New Year’s Eve
31 Dec 2011 1 Comment
It’s been a pretty good day, I’d say.
I woke up around 10, despite having wanted to get up for breakfast. In any case, I got up and got dressed then went out to help with cooking. Tonu and I had a garlic peeling contest. She won by ONE piece of garlic. GRR!
After that, she came into my room with me and explained how I am actually a boy and I will be getting to married to Lissi. Very fascinating, yes?
I read/got on the computer/got on the internet until lunch.
At lunch, Lissi gave me WAY too much curry and I was barely able to eat it. While I was eating, everyone around me finished and went to wash their plates so I was left alone. Seeing this, Meghana came over to give me some company. I finally finished my food, completely stuffed. Then, I decided I should wait for Meghana to finish hers so that she wouldn’t have to sit there alone. Not a good idea.
All of the sudden, Meghana sets down her half-eaten plate, grabs mine and runs off. I tried to stop her but it, of course, didn’t work. She came back with more food for me. REALLY?! Oh Meghana…
I managed to stomach the food then went back to my room to recover 
.
After a bit, I went out to the eating area and helped the girls with making chapattis. Two of the girls kept fighting over being the one to give me dough to roll. It got really funny, especially when they started practically throwing chunks of dough at me .
Once all the chapattis were made, I went to go watch as some of the Irish team re-weaved some of the beds. Then, I straightened Harshita and Meena’s hair in an attempt to get the lice out. Meena, especially, had so much lice!
I was so tired by this time and I just wanted to sleep but, just as I was laying down, the bell was rung. The Irish team was doing something with the girls down at the bungalow so I decided I’d better join them.
One of the team members told the story of the birth of Jesus then had the girls get into groups to make a craft. I was just too exhausted by this point so I simply went back to my room and slept.
I woke up around 6 and went to go see what the team was doing. They were playing duck duck goose with the girls and it was simply hilarious! It reminded me so much of camp.
Dinner was early and started at 7. After everyone was done eating, we gathered around a bonfire. While we were waiting for something to happen, I played with the littlest girls and chased them around in circles then tickled them whenever I caught them. It was the cutest thing and so much fun!
Finally, the bell rang and everything began. The Irish team handed out gifts to each of the girls. The girls got homemade bags, necklaces and little teddy bears. It was SO nice! They called each girl by name to come get their gift and gave them each a special hug. They also gave gifts to the dorm mothers and volunteers. I got a very pretty necklace 
. Then Michael started up some fire crackers.
Then they told stories and sang songs and things for a while. I got to talk to one of the team members for quite some time about India and our countries as well as how technology has shaped different cultures. It was really great.
Many of the girls went to bed while a few of us stayed up and talked around the fire. I found it so interesting how staying up till 12 wasn’t really important for them.
I can’t help but to reflect back on the year of 2011 at a day like this. Dang, this was probably the most incredibly year of my entire life thus far. I can’t believe how much I’ve grown and changed. It’s like I did more growing this past year than I had all the years before that put together.
I’m quite happy that this is the last holiday I’ll have to go through there. Having holiday after holiday without my family has made me so incredibly homesick. In any case, happy New Year, everyone!
I Gotted a Package :D
30 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
Oh my goodness gracious, what a magnificent day! And it was just what I needed in order to get newfound motivation!
Lissi woke me up when she came into our room at around 6. Unphased, I went back to sleep. Then, at 6:30, Reena woke me, asking for scissors. After she left, I tried to get back to sleep but then Meghana popped her head through the doorway and said something about a dead dog. She left and I tried, again, to fall back asleep. However, only about five minutes later, a girl I didn’t recognize came in and asked if I had mugs I could lend for tea for the Irish Team. AGH! I gave her the mugs then decided that I should just give up on sleeping .
So I got up, got dressed and went outside.
The atmosphere was one of complete and utter excitement. The girls were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Irish Team. Just as they were all lined up to have breakfast, one of the dorm mothers beckoned them to the bungalow to greet the team. As they all quickly headed toward the bungalow, the team’s van pulled up. Squeals of delight rippled among the girls and then they all began sprinting for the bungalow.
They made it in just in time for the eight members of the team to make their way out of the van. The girls were just screaming with excitement as each member came and gave them hugs and smiles. It was absolutely fantastic. Lissi and I introduced ourselves to a few of them.
After a bit, the dorm mothers had the girls go back to the dorm area for breakfast. I trailed behind with one of the girls when she realized she’d forgotten her “slippers” (meaning, sandals/flip flops). I went back with her then headed to breakfast, again. However, Jon spotted me and asked me if I knew if it was possible to exchange currency in Kollegal. I said that I didn’t know but Jayne probably would. So what did Jon do? He clapped his hands really loudly and one of the girls, who was way ahead, turned. He yelled across the field to the girl, asking her to get Jayne. He clapped. That’s it. So weird!
Anyways, after a yummy breakfast, Meghana came and told me to come with her so she could show me the dead dog she mentioned when I was half-awake. She led me to the garbage pile and pointed out a little, dead puppy. AW! My heart just broke 
. She picked up a rock and told me that Reetha had beat the dog to death with the rock. Grrr!!!
After that, I found out that Sumitha and Lissi were going into town to get Sumitha’s sari from the tailor. So, I volunteered to come along .
It was a long walk to the tailor and once we got there, we discovered that it was closed . So, we went to the hospital to visit someone there. Guess who that someone was? One of the cooks! How did I not know that she’d been in the hospital for the past week!? Probably because every time I checked if they needed help with cooking, I saw one of the girls already helping. And one of girls was probably already helping because they were one cook short! Ugh! I felt so terrible that I hadn’t helped all week.
Anyway, the hospital was SO interesting. There were about ten very simple beds in one room, with patients occupying each one. I was so surprised by the plainness of everything. There was no complex equipment or anything. And no privacy.
We gave the cook some bread and she thanked us a million times for visiting. As we talked, a group of six or seven nurses gathered around to see the “awesome” whiteness of Lissi and mine skin . I’m quite surprised at how used to it I am now. Anyway, the cook told us that she will be able to leave the hospital today and then rest at her home for five days.
After we prayed for her health, we said good bye and headed home.
