Stolen my heart

There is a young girl here who has stolen my heart.  Her name is Vijajalakshmi.  Most people call her Bujji, spoken with a long u.  She is in my house and the connection is so strong.  At Rising Star they call all the female volunteers "Auntie" and the boys "Uncle" or they call you by your name.  Bujji told me those weren't good enough.  She wants to call me "Mama".  It melted my heart.  I truly count her as my daughter from India.

My fourth daughter

    She has an amazing smile with an adorable dimple.  I have watched her help the other girls in her house with homework, translating English (she is very good at speaking it) and making them feel good about themselves by the compliments she gives them.  She is the definition of a true leader at the tender age of 11.  One evening during family time we were doing profiles for the website on the children.  It had lots of questions that they had to answer about their likes and dislikes.  One of the questions was to write something that is good about that person.  One of my girls, Eswari, didn't really know what to write about herself.  At times I feel that she feels left out as there are a lot of sisters within our house.  Bujji noticed that and took her paper and wrote some of the most lovely things about Eswari on it.  I looked at both of them and said that they have a sister in each other.  You can choose who your sisters are.  They both smiled.


The positive energy that radiates from her is contagious.  She wants to be a dancer someday.  Life dance has been brought to this school and so many of the kids have embraced it.  Bujji dances with confidence and brings her light to the stage.  She dances with a natural grace.  I want her dream to come true.

Helping Bujji study for her science test.  She got a perfect grade!

A few of my favorite moments with her have been helping her to study for science and hearing how well she did on the test the next day.  Another one is sitting by her at lunch on the days I am on campus and can eat with the kids and visiting with her.  Another one is when she says "Good night, mama" as she wraps her arms around me affectionately.  My favorite moment was when she blew me a kiss out of the classroom window as I walked by.  All of the windows are open air and she sits next to it.  Daily we find one another and there is always a smile and a hug available.  If I could pack her up in my suitcase I would bring her home with me.  She would fit right in.

This beautiful woman embraced me.  All for of her limbs
are affected by leprosy.

This past Monday when I was with the medical team, we went to the colony where Bujji's grandma and father live.  Her father splits his time between taking care of his leprosy affected mother and living in a different place with his wife and oldest son.

I was so pleased to meet her grandma, Maria.  She walked in right away and greeted everyone like she owned the place.  She was saying "Vannakum" to everyone and giving hugs.  When Kim, our coordinator, introduced Quincy and I as people that spend a lot of time with Bujji, she embraced me and kissed me.  Quincy washed her feet and I bandaged them.  I can see where Bujji gets her radiance.

Later when we were finished, we visited her and her dad in her home.  It is a very humble place with very little.  She invited us in to sit with her on the floor.  She asked if I would say a prayer with her.  It was a very intimate moment as we prayed together and I can't remember feeling the spirit as strong as I did in the presence of this woman.  The words just came straight from my heart.  She had Quincy put eye drops in her eyes.  The leprosy has affected her eyes.  She quietly lay in Quincy's lap and you could see the relief come over her face.  We visited with her son for a little bit and told him how special his daughter is and how much we love her. Shortly after that we had to leave.  That evening I showed her the pictures I took and she beamed with pride.

Posing with her candy bracelet we
 made for talent night.  Check out
that beautiful smile.

It was so nice to have this moment and see where Bujji spends her time.  She is such a compassionate girl like many of the kids at Rising Star.  I feel they are this way because so many of them have helped and nurtured relatives and parents that suffer from this dreadful disease.  She will always be my fourth daughter from India.  I'll be her "Mama" any day.

A Grateful Heart

Grateful.  I'm grateful for working hands.  I'm grateful for legs that can carry me.  I'm grateful for eyes that can see.  I'm grateful for ears that can hear.  I'm grateful for a family that loves me.  Many of those thoughts came to my mind these past couple of days.

This was one of the worse feet I washed today.  He came in with
no bandages and went straight to toenail cutting and then my
washing station.  His skin was very brittle and the odds of there
being much left of this foot within a year is pretty slim.

