Day 40:
Rough classes today. Not a lot of
focus. Had a meeting about scheduling for the dance master next year.
After dinner, helped tutor at night school. Went to story time and
read some Tamil classics and folk tales that teach morals. It is
really interesting to see what life lessons are valued in other
cultures. It helps me understand the students better. Had a fun talk
with Kaylee and Marissa, the short-term volunteer who has extended
her stay for two weeks.
Day 41:
Slept in till 7:30 and it was great!
Classes went well today! Did some choreographing for a surprise
birthday dance for the school director for next month. Read some
information about my LifeDance kids when they first got to Rising
Star. Fun to see old pictures of them and read some of their life
stories! These are amazing kids. Went to UKG playtime–such cuties!
So interesting to watch their habits and instincts and how they are
similar and different than ours. Behavior was still not great at
LifeDance. Took pictures of their piques today to show them what they
look like and it actually helped them improve a lot. A success moment
that made me happy to find something that worked. Dinner, and Kaylee
and I made a silly video for my friend's birthday. Storytime.
Day 42:
Went to colony with Anna, Marissa, and
Jamesen. Went to two very small colonies today. First was Gandhi
colony. My first time to this colony. Met one of the UKG kids'
grandma. Only 3 patients. Kept thinking about how crazy it is that
the stigma of leprosy during Jesus' time is still around. No wonder
the people thought it was so amazing that Christ would actually come
up to them, touch them, and heal them. He truly loves everyone, no
exceptions. Next, we went to A.S. Nagar. There was an adorable tiny
kitten walking around that I couldn't help but pick up. Did washing
at both colonies. Got ice cream at the junction on the way home.
Lunch, UKG playtime. Long-term volunteers meeting until LifeDance.
LifeDance went better today. It is all about finding a balance of
being more enthusiastic and lax while also having control of the
class. Volunteers and I watched some episodes of the old TV show
“Recess.” Helped Anna make a Valentine's Day video that night.
Day 43:
Happy Valentine's Day! :) They don't
celebrate it here but since the kids are around the volunteers so
much, they know what it is. Went to Walajabad colony today. Only 3
patients so very short. Played with a little boy there and tried to
keep him out of trouble :) He was a bit of a rascal but very cute. I
did bandage removal and water changing. Had lunch and then helped
with the education rotation. Helped 1st standard in
computers with a math program. Then helped with P.E. with 2nd
standard and learned some Indian games. Played with 5th
standard P.E. next. They were playing a form of volleyball so it was
really fun. Anna and I made a 'Happy Valentine's Day' sign for the
short-term volunteer that is coming today to put on their door and we
had a good discussion. UKG playtime, had LifeDance and just let them
make up dances in groups for fun. They had some good choreography :)
The short-term family, the Johns, got here today and they were great!
The parents are so nice and fun. They have 4 girls: Kristin is 17,
Brianna is 16, Elizabeth is 10, and Lydia is 7. They are all very
sweet girls! Got to know them at dinner on the Green House roof. Got
to FaceTime with mom for a long time and it was great! Hung out with
Kaylee that night. We were each other's valentine for the day :) Felt
useful all day, it was good!
Day 44:
Left for Pondicherry/Puducherry with
everyone, including the Johns family at 8 am. We walked through
Auroville again and then went to Pondicherry. The vendors overwhelmed
the Johns a bit but we did some shopping, walked through the markets,
and had a good time! I helped block some of them off :) Long ride
home. Tried to do some lesson planning. Dinner, went to movie night.
It was split with younger and older kids so spent some time in both
places. The little ones just love snuggling and it just makes
everything better :) Talked with Tom and Urvasi that night. They are
great!