When we got back, I was determined to go help the cook despite the fact that there were already five girls helping. I got to skin garlic. It was fun 
.
I went to the bungalow to find it locked. I figured the Irish Team were probably resting and locked the door to get some privacy so I just sat outside with my laptop.
Just as I was finishing telling Brandon how I doubted his package would come today, the mailman came on his bike with a package in hand. The package from Brandon! FINALLY! I was SO excited!
After signing for it and giving the mailman some chocolate, I looked through the package a bit. Brandon sent lots of candy along with animal crackers (which were everywhere because the bag had broken), Snyders hot buffalo wing pretzels (he knows me so well ), a journal, a small straightener for the girls with short hair, berry ice cream oreos and a wrapped present and card. I opened the card then the gift. He sent me a very pretty ring (which he reminded me a million times not to think too much of and you shouldn’t either ). I love it . And now my craving for American sugary foods will be tamed for at least a little while .
A half hour before lunch, I took the package back to my room and unpacked everything.
After lunch, I read for a bit and shared some of the poprocks Brandon sent with the girls. Latha put some in her mouth then said, “It’s burning!” I told her that it’s not burning, just exploding, and she said, “oh, okay”. Haha!
Then I went to the bungalow, hoping to skype with Brandon. It was still locked so I sat outside again. I was there for only about five minutes before the team opened the door and fretted about how I didn’t need to sit outside and if I needed anything at all, I could ask them and how they were super sorry about locking me out. I told them not to worry. They all seem so incredibly fantastic! Their accents are so awesome too. Some of them are so thick though that I need to listen really closely to understand what they are saying.
After quite a bit of mosquito repellant spraying and getting all prepared, they headed into town for a walk so they could stretch their legs and try getting over jet lag. Once they’d all left, I got to skype with Brandon. YAY!
I skyped all the way until the team got back then got off. Jayne informed me that the team was going to present something to the girls at 6 so I decided to read for the hour until then.
It didn’t work very well though because so many girls came into my room and begged my attention. Sindhu wanted me to show her one of the videos from when Lissi and I taught the littlest girls English. So I did. It was a song about ladybugs. She liked it so much that she had me play it again. Oh Sindhu…
Finally, I shooed the girls away, telling them to go play. Once they were gone Meghana came in with Meow Meow hanging from her arms. Meghana proudly announced to me, “I found her for you!”
The cat began to squirm and scratch until Meghana dropped her and watched as she scrambled as fast as she could out of my room. Oh Meghana…
6:00 came very quickly and the bell was rung. The girls all hurried down to the bungalow. The team started with a song then one of the members told the girls a story. After another song (which was “Mighty to Save” and made me think back to the good ol’ camp days ), they showed some pictures. It was hilarious! Even just a simple picture of one of the girls just standing there made the girls scream with excitement and laugh their heads off. So, after pretty much every picture, they had some dramatic reaction to it.
Anyway, after the pictures, the team told the girls how blessed they felt to be here and how they love all the girls very much. One of the members asked the girls, “what’s special about tomorrow?” One of the girls goes, “chapattis!” Everyone cracked up laughing! So funny!
Eventually, the girls guessed what was special. Tomorrow is New Years’ Eve. The Irish team member said that they had a craft for the girls to do tomorrow. I’ve a feeling that these next two weeks are going to be PACKED with things the Irish team has prepared. It’s going to be simply amazing having them here!
The girls where then dismissed for dinner. During dinner, Latha and Divya told Lissi and I that they had prepared a special party in Dorm 5 for US. They said it was to show how grateful they were for our Christmas party last week and said over and over that it was just a small, little gift.
So after dinner, our dorm girls gathered in a circle. Latha brought in biscuits and tea for each of us. It was absolutely fantastic. Then, she gave each of us a gift, again reminding us that it was just something small.
They gave each of us a set of three little Indian tea cups. They are simply adorable! Plus, word of my favorite color being blue got around and they made sure that my cups had blue flowers on them.
During this time, I thought back to when Jayne would say that the girls were spoiled and only took what we gave them and sometimes even complained about what they got. This act of kindness by our dorm girls contradicted that so much! They were SO grateful that despite not having much spending money, they bought these cups for us, and made the tea. I felt so incredibly blessed.
Then, I thought back to when I lived in the bungalow and was scared to death about coming to live in the dorm area and be depended on as a dorm mother. I remember being so against it that I told Jodi that I did NOT want to move. Well, thank goodness, everyone insisted that I did . I never would have been able to experience all this if I hadn’t moved. The lack of internet, privacy and silence is a difficult thing to overcome but these become so insignificant when I realize just how much these girls have taught me and how much joy they give me.
I am so excited to be able to help the Irish team wherever they need me and to work towards growing closer to the girls. I feel like I’m starting anew. I just hope that I still feel this way tomorrow .
Speaking of tomorrow…DUDE! It’s New Year’s Eve! How the heck did that happen?! These dang holidays keep just smacking me in the face! I’m glad that I won’t have to be here for another major holiday (aside from Valentine’s Day, but that’s not that awfully major ) because it seems like I just completely skip over the holidays while I’m here.
So, yeah, I am super duper excited for what these next few weeks will hold. Can you believe it? The Irish team is leaving the 12th of January, Rachel is coming the 11th. I’ll probably go on holiday with her around the 20th or so. And somewhere in that mess of dates, I’ll be heading to Ooty with Daya. Crazy month! February is going to end up being SO boring in comparison!
-
- Brandon’s package
-
- Exploded animal crackers
-
- All the stuff Brandon sent
Running out of Complaints About Titles…
29 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
Another ordinary-ish day.
I skipped breakfast, again and slept in till 9. Then I went to the bungalow and got on the internet for a bit.
When I got back to my room, I set to work on my new craft idea. The beads I got yesterday aren’t nearly enough for all the girls but I figured I may as well make the craft so I’d have an idea for the next time the dorm mothers wanted me to do a craft with the girls.
I was trying to get one packet of beads open when the bag popped open and the beads exploded everywhere.
Just as I was finishing picking up all the beads I could find, Lissi and Sindhu came into the room. I told them to keep their eyes peeled for beads and to give any that they find to me.
