Two blog posts in less than a week?!?! Oh my gaahhhh!!! (please go watch the Doorbells sketch from SNL to hear exactly how this is supposed to sound). Anyways, I was looking through my blog today (bored in class as usual) and I realized that there are hardly any pictures or videos in the last few entries. Just lots and lots of writing...I am no J.K. Rowling so this is most likely really boring. Because of this, I have decided to slowly start adding videos from India that I have never uploaded to my blog. I tried to upload these videos while I was there but for some reason the transfer from India to the USA caused my videos to show up as porn...needless to say I didn't try to load anymore videos. BUT now that I am back in the states I figure it is worth a shot so here it goes.
The videos I will be posting the next few weeks, months, etc. highlight the children at Rising Star and will hopefully tug at your heartstrings enough that you will want to sponsor one of these adorable little faces. I already got one friend to commit to sponsoring a child (Mike you're the best!) and I would love for more people to be able to take part in this wonderful program and help give these children an education. I can almost guarantee you will get as much, if not more, out of this program than the kids. Yes, they are that awesome.
This first video is of a little girl at Rising Star named Mahalakshmi. She is in first standard and very special to me. If you have been keeping up with my blog you will notice that she is mentioned several times and even referred to as my child--I. Love. This. Girl. It's a short and simple video but who can resist that face??
That's all for now!
Vanakkam! (I just figured out I have been spelling this wrong)
Monday, September 13, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Four!!
Hello all! I am back in the blogospheere and excited to let you all stalk my life! That sounds sarcastic but I really am addicted to blogging and LOVE hearing about people that like to follow and read my blog--so keep on reading! School has started and life is getting back into the same old pattern of school and work, school and work. I am actually typing this blog while I sit in my three hour assessment class. This is my last year at BYU and to be honest I am SO ready to be done! Five years is a long time to be at one school. I am also anxious to get back to India working and playing with the kids and all the people there--it's really making these last two semesters seem really long...at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel!
Well, since I haven't blogged in so long, I have yet another Rising Star experience to share. The week before school started, Rising Star held a charity golf tournament in Heber, Utah. Shawn Bradley (the former NBA player) hosted the event and it included some amazing prizes (they were giving away a Harley and a boat!), food catered by Cafe Rio, and a President's Brunch where Becky Douglas, Rising Star's founder, spoke and told Rising Star's story. Amy Antonelli set-up the event and had asked former volunteers if they could come and help serve and work the event. It was really fun to volunteer because Audrey and Soren and Dani (some of the other volunteers from when I was in India) were also there volunteering and it was great to see them and work with them again. We arrived at the event bright and early and were able to help set-up the tent where the brunch would take place and register the players as they arrived. The whole event was VERY nice and the players really got some great stuff (each player got a golf shirt and a swag bag filled with goodies). On a random note, I worked at the registration table and I was able to register and meet LaVell Edwards--the BYU football LEGEND! (I was tempted to tell him that I live down the street from his stadium but thought that would be weird and irrelevent). After I finished registering players, another volunteer and I worked as witnesses at hole 15 to see if anyone got a hole-in-one. The prize for getting a hole-in-one at this hole was a Harley Davidson motorcycle so it was important to know for sure if a player really won the prize. This was a relaxing job because we got to sit in camping chairs out in the sun all day....this was not an easy job because it was blazing hot and we were in all black and we had to keep an eye out for balls to make sure they didn't hit us (a couple got really close). Even with these elements and the eventual sunburn, it was fun to do and now I can say I have worked as a witness at a golf tournament! After this job, I went back to the main tent and helped to serve the players lunch. Becky and Shawn Bradley both spoke and it was a great culmination to the event. I helped breakdown the tent before heading home. I love working and helping Rising Star and the whole golf tournament was a great success and was a wonderful day for me.
This is myself and Amy with Shawn Bradley. He is just as nice as he is tall :)
Well, that's all for now. More posts to come soon!
Vannacom!
Well, since I haven't blogged in so long, I have yet another Rising Star experience to share. The week before school started, Rising Star held a charity golf tournament in Heber, Utah. Shawn Bradley (the former NBA player) hosted the event and it included some amazing prizes (they were giving away a Harley and a boat!), food catered by Cafe Rio, and a President's Brunch where Becky Douglas, Rising Star's founder, spoke and told Rising Star's story. Amy Antonelli set-up the event and had asked former volunteers if they could come and help serve and work the event. It was really fun to volunteer because Audrey and Soren and Dani (some of the other volunteers from when I was in India) were also there volunteering and it was great to see them and work with them again. We arrived at the event bright and early and were able to help set-up the tent where the brunch would take place and register the players as they arrived. The whole event was VERY nice and the players really got some great stuff (each player got a golf shirt and a swag bag filled with goodies). On a random note, I worked at the registration table and I was able to register and meet LaVell Edwards--the BYU football LEGEND! (I was tempted to tell him that I live down the street from his stadium but thought that would be weird and irrelevent). After I finished registering players, another volunteer and I worked as witnesses at hole 15 to see if anyone got a hole-in-one. The prize for getting a hole-in-one at this hole was a Harley Davidson motorcycle so it was important to know for sure if a player really won the prize. This was a relaxing job because we got to sit in camping chairs out in the sun all day....this was not an easy job because it was blazing hot and we were in all black and we had to keep an eye out for balls to make sure they didn't hit us (a couple got really close). Even with these elements and the eventual sunburn, it was fun to do and now I can say I have worked as a witness at a golf tournament! After this job, I went back to the main tent and helped to serve the players lunch. Becky and Shawn Bradley both spoke and it was a great culmination to the event. I helped breakdown the tent before heading home. I love working and helping Rising Star and the whole golf tournament was a great success and was a wonderful day for me.
Well, that's all for now. More posts to come soon!
Vannacom!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Aftermath aka Life after RSO
Well it has now been over a month now since I left RSO. I have gone back to work, started school, gone to Vegas and back, saw Justin Bieber in concert (he was AWESOME!), and done a variety of other things that one does during the lazy summer days. I was sick for a few weeks upon returning home from India but thankfully I got through it and am good as new! School will be starting in about a month and life is about to get back to it's crazy normal self. I have had requests from a few people to keep my blog going even though I'm home from India and I am going to try my best to do so. :) I had no idea people actually wanted to be kept updated on my life! Who knew!?
Since I have been back I have had time to reflect on my time in India and what a truly amazing experience it was. Besides coming home sick I also came home with an intense feeling of guilt. Coming home and seeing my excessive amount of clothes (I love clothes), shoes, books, etc. I felt ashamed to have surrounded myself with so many things that are not necessary. I couldn't even bring myself to go grocery shopping! (I hate grocery shopping anyways so this just added to my dislike of it). I kept thinking to myself that the children and people in India had so little and yet were able to still lead lives filled with happiness, love, laughter, and family. I kept thinking to myself, "If they can be happy with nothing why can't I?" These guilty feelings began to ebb by the end of my first week home but they have changed me for the better, though. As mentioned before I love clothes and I love to shop but since going to India the thrill has lessened. Don't get me wrong, I would still never turn down a girl's shopping day but I have found that having so much is not necessary and that my money could be much better spent elsewhere--like sponsoring a child from Rising Star. side note: EVERYONE SHOULD SPONSOR A CHILD FROM RISING STAR OUTREACH!! They are the most wonderful kids you will ever meet and they love their sponsors so much and appreciate all they do.
My trip to India this summer, overall, was a life changing experience. To know that every single thing you did during the day was in the service of someone else is a high like none other. I now understand when returned missionaries talk about the wonderful since of purpose they felt during their mission--knowing that everything they did was important. That is how I felt while working for Rising Star. I know everything I did there was important and appreciated and that the people are forever grateful to all the volunteers they come in contact with. I can hardly wait until I am able to go back next summer! I guess I should probably mention that I have taken a position with Rising Star after I graduate to be their sponsorship director in India! I haven't figured out the details yet but I know I will be going back to India after April graduation to see and work with all the wonderful people there. I am so excited to go back and continue working with Rising Star to help the leprosy-affected in India. It's an amazing work that I am proud to be apart of.
Vannacom!