Day 45:
Left for church at 7 am. The Johns
girls and Kaylee and I played church games on Kaylee's iPad on the
way up. About halfway there, there was a really loud noise and the
back tire popped. Good thing we weren't on a freeway in the US or it
could have been disastrous. But being on a highway in India, it
wasn't too bad because everyone just goes around :) Our driver,
Rogendren, is super awesome and he put on the spare and we were only
15 minutes late for church! Good sacrament meeting, primary was a bit
more crazy today. We went to Spencer's mall afterwards. The youngest
of the Johns, Lydia, held my hand the whole time. She is adorable and
reminds me of myself when I was little. Makes me excited and nervous
to be a mom. Helped barter for stuff for the Johns. Stopped at
Reliance grocery store and picked up some things. Had dinner and then
swung on the swing by the Green House with Lydia and chatted. The
students here are very overwhelming when you first get here because
they have no personal space bubbles and love physical touch so poor
Lydia has been a bit overwhelmed because the kids are so excited to
see young volunteers, but she is doing better. Shower, talked with
Marissa.
Day 46:
Went running in the rain with Kaylee.
First time it has rained since I have been here and it was so fun!
Super humid and rainy all day. Gave out the dance award for the most
focused class at morning assembly. I love watching them recite their
school songs and India anthems and stuff. Internet down today so
didn't get to talk to the family. The Johns came and helped with UKG
dance class today and it was great! Ate lunch with the kids. During
teaching 5th standard, I had a coughing fit. Been starting
to get a cough. Came back and took a nap before LifeDance. Dinner,
helped with night school, story time.
Day 47:
Good classes today! Went to story time
and the girls braided my hair like how all of the school girls here
do. It was pretty funny! Good times :) Goofed off with volunteers and
then got to Google+ with Kami for a long time and it was great!
Day 48:
Skyped with Shaun Parry about how
classes are going. Got to Skype with the parents for an hour and it
was really nice. The Johns family came to 4th standard
dance class and it was good. Got to help serve rice to the girls at
lunch because a lot of the house mothers were gone at medical–it
was fun :) Helped with P.E. class but it was raining so we went in
and played chess and a cool Indian board game similar to
pool/billiards. It is so funny that when it started raining, all of
the American volunteers ran outside to play in it and all of the
Indians ran inside to get covered. They all worry about getting sick
and stuff. I tried to do some choreographing during my break but got
easily distracted :) I use PhotoBooth sometimes to record my
choreography so I remember it. I was watching it when the cleaning
ladies of the Elephant House saw it and came in. I showed them how
you can take pictures with it and they were so surprised,intrigued,
and thought it was amazing! We had fun taking pictures :) LifeDance
was rough. Met with Dr. Vigi after about the secret dance for Dr.
Susan. Dinner and then we found “Frozen” on YouTube and watched
it with the Johns girls. Helped Urvasi get the ants out of her bed
that had decided to take over. Pretty good day.
Day 49:
The sun was huge, bright red, and
beautiful while I ran this morning and it helped me keep going. Went
to medical today with the Johns family to Bhatalapuram. This was my
2nd time at this colony and I love it! It is a bigger
colony and they just have the sweetest people! Did some washing and
oiling and got to have good conversation with the parents of the
Johns family, Charity and Brian. Marissa asked to have her blood
sugar taken just to see, so Jamesen took it and she passed out. She
hasn't been feeling well and was dehydrated. A bit startling but she
is doing fine now. Did lots of dancing at the end. It was mostly the
ladies just watching Kaylee and I. I also brought my drum and many of
them loved using it. I just love the people here! They have so much
love. Before we left, we went on a mini micro-grant tour that Anna
took us on. We stopped at the Community Hall and saw the 'Pearls for
a Purpose' organization that teaches women how to bead and then sell
the jewelry to help support their families. We also stopped at the
Bindi Art School where a couple from Europe live and teach the
patients how to paint. Even if they don't have many fingers, they
find a way–even if it means using their toes. They have been doing
it for a few years now and the patients have become quite incredible!
Both the organizations are really cool and doing a lot of good.
Amazing how they are helping people pull themselves out of poverty.
Lunch, UKG playtime, took silly pictures with Elizabeth and Lydia
Johns. LifeDance went a bit better, had dinner, exchanged emails and
such with the Johns as it was their last night. Sad to see them go!
They are such a great family and are going to do such great things!
So glad I got to meet them! Kaylee and I had a sleepover tonight
because my roommate Urvasi, left for the weekend for a meeting with
the organization she is here with: World Teach. Kaylee and I had some
great, deep conversations and then went to bed late.
