L-O-V-E

I wrote this in my real journal today and I liked it enough to share here. :)

I've been in India almost 3 weeks now. The time has whooshed by. I feel like just yesterday the big bus pulled onto campus for the first time. I've become such a different person since that first day. That person didn't know what it felt like to be loved by someone they hardly knew or to love them back just as much. I guess that's what I've learned on this trip... Love. Love isn't the way you say or write it. It's how you show it. Saying I love you doesn't begin to cover the many facets of love. Love can be shown by helping a child with their homework, playing with them, and honestly caring how they do at school. Love is a mother waking up at 3 AM to talk to her daughter. Love is sisters being half a world away but able to share a laugh. Love is washing the leprosy afflicted feet and putting your arms around them. They also want to feel love too. But most of all love is people crossing barriers to bridge gaps.

PS My groups theme this year was crossing barriers... Bridging gaps. That explains the last line. :)

EMS

Just a few pics of love

Leprosy Colonies

I've missed blogging on a few of the colonies we've been to. We went on a special service trip to 2 colonies in another state, Andrah Pradesh. Also when we got back a coordinator was sick and the kids had exams so we could choose between medical or construction. I picked medical because I love it and you feel such a connection to the people. Also construction is hard work!

I don't know what the colonies in Andrah Pradesh were called but getting there was not easy. It was "supposed" to be around a 4 hour bus drive but that turned into 8 what with getting stopped all the time and having to bribe. I guess there was a problem with the van we took that was RSO. In order to cross the border it had to be a commercial van, not personal, and could only have 12 seats. It had 13. After renting a van and throwing some money in peoples faces we were across the border. That's not all the bribed but that's not what was important about this trip. The importance was serving people at colonies who rarely if ever receive medical help.

Finally arriving in Andrah Pradesh (I don't even know what city) and checking into our hotel (the hotel grand... really grand) we got some much needed lunch and chilled for like 15 minutes. Then it was back on the bus that we'd already been on for 8 hours! I slept most of the way there but I guess it was like a 40 min. long bus ride to the colony. We get there and the colony is in the middle of the jungle. It was beautiful. I guess they'd been waiting there since that morning (we arrived late with the delays and everything.) The people lovingly greeted us and gave us such a warm reception. They even served us soda. I'd never had Indian soda before but it was actually pretty delish. They even had us stand on a stage while greeting us. After the reception we instantly got to work. Buckets were filled up for washing, chairs were set up, lines were formed. I was placed on photography which means I helped take pictures of the people hands and feet. Dr. Kumar had done that before when he'd come and we did again just to keep track of their progress. I helped hold up their feet. I could've acted grossed out and disgusted by the state of their feet but I tried my best to give them a smile and let them know I wasn't grossed out. I wanted to let them know they were loved and not "untouchable."

Last day of Medical... :(

Sadly today was my last day on medical. I enjoy going to the colonies so much. These people have so much love and they willingly give it. They could choose to complain and say "why me?" But they keep going and make the best of what they got. The kids especially are what get me. Even the kids at the school are the same. They come from leprosy afflicted families but they all have so much love to give. And it doesn't matter who you are, they will run up to you, grab your hand, and tell you about their day.

To start the day off it took FOREVER  to get the colony. Well that's what it felt like. Really it was like hour and a half. But I thinks that's cause we got lost on the way to picking up the nurses. When we got there it then took like 20 minutes to back up and park. First there was a motorcycle in the way, then a pole, then some other random thing. All that didn't matter though once we started unloading an serving the people. The colony we went to was called Vandelure (I think that's the spelling.) The people there were so open to our service and the medical part ran pretty smooth. I was on washing and there were only 3 people who needed their ulcers washed. That's the amazing thing about RSO visiting these colonies. Slowly they don't need as much help from us anymore. That's the goal of RSO, to have these colonies become self sufficient and remove the stigma of leprosy. Leprosy colonies are like their own community, helping them helps the whole community grow as one. Another way of removing the stigma is the kids education. They are getting one of the best here at RSO so they can then go out and change the world. Be it doctor, lawyer, a tech at dell. They will be the change so they can be viewed by what they have to offer, not as a leprosy affected child.

