Days 92-95 and conclusion

Day 92:

Caught up on blog in the morning. Had 8^th and 9^th standard combined. It was a big class but went well! They had some really creative ideas! Wrote notes to the housemothers and watched Anna paint one of the pillars by the greenhouse gate. For LifeDance that evening, the first half of class was just LifeDance. We warmed up and I tried to take some group pics, but that didn't work so well :) Then let them run any dances they wanted to. The second half of class was an open class that anybody could come to. I taught the Bollywood “line dance” I came up with and they really enjoyed it. They just followed and learned. Then we just made a circle and had a free dance where anyone could go into the middle and we would follow them or watch them. I will miss that a lot! I absolutely love just watching them free style. Shows so much about their culture and who they are. Dance tells a lot about people. I gathered LifeDance at the end, said a few final words, and gave them all a treat and note. After dinner, we had the student talent show. It was lots of fun! Gosh I love these kids!! There was lots of singing, dancing, and skits. Went to M. Vignesh's room for storytime again and just made up stories on the spot and about how India was winning the semi-finals for cricket! The power went out for about 20 min. tonight so Jamesen, Kaylee, and I went to the roof and looked at the stars. You can see so many stars here!

Day 93:

Got up at 4:15 and said goodbye to Jamesen who is leaving to go on an adventure to an island on his own. Sad to see one of our foursome go! Got up at 6:15 and left for Chennai at 7 am. Got to hang out with Anna all day, it was fun! We went to a Hindu temple first. It was really cool! There was a lot to see and it was really interesting to see all the different ways people worship in this religion. We went to the Pondi bazaar after and walked around, got some lunch, and then walked down to Mambalum for some shopping. We had fun playing “Frogger” to get across the streets :) Went to the last half of playtime when we got back. These kids make me so happy! Found Vino, my LifeDance president, and she did some henna on my arm for me. She did it free hand in about 8 min. and it was amazing! Did some last min. packing and went to movie night. It was a Tamil movie, it was long, but just so good to be with the kids. I was nervous about having to say goodbye to them. I felt like I couldn't hold them, touch them, look at them enough. Tried to sit with different groups. Went back to the hostel with the kids and had to say goodbye. I was doing okay until my dear Angel, from LifeDance, hugged me. Then I lost it and couldn't stop. I went to the top floor of the girls hostel and hugged them all. They were all so sweet and told me not to cry and to be happy. They have to say so many goodbyes, they are so wise for their ages in this way. Especially hard to say goodbye to my dear Theerthi. Finally pulled myself away. Went to boys hostel and said goodbye to those that were awake. Watched “Recess” and ate chocolate cake with Kaylee to cope :) Hard, but good day.

Day 94-95:

Left by 7:15 am for church with all of my luggage. Fast and testimony meeting was good as usual. Primary lesson was okay. Lots of distractions today. We read lots of stories and gave out treats. The branch president thanked Kaylee and I for teaching primary and we said goodbye to our church friends, Daniel, David, and Vijay. Kaylee and I then went to Vennila Mary's home for the day. Said goodbye to Anna, Lily, and Dale. Vennila was so sweet and welcoming! We spent some time rearranging bags, she fed us lunch and dinner, we chatted, played games, made cookies, and read a book of her life story. She is an incredible woman who has been through so much! Left for the airport at 11 pm. So glad we got to spend the day with her! In the Chennai airport, we ran into a man we had met at the beach one time at Mammallapuram and he recognized us! So we sat and talked with him before our flight and during the layover before our next flight. I was so tired and actually slept a lot on the first flight. It was 10 hours long. Had a 4 hour layover in Frankfurt. The second flight at 8.5 hours. There was a lot of empty seats so got to sit by Kaylee. This flight felt very long though. Made friends with a Norwegian man that we talked to on our next layover. Last flight was 3 hours on a tiny jet. We had beautiful views of the mountains on the way in! Many ups and downs on this long journey home! Glad I had a friend to do it with! Mom and dad greeted me with balloons—they are so cute :) Kaylee's whole family came and surprised her! I showed mom and dad everything I had gotten in India before bed.

