Okay, so I have decided that I will update more often (not committing to everyday but more often). I feel like there is so much going on and so many amazing stories that I need to write them down before I forget them all. We had a great Christmas, 40 members of the Patel family (an Indian family from California) came to visit Rising Star so we were slammed getting ready for their arrival and when they arrived we went non-stop from 6am to 10pm every day for five days straight! The new volunteer living quarters were finished the day before they arrived or I should say the day they arrived! Steele says he feels like he has been producing a movie since he has arrived in India, running from here to there and doing a wide variety of things. The Hanson's worked very hard to put a lot of nice details and finishing touches in the rooms. My favorite part of the volunteer hostel is the outside entrance where there is a beautiful wood hand carved painted elephant. We now call it the Elephant House, I love it and wish I could take the elephant home! I wonder how much it would cost to ship a large wood elephant home? Probably too much. I also love the colorful bed covers that are in each room, India is full of color. On top of working hard to get the volunteer quarters ready I am trying to be a good mom by helping my children with schooling and feeding them their vegetables and fruit. It takes a lot more work to eat healthy here. I am trying to follow the rule to cook, peel, or boil everything we eat..but it is hard. We do eat a lot of carrots and green beans, luckily the kids like both. I think this week we broke our egg record and consumed 60 eggs in 5 days! We need to up our egg order this week so we don't run out..I had to have one of the drivers pick us up some more eggs on his way to RSO one morning so we could have breakfast. I have been so busy that I haven't had any time to run to the store this week. It seems like every two minutes someone has a need, whether it is one of my children or the other two-hundred children running around. I love how they come to my door and say "Auntie band-aid, Auntie band-aid"..so cute! Unfortunately I have had to get strict with them..so the new rule is no blood no band aid! Sometimes they will pick off their scabs until they bleed just for attention..kind of pathetic! The other day as I was teaching the children at the school about the importance of taking caring of the earth, we went outside to pick up trash. One of the little boys needed his shoe tied, as I was tying his shoe I saw four other boys with their foot in front of me untying their own shoes and asking "auntie tie my shoe please, tie my shoe please!" It was so funny, I couldn't help but laugh out loud! They are all so cute!
Oaks has a lot of friends who call him whenever they see a snake or frog. They are always saying "Oaks, Oaks, big frog, big frog, get it, get it Oaks!" He loves it, it reminds me of when he would play with his older cousin Freeman, playing together and catching frogs or lizards. We have geckos here too, Oaks wants to know which one is tougher or who would win in a fight a gecko or a lizard? Maybe uncle Taylor could answer that for him? There is a gecko living with us in our house, at first we were all freaked out that we had a lizard in our house but now we love him because we know that he is eating any bugs that sneak into our house. One evening we were sitting around talking and we saw the gecko creeping down the wall after a bug! We love our new pet!
Belle still says no to everyone but is slowly warming up to a few people, especially those that entice her with candy! They have learned Aunt Ashley's trick of bribing with treats!
Olivia and Boston have found a lot of friends, but two that they have especially grown fond of. Once in a while we can sneak their friends into our house to play pet shop without the other children feeling bad. Boston's friend who is in third grade has a lot of the same interests as Boston..like catching frogs, minnows, butterflies, and climbing trees. This girl doesn't even own a pair of shoes, so Boston wanted to buy her a Christmas present..I know it is against the rules to give gifts to only one child, (actually didn't know that rule until Steele told me after we had already given her a pair of flip flops). Anyway, Boston made her a Christmas card and wrapped up the shoes and gave them to her..she was so excited..it was cute! The girl came back with a really nice letter to Boston and a plastic jewelery box for her. It was really touching because I know it was probably the only nice thing she had! The children here don't have a lot of personal things and I know that box meant a lot to her. Boston's friend has a sad story, she is from a leper colony about 45 minutes away from here, but she doesn't live with her parents but with her grandfather in a different colony a little further away because her father beats her and her mom told her it is best to stay with her grandfather. She never sees her mom, her younger sister, or baby brother! Makes me want to cry! These children are so strong and brave..yet so tender and in need of so much love! Olivia's friend gave her a present too! Her entire collection of half-used colored pencils. It was so cute, she wanted me to wait till Christmas morning to give it to Olivia, she was very excited to give them to her! She too gave our family a Christmas card that said she is going to have a happy Christmas because she has met us. Olivia had a nice Christmas/birthday, Santa brought a Happy Birthday banner and Birthday plates, which we ate our very Delicious breakfast on. We had pineapple, pomegranate, oranges, juice, and yogurt pancakes, it really was a feast! Olivia got jingle anklets for her birthday and a really cute outfit. Belle also got jingle anklets, so we now call her jingle belle!