Navamani is the nurse that comes with us.  She spends her
days trimming the dead tissue away from patients ulcers. 
This can be very painful for them.  She also applies salve
 and packs them with salt when needed. She is so kind,
 patient and gentle in how she treats patients while training
 volunteers on how to wrapthe wounds after she treats them.
  Stacey is doing the bandaging. I did this the day prior.

This is a severely affected hand from
a man that we treated.  All four
limbs were affected.

 We have been doing medical in a couple different colonies.  Out of the two days today I washed the feet and hands of some of the most severely affected leprosy patients I have seen so far.  My heart ached for each one of them as some of the ulcers were so large and open that many of them were very painful.  Majority of the time the tissue and nerves are so damaged that the patient feels no pain.  The volunteer coordinator, Kim, told me about one guy who came in to be served a while back with a nail in his foot that he didn't know he stepped on.  That is how some of the ulcers start and get so bad.

Many of the patients from today had all four limbs affected.  Some only had stumps for legs and stumps for hands.  Some of the fingers and toes are all curled up and deformed.  The flies will not stay away from the affected areas.  I was shooing those away as I washed there feet.  If you look at the skin going up the legs or arms it is brittle and you know that it will become ulcered very soon.  This disease eats away at the body and never lets up.

This sweet lady and I became friends.  We both made
each other smile.  Although there was a language barrier, it
was no big deal.  We managed to crack each other up.  She
smiles even though she deals with the challenge of having
all four limbs affected.

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This is Joseph. He sings Christian songs constantly.
 He has no working limbs and cannot see or hear very well due to the leprosy.
  He is a sweet and handsome man. It makes me sad that he has to live life
 with these physical challenges.
  The other picture is of Quincy cutting away some bandages.
  This patient's feet were in terrible condition.
  

  The colony today that we worked at was made up of elderly, single people.  Most of them have had spouses die or have been forgotten about from their families. This is a new colony that Rising Star has taken under their wing.  They are partnering with the Damien Foundation to help this colony.  This foundation has taken interest in the leprosy problem and draw volunteers from all over the world.  We spoke with some volunteers that were from Belgium.  They were doing some major building projects on site and it was looking good.  It is refreshing to know that there are other organizations making a difference and creating change as Rising Star is.  We are not alone and by uniting change will occur at a more rapid rate. 

Sometimes just having your hands held is comforting.  This man
didn't have a lot of that to hold but the fact that I will touch his
affected limbs is a sign of acceptance and compassion.

Quincy was in charge of bandage removal. 
This can be smelly and very shocking as you view
 how bad the wound has progressed since the
last bandage change.  She was very good at
taking on this job and was so tender with these
elderly patients. She has a special spot in her
 heart for this age group.

One thing I have noticed with the people we have worked on is the gratitude for us being there and treating them as the valuable, precious people they are.  We comfort them when the wounds become hard to bear when being treated.  We look them in the eyes with love.  We communicate with them as best as we can.  We hug them and sometimes even kiss them.  We touch them and hold their hands and feet with compassion. Society has not treated these people like this so they hunger for something as simple as a genuine smile.  It brings me joy to get them laughing. 

Quincy and I and our two room mates Ashley and Savannah made
these ladies laugh.  In our room at Rising Star we do not lack in
fun.  They are always doing something to crack me up.  Today
they blew up gloves, wrote faces on them and at one point they
were turned upside down and made into udders.  The ladies laughed
and enjoyed being a part of our girl group.  It was a special moment.

Everyone has a job in our group. 
Carl had the job of emptying and
replenishing the three water stations.
They are changed between each patient.
Every job is so important for us  to care for
as many patients as we can in an orderly
fashion.  Carl definately earned the title of
"Water boy" as me and Ashley were
 affectionately calling him.

My sweet new friend, Navamani.  I had to post
this because she looked so lovely in blue and
we matched.  She sure schooled me in bandage
wrapping the other day.  We are kindred spirits.