It still feels weird to be home at times. There is toilet paper in every bathroom, I can plug things in without an adaptor, I can brush my teeth with sink water and hot water comes right out of the faucet. Sometimes when someone turns out the lights I think the power has gone out. I can walk to church. We are so blessed in America to live in such a land of plenty! Yet, many things are also the same. The Spirit can be felt anywhere and the Gospel is true everywhere. People are people everywhere and children are always children. Everyone is a child of God.

What an incredible journey it was! I learned so much and I became a better and stronger person. I made many weaknesses into strengths and made many strengths even stronger. I learned more about independence, humility, sharing, patience, a greater sense of motherhood, the power of physical touch, dedication to the most important things in life, leaving regrets behind, and a greater passion for humanitarian service. I learned a greater respect for other cultures and religions and can now learn new names much quicker! I learned to become instant friends with everyone I met, how to be more observant, and be happy with who I am. I can now more easily go with the flow, make my situation positive, and be more spontaneous. I now even enjoy spicy food, and will eat tomatoes, peppers, and watermelon by themselves! :) I know my life will forever be different because of this experience.

As my henna is fading and I am almost finished taking my malaria pills, I feel as though the last bits of India are slipping away. However, I know many things will never leave me. I met so many of God's beloved children and created unending friendships. I have a journal, many pictures, and videos. Many things remind me of my time in India and I know that this will continue to happen. And most importantly, I have my memories. And these I am eternally grateful for. I take away with me, overall, a greater and deeper understanding of love and its power. Even as I settle back into daily life, I know that these children and this experience will never leave me because part of my heart was left in Tamilnadu, India.

Days 66-91

Day 66:

Church was good. Went to playtime and played some soccer, some cricket, and some volleyball with the boys. Watched “Pocahontas” that night with Jamesen and Kaylee. Good, relaxing day.

Day 67:

This week of classes is my only week to prepare the students for their final performance. Did partner initiation with 8^th standard and they did great! I was very impressed. Google+ with the family. Used a cute book called “Head to Toe” by Eric Carle for UKG and 1^st standard that they will be doing for the performance. 5^th standard also did well. They are making partner shapes on different levels. Went to UKG playtime. Had a small rehearsal for Dr. Susan's birthday dance. Great classes today! LifeDance was a bit chaotic today though. Got two new short term volunteers. Their names are Katherine and Elizabeth. They are sisters and they are great! Went to story time with the new volunteers.

Day 68:

After running, I Google+ with Celsea for a bit. Had 6^th standard first. They were pretty crazy as usual. Good kids, but you put them together and they like to goof off. Made lunch and Skyped with Shaun Parry and got some good ideas. Had 3^rd standard and they were great! Did a different book lesson with them and they ate it up! 7^th standard next. They were hard to get to move! Crazy how I can't get 6^th standard to stop moving and can't get 7^th standard to move! Good for me to learn to teach all kinds of students. Stayed and stretched after class with my dear Priya :) LifeDance went pretty well. Helped at night school, went to story time.

Day 69:

Had 9^th standard first this morning. Worked on choreography and music cutting for LifeDance. 4^th standard next went pretty well. The volunteers came and helped out. Had 2^nd standard next and all the volunteers came again. The kids were crazy. They recently got a new teacher so they do not listen. Even with all of us volunteers in there it was a struggle. Went to UKG playtime and had a good time with the little critters :) LifeDance went very well today. Hung out with Katherine and Elizabeth. Went to story time. Theerthi taught me how to write my name in Tamil and made me practice it on my hand :) She tried to teach me how to say a few lines from her Tamil storybook as well but then just laughed at me as I tried to pronounce them :) Lots of fun tonight!

Day 70:

Went to medical today. We went to two colonies: Gandhi colony and A.S. Nagar. Only 2 patients at Gandhi colony. I spent most of my time there playing with a darling little 4-year-old girl named Keerthina. She is beautiful! She showed me her umbrella, picked up the stray cats that came by, we blew up a medical latex glove and played with it like a balloon, danced, all sorts of things! Her mother, grandma, and aunt showed Kaylee and I pictures of her family as well. These people are so sweet and so family-oriented! They are so proud of their families. Did oiling at A.S. Nagar. Had an excursion afterwards. We went on a short hike up a hill to a temple over 3,000 years old. Beautiful view from up there!! Had our long-term volunteer meeting at 4 and then had LifeDance. Helped at night school.

