Happy Independence Day India! What a fun day it has been. The celebration at the school got a late start because of the rain. But we all gor dressed in saris and went to celebrate. The kids absolutely love it when the volunteers wear saris. I must say, I felt like a princess all dressed up. Indians really have a flair for the exotic! We have been taking pictures, and we will start posting them when we have some time to figure it out.
The kids in Life Dance did a beautiful job. I will never hear the song "Home" again in the same way. It was just so, so moving. Annie took a video of it, so hopefully we will be able to post that as well. Dr. Susan spoke on independence and freedom. I had never connected the two so powerfully before. But true independence demands freedom, and true freedom requires independence. I thought of 2 Nephi 10:23 "Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves..." Dr. Susan reiterated the freedom is given by God, but that it is not free. Many lives were given for freedom. I hope these kids wont ever have to lay down their lives for freedom, but that they will give their lives in search of personal freedom and accomplishment. They have much to do here in India, and learning that hard work and discipline will bring them opportunities for true independence is a liberating concept. With the history of the cast system, earning and striving are difficult concepts to grasp. And though the cast system is illegal from what I understand, it is very ingrained In the Indian culture and society. Education will be a key factor in their success. What a remarkable program this is. It is truly breathtaking to watch it in action. I wish everyone could experience this.
After the festivities, we came back and put on our more casual Indian dress, and walked into the nearby village. It rained on us pretty steadily. We thought we had a break in the storm that has been constant the past 48 hours, and we did, but it only lasted about ten minutes. Oh well. The people were so friendly! They all wanted their pictures taken with us, and were so excited for us to show it to them. Amazing look into the lives of some of these kids. Most of the kids live on campus, but there are some kids from the village who have applied and are able to come to the school. Also, a clarification -- not all the kids have parents afflicted with leprosy, but grandparents who lost limbs before they could seek treatment. So they moved into a leprosy colony with their children, who then had these kids -- born in the leprosy colony. So the effects are still very close to them, as is the stigma.
After our walk in the village, pictures with the villagers, and two of our volunteers being charged by a cow on a rope -- a very long rope, we dragged our soggy selves back to change for play time. Yay! It was too rainy, so play time was in the hostels where the kids live. Annie and I took some fingernail polish in to Hostel 5. I was expecting to paint their nails, but they actually painted ours. The girl who painted mine, painted each nail a different color. Now those of you who know me well know that I wear no polish on my nails -- rarely if ever, clear. And French manicure on the toes. Well not today! All the toes are the same -- a brownish red. But my fingers are purple, pink, coral, silver and brownish red. I will take a picture. And yes, I love it! After that, a girl named Devi asked if she could do my hair. She braided my bangs and then pulled the rest into a ponytail. I wish I could have taken pictures, but they are not allowed in the hostels. Devi then asked Annie to do her hair like Annie's. She ended up with a big bun on top of her head, and an even bigger smile to go with it. She loved it, an all of the other girls just wanted to touch it! Devi fancies herself a magician, and asked if I wanted her to show me magic. Who doesn't love magic?. She did some card tricks and WOWED me. I asked her how she did it. she said its a trick. It was almost prayer time, and I would have to go, but we played UNO with Phase 10 cards with her friend Nagesh until it was time to go. So much fun!
I was in Hostel 2 tonight. It was a little chaotic, but fun. They were all still a little wound up from the day's festivities. We talked about talents, and how talents aren't always performance art. Kindness is a talent. Listening is a talent. Patience is a talent. On had a nice discussion. And at the end, a couple of the girls performed Thriller for me, counting 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 at the tops of their lungs :-) Tomorrow is an exhibition day for the Science, English, and Math clubs. They will be performing Thriller, but to music this time. Can't wait!
The kids in Life Dance did a beautiful job. I will never hear the song "Home" again in the same way. It was just so, so moving. Annie took a video of it, so hopefully we will be able to post that as well. Dr. Susan spoke on independence and freedom. I had never connected the two so powerfully before. But true independence demands freedom, and true freedom requires independence. I thought of 2 Nephi 10:23 "Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves..." Dr. Susan reiterated the freedom is given by God, but that it is not free. Many lives were given for freedom. I hope these kids wont ever have to lay down their lives for freedom, but that they will give their lives in search of personal freedom and accomplishment. They have much to do here in India, and learning that hard work and discipline will bring them opportunities for true independence is a liberating concept. With the history of the cast system, earning and striving are difficult concepts to grasp. And though the cast system is illegal from what I understand, it is very ingrained In the Indian culture and society. Education will be a key factor in their success. What a remarkable program this is. It is truly breathtaking to watch it in action. I wish everyone could experience this.
After the festivities, we came back and put on our more casual Indian dress, and walked into the nearby village. It rained on us pretty steadily. We thought we had a break in the storm that has been constant the past 48 hours, and we did, but it only lasted about ten minutes. Oh well. The people were so friendly! They all wanted their pictures taken with us, and were so excited for us to show it to them. Amazing look into the lives of some of these kids. Most of the kids live on campus, but there are some kids from the village who have applied and are able to come to the school. Also, a clarification -- not all the kids have parents afflicted with leprosy, but grandparents who lost limbs before they could seek treatment. So they moved into a leprosy colony with their children, who then had these kids -- born in the leprosy colony. So the effects are still very close to them, as is the stigma.
After our walk in the village, pictures with the villagers, and two of our volunteers being charged by a cow on a rope -- a very long rope, we dragged our soggy selves back to change for play time. Yay! It was too rainy, so play time was in the hostels where the kids live. Annie and I took some fingernail polish in to Hostel 5. I was expecting to paint their nails, but they actually painted ours. The girl who painted mine, painted each nail a different color. Now those of you who know me well know that I wear no polish on my nails -- rarely if ever, clear. And French manicure on the toes. Well not today! All the toes are the same -- a brownish red. But my fingers are purple, pink, coral, silver and brownish red. I will take a picture. And yes, I love it! After that, a girl named Devi asked if she could do my hair. She braided my bangs and then pulled the rest into a ponytail. I wish I could have taken pictures, but they are not allowed in the hostels. Devi then asked Annie to do her hair like Annie's. She ended up with a big bun on top of her head, and an even bigger smile to go with it. She loved it, an all of the other girls just wanted to touch it! Devi fancies herself a magician, and asked if I wanted her to show me magic. Who doesn't love magic?. She did some card tricks and WOWED me. I asked her how she did it. she said its a trick. It was almost prayer time, and I would have to go, but we played UNO with Phase 10 cards with her friend Nagesh until it was time to go. So much fun!
I was in Hostel 2 tonight. It was a little chaotic, but fun. They were all still a little wound up from the day's festivities. We talked about talents, and how talents aren't always performance art. Kindness is a talent. Listening is a talent. Patience is a talent. On had a nice discussion. And at the end, a couple of the girls performed Thriller for me, counting 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 at the tops of their lungs :-) Tomorrow is an exhibition day for the Science, English, and Math clubs. They will be performing Thriller, but to music this time. Can't wait!
No comments:
Post a Comment