Since I have been back I have had time to reflect on my time in India and what a truly amazing experience it was. Besides coming home sick I also came home with an intense feeling of guilt. Coming home and seeing my excessive amount of clothes (I love clothes), shoes, books, etc. I felt ashamed to have surrounded myself with so many things that are not necessary. I couldn't even bring myself to go grocery shopping! (I hate grocery shopping anyways so this just added to my dislike of it). I kept thinking to myself that the children and people in India had so little and yet were able to still lead lives filled with happiness, love, laughter, and family. I kept thinking to myself, "If they can be happy with nothing why can't I?" These guilty feelings began to ebb by the end of my first week home but they have changed me for the better, though. As mentioned before I love clothes and I love to shop but since going to India the thrill has lessened. Don't get me wrong, I would still never turn down a girl's shopping day but I have found that having so much is not necessary and that my money could be much better spent elsewhere--like sponsoring a child from Rising Star. side note: EVERYONE SHOULD SPONSOR A CHILD FROM RISING STAR OUTREACH!! They are the most wonderful kids you will ever meet and they love their sponsors so much and appreciate all they do.
My trip to India this summer, overall, was a life changing experience. To know that every single thing you did during the day was in the service of someone else is a high like none other. I now understand when returned missionaries talk about the wonderful since of purpose they felt during their mission--knowing that everything they did was important. That is how I felt while working for Rising Star. I know everything I did there was important and appreciated and that the people are forever grateful to all the volunteers they come in contact with. I can hardly wait until I am able to go back next summer! I guess I should probably mention that I have taken a position with Rising Star after I graduate to be their sponsorship director in India! I haven't figured out the details yet but I know I will be going back to India after April graduation to see and work with all the wonderful people there. I am so excited to go back and continue working with Rising Star to help the leprosy-affected in India. It's an amazing work that I am proud to be apart of.
Vannacom!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
"One more photo Auntie, one photo..."
So I know that my last post had a definite note of finality to it but I realized I have to blog about my last day in Chennai and the journey home! Especially because my last day in Chennai was AWESOME and HILARIOUS!
My last night at Rising Star (as documented in the last post) was a late one. Between blogging, packing, playing in the rain, and everything else I didn’t get to sleep until 3:30am. We were scheduled to leave the next morning at 9 to go to Chennai so I had to get up around 7:30am to be able to have time to get everything organized and out the door. It’s crazy how settled in you can get even living out of a suitcase. After three weeks I had a serious organizing and packing task ahead of me. At around 9:30 we all finally headed to the bus and out the door. After Rajenderon (our driver) had loaded all of our luggage onto the bus, everyone just stood outside for a minute not getting on—no one really wanted it all to end. Finally, though, we said our good-byes to Kristin, Katie, and Dani and headed off to Chennai.
Once in Chennai we checked into the Marriot and dropped our bags off before heading to Spencers. Spencers is a huge, labyrinth of an indoor mall. It has tons of stores and passageways and tons of people milling everywhere. The group had yet to split up because the earliest flight didn’t leave until 6:00pm so we all went to the mall together. After shopping around for a little bit and eating lunch we slowly started loosing people. Heather and Raygan went in search of a bank before meeting the RSO bus again, then Eliza, Audrey and Matthew had to leave to catch their flight. Tenney separated from us to head back to the hotel so finally all that was left was Soren, Lauren, Anne Marie, and myself. We were all EXHAUSTED and therefore really punchy and delirious. We were laughing at everything from the out-landish Indian clothes that are sold in the mall to comments we would say or even just stupid facial expressions. It was one of those days where it was only funny if you were there. We all had tons of fun finishing up our shopping and roaming around the mall for the day. Before we left we all sat in the smoothie shop and laughed and ate and generally lived up to the stereotype of loud Americans. We also all got take-out food to eat back at the hotel room for dinner.
The most reliable means of transportation in India is rickshaws. Unlike the rickshaw I took in Delhi, most are little motorized cars that can barely seat four people if you really squish. After we were all done shopping and had all gotten food, we headed outside to catch a rickshaw. Everyone in India jacks up the price the minute they see Americans. The hotel had told us we shouldn’t pay more than Rs. 100 for a rickshaw to the hotel. Of course when he first saw us he tried to charge Rs. 250. With some bargaining and threatening to go to another rickshaw he conceded to 100 and we were off. Between all four of us, the driver, our food, and our shopping bags we were crammed in the rickshaw. By this time, though, we were beyond punchy and just being downright ridiculous. The driver put on tamil music and we would imitate the singer’s high voice and dance in the backseat. The driver thought we were hilarious and was laughing with a crazy maniacal laugh before we started mimicing the singing too!! Then we started doing all these crazy Indian neck dance moves and we just couldn’t take it anymore—we were all dying laughing. To make this all even better, motorized rickshaws are completely open-aired, they don’t even have doors. This fact combined with the large amount of people in India that ride motorcycle and the complete disregard of lanes when driving in India, means that we were putting on a show for everyone around. Whenever we would stop at a light there would be at least six people staring at our nonsense and laughing. That rickshaw ride was a great, fun moment to start winding down this trip with.
When we got back to the hotel room, we all crammed onto the bed, ate our pizza and just relaxed and continued giggling and laughing until it was time to head to the airport. At one point (while Anne Marie was being really good and going to the gym) Soren, Lauren and I decided it would be fun to have dessert in bed. We went to the lobby and bought some delicious looking pastries only to get back up to the room and have all of them taste disgusting. With the crazy, sleep-deprived mood we were still in, though, we thought this was hilarious and just added to the awesomeness of the day. It finally came time, though, to head to the airport. We said good-bye to Soren and the three girls headed on our way. Lauren and I parted ways with Anne Marie at the airport and we are now sitting in Frankfurt waiting for our next flight to Chicago. We will finally split up in Chicago and my Rising Star Adventure will officially be over…for now.
I have been missing the kids and Rising Star all day today and yesterday. I spent the flight (when I wasn’t sleeping) looking at all my pictures and videos and wondering what all the kiddos were up to. While we all shopped at Spencer’s we continually took phrases from the kids that we would hear all the time. These included saying, “Super!” with our hand motion and accent, calling each other Auntie and Uncle, asking each other for Boomers (“Auntie, boomer!”) and asking to take pictures and see them. It’s amazing what an impact these kids had on our lives just in the past two weeks. As I have said before, they are all amazing, special spirits that I love SO MUCH!
Well, that’s all for now!
Vannacom!
My last night at Rising Star (as documented in the last post) was a late one. Between blogging, packing, playing in the rain, and everything else I didn’t get to sleep until 3:30am. We were scheduled to leave the next morning at 9 to go to Chennai so I had to get up around 7:30am to be able to have time to get everything organized and out the door. It’s crazy how settled in you can get even living out of a suitcase. After three weeks I had a serious organizing and packing task ahead of me. At around 9:30 we all finally headed to the bus and out the door. After Rajenderon (our driver) had loaded all of our luggage onto the bus, everyone just stood outside for a minute not getting on—no one really wanted it all to end. Finally, though, we said our good-byes to Kristin, Katie, and Dani and headed off to Chennai.
Once in Chennai we checked into the Marriot and dropped our bags off before heading to Spencers. Spencers is a huge, labyrinth of an indoor mall. It has tons of stores and passageways and tons of people milling everywhere. The group had yet to split up because the earliest flight didn’t leave until 6:00pm so we all went to the mall together. After shopping around for a little bit and eating lunch we slowly started loosing people. Heather and Raygan went in search of a bank before meeting the RSO bus again, then Eliza, Audrey and Matthew had to leave to catch their flight. Tenney separated from us to head back to the hotel so finally all that was left was Soren, Lauren, Anne Marie, and myself. We were all EXHAUSTED and therefore really punchy and delirious. We were laughing at everything from the out-landish Indian clothes that are sold in the mall to comments we would say or even just stupid facial expressions. It was one of those days where it was only funny if you were there. We all had tons of fun finishing up our shopping and roaming around the mall for the day. Before we left we all sat in the smoothie shop and laughed and ate and generally lived up to the stereotype of loud Americans. We also all got take-out food to eat back at the hotel room for dinner.
