Toe Infection

I do not know how this major event that happened in Kerala slipped my mind!!!

So, before we left for Kerala my big toe on my left foot became sore and red...I stubbed it somewhere on something and noticed one day that it was bleeding.  With all the crap on the streets of India, any number of things could have gotten in there. I would have just ignored it, but the fact that we are going to the Himalayas for 10 days was weighing on my mind.  I did not have the luxury of having a toe infection while hiking for 10 days...so, I decided that going to the doctor once I reached Kerala was the best idea.

After our 12 hour train ride...where I slept on the floor until 3:30am when a man tapped me and told me he was getting off the train so I could use his seat, we got to the airport and reached Trivandrum (very close to the most southern tip of India).  Hannah and I slept for the rest of the afternoon and evening after that night in a packed train with people who do not know what deodorant is used for...

So, we decided for the first day that we would shop around and just walk around the city.  The first thing on our agenda, though, was Geetha Hospital.

We walk in, the receptionist asked my name and I spelled it out for him, which was translated into Nikhil LeGare.  After about less than a minute I was called to see the doctor.  I sat down, showed him my toe.  He asked if it was "paining"and of course I confirmed, that yes, indeed, it was paining.  He pressed down on my toe, which hurt, and he started writing a prescription for me.  He wrote 3 separate prescriptions and sent me to the "Treatment Room".  I wish I could hook up my camera to this computer so I could upload a picture of the room!  It was very small with one examination table.  I hopped up on there and told Hannah and Mary Beth that they could not leave me alone in that room.
I freaked when I saw a needle...They then told me to lay down and turn over...I tried to protest and asked what the needle was for (I was nervous).  They told me it was a tetanus booster and they would not be able to put it in my arm...soooo I had to roll over and I clenched Hannah's hand as they injected me.  I started laughing because of the whole situation and they thought I was crying..

I got my "tablets"after that - an anti-biotic, some pills in case the anti-biotic made my stomach feel a little woozy, and then some casual pain killers.  My toe was really not "paining"THAT bad that I felt the need to take pain killers - but since they do not use labels on the medication, I had to just take all 3 pills for 3 consecutive days. 

I know you would be happy to know that I am 100% cured of my toe infection. The best part about that hospital visit was that 1. It lasted for no more than 20 minutes. and 2. It cost me 230 rupees (divide that by 49 and you get a grand total of $4.69.)

Long Time Overdue

SO I don't know where to begin so I will write about what is currently happening over here in India.

I am currently sitting in the "Transit Center"at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.  We were supposed to fly out to Bagdogra to make our way to Darjeeling today..buuut since there is a "change in the seasons"today, our airplane was first downsized to hold only 135 passengers instead of 150, and when they tried to accommodate us on another flight, we learned that ONLY 2 flights go to Bagdogra airport a day, SO lucky us, we are staying overnight at the airport.  Mike (our volunteer coordinator) is on his way to Kolkata then on to Bagdogra - he is unaware that we are still in Hyderabad...
Well, at least the internet is complimentary here!! That is a plus!

Hannah and I went to Kerala last week as there was a nun convention at the convent - so we had to be out of there.  So, we went to visit Mary Beth in Trivandrum.  Kerala was beautiful.  Coconut trees are everywhere.  We stayed in a house there, and I literally felt like I was in the Jungle Book when I stepped outside.  We went to Kovalam Beach where we got burnt to crisps, but swimming in the Arabian Sea was awesome!!  We also went to a place to ride elephants.  We were driven to the location (not quite sure where it was....) and we were told to put our stuff in our little house that we would be staying in and to then meet the people at the entrance to go on a "trek".  Well, what we thought was going to be a nice little nature walk, turned out to be a nice little 10k.  Then it started to rain, so we had to wait another hour and a half to ride the elephants.  BUT once we finally did - it was pretty sweet.  Hannah and I rode together on Jaysree. She is a 36 year old elephant, the oldest elephant there is 89.  I guess they live to around 100 years...crazy.  We got to feed her afterwards and then go and see the 2 younger elephants, who are 8 and 9.  The 9 year old put his trunk on my head for a "blessing."