There were kids at the colony we went to. I love how open the kids are to giving and receiving love. It doesn't matter who you are, they love you, take your hand, and walk with you. Another thing about the Vandelure colony is I got to meet Nadiya's family. Nadiya is the girl who was in my profile pic. I'll post a picture of her here to though. I think she has 2 brothers and 2 sisters but I was confused at first because one of her brothers kept saying he was her father. We were like "nu-uh, you're 16 maybe 17." Nadiya's 8! That was cleared up when eventually he said he was her brother. That sounded much better. Walking into Nadiya's home it was just a simple 2 maybe 3 room shack. But you could tell it was home to them. Nadiya's mother showed me a framed picture on the wall and told me it was Nadiya's grandfather. I don't know if he was famous or anything but it was a really nice framed picture with money in it. That's one about them not all speaking English. Certain things are lost in translation and we miss out on great stories.

 Also at the colony they filled water up with a pump. That's right! A pump. It was fun for me to use it but that's cuz I don't have to use it everyday. When we were done with medical and just exploring the colony we noticed a woman filling up brightly colored jugs of water and carrying them off. We didn't get what she was doing with them but one of the RSO girls came up and helped her. She still didn't know what the lady was doing but we all wanted to help. Kim and I helped another lady who was also filling up jugs and walked with them to her house. It was difficult the jugs were heavy and to hold them you had to kind of wedge it into your hip. The water sloshed everywhere and our shirts were pretty drenched once we got there. We figured out that the water was for laundry. We helped an Indian woman with her laundry! After seeing how they do laundry in India, man we have it easy in the US. Put the clothes in a machine, add soap, turn it on and voila! The rest is done for you. Leaving the lady's house house there was another woman who noticed us and tried to help dry us off. She also kissed our foreheads and hands. Like I've said before these people are so grateful for the service we provide. But the thing is we are so glad to give it.

Elephant Joy Ride

This past weekend has been a whirlwind. I saw Delhi and Agra in the matter of a day and a half. The rest of the weekend was spent traveling to those cities. But it was worth it. You already heard about my time in Delhi.  Saturday we headed out at 5 AM to see the Taj Mahal. Saturday I saw the sunrise at the Taj Mahal. The scene was beautiful and I can’t imagine what makes for a better sunrise. Come on you got India, marble, and the sun. That’s a good mix. It’s funny though cause exactly 4 years ago my mom, Brad and Laura were in China on the Great Wall experiencing another amazing Pioneer Day. We’re thinking we’ll make it a family tradition of every 4 years having at least one family member experience Pioneer Day (July 24) in a different place. Somewhere besides Utah. :) And this morning Laura’s singing at the sunrise service in Salt Lake for Pioneer Day. I’ll miss being in Utah for the holiday. Here in India it’s just another day. But already it’s been superb. If we’d waited any later the place would’ve packed and the weather almost unbearable. Even as early as we went there were tourist everywhere and I was sweating up a storm. 

I got some fun pictures though. A classic pose is jumping in front of the Taj, which of course I did, and few others for proof that I was actually there,

Seeing it from far away I was still like “I can’t believe I’m here. That’s a mirage or something.” So I took a picture of my hand touching it so I have proof. The main building at the Taj is so beautiful. The stunning architecture, hand carved marble, inlaid semi precious stones are just some of the features that make it beautiful. It is a marvel to see and also a beautiful monument to love. The man who built it, Shah Jahan, built it as a sign of the love he had for his wife Mumatz Mahal. I’m sure all girls out there wish there was a man who would build something so beautiful just for them.

