French Toast and Music

Our day was originally planned as our first 'us' day where we could go shopping, etc. However, this morning we were asked to stay on campus and help with the final preparations. The kids come tomorrow!

So, we put on our mixture of half American clothes/half Indian clothes and walked to school. Everyday we pass the cows just chillin' in the yard grazing. I don't think I've ever been so close to cows except at like the fair and behind a fence. Strange.

This is where the workshop has been...the front entrance of the school. These men have been building shelves, tables, bookcases, painting, wiring, etc and of course leaving trash everywhere that we have been blessed to pick up...classic construction workers.

This is the American version of a welcome back to school sign on the black board...

...and this is the Indian version, with the artist herself.

A little more flowery, no?

Oh, and then the dreaded sorting of the laundry. There were boxes and boxes of donated dresses, shorts, shirts, underwear and just clothes everywhere. It was wonderful to see all that has been given, but there was a point (I think this might have been it) where I was like, "no, just no. I am so done with this work." And we had piles to go. But...the kids come tomorrow and they each get a few new outfits, so it had to be done. Soren brought in his ipod and turned on the music and that seriously saved us all. It was so fun.

Ok, so the movie. We were in the kitchen cooking dinner for Eliza's birthday when we heard thunder. We all got excited and were like, "ok, nobody get excited cus rain would just be too good to be true. No way." But a few minutes later I went outside and saw little drops on the concrete. Oh my word, I have never been so excited. I was like, "Guys! There are drops!"

So, they all ran outside and we decided it was appropriate to do a little rain dance in the middle of the courtyard. Oh, and we're in the most random tub like thing. It has a faucet but no drain so...it's not quite a pool but not quite a pond. It's just random.

Soren, the boy in the movie, was like "Do you think it'll fill up?" I just looked at him and said, "Let's not get carried away." And it's good we didn't. Didn't get past the first tiny drops, but it was still fun.

And then there was french toast. Whenever daddy makes it I can never handle more then one piece. But seeing as how we hadn't had American food in over a week, we took all we could get. Plus, there was fresh fruit salad, with mango! And... homemade syrup. Everything is homemade here I swear. And this is Kristin, one of our session directors. Sweetest most awesome girl. Told me and Heather all about her life while we were driving home on our 5 hr. drive. She's been a nanny in Australia, a flight attendant, a director for RSO, etc. Inspiration~
Then, we all crowded around Lauren's computer to look at her bridal photos and cast our votes.

Today was just a day full of little American touches, the best being french toast, music, and straight hair, since normally I braid it.

{Random photos I've taken that might be entertaining}

Our view from our two star hotel this past weekend. The fact that I was impressed they had AC and a sitting toilet, yet not surprised they didn't supply toilet paper, says something about my current mindset.

Dosa. A rice and wheat creation they eat for any meal. Always served with spicy dipping sauces, eaten with your hands and just ripped like a tortilla to eat. Here you have to specifically ask for silverware, otherwise it's just expected you'll eat with your hands. And many of the restaurants are vegetarian, for religious reasons. So, when we were eating at one of the restaurants on our trip, one of the volunteers took out some chicken from the previous nights meal to eat and put the bones on the plate. Dr. Kumar leaned over and told her she should take them off the plate because people were looking. They don't even like any part of an animal to come in contact with their serving ware, ever.

When we went in this store to get some ice cream they asked us to remove our shoes. You'll see piles of shoes on the doorstep of homes and shops, even hotel rooms.

Today was a good day, but I definitely definitely needed the American food, music, gym time, straight hair, etc. to bring back some familiarity and routine, even if my new routine has become easier with each day.

Hands

Why do I feel that since coming to India I have lost my ability to speak? This weekend was, again, something I don't feel I'll adequately put into words, or for that matter, even fully understand the impact it has had on me for some time.

We were so blessed by a slight breeze in the first colony we visited. Thank you thank you to all of you who prayed for us. I genuinely attribute the weather to the prayers sent our way. Unfortunately, I did still get pretty sick, but somehow after being with the people of India this weekend, I would be humiliated to complain.

