Session 4 day 1: Adventures in Construction

Today is the first full day of session 4. The new team has arrived and as small as our last group (the tight knit group of 7) was, this has been an interesting change of pace. We welcomed in 16 new girl volunteers, 2 guys, and a family of 4. It is fun to be able to watch them form their perspectives of India and to see how they view their vast difference of the India culture to that of the quick pace in America. I think it is an honorable thing to be able to watch a person's view of life suddenly change and take into account how different lifestyles are lived and yet still accepted.

I am a person who does not like sudden drastic changes, yet at the exact same time, after the change has occurred, I am often thankful for where the experience takes me. I was asked to become a coordinator for this session, and I happily accepted the offer. With that being said, I am now the "Coordinator of Construction" and will be able to take teams out throughout the week to different colonies and to help build a community center at one colony, and perhaps bathroom's at another. Jennie at first was going to go with me and help on my first day as a coordinator (the person in charge) but she ended up getting sick this morning and I went out as the leader of a team solo. I had anticipated that I might have started off by myself and I honestly did not have any worries or concerns with how the first day started.

Each volunteer groups are split into different teams, 1. Medical, 2. Tutoring, & 3. Construction. The team members will stay the same throughout the session, but their jobs will vary from day to day. So today I had team Shakti, which is Tamil for Power. And power they had! It was so amazing to work with the group and to get to know them, all the while throwing bricks from a 6.5 ft. stack and moving it to where the builders could finish cementing the bricks and build them into an outer wall for the community center. We took fun action shots (the workers kept insisting that we throw the bricks to save time) and even though we were hesitant to throw at first- we developed an awesome system that got the job done while also being fun amusement for the Indian's.

We also had a man approach us while we were working at the colony, and I knew by the way that he dressed and the manor that he held himself that he was a visitor to the colony. I approached him, with the Tamil greeting of "Vanakum" with my fingers touching one another in the shape of a house directly below my chin. This is the manor that you greet someone with much respect and an encouragement of welcome. He quickly started to spout out English words that he knew and pointed to the sun exclaiming " Tamil Tamil Tamil Sun hot Tamil Tamil Tamil" **Tamil are words in their language that I have no clue what they mean)** I called a water break after listening to him talk for a few minutes, attempting to understand his explanation that the sun was hot and the shade was better and it was a good time for rest. As we walked to the car to get our water bottles, a group of about 19 men and women dressed in very crisp red Saree's and mens tunics walked off the streets and towards this new man (who had explained he was a d river of a VW whitebug that he kept pointing to). A man dressed in red approached us who spoke English farely well and explained to me that they were from a Tamil Temple 65- Km away. They came to the colony to help and to bring blankets and pillows to those affected with leprosy.

The red dressed temple people beamed with excitement and wanted to express that they had helped and that they were people with good intentions. This act was huge for them. Bigger than I think anyone can imagine coming from this culture. The Hindu caste system is the one that declares those affected with  leprosy as being untouchables. But to have one temple working to make a difference for those lives is amazing.

The world changes everyday. People change everyday. Life brings new perspectives and new opportunities everyday to make a person's life different.

The constant thought here at Rising Star and in India is:

Did I do enough to make the change that needs to be seen by others that can cause a ripple big enough for the world to change.

Everyday, we are reminded with an enthusiastic "YES." We touch those who are untouchables, we work for and under the direction of a community in need, and we teach as well as love children who were raised as beggar's, never expected to advance in life.

Dedication Day

I took a break from blogging since this past week, and took in some much needed down time and self reflection. It was was the end of Session 3 and the beginning of Session 4 this past weekend. We were able to celebrate with the Dedication of the volunteer hostel (which the kids call Elephant house), dedicating the opening of the new section of the school, and also the "Grand opening" of the dining hall for the kids to have a place to eat their meals! We are really excited about this last one because right now, the RSO cook, Padmine (Pronounced Pad-Mean-E) is making the meals for the 182 children in a room no bigger than a 10 x 5. I have seen 3 burners, and barely any storage room. Needless to say, she is extremely excited to move into the dining hall where she will have more space, storage, and a common area for the kids to sit and eat opposed to now on the volleyball courts where they eat sitting on the ground.

We had Padma come to the dedication, who is a huge move and shaker for Rising Star here in India. She is the daughter of a former president and her heart is with those who are affected with leprosy. She speaks boldly and truthfully and stands much for justice to be taken. She started the micro loans that are happening in the colonies now where the people are able to buy animals, open stores or barber shops, open anything that forms a a means to where they can sustain themselves and make a living. Padma wants to see those affected with leprosy off of the streets and to not earn their living by begging but instead infuse them with a sense of ownership for what they can earn. 

At the Dedicaton, Katie and Shilo, who are both volunteers who are amazing at Dance and instructing were able to spend nearly the last month teaching 4 dances. They kept it as close as they could to the Indian form of dancing and movement and the intricate ways that they weave their arms and use bells on their feet to keep rhythm was great to see!  The kids also performed a march at the school, ribbon cuttings, and many speakers came to encourage and reflect on how much Rising Star is changing history.

The volunteers were able to dress up in Saree's, which is like wearing a dress in America, only everyone here wears Saree's because I was told somewhere that once a woman is married that is her new traditional clothing opposed to Chitigar's that we as volunteers often wear. But with the help of the house mothers, we were able to look more Indian and gain much approval from the house mothers. It was a fun experience, but I cannot imagine being clothed in so much material in this heat. They are more comfortable than expected though, and I hope I can wear another one while I am here!

The kids decorated the campus in preparation for the dedication, and they made so many streamers out of coconut leaves! It was incredible to watch, and all of the flags that were hung up on campus were hand glued by all the children. The boys also laid out the lanes on the track that we built last week. AND saturday was parents day, where the parents were able to travel, some for a few days, in order to come and spend the day with their children that they get to see maybe a collective 3 weeks out of the year. The parents would beam with pride when we were talk about their children, and they all sat in the mango grove just hugging them and showering them with what little gifts they were able to bring along.

All day, the kids beamed, the parents radiated their proudness for their children, and I got to be an on looker to see such a special moment in a hidden mango grove in the heart of Tamil Nadu in the country of India.