After the Taj it was time for the Agra fort. Let me tell you about the Agra fort. It’s what Emperor Akbar built as his “palace.” Indian rulers do things a little different. They build a kind of palace within their army fort. Sounds safe to me. J The Agra fort has amazing mughal architecture detail. And I liked learning about something in Indian history I actual knew a little about. 

There’s this Bollywood film I own called “Jodhaa Akbar.” It’s a good movie with Aishwara Rai and Hrithik Roshan. Emperor Akbar was muslim but he married a hindu princess. It’s a great movie if you have 3 hours to kill sometime. I actual watched it during finals this spring. J After that little history lesson… Next we had like 3 hours to chill at the hotel. We stayed at Jaypee palace which is one of the nicest hotels I’ve ever stayed at. Except there was no hot water. Everything else was so luxurious though and the breakfast was gourmet. Omelets made to order, hash browns, strawberry milk, and traditional Indian food. MMMMM it was good. After chilling at the hotel (Everybody went to the pool while I took a nap even though I was planning on working on my blog) we went shopping! We stopped at this rug store where we saw these beautiful handcrafted rugs being made.

 If I’d been able to call my parents right at that moment I probably would of bought one for our house. They’re amazing. A few floors up from the rug part of the store was shopping! Clothes, woodcarvings, tablecloths, you name it you could buy it there. I splurged and spent $100 on a hand carved and painted elephant. I felt a little guilty after the purchase but know that I will pass it down in my family for generations. Plus I LOVE elephants. After that shopping we then did more shopping at what was pretty much equivalent to an American mall. At first I just bought myself a pretty orange tunic top and white chududar pants. That then turned into a top for Laura, Mom, and Marion. Go Strobell girls! Authentic tops from India. :) Before I got back on the bus we stopped at McDonalds for another 25 rupee cone. Man those things come close to the 60 cent ones back home. :) Finally after seemed like days we ate dinner at…. Pizza Hut! It’s weird, here in India it’s like a gourmet restaurant. They wait to seat you and you order of a menu. I got the fiery masala magic pizza with the garlic bread platter and man was that good. Lots of carbs but it’s definitely one of the best pizzas I’ve had. Indian tasting pizza. Delish. Oh by the way Madi, Dean Capo stopped by and he rated their restaurant pretty high. :) Following dinner we stopped by a bizarre where I purchased some henna (one of the housemothers can do it the night before I leave) and slippers. The slippers are the cutest things you’ll see and I can’t wait to wear them when I get home.  All this just in one day! But it was good. Almost as good as… Riding an elephant, one of my life goals. The next morning we went elephant riding! I felt a connection to the elephant Rajesh and couldn’t believe I was actually there riding an elephant.

After the ride we were taking pictures with him and I was by his ear. I never knew it could hurt so much being hit with an elephant’s ear. It felt like I was being slapped! That’s one tough ear. Ah I’m so excited to do it again in Jaipur. And hopefully it will last for longer than two minutes. But to borrow a quote from a friend it was "two minutes of pure bliss." Seriously lot enough time for a lifetime elephant lover like me. :) That’s pretty much everything from the Delhi trip minus the minute details of the 6 hour bus ride to Agra and back. Traveling from Chennai to Agra pretty much took a day. But it was worth it. :)

Ems

Delhi!!!

Today I began my Delhi trip. It started off by me having my iPod set to Utah time so my group didn’t get up for the bus that was supposed to leave at 3:30. Instead Jennie, the head lady came to our rooms and woke us up with “Hey guys, the bus was supposed to leave 5 minutes ago. “ My roommates and I jolted out of bed, grabbed our stuff, and were out the door in like 5 minutes! After that exciting start to the day it was a 2 hour bus ride to the Chennai airport,  then a 2 hour plane ride. The plane ride pretty uneventful except for me watching my favorite movie “Whip It.” I love that movie so much and when I watch it a feel more like me and that I can go do whatever I want to do. When we got to Delhi the tour guides greeted us and took us to a bright orange bus with TOURIST printed in bold letters on the windshield. Like a big group of white people isn’t obvious enough. J We rode on the bus for what seemed like hours but finally stopped and were taken to bike rickshaws. Let me tell you, if you thought Indian traffic was crazy just wait til you experience behind a bike. Thrilling but scary.