The trip went well, thanks to the pudja our driver performed. (It's a blessing, or a prayer offered at little road side temples along the way, like this one.)

Since our van was new, he sliced lemons and rubbed them on all the tires, then lit incense and said a prayer.That was new. Then we got caught in a traffic jam where we all got out and wandered around because there was a festival and we knew we weren't going anywhere for a while! It was a festival for the Gods, where they take the statues out of the temple and carry them through the streets.

Everyone eats, buys trinkets and just shuts down the main roads. As we piled out of the van, Dr. Kumar warned us to not make light of the festival because people take their religion very seriously.

It was so amazingly crowded.

The first colony we went to we had amazing success. All 45 patients who were to be seen showed up. We got quite a system down of washing, photos, wrapping, and medications. I feel very satisfied and a sense of accomplishment that help was begun with these people and will continue for years. We were the first people to visit them. I was asked to be the photographer.

{Note: some of the photos are graphic}

This was my first patient, so I had to remember his face.

This man wheeled himself around on a skateboard type thing. Everyone had gathered, then here he came down the path dragging himself along in the dirt. So many images I can't forget.

Often times, Leprosy affects their eyes as well.

Wish I could remember her name but they are so long and different.

All I remember was she was chart #17 because I had to track her down and make sure she was photographed. At times it felt like chaos because none of the patients spoke English and none of us spoke Tamil. Somehow, it all sorts out.

The sores on these bodies are hard to see. But there's some sort of strength that comes from physically holding or touching these hands and feet; you don't seem to care how ugly or gross they are, how many flies are crawling on you because you are cleaning the wounds because all you want to do is show them they are still worth touching and loving. And even if their country deems them as untouchable, they are worth touching.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whether or not it was the lack of humidity, this morning (second day of our trip) I woke up and finally felt prepared for what I was going to see and experience. Going out into the streets and seeing everything around me, I felt that the first word I would describe this experience as would no longer be a forceful 'hard.' It was refreshing to look at the busy streets and notice all the foreign things and people and feel excited about it again.

As we drove up to the second colony today, it seemed the whole colony was out to greet us. I thought it was a bus stop and that they were flagging us down for a ride because almost all transportation in India seems to be public. Often times when we drive to and from the junction we pick up random people along the way and take them a mile or two. But, it turned out to be the people from the colony waiting for us.

Today I did diabetes testing. 100 people! We could cruise the majority of the time until we would have someone whose hands no longer had fingers. Then they would be so callused from just being stumps it was difficult to pierce the skin and coax out any blood. Sometimes we just moved up to the palm or the arm depending on how much of their limbs they had left. Everyone would smile and watch as we cleaned and pricked their hands and they would always put their hands together in a prayer sign and say 'nandri' (thank you). They may not have hands, but they all still have gratitude.

This lady cracked me up cus she made the biggest deal out of getting her finger pricked for the diabetes testing I did. Out of all the hardships in life, I guess needles are a universal fear.

Their faces and bodies tell stories of having lived 100 years in only 40. I see the little children running around or hear them crying from inside the shelters and just think, "how? How are you going to live? How are you going to learn? How will you find the stamina to live this life of a hundred years?"

Before we left I had the chance to work deep in the colony. Three others and I took our supplies and went to two people who couldn't make it out to us. The first little man. No words. We found him sitting on the cement floor with a cloth wrapped around him, no hands, swollen 'feet', and bones of knees and elbows practically visible beneath the paper thin leather skin of his failing body. Miserable. Just miserable living conditions. I just wonder who he used to be and what it has been like to see his body, his life, and his dignity as a human being just slowly crumble away from him. Sitting there. Just sitting there on a cement floor, in the depths of a maze like community as the flies come and feed on his sores. He doesn't even move. I don't know what to make of some of the trials people of this world are made to

suffer through in this life.