In return we gain and learn so much from these people.  I have learned the value and importance of being touched and the good feeling I always get from serving others. I have learned that people don't need a lot to survive.  Most of these people live with the extreme basic in necessities.  They have food (mostly rice), water (not clean enough for my body to accept) and a roof (sometimes only thatched) over their heads.  What they are lacking in is enough love from their society and physical limits that they admirably deal with. With all this they still smile.  I feel embarrassed that people from back home, including me, have so much, but sometimes want more or can't seem to find happiness in the life they are living.

Here is a couple more pictures of what some of the affects of leprosy have done to these people.  I feel it is important to post as many do not know what this is like and that it still exists.  It is still thriving in many parts of our world, especially in India.  I feel fortunate to be able to be a part of creating change in the treatment and stigma for these men and women.  By serving these people it has fed my soul.  I'm grateful.

Ray was working in between Quincy and I.
His job was to clip the toenails.  The few
that exist on their feet and hands.  It is an
important step as those nails can dig into
the skin and injure it.

This is what is left of this man's foot.
When Quincy took off the bandage, it
was almost all an ulcer.  He went straight
to my washing station.  After that we
put oil put on the area surrounding the ulcer.
When that is done the dead tissue is cut off,
and then they are bandaged.  I had that job yesterday.

Sharing my Passion

Teaching children has always been my passion.  As a little girl, I remember setting up the basement to look like a school and convincing my brothers to be my students. 

 When I was a stay at home mom, I was always drawn to educational toys and even sold them at one time.  I loved reading to my daughters and exposing them to knew things.  I think that gave my daughters a good foundation for their academic success.  Russ has always been equally a huge part in this as well.  They also have been blessed with never having to worry about their physical needs being met or having significant learning challenges, so their job of learning has been much easier to achieve. 

 In my career  I have always enjoyed teaching those that struggle in their learning.  In the past I have taught kids with behavior challenges, learning disabilities and others that just need a little help until a certain subject clicks. 

 Currently I teach the foreign population in our school district English which has become something I love.  I also enjoy seeing kids begin to like learning when their past attitude has been negative.

  Since we have been to India I have worked on the education rotation three times.  It is a resource room setting.  We do it in their small library.   Most of it is done one on one and sometimes we do things in a small group.  I enjoy teaching to small groups or individually because you get to know the students so much better.

Many of the kids here have come from some challenging home lives.  They have seen things that no child should ever witness.  Just like in America, this affects their focus on learning.  When physical needs, like love, safety, food and shelter are not being met it is almost impossible for a child to learn.  It is a little hard to think about academics when you are worried about surviving.  That takes a back seat.  Rising Star, for many kids, meets these needs and allows a child to succeed and move forward.

 One adorable, eight year old girl, I read with today came here a short while ago. I wish I had a picture of her.  Her mom died in a "kitchen fire".  Here older brother (maybe 8 years old, I'm guessing, at the time) witnessed his dad become angry with his mother and light her on fire. The dad got off with a very slight punishment. The kids came here very sad and broken.  They have improved and have felt loved and cared for by everyone.  She is becoming such a good little reader and has a contagious smile. I can't get over how strong some kids can be as they handle and process through some difficult and challenging situations.  I learn daily that kids are resilient and very forgiving.

Another child I have worked with each time for math and reading is a boy named, Basha.  As a volunteer, I don't really know  the educational or personal background of each of these kids.  I also don't know how they have interacted with other people in the past.  This boy has responded well to me.  He struggles the most with math, therefore, his attitude has not been good either.  He likes to push limits and looks for where the boundaries are.  Derek, the education coordinator, said he has not responded to anyone as well as he has to me.  It made me feel very good.  He said his countenance is different and he is so engaged.  He hasn't seen that from him.  He also shared with me that he comes from an abusive home.  He has witnessed a great deal of domestic abuse.  His father repeatedly hits his mom, who he loves and worries about. 

As we did math today, he was so proud that he was getting the multiplication and had to show Derek and Celina, the principal, what he had achieved. 

 In reading, he didn't want to stop.  He completed his work and wanted to show me his skills in reading a book nearby.  We also played vocabulary bingo and was so proud of getting a bingo.  Afterwards he wanted to spend more time with me and said to come to playtime and meet him at the blue bench.  I don't know why some kids connect with certain adults.  That has always been a mystery to me.  I know one thing, I love when it happens and I love when that person is me. 