Day 71:

Today was the day for Dr. Susan's special birthday celebration! Got ready and blew up balloons for the event. Practiced with the students for the dance. The decorations they had were very pretty! It is never a “small event” in India. It is always elaborate with all kinds of decorations and accessories. But it is very beautiful and colorful! After much preparation, Dr. Susan came. The choir sang, Vimal played the piano, words were spoken, cards were given, and my dance was done. The kids did a good job! Dr. Susan seemed to like it very much! It was long but good. They handed out sweets as we left. Today was education rotation so I helped Subedha read for library time. After lunch, we helped 1^st standard with their math computer games. Then had 9^th standard for library time and I read with my sweet Divya. Last was library with 6^th standard and I read with Naveen. Went to UKG playtime. LifeDance taught their own class today. It was a bit chaotic, but the younger kids who came loved it! It is good leadership and teaching experience for LifeDance as well. Played games that night after dinner. Went to story time.

Day 72:

Went to Mammallapuram again today. Did some shopping. Helped Katherine and Elizabeth do some bartering. Walked along the beach before we left. Good day! Played more games that night after dinner. Went to movie night. Sat with boys and the UKG boys fell asleep on me. Good day!!

Day 73:

Left for church at 7. Today is the birthday of the Relief Society, so we had a great sacrament meeting about motherhood and women. Stopped at Reliance on the way home and they were still out of peanut butter! Oh dear. Played basketball with some 5^th standard boys at playtime and it was a blast! I miss basketball! They asked us volunteers to sing the opening song for prayer time. Another beautiful sunset tonight! Great dinner and watched “Aladdin.” Good day.

Day 74:

This week the students have testing so I don't have any of my regular classes. So today I did the community outreach rotation. We painted the spikes on the wall black. It was kinda hard but we had fun. Did some housekeeping things for school till LifeDance. Went to some of night school and story time.

Day 75:

Corrected LifeDance journals until medical. Went to Polunbakkam colony. This was my first time to this colony. It is large and very nice! It is run by the Damien Organization rather than the government, so it is kept up well and they have more amenities. There are some very nice and happy patients here! I did washing. Many sweet moments at this colony with the patients there. For the excursion after, we went to an old, abandoned hospital that is now open to anyone with leprosy. Right as I stepped off the van I met a sweet lady who hugged me and when I asked her her name, she yelled it out loudly with a big smile :) I just love these people!! The patients were eating lunch, so we went into their dining hall and we sang some hymns to them. The Spirit was very strong and I felt very grateful at that moment. Visited one other abandoned hostel before we left. It was where volunteers used to stay who would help at that hospital. Had LifeDance that evening. Since the kids are having to focus all day, they are having a hard time continuing to focus. They are a bit burned out by the end of the day, but rehearsal went pretty well. Met two people who came to visit Rising Star. One is a woman who taught at RSO a few years ago. She came and made plasters for orthotics for Usha, one of the students here, because her feet are so flat and it is causing her pain. Then I will take them back to Utah with me and this woman's podiatrist will make orthotics for Usha. It's awesome to see so many people help these students! This woman also brought a friend with her. His name is Father Thomas. He runs a hospice just a few miles away with about 125 people who are on their death bed, mentally ill, handicapped, or blind. He is an incredible man! So patient! He is like a modern-day and male Mother Theresa. It was great to talk to him! He brought 3 children with him from the hospice and Kaylee and I went and played with them for a while before dinner. Went to story time. Read Indian Tales to Subha and Mispa. Great day!

Day 76:

Got to FaceTime with Alex this morning! Miss her. Left at 9 am for Vandalur colony. It is a bigger colony, but not many patients today. Played with the cute baby goats for a while before we set up. One of the patients, sweet Abraham, said a prayer before and after the patients came through. Did a lot of hanging out with the patients today. There are some really funny people at this colony! It is a bit more run down and dirty, but the people are so happy and helpful. We went to the Vandalur Zoo for the excursion afterwards. It was fun! We rode a small bus around to see the animals. We were the next attraction after the animals! We saw monkeys, birds, white tigers, giraffes, hippos, and more. Some animals were inside because it was so hot, but we saw a few. Lots of good “India moments” today :) LifeDance went well today. Stopped and talked with Dr. Vigi for a while. She is so great! The president, Sally Read, got here today, so chatted with her. She is so sweet and spoils us! She brought us homemade cookies! We all just sat around and ate them and hung out. Haven't tasted something this good in a long time! Read stories to 2 different rooms at the boys hostel for story time.