The second person we visited was a lady. She didn't need washing or bandaging, so just Matthew and I went since I knew how to do the testing. Ducking beneath the low hanging thatched roof, we found her lying on sheets making a bed that took up most of the 8x12 concrete room. I sat down on the floor by her and Matthew left me alone to spend a few minutes holding her hand and listening to her explain in Tamil all her pains. We're told the people just want someone to listen to them, even if we can't understand. But it's such a helpless feeling to feel someone is hurting and know I'm not there helping. She rolled over and kept touching her back so I lifted up her shirt and there was a long scar running down her spine. I can only imagine. I rubbed her back and felt bad I couldn't do more. I held her hands, then did the little test, explaining the doctor would be back to see her, even though I knew she didn't understand a single word except doctor, which she repeated after me. I kissed her hands and as I stood she pulled me to my knees to give me a hug. As I ducked back out of her room I turned to wave and saw a hand raise from the sheets to wave in return and could feel her eyes on me as I turned and walked away.

Work

This will be a short post, just enough to fill you in and tell you what's to come. Everyone did like a two line post because, surprise, it's been a long day! Today was a work-on-campus-day. The kids are coming Sunday so we have lots to do to prepare!

We cleaned, sorted, dusted, organized the school rooms and closests in the morning. Then, we headed back to our beloved library to, long story short, organize. Spent a little time assembling all of the charts for this weekend (explained below). And as a treat we went to the "junction." This is the place a few roads in town meet and we bought the littlest ice cream bars ever, toe rings, bracelets, sodas, etc. As our director Amy says, "You can get anything at the junction. It's great!"

(I've got a few fun photos but the Internet is funky tonight.)

We will be gone for two days. Thursday, we are being picked up at 5 A.M. to drive 5 hours to the first of two leper colonies that we are 'opening,' meaning no NGO's or volunteers have really worked with them before. Pretty neat for us. We were instructed today on how to take blood pressure, do diabetes tests, document the physical status of the people, etc. I was assigned to the photography group, so I'll be taking all the photos of the sore feet and hands.

We are all nervous because of the heat. Dr. Kumar, who is heading up the opening of the colonies, informed us that the places we will be driving to these next two days are even hotter than here...120 degrees. At dinner we learned that today was only 108, so.....yeah. I'm scared. Apparently, Chennai is on the list of top five hottest cities in the world. Seriously, pray for us. I'm already drinking liters a day, so fending off heat stroke is ganna be fun.

I'll be in touch in a few days with plenty of details and stories. But tonight we're all beat. But on the upside, we all became better friends today because of the close proximity of the work. It was a nice day~

{fill in the blank}

{Our Group}

{Our Room}

{There was nothing I could title this post that could even begin to describe this whole day. Today was something like I've never pictured I could be a part of. Being in this country alone is an entirely new world. Makes Africa seem like a vacation. And it's not just the heat.}

This country is foreign to me.

{The guards killed this scorpion. One of the reasons we are told strictly to walk only on the path to and from the buildings. These and cobras are all over. Just yesterday one of RSO's dogs was killed by a cobra on the path we walk every day. Yikes.}

{We sat waiting for the train to come because the watchmen have to hand-crank down the guardrails and it takes like 10 minutes.}

{Our first day in the Bharatapuram Colony}

{We also walked through the great art school RSO has started, but were asked not to take photos just yet. We want to make friends before we start that. In the colony we could take a few, but I'm sure more will come.}

{Inside the room where all the elderly stay together. These people are the lowest of the low in society; not even regarded as people. They are rarely touched by anyone but each other, and any volunteers or doctors who really understand the situation. These women were caring for each other by tying up the other's hair with what little mobility their fingerless hands had.}

{Oradbama & Me. She got a kick out of me and Audrey trying to say 'how are you' in their language. Sounds like "Yeipidi eidingiding ga" and that took like 5 minutes to figure out. I'm serious, that's the phonetic spelling of it.}

Other words:

Fine- 'nalarga'

Bad- 'nalailay'

What's your name- 'Unga per una'

My name is- 'inpair na'

Hi- 'vanecume'

Have you eaten? (greeting equal to our hi, how are you)- 'saftung la'

Yes, I have- 'saptem'