As Sindhu was leaving, one of the girls pointed something out to Lissi. I heard Lissi say, “Sindhu! You can’t eat that!” Apparently, Sindhu had successfully found a missing bead…and tried to eat it. It made my day .
I finished the project right before lunch then went to get some food. Once all the girls were sitting in their groups, Munjula talked…and talked…and talked. About what? I have no idea. It was all in Kannda. She did, however, announce that Lissi was doing a lesson at 3:30. The girls FINALLY lined up for food at around 1:30. It was difficult for me to keep my patience through the whole thing. I guess this is just another thing about India I really need to get used to…
After lunch, I got the paint and paintbrushes and took them outside so the girls could paint rocks. At first, only two or three came. But, as word spread, many more girls joined us. I find it so entertaining how influenced these girls are by each other and how quickly word gets around. It’s worse than camp!
The girls quickly took everything over and shared with each other very easily. The fact that KGH is set up so that the older helps the younger really aids in getting the girls to find creative ways to make sure everyone is happy. I couldn’t help but to admire it.
So, in the end, I was just sitting and watching them. I eventually got bored and found Momo. I spent some time looking through the kitten’s fur for fleas. It was fun .
Then, I went over to the swings and just enjoyed the fresh outside air. Ambika and Sindhu came over and Ambika challenged me to a swinging contest. I don’t know who won mostly because Ambika ended up just jumping off her swing.
When Ambika left to paint some more, Vilma came over with a container of water and a tiny plastic cup. Why she was carrying water around, I have no idea. I asked Sindhu and Vilma if they’d like to make mud pies with me and when they agreed, we just mixed the water into the sand of the playground and played with mud for a little while. It was cute .
3:30 came and went and it wasn’t until around 4 that the bell was finally rung for Lissi’s lesson. I then set to the task of getting the girls who were painting to give up their paintbrushes. Some of the girls had even brought over their buckets so they could paint them as well. I think that if I let them, they’d just paint all day long. They have a way of making paint last for a really long while. Wasting is something completely alien to them.
Anyway, I finally gathered all the paintbrushes and cleaned up the mess of empty paint tubes and paint-covered leaves.
The craving for something sugary I’d been feeling all day finally took over and I grabbed 20 rupees and headed for town, set on getting the sweetest biscuits (“cookies” in American) I could find at the nearest shop. On the way there, I passed by Rebecca and Divya and invited them to come along. They, of course, agreed.
I got four small packs of sandwich cookies then went back to my room. On the way there, I scooped up Momo for some company.
Ah! Finally something sweet! It really hit the spot. With Momo curled up on my stomach, I munched on my goodies while reading.
Then Jayne came in search of Momo and informed me that she doesn’t want me taking him to my room anymore . Really?! Is the world just dead-set against my love for animals?! Bleh…
So, I added more mahindy to my wrist, since it was fading and then read some more.
Then I went to the bungalow to get on the internet so I could continue my quest of getting pictures on here. The college girls were there cleaning, however, so they, of course, bothered me nonstop. Urrrgghhhh!!! My patience soon wore thin and I had to leave without completing my quest.
Stuck in another bad mood, I spent the rest of the time until dinner reading.
So, today was still much more lazy that I wanted but at least I’m getting better . I am, right? UGH! This week has just been dragging on! I really don’t like holidays!
Good news though! The Irish team is coming tomorrow!! YAY! The Irish team is a group of (maybe) eight people who come from…you know…Ireland. They come and give gifts and take the girls places and do fun things like that. You know what that means? The pressure is off the dorm mothers to find things for the girls to do. Double yay!
I think I really need to get away. As much as I love them, the girls are really starting to get on my nerves. I can’t wait until Daya gets back from the wedding in Goa and we can go to Ooty so I can finally get some real rest. Then, maybe, I’ll come back with renewed vigor and this on and off bad mood of mine will be gone and I can focus on the girls.
100th Post :O
28 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
It’s been a better-ish day…
I slept in way late and didn’t wake up till 10. When I asked Lissi why she didn’t wake me up, she said it was because I was sick. Sick?! Bleh! I wasn’t so sick . I was looking forward to a very busy day. I planned on going with Divya into town after lunch, then helping Lissi with an outdoor game then going to the Peace Park with the girls. I was quite excited to finally get out of the laziness I’d been stuck in the past two days.
Anyway, I went to the bungalow and got on the computer until an hour before lunch. Once I got back to my room, I realized that I may as well just read for the hour because there wasn’t much else to do.
After lunch, Divya and I headed into town and bought some beads so I could experiment with a new craft idea. On our way back, I became SO exhausted.
When I got to my room, I crashed on my bed and thought, “why the heck did I just do that?” Lissi came soon after and urged me to help with the game but I told her I simply couldn’t. I felt so terrible for having to turn her down but I simply didn’t feel like moving. There went my busy day plans .
So I took a nap until 6, when Lissi informed me that Mabel had invited us to her house for dinner. What a decision! The last time I went against my gut and went somewhere despite feeling under the weather, I ended up being very rude and leaving early. Guess where that was. Mabel’s house!
I finally decided that I may as well go since I was feeling much better.
We walked to her house, which was so fantastic because the cool night air felt really great .When we first started, Sujatha asked if I’d taken any medicine for my sickness(ish) and I told her no with an incredulous tone to my voice. She then said that I must be very strong. Dude! It was a headache and a cough. Even Lissi spent the entire time I was sick(ish) trying to pour cough syrup down my throat, haha. Almost the whole walk there, Yolanda kept badgering me about how I wasn’t saying anything and then Sujatha asked if it was because I was missing someone back home. UGH! I’m someone who doesn’t say anything unless I actually have something to say. And throughout the walk, I really had nothing to say simply because I was enjoying the night air. In any case, I think the whole thing amused me more than it frustrated me. People are truly SO different from one another.
Once we’d gotten to Mabel’s house, she read from the Bible then had Yolanda pray. Then she invited us into the dining room to eat. YAY!
Oh. My. Gosh. The food was simply delicious! Especially the chicken! I wish I could learn how to cook like that! Once we’d had our dessert, Mabel just kinda talked for a while about her experiences and things as we all had a cup of yummy tea.