Day 77:

Today we went on a micro-grant tour! It was a great day! Anna was a great tour guide telling us about all of the beneficiaries at Bhathalapuram. This is such a big colony! We met a barber, saw lavatories that had been built, ran into an Indian politician, saw 3 small shops that had been created, saw the tailor, met a carpenter who is also a snake catcher, visited 'Pearls with a Purpose', met a woman who makes and sells bathroom cleaners, a woman who has a cable TV business, and spent a few minutes at the cresh/nursery with the little children. We visited the sweet Mooniyama who loves to kiss our hands and offer us juice and biscuits. We went to the Bindu Art School, where I finally chose a painting and took a picture with the artist. I also got to meet Theerthi's mother. Throughout these adventures, we talked to many people and took many pictures. It really is a great community here! It is cool to see all of the good that RSO has done for these people. They are thriving. When we got back I wrote my script to M/C the final performance. Went to play with the UKG kids, but they had to get vaccinations today so we just sat and encouraged them instead. They were all so tough! Only a few tears :) Had volunteer meeting at 4 and then had LifeDance. LifeDance went really well! Love these kids! Ended up teaching many of them how to do “the worm” after class :) Had a nice dinner and hung out with volunteers. It is starting to get really hot here now and I am feeling it! FaceTimed with mom, went to story time at Kala's room. These boys are so funny!

Day 78:

Mogalvadi colony today! It is my favorite :) It is also my last day of medical too. Good to start and finish on Mogalvadi. There are only 7 people at this colony but they are all just so happy! They all have such a light about them. I did washing. We did lots of singing, chatting, and lots of dancing at the end! Jayaraj is one great dancer! I will miss him!! Had an excursion to a temple dedicated to Mary afterward. So many stairs! The temple was cool though and we met lots of funny, sweet girls. Went to UKG playtime when we got back. Made a program/handout for the final performance on Monday. Had LifeDance. Taught some tap today and they loved it! It's a new concept for them, but many of them picked it up quickly. Helped at night school and then had to say goodbye to Tom and Urvasi. I can't believe they are leaving! They have been here 10 months. They are great people! Going to miss them a lot!

Day 79:

Got up at 5 am and said goodbye to Katherine and Elizabeth. I will miss them! Left for Chennai at 8 am with just the 4 of us long-term volunteers: Anna, Kaylee, Jamesen, and I. We decided to go to an amusement park called “Queensland” and we had a blast! Walked around, went on a lot of rides, rode a tram, bumper cars, got food, went to the pool at the end. The rides were probably not US safety approved, but that's what made it more adventuresome :) Reminded me a lot of Lagoon but not as nice. So much was based off of American things and it was really funny to see how they portray Americans. Lots of funny moments throughout the day. For the last hour and a half, we went to the pool. It was segregated boys and girls. I was only planning on wading in but then got splashed so much by a little girl that I just went all the way in in my clothes. I met these hilarious young nursing students who dragged me over to their group of friends. There were about 20 of them. We talked, swam, danced a lot, laughed, splashed, etc. It was so fun!! They were great! Forgot any problems and I was just completely in the moment :) I love to watch them dance! So cool to see where there inner rhythm comes from and what is natural to them. Tells so much about a culture! Went to last few minutes of playtime. We got 4 new volunteers today. They are from the Netherlands and I love hearing them speak Dutch! They are here with another organization called “Kikindia” and they paid for the sickbay/hospital on campus so they came to officially open it. Went to movie night–my favorite! Sat with older girls first, then moved to younger girls, then went over to the boys. Sweet Ranjith came straight to me and sat on my lap when he saw me. I had 5 boys sleeping or leaning on me at the same time. It makes all of my limbs fall asleep but I absolutely love it :)

Day 80:

My new roommate, Natasha, got in early this morning. She is here for 2 weeks. Showed her around. Left for church at 7. Today was branch conference. The sister missionaries grabbed us volunteers and quickly prepared us for a choir number for the special musical number. Always impromptu :) For sharing time in Primary, had a district primary leader teach and she was wonderful! Went to Spencer's mall after church. Did some shopping and had Subway for lunch! Vijay from the branch also joined us. Went to last half of playtime. These kids are what is going to make it so hard to leave.