We recently had a generous family send us some money so that we could help the children and a family here for Christmas. It has been really fun trying to find a good way to spend the money! We actually had enough money to buy new shoes for all the children, which is so desperately needed! Plus help a family that works here and lives in the neighboring village get a roof for their home! The family is extremely grateful, they have been working at Rising Star for a few years now. They have four boys who all go to the school. They were originally from a leper colony but left the colony to work as a land supervisor at RSO. The father is a really hard worker..he says he works hard so his boys can see him work hard for the family. His wife cleans our house and does our laundry.
There has been a flu bug going around with the children at the school. Belle got it first. Then a cute little four year old girl got it pretty bad and had a fever for three days! Near the end of the second day, I became aware that she was still sick and I felt bad for her. It is hard for a house mother to care for all the children she is in charge of. It is hard enough for me to care for my five! I had the little girl come over to my house and made her a bed on the couch, gave her some medicine, and let her watch Dumbo. Caring for her reminded me that I need to slow down, and that this is what being a mother and being here is all about..caring for the little ones. I am very guilty of just go go going and not stopping to read, talk, or care for my own children the way they need to be cared for. I need to go easy on the lists and slow down and visit with my children. After the little girl fell asleep watching Dumbo, I went and picked Belle up, who was still not feeling well and held her for a long time..
Having the Patel family here, doing volunteer work, and service all week was a great way to see the true Spirit of Christmas in action. The Patels didn't leave until 6pm Christmas Eve. Cole was a little concerned that we would not have time to do the family things he wanted to do before going to bed that night, but as we walked home from the volunteer house to our home, we talked about all the neat experiences that occurred during the week and I think it was then that he realized this is what Christmas is all about. Part of the reason he came to this understanding was because we had just spent the last hour or so listening to the Patel family share their experiences, which they recorded in their journals during the week. Many of the family members were in tears as we talked of how much we have as Americans and how much more we can do to help others and be better people. One of the stories was especially touching. One of the groups had finished doing medical work at a Leper colony for the day and decided to go for a walk through a village nearby and as they passed an older lady they noticed that she wanted them to come closer. They thought maybe she wanted one of their water bottles so they gave her one, but to their surprise she took the water bottle and went to the side of her hut and filled it up and brought it back to them full of water! They were very touched that someone who has so little wanted to offer them something that she thought they needed!
Another experience that was fun to hear occurred after the Patels were finished tutoring the children. They were given permission to take a few of the top students to get ice cream in the village nearby. The kids were so excited because field trips are rare. We all loaded the bus, which was packed, standing room only, but the bus wouldn't start! The driver tried several times and it still wouldn't start. We were all very disappointed because we were all looking forward to getting out. Then someone had the idea to try to jump start the bus! So we all got behind the bus and started pushing, we pushed the bus with all our might and it started! Everyone burst into cheers and starting clapping! It was so fun to see everyone's excitement as the yellow RSO bus started up. We all piled on again and went to the village to buy our delicious chocolate or butterscotch ice-cream cones. I devoured mine in seconds..the ice-cream here is delicious! After I purchased my ice-cream I boarded the bus and looked around and saw the children licking their cones so slowly, they were enjoying every last lick! It was so fun to see their faces as they enjoyed their ice cream. I noticed that one little girl was eating her ice-cream slower than the rest and I asked her why she was taking so long? she said she wanted to save some until we got back to the school so she could share with her sister. I then sat down next to two little boys and asked one boy if I could have a bite of his cone? Without any hesitation he said "yes". It was so sweet how he was willing to give me a bite of his perfectly licked ice-cream cone! I of course did not take a bite..I promise!
We had a wonderful Christmas program for the parents of the children and the Patel family. The children danced, sang, and acted out nativity story. The children were so excited to see their parents or other family members! After the program on the 24th the parents took their children home. It was sad to see the kids go, but I was very tired and excited for the family time we will have during the break. We have some plans to travel a little this month and see a lot of sights..so we should have some good pictures coming up during the next few weeks. Thanks for reading our blog..we love you all!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukklal..as the Indian's would say..
Oak's birthday was exciting we let him open a present at lunch...a box of Macaroni and cheese, he ate the whole box himself, he was so happy! He had a good day playing badminton with his brothers and sisters. We had his favorite for dinner, spaghetti and chicken. We don't have an oven so we made chocolate fudge brownie idlies. It is a brownie mix steamed in a big pot, they were delicious!
This is what a typical village in India looks like...once you have seen one you have seen them all. This is where Steele got his haircut.
This is a pile of garbage in the local village where we went to get an ice cream, there are no garbages to put your trash in so people put it on the streets, we just hold on to ours until we get home. We can't bring ourselves to drop it on the ground. Monkeys are everywhere, on the roof, streets, trees, and garbage!
Steele went to the local village to get a haircut...he looks handsome. He was smiling so big when he came home because his haircut cost 20 ruppees. Guess how much American that is? 40 Cents! Who isn't happy when they only have to spend 40 cents?