After a few good-byes and thank yous, we headed back to the home. On the way, we passed by the Faraway Dairy and Yolanda said hello to the Facebook guy. She then said to me that she was doing it in my stead and that I should have said hello. I was like, “Uh, no!” Sujatha then backed me up by saying that I really should just ignore him and that I was a “good Marlia” for not saying hello, haha.
We got to the home and went our separate ways.
When we got to our room, I helped Lissi move some of her stuff to Jayne’s dorm so she could stay there for the night since Jayne is sick. Despite her protesting, Lissi had demanded that Jayne sleep in the bungalow tonight so she could get some uninterrupted rest. So, now Lissi is stuck with taking care of the two dogs and Momo. I asked Lissi if I could take Momo off her hands and have the cat sleep with me tonight but she said that Momo would pee everywhere and create a big mess. Telling her that I’d be sure to clean it up didn’t even convince her. It made me sad .
So now I’m lonely . Oh well…good night!
Another Do-Nothing Day…
28 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
Well, nothing happened today, so much so that I’m not even going to bother publishing this until tomorrow .
I woke up extremely cold with a cough and a headache. So, I pretty much just slept and read ALL day. I feel better now though . Especially since we had eggs for dinner! YAY!
That was my day. End blog post
Do-Nothing Day
26 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
Nothing exciting happened today so I’m not really sure why I’m bothering to blog about it. Probably because if I skipped a day then I would get into the nasty habit of thinking I can skip every day .
I woke up for breakfast but decided I was too tired to attend and just fell back asleep. I wasn’t hungry anyway, despite the fact that I skipped dinner yesterday. Hmm, actually I’m hardly ever hungry. Actually actually, I’m hardly ever full. So strange…
Anyways… I woke up around 9:20 to hear that the dorm mother meeting was at 9:30. Hm. Nice.
So, I went to the bungalow and since I knew the dorm mothers would be late, I got on my laptop while Jayne got on the bungalow computer.
Lissi arrived at 9:45 and got on HER laptop. By around 10:30, the dorm mothers still hadn’t arrived so Jayne gave up and left and I got on the bungalow computer to start the long task of uploading pictures.
The dorm mothers FINALLY came at around 11. We talked for a bit about what we can do for the girls during the holiday they have all week long. Lissi suggested we take them to the mountain, which I was very excited about, but Sujatha said we couldn’t because of “boys”. Jayne suggested a treasure hunt into town but Sujatha said no for safety reasons again. Then Sujatha said that I could do crafts in the morning while Jayne did cooking. Problem: I have run out of ideas and even if I did have ideas, I can’t find supplies here in Kollegal. Not easily, anyway. Perhaps I can have one of the girls help me out when I take them for coconuts. Except, tomorrow is Meghana’s day and she’s too young to know where anything is. Ugh! I just want some duct tape! Everything would be better with duct tape! Oh and have I mentioned how much I can’t wait for December to be over?
After the meeting, I continued work on uploading pictures then Skyped with Brandon, who was being a bit loony. He had to great Christmas though, so that’s good . I also got to relay Anitha’s message of not drinking soda .
Both lunch bells came and went but I really didn’t feel like going (I admit, it was mostly because I was enjoying talking to Brandon so much ). I finally told Brandon I’d be back soon and went to lunch.
Despite it being 1:20, the food still hadn’t been served. Sujatha let me get some food before the girls and it wasn’t until I was finished with my food that the girls were FINALLY served. Why this was, I have no idea…
So, I went back to the bungalow. However, after a bit, the college girls came to “wash clothes” which actually means “bother Marlia while she’s on the computer”. Urrrggghhh!!!!! I told Brandon I had to go and then switched to my laptop to finish up some pictures stuff. The girls all crowded around and watched my every move. I wanted to scream! The bad mood I’ve been struggling with for the past like two weeks crept up on me, which meant I needed to get some sleep.
So, I went to my room. On my way, I realized I’ve developed a bit of a cough. NOT GOOD. A cough is what all the sick girls have been dealing with. Fantastic!
I also noticed that I was cold despite it being like 80 degree weather. Once I got to my room, I cuddled up in Brandon’s hoodie, put the hood over my head and just slept. And slept. And slept.
I woke up around 6 in a MUCH better mood. Naps fix everything . Then I went to watch Pirates of the Caribbean 4 with the older girls.
They had to stop it halfway through to go to dinner. When I got to our room, all of Lissi’s Christmas mess was gone and her things were tidied up. WOW! What a difference! My part of the room actually looked messy compared to everything else.
I took out the garbage and began to tidy up my nightstand. I took a break for dinner then continued afterwards. I even organized the wardrobe (which was a mess ). Ah, things haven’t looked this nice since before December .
So, now I’m here, typing this. Uhm, yeah. That was my day. The end. Good night . Oh my gosh, I may actually get to bed before one in the morning tonight…
Happy Christmas :)
25 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
I am now sitting by candlelight while listening to Relient K Christmas music . It’s very nice.
I woke up just in time for breakfast again . I was actually awoken by a bunch of girls coming into my room to tell me “Happy Christmas” and shake my hand.
We had a delicious breakfast of chow chow. No, it wasn’t dog. It was a squishy-textured sweet stuff with pineapples in it and a savory rice-type mixture of some kind. You could eat each one separately or mix them together. It was SO good! Yum yum yum!!
So, for the first time like EVER, I was the last one left in dining area eating my breakfast. I’ve decided that Indians spend half their mealtime eating their food and the other half just playing with it, haha. Of course, the reason why I was the last one could be because all the girls had to get ready for church. Hmm.
I was considering going to church but there was a lot to get ready so Lissi, Jayne and I skipped it.
After breakfast, I took a shower and got all pretty-looking for the occasion. I wore the outfit I wore to the wedding. Once I was all ready for the day, Lissi said to me, “I still haven’t given you your present! When should I give it to you?” I told her that, at home, we open presents Christmas morning so we decided to keep with tradition and Lissi gave to me then. It was a beautiful nose ring! What’s even more awesome was how I was planning on buying one exactly like the one she gave me and she didn’t even know it! So, I changed my nose ring . Which isn’t really a big deal because I just had to screw the new nose ring top into the bottom that was already in my nose.
