A Day in Delhi

My day today started early... 2:30am to be exact.  We got ready and left for the airport by 3 for our 6:55 flight to Delhi.  When we got there around 10, we were met by our tour guide Raj.  We drove around Delhi, passing the foreign embassies and the Royal Palace (similar in function to the White House, only it has 316 rooms).
This is the best picture I could get of it from the bus.













We finally made it to Old Delhi (Delhi is huge), and took bicycle rickshaws through it's streets.  If you have a couple extra minutes, here are two 2-minute videos while we were in the rickshaw.  I was too tall for the rain covering, so it was a little uncomfortable, but something that was totally worth it.

One of the places they took us was a Jain temple.  Apparently Jain is even older than Buddhism.  The outside wan't that impressive, but the inside had lots of intricately detailed statues and paintings, even though it was over 1000 years old.  They also took us to the spice market.  It was really pretty cool.  Sometimes the scent was overpowering and caused people to sneeze.

The spice market seemed to mostly be contained in this square, although it did go up the full 4 levels.

















At this point, I think we headed off on our bus ride to Agra where the Taj Mahal is located.  It was about a 6 1/2 or 7 hour bus ride, so we got there about 11:30 at night.  It had been a long day of traveling, so sleep followed shortly thereafter.  I will note that we stayed at the Radisson, and it was an amazing hotel.  That's the first real shower I've had in two weeks.

This is India

My day started off rather normal, at least by India's standards.  Our group headed to medical at the most developed leper colony to do the washing, oiling, and re-bandaging at their old-folks home.  See, their businesses have been so successful, they were able to build a place for their elderly to live.  And even though it is a well-off colony as far as living conditions are concerned, that doesn't make the effects of leprosy any different. The people still need to have their sores taken care of.  Today I was in charge of oiling their feet after they were washed.  The oil stuff we use has quite the smell.  Apparently, not only does it help their skin stay moist, but it keeps the flies away, and has antibiotic properties.  There were so many cute people there.  One little old lady, not more than 5 feet tall (probably just over 4) wore her glasses upside down, and had such a wonderful, contagious laugh.  They show such gratitude.  I only hope that I can be just as grateful in my own life.

Partway through, we found out Kim, the head of the construction team, who was filling in holes in the same colony had dislocated her knee.  I was asked to go and provide an extra set of hands, since she was unable to work, and the rest of the group were pretty worn out (it was a super hot day today).  So I was able to help out shoveling some dirt to finish up a septic tank.  Even though it was a small thing, again I received the same overabundant gratitude that those at the old folks home showed.  Sometimes I'm just left to wonder what I did to deserve such wonderful people and experiences in my life.

During playtime, instead of playing soccer, I promised Gokulraj I'd sit and talk with him.  This came about because I'd asked him what he did during playtime, and he'd said he likes to sit quietly and talk.  So we talked a little about his favorite color (blue), Tom and Jerry, and about parent weekend.  See this weekend is when parents of the kids (at least those that have parents), can come visit.  But apparently, this time his parents won't be coming because of their money situation.  These have got to be some tough kids.  What made my day was Naveen (a different one from the one we sponsor).  I was sitting down, and he just came over, sat in my lap, and we talked.  I really hadn't talked with him much at all except got his name once (he had to remind me again), but he was willing to come over and be my friend.  There's not much better than a kid feeling comfortable enough to come and sit with you, and talk like you've known each other forever.  His favorite color was red, his favorite animal is a Lion, and his favorite movie is, of course, 'The Lion King'.  For family time I drew some more pictures (T-Rex and dragons - they seem to be really popular), and played some Connect 4.  Oh, and of course swinging kids around.  That's become somewhat of a tradition now.  I really love these kids.  Pictures will come...

This is what I did for part of the day... our clinic was set up outside.  It gets pretty hot.

Here's the lady who was so funny.  If you can't tell, her glasses are upside down, and she laughed so much.  She was so much fun.