The most reliable means of transportation in India is rickshaws. Unlike the rickshaw I took in Delhi, most are little motorized cars that can barely seat four people if you really squish. After we were all done shopping and had all gotten food, we headed outside to catch a rickshaw. Everyone in India jacks up the price the minute they see Americans. The hotel had told us we shouldn’t pay more than Rs. 100 for a rickshaw to the hotel. Of course when he first saw us he tried to charge Rs. 250. With some bargaining and threatening to go to another rickshaw he conceded to 100 and we were off. Between all four of us, the driver, our food, and our shopping bags we were crammed in the rickshaw. By this time, though, we were beyond punchy and just being downright ridiculous. The driver put on tamil music and we would imitate the singer’s high voice and dance in the backseat. The driver thought we were hilarious and was laughing with a crazy maniacal laugh before we started mimicing the singing too!! Then we started doing all these crazy Indian neck dance moves and we just couldn’t take it anymore—we were all dying laughing. To make this all even better, motorized rickshaws are completely open-aired, they don’t even have doors. This fact combined with the large amount of people in India that ride motorcycle and the complete disregard of lanes when driving in India, means that we were putting on a show for everyone around. Whenever we would stop at a light there would be at least six people staring at our nonsense and laughing. That rickshaw ride was a great, fun moment to start winding down this trip with.
When we got back to the hotel room, we all crammed onto the bed, ate our pizza and just relaxed and continued giggling and laughing until it was time to head to the airport. At one point (while Anne Marie was being really good and going to the gym) Soren, Lauren and I decided it would be fun to have dessert in bed. We went to the lobby and bought some delicious looking pastries only to get back up to the room and have all of them taste disgusting. With the crazy, sleep-deprived mood we were still in, though, we thought this was hilarious and just added to the awesomeness of the day. It finally came time, though, to head to the airport. We said good-bye to Soren and the three girls headed on our way. Lauren and I parted ways with Anne Marie at the airport and we are now sitting in Frankfurt waiting for our next flight to Chicago. We will finally split up in Chicago and my Rising Star Adventure will officially be over…for now.
I have been missing the kids and Rising Star all day today and yesterday. I spent the flight (when I wasn’t sleeping) looking at all my pictures and videos and wondering what all the kiddos were up to. While we all shopped at Spencer’s we continually took phrases from the kids that we would hear all the time. These included saying, “Super!” with our hand motion and accent, calling each other Auntie and Uncle, asking each other for Boomers (“Auntie, boomer!”) and asking to take pictures and see them. It’s amazing what an impact these kids had on our lives just in the past two weeks. As I have said before, they are all amazing, special spirits that I love SO MUCH!
Well, that’s all for now!
Vannacom!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
This IS the real world
As I am getting ready to go back to the good old USA this fact was brought to my attention. Kristin stated tonight during our ending meeting together (which I will talk about more in depth later) that there are more people who live in poverty and in extreme circumstances than there are those that live like we do in America. She stated that India and the people here ARE the real world and we are the ones living outside of it. This was an eye-opening statement for me because I realized that I have seen very little of the real world and I want to see more. Working with Rising Star these past few weeks has brought the real world to the fore-front of my mind and now I want to help. India, though, is not only a place in the real world but a place of spirituality and soul. The people I have met here are unlike any other. They come from the humblest of circumstances yet they are the first to give and offer their whole selves to whatever is asked or them. I go home wanting to be more like them and live a little less in my world--the dream, the fantasy for those here in India.
Today was an amazing day; probably my best full day of my entire time in India--hence my deep, meaningful blog entry ;). This morning we drove two hours to the Moot leprosy colony (yes the name of the colony is Moot). This is actually a very aptly named colony because it is considered by the rest of India to be a place of little significance, relevance and worth. There are only 7 people still living in this colony and you would think 7 people wouldn't be worth a 2 hour bus ride--but they definitely are. We got off the bus and there was one very loud boisterous man ready and waiting for all of us to get off the bus. He was absolutely crazy and SO funny. He was dancing and singing and introducing himself to everyone. We also met his wife and all the other people in colony. Because we are all accustomed to going to colonies now we all immediately started sitting down and talking with the people in the colony. I decided to sit down and talk with Saroja. Saroja is probably 75lbs. Her left leg ends at the top of the knee and her right leg ends mid-calf. She has no hands, her entire face is deformed and she is missing her left eye--she is one of the most severely deformed leprosy patients I have ever seen. I sat with her and rubbed her back and hugged her. I took out her bun and braided her hair and she seemed to enjoy this. She tried to tell me all of her pains and heartache but with the language barrier I couldn't understand. She showed me her home and her pictures and I helped her to hang up a picture that one of the coordinators brought for her. I stayed with Saroja during most of our time in Moot.
While I was sitting with Saroja, Katie (the coordinator who is here teaching dance for the summer) set up her portable iPod stereo and got all the colony members that could walk up and dancing (5 of the 7 colony members could walk and dance). The loud man from when we first got there kept calling himself and Katie the dance masters and telling everyone where to go and generally keeping the whole colony lively and dancing. I stayed on the ground with Saroja and another man who sat on a board and rolled himself around with his knub hands on a scooter RSO built for him a few years back. Katie had music playing and all the volunteers were dancing with the leprosy patients. Olivia, the Hendershot's 10 year old daughter, brought an empty jug over to the man on the scooter and he beat the jug along with the beat of the song. Saroja joined in by doing the arm motions with Audrey (another volunteer) and myself. Having everyone dance together and seeing the joy on everyone's faces--leprosy patients and volunteers alike--was the closest thing to pure bliss and heaven I have ever experienced. There was a perfect spirit of love and unity and joy while we all danced. It's a moment I will remember for the rest of my life.
I have no idea how long we stayed in Moot but it was perfect. As we pulled away, all seven colony members waved and waited for us to pull all the way out before going back to her houses. All the volunteers felt the love and beauty that was in that colony. Amy had told us that this was a special colony before we went and we were all sure of this by the time we left. We got back to the volunteer hostel and took a short break before splitting up into two groups. The first group worked on our volunteer sessions' portion of the wall that we were in charge of painting. The second group went to the school and helped with sponsor letters. I, of course, opted to be in the second group and help write sponsor letters. I love helping the kids write sponsor letters and I was able to help in getting 5 sponsor letters written. After sponsor letters I went back to the hostel and helped to finish up the wall. There is a wall out back of the volunteer hostel where each volunteer group has a portion of and gets to decorate it and leave an actual mark on RSO. Our design included a star with all of our hand prints collaged in it. We then had bricks under neath this at the bottom of the wall coming up--like a brick wall being built. At the top of the wall we had the phrase, "Foundation for Tomorrow". This was the perfect phase for our session because we have been working on laying the foundation of the community center for the last two weeks. We all helped lay the foundation for all the rest of the volunteer groups coming this summer. The whole design turned out awesome and really speaks about this volunteer session.
After a little break it was time to go to our last playtime with the kids. I had fun playing with as many kids as I could. I played cricket with Ragu, catch with Subesti, Suganya, Satiapriya, and Sarathy, I helped the older girls on the swings, and played with Mahalakshmi and the younger ones by letting them climb up my legs then flip over. One funny thing that happened during playtime was one little boy came and sat on my lap, probably because he was tired and just needed a break. He was quietly sitting on my lap when Sarathy (a crazy 6 year old) came and sat on my lap too. The whole time he was sitting on my lap he kept asking me for Boomers (a popular candy/gum here) and he seriously wouldn't stop even though I told him over and over I didn't have any. He kept asking so I jokingly started mocking his whiney tone--this isn't really funny as I retell it but in the moment it was really funny to have these two little indian boys on my lap--one dead silent just chillin and the other begging me for a Boomer. The whole playtime was awesome as usual but instead of going to dinner after we went back to the volunteer hostel to pack and get stuff done before going to the kids' hostels for the last time to say goodnight.