So, this week we will be hiking the Himalayas in Nepal and then Hannah and I head off to Goa for some beach time.  I return home on November 18th, juuust in time for the ND vs Army game.

I know that so much more has happened since I last wrote in here, buuuut this is what is going on at the moment sooo, here ya go!

Secunderbad

Where to begin...
Maaaany changes have happened since I last wrote on here.  Hannah and I moved out of Chandur for various reasons and we are now in Secunderbad at another convent.  The superior here is really very nice though, her name is Sister Alice.  There are only 10 girls that live in this home.  They are originally from Navajeevana which is the street home located about 10 minutes away. These girls speak English very well and are wonderful to be around.  Since there are only 10 of them, we are able to get to know them better and have an actual relationship with them.  I have a funny feeling it will be much harder for me to leave them than it was to leave Chandur.  There were just so many girls in Chandur (about 150) and they spoke such little English that it was tough to form an actual relationship with them, aside from being the American that lived with them.
SO Hannah and I, during the day, are going to be going to Navajeevana to be with the girls who are street children.  If you have seen Slumdog Millionaire you can get a good picture of the children we are with every day.  About 40 girls are residents there now.  The sisters there pick up girls off the street who are beggars, or who are caught up in the sex slave business that goes on unnoticed...The sisters literally save them.  Most of the girls they pick up, after a a bath, new clothes, and some meals, the parent(s) or a relative will come to claim them - but some girls are never claimed and become residents of this home.  They stay and live there until they are married or can live on their own with their own job.  The youngest is probably 2 or 3 and the oldest is 17.  I cannot think of any other word to use to describe the emotions I feel while I am there, other than the word "intense".  I really like it so far, we sing and dance and play hand games with the girls. Some speak a decent amount of English and others speak none at all. 
The girls who live where I live are from Navajeevana originally but have come here to live.  I think they really are the lucky ones.  It feels like a family here.  They all call me and Hannah "akka" which means big sister and I really feel like their older sister.  We help them with their homework and studies, it's fun.

My mom came in last week.  She is having quite an experience; it definitely is no vacation.    It is nice to have someone from home experiencing what I am experiencing - it really is an experience that words cannot justify.  I am currently listening to the song: Tumse Hi Tumse from the Bollywood movie Anjaana Anjaani. that was a great movie! Dancing and singing and many tears from all the characters.  The depiction of the Hudson river makes it look like the Caribbean.  And apparently there is a beautiful beach somewhere in Manhattan.  The way the portrayed all the while women were complete trash.  Hahah it was very entertaining to say the least.  That was our big trip out this weekend. 
We have yoga every morning at 10am with a Yoga teacher - it's very therapeutic; it feels like to actually do something resembling exercise.  I would attempt to run - but I would not be allowed to wear shorts soooo that is out of the question. 
Things are going reallllly well though.  I have moved my departure date up to November 18 so I will be able to go to the ND vs Army game on the 20th! :) I am SO EXCITED that I will be able to go to a game!! And it will be nice to be home.  Since I don't teach a set class anymore, I will be shifted around from now until I leave - so leaving earlier doesn't really matter at all.

Birthday in India!!

The day started out with 7am Mass, the usual.  It was a chaotic morning because there was confusion about whether or not the buses were "banned" again or not...but they were not supposed to the banned, so the celebration for Gratitude Day was on. I got to skype with my parents, which was very nice.  So, then I went outside to prepare my 10 girls to do their Irish Dance routine for the show andddd it happened that only 5 girls showed up - but they were excited to do it, so we went right ahead and practiced and they performed beautifully :) They were very cute.
After the show everyone was given wafer cookies as a treat.  I just can not get used to people throwing their trash everywhere...after the children left on the bus the place was full of cookie wrappers.  Anyway, Hannah and I ate with the teachers and I was given two cakes.  I cut the cake and was fed three pieces, one by Sister Lilly, one by Sister Teresa, and one by Hannah, strange but it's their custom I guess.
Another custom they have here is that the birthday person is supposed to give a party to everyone.  I had no idea what party to give, but it ended up being a very fun evening...
After Gratitude Day was over, Hannah and I went with the masters (male teachers) to Srinu's house and then to his field.  His family owns 10 acres of land  cotton fields and rice paddies, and they have a hut in the middle.  So, I brought a "beer party" to them. This was their first time ever drinking with females so they were very giddy about it.  Besides the fact that they kept trying to feed us fish, it was a very enjoyable evening.  Srinu's mother came out to the field and invited Hannah and me back to the field on Sunday to have chicken and beer and white water from 10 - 4.  So, we are set to go back to the field with the masters and Srinu's mother (who is only missing her 2 front teeth).
It was a very enjoyable birthday - one I never could have imagined!!!