Basha was so proud he got "Black Out" in bingo.

Got Septic? This colony does. Got cobra? They have one. Got art? The Colony has that too!

Got tools?  This man does.

One thing I am learning about India is that things are done the hard way.  The tools that are used are very basic.  They get the job done but it makes me yearn for tools back home.  Today I wanted a decent shovel.

This is the hut we were maneuvering around as we carried the big cement rings.

Our Scorpion crew

Construction day is hard work but very satisfying.  We put cement rings in for the septic system behind one of the huts.  The six of us transported six cement rings in a very narrow tight passage way to a backyard.  We did this while avoiding stepping in a big pile of cow manure (the cows rule the world here), taking out a rock fence pole and scraping up the side of the fragile hut and fence next to it.  Doing construction work here is like going through an obstacle course.  Even some of the Indian men are obstacles as they manage to get in the way as they visit and supposedly supervise.  They generally have the attitude that women aren't very strong but daily they are proven wrong by the work our groups do. 

1....2....3....PULL!

After this we had to lower it down with ropes into a deep hole with a man standing in the center making sure they were lined up on top of eachother.

This guy stood in the middle making sure each ring was lined up.  It was a little nerve racking when dropping it down with him there.  He cringed each time.  After this they will cement the sides, insert the pipe and put the cement lid on it and cover it up.

The last ring.  We did it!

This guy stood by our somewhat completed project.  In the beginning he was a little bit of a nay sayer.  But we earned his respect on how good of workers we were.  The mighty scorpions!

When this was finished, we had to shovel or in this case, put dirt into bowls and dump it into the outward sides of the rings.  It was hard work.  It was a bit frustrating as many of the men were standing in the dirt that needed to be transported just visiting.  The language barrier is a challenge in this situation.  There were five men.  Only two were really of any help.  One guy shoveled and I transported pretty good as a team for part of it.  After we were done he shook my hand and smiled.  Words were not needed.


We ended up completing one full septic and finishing the rest of another.  I have no doubt Russ is very surprised at seeing me work like a he woman and do something like this, but I made sure to take the pictures to prove it.

After that was done we got to visit the snake charmer. He also owns the wood shop in the colony. He showed us a cobra and a rat snake.  The rat snake is harmless.  The cobra was giving us a show.  He would get it mad and then eventually pick it up and milk it into a glass with saran wrap on it.  After that he would dilute the venom with  alcohol or water and drink it.  It gives him immunity from being bit.  He offered us some but that was a drink that everyone turned down.  Yuck and yikes at the same time!

The first real spending spree happened here!

Thank you, Ravichandran.  Notice the hands he uses to paint with.  What incredible talent.  He was so proud that I had chose his and was so happy to take a picture with me.  I love these people and wish for them to have a long life and to paint more masterpieces.



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Check out the detail in this painting Udayakumar painted. If there was two I would have bought it. I was so impressed with the images. His hands are both affected with leprosy. These artists are so talented. This man takes care of the finances and documents each sale. Thank you for sharing your talent.

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I was so glad we were able to stop by and view the art at The Bindu Art School.  This school was created in the colony through the micro loan program.  All of the paintings are painted by leprosy infected residents.  They usually paint from 9-11am each week day.  We were too late in seeing them in action. Darn.  Each painting costs 2000 rupes which is about $45.  One third of it goes to the artist, another third goes to the school and the last third goes into the micro loan fund to improve the colony.  Some of these funds have been used to build the community center that is in the colony.  When we got there we were given several piles of paintings to look through.  Quincy picked out both of ours.  The artists happened to be there and we were able to meet them.  The amazing thing is they don't have much left of their hands.  They strap on their brushes and paint these beautiful works of art.   Savannah, from our group, had bought one as well but here artist had passed away.  We felt fortunate ours were still alive and so proud we wanted their art.  My artist told me, "Nandry (Thank you) and much health to you and your family."   The gratitude is so genuine.  I will treasure my art that was painted so carefully by a man with a nub of a finger left on his hands but continues to have a smile in his heart.  Another good day in India.