Back at the girls' hostel later I played and danced with my girls and started saying my good-byes. The hardest good-bye was sitting with Abirami. I was telling her I was going back to America and she started asking who al was leaving. I told her all the people who were leavin but also told her who all was staying. She thought about it all for a minute before asking again, "When do you go to America?" It was almost like she didn't want to believe it and it was so cute. Tonight all the volunteers and coordinators dressed up in saris and were going to get together after the kids were asleep for a dinner at the volunteer hostel. Because none of us know how to wrap saris, a few of us had Ragi (a young house mother) do it for us. When I came out after she helped me put on my saris all the girls were acting like we were princesses. The ohh'ed and aww'ed over our saris and thought we looked amazing. I went into Velammal's room to show my girls and they all lit up. They all started wrapping blankets around themselves like saris and coming up to me and wanting to take pictures with me. It was such a sweet and joyous note to end on with the girls in my house. After pictures I said my final good-byes and kissed them all goodnight before going back to the volunteer hostel. The good-byes were not too sad because I have a good feeling that I may see them again. :)
Back at the volunteer hostel we all took pictures in our saris and ate a yummy parota dinner. After that we all changed out of the saris (they were way too hot) got in our pajamas and met in the mango room for a final meeting. Amy had asked us all to come to this meeting with a memorable journal entry or experience to share with everyone. It was so great to hear how the time here at Rising Star has affected and changed everyone in the group in different ways. One thing I feel we all learned, though, was how better to love as Christ loves. I believe we are all more capable of fully loving people no matter what their station of circumstance in life because of our time here at Rising Star. I never thought I could love children as much as I do the kids here at Rising Star. I think I now know, a little, the undying love that Christ feels for all his children.
After our emotional meeting we all hugged and thanked the coordinators before dispersing to pack and clean and get ready for the trip to Chennai in the morning. At around 1:00am it started POURING down rain and thundering harder than I have ever heard it in my life! After a few minutes I heard voices outside and Kristin and Dani were in the courtyard playing in the rain. After awhile Audrey joined in, then myself, then eventually a bunch of us were all outside soaking in the Indian rain. The courtyard was completely flooded so we splashed around and generally just acted like kids in the rain--it was the perfect ending to a perfect day and a perfect three weeks. :)
I will never forget this experience at RSO. It has changed me for the better and I will carry my stories from India with me for the rest of my life. If anything this experience has addicted me to blogging so keep checking back for posts. Love you all and thanks for reading about my adventures in India. :)
Namaste!---actually I have to change my ending. Namaste is a northern Indian phrase. In southern India (in particular in the Tamil language) the phrase equivalent is Vannacom so...
Vannacom!
Today was an amazing day; probably my best full day of my entire time in India--hence my deep, meaningful blog entry ;). This morning we drove two hours to the Moot leprosy colony (yes the name of the colony is Moot). This is actually a very aptly named colony because it is considered by the rest of India to be a place of little significance, relevance and worth. There are only 7 people still living in this colony and you would think 7 people wouldn't be worth a 2 hour bus ride--but they definitely are. We got off the bus and there was one very loud boisterous man ready and waiting for all of us to get off the bus. He was absolutely crazy and SO funny. He was dancing and singing and introducing himself to everyone. We also met his wife and all the other people in colony. Because we are all accustomed to going to colonies now we all immediately started sitting down and talking with the people in the colony. I decided to sit down and talk with Saroja. Saroja is probably 75lbs. Her left leg ends at the top of the knee and her right leg ends mid-calf. She has no hands, her entire face is deformed and she is missing her left eye--she is one of the most severely deformed leprosy patients I have ever seen. I sat with her and rubbed her back and hugged her. I took out her bun and braided her hair and she seemed to enjoy this. She tried to tell me all of her pains and heartache but with the language barrier I couldn't understand. She showed me her home and her pictures and I helped her to hang up a picture that one of the coordinators brought for her. I stayed with Saroja during most of our time in Moot.
While I was sitting with Saroja, Katie (the coordinator who is here teaching dance for the summer) set up her portable iPod stereo and got all the colony members that could walk up and dancing (5 of the 7 colony members could walk and dance). The loud man from when we first got there kept calling himself and Katie the dance masters and telling everyone where to go and generally keeping the whole colony lively and dancing. I stayed on the ground with Saroja and another man who sat on a board and rolled himself around with his knub hands on a scooter RSO built for him a few years back. Katie had music playing and all the volunteers were dancing with the leprosy patients. Olivia, the Hendershot's 10 year old daughter, brought an empty jug over to the man on the scooter and he beat the jug along with the beat of the song. Saroja joined in by doing the arm motions with Audrey (another volunteer) and myself. Having everyone dance together and seeing the joy on everyone's faces--leprosy patients and volunteers alike--was the closest thing to pure bliss and heaven I have ever experienced. There was a perfect spirit of love and unity and joy while we all danced. It's a moment I will remember for the rest of my life.
I have no idea how long we stayed in Moot but it was perfect. As we pulled away, all seven colony members waved and waited for us to pull all the way out before going back to her houses. All the volunteers felt the love and beauty that was in that colony. Amy had told us that this was a special colony before we went and we were all sure of this by the time we left. We got back to the volunteer hostel and took a short break before splitting up into two groups. The first group worked on our volunteer sessions' portion of the wall that we were in charge of painting. The second group went to the school and helped with sponsor letters. I, of course, opted to be in the second group and help write sponsor letters. I love helping the kids write sponsor letters and I was able to help in getting 5 sponsor letters written. After sponsor letters I went back to the hostel and helped to finish up the wall. There is a wall out back of the volunteer hostel where each volunteer group has a portion of and gets to decorate it and leave an actual mark on RSO. Our design included a star with all of our hand prints collaged in it. We then had bricks under neath this at the bottom of the wall coming up--like a brick wall being built. At the top of the wall we had the phrase, "Foundation for Tomorrow". This was the perfect phase for our session because we have been working on laying the foundation of the community center for the last two weeks. We all helped lay the foundation for all the rest of the volunteer groups coming this summer. The whole design turned out awesome and really speaks about this volunteer session.
After a little break it was time to go to our last playtime with the kids. I had fun playing with as many kids as I could. I played cricket with Ragu, catch with Subesti, Suganya, Satiapriya, and Sarathy, I helped the older girls on the swings, and played with Mahalakshmi and the younger ones by letting them climb up my legs then flip over. One funny thing that happened during playtime was one little boy came and sat on my lap, probably because he was tired and just needed a break. He was quietly sitting on my lap when Sarathy (a crazy 6 year old) came and sat on my lap too. The whole time he was sitting on my lap he kept asking me for Boomers (a popular candy/gum here) and he seriously wouldn't stop even though I told him over and over I didn't have any. He kept asking so I jokingly started mocking his whiney tone--this isn't really funny as I retell it but in the moment it was really funny to have these two little indian boys on my lap--one dead silent just chillin and the other begging me for a Boomer. The whole playtime was awesome as usual but instead of going to dinner after we went back to the volunteer hostel to pack and get stuff done before going to the kids' hostels for the last time to say goodnight.
Back at the girls' hostel later I played and danced with my girls and started saying my good-byes. The hardest good-bye was sitting with Abirami. I was telling her I was going back to America and she started asking who al was leaving. I told her all the people who were leavin but also told her who all was staying. She thought about it all for a minute before asking again, "When do you go to America?" It was almost like she didn't want to believe it and it was so cute. Tonight all the volunteers and coordinators dressed up in saris and were going to get together after the kids were asleep for a dinner at the volunteer hostel. Because none of us know how to wrap saris, a few of us had Ragi (a young house mother) do it for us. When I came out after she helped me put on my saris all the girls were acting like we were princesses. The ohh'ed and aww'ed over our saris and thought we looked amazing. I went into Velammal's room to show my girls and they all lit up. They all started wrapping blankets around themselves like saris and coming up to me and wanting to take pictures with me. It was such a sweet and joyous note to end on with the girls in my house. After pictures I said my final good-byes and kissed them all goodnight before going back to the volunteer hostel. The good-byes were not too sad because I have a good feeling that I may see them again. :)
Back at the volunteer hostel we all took pictures in our saris and ate a yummy parota dinner. After that we all changed out of the saris (they were way too hot) got in our pajamas and met in the mango room for a final meeting. Amy had asked us all to come to this meeting with a memorable journal entry or experience to share with everyone. It was so great to hear how the time here at Rising Star has affected and changed everyone in the group in different ways. One thing I feel we all learned, though, was how better to love as Christ loves. I believe we are all more capable of fully loving people no matter what their station of circumstance in life because of our time here at Rising Star. I never thought I could love children as much as I do the kids here at Rising Star. I think I now know, a little, the undying love that Christ feels for all his children.