Nalgonda with Srinu, Balu, & Hannah

Yesterday morning we got to sleep in until 8! Mass was supposed to be at 9:30am for Gratitude Day - apparently this is a very big deal here.  We went to breakfast and everyone had a plate of goodies at their place - I had a Taj Mahal key chain with some candies.  It was very cute.  We found out that Mass was post-poned until 7pm because the priest couldn't make it.  Also, we were supposed to have a big celebration with dancing and singing for the whole school - but the buses were "banned" which essentially means they are on strike - SO that was post-poned, it is supposed to happen on Monday, which is fine with me because it's my birthday :)
So, later in the day after lunch, Hannah and I went with 2 of the male teachers, Srinu and Balu to Nalgonda, on their bikes.  We went to help Balu fill out a Visa application form to come to the US.  The closest internet he could use was in Nalgonda (30 minutes away).  He was too afraid to ask the sisters if he could use their internet...so we went.  Hannah and I had quite a few laughs because A. His birthday is wrong on his passport B. The village he lives in is misspelled on his passport. C. He did not know his wife's birthday D. He did not even know which type of Visa he wanted.
So, we attempted at filling out the information, but we were timed out twice, and then I decided that we should probably just leave and we can try again some other time.  We left the little internet place and were on our way back home when I decided that I was hungry.  I was thinking that we would stop at a little cafe or something - but It's India! They don't really have "cafes" so we stopped at a Fast Food Stand. (see picture).  The food was actually pretty good! Definitely better than some of the Chinese food I've had back home (i.e. Golden Dragon in South Bend).  On our way back, the police were stopping everyone that passed by to check for their licenses, but the let us go by since we were Americans and guests of India.  Everything else was fine except when Srinu lost his phone somewhere along the road .... we had to go back to the place he thought he lost it and look for it. But sadly, we were unsuccessful. 

Outing with the teachers

Woke up at 5:29 to a phone call from one of the teachers...making sure I was awake and ready to go! I planned a trip to a dam called Nagarjuna Sagar with 12 of the teachers for Friday.  We had Friday and Saturday off last week since it was Ramzan (a Muslim Holiday) and then a big Hindu festival where they celebrate the god Ganeesh, the Elephant god.  So - we all rented a "sumo" like a jeep, only bigger, and a driver and we were on our way by 7:30.  It took about 2 hours to get there and only 2 of the 24 gates were open (see picture).  We were bummed, we wanted to see most of the gates open and flowing with water - but that did not put a damper on our day!  We then went to a church to sit on the grounds outside and have a late breakfast.  The teachers were all amazed because I do not know how to eat with my hands the way they do.  After breakfast we went down towards the Krishna River and we all put our feet it.  It was beautiful.  The rest of the day we went and saw waterfalls and other places around the river.  The Krishna River is one of India's largest rivers and runs west to east and empties out in the Bay of Bengal.
Just when I thought we were heading home we made another stop.  We went out on a small boat (see picture) and had a blast.  Then the men went swimming.  I wanted very much to go swimming since it was very hot outside, but I was in a Sari.  Everyone was asking if I knew how to swim and of course I was proclaiming that I knew how.  They only partially believed me, so, I tied my sari up and jumped in and swam.  It was very difficult with the amount of fabric the sari is - but everyone was impressed.

We stopped along the side of the road on our way home to eat dinner that the teachers prepared and then we made it home.  It was a great day.