Then, Lissi invited me to come along with her into town for Christmas shopping. That’s right, Christmas shopping on Christmas. Only in India…
As we were leaving, there was an old woman by the gate. She didn’t ask for money but it was easy to tell that she was very poor. So, Lissi and I each gave her some rupees. When we did, she began to cry and told us thank you over and over. It was really touching. I’ve decided that I’m going to give money to beggars despite the fact that everyone keeps saying not to. One time, I was in town with Jodi and she gave out money to a beggar and pointed out how the Bible says that we are to give to the poor. It seems like India would a perfect time to put that command to work, so why not take advantage of it? And why should I be the one to judge if someone is really poor or not? 2 rupees is nothing to me, but to them, it may mean being able to eat. Plus, all Indians assume automatically that white people are Christians so I may as well hold up the name of Christianity by giving .
Anyways, we got into town and all the shops were open. Jeez! They all close their shops on Hindu or Muslim holidays but not Christian ones! Well, that’s probably because most of the shopkeepers are Hindu or Muslim . After Lissi had gotten everything she needed, we headed back to the home.
Once we got there, all the girls had returned from church and Jayne was starting work on the Christmas lunch. We had the girls go to the bungalow and watch a movie so we could set everything up.
Jayne went all out! She got benches from the school and set them up as tables so the girls could all sit on the floor in front of the benches. It would make it so everyone was together like a family. Jayne put white sheets over the benches then put leaves down the centers of the benches along with candles. Lissi, Jayne and I all wrote up place settings for each girl so we set them up along with their plates. To finish it off, we put an orange and candy in each plate. It looked simply magnificent.
I also volunteered some juice packets for a special treat for the girls. I got a bucket and made a good 14 liters of strawberry juice (thanks, Brandon ).
When the girls came to lunch they were SO surprised! We all sat together and said a prayer then the volunteers got the girls’ food and drink for them.
The juice was a HUGE hit. All the girls were SO excited to have some. When Sumitha noticed there was juice, she excitedly asked me if she could have some. When I told her yes, she had one of the girls run into her dorm to get a cup. Oh Sumitha…
Lunch was absolutely delicious though! The home brought in some Muslim guys to cook it for us. And, dang, the pot they used was HUGE. They had to use an open fire outside to cook it.
After lunch, I went to the bungalow for some internet time. Just as I was in the middle of skyping with Brandon, the girls all came running in for a movie. Darn it!
So I left and went to my room to have some tea and eat my last poptart. I also did some sewing as well cleaning dishes and random things like that. Then I had a VERY much-needed nap. Like, wow, I slept SO well!
When I woke up it was 6:00. I did something until 7…I don’t remember what… But that wasn’t that long ago so I don’t know how I forgot. Actually, that happens quite often in India. You do pretty much nothing for what seems like two minutes but somehow, it end up actually being like three hours, haha. Time has no control here!
Anyways, at 7, I went to the bungalow to skype with my family.
Oh my gosh, it was absolutely fantastic to see them all! Even Mikey was there! I wonder how long it took them to get him to come talk to me, haha. He’s such a goof though, he kept popping right in front of the webcam then disappearing again.
We talked for a bit about my day and about what everyone got in their stockings whatnot. Tiffani showed me the top of a very-nicely baked cookie. Then she showed me the bottom. It was burnt to a crisp. She’s doing a brilliant job of making sure we will always pick on her for her “fantastic” baking skills .
The internet died twice but I revived it both times, YAY!
At about 8:30, I headed back to the dorm area, missing my family more than ever. The girls were wandering around the eating area and making lots of noise. I just sorta wandered with them.
At around 9, Jayne cut a Christmas cake and handed it out. Yummy cake .
After eating my yummy piece of cake, I went into our kitchen to make tea for the dorm Christmas party. Once everything was ready, I excitedly took it out into in the dorm. Half of the girls were already in bed. I was SO disappointed! They had been begging to do this ALL day and now they didn’t seem to feel like it anymore .
They did, however, reluctantly get out of bed and, despite saying they were too full for tea, they each (except Rebecca) had some tea. I think they were just trying to be polite. I brought out the presents for the Chinese auction and we started the game. Only Divya and Latha stole presents so it was kind of a bust . Oh well, at least they all got something.
Lissi then handed out her presents to them. Oh my gosh, they were SO excited! They couldn’t stop thanking us! I mean all the presents cost about 40 rupees each, which is less than a dollar. Who knew such simple things could make them all so happy? I sometimes find it interesting how the dorm mothers all say that the girls here are spoiled rotten. I mean, maybe compared to what other Indian children get, the girls here are very spoiled but compare it to American kids? Daannnnggg. I mean, at home, if a kid doesn’t like a gift, they just return it and give them a new one to make them happy. With these girls, they’re happy to get anything at all (well, aside from a few of the girls’ fussiness over the dresses they got, but that was only a few ).
So, the “party” didn’t turn out like I expected but it was still a success in that it made the girls very happy .
Today was so interesting for me. I had to constantly be reminding myself that it was Christmas because it really just felt like a normal day. It was also quite interesting in that I had been so used to being the one to receive lots of presents from my parents. Here, however, I was the parent and I was the one giving out the presents. This was so hard to come to grips with and it really made me realize how focused on receiving I’d been every Christmas.
Anyway, as the Indians say, Happy Christmas everyone .
Click here to view more pictures from this post
Christmas Eve
24 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
Such a merry day!
I woke up just in time for breakfast.
After I had eaten, I delivered Dani, Daya and Sam’s gifts to their house then got on the bungalow computer to Skype.
Then I went back to the dorm area and was met by Ramya, who insisted on going out to get a coconut. So, we headed out. Conveniently, we found a coconut guy on the road who was walking with his bike to wherever he was going to sell his coconuts. It was the awesomest-tasting coconut I’ve ever had. SO fresh!
Ramya still needed to get some things so we stopped at a jewelry store. She bought some presents for a friend. So that’s why she’s been so insistent on getting a coconut with me!
Once we’d gotten back home, I took a much-needed nap, which I continued after lunch.
I was awoken by Dani, Daya and Sam coming into my room. They all LOVED the gifts I got them, which made me very happy . Dani even wore the pants I gave her all day. Daya was wearing a really nice outfit her parents bought her.
