Day 10:
Had church at 9 am in Chennai. It was
good! My primary lesson went very well! I had the older kids. There
were only 4 of them but they were pretty attentive and were very
smart! Stopped at grocery store on the way home. Bought more
guavas—so yummy! Went to playtime that night and helped students
write sponsor letters. The students write notes back to the emails
they receive from the people who sponsor them so they can go to
school. It was really fun to see them answer the questions of their
sponsors and to see what is important to them that they want their
sponsors to know. When we got back, the long-term volunteers and I
tried to make peanut butter cookies in the microwave. Didn't work so
well... we ate the dough :) The volunteers and I went to Dale and
Lily's apartment. Shynee and Lily made us dinner! It was delicious!
Since this next week is Pongal and the students don't have school,
Shynee and I don't have our normal dance classes. Instead, we had 6
hour rehearsals everyday with LifeDance so they would be ready for
the talent show. So that night Shynee and I made plans for those
rehearsals for the rest of the week. Watched a cartoon with Kaylee
and Shynee before bed.
Day 11:
Up at 6:15 and went running with
Kaylee. Then got to Google+ with the family! So wonderful! Got to see
baby Graham and he is adorable! Had LifeDance rehearsal from 9:30
am-12 pm. Had a lunch break from 12-2 where we had leftovers for
lunch at Dale and Lily's and then we Skyped with Shaun to let him
know how classes were going. We started again with rehearsal from 2-5
pm. We ended with having them all improv to a Tamil song to see if we
could get some ideas for their Bollywood number we are
choreographing. They have a hard time with improv so that is
something I want to work on with them. Dinner and Shynee and I did
some choreographing.
Day 12:
Got to Google+ with my best friend
Celsea for a few minutes! Had LifeDance from 9:30-12. Back to
rehearsal from 2-5. Everyone was tired and a bit frustrated so we sat
down and talked for about 35 minutes at the end about how to take
advantage of dance classes. I just wish these kids could see the
potential they have if they just had the motivation to get there! Got
to eat sugar cane that the cook, Padmini, gave us. Fun to learn how
to eat it! Dinner and more choreographing.
Day 13:
Lots of people out today because of the
Pongal holiday. It is a holiday of the harvest and one of the days is
dedicated to the cow, an animal that they revere. Many people were
pulling cows along with them and had painted their horns to celebrate
them. Delicious breakfast of dosa (kind of like a crepe) with curry
for Pongal. Rehearsal from 9:30-12 with LifeDance went well. Had one
student not show up because he feels he does not belong on the team.
I went and found him and talked to him and coaxed him into coming
back to rehearsal. More choreographing in between and then rehearsal
2-5. Discussed why we dance at the end of the rehearsal. After, the
kids turned on some Tamil music and got in a circle and just danced!
I have never seen them move like this! It was incredible! Someone
would go in the middle and everyone would follow them. I am
definitely learning some moves from them! Forgot all my troubles and
just enjoyed watching them move. Feeling really good afterwards! Had
dinner and had some cake and ice cream for Anna, one of the long-term
volunteers, because it was her birthday. Both of the desserts were
very... interesting :) Watched part of “The Amazing Spider-Man”
before bed with other volunteers.
Day 14:
Rehearsal from 9:30-12 went very well!
We started with some good, long stretching and showed them how to
correctly stretch and it gave them a lot of energy. From 2-5 pm we
finished cleaning all of the dances! So happy!! Had a little meeting
from a visiting couple who were just traveling through and they
taught us about how to help children with reading. It was
interesting! Ate dinner on the roof of the hostel next to ours (the
green house they call it because it's, well... green) :). Beautiful
view up there! The moon was huge and bright orange! I love the
sunrises and sunsets here. They are incredible! They are a little bit
different each day but always just as spectacular! This is such a
beautiful country. The Rising Star president got here tonight, Sally
Read, so got to meet her. She is a remarkable lady! Skyped with
friends before bed.
Day 15:
Went to my second leprosy colony today.
Again, it was a smaller colony. There are 52 people living there but
only 12 have leprosy and only 4 of those 12 have ulcers that we
needed to wash. The rest of the people living there are their
families. Families are very close-knit here and because of the stigma
of leprosy, the families of leprosy-affected are also often seen as
untouchable so they go to the colonies together. I was in charge of
changing the wash water. I also just played with the kids a lot. They
are absolutely adorable and just need so much love! As part of
Promethean Spark, Shynee and I tried to get members of the colony to
dance after as some physical therapy, but didn't have many who wanted
to other than the children. When we got back I responded to journal
entries that I had had LifeDance write. Felt like a real teacher
having to read through and comment on an assignment I had given :)
Had LifeDance at our regular 4:45-5:45 pm. We ran through their
numbers and had a little audition so we can choose people to be in
one of their pieces called “Black or White.” At the end of
rehearsal, we had them sit in a circle and visualize how they want
their dances to look. We gave them time to go through each dance in
their head and they were completely silent the entire time! It was
amazing! Helped with delousing again tonight after dinner. I actually
don't mind doing it at all. The kids sit in front of you and you just
massage the shampoo onto their hair. One sweet little girl came up to
me and told me I was beautiful and it made my whole night! Shynee and
I showed each other dance videos of ours that night to see the
differences between dance classes in the US vs. India.
