Another beautiful day here in India. Today was the Math, Science and English clubs exhibition day. Before they could begin their presentations, a very special guest, Padma -- spaced how to spell her last name, but I will post it tomorrow. She is the daughter of a former president of India. she is very wealthy, yet has dedicated her life to building those in the lowest cast. Education and learning English are key for her. They waited for her arrival, when she cut the ribbon going into one of the science rooms. She took her time listening to each student's presentation. She is so loved, and it is obvious the love she has for these children. They had all worked so hard, and communicated their projects in English. That was quite an accomplishment? We asked them questions, and they answered them well. Our job was to help them practice their English. I learned about cube roots, early man, the political and geographical outlay of India, important writers, homogenous vs. heterogenous, magnetic pull, brain function, lung function -- it just went on and on! I was very impressed. My favorite thing I heard today was that the brain is for thinking, imagine and storing memory. That will always be stored away in my brain. And I will always strive to imagine. these kids are about possibility. wonderful! They were all beaming with pride. And with good reason.
Afterwards, there was an assembly in the dining hall. There were performances given by the children: tongue twisters that would surely have left mine in knots. there was a short excerpt from "Othello", and a rendition of Thriller that was spot on! There was a speech given by Lily Simpson who is here serving as an administrator alongside her husband. She spoke about how important learning English is. It is either the first or second language in many countries. It will aid them in travel as they expand their horizons. It will help them as they apply for college. Outside of Tamil Nadu, Tamil is not spoken. English will provide a bridge to the rest of the world for them. Then Padma spoke. She was wonderful and praised the children for their hard work. She talked about how the Life Dance program was about much more than dance. it is about teaching cooperation, teamwork and, this I thought was very interesting -- punctuality. Dance teaches you about time and timing. I had honestly never thought about being on beat as I dance as being punctual. I LOVE that! She lauded the teachers and their dedication. She sincerely thanked the volunteers without whom this program wouldn't be nearly as effective. She spoke of gratitude, and how when something is in front of us every day we don't always appreciate what we have. But Rising Star has come so far, and the students have come even farther. They ALL passed their final exams. Hard work, dedication, and love -- so much love. I was talking with Lindsey (another volunteer) about how there is nothing like this feeling. She loves to run, and said the closest thing to which she could compare this experience is the endorphin high she gets from running. It is simply exhilarating. And words just don't do it justice. Such a beautiful experience. Acknowledging accomplishment.
Directly following the show, we piled in the bus to visit two of the micro businesses started through monies raised by Rising Star and its volunteers. First to "Pearls with Purpose" where women are being empowered to start and run their own jewelry making business. I could learn a thing or two from them I'm sure! The business end if my jewelry making is definitely not my strong suit :-) But there were some beautiful things. They were very proud. Then on to a very profound experience. We went to the art school where leprosy affected people -- some from a local rest home -- without fingers or toes painting some of the most beautiful and detailed paintings. We bought two. Again -- pictures to come. On the way home, feeling happy and inspired, we stopped for omelets and perotha (sp?) which is a deep fried tortilla/croissant/crepe. In India, the left hand is considered dirty. They eat with their right hand only. No utensils. You tear and eat with your right hand. Challenging and kind fun! Delicious.
And finally, back just in time for play time. Annie and I were motioned to come in to Hostel 2 again. Devi, Kavya and Nagesh pulled us into their room and asked us to teach them a dance. So much fun! I began to teach them a simple dance I had choreographed to "Better Dig Two" by The Band Perry. They caught on really well. As I was turning to leave, Kavya jumped and threw her arms around my neck giving me the most heartfelt hug! And Devi took me by the shoulders, looked me dead in the eye, then smiled and gave me a tight squeeze. Again, words cannot express. They sent me on my way and promised to practice. We will finish it up next time I'm sure. So amazing! Dance. A universal language.
Afterwards, there was an assembly in the dining hall. There were performances given by the children: tongue twisters that would surely have left mine in knots. there was a short excerpt from "Othello", and a rendition of Thriller that was spot on! There was a speech given by Lily Simpson who is here serving as an administrator alongside her husband. She spoke about how important learning English is. It is either the first or second language in many countries. It will aid them in travel as they expand their horizons. It will help them as they apply for college. Outside of Tamil Nadu, Tamil is not spoken. English will provide a bridge to the rest of the world for them. Then Padma spoke. She was wonderful and praised the children for their hard work. She talked about how the Life Dance program was about much more than dance. it is about teaching cooperation, teamwork and, this I thought was very interesting -- punctuality. Dance teaches you about time and timing. I had honestly never thought about being on beat as I dance as being punctual. I LOVE that! She lauded the teachers and their dedication. She sincerely thanked the volunteers without whom this program wouldn't be nearly as effective. She spoke of gratitude, and how when something is in front of us every day we don't always appreciate what we have. But Rising Star has come so far, and the students have come even farther. They ALL passed their final exams. Hard work, dedication, and love -- so much love. I was talking with Lindsey (another volunteer) about how there is nothing like this feeling. She loves to run, and said the closest thing to which she could compare this experience is the endorphin high she gets from running. It is simply exhilarating. And words just don't do it justice. Such a beautiful experience. Acknowledging accomplishment.
Directly following the show, we piled in the bus to visit two of the micro businesses started through monies raised by Rising Star and its volunteers. First to "Pearls with Purpose" where women are being empowered to start and run their own jewelry making business. I could learn a thing or two from them I'm sure! The business end if my jewelry making is definitely not my strong suit :-) But there were some beautiful things. They were very proud. Then on to a very profound experience. We went to the art school where leprosy affected people -- some from a local rest home -- without fingers or toes painting some of the most beautiful and detailed paintings. We bought two. Again -- pictures to come. On the way home, feeling happy and inspired, we stopped for omelets and perotha (sp?) which is a deep fried tortilla/croissant/crepe. In India, the left hand is considered dirty. They eat with their right hand only. No utensils. You tear and eat with your right hand. Challenging and kind fun! Delicious.
And finally, back just in time for play time. Annie and I were motioned to come in to Hostel 2 again. Devi, Kavya and Nagesh pulled us into their room and asked us to teach them a dance. So much fun! I began to teach them a simple dance I had choreographed to "Better Dig Two" by The Band Perry. They caught on really well. As I was turning to leave, Kavya jumped and threw her arms around my neck giving me the most heartfelt hug! And Devi took me by the shoulders, looked me dead in the eye, then smiled and gave me a tight squeeze. Again, words cannot express. They sent me on my way and promised to practice. We will finish it up next time I'm sure. So amazing! Dance. A universal language.
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