Lissi went into town with Jayne so I started working on wrapping presents for the girls then I fixed the fairy lights around my bed. It looks much better now .
Lissi had requested that I get the girls to decorate the eating area, so I went out and asked Sujatha if we could. The girls were all gathered in groups in the eating area as they peeled ginger for the bidioni tomorrow since the cooks have the day off. It was very interesting to see an actual ginger plant.
The girls were very helpful in decorating. Sujatha had them bring in tree branches to make a Christmas tree with. It looks quite nice. The star isn’t on the top though. It’s just stuck somewhere on one of the branches, haha.
After that, I helped the girls peel garlic cloves. Once we’d finally finished, Jaya had me eat a piece of garlic. She even warned me that it would probably burn my stomach, but I ate it. And it burned my stomach .
Once everything was done, I went on a mission to take pictures of some of the girls for Lilo. I got all the pictures then headed to the bungalow to send them to her. When I got there, Dani, Daya and Sam were all sitting in front of the TV watching the last Harry Potter movies. Dani and Sam were drawing a picture of the wands whilst watching the movie. Wooow.
I hung out at the bungalow until dinner then went to the eating area. When we were done, we sung happy birthday for Munjula then she handed out candy. The candy had fake tattoos with them so the girls all wanted to give Daya and me fake tattoos. The tattoos didn’t work, which made it all the more funny .
While I was waiting for the bonfire to be lit, I watched as the girls put mahindy on their hands by a light that was placed a bush. I guess Christmas is a mahindy-wearing holiday .
Once the fire was lit, they started serving tea so I went to get some. However, as I was coming outside with my mug, the power went out and the only light came from the stars.
Holy cow! Then night sky during a power cut is spectacular! Lissi and Pallavi lay down in the eating area and just star-gazed. Just as I was about to join them, the power came back on. Grrr!
The bonfire was lots of fun. Each of the volunteers told how Christmas is celebrated in their countries. I am jealous! I’ve decided that America is TERRIBLE at celebrating Christmas . For instance, in England, they celebrate for THREE days. Not fair! In Germany, they do all their Christmas stuff on Christmas Eve . I couldn’t help wondering why not just do it on Christmas day? In New Zealand, Christmas is in the summertime so they have a barbecue for their Christmas dinner. It was all very interesting.
After that, Lissi sang and played the guitar then Jayne read the Christmas story from the Bible. The girls all wanted Jodi to sing as well, so she sang while David played guitar.
Then, it was time for presents! The New Zealand family gave the older girls “Pirates of the Caribbean 4”. You should have seen their reaction when they found out what movie it was! They cheered so long and loud!
David went to his house and came back in a Santa costume. He then began handing out all the other Christmas gifts to the girls. The reason why we did presents tonight instead of tomorrow is because they received Christmas outfits that they wanted to wear for church tomorrow.
It was SO exciting! The girls were just jumping for joy.
Once all the girls had gotten their gifts, they wandered away from the fire, leaving just the volunteers and staff. We exchanged some presents then said good night.
So, yeah, that was my Christmas Eve . It really is kind of like we’re celebrating Christmas for two days. YAY!
Click here to view pictures from this post
Christmas Eve Eve
23 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
I haven’t had a day as long and busy as today in a very long time. WOW!
My iPod alarm woke me up at 6 this morning and I was totally anticipating joining the girls for devotions but the fact that I didn’t go to bed last night until like 2 in the morning made it so I simply had to get more sleep. So I went back to sleep, hoping that my iPod would wake me up for running at 6:45.
It didn’t. I slept right through the alarm and didn’t wake up until just in time for breakfast. Fantastic…
During breakfast, Lissi informed me that she wanted to buy little presents like shampoo packets, soap and toothbrushes to give to all the girls. So, we decided we could head into town right after breakfast to get all that done.
However, after breakfast, Sujatha informed us that we (as in, ONLY the volunteers) were going to sing the Kannada song at the school function at 10:30 and we would be wearing our saris. Uhm, talk about short notice! Lissi and I had a very full day planned already, add the function to it all and we were sure to want to drop dead from exhaustion by the end. But, we agreed because we both knew how much it would mean to the school if we did it.
So, despite the fact that I was SO tired from lack of sleep, we decided to just go to local shops and do a clean sweep of all their shampoo toothbrushes quickly. If we still didn’t have enough for all 60 girls, we would continue shopping after the function and probably end up skipping lunch.
Just before we left, Lissi requested that I lend her my “whale”, which apparently means “veil” in the amazing language of English with an German accent . Anyways, we went to the Close Dairy, the Faraway Dairy and the bakery and just bought all their shampoo packets and toothbrushes. We still didn’t even have half of how much we needed but 10:00 was fast approaching, so we headed back.
Sujatha quickly helped us into our saris and then Sumitha hurried us out the door while Pallavi tried to fix Lissi’s hair. Sumitha won .
The school Christmas function…hmm…I have very mixed feelings about this subject. When we first got there, they just talked to Kannada for a good half hour straight. Then there was singing. Then ANOTHER speaker. I wanted to just fall asleep right in my chair by this point.
To “end” the function, they called up all the volunteers. Jayne, Jodi, Yolanda, Lissi, Munjula (thankfully) and I nervously stood in front of the HUGE crowd of all the school children and their parents so we could sing a song that was in a foreign language. YAY!
We just finished the first line when everyone suddenly erupted into applause (David later told us that as soon as we took the stage, everyone stopped talking and paid extreme attention). Halfway through the song, everyone started clapping with the song. We finished the rest of the song with only a few mistakes. I think they liked it .
I was sitting next to a group of kids and noticed that one girl had piercings from her ear lobes all the way up to the top of her ear. So, gold hoops line her ears. She was 7 or 8. DANG!
Anyway, they had some ending “thank yous” where different people were thanked, as well as “the volunteers of KGH”. It’s nice to be appreciated .
I thought, “Oh, that wasn’t so bad! Just a few speakers and singing and now Lissi and I can get back to work!” Wrong. The MC says to everyone, “Now starts the cultural program!”
And guess what they started with… a speaker. REALLY?! I thought he’d never stop talking!