Nagarjuna Sagar

All of us (except Balu, who is taking the picture)

This is Balu, my Indian Anna (Big brother) and I am his Chelli (little sister)

The boat that fit 8 of us

The next morning I woke up early to go to Secunderbad.  Nothing too exciting about that journey.  I met Hannah and we came back to Chandur together.  We went shopping with one of the sisters, Sister Mercy.  She was very nervous and reached for my hand every time we crossed the street.  Hannah was wearing a skirt that came down just below her knees at first and Sister Mercy looked in horror and asked if she had something that would cover her knees...she then put on capris and I burst into a fit of laughter.  Conservative does not even begin to describe life here.

We finally booked our flights to Bagdogra!! We are officially hiking the Himalayas from October 31 to November 9.  I am very excited!! Hannah and I are trying to plan what we are going to do while we are there besides hiking - we are thinking hang gliding, rock climbing, or white water rafting.... I will keep you updated on what we decide to do!

As for now, I am concentrating on teaching 10 3rd grade girls an Irish Step Dance routine... it is quite comical to watch. 

All for Notre Dame football

I woke up Saturday morning at 5:30, thinking that a half an hour would be enough time to get dressed and ready for my trip to Secunderbad. Well, of course today it took me a half an hour to get my saree tied properly. So I ran out of my “home” at 6:09 thinking I was going to miss the bus to nalgonda. Sister Lilly told me that the bus “leaves about 6:15 or 6:30” well, I don’t know why I was panicking about being late – I am running on Indian-time – which means everything is 15 later than when they tell you. So, I got to the bus stop at 6:25, waited 20 minutes, then got on the bus to Nalgonda. It was a nice morning – it was drizzling so the air was nice and cool. When I got to Nalgonda, I got off the bus, took an auto to the railway station. For a few minutes I thought the driver did not understand “train” because he was taking me down this little dirt road – but a minute later I saw the train station! I was very happy. My travels were very easy this morning. I got my ticket, waited for the train, met 2 women and 1 man who were talking to me. They saved me a seat on the train which was very nice and in the sleeper section of the train. I got a look at what we will be travelling in for the trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Oh boy! Those 25 hours are going to be verrrrry interesting! Anyway, they tried talking to me during the 2 hour train ride, but they had very limited English, so we only spoke a few words to each other. They told me that they were teachers at the government school so we all had something in common – teaching in India! They were very nice though and made sure I made it off the train okay and over to track #1 to meet up with Mike. I met Mike and he almost walked right past me because I was in a saree and he was looking for me in my American clothes. We got to the house here in Secunderbad and Sister Alice greeted me with a very warm smile and hug. She is very sweet. I am laying down now, lunch is in 30 minutes and then the 10 girls that live here will get home from school. I am excited to see them again. They speak English so well compared to the girls that I live with. I met them once when I came to Hyderabad for the first time, with Brenda. That’s all for now.