Day 81:

Performance day! Ran with Kaylee and it was so foggy you could hardly see in front of you. I felt like I was running through a cloud and water droplets kept sticking to my eyelashes. It was cool :) Had a nice chat with Anna and Sally that were some things I needed to hear. Got to Google+ with the fam for a long time. Got costumes and music and such ready for the performance. Called a rehearsal at 1for LifeDance so we could practice. At 2 pm, we had the opening of the hospital. It was, of course, a grand event. All the students sat and watched. There were many flowers and decorations around the area and given to the Kikindia volunteers. I was asked to take pictures so I floated around. I love how embellished and long everything is in India. Really shows a lot about their culture. They lit candles, gave speeches, cut the ribbon, had a dedicatory prayer, Anna's choir sang, and Kiki gave out cookies to the students. It was a good event! Then we all walked over to the dining hall for the dance performances. Went well! Gave some opening remarks, and jumped right into the program. They have a different idea of manners in India at dance events, so it was hard to keep everyone quiet. So I didn't get to announce each number as well as I would have liked to, but the kids did a great job! It's so wonderful to see how much they light up when they are on stage! At the end, Jamesen and Kaylee got everyone to chant my name and they made me dance. I just did some contemporary improv for a minute or two. Then went to a prayer ceremony for 10^th standard. It was really beautiful. They have their exams soon that decide which school they will go to for 11^th and 12^th standard. Had LifeDance for just half an hour. Just did some relaxation with them since they were all so tired and then just turned on music for those who wanted to stay and we just danced and hung out. Went to story time and just chatted that night. A good day of much celebration!

Day 82:

The school is trying a 20-day program for the rest of the school year, so my schedule has now changed. I will only have one class a day for the next two weeks I am here. So had my first class right after lunch with UKG. Did a balancing lesson and they loved it! The volunteers came as well and had a good time. Wrote my LifeDance kids notes. Had LifeDance. Taught an old hip hop combo of mine and they just ate it up and now want to practice it all the time! The kids have free time in the evenings now, so we went over and had the kids write thank you notes to the grocery store that sent the cookies that Kiki gave out. So just walked around the hostels and monitored them. It was fun! Went to girls hostel for story time and chatted with Megala and Jennifer.

Day 83:

Had 1^st standard today. They were great and are just absolutely adorable! I will miss teaching them! LifeDance went alright. Had the kids make thank you cards again tonight. Taught sign language to a bunch of girls at story time. They are such quick learners and they love it! And I love teaching it to them too. That night we planned for the talent show tomorrow night that they asked us volunteers to do.

Day 84:

Had 2^nd standard today. They were pretty wild. I am grateful to have at least one class a day but I do miss the days where I taught 4 or 5 classes. Makes me grateful that I had so many weeks of that. Just walked around and hung out with the kids for a while. Had some good discussions with Natasha. LifeDance went well. Prepared for the talent show. The show was a big hit! Lily taught some songs, Anna sang, Dale danced, the Kikindia volunteers taught “The Macarena,” I danced, then we did the midget dancing we planned. We had one person be in between two sheets with their arms in pants so it looked like legs and someone else stood behind, unseen, as their arms. It was hilarious and the kids loved it! Then we did getting ready for the day with someone else as their arms. By the end I had shampoo all over my hair, lotion everywhere, toothpaste all over my face, as well as mascara everywhere. It was pretty great :) Laughed a lot that night as we reflected on the talent show and chatted with the Kikindia volunteers who left that night except for Catarina who is here for another week and a half.