After our emotional meeting we all hugged and thanked the coordinators before dispersing to pack and clean and get ready for the trip to Chennai in the morning. At around 1:00am it started POURING down rain and thundering harder than I have ever heard it in my life! After a few minutes I heard voices outside and Kristin and Dani were in the courtyard playing in the rain. After awhile Audrey joined in, then myself, then eventually a bunch of us were all outside soaking in the Indian rain. The courtyard was completely flooded so we splashed around and generally just acted like kids in the rain--it was the perfect ending to a perfect day and a perfect three weeks. :)
I will never forget this experience at RSO. It has changed me for the better and I will carry my stories from India with me for the rest of my life. If anything this experience has addicted me to blogging so keep checking back for posts. Love you all and thanks for reading about my adventures in India. :)
Namaste!---actually I have to change my ending. Namaste is a northern Indian phrase. In southern India (in particular in the Tamil language) the phrase equivalent is Vannacom so...
Vannacom!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
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!
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!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
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!
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!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Steppin Out With My Baby...
Today was a chill day for me here at Rising Star. We were back to our regular schedule after getting back from Delhi and it was my group's turn to tutor again. I'm really glad I was in the tutoring group today because both the medical van AND the construction group's cars broke down and they all had a crazy day. I, on the other hand, had a very chill day tutoring the kids and helping to write sponsor letters.
We started off by having the 8th standard kids read to us and checking their comprehension. I was with Krishna Morti and I am still amazed about how smart and awesome he is. We read two books and he comprehended them and read perfectly! Did I mention two years ago he couldn't speak any english and was just barely starting at Rising Star? Now he speaks english very well, can read english, and is one of the smartest kids in the school. He is also super nice and cool with everyone...basically everyone loves Krishna Morti.
After reading with the kids we helped Kristin do sponsor letters. I LOVE helping the kids do sponsor letters because you really get to see their personality and who they are. Today I helped Ashook, Venamalar, and Anita do sponsor letters. They all did an awesome job and they are all so cute! I was especially impressed with Ashook. I had not met him before today and now I am slightly obsessed. He is 12 years old and is extremely well mannered and kind and smart! He is very artistic and has great handwriting for a 12 year old boy. He wrote two long sponsor letters and I was so impressed by how well he was able to do them and form sentences by himself. He was seriously awesome.
From tutoring we went to lunch. After lunch and a little break and then came back to the school to help with a computer lesson. The lesson fell through, though, because they were having power problems--surprise surprise! :) Instead we helped kids in third standard work on reading. It is amazing how big of a gap there is between third standard and eighth standard. I worked with Gokul and he could not read anything. He tried really hard but the way they teach reading and writing here is hard for kids to pick up reading (they do not teach phonics).
After the reading help we went back to the hostel to write in memory books for the kids. Every child at Rising Star has a memory book that the volunteers write in as they come through. I wrote in almost 10 memory books today because I just love the girls in my family SO MUCH! After memory books it was time to head out to play with the kids. I seriously LIVE for playtime everyday! The kids are so much fun and it is great to just have time to play with them. One of the little girls, Mahalakshmi, is like my child. She comes and sits on my lap and we play and laugh and she is SO CUTE!! I also love playing with Abirami. She is also in my family and she is so sweet and fun. She gets along with everyone and is really easy-going. We will dance and play hide and seek and just run around and enjoy being outside.
After playtime all the volunteers went to dinner and then it was time to go with our families. I have been with Velammal's family of girls for the last week until another of the boy's house mothers arrived while we were all in Delhi. Velammal's family was always going to be temporary but I got so attached!! The girls are so sweet and amazing and I was reluctant to go over to the boys because they definitely are a different story. I got up to their room and they were running around and killing bugs and just being boys--it was a little nuts. Moving over to the boys' hostel, though, has given me the opportunity to get to know the boys better. They are so awesome, though, and seriously HILARIOUS! One of the boys, Vemmal Kahnt, was imitating a Tamil superstar for me, his house mother, and Katie and it was so. funny. I was gut-laughing. There are also some really sweet boys that I wouldn't have met without being transfered over to the boys hostel. I still kissed all my girls goodnight but I split the rest of my night between the boys and girls. :)
Well that was it for today!
Namaste!
We started off by having the 8th standard kids read to us and checking their comprehension. I was with Krishna Morti and I am still amazed about how smart and awesome he is. We read two books and he comprehended them and read perfectly! Did I mention two years ago he couldn't speak any english and was just barely starting at Rising Star? Now he speaks english very well, can read english, and is one of the smartest kids in the school. He is also super nice and cool with everyone...basically everyone loves Krishna Morti.
After reading with the kids we helped Kristin do sponsor letters. I LOVE helping the kids do sponsor letters because you really get to see their personality and who they are. Today I helped Ashook, Venamalar, and Anita do sponsor letters. They all did an awesome job and they are all so cute! I was especially impressed with Ashook. I had not met him before today and now I am slightly obsessed. He is 12 years old and is extremely well mannered and kind and smart! He is very artistic and has great handwriting for a 12 year old boy. He wrote two long sponsor letters and I was so impressed by how well he was able to do them and form sentences by himself. He was seriously awesome.
From tutoring we went to lunch. After lunch and a little break and then came back to the school to help with a computer lesson. The lesson fell through, though, because they were having power problems--surprise surprise! :) Instead we helped kids in third standard work on reading. It is amazing how big of a gap there is between third standard and eighth standard. I worked with Gokul and he could not read anything. He tried really hard but the way they teach reading and writing here is hard for kids to pick up reading (they do not teach phonics).
After the reading help we went back to the hostel to write in memory books for the kids. Every child at Rising Star has a memory book that the volunteers write in as they come through. I wrote in almost 10 memory books today because I just love the girls in my family SO MUCH! After memory books it was time to head out to play with the kids. I seriously LIVE for playtime everyday! The kids are so much fun and it is great to just have time to play with them. One of the little girls, Mahalakshmi, is like my child. She comes and sits on my lap and we play and laugh and she is SO CUTE!! I also love playing with Abirami. She is also in my family and she is so sweet and fun. She gets along with everyone and is really easy-going. We will dance and play hide and seek and just run around and enjoy being outside.
After playtime all the volunteers went to dinner and then it was time to go with our families. I have been with Velammal's family of girls for the last week until another of the boy's house mothers arrived while we were all in Delhi. Velammal's family was always going to be temporary but I got so attached!! The girls are so sweet and amazing and I was reluctant to go over to the boys because they definitely are a different story. I got up to their room and they were running around and killing bugs and just being boys--it was a little nuts. Moving over to the boys' hostel, though, has given me the opportunity to get to know the boys better. They are so awesome, though, and seriously HILARIOUS! One of the boys, Vemmal Kahnt, was imitating a Tamil superstar for me, his house mother, and Katie and it was so. funny. I was gut-laughing. There are also some really sweet boys that I wouldn't have met without being transfered over to the boys hostel. I still kissed all my girls goodnight but I split the rest of my night between the boys and girls. :)
Well that was it for today!
Namaste!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Taj, Elephants, Camels...what else can we cram into this weekend??
O.M.G. This past weekend was non-stop, tourist fun time. I haven't had internet all weekend, hence the multiple blog posts in a matter of hours. So let's get right down to it!
As stated in the previous post we left to go to the Taj Mahal at 5:15AM!! It was so ridiculously early and we were getting up to see the sunrise over the Taj Mahal but it was so overcast we didn't even get to see it. But we did get to see the Taj and it was AWESOME!! We wandered around for a few hours just taking pictures and being tourists and enjoying the much less muggy weather of Agra. Here is a little history lesson on the Taj Mahal: Building was started by Shah Jahan in 1632 as a commemoration to his favorite wife who died in childbirth with their 14th child. The Taj Mahal took 22 years to build and is now a mausoleum for both Shah Jahan and his wife. It is made predominately of marble with some precious stones added into the detailing to add color. It was really an amazingly beautiful building.