Education at Peery Matriculation School

Raymond, Quincy and Stacy  They are all part of our Scorpion group.

Today we have been assigned to education. After quickly positioning my frazzled hair and packing down two bowls of Lucky Charms, we are off to the school. We got there early so we could see the morning assembly. The kids are so well behaved as they say the morning prayer and recite the school mottos. They look so beautiful in their nice maroon and white uniforms and neatly combed and braided hair. 

The school is really nice.  Instead of calling it grades they call it standards.  The school is Kindergarten to 12th standard.  They have some classes that are taught in English and some in Tamil.  Scorpion group was assigned to the library where our volunteer coordinator, Derek, had curriculum planned for those struggling in comprehension and math.  This was so similar to when I worked at Silver Ridge in special ed.  We worked one on one with a child for 45 minutes each.  I had so much fun and so did Quincy.  Each student I had was very motivated and did their best to work hard. I felt like I was right at home.  I had so many ideas that ran through my head of what I could do with these kids to help them learn their English.  Some of the curriculum they have here is too Americanized and words that are used they have no reference to.   

Half way through we got to eat lunch with them.  We all gathered in the dining hall. The girls all sit Indian style on the floor in a circle with their house groups they live with.  The house moms supervise the food for their group.  Each girl has their own tin plate they eat from.  Rosie, one of my favorite girls from my house came and got me and showed me where to get the food and how it is done.  The food was white rice and several different curries.  It was tasty.  The girls all eat a certain way with their right hand.  No utensils are used except for us, American people.  One day I will have them show me and I will do it.  Maybe I'll get it on video.   

The rest of the day involved play time with the kids after their school was done and dinner and family time.  This is a short blog today.  There will be more later.  I'm so impressed with all that is going on at Rising Star. 

Construction Day! Day 4

This is our Scorpion crew
Raymond, Stacy, Quincy, me, Savannah
Notice the huge speakers to the side.  These provided an abundance of the current  pop Indian music played throughout the colony. It was quite the variety; polka, techno, rock all sung in Tamil.  It made working so much fun.

Heavy lifting, dirty sweat, a slight sunburn, consuming gallons of water, lots of laughs and teamwork was what a good part of our day consisted of.  We left around 9:30ish today to serve in the Benarahar colony.  This colony is the poster child for Rising Star.  It has an Art School on site, a barber shop and a woodworking shop and other businesses operating through the micro loan program set up through Rising Star. A while back the residents gathered and compiled a portion of their micro loan business money and saved to build a community center to hold celebrations and gatherings in.  It is thriving and the people are so welcoming.  When anyone sees you, they say "Vannakum." (spelling?)  This means "Hi" or "Have you eaten?"  They are very concerned for other people's welfare.  The conditions are very rugged but liveable. Despite that, a smile is always shared with whomever walks by.  The people like the volunteers.  Rising Star has earned this as they have been helpful to create positive change in many ways.

Kim, our coordinator, passing Quincy two cinder blocks.  These two girls rocked it with their strength.

There is a hole in the center of where the stacks of blocks are stacked.  This is where the outhouse is being built.

This is a completed outhouse and to the left is the septic that is partially completed.

Our job today was to move stacks of cinder blocks into the backyards of four different homes.  These were being used to construct bathrooms outside of their homes with Indian style toilets.  Tomorrow the group will be transporting large, heavy cement rings as part of the construction for a septic system for each one. 

It was hard work but surprisingly fun.  In the colony some young men had rigged up these ginormous speakers so Indian music could play throughout the colony.  Kim,  our volunteer coordinater, Ray and I were heading up the relay line as we passed cinder blocks one to another. Ray was taking them off the stacks, passing them to Kim and than she would pass them to me and so forth.  As the music was blaring out of the speakers we started moving to the rythym and her and I just started breaking out in dance and showing our creative moves as we passed blocks.  There were a couple of elderly ladies sitting on their porch nearby getting such a kick out of this which made us do it more.  Those big stacks went so much faster and our funky dancing created such a happier atmosphere.  Afterwards the lady thanked us and took my hand and walked me part of the way to the next stop.  It was a moment.  I'm smiling just thinking of it.