Day 16:
Left for our day trip at 8 am. It was
me, Kaylee, Jamesen, Shynee, Anna, Dale and Lily. We went first to a
gated city called Auroville that is trying to be a Utopian society.
It is based on meditation and finding one-self. There is no politics
or religion and no one owns the city, it belongs to humanity. We
walked through the visitors center and watched a movie about it. They
have some really cool and interesting ideas! Saw some of the
monuments there. There were so many tourists there from all over the
world, I hardly felt like I was in India anymore! Walked through the
gift shops and then drove to Punducherry. Walked on the coast right
by the ocean, felt really nice! Dealt with some very pushy vendors.
Went to a delicious Italian restaurant for lunch. It was up really
high and there were absolutely beautiful views! Then did some
shopping through the busy streets. Had some fun bargaining for items
:) Went first to the bazaar markets that had produce and flowers. Saw
the Gandhi statue and took lots of pictures. The volunteers and I
asked each other silly questions and had a blast in the back of the
van on the way home. Went to part of movie night that the kids have
on Saturday nights. They had one for the younger kids and one for the
older. Went to the one with the younger kids. Had 3 little boys
sitting on my lap. I stayed till my whole body was asleep and then I
went and visited the older kids :) Sat with some of my LifeDance
girls. They all told me they were so “cold” because it is winter
here. I told them where I am from is covered in snow! The weather
felt perfect to me. Great day!
Day 17:
Church was good! Kaylee and I combined
our primary lessons since hardly any kids. Relief Society was very
good. There is a group of 35 women coming tomorrow and staying at the
Elephant House for the short-term volunteer session called “Women
to Women” so some of the women were already here and got to meet
them at church. They made the branch much bigger! Stopped for
groceries on the way home and Sally then treated us to Domino's
pizza! They are all over in India. It was great! Some of the female
students here are learning to play soccer, so Shynee and I went and
joined them after church. I had a great time, but should probably
just stick with dance as I am very out of practice :) Shynee came to
church with us today and asked me a lot of questions about the church
so we had a long Gospel discussion. Loved it! Dinner and planning for
the next week.
Day 18:
Taught 8th standard in the
morning and they were very focused. Skyped Shaun for an hour for some
tips and then got to Google+ with the whole family again. Really made
my day today to get to talk with all of them! Went to teach UKG
(kindergarten) but they are having a “Sports Day” on the same day
as the talent show this week so they had practice for that. Had a
talent show rehearsal (that I had not been informed about because
nothing is done in advanced in India) that went fine. Had LifeDance
rehearsal at 4:45 and the principal and school director came and
watched the dances. The director asked for another old dance of
theirs to be performed as well as another one we have to clean before
we put it on stage so felt a bit overwhelmed. Had dinner and got to
meet the 35 ladies who are here. We have a full house! They range
from age 17-60 and are all very nice. Fun to meet them and hear some
of their stories. Had a presentation after dinner about Rising Star
Outreach, it's history, and how it got started. What an incredible
story! Went to story time at the students' hostels and talked with
some of the girls.
Day 19:
After running, got to Skype with Celsea
again and it was so great! Had an extra rehearsal to clean an Indian
dance number some students are doing. Shynee had to do most of the
cleaning since she knows what it's supposed to look like, but I
helped where I could and definitely learned the choreography because
I love Indian dance and want to be better at it. Had 6th
standard class, went well. Had LifeDance for an hour in the morning
because we couldn't have it later due to sports day practice. Had
some tears at the end because not everyone was chosen for “Black or
White,” but we had been asked to only put in 12 out of the 20 so
had to sit them down and talk to them about how hard things make us
stronger and how they are all incredible dancers. Had 3rd
standard after lunch, went pretty well. Worked on cutting music for
the talent show and Shynee and I watched some Bollywood YouTube
videos :) Went to story time that night and just sat with the younger
girls while one of the short-term volunteers told them a story.
Tucked them in and kept thinking about how lucky I am to have a
loving mother who did this for me and how they don't get that. Talked
with Kaylee, Shynee, and Jamesen to unwind from the day.
Day 20:
First class was 9th standard
today and it was wonderful! The boys especially were so attentive and
loving it! 4th standard was next and they were crazy!
Didn't get through much. Ate lunch with the kids and taught some 1st
standard girls “head, shoulders, knees, and toes” and they
thought it was the best thing ever :) Next had 2nd
standard and they also were a bit wild. Shynee and I went through
costumes and created an inventory list and figured out what we wanted
to wear for each dance for the talent show. Just passed out costumes
for LifeDance rehearsal and it was a bit crazy. That night went to a
presentation about micro-grants. Micro-grants are money given to
people affected by leprosy so they can purchase something that can
help them work and provide for their families such as a cow to sell
milk, a bike to ride and sell trinkets, a loom to make clothes, or
beads to make jewelry. Then went to story time at the boys' hostel
and got to know them better. This is my favorite time with the kids,
when I just get to talk to them and get to know them individually.