{I don't even know what to say. This was unlike anything I've ever done. The only thing these people wanted was to have their feet washed and their nails clipped. They don't look like they've had anyone to help them wash for forever. They would stand to the side waiting for their turn. And neither of us understood what the other was saying, but we as volunteers just chatted and listened and made up our own conversations with them and they seemed perfectly content; always bringing their two hands together in a prayer sign and bowing their head as a 'hello' and 'thank you' gesture. The only thing this man could say in English was, pointing to the woman, "Wife, wife" so we knew they were a pair. We were there for 4 hours.}

{We learned a lot about Leprosy in this room where the elderly all sleep. There has been a dramatic decrease of the disease because the younger generation are separating themselves from the afflicted, and are finding easier access to the medication. It's only a bacteria, so it is easily cured. It has an incubation life of about 3 years when a person wouldn't know they were affected. Then a white circle starts to appear on the collarbone or the arm. With treatment, it can all be cured. Our goal is to help the people already affected, while educating and removing the children from the infectious environment and stopping leprosy with this generation.}

{Took an hour lunch break where we all sat under the fans. Then back to work. Our big project today was the library. Every one of these books here was moved and organized by category and reading level. Hours. Hot hours. Thankfully we had a fan...as long as the power was on.}

{Had a wonderful dinner on the roof with the sunset again. Then back to work till 8:30. We took wet rags and scrubbed down the new school so it will be all clean when the kids come back. Caught some frogs and toads just for entertainment.}

{In all honesty, I wish I could say today was the most enjoyable and rewarding day of my life. But it was hard, and long. And I'm not here for me, but to help and to work. I had a moment in the colony today as I was rinsing out another bucket and filling it up at the pipes where I stood to stretch my legs and back and looked down the colony dirt road and thought, "What the heck am I doing here? This is not a normal thing to be doing. I'm standing in a leper colony, in India, washing people's feet and hands; most with some fingers and toes missing, open wounds, flies all over me...and them, literally watching sweat dripping off of me into the bucket as I leaned down in the dirt and tried to make something so dirty and painful looking become...better."

I'm not proud of the moments I have of feeling grumpy and tired; when all I want to do is have a cold drink of water and walk away from all the work. I have everything in the world to go back to in just three weeks. But, I'm human. And this is not easy. It is so humbling and every second here is teaching me of my own weakness and capacity to give mental and physical help to strangers who are so much worse off then I could or will ever be. I don't know what I thought I was signing up for, but this experience is already exceeding my expectations

in just the first two days. Like I said, I'm not here for me.

I might have thought so a few days ago, but I am quickly realizing that this isn't something people at Rising Star do for fun, but honestly to serve. However, every now and then I know I'm going to need a moment where I feel rewarded and not just 'taught' by this experience. That moment came for me today when I was all finished washing the feet and taking a moment to stand and just 'be'. Then I noticed a man sitting a ways off from the whole group, alone on some stairs in just a wrap around his waist. He had his head down. I didn't go at first because I thought someone might see and maybe he was 'different' ya know. But, I just felt like he was lonely. I walked over to him and we started 'talking', even though I've figured out that doesn't really mean using the same language. He started gesturing about this and that, then showed me his hands. I grabbed a damp rag and some nail clippers, sat by him on the stairs, held his hands in mine and started to wipe them clean and do what I could with what was left of his hands. I don't know what to say. Maybe it was selfish, feeling like I got such satisfaction out of helping him. But I felt like out of my whole day, all my moments of fatigue, discomfort from the heat, and worrying about myself, that was a moment where I was needed, where I helped someone who was forgotten in the corner.

I hope I did a good enough job. I'll never forget him. I can't.

HoT, Sticky, Wet and Lovin' it

HOT, sticky, hot, humid, sweaty, hot, hot, wet, sticky, hot, wet, hot, hot, suffocating, hot!

I have, never, ever, ever, been this hot and wet in my whole life just by standing and breathing.