After the Taj we went back to the hotel for breakfast before heading out again. After breakfast I got to do something that I wanted to do from the minute I decided to go to India...I GOT TO RIDE AN ELEPHANT!!!!! It was totally sketch but I didn't even care. So we had a tour guide for our whole day in Agra and we had told him we all wanted to ride an elephant. So, after breakfast we pull over next to this big dirt lot on the side of the road and in the lot is an elephant, an elephant driver, and the guy running the whole operation. Their were nine people on the trip so we took turns riding the elephant tree at a time. I rode with Heather and Sarah (one of RSO's director's that came with us). We climbed a ladder to get up to the "seat" on top of the elephant. To get up the elephant has to kneel down so when it stood up again it was totally crazy! We had to hold on to the seat really tight so we wouldn't slide off. We only rode the elephant around the lot but it was still so awesome and so cool!! I also got to sit on a camel outside the Taj Mahal--yeah I rode an elephant and sat on a camel all in one day...what of it?!
Elephant Ride!!
I'm on a Camel!!!
After the awesome elephant ride we went to the marble place where they do marble in-lay, just like at the Taj Mahal, on tables, figurines, plates, etc. It is beautiful work and it was really interesting to see how it is made (there were workers making things outside the store). After the marble store we went to another store that sold spices and all kinds of different things. The workers at this store were hardcore bargainers but so are we so we were in that store for awhile. After that we went to a bazaar, that was basically just a street with shops--I wasn't super impressed. One cool thing we all did at the bazaar though (besides shop) was we all got henna on our hands! Henna is a HUGE cultural thing here in India so it was really fun to get it done by the experts. All of our hands turned out great and it was really fun.
After the bazaar we went and grabbed lunch before going to a carpet store. Again they had workers in the store weaving carpets and making them so we could see how it's done. I was AMAZED by how fast the weaver worked at the loom--I didn't think anyone's hands could even move that fast! Another cool thing about this store was that the owner was investigating the church! He asked us where we were from and when we said Utah (cause everyone is either from there or going to school there) we asked if we were mormon. When we said we were he pulled a pass-along card out of his shirt pocket and told us he kept it in his front shirt pocket everyday. He had started reading the Book of Mormon and was really enjoying it--it was really awesome to see international missionary work in action! We looked at some rugs and shopped at the store owned by the same guy before heading back to the hotel. It was only about 4:30pm when we got back to the hotel but we had such an early start and full day that we were all dead.
The carpet weaver at work
Anne Marie, Heather, and I sat in our room watching Indian music videos before we headed to dinner. Side note: I want to be in an indian music videos. They are all super fun and happy and there are huge choreographed dance numbers in every single one! It is my new life goal to be in an Indian music video. We went to dinner at the super nice Indian restaurant in the hotel before going to sleep. Another note: Indian power is shady and crazy EVERYWHERE! Even in our super swanky five-star hotel we lost power at least three times on Saturday night...that's India for ya.
The next day we woke up and got on the road back to Delhi by 8:30. The drive from Agra to Delhi takes five hours but guess how many miles it is?? 127!!! In India it takes 5 HOURS to drive 127 miles!! It's crazy! We got into Delhi around 1:30 and were able to go to a local branch sacrament meeting that started at 2:00. I love that the church is the same wherever you go--no matter what country or language. It was awesome to see the people in India with such strong testimonies.
Church building in India
After church we grabbed lunch before heading to the airport. Our flight hit turbulent weather and was delayed so we didn't get into Chennai until 10:30. Rajenderon (one of RSO's drivers) picked us up and took us to Rising Star. The campus honestly feels like home after the past couple weeks and it was great to be back.
Well that is the sparknotes version of the crazy Delhi weekend. Pics to come soon :)
Namaste!
As stated in the previous post we left to go to the Taj Mahal at 5:15AM!! It was so ridiculously early and we were getting up to see the sunrise over the Taj Mahal but it was so overcast we didn't even get to see it. But we did get to see the Taj and it was AWESOME!! We wandered around for a few hours just taking pictures and being tourists and enjoying the much less muggy weather of Agra. Here is a little history lesson on the Taj Mahal: Building was started by Shah Jahan in 1632 as a commemoration to his favorite wife who died in childbirth with their 14th child. The Taj Mahal took 22 years to build and is now a mausoleum for both Shah Jahan and his wife. It is made predominately of marble with some precious stones added into the detailing to add color. It was really an amazingly beautiful building.
After the Taj we went back to the hotel for breakfast before heading out again. After breakfast I got to do something that I wanted to do from the minute I decided to go to India...I GOT TO RIDE AN ELEPHANT!!!!! It was totally sketch but I didn't even care. So we had a tour guide for our whole day in Agra and we had told him we all wanted to ride an elephant. So, after breakfast we pull over next to this big dirt lot on the side of the road and in the lot is an elephant, an elephant driver, and the guy running the whole operation. Their were nine people on the trip so we took turns riding the elephant tree at a time. I rode with Heather and Sarah (one of RSO's director's that came with us). We climbed a ladder to get up to the "seat" on top of the elephant. To get up the elephant has to kneel down so when it stood up again it was totally crazy! We had to hold on to the seat really tight so we wouldn't slide off. We only rode the elephant around the lot but it was still so awesome and so cool!! I also got to sit on a camel outside the Taj Mahal--yeah I rode an elephant and sat on a camel all in one day...what of it?!
Elephant Ride!!
I'm on a Camel!!!
After the awesome elephant ride we went to the marble place where they do marble in-lay, just like at the Taj Mahal, on tables, figurines, plates, etc. It is beautiful work and it was really interesting to see how it is made (there were workers making things outside the store). After the marble store we went to another store that sold spices and all kinds of different things. The workers at this store were hardcore bargainers but so are we so we were in that store for awhile. After that we went to a bazaar, that was basically just a street with shops--I wasn't super impressed. One cool thing we all did at the bazaar though (besides shop) was we all got henna on our hands! Henna is a HUGE cultural thing here in India so it was really fun to get it done by the experts. All of our hands turned out great and it was really fun.
After the bazaar we went and grabbed lunch before going to a carpet store. Again they had workers in the store weaving carpets and making them so we could see how it's done. I was AMAZED by how fast the weaver worked at the loom--I didn't think anyone's hands could even move that fast! Another cool thing about this store was that the owner was investigating the church! He asked us where we were from and when we said Utah (cause everyone is either from there or going to school there) we asked if we were mormon. When we said we were he pulled a pass-along card out of his shirt pocket and told us he kept it in his front shirt pocket everyday. He had started reading the Book of Mormon and was really enjoying it--it was really awesome to see international missionary work in action! We looked at some rugs and shopped at the store owned by the same guy before heading back to the hotel. It was only about 4:30pm when we got back to the hotel but we had such an early start and full day that we were all dead.
The carpet weaver at work
Anne Marie, Heather, and I sat in our room watching Indian music videos before we headed to dinner. Side note: I want to be in an indian music videos. They are all super fun and happy and there are huge choreographed dance numbers in every single one! It is my new life goal to be in an Indian music video. We went to dinner at the super nice Indian restaurant in the hotel before going to sleep. Another note: Indian power is shady and crazy EVERYWHERE! Even in our super swanky five-star hotel we lost power at least three times on Saturday night...that's India for ya.
The next day we woke up and got on the road back to Delhi by 8:30. The drive from Agra to Delhi takes five hours but guess how many miles it is?? 127!!! In India it takes 5 HOURS to drive 127 miles!! It's crazy! We got into Delhi around 1:30 and were able to go to a local branch sacrament meeting that started at 2:00. I love that the church is the same wherever you go--no matter what country or language. It was awesome to see the people in India with such strong testimonies.
Church building in India
After church we grabbed lunch before heading to the airport. Our flight hit turbulent weather and was delayed so we didn't get into Chennai until 10:30. Rajenderon (one of RSO's drivers) picked us up and took us to Rising Star. The campus honestly feels like home after the past couple weeks and it was great to be back.