We went to the spice market, McDonalds, the red fort, and a silk shop. McDonalds was exciting because I ordered the McVeggie meal. It was actually pretty good and the fries tasted like they do in America. The McVeggie is basically a veggie patty made of garbonzo beans and such, with mayo and lots of fat and calories. It was good! I wish it was on the menu in Utah. I might actually go to McDonalds more.

Picture for Madi of the cone I got while at McDonalds. 25 rupees roughly 50 cents. It's a fill in until I get back home for the arctic circle 60 cent cones. :)

But what really made my day was the silk shop. When we first got there a bunch of ladies were like “try a sari, try sari.” I was hesitant at first but am so glad I finally did. It was my first time wearing a sari and they are a beautiful, elegant, item of clothing. The first one they showed me was blue with hand embroidered flowers on it.

 I loved it instantly but wanted to browse a bit more before finally picking one. I actually didn’t try any others on and ended up buying it. Now all I need is a underskirt and possibly a different blouse. I bought one there but it is a bit thin. By the way Maren while I was there of course I got you one. I think you’ll love it. Do you want a pic or should I surprise you? Either way it’s fabulous and when I get back we should have a sari party or something. J The only downer about today is still feeling lonely. I really put myself out there today trying to make friends with the volunteers. But I guess they had other ideas. Either way I’m still going to make the best of my time at Rising Star, friends or no friends. This experience is going to be life changing and I want to keep it a positive one. Well tomorrow morning (5 AM) I’ll be off to see the Taj Mahal with the sunrising. I cannot wait. So many amazing experiences packed into this one weekend. The sad news though, is once I get back to Rising Star I only have 4 more days left there. Sniff, sniff. The time has come by so quick yet slow at the same time I miss home a ton but I know once I leave campus that I will absolutely miss the kids in my family just as much. That’s all for now.

Namaste,
EMS

Emily

Leprosy Colony

Monday my group finally went to a leprosy colony. There are 3 groups that rotate between medical, construction, and tutoring. My group had medical last week but we were at the school taking the kids height, weight, and giving them vaccines. I was getting myself all prepared for bloody, stinky ulcers, and skin flaking off but it wasn't that bad. The colonies we visit, Rising Star has been helping for years so the leprosy is handled and there's nothing too nasty. However, tomorrow we all leave for 2 colonies in Andhar Pradesh. These colonies haven't seen doctors for months if not years. So this is where the ulcers will be bloody and the skin flaking off. It should be a good experience though. Definitely a learning opportunity.

The leprosy colony we went to on Monday was called Bethel Nagar. This man greeted us there and he had an amazing story. They told us on the van that he'd been blind for 20 years because of cataracts and something else. The doctors wouldn't operate on him until Dr. Kumar told them they had nothing to lose. (Kumar is the doctor with Rising Star) The man can know see and he cannot stop singing praises to the heavens. "Hallelujah! Hallelujah!" he went around saying.

I washed the patients feet and did diabetes test. This experience is amazing and I know it will change my life. I'm still struggling making friends here but yesterday when we were in Andhar Pradesh helping at a leprosy colony I lost myself in the service of these people. I love being here and feeling like everyday I help someone. Service is an amazing feeling. :)

P.S. I'll post about the 2 day excursion to Andhar Pradesh ASAP. This is just a taste of what those two days were like. Also this post is confusing because I wrote it before and after the 2 day trip.

Pictures to be added but it's uploading slow so it'll have to wait. You can see some of them on my facebook.