This weekend was so much better than I could have ever imagined. I got here and the girls were just as awesome as I remembered. We sang and danced and had a wonderful time. I went out in Secunderbad with Mike and John (the tech guy at this convent) to a computer warehouse. It was cluttered and just crazy but I did not expect anything less – we’re in India! We figured out how to play the ND game simulcast and we had to also download software for the computer to play a DVD that I brought for the girls to watch (Beauty and the Beast). They loved it! They also loved the ice cream that Mike and I brought for them – although I think I enjoyed that a little more than they did (if you know how much I love ice cream). So after the movie ended at 10pm the girls went to bed and I played with the German Shepherd that they have here, named Dolly. I wasted time until 1am – KICKOFF! I was extremely happy I was able to watch Notre Dame beat Purdue here, in India. I was up until 4:45, only to wake up to the girls at 6:45! Today was worth every single minute I was awake though. We had Mass in English!! The readings, the music, the homily – all were in English! It was the first English Mass I have been to since July 4. After Mass I helped the girls with their homework and hung out with them. I went to a bookstore across town in Hyderabad with Mike and picked up some books – one that my brother Stevie is going to want to read when I get home – a biography on Lionel Messi! (Steve you should be proud of me for buying it!) I also bought a chocolate bar -and only after I took a bite out of it did I realize that there were tiny worms crawling all through out the chocolate. I immediately spit it out and watched to vomit , but I held it together. So, so, SO gross. After that traumatic experience Mike and I went for a walk to a small park where there are a Catholic chapel, a Sikh temple, a Muslim mosque, and a Hindu temple all right beside each other. I went into each, which was just very interesting – try finding a place like that in the States! We walked back to the convent only to walk with Sister Geneva (I am not quite sure of the spelling of her name) up to a Buddhist Temple. I originally did not want to go; I wanted to stay home with the girls and relax, but I went. I am extremely happy that I went. Seeing this temple was one of the greatest experiences I have had so far. I can’t explain in words how beautiful it was when we saw it. There were many stairs to climb after a 15 minute walk that was all uphill, once I got to the top I saw all of Hyderabad and Secunderbad and the mountains in the distance. A mantra was playing all along the staircase and inside the temple. It was the most calming experience that I wanted to sit down and meditate right then and there. The sights were so incredible I had to stop thinking about everything and just take it in. Of course I didn’t have my camera, but I will go back next weekend when I come again for the ND – Michigan game! When we returned we ate supper and the girls put on a small program for us in which they dedicated a song to me! It made me so happy and I felt so loved. They are all begging me to come back and I am only more than happy and anxious to come back here! I love Chandur, and I am very happy I am there, but these girls are wonderful as well. Seeing Secunderbad, there is so much I would be able to do if I was living here. Stores are right down the street, as it is in a city. Anything I need is an auto ride away…but I think that living in Chandur is much more the experience I was seeking when I applied to come here. Chandur is a small village where everyone knows everyone else. There isn’t much in Chandur, and it is visibly much poorer than Secunderbad, but I do love it. Chandur is my home in India, I could not imagine leaving for longer than a week.

India amazes me more and more each day. I look back on the past 24 hours and I have had so many experiences that I would never think of having. I encourage everyone to come to this country. It is truly beautiful and breathtaking in more than one way. The sights, the smells – everything just hits your senses in ways that you can never experience in America. I am sure in other 3rd world countries it may be the same as it is here, but you can not get this experience or anything like it in America.

I have been writing this blog in three stages.  I will now report my journey home from Secunderbad...
I woke up at 4:45, left the house at 5:15 and got to the train station - it was packed.  My train was scheduled to leave at 7am so I got in line to purchase a general ticket because I did not make a reservation.  Note to self: from now on...pay the 10 extra rupees to get a reserved seat.  I got on the train at 6:15 and it was already jam-packed.  I was in the first car which was a "ladies only" car.  I ended up sitting on the floor of the train since when the train started to move (when it finally left the station at 7:45) I was falling out of my seat.  We stopped many times on the tracks for reasons I will never know.  No one seemed to be bothered by it though.  I fell asleep clutching my backpack only to be awoken by a lady tapping me on the back to tell me that a child threw up and the liquid was coming towards me. Awesome.  So, I sat on the 3 inches of the bench that was available for the rest of the 3 hours train ride that should only have taken 2 hours.  The bus ride back from Nalgonda to Chandur was less eventful - but a man who was visibly drunk sat next to me and tried talking to me the whole time he was on the bus - gratefully he was only on the bus for 15 minutes.  I tired to look away and act extremely uninterested as he was trying to explain the "Channel of Life" to me, whatever that meant.  Then he wanted my phone number. I said no.  He got off the bus. Other than that I arrived safely to Chandur to come home to the power out - no surprises there.  It finally came on, as it has been out since last night apparently. They had no power or water...the water will come back on tomorrow morning.
 
Can't wait to go back to Secunderbad on Saturday for the Michigan game.

Screaming Girls and No Lights.

