moment for me because Saraswathy walks with a severe limp and to know that my dancing brought her such joy was an amazing moment for me.

After the classes we headed up to our last dinner on the roof of the hostel with our banana leaves. It was Belle's bithday so the Hendershot's had gotten two big birthday cakes for all the Rising Star children to have a piece. So after dinner we all headed downstairs to help set-up the cake. All the RSO kids were sitting in lines according to each house and all the volunteers and the Hendershots were at the front helping to cut the cake and keeping everything orderly. Dani (one of the volunteer coordinators who just arrived and will be helping the rest of the summer) brought out her ukulele and played it while we all sang happy birthday. After all the volunteers and the Hendershots finished the American song the RSO kids continued with their own Happy Birthday song just for Belle. After that everyone cheered while she blew out the candles. All the Indian children were so excited for cake it was the cutest thing. I cannot describe the atmosphere and feeling of all the kids happily wandering the playground eating cake while Dani played her ukulele. It was a great night that totally epitomized the wonderful, laid back, feeling that is Rising Star.

Helping the kids get to bed was fun as always. I ran back and forth between the girl's house and the boy's house saying goodnight and taking pictures and playing with the kids. One great thing that happened was as I ran upstairs to say goodnight to the girls, Velammal (the house mother) asked me when I was leaving. I told her tomorrow was my last day and she grabbed my arms and held my hands tight and told me thank you so much. She told me she was going to miss me and that I had been a great help. Then she pulled me in for a huge hug. I am not a cryer...but this definitely got me choked up. It made my exit from Rising Star all the more real and I am SO SAD to leave! This is such a wonderful, magical place and I'm not ready to let go yet.

After putting the kids to bed, most of the volunteers and Amy and Sara and Steel Hendershot all played liars dice in the Mango Room. I was not in the mood to play so instead I put lice shampoo in everyone's hair as they got out :). It was a nice moment of camaraderie for all the volunteers and directors.

Well, last day at Rising Star tomorrow...get ready for an awesome blog post tomorrow :).

Namaste!