He did finally and a few dances followed. One was the little girls’ dance, where the school children did the same thing as our KGH girls did, including the whole Santa dancing around thing. This is highly suspect…
Anyways, there was a drama of the nativity story then more dancing. By this time, my camera battery died and I was SO sad that it did because the dances were STUNNING!
I have decided that Indians are EXCELLENT dancers. Plus, the guys were probably more into the dancing than the girls were! Shame on you, American guys! Gosh, I just wish I could have recorded it or something!
In the middle of everything, they handed out awards, which, of course, took FOREVER. I’m starting to think that everything in India takes FOREVER.
They ended with a drama/dance of the nativity story. It was a bit hard to follow because of the whole language thing but still very nice.
The function lasted a grand total of 4 hours. I was exhausted, sweaty, uncomfortable and anxious by the end. I just wanted so much to finish everything I need to work on.
But, then, we were swept away and taken to a small room in the school to have lunch with the teachers and staff. They all praised us SO much for the song. Jon said that we were very “melodious” and that our pronunciation was fantastic.
We had wedding food for lunch and it was all very delicious. Then, Lissi and I quickly got back to our room so we could get our shopping finished.
I was SO sweaty from my sari. I mean it was like four layers of cloth over my legs. Bleehhh. It felt incredible to get it off.
After we were changed, we grabbed Dani and went into town. Once we’d found an auto, we headed to a very useful store. They have like EVERYTHING. We got like 40 toothbrushes, 60 soaps and 70 shampoo packets. I think they were VERY happy for all the business .
Once we’d been given our nice, HUGE bag of stuff, we headed back home again.
Almost as soon as we got back, I went to the New Zealand family’s house to get Sam and go with her to get a second piercing in her ears as I had told her I would do. We got a bit distracted when I said “boogers!” and the girls thought I said, “bugger!” Apparently bugger is a swear word in New Zealand. What kind of swear word is that !? It’s just SO strange because of how it’s a perfectly normal word to me but I’m sure that anytime I say it (not that I really EVER say it…), it totally catches the New Zealand family off guard. It’s like when Lissi says the “S” word and my first reaction is to totally freak out but, to her, it’s completely normal to say that word. Gotta love culture differences.
Once we started on our walk into town, I learned something else about New Zealand. Apparently they only go to the hospital if they are really sick and need to be admitted. For everything else, they just go to a local doctor. How thoroughly fascinating! They said that when they first came to India, they’d freak out whenever the girls said they needed to go to the hospital.
So, we FINALLY found a place that does piercings (after asking almost every jewelry shop on Jewelry Road). Sam was FREAKING out. She was so scared it was going to hurt and even asked if they had numbing spray. Really, Sam?! You already got a piercing before! Crazy girl.
We asked for the cheapest earrings and the guy said they were 1,000 rupees. None of us had that kind of money so we were going to just leave but the guy insisted on showing the piercing gun. He pulled out a set of earrings and told us they were only 200 rupees (which is $4. Compared to the $15 or $20 you’d spend in America, I’d say that’s pretty good ). Really?! What happened to the cheapest being 1,000? Hmmmm? Shopkeepers…
He gave us a marker and had US mark where on the ears he would pierce. So strange! Then he had US clean the ears and everything. Very different from America.
So, he took the gun and was SO close to piercing the ear when he goes, “hole will be too close to first hole” so we fixed it. Then, he got SO close again but decided he’d come to the other side of the counter to do it. Really? The anticipation was even killing ME!
Finally, he did it after some extra adjusting. Sam was confused afterwards. It didn’t hurt. That’s exactly what I told her!
The other took almost as much adjusting. So nerve-racking!
As we were leaving, the man gave Sam cleaning stuff and gave her some important advice on taking care of her peircings: make sure you keep the earring in and clean it twice a day for…ONE WEEK. Wow! Only a week? Back home, it’s what? 6 weeks?
After everything was set, we headed for home.
As we were nearing KGH, we ran into Jayne and Lissi who were going out shopping AGAIN. I decided I’d go with them but then Lissi said that she planned on getting my present so I changed my mind. I was EXHAUSTED from walking into town so much, anyway.
I went to my room, grabbed my laptop and headed to the bungalow to get on the internet. Tonu was there and informed me that Munjula had fallen during the function and hurt her foot. Poor Munjula! She could barely walk so she was taken to the hospital to get it checked out. Thankfully, she only sprained it so she’s been resting all day.
I got to Skype with my dad and my aunt today (until the internet died )! It feels like forever since I’ve skyped with anyone. When was the last time? You guys would know better than me .
The dinner bell came and went. Jodi and David were having a Christmas dinner for the staff and volunteers at 8:30 so I didn’t have to go the dinner with the girls.
At around 8, I headed to my room to return my laptop. As soon as I entered the dorm area, so many girls kept asking, “Where’s Lissi?!” I thought Jayne and she had gotten back from town a while ago so I told them that I didn’t know.
Once I got into the dorm, I was bombarded again. Ramya was angry with me about not getting a coconut with her today and I had to explain why I couldn’t go. Jaya wanted a box. And Reetha was there just talking my ear off and mocking me and stuff. I think Sangeetha was asking for something as well, but I don’t remember . I was going crazy! At the same time though, it was kinda of fun being busy. I was SO full of energy and this point and it put me in a fantastic mood.
I finally tore myself from the chaos and went to the New Zealand family’s house.
Michael, Sujatha and Sumitha were already there. Since when were the Indians arriving before the foreigners? Strange things are going on here.
We waited a bit for Jayne and Lissi but when they didn’t show at 8:30, we started eating without them. They soon arrived though. Apparently, they’d been shopping that WHOLE time. Dang!
After a delicious meal, yummy yummy ice cream and some tea, we just talked for a while. Oh my gosh, the time just flew and our conversations were either very interesting or incredibly hilarious. It really felt like I was among family .
At around 10:30, we finally said our good night’s and Sumitha, Sujatha, Michael, Lissi and I all walked together to the dorm area, talking the whole time. When we got to the dorm area, Sumitha informed us that Prithe, the dog, is her daughter. Who knew? In any case, it was an amazing night!
Gosh, I really needed this day! I really actually enjoy busy days. I mean relaxing days are essential, but I just love to feel like I’m using my time here to the best of my ability.