Day 21:
De-stressed with a long stretching
session and some “Mumford and Sons” after running. Had rehearsal
at 9:15 for the Indian “welcome dance” piece and then had a 2
hour rehearsal with LifeDance that went really well. We ran through
the numbers, talked about performance, and ended with another dance
jam to their favorite Tamil song. It was a blast! So much energy!
Lunch and did more costume organizing and music cutting for talent
show. Had LifeDance again at 4:45 and passed out costumes but it was
a bit of a disaster trying to figure it all out and the students were
wild. After dinner I skyped with friends and went and said goodnight
to the kids. Got to FaceTime with both the parents. Excited and
stressed for talent show tomorrow!
Day 22:
Today was “Sports Day” and talent
show! The sports day was from 9 am-12:30 pm. The field was decorated
beautifully! India is all about decorations and bright colors! They
greeted us as all of us and the women volunteers came in. They had an
opening ceremonies and then a bunch of events such as running races,
relay race games, balancing acts, marching drills, a dance, sack
race, and more. So fun to watch them perform and compete and
encourage each other! They did a great job! They gave out awards and
had a closing ceremony. I took lots of pictures and videos. The
Marriott provided lunch for everyone and then had a 2 hour break
before talent show. Met 45 minutes early with LifeDance to finish
last minute costume stuff. They did each of their dances well and had
only a minute to change in between each one but they did it! It was
so great to see all their hard work and see their faces light up when
they danced. It was another reminder to me the power that dance has.
The audience were both touched as well as had a party :) The women
just loved it! I was very proud of the students. For LifeDance
rehearsal that evening we just had a dance jam. Turned on Tamil music
and just had a party! Some were very tired from the long day and
others still wanted to dance! Trying to learn their moves as I teach
them some of mine. Went to the last 30 minutes of playtime with the
kids. Tried cricket for the first time. It's fun but hard! They are
obsessed with it here in India. Had dinner and downloaded pictures
that night.
Day 23:
Day trip to today! Went for a run and
then we all piled into the 3 big 12-seater medical vans and drove to
a resort town called Mamallapuram. Talked with the ladies in my van
on the way up. When we got there, 4 of us rented a tuk tuk (like a
rickshaw), and went to the ancient temple ruins they had there. There
are a lot of them! They were so cool! I had 5 people ask to take
pictures with me while we were there. Guess it's the hair! Saw the
beautiful beach as well. Had lunch and did some shopping. A bit
overwhelming with the vendors constantly following and trying to sell
you things. Good thing I have experienced this before in China! Found
a beautiful elephant tapestry as well as a shell from the beach that
was hand-carved. On the way home, we saw one of the men from one of
the leprosy colonies who had been given a micro-grant. He was on his
bike selling small items so we stopped to say hi. Such a sweet man!
Dinner and went to movie night with the kids for about 35 minutes.
Fun day!
Day 24:
Church was great! Wonderful sacrament
meeting and primary class went well. They love to sing! On the way
home, I got to hear the conversion story as well as how Rising Star
Outreach got started from one of the founders who is here for the
session. It was incredible! Amazing where this organization is now!
Kaylee also fell asleep in my lap :) Played soccer with the girls and
Kaylee, Jamesen, Shynee, and two women volunteers when we got home.
Did better this week! It was fun! I miss sports. Practiced for a bit
after the girls had to go to prayer time. Dinner and Shynee and I
choreographed a fun Bollywood dance to teach the kids this next week.
Want to do Indian dance with them while Shynee is still here. So many
power outages lately! About 4-7 a day. They make for some excitement
:)
Day 25:
Had 8th standard first this
morning—went well! Tried to Google+ with the family but the
internet is not working on my computer so had to do it on my phone
and it was very hard to hear. But good to at least see their faces
and catch little bits of the conversations! Next class was UKG. The
women from the session who were on the education rotation came and
helped by my request. It was great! The students loved it as did the
ladies and they did great! Had lunch and then 1st
standard. They were a bit crazy but not really bad. Had 5th
right after and it was great! They were so focused and had so much
focused energy—it was awesome! Afterwards, Shynee and I were
so tired and sweaty from teaching the Bollywood dance so I turned on
some chill music and we stretched and just did some improv and
relaxation for a full hour and it was wonderful! It was an answer to
my prayers. I was able to clear my mind and had a feeling of peace
that things will be alright. Shynee fell asleep on the floor for 45
minutes and I kept the children who were coming in to get their snack
from waking her up :) Had LifeDance next and they were not focused at
all. Had dinner and then a great presentation about how volunteers
help at Rising Star and about the beginnings of Rising Star. Went to
story time and got to know some of the boys better. Tonight I was
feeling very happy and grateful to be having this opportunity.
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