Frogs Set Free

Today was great!  We were on construction again, so we were off to the leper colony.  We made one more septic tank with those huge cement rings again, and finished up a couple others.  But we noticed at the bottom of one of the septic tanks there were a couple frogs.  Us, being the kind-hearted people we are, felt bad for them and wanted to get them out.  I volunteered myself to go in and rescue them.  So I hopped into the 6 foot deep hole, and set to work trying to catch the frogs and put them outside the tank.  What I thought would be quick, was not so quick.  From above we saw about 3 frogs... from inside I could see about 20.  And most of them were resistant to being caught.  So after getting about 8 out, and struggling in vain to get more... I climbed back out.  May the remainder of the frogs rest in peace.  We then set to work filling in around the edges of another tank.  See, a round septic tank in a square hole isn't a perfect fit... so we had to scoop dirt back in around the sides.  This was a pretty time consuming, sweaty, exhausting project... but so much fun.  In India, they even have different shovels...  Afterwards we went to the Bindu School of Art in the colony where people, including the leprosy-affected, paint pictures and then the money from it goes to the artist, the school, and the old folks home they have there.  It's cool, because it's just one way the leprosy patients can become self-sufficient.

At family time, I was asked by one of the kids, Enokelee, to swing him by his hands and feet, and then everyone wanted to... it gets pretty exhausting... but again, so much fun!  I played connect four, cards, and Gokulraj wanted me to tell a story before I left.  I've done this for the past night or two, but couldn't think of any, so he told me one about Danny the Dragon.  When I went outside to head back, there was another game of net-less volleyball going.  That's the great thing about India... they don't need nets for anything.  I got asked to play... it was so great.  Maybe it's that I'm in India, maybe it's because I'm loving these kids more and more, or maybe it's both.

This is the Bindu school of Art.  Not super fancy, but nicer than a lot of places I've seen in India.

The kids were playing a game where one person drove the car, and the rest were laying down and had to roll around to dodge it.  They wanted me to take this picture.

Basically with 'India' volleyball... you just have to decide the middle, and the back boundaries and then just play!  Super easy and lots of fun!

Epic

That would be the word to describe our soccer game today.  For playtime most every day, some of the kids and volunteers start a crazy game of soccer.  A small field and about 20 small kids running around makes for a game similar to pinball.  I was goalie for most of it, which was plenty exciting.  Well, I guess the fact that we won is what made it better.  Near the end, though... one of the volunteers got nailed in the face with the ball and got a bloody nose, but luckily it wasn't too bad.  Earlier we spent our day tutoring some kids.  It's wonderful to see them learn; whether it be being able to answer comprehension questions about a story they just read, or better understanding double digit multiplication, it was just great.  When I arrived for family time, most of my kids were drawing the Buzz Lightyear that's painted on the wall.  They were so proud of their drawings and would come up to me and show me them.  They were really pretty good!  By the way, the school on Rising Star campus is a full-time thing.  Most all of the kids don't go home to their families, but instead stay on campus for months... hence being split up into families.  This isn't uncommon to RSO, but all the kids sleep pretty much straight on the cement floor.  They are so cute, though.  Now every time before they fall asleep, they want hi-fives or for me to pick them up by their feet (I started that one).  I love it here, and I love the kids at Rising Star.

Viren drawing intently.  He was so focused.

Adding some finishing touches to the drawings.  From bottom left, clockwise, we have Viren, Steven, Anbarasu (you can only see the right side of him), and Karti (or Kartik).

These are some of the younger kids in bed.  I'm still working on their names.

No Internet

This post is going to have to cover two days worth... for the past day and a half our internet's been down.  See... in India, you can't ever expect what's going to happen; India has it's own mind.  Take the power for instance.  Out here, there isn't a day, and probably not an hour that goes by without the power going out for at least a couple seconds.  At home, this might concern me, but in India, you really do just have to, "come what may, and love it."

Yesterday we went to church in Chennai.  I was actually really surprised... they had quite the branch.  Even without the volunteers, they had a good 50 members there.  The primary sang a song (there were about 15-20 of them), and a returning missionary gave a talk.  They also have at least one soon to be leaving missionary.  It was really cool to see their faith, and to see how the Church is growing.