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve? How in the world did that happen! I still have gifts to wrap! Indian Christmases are SO laidback, it’s awesome .
Click here for pictures from this post
Okay to Bad to Worse to Good to Great to Fantastic!
22 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
Hm, it’s been a fascinating day.
I woke up at 6:45 and excitedly got ready for running. I met up with Daya on her way back from milking. It wasn’t until like 7:20 that we finally started.
Given the delay, I wasn’t able to take a shower before breakfast so I had to go all sweaty. It wasn’t so bad though . The cold air definitely helped.
So, I took a shower after breakfast then started cleaning clothes. I did it differently again this time and decided not to rinse them out and just stick them in detergent to soak. This made the washing time only about forty-five minutes. After finishing, I went back to my room to wash my hands and whatnot.
Then, I went to ask the cooks if they needed help, expecting them to say that they had already finished. My expectations were wrong and they actually had A LOT of work for me to do.
They needed me to peel like twenty beetroot. Beetroot has become my most hated vegetable. I find the taste quite disgusting. It’s purple and bleeds red juice (which meant that if I did cut my finger, I don’t think anyone would notice because my blood would just mix in with the juice). Plus, it’s very hard to peel and cut .
Despite all this, I found peeling them very relaxing. By the end, however, half of my hand was dyed a deep brown. Bleh. It looked as if it would never come off my poor fingers! I had worked right up until it was time for devotions, so I went back to my room and tried to scrub my hands as best I could (which made no difference in the new color to my hand). Then Lissi and I went on a hunt to see which dorm was holding the devotions. One of the girls told us that it was in Sujatha’s dorm, so we headed over there.
Devotions was just prayer, really. Then we spent the half hour after the prayer of talking mixed with awkward silences.
When we all parted ways, I headed for the wash area to rinse out my clothes.
I worked right up until lunch then hung my clothes out to dry. To my relief, the dark brown of my hand reduced to only half of its yuckiness.
I had lunch then was informed that Lissi, Jayne and I were meeting up at 3 to go Christmas shopping. So, I went to the bungalow and got on the computer. Just was I ready to leave, Reetha came up and rubbed that dumb pink powder on my face. Usually, I’d find it funny but I immediately switched into a terrible mood and got incredibly mad.
This bad mood continued on much like yesterday’s. EVERYTHING annoyed me. Once 3:00 hit and Lissi, Jayne and I headed for town, I realized that I sincerely DID NOT feel like shopping. But, I went along anyway.
We stopped at the bank and Lissi discovered that she still couldn’t get any money. How much does that stink? She can’t get money just as the Christmas season hits! In any case, she decided to head back to KGH and call her bank. I felt terrible for ditching Jayne but I was just so miserable and just wanted to be back in my room, reading a book. So, I went with Lissi in an auto directed towards home.
From 4 to 5, I basically sulked around in self-pity. GAH! I hate being in a bad mood .
Latha came at 5 and asked if I was ready to go into town with her. Today was her day for coconuts, but I decided we could instead do shopping for Christmas.
We first stopped at a gift shop and successfully found presents for the dorm mothers. They wrapped them up in shiny paper for me too .
As our shopping spree progressed, my mood quickly turned completely around. Shopping with Latha was simply amazing. I got gifts for the Chinese auction we’re having with the girls, along with presents for the New Zealand girls.
I was so full of happiness and feelings of success as we went back to the home.
When we got there, we saw two buses parked out front of the bungalow. I then recalled how Sujatha told us that the church was coming and singing carols for the girls tonight. As we neared the bungalow, a stream of people came out, heading for the buses. Guess who completely missed the entire thing? Latha and me. Oops. I felt SO bad though because Latha told me that she had wanted to be there. Double oops.
Anyways, I went into the bungalow and was immediately grabbed by Sam and dragged outside and across the porch as she called for Daya and Dani to join her. She kept telling me they had to show me something.
I figured it was their Christmas present for me but Christmas isn’t till Sunday! So, I had no idea what was going on . They finally got me into their room then handed me a terr- I mean…beautifully… wrapped present. They waited anxiously for me to open it.
Once I had gotten it unwrapped, I was holding a box that had a drawing (Which I later learned was Dani’s handiwork) on it that looked almost exactly like the picture on a pumpkin pie Poptarts box. It was amazing!
Also on the box was detailed instructions on how to made homemade pumpkin Poptarts. I opened the box to find said homemade pumpkin Poptarts. The girls all urged me to try one so I opened the stapled paper that held the precious pastry and took a bit. FANTASTIC! They did a brilliant job!
It seemed that they felt kind of bad for not buying anything and just making me a gift instead. Well, I’d say that this present was definitely on the list of best presents ever given . You guys are so AWESOME . I think I may eat one now. Yup. I’m gonna do it…
Then we had a bit of a mahindy (not even going to bother trying to spell that right) party. Mahindy is this goopy stuff that Indian usually put on their hands during special occasions (or just for fun). The mahindy dyes the skin and stays on for a good two or three weeks. In order to dye the skin, you keep the goopy stuff on your hand for as long as possible. The longer it is left on the hand, the longer the skin stays dyed. After a few hours, the mahindy will harden and just fall off on its own. Anyways, Daya made designs on Sam’s, Dani’s and my wrist.
It was really interesting trying to keep the design from messing up. I had to be careful of my wrist all through dinner. After having it on for a good hour, I washed it off, leaving a yellow design on my wrist. I likes it .
Lissi and I had a good heart to heart on issues after dinner. It was very nice. She told me that she was upset that I had gotten the girls presents without her. I had thought that she wanted to get each specific girl a present on her own so I figured I’d just go and get the Chinese auction gifts by myself. I realized that it wasn’t just because I misunderstood her. She does everything for the girls and I feel like I do nothing. I wanted this Christmas party to be MY task. MY work for the girls. I wanted to actually do something on my own for them in MY own way. To be honest, it really hurts whenever the girls come to our door only looking for Lissi or when they’d say good morning to Lissi and overlook me.
In any case, Lissi and I came up with a compromise: she and I would go shopping tomorrow and get little presents for each specific girl.
And now it’s 10:00… this whole go-to-bed-early thing is just not going to work for me . But yeah, it’s been an okay to bad to worse to good to great to fantastic kind of day .