During our time there we took blocks back to four different residences.  I don't know, we probably moved at least 400 or more blocks. 

This picture of the grandmother and her grand daughter is precious.  We loved photographing this child until she cried.  We felt bad.  The grandma offered to have us hold her but she wasn't having that.

This is a structure for a home.  They will be contstructing a straw roof on this in a week or so.  The homes are very primitive.  They have packed dirt floors and the barest of necessities.  Cooking is mainly done outside.

This was a dead scorpion we spotted along the way.  It was cool to see a real one.  We also are the Scorpion group.

 Here is one of the fancier homes.  Sometimes you will see a house like this right next to a hut.  It is real random. 






This is another residence.  None of these homes have indoor plumbing.  There is lots of dirt piles, garbage and cow poop everywhere.  You have to watch your step.

Isn't she darling?  So tiny.  She is with Kim, my dance partner
that is in charge of construction.

We also got to take a few pictures along the way.  One tiny, little lady came up to join us at the end.  She couldn't be much taller than 4'11, about the height of my Scottish grandma.  We asked her if she liked the music and she started to dance along with us.  It was so cute and it created another moment. 

After we got back I took a craved bucket shower and put my fresh chududar on.  We have a wide supply of these to wear.  We are required to wear these in respect to Indian custom.  They are loose and make me look about fifty pounds heavier than I already am.  This is when I am reminded of my goal of being trimmer.They can be very hot for someone that is not used to this heat and humidity.  Some of our volunteers look so cute in them.

We had some free time to chill out in the Elephant House.  Then we went out for play time activities with the kids around 3:45.  I went out to where some of the older kids play some organized sports.  Girls play badminton with one another.  They also play this game called Kibbler (spelling?).  It is a combination of two teams playing tag and wrestling a girl down.  I am going to video and share this sometime as it was quite unusual.  I still haven't figured out the rules.  Boys were playing a volleyball like game and soccer too.  Quincy was doing the volleyball game with the boys most of the time.  I was visiting with the girls and trying to figure out how Kibbler is played.  It was extremely competitive and sometimes arguments would arise.  The older girls or the better players are usually able to difuse them quickly.

One of my favorite moments was that so many of the girls could remember my name.  They would holler it over to get my attention.  They pronounce it similar to my family in Scotland..."B-danda." First a is pronounced long.  It is really cute.  I only wish I could remember each one of theirs.  Some of the names are so different that pronouncing them is a challenge.  Sometimes they will come up and ask me, "Do you know my name?"  When I am stumped I will usually reply, "Do you know mine?"  When they don't, we smile, they spell theirs to me and teach me how to say it and I do the same for them.

At 6:00 we go to dinner on the top of the Elephant house.  Today's fare was red rice (not my favorite) a chicken flavored soupy curry with potatoe, coconut curry, a type of green bean, an extremely spicy bean dish, and this puffy soft rice circle bread.  We also had fruit salad and vegetable salad.  I find here that I eat so much less and my appetite barely exists.  The food here is so different but fun to experiment with.  Breakfast and lunch we are on our own.  It usually is cereal in the morning and  a packed sandwich and fruit for lunch if we are away from the site. I'm glad I brought a few snacks to add to it.  If we are in the school we get to eat with the kids.  That's fun.

Family time is always at 7:30.  Today when we went over there the girls were busy with their homework.  We helped them with that, read with them, told stories and just hung out until just before 9:00.  The girls love this time with us.  They are so incredibly sweet and I just don't know how I will be when it is time to leave them.  They are fascinated with the fact that Quincy and I are mother and daughter.  In each house there is four rooms.  One for the house mom and three larger rooms for the girls.  They all have mats that are put on the floor and they sleep on those with a blanket.  It is so simple and so hard.  I will never feel the same when my own kids complain about their mattress not being comfortable enough.  A day at Rising Star makes one realize that you do not need much to be happy.  Sometimes with less life is more appreciated.    