Church & Such

Today we went to church in Chennai. It was pretty cool. My group (I traveled in the bus) was late since we had to meet up with the tailor. We saw him in Mahabalapuram and he promised our clothes would be done that night. But they weren't so we met up with him in Chennai. I got ali babba pants!!! I need to get a picture of them. I played piano in primary here. That was so much fun. In Utah, I love joining the primary and play whenever I get the chance so to play here in India was amazing. Oh and it rained tonight and like all the volunteers went out and danced in it. It was uber awesome and fun! The little kids freaked out when the power went out but it was fun enjoying the Indian rain.

Group outside of the church!

Ha ha. This is how I found him during the power outage.

Courtney, me, and Ari Krishna

Me and Morgan

Today was the only Sunday we have in Chennai! Next week we're in Delhi and then we leave. Well I guess I have a week of touring afterwards but still. This week we're going to a leprosy colony in Andhra Pradesh that has only seen a doctor once. We'll be gone 2 days. So this week we only play with the kids twice. Tomorrow and Thursday since we're gone Tuesday, Wednesday, and we leave for Delhi on Friday. Oh and I almost forgot today we had spaghetti! American food, no rice. And the green beans were amazing.

Fabric Shopping! and More at Mahabalapuram

This is the tailor I visited yesterday. I was going to get "Ali Baba" pants from him but he wouldn't have them done til the next day. So I bought fabric instead! I was a little overwhelmed with all the choices at first but I think I made good picks and am so excited to make something with it at home. :)



Sneak peek

It rained while we were in Mahabalapuram. There was a little flood but it's all good. :)




Krishna's Butterball! It's a huge rock on this slope and it looks like it should fall down but doesn't. They've even tried pulling it and it won't budge.

Lookout from one of the temples. Mahabalapuram is famous because of these 7 temples. We saw most of them. I don't know a whole lot about so if you want to know more read a travel guide!

180 Twist

Today went from the worst day to pretty much the best day. I’ve been feeling ostrasized from the group lately and today continued that way. Construction was pretty bad, I felt lonely and not like myself. I know I’m not much of a talker but me not talking at all just felt wrong. I had so much I wanted to say but had a hard time saying. Things were looking pretty bleak when suddenly people started asking me how my day was, how I felt, what I was doing. It felt really good to be noticed and think that somebody cares. I talk to Amy Antonelli today and she is an amazing woman. If I could be 1/10 the person she is I would be very cool and have an awesome life. What made my day the best though was being with my family. These kids are so cute and I love all of them. Ari Krishna asked me to help him on his English because they have exams Monday. He is amazing at reading. I helped him with pronunciation “t-h makes a thh sound.” He got better at it and I told him to get 100% Monday. Another kid started bragging and was like “I’m gonna get 200%.” Another funny thing is they asked me if I was married. “No, not married. I’m only 19. How old did you think I was?” “hmm, 23, 24” “ “Well if I was that old I’d probably be married.” They are cute. I love them and wish I could take them home. But what I can do is sponsor them. If anybody wants to sponsor a child do it! It helps so much here, paying for books, clothes, etc. It enriches these kids lives and makes it so they can go on to bigger and better things. Mom if you’re reading this I definitely want our family to sponsor a child. Ari Krishna or Krishna Morti if we can, otherwise any child. :) Also a few kids tried to do my hair but they ended up just pulling my hair and giving me a headache. These kids are amazing though and I can’t wait to see what they grow up to accomplish.

I did the “I love you” sign to the kids and it’s so cute because they do it back and then we touch fingers. I really do love these kids. It’s going to be so hard to leave here.

I was sad at the beginning of playtime because I couldn’t find Ari Krishna. I kept asking other kids where he was but they didn’t know. Finally he was there and I was so happy. I yelled “Ari Krishna, there you are!” I was so happy to see him I picked him up and gave him a big hug.

He's a great dancer. :)

Two of my most favorite kids, Ari Krishna and Krishna Morti.

Friends

Today Krishna made me a bracelet. I don't think it's ever coming off. Picture of it tomorrow. I'm tired.

