Somehow my time here is coming to a close, I leave for Delhi tomorrow morning and I don’t know
how it has flown by so quickly. I knew
it would but somehow this ending still comes as a surprise. There is so much I’m
going to miss. The children, the silly banter between my team members, the new
friends I’ve made, all that makes India what it is. Living in close community
like this with both my team members and the locals is going to make it hard to
go back to the individualistic way of life at home. I know from past experience that I always
find the isolation hard to deal with. I
hope I have the strength within me to deal with all that will come with being
back home.
Last night Alyssa & I went and hung out with the girls
for a bit. We played some silly games
with the younger ones, and then after they went in the teenage girls came out
to hang out with us. It was so great and
nice to be able to spend time with them. They reminded me of the girls of that age I
have hung out with at home. The constant
chatter and questions that flew my way as they braided my hair, “Didi, do you
miss your parents?” “Didi, your fair skin is so beautiful” “Didi, let me teach
you how to say you are so beautiful in Hindi” “Didi, do you know Justin Bieber?”
“Didi, my voice sounds funny because I was hooting for my team at the football
game” “Didi, do you want to marry someone from India, Canada or Korea (they all
voted for someone from Korea which might be hard since I don’t actually know
anyone from Korea)” “Didi, come look at our favourite Korean movie stars, don’t
they look nice?” and finally “Didi we like you, when are you going to come
back?” How can I answer that
question? The same way I always do. I don’t know when I’ll come back. And that thought makes me sad. I can feel it, have felt it as my time here
has steadily moved forward, the ways these kids, these people have firmly
grabbed hold of my heart and drawn me in.
The way they will keep part of it and I’ll notice that it’s gone when I
get home. I wish I could stay
longer.
I have learned more of their names than I thought I
would. It was a challenge for me at
first. And I still don’t know them all,
but I have learned a lot. And the reason
this is so important for me is because I know that each of us wants to be
known, and these kids are no different.
Maybe knowing who they are and what their names are will make it harder
for me to leave, but it lets them know that I care. I care a lot. Tonight we get to attend the monthly birthday
celebration. They have one birthday
celebration a month for all the kids with birthdays in that respective
month. I’m excited to go since they do
the same thing at Eagles Wings Children’s Village in Uganda, but it never happened to be when I was there. I have noticed at several times over this
trip, just how different this culture is from East Africa, but how I love them
both just as much. I’ve heard some
people who have been to both places say they find them similar, but I’m not
sure I agree. Sure, there are some
things that might be similar, but in a lot of ways they couldn’t be more
different. So if someone were to ask me
which place I liked better, I don’t think I could provide them with an answer
because I love them both very much.
There have been challenging times on this trip. Maybe more challenging that I had expected,
but I’m not going to spend time elaborating on those challenges because they
are all just part of the background.
And so I will leave you with a whole lot of pictures. I couldn’t choose between these, my
favourites.
Stunning views in every direction.
Gunga & Monisha
Karina is such a sweetheart!
Angelie, Karina, Padma, Avantica & Lata
Panzay & friends making chapattis.
The boys!
Narush
Can you spot Matthew at the total station?
I love Bambi!
Dance lessons for the younger kids. They were so much fun to watch.
Little Joelle is an acrobat and martial arts master.