Monday, July 4, 2011

good to be back... happy fourth of july!!

On our way home from New Dehli, we were passing through one of the local colonies in our bus around midnight and as we pulled into the colony, we saw fireworks start going off! We were all really excited thinking that some of the coordinators had gotten fireworks and had set them off for the fourth of july (because technically it was the fourth!). It ended up being for a Hindi temple celebration though that they always have on the fourth- what a coincidence! Some people on the bus started singing “America the Beautiful” and the “Star Spangled Banner” – this fourth of July is very different from any fourth of July that I have ever had… BUT never in my life have I been more grateful for the freedoms that I have in the United States. Although our government is not perfect, our founding fathers set forth very perfect and righteous principles and values and we have so much to be grateful for in America.

*I put this up specifically for you Jess... this is your signature silly face and when I did it to Kishor he thought it was really funny and wanted to take a picture :) scary. i probably should NOT put this one up...


*Sathiya and Maryambee in between tutoring sessions :)
Play time is normally exhausting but one of the best things Ever!!! The past couple of days, we have normally chosen to play hide-and-go-seek, and I am always it no matter what and then we run and chase each other for over an hour! We found an ant hill the size of four basketball’s today which was pretty cool too!
Sathya is almost thirteen and can show a little bit of an attitude sometimes which is kinda funny :) She has become one of my best friends here and we always have fun “talking” just the two of us. She has opened up so much the past week about her family story and just life in general and it is fun but sad sometimes to hear her background. Her father ran away years ago and her mother lives in an asylum. Her grandmother and some of her siblings refuse to talk to her and to her mother. Her aunt takes care of her now when she is “at home” from RSO. I hear story after story each and every day of the kid’s past or families and am amazed at the love that they can still show regardless of their backgrounds. There have been multiple experiences that show me though that even though these kids and patients have gone through so much, there are angels that surround them and help them. I do not understand why some people have to have so much pain in this life, but I do know that God, somehow, makes everything perfect in the end. So no matter how unfair some of these children’s situations seem or how unfair it may seem that some people have to suffer from such a terrible disease such as leprosy, I take comfort in that knowledge, although it doesn’t take away the pain that you feel for them each and every day.

I thought of you tonight Dad :)- Nashanthi, Maryambee, Anitha, Nageshwari, Sathya and I played “climb the mountain” for about twenty minutes during family time! It has become one of their favorite games which is good and bad because some of the older girls are up to my chin and I can barely lift them! Haaha! It is good to be back at the school with the kids…
Each day I miss my family more and more, but at the same time find that my heart also grows more and more for these people… especially the kids and a part of me wishes that I could keep a part of myself here and a part of myself back at home in ohio…



*It is good to be back :)

No comments:

Post a Comment