Today was a pretty up and down day but the kids made it worth it. I've been feeling a little homesick and lonely but when we split up into our families I can't help but love those kids. They are amazing and so smart. Today I learned a few more names... unfortunately I don't really know how to write them. There's Kumar, I actually think a lot of kids are named Kumar, Sorree (that's his nickname which means itching) I didn't learn his real name. Oh and Amulraj. There were a bunch more but I can't remember them! They are so fun. Today they showed me magic tricks and they are quite the magicians. Krishna would take a bouncy ball and make it disappear. He was pretty good at it. Then they did this other trick where they would stick a small rock between their thumb and forefinger. They would wave their hand around and ask you to guess "in or out?" It was a fun little game and I'll have to remember it for the future.

Pretty much all the kids knew my name... which makes me happy. They were bummed I didn't bring my camera (which explains why there's no pictures this blog post). I wanted to connect to the kids more and it seems when you have your camera they just want to take pictures and such. Another funny thing is I added powder to my water to give it flavor. The kids tried it and at first they hated it but then Krishna tried it and said he liked it so after that they pretty much all liked it. 3 of them (including Krishna) asked me to bring them a packet tomorrow. Also my camera. I figure today was a good day, I got to know them better but missed out on some great pictures. So tomorrow... more pictures!!!

My group today did construction. Our job was to take this stack of bricks about 7 X 3 and move it into the community center they are building at the Leprosy colony (FYI they are leprosy afflicted or affected not lepers, that term is extremely derogatory.) We finished the WHOLE stack of bricks in about and hour and a half and man did we feel good. I thought it was really cool when our driver and the guy carrying the mortar also helped. A little extra help never hurt. :)

I think that's it for today but since this is pretty much my journal there will definitely be another post tomorrow.

Here Where I Belong

Okay okay, uber cheezy blog title that sounds like some 80's ballad but it's really what I feel right now. Today I arrived at Rising Star... Finally. I guess the bus ride took longer than expected but I didn't even know how long it was supposed to take so I didn't notice. After 3 hours we arrived at campus. I guess it was only supposed to take 2 but it wasn't that bad. We chillaxed for a couple hours after we arrived. Then we went on a tour of the campus and met the kids. They are so adorable. They all loved having their picture taken. "Auntie, Auntie, picture, picture." They were excellent posers especially loved actions shots.



After dinner, which was pretty much amazing, we were divided into families. The purpose of the family is to help the little kids with homework and make them feel loved. Since they are at school on this campus, they aren't home to see their families. The school is a really good school for the area. Everybody wants to be there but unfortunately it can only be so many. Right now that number is 180 but Rising Star hopes to keep growing it to about 500 students. In my family there was this little boy Krishna who was fascinated with my camera so I let him take some pics. They were actually pretty good. He said he'd had taken a photo class. I was impressed. I'm a little homesick right now but I know when the 3 weeks are over I'm really going to miss it here. Especially the kids.

At Last!!!

I'm finally in India! All is well. I love it here and I love the people. They are so happy here yet their lives are simple without much need for "stuff." I got bored on our 10 hour layover in New Delhi so I took some pics. Have a look.

MMMMM... Chocolate croissant!

And then here are some pictures of Chennai as we're flying in and the chaotic traffic. Tons of rickshaws and motorcycles. It works though. And I actually feel pretty safe. I'll try to post a video so you get the idea.

This is what I say when I ate breakfast this morning. The best! I love how there's all these trees mixed in with apartments and sky scrapers. It's a jungle!

When we arrived at the hotel this morning, shortly after we went on a tour of Chennai and here are some pictures.

I love Ganesh!!! Favorite Hindu God. Taken at a Hindu temple.

Check out the beach!

Catholic Church built over St. Thomas' tomb.

Cool guy.

And one of many bikers. Crazy. The motorcycles and rickshaws drive like they own the road.