Well that is the sparknotes version of the crazy Delhi weekend. Pics to come soon :)
Namaste!
Delhi Time!
Delhi Trip has arrived! We left for Delhi this morning at 4AM!!! Our flight left at 7:20 and we got into Delhi around 10. Northern India is COMPLETELY different from Southern India. Northern India is much more westernized and is definitely more like the India seen in Slumdog Millionaire and Bollywood films. Women here wear jeans and shirts and are not as bound to tradition as women in Southern India. People also don’t drive as crazy here, which is sayin something because driving here is still crazy. Northern India is also not as muggy, which is SUCH a nice relief! It feels great not having your clothes stick to you all day long.
When we arrived in Delhi we met Praveen at the airport. Praveen is a travel and tourist agent that Rising Star works with on a regular basis. He took us on a bus tour of New Delhi. One other difference between Northern and Southern India is how GREEN Northern India is! There are big lawns and trees everywhere and it is really gorgeous. Praveen showed us all the embassy buildings, the President’s building, all the government buildings and other famous landmarks. After driving through New Delhi we headed into Old Delhi. Old Delhi is like nothing I have ever seen before. It is filled with all these dilapidated buildings and tons of people all pushing and weaving and trying to get everywhere. When we got into Old Delhi we all got in pairs and got bicycle rickshaws and drove through the narrow alleys of Old Delhi. It was seriously SO COOL! There are tons of animals and stores and motorbikes and people all milling through these narrow old alleys. It’s seriously awesome. We stopped in the middle of the main market and went into the oldest temple in Old Delhi. We had to take off our shoes (which you basically do everywhere) and wash our hands before we could enter the temple. The temple occupied the second floor of the building and really was beautiful. It is so interesting to see temples from different religions and the things that they find important. After going through the temple we shopped at the market. Shopping at the market was exactly how I pictured shopping in India would be. Anne Marie and I got sari’s at one store and it was really cool. You take off your shoes at the entrance and then walk upstairs where the whole floor is padded and there are just tons of sari’s wall to wall. It was really cool to try one on before I bought it and see how amazing sari’s are.
Getting ready for our bicycle rickshaw
The market in Old Delhi--SO COOL AND CRAZY!
After sari shopping and meeting back up with the group we went to dinner at….Pizza Hut! We all definitely took advantage of the American food in Delhi. After dinner we started on the five hour car ride to Agra where our hotel is and where we would see the Taj Mahal at 5:30AM the next day…apparently the person who planned this trip does not believe in sleeping in. The car ride was uneventful and when we arrived at our UBER FANCY hotel we all basically checked in and then went to sleep. While we were checking in, though, a waiter came up to the whole group and offered us these bright green drinks. I’m always up to try stuff but after one sip I was done. It was one of the grossest things I have ever tasted. It had a minty nasty taste to it that was really sick.
Our swanky hotel--The Jaypee Palace
All of us had bought genie pants so we all traveled to Delhi/Agra in them. Yep. we're that cool.
Well, those are the highlights from the first day in Delhi! More to come on the Taj and shopping in Agra.
Namaste!
P.s. I have TOTALLY missed the kids from Rising Star this weekend! I’m seriously excited to see there little faces on Monday ☺
When we arrived in Delhi we met Praveen at the airport. Praveen is a travel and tourist agent that Rising Star works with on a regular basis. He took us on a bus tour of New Delhi. One other difference between Northern and Southern India is how GREEN Northern India is! There are big lawns and trees everywhere and it is really gorgeous. Praveen showed us all the embassy buildings, the President’s building, all the government buildings and other famous landmarks. After driving through New Delhi we headed into Old Delhi. Old Delhi is like nothing I have ever seen before. It is filled with all these dilapidated buildings and tons of people all pushing and weaving and trying to get everywhere. When we got into Old Delhi we all got in pairs and got bicycle rickshaws and drove through the narrow alleys of Old Delhi. It was seriously SO COOL! There are tons of animals and stores and motorbikes and people all milling through these narrow old alleys. It’s seriously awesome. We stopped in the middle of the main market and went into the oldest temple in Old Delhi. We had to take off our shoes (which you basically do everywhere) and wash our hands before we could enter the temple. The temple occupied the second floor of the building and really was beautiful. It is so interesting to see temples from different religions and the things that they find important. After going through the temple we shopped at the market. Shopping at the market was exactly how I pictured shopping in India would be. Anne Marie and I got sari’s at one store and it was really cool. You take off your shoes at the entrance and then walk upstairs where the whole floor is padded and there are just tons of sari’s wall to wall. It was really cool to try one on before I bought it and see how amazing sari’s are.
Getting ready for our bicycle rickshaw
The market in Old Delhi--SO COOL AND CRAZY!
After sari shopping and meeting back up with the group we went to dinner at….Pizza Hut! We all definitely took advantage of the American food in Delhi. After dinner we started on the five hour car ride to Agra where our hotel is and where we would see the Taj Mahal at 5:30AM the next day…apparently the person who planned this trip does not believe in sleeping in. The car ride was uneventful and when we arrived at our UBER FANCY hotel we all basically checked in and then went to sleep. While we were checking in, though, a waiter came up to the whole group and offered us these bright green drinks. I’m always up to try stuff but after one sip I was done. It was one of the grossest things I have ever tasted. It had a minty nasty taste to it that was really sick.
Our swanky hotel--The Jaypee Palace
All of us had bought genie pants so we all traveled to Delhi/Agra in them. Yep. we're that cool.
Well, those are the highlights from the first day in Delhi! More to come on the Taj and shopping in Agra.
Namaste!
P.s. I have TOTALLY missed the kids from Rising Star this weekend! I’m seriously excited to see there little faces on Monday ☺
Sweat in the foundation
As you have probably noticed I am a day behind on my blog posts. I was doing so good at the beginning of the trip making sure to blog every night…but a few nights ago I was so exhausted I went to bed at 8:45!!! I haven’t been asleep at 8:45 since I was in elementary school! Because of this, I am now a day behind on my blog posts. However, I am getting back on track. I currently find myself sitting on an airplane headed to Delhi for our weekend excursion to see northern India, the Taj Mahal, etc. This trip has provided me with two extra hours of uninterrupted time to blog as I please. Obviously, because I am in the air, I am typing this to a word document and will copy and paste it to my blog later but either way it is helping me get caught up.
So, let’s recap June 3, 2010 at Rising Star. Today it was my group’s turn to work on the construction project at the colonies. Rising Star is helping one colony that they have been working with for a long time to build a community center in their village so they all have a place to congregate and meet. RSO is also helping this colony to build bathrooms. Normally, the people in the colony go into the surrounding forest area to use the bathroom but this land has recently starting being sold for people to build on. Because this land is no longer available the colony members no longer have a place to use the bathroom. RSO has decided to step in and help build the colonies bathrooms. So the community center and the bathrooms are the two construction projects for the summer. Today we worked on the foundation of the community center. I can’t remember ever doing manual labor this intense in my whole life. The construction team had been waiting for these big trucks of dirt all week and they finally arrived on Thursday. Once they dumped the dirt, our jobs was to move the dirt from the pile into the walled in foundation area where the community center will be. We spent two hours in the Indian heat shoveling dirt into these big steel bowls and then carrying the bowls and dumping them into the foundation. We found that the best way to do this is through an assembly line. Amy ( the executive director of RSO in India), Soren, Anne Marie, Cole (the Hendershot’s 11 year old son), and I would all switch off between shoveling, carrying, and dumping. It was definitely hard, dirty work. All of us were covered in dirt and mud after thirty minutes. One of the funniest parts about this, though, was that right when we thought we were making a dent in the dirt pile, another truck would drive up and add another huge load of dirt. We just couldn’t catch a break! We worked hard for a solid 2.5 hours on the dirt pile along side the Indian construction workers. By the end of that time, all of us had dumped water over our heads at least once and even then we were all still covered in dirt (which quickly became mud when mixed with all of the sweat and water).
Amy tried to stop the dump truck from bringing more dirt
Soren and I trying to convey how dirty we were--this doesn't even do it justice
Working side by side with the local construction workers
We were workin it!