Day 50:
Anna, Jamesen, Kaylee, and I got up at
2:30 to say goodbye to the Johns. But when we got up, they hadn't
woken up yet! So we had to wake them up and we helped get them on
their way. Went back to bed and got up at 7:30 and Anna and I made a
nice breakfast for Jamesen for his birthday. We all ate together.
Went to medical alone today as the only volunteer. Just me and the
medical team. The other volunteers have to work on manuals for the
next set of volunteers that are coming after they leave. I went to
Mogalvadi colony, one of my favorites. I got to take blood pressure
today so that was cool. I danced at least 5 songs after with our dear
Jayraj. Lunch, answered emails, UKG playtime. Today for LifeDance, it
was the Friday once a month where they teach a class. Two LifeDance
girls, Tamilselvi and Savita, taught a girls class in the dining hall
and two LifeDance boys, Mohanraj and M. Vignesh, taught the boys
class on some cement outside the medical station. They both taught
during playtime and I walked back and forth between the two to
monitor. The girls had tons of attendees! The boys had a harder time
convincing other boys to give up their playtime. It was a bit chaotic
but both boys and girls did a good job and it is so good for them to
have to teach! That night, gave Jamesen his birthday present. Took
Urvasi's night school class since she is gone. Since it was Friday,
after they finished their homework, we let them watch a movie. Kaylee
and I made a bunch of microwaveable cakes that the women from the
'Women to Women' conference left for Jamesen's birthday dessert. It
was quite hilarious but tasted good! The volunteers and I played card
games for a while and then went to bed.
Day 51:
No Saturday day trip today because all
of the other long-term volunteers have to write manuals for the
volunteers coming after them. But Anna, Jamesen, Marissa, and I all
rode to the junction on bikes. It was a fun ride except for the fact
that I got stung by a hornet twice on the way and got pretty
sunburned because I completely spaced putting on sunscreen. We walked
around the little shops for a while. On our ride back, we did a
little off roading and went on the trails on the side of the road
into the fields with the cows and had some adventures roaming around
:) Worked on choreography and lesson plans. Kaylee and I jumped rope
with the cleaning ladies of the Elephant House for a while :) Feeling
a bit low that night but then went to the movie night with the kids.
They are like medicine when they snuggle up with you, it's impossible
to be sad. Love 'em!
Day 52:
Church was good. I was asked to lead
music but there was no pianist so that was interesting... I just sang
loud and tried to follow their pace :) After, we stayed for the
baptism of one of Kaylee and I's primary students–it was great! On
the way into the baptism, I saw two men signing. I watched for a
while, expecting it to be Tamil Sign Language, but was surprised when
I was understanding it! They were signing American Sign Language! I
went up to them and introduced myself and started signing with them.
They are both deaf. One of the sister missionaries in that branch is
teaching them ASL. So great to sign again! Gosh I miss it! Made me so
happy! I have been trying to learn the letters of Tamil Sign
Language, but it's hard! Stopped at grocery store on the way back.
Played soccer with the older girls. It was really fun! Really enjoyed
just being with them–it was a good time where I was completely in
the moment. I love those times. Did some Zumba and 'Just Dance' with
Kaylee and Anna, Jamesen joined us. So fun! Dinner and we all played
card games and Skyped with Shynee (the girl who taught with me for
the first month) and got to chat with her.
Day 53:
Teaching music, rhythm, and time this
week. Went well! Gave out the dance award for this week at morning
assembly. Internet down again so didn't get to talk to family. Did
some choreography and chatted with volunteers. More classes. They all
went well today! Had lunch and it was raining really hard so danced
in the rain with Kaylee and Anna till we were all basically soaked
and it was great :) Went to UKG playtime. Tried to teach the kids how
to say, “Brown chicken, brown cow!” and it was hilarious hearing
them try to say it :) LifeDance went better today. Taught them a
combo across the floor. Dinner and helped tutor at night school.
These kids need so much help. They are so used to just being fed
answers and copying that they have a hard time thinking on their own.
Tried my best to explain the concepts to them. Went to story time at
the girls' hostel and they just asked me questions about dance.
Talked with Kaylee till bed.
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