Day 85:

Helped Kaylee teach an English class of UKG and 1^st standard students that they asked her to teach. They are a bit crazy! We tried to come up with all kinds of creative ways to teach them the concepts. Taught 3^rd standard today and they were great as always! They were so focused and loved the balancing lesson. Talked with my dear Mariyam for a good 25 minutes. She was telling me all about her life. Ate lunch, helped Kaylee some more. Wrote in some of the kids' memory books until LifeDance. LifeDance went alright. Another great sunset tonight. Lily brought us jackfruit to try tonight! It's yummy! Went to the boys' hostel for free time and we played board games. One is similar to billiards or pool, and we also played “Snakes and Ladders.” Then just hung out outside with some boys doing yoga and tricks and such. Going to miss these boys! The power went out multiple times tonight so we had lots of fun sneaking around and scaring each other for a while :)

Day 86:

Left for Mammallapuram again at 8 am. Four students have been extra good and they earned a trip with us! So we had Michael, Bala, Vimal, and Divya with us. It was so fun! We went and saw some of the temple ruins first. We did a little shopping, and spent the rest of the time at the beach. Just jumped in in our clothes again. We played on the sand, swam, found treasures, all sorts of stuff. Fun day! The kids fell asleep on my lap on the ride home. Long day for them :) Went to the end of playtime and played some volleyball. Kaylee accidentally kicked it into the well of the sewage treatment plant so then we had an adventure fishing it out with a bucket and rope :) Went to movie night and sat with younger girls who fell asleep on me after they did my hair. Love these kids! These girls are so sweet! The only downside of the day was getting bit by a giant ant thing and my finger became swollen and was sore for a few days.

Day 87:

Church was good. My primary lesson went well. Stopped at Reliance on the way home and got treats for my students. Got stuck in some traffic on the way back but not too long. Played soccer at playtime with the girls. It was fun! Went to Dale and Lily's apartment for dinner. She made pasta, mashed potatoes, salad, and grapes! All things I have not had since I have been here and it was amazing! I forgot how much I missed these foods! We played a game after eating and then we went to free time with the kids. Snuggled with the girls, played, sang, danced, taught some more ASL to the older girls, told stories, etc. Just chatted in girls' hostel for story time.

Day 88:

Good chat with the family in the morning after run. Wrote in more memory books. Taught 4^th standard. I did a “Chance Dance” lesson and they loved it! They did so good! Lunch, helped Kaylee with her class for an hour. Helped the nurses with an inventory sheet by checking their English and making it sound official. LifeDance went pretty well. Gave a little speech about motivation after and they listened well. Sat with the girls for free time. We danced and I taught more ASL. Went to story time in Buji's room.

Day 89:

Happy April Fools' Day! :) Had to say goodbye to one of the housemothers who is leaving today. So sad! Listened to the Young Woman's broadcast and wrote in more memory books. Got an exciting email today. I found out that I received the Dee Winterton 'Spirit of Dance' Award and half tuition scholarship! I felt so honored! What a wonderful surprise! The Lord works in mysterious ways, but He really knows what's best. Had 5^th standard and they were also very good! They just love to dance and they had great focus. Wrote in more memory books and had a LifeDance presidency meeting. LifeDance was not great today. Went to free time and hung out with the boys. We played lots of Ninja and just goofed around. It's so good for them to have some free time! Usually they are booked 24/7. Went to the boys' hostel in Kala's room for story time. They ended up telling me more stories tonight than me telling them stories :)

Day 90:

Helped Kaylee in her class for an hour. Had 6^th standard today. This was the best 6^th standard class I have ever had because their teacher was there to monitor. They listened and did a great job! Started typing up some notes for the next dance master and chatted with the Elephant House cleaning ladies–Alamelu and Lakshmi. They are hilairous! LifeDance went well today. They cleaned their own dances and did a good job! I warmed up my voice a bit before dinner. The other volunteers had to go help with something at a colony, so just Catarina and I had good conversation over dinner. Hung out with boys at free time. We did tumbling stuff on the sand. Told stories in M. Vignesh and Nagaraj's room.

Day 91:

Finished typing up the notes for the next dance master and Skyped with Shaun Parry for a bit. Taught 7^th standard today and went pretty well. Did some choreographing for LifeDance for a fun dance and a little packing. Had last volunteer meeting, went well! Had LifeDance and it went well. We did a “marathon” and I had them run all of their dances in a row. After dinner, the volunteers and I sat and played “Bananagrams,” had snacks, and chatted. Going to miss this crew so much! I am so glad we are all such good friends! It would not be the same without them. Hung out with boys and girls at free time and told stories to 2 different boys' rooms for story time. Lights went out lots again tonight so had some more fun sneaking around and scaring each other :)