~It's actually pretty funny~

This was the little bus that picked our group up from the Courtyard Marriot in Chennai (said CHE-nye, emphasis on the first syllable). We have 9 volunteers in our group which is very small and I'm happy. After today, it feels like we're all friends already. I mean, you can't really see each other as hot and sweaty as we all were and not gain an instant sense of shared suffering, humor, and friendship. I wouldn't change this experience for anything!

We rode two hours out to our town with every window open and even the door. It always amazes me with how much there is to see in the world, and how much can be taken in and learned just by looking out a window.

Before I leave on a trip I have a hard time wrapping my mind around leaving America and really grasping the thought of being somewhere foreign. Naturally, I always feel a little anxious and worry about getting started with everything. Then something changes in me. It's like there's a part of me that wakes up when I first get a good look at a new culture, a new people, and a new way of life. It's such a feeling of energy and inability to possibly take it all in. Every sight, sound, smell, face...it's so full of difference, and life!

The traffic was like a game of chicken. Who can get the closest to others and then swerve at the last minute. But I guess that's just everyday driving here. I swear I could sit for hours in a bus and just watch the world out the window if you put me in any foreign country.

Our first stop was at a store to get our last taste of any Western culture we could find. I have never seen a can with that much condensation on it so fast. Within minutes it went from cold to almost hot.

Kenady, me, and Lauren

Then to another to pick up lots of fruits and veggies that our house moms will make all our meals with. These people were SO excited to see us. Once again, I feel famous everywhere I go.

Heather & I in our Chudidars.

As soon as we got to the campus we all changed out of our hot clothes. I have been soooo excited to wear these outfits. Like seriously my whole life. They have a whole closet full of them we can choose from each day. Surprisingly they are very airy and feel more comfortable than our Western tight clothes. After a quick and good lunch, we had a mtg. in the mango room (every room has a name of some animal or fruit) then took a tour of the grounds. RSO (Rising Star Outreach) has acres of beautiful green ground that they couldn't believe fell into their hands.

We are only the second group ever to stay in this hostel. The fence in the backyard is going to become a mural of paintings and themes of groups coming to serve with RSO. Ours will be the space to the right, so we're all planning up something special that will be memorable for our group to leave behind.

Took a tour of the campus. This is the 'old' school house that's getting a face lift. The 'new' one is connected to it, looks the same but brand new.

The kids are all off campus for one week and this is the surprise they will all come back to. 80% of the kids come from the leper colonies, but in an attempt to not make the school a 'colony school' the other 20% come from neighboring villages. Looks like a legitimate class room. Most schools in India boast of having 1 computer, and Rising Star will now be able to provide 70!

Thought this was poetic to find a rusty old random star in the new Rising Star school house.

This is the new library we will be working in this week to fill with books and make presentable. I was really impressed to see and hear all that this organization has been able to make happen in only 8 years. All the buildings, programs for the kids, jobs for the villagers, etc. All while making sure to maintain the culture and not impress Western ideals. That is the reason we all wear the Chudidars. We want to blend with the culture.

This is the top of the kids dormitories where we eat dinner every night and share with each other our highs and lows of the day. Scenic.

We ate our dinner with only the moonlight, and everything was homemade.

They give us banana leaves to eat on because they are naturally antibacterial, plus it's easy clean up.

Folks...let's just say that I cannot as of yet add taking a bucket shower to my list of talents. This is going to take some practice. As we were all in the stalls next to each other, I yelled to the girls, "Is it bad that I feel just as wet in this shower as I have felt all day?" We all agreed it was seriously harder then it should seem, but cold showers never felt so good.

Oh, and on the upside, I moved my bucket and a good sized yellow frog jumped out from behind it and right into the bathroom/hole in the floor across from me (below).

Awesome.

So it's hot, sticky, and wet, but I'm loving it all!

Hope everyone enjoys their frog free showers tomorrow :)

The Adventure Begins

Today another place on my "life list of places to go" was checked off. The plane ride went about as smooth as it could have. I got a window seat in the emergency exit area so nobody sat in front of me and I felt I could actually breath for the 15.5 hr flight.