SO last night...I'm in bed, mosquito net in place, about to drift off to sleep when I hear the screaming and running of 200 girls in the hall upstairs. Sister Lilly and I each come out of our rooms (she is in her nightie AND no habit!) and we are trying to figure out what is going on. We are on the ground floor and so we are looking up at the windows of the second floor. The girls are running around just all screaming. I instantly thought that a man with a gun was upstairs (Sister Jemina thought it was the devil and Sister Madhri thought it was a cobra). It turned out that one girl was talking and moving around in her sleep and ended up touching the girl next to her which caused her to scream and then caused every other girl to scream and run out of the room. Thus causing mass chaos at 10:30 last night. It was SO funny. So sister Lilly and I are trying to figure out what is going on and she is yelling up to the windows (Hey! Ma!! Hey! what is happening!? [Indian accent]) then she starts talking in Telugu and we realize that nothing happened so we go back to sleep.

Tonight we were discussing this at dinner, all telling each other what we each thought the cause of the screaming was.  I found out that the sisters sprinkled Holy Water everywhere after this happened - just in case the devil was there...We were discussing this during our candlelit dinner because even though the power was actually on for once, the light bulb was out  -and they have to call in a man to change it (hahah, I love it here).  So we ate in dark and then we hear an eruption of dogs barking.  We all stopped talking and started laughing.  We did not check the status of the dogs though, we just kept eating.

We're in India!!

-side note to Brenda, if you are reading this, please let me know your response.  You can picture Sister Lilly and the candlelit dinner because the Tube-light was out. oh man, I wish you were here for this!

Power of Prayer

Psalm 8


God has an amazing way of working. I am blessed to have been able to experience this today.

I have been praying about a personal struggle I have been facing. One night I talked to Sister Lucia about it. It was to vent to someone, to let someone know that I was struggling; that, my life is far from perfect. So, it felt nice to talk to someone, to have someone listen. The sisters have been so good to me – Sister Lilly, Sister Lucia, and Sister Lucy (who now lives in Bangalore) have listened to me and have opened themselves up to me as well. It truly has been a blessing.

Thursday night the Archbishop of Hyderabad died suddenly of a massive heart attack. Sister Lilly, Sister Lucia, and Sister Madhri went to Secunderbad today to attend a Mass in his honor. Today was a good day. It rained most of the day. I had a long lunch with Sister Jemina, Sister Teresa, and Sister Swana – it was a pleasant lunch and we talked about Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and Muslims. I went outside and hung out with the girls during their free time. When they went into their separate groups to pray the rosary, I came inside…The struggle that I had been dealing with was resolved. (doesn’t need to be mentioned on here) but everything was straightened out and it was such a huge relief that I of course ended up in tears – everyone knows how emotional I can get, haha. I walked out of the computer room since it was close to dinner time and I saw Sister Lucia had come back from Secunderbad. I told her that the issue was finally resolved and she said she was so happy for me. She told me she has been praying for me and she offered prayers today during the Mass for the Archbishop Joji.

I never thought that she was praying for my intentions. And it just goes to show you never know who in the world is praying for you at any given moment. I was blessed to realize this today and I wanted to share it.

So then I read Psalm 8, because Sister Lilly told me it was her favorite Psalm. It made me smile.

So that was my day here. I came here to do service, to teach English to children and adults, but I also came to India, to this particular place, with these particular people because of the spiritual aspect. I was able to see that today, to feel it, to know without a doubt that it exists.

You never know who is praying for you….

Monsoon Season Continues

Good news today! Finally! The teachers told one of the sisters, (then sister told me) that the third grade is improving with their English! Since they are hearing me speak every day, they have gotten somewhat used to my accent and now they can understand the English when the teachers are speaking since the accent is Indian! I was so, so very happy to hear that they are improving!! Ya know, I am here in India (essentially on a whim!) and I have been a little down because I did not think that I was providing anything for the children. But I finally got some feedback! Even before I got that news, today has been a good day! It has been raining all day (monsoon season) and it has been such a relief!! I have been learning a bit of Telugu as well :) I walked in my class this morning and just as every day they all stand up and say in unison “Good Morning Auntie! How are you?” I answered "bagunanu" (which means I am fine in Telugu). They were so surprised and so happy! Then I asked, "Bagunara?" Which means, how are you in Telugu. Their reactions were so cute, each one of them wanted to teach me another word in Telugu.