Too Many Emotions to Count

It was an emotion packed day for me in many ways.  Our Scorpion group was assigned to medical today.  I have been looking forward to this but unsure of how I would react to seeing open wounds from the results of leprosy and whether I would be able to do all that was expected. To my relief, it turned out to be a success with only one low that happened today.  I will share that at the end of this post. 

  Everyday when medical goes out it is different.  Today we were fortunate enough to get to go to one of the boarding schools that care for the special needs children.  Some of these children were as old as forty and as young as five.  We went there to do physicals.  After I recorded their name and age we charted their height, weight and the doctor did a check up on each student.

  Special needs children are treated in many of the same ways as leprosy affected people as many are sent away and not wanted in their families.  It is unfortunate because I have always felt as I have worked with these children in school back at home as being some of the most innocent and special spirits sent from God.  We can learn so much from them.  Their unconditional love brings out the compassion in one's heart.  I feel they are sent here on earth not only to live a full life but to teach others how to have a zest for living, to love and to serve. 

This part of our day was a highlight. We sang with them, played with them and took pictures.  They love being filmed or photographed and seeing themselves afterward. What they enjoyed most though was being held or given the attention they crave so much.  I was impressed at how well cared for they looked.  The people in this school make sure they are clean, presentable and loved.  Our group was so good with these children.

We had one older special needs lady there named, Narobi.  She did not want anything to do with getting her physical done.  The teachers tried and couldn't get her to budge.  When Ray tried to get her  to come she yelled at him.  I decided to take it into my own hands.  I knelt down and looked into her eyes and spoke to her holding her hand and she responded to me.  I walked her through the check up, modeling what to do and encouraging her.  She completed it and I felt so proud of being able to reach her and work with her.  My team mates praised me and one of their teachers told me, in her quick way "Good".  

Our next destination was at a small leprosy colony to take care of six patients.  We had to test their blood sugar if they were diabetic, take their blood pressure (my job) and chart it.  After that we had to take care of the wounds on their feet.  We had to cut away and unwrap the foot and clip toenails.This is a hard job as the nails are imbedded and distorted. Savannah did a good job with this. Then the foot is washed and soaked. Stacy was very gentle. Then oil is applied to the foot. Quincy gave a good massage. Then the nurse trimmed the dead tissue off and Ray wrapped the leprosy affected feet. He was the expert wrapper.  Some of these cases were in the worst shape.  Kylie also take a picture of each foot to document the progression.  I did not take pictures as the environment felt too intimate and unfamiliar. I may get some later to show the set up of how it is done. The set up was pretty primitive. It was in the back of a small hut where one of the patients lives in. We set up a row of chairs on packed down dirt for the patients to sit on. In front of those chairs we had bowls and a stool for us to sit on.  The patients would rotate through the different chairs to get the different things done.  Everything brought in is sanitary but the location was not clean.  

Some of this can be very painful for them and some of it soothing.  The washing and oiling is very intimate and very soothing.  These are people that are shunned and untouchable in society.  They thrive on being touched and visited with.  A smile goes along way.  One man was joking with me a little.  I told him that Quincy was my daughter as she was oiling his feet. He made my day by saying that he thought she was my sister.  That day I found my new best friend.  The gratitude from these patients is so abundant.  Watching them take off their tiny, very worn, specially designed shoes and leg braces and seeing what they deal with daily moved me.  Even though they have open wounds, distorted limbs, difficulty seeing and hearing they manage to smile.  They live in dire circumstances yet will offer to you whatever they have.  It seems like those with so little are the most generous. This experience is creating change within myself.

The low for today was before we entered the special needs school.  As Quincy and I were walking in a short, very thin lady approached us and was clearly upset.  She was trying so hard to tell us of her troubles.  She was raising her hands to the sky and pleading.  We could not answer her as she spoke to us in Tamil.  I felt so helpless as I couldn't cheer her up with my words.  All we could do is hold her and hug her while she weeped.  The language barrier is frustrating as you want to communicate and help them.  The only way I can somehow feel better about this is if I make my body language clear and show empathy for that person.  I can't imagine what her trouble must have been.  I could only guess.  I just hope she understood that we cared.