Landing in Dubai alone did not sound fun to me. Foreign country that really looked foreign out the plane window. Felt like I was landing in Vegas, if Vegas actually looked like it should without all the sprinklers; waves of desert with little bits of land and highway sprouting up. Then of course the fancy city.

I found a little place to connect to the internet as I waited at my gate and sent off an "I'm safe" e-mail to mama. It was very strange, however, to turn on the internet and be reading an AOL blurb about a crash in India of a plane that took off from Dubai. Remember that I was sitting in that very airport about to board MY plane to India. Hmm.

Felt SO out of my comfort zone as I realized I was one of 3 white people on the plane. But I sat next to a friendly Indian family who were flying home after a holiday in Oregon with family. Told me to have a good trip, with the parting advice of "Be safe, and don't go outside. Especially as a woman." Ok, thanks. As soon as I exited the terminal I could clearly see that the women of the country took that advice very literally. There were only about 100 men waiting behind a metal fence waiving and holding name cards for those they were trying to meet. Wanted a photo, but in that moment I was mostly just trying to keep my head down and not look lost, cus I was pretty scared! This was the moment I had been most nervous about since leaving.

Then the sign "Ms. Anne Marie" caught my eye and I was SO relieved to see that my driver genuinely looked kind. After meeting him and walking with him through the streets and parking lots (and accidentally going to the passenger's side which is the Indian drivers side of the van) I couldn't help asking myself, "Where are all the women?" I didn't see ONE woman out on the streets, on the busses, or anywhere. I mean women don't really make it a habit of cruisin' around any city after dark, but seriously it was strange. It wasn't like this in Africa at least.

The conversation I had, or tried to have, with the driver was hilarious. Technically, both of us were speaking English. I think. But seriously I still have NO idea what we were talking about. As you can see from the photo, the languages aren't exactly similar. Beautiful looking and sounding, but wow. I mean, this accent was insane! I had to stop myself from laughing like 10 times. He'd say something and point and I'd be like, "oh, ok. Uh huh." ??????? I tried to stick with small words, or none at all. And I am SO a talker, but I was scared to start a conversation for fear he'd ask me more questions and I'd be like, oh no dude, I have no idea what you just said. HA! Then before entering the gates of the hotel they had guards come search the underside of the van with a huge mirror, and brought a dog out to sniff around it. That was different.

Then after 24+ hours of travel, this was a beautiful sight. Especially after the passport clerks almost didn't let me in the country. You have to go through immigration check points entering any country where they look at and stamp your passport. The clerk checking mine apparently didn't think I looked like myself. Stared at me, made me take off my hat, brought his other clerk friends to come cast a vote, then finally let me go. I was thinking, "Seriously? I've been on a plane for a whole day. I probably don't look like the same person in the photo. But it's me."

Went to bed around this time Sunday morning,

which was I think around 3:37 pm Saturday in the U.S.?

Huge time change. Night and Day opposite.

Slept till mid afternoon, around 1 am in the U.S.

When I opened my window to see where I am this is what I got.

~Hello India~

Now I'm in the lobby using the internet. When the elevator doors opened this little party greeted me. Not quite sure what's going on. Think I'll go ask cus I'm dying of thirst and if this guy in front of me pours one more glass of cocoanut juice and I don't get one soon there might be issues.

So...I'm here, I'm safe, and I'm soaking as much up from the very beginning as I can. I'm excited for others to get here cus it's uncomfortable being on your own. But daddy blessed me to be aware and alert without being so fearful that I can't enjoy the experience. It is always exhilarating stepping foot in another country and into another culture. And it comes with a hyper-awareness of reliance on the Lord and gratitude for the many cultures of the world. Keep praying for me please. It helps me feel safe~

{This was a very word heavy post, but more photos will come soon}

Countdown to India

In 3 days I will be flying here...

India

I will land in Dubai, Oman.

(South of Iran, East of Saudi Arabia),

then continue to Chennai, India

(South East coast).

I am excited to see this part of the world.

Ready to meet and serve the people,

and ready to get to work!

Pray for me as I head out on this next adventure,

to maybe a not-so-popular place on the globe.