Stimulation overload

India is a very busy and chaotic place.  To exist and live here it requires patience and kindness.  The Indian people have this and share it with everyone.  I had many examples of this yesterday on the way to Rising Star and at our destination. 

When we arrived the day before it was at night so we didn't see where we were in complete daylight.  After the Rising Star van picked us up at ten this morning we took our two hour drive to the place Quincy and I will call home for the next three weeks.  The traffic is the first thing that I noticed.  Two lane roads become three at times when the urge to cut in arises.    Driving across the center lane is common.  Street lights are optional to obey; some stop and some go through.  People aren't required to wear motorcycle helmets.  There is no limits to the amount of passengers on a vehicle or bike.  You will see beautiful women in  colorful saris side saddling on the back of their mates motorcyle.  I saw a sign that said "Avoid using a cell phone here."  No big deal if you do, just suggesting.  The horn is used constantly to let someone know you are there, to get people to move out of your way and sometimes for no reason at all. One guy in a car did a long honk and all of these motorcycles just calmly drove to the side. The thing I notice is people here just go with the flow.  They move over, don't get upset and just take it as it comes.  In America people would get upset, become road raged and get offended with these things.  Patience and kindness are a gift in this environment.

While driving with my American eyes I saw lots of trash everywhere, condemned looking buildings with businesses in them, a miriad of unfinished road projects started long ago but left undone, shacks people dwell in and poverty at its highest level.  I also saw the countries protected cows walking everywhere. You see them in the market, stopping traffic, and sometimes in the fields.  Through my India eyes ( a term used widely here at Rising Star) I saw women dressed in eye catching saris walking patiently around the trash and ugliness adding color and beauty to their surroundings. I saw a marshy field full of a flock of pink flamingos.  Colored pots for sale at the market caught my eye as I was clicking my camera through the van window.  I also watched our patient Indian driver kindly guide us through bumpy, pot holed roads and dodgey traffic while sharing an occasional kind smile with his culture shocked, wide eyed passengers. Language isn't a barrier when kindness and patience are displayed freely.

When we finally arrived at the welcome gates of Rising Star, our volunteer coordinators showed us around and gave us a little orientation.  They work so hard for many months prior to the volunteer sessions arriving. They organize and plan for well run, productive sessions while making us feel at ease for what we will encounter during our time here.  It is obvious they work hard at creating a positive teamwork environment and encourage us to find the beauty in the people and embrace them. They are genuinely, helpful, patient and kind. 


Here is a couple of pictures of what we will be calling home for the next three weeks.  We are staying in the Elephant House where all the volunteers stay.  It is air conditioned and has wifi access.  It has indian toilets and we have to take bucket showers.  It has a room they do laundry in, a kitchen and a family room they call the Mango Room.  More pictures will be posted later.

Quincy sleeps next to me on the right on the bottom bunk.  I love all of the designed cotton blankets.  They are extremely light weight.  Later, I realized you don't need much covers here as the heat at night is cooler but still muggy.  It actually gets a little chilly with the air conditioner.  During the day it is heaven to walk in here after we have been outside with the children.

This elephant is at the entrance as you walk into the Elephant House.  If anyone knows  me well enough, they are aware of my love for elephants by some of the things in my own home.  This one is adorable. All hand carved and painted.

Meeting the kids was a energy packed experience. We went and met them at their playtime. The boys and girls are on separate two story wings of their living quarters.  They are all divided into groups of twenty that they call houses.  They have a house mother for each one and assign two volunteers to help with homework in the evening and spend time with them at bedtime.  The kids show you love from the start and make each new volunteer feel welcome.  We went and toured their houses and they were happy to tell you their name.  Many of them want you to hold them or they want to be your new best friend.  I pushed them on swings, took pictures and visited with them.  The girls are a little reserved at first and size you up quite a bit.  The thing I noticed was how the older girls take such good care of the younger ones.  They help with lots of the chores, braid one another's hair, assist with homework and even discipline another if there is a squabble.  Again, and example of patience and kindness shown to those they live with.


At dinner, we ate on banana leaves on the roof of the Elephant House under a beautiful cloth canopy held up by bamboo poles. We ate red rice and some type of curry.  I was not very hungry as the heat and humidity had been affecting me all day long. All of the staff eats together and during dinner they have a tradition of sharing a high and low for the day to the group.  After that they always have an inspirational thought and then Derek shares any announcements for what we will be doing the following day.  Quincy and are in the same work group, Scorpian.  Tomorrow we will be doing Education. I am happy about that.  I can tell the staff here really care about each other and the kids they serve.  Many of these kids come from some backgrounds that involve abuse and so it is important that patience, kindness and love is shared and shown freely and unconditionally.


At the end of the day, around 7:30 until 9 we go to our assigned houses to help with bedtime.  Quincy and I are assigned together to the Tamalarossi (spelling?) house for girls.  At this point I felt extremely exhausted and had a splitting headache.  This was not a good combination as it is very loud in these rooms.  The girls are coming at you from all sides wanting you to read to them, sit next to them and talk to them.  At about 8:30 I physically was not doing well.  I got up and left to walk out of the room for a bit and realized I was going to be sick.  The house mother, a kind older lady, asked me if I was okay and it dawned on me "I think I am ACTUALLY going to throw up....but where.  I ended up running quickly to the girls bathroom holding my hand to my mouth leaving a trail behind.  It was so embarassing as I was cleaning up after.  The house mother did not allow me to walk back and had me lay down on her bed in her room for a bit.  The display of patience and kindness from her was heartfelt  because I'm sure I was not a pretty sight.  What I noticed from this is the concern and empathy that was shown to me by the girls.  Things were cleaned up so fast and the concern was more for me than what I had done.  Quincy said many of them asked if I was going to be okay.  In America I think this experience would have been much more humiliating as many would be...eww, gross.  As soon as I got back to the Elephant House it was a bucket shower, ibuprofen and bed.  I think I had experienced some dehydration and  heat exhaustian that had made me so ill. I was much better the next day.  In the morning at school, many of the girls came up and embraced me and asked if I was feeling much better.  The house mother did as well.  The Indian people are patient and kind.