There are a few things that I will take away from this experience with the dirt pile. 1. I understand now why Indians all carry thing on their heads. There is no way they would be able to haul all that dirt just using your arms—mine were dead after two hours! One of the women working at the sight gave us her towel (they all wear towels on their heads to cushion the weight) and let us each have a turn carrying a bowl of dirt on our head. It was seriously SO MUCH EASIER! It made the whole process a lot simpler and not as strenuous. 2. I re-realized today how good it feels to do hard work. I felt as though I had really accomplished something when I got back to the hostel. My sore hands are a reminder that I used my body yesterday to help accomplish something of worth. 3. As I was shoveling dirt I made the comment that our sweat would literally be in the foundation of this building (Yes, it was so hot outside we were all dripping sweat). I didn’t realize it at the time but this is actually a really cool concept. Amy brought it up again at dinner and pointed out the poetic nature of our sweat and work being a part of this foundation for the community center. Without the volunteers the work still would have gotten done but we definitely left our mark and that is symbolized through our sweat in the foundation. I hope that metaphor comes off as meaningful and not just gross.
When we got back from construction I took the most amazing bucket shower of my life and then took a nap until it was time to go play with the children. Playing with the children is definitely one of my favorite things at Rising Star. Like I have said before, the kids at Rising Star have the most special, unique, wonderful spirits of any kids I have ever worked with. I spent the after noon playing jump rope, dancing, and cuddling with the kids until it was time to go to dinner.
After dinner, I went down to help tuck in all the kids in my family. The older girls were all practicing their multiplications tables for homework and the younger ones were playing having fun. Again, I danced with the girls, read stories, helped with their homework and just enjoyed being around them and loving them. I have discovered on this trip that there is nothing better than watching a kid fall asleep. One of my favorite little girls, Mahalakshmi, was crying because someone was in her sleeping spot and she wouldn’t move. Please note that Mahalakshmi is 5 or 6 so when someone takes her sleeping spot it’s a big deal. She was laying on her side crying o I came over and started rubbing her back trying to calm her down. As I rubbed her back she stopped crying and slowly started drifting to sleep. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. Then later in the night, Nithya and Abirami were laying down and not going to sleep (they were supposed to have been asleep 30 minutes before). I sat next to them while they laid on the mats. First I sang the lullaby “Roll Over and make room” with each of their names and mine. Nithya had started drifting off during the song but was still awake at the end. Then they asked me to tell them a story. As I was recounting my own version of Aladdin, Nithya’s eyes slowly closed and she drifted off to sleep. Abirami was still barely awake at the end. When I told her at the end of the story that it was time to go to sleep she looked up at me and said ok before snuggling next to all the girls on the floor and falling asleep. There is so much love at RSO it is unbelievable. All of the volunteers and children give all the love they can to one another and it makes the whole campus filled with life. Hopefully I will help to leave my own mark at RSO and the lives of the kids here--I guess I want to be a drop of sweat in the foundation of their lives :)
Well, I guess I’m not succeeding with making my blog posts any shorter. Oh well.
Namaste!
P.s. I just wanted to note that Sundharalakshmi (see last post) was smiling again today and ran up to me with the her hands in the love sign and did not leave until I did it too and hooked our fingers….she probably did this about a dozen times☺
So, let’s recap June 3, 2010 at Rising Star. Today it was my group’s turn to work on the construction project at the colonies. Rising Star is helping one colony that they have been working with for a long time to build a community center in their village so they all have a place to congregate and meet. RSO is also helping this colony to build bathrooms. Normally, the people in the colony go into the surrounding forest area to use the bathroom but this land has recently starting being sold for people to build on. Because this land is no longer available the colony members no longer have a place to use the bathroom. RSO has decided to step in and help build the colonies bathrooms. So the community center and the bathrooms are the two construction projects for the summer. Today we worked on the foundation of the community center. I can’t remember ever doing manual labor this intense in my whole life. The construction team had been waiting for these big trucks of dirt all week and they finally arrived on Thursday. Once they dumped the dirt, our jobs was to move the dirt from the pile into the walled in foundation area where the community center will be. We spent two hours in the Indian heat shoveling dirt into these big steel bowls and then carrying the bowls and dumping them into the foundation. We found that the best way to do this is through an assembly line. Amy ( the executive director of RSO in India), Soren, Anne Marie, Cole (the Hendershot’s 11 year old son), and I would all switch off between shoveling, carrying, and dumping. It was definitely hard, dirty work. All of us were covered in dirt and mud after thirty minutes. One of the funniest parts about this, though, was that right when we thought we were making a dent in the dirt pile, another truck would drive up and add another huge load of dirt. We just couldn’t catch a break! We worked hard for a solid 2.5 hours on the dirt pile along side the Indian construction workers. By the end of that time, all of us had dumped water over our heads at least once and even then we were all still covered in dirt (which quickly became mud when mixed with all of the sweat and water).
Amy tried to stop the dump truck from bringing more dirt
Soren and I trying to convey how dirty we were--this doesn't even do it justice
Working side by side with the local construction workers
We were workin it!
There are a few things that I will take away from this experience with the dirt pile. 1. I understand now why Indians all carry thing on their heads. There is no way they would be able to haul all that dirt just using your arms—mine were dead after two hours! One of the women working at the sight gave us her towel (they all wear towels on their heads to cushion the weight) and let us each have a turn carrying a bowl of dirt on our head. It was seriously SO MUCH EASIER! It made the whole process a lot simpler and not as strenuous. 2. I re-realized today how good it feels to do hard work. I felt as though I had really accomplished something when I got back to the hostel. My sore hands are a reminder that I used my body yesterday to help accomplish something of worth. 3. As I was shoveling dirt I made the comment that our sweat would literally be in the foundation of this building (Yes, it was so hot outside we were all dripping sweat). I didn’t realize it at the time but this is actually a really cool concept. Amy brought it up again at dinner and pointed out the poetic nature of our sweat and work being a part of this foundation for the community center. Without the volunteers the work still would have gotten done but we definitely left our mark and that is symbolized through our sweat in the foundation. I hope that metaphor comes off as meaningful and not just gross.
When we got back from construction I took the most amazing bucket shower of my life and then took a nap until it was time to go play with the children. Playing with the children is definitely one of my favorite things at Rising Star. Like I have said before, the kids at Rising Star have the most special, unique, wonderful spirits of any kids I have ever worked with. I spent the after noon playing jump rope, dancing, and cuddling with the kids until it was time to go to dinner.
After dinner, I went down to help tuck in all the kids in my family. The older girls were all practicing their multiplications tables for homework and the younger ones were playing having fun. Again, I danced with the girls, read stories, helped with their homework and just enjoyed being around them and loving them. I have discovered on this trip that there is nothing better than watching a kid fall asleep. One of my favorite little girls, Mahalakshmi, was crying because someone was in her sleeping spot and she wouldn’t move. Please note that Mahalakshmi is 5 or 6 so when someone takes her sleeping spot it’s a big deal. She was laying on her side crying o I came over and started rubbing her back trying to calm her down. As I rubbed her back she stopped crying and slowly started drifting to sleep. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. Then later in the night, Nithya and Abirami were laying down and not going to sleep (they were supposed to have been asleep 30 minutes before). I sat next to them while they laid on the mats. First I sang the lullaby “Roll Over and make room” with each of their names and mine. Nithya had started drifting off during the song but was still awake at the end. Then they asked me to tell them a story. As I was recounting my own version of Aladdin, Nithya’s eyes slowly closed and she drifted off to sleep. Abirami was still barely awake at the end. When I told her at the end of the story that it was time to go to sleep she looked up at me and said ok before snuggling next to all the girls on the floor and falling asleep. There is so much love at RSO it is unbelievable. All of the volunteers and children give all the love they can to one another and it makes the whole campus filled with life. Hopefully I will help to leave my own mark at RSO and the lives of the kids here--I guess I want to be a drop of sweat in the foundation of their lives :)
Well, I guess I’m not succeeding with making my blog posts any shorter. Oh well.
Namaste!
P.s. I just wanted to note that Sundharalakshmi (see last post) was smiling again today and ran up to me with the her hands in the love sign and did not leave until I did it too and hooked our fingers….she probably did this about a dozen times☺