Today was super.  (That's the go to word that the Indian people use when something good happens.)  Our group was assigned to medical today, and so we went to another leper colony.  This one was also in pretty decent shape... they had some straw houses, but most were cement/plaster.  We set up a station that the leprosy affected patients visited.  They would check in, see the doctor, get prescribed medications, get their bandages removed, their feet washed and oiled (sort of like lotion), and then new bandages put on.  See, when people get leprosy, the leprosy itself makes it so that tissue dies, and so the cartilage (especially on fingers and toes) is absorbed into the body.  But there are also side effects.  Since there is nerve damage, when they're hurt, or walk too much, they can't tell.  Sometimes this results in them developing ulcers.  This is what the bandages are for.  Ashley and I were in charge of washing their feet; especially the ulcers.  It was really a hard thing; not because it was gross or made me queasy, but because I felt bad for them and causing pain (it hurts to have an ulcer cleaned out).  But it was such a wonderful experience to see that their predicament didn't get them down.  It really was cute to see them smile, and show their gratitude.  Later today also involved an epic game of soccer with the kids, and a goofy game of cards.  These are days to remember.

Some of the really old carvings in Mamallapuram.

Ashley posed really well for the picture, but the main purpose of this was to show what the inside of an Indian clothing store looks like.  In this one, you choose fabric from the piles, and tell him what you want made, and he makes it.  All you have to do is negotiate a price and a time.

Even though it's hard to tell at first glance, this whole street is shops.  As far as I've been able to tell, most outdoor markets look like this.

The resort we spent part of our day in Mamallapuram at.

This is from today.  We decided to take pictures next to one of the smaller huts in the colony.  People really live like that.

This was before it was all set up, but I was stationed over on the right side washing their feet.  One of our group leaders, Kim, took more pictures which hopefully I can share once I get them.









Well, that's it for today.  Today especially has helped me appreciate what wonderful blessings I have been given.

Mamallapuram

Each of the two weekends we're here on campus, we go somewhere exciting.  This weekend was Mamallapuram, next week is Delhi!  Stay tuned.  When we first got there, we had the opportunity to look at some old stone carvings, and do some shopping.  There were lots of stores, and lots of eager salesmen.  So far, I haven't seen any salesman more persistent and persuasive than an Indian salesman.  I went around with a group of girls (seeing as there are 12 girls and 3 guys), and collectively got everything from jewelry to shoes to clothing.  I got a shirt custom made... as in from straight fabric to a finished shirt... in and hour and twenty minutes for 450 rupees (about the equivalent of $10).  It was pretty incredible.  After our shopping spree, we went to an Indian beach resort.  For Indian standards, it was really nice.  I went swimming in the Bay of Bengal... it's not every day you can say that.  On our way back, we stopped at a restaurant and had parotha.  One of the other volunteers described it as a croissant tortilla.  I thought that was the best description; it's flaky, and buttery, and delicious.  They served it with a little egg omelet.  So for a full meal, I paid less than $1 US dollar.  Awesome.  Once we got back, we went over and watched a movie with the kids for their movie night.  That basically meant we were couches for them, while they watched "Meet the Robinsons".  They were given a choice between two movies at the beginning, and the voting consisted of who yelled the loudest.  It was so much fun to see.  This week has been wonderful.  It's late, so I'll post some pictures tomorrow after church or something.

Friday Already!?

This week has flown by!  It's just been a rush of new and exciting things, and today was no different.  We went to the same leper colony as before for construction, only this time we were moving 200 to 300 lb cement rings and caps to build septic tanks.  It was pretty amazing.  There were only four of us again, and we stacked 6 rings in a hole; one on top of the other, and put on about 8 or 9 caps to other tanks that had already been built.  It was hard work, but I'm in a great group, and they make the work fun.  For playtime, we did another game of soccer... it was lots of fun, and lots of sweating.  I think the best part of my day though, came at family time.  Tonight, more than before, I really felt like a brother to the kids in my family.  Especially to Gokulraj... today he sat me down, and asked me if I'd seen Narnia before.  I told him I had, and he proceeded to explain that the girl and the boy kissed in it.  For those who don't know... public displays of affection are a big no-no in India, as in some people get beaten or thrown into jail.  It was just cool that he wanted to tell me that.  Then another guy... gave me a paper wallet thing he made with a couple little drawings of Spider-man on.  And later, when I was sitting in a circle of 5 boys, I realized that I knew all of their names... that was really exciting.  The only thing that depresses me is that it's already been a week, and there are only two left.