Me & Brenda in the middle of the all the teachers that I teach

Last night I received news about hiking the Himalayas. We are set to start our hike in Nepal the first week of November. I am SO excited about this!! We are going to hike up for 3 days and on the 4th day we will hike down. The train will take about 24 hours to get up to Darjleeng and from there a couple hours to get to Nepal. The culture is supposed to be very different from Southern India so I am anxious to see what that is like, and how the food is! Andhra Pradesh is known to have the spiciest food, so it will be a nice change to have food that is not so spicy or “pungent” as they say here.

It’s strange though, I am so looking forward to the first week in November - but then I have only one month left here! I can’t imagine leaving right now. I feel like I am just getting started. We are finally starting to understand each other and we are all able to talk more and more that I do not even want to think about leaving! But as they tell me time and time again, this will always be my Indian home. I am sure that when the time comes for me to go home, I will be ready. I am just glad that it is not my time to go home yet! I am planning on going to Secunderbad on September 4th to watch the ND opener against Purdue. The volunteer coordinator is a HUGE ND fan so he got a new computer screen and he has access to live feed for the games online. Once we established that we have this passion in common, we decided that I should make the 3 hour journey on Saturdays to watch the games with him. I am VERY excited about this! I was so sad when I thought I had to miss all of the games. They will be showing from 1am-5am here…which will be a little rough, but we will see how it goes. At least I have the option of watching the games now!

                                  

Jaysree is in Pre-KG (nursery school) and she has a conversation with me every day in Telugu. I absolutely love her.

My 3rd class today during class. About 15 kids were absent so only 41 were in attendence which made class a whole lot easier!  Sorry about the angle, I thought about that after I loaded it on the computer! Pranay is up at the board drawing.  When I let them draw on the board they have a blast, so I tend to create lessons where I can have them draw on the board!

Adventures in Hyderabad

Yesterday I started my journey with Mass at 7am (as we start every day, usually). I ate a quick breakfast and one of the sisters (Sister Lucia) drove me on the bike down to the bus stop for my great adventure to Hyderabad! I got on the bus and got a ticket to the last stop: The Mahatma Gandhi Bus Stop. The bus ride was fairly uneventful, except when it became crowded. I was sitting alone most of the way (since there were mostly male passengers and they do not sit next to women, not even their wives). At one point one woman sat next to me, it was a tight fit. We were touching arms and legs, normal way of travelling in India. She left and two more women decided to squeeze in. One woman was completely on my leg. I laughed silently and just thought to myself “It’s India!” This is a common phrase that I think to myself. Well, I made it safely to the M.G.B.S. and got in an autorikshaw (little three wheeled taxi, see picture below) and a half an hour later we made it to the Taj Krishna Hotel. I met up with Steve (our family friend who is travelling in India for business) and we grabbed lunch, I had some pasta and pizza and ICE CREAM! I was very content with that. Afterwards I checked into my hotel (Taj Deccan) which was like an oasis in the middle of Hyderabad. It was gorgeous. Steve and I then grabbed another rik to go to Charminar, a famous spot in Hyderabad. It was extremely busy – and then it started to DOWNPOUR. We quickly went into one of the little shops – funny thing was everyone else had that idea too. It was pretty chaotic but we survived. It is Ramadan right now and being the Hyderabad is 90% Muslim, 10% Hindu, many, many Muslims were out buying from the fruit vendors since they only eat before sunrise and after sundown. There were women covered in black – with only their eyes showing everywhere. It is very interesting to be in a place that is so predominantly Muslim or Hindu. We learn about these religions maybe freshman year of high school and then forget about it – it is cool to witness first-hand how these people live and I find it interesting to learn about the different gods and festivals. I saw my first camel! Just being led down the street completely normal…I am used to the cows and goats ALLLLL over the place, but seeing a camel was new and exciting! We then went to one of the old forts of Hyderabad which was built in the 1400s. We learned the history and whatnot – that was pretty neat too. Then we ate and the day was over!


I have realized that I will trust any cab driver in NYC that is Indian – because if they can survive driving in India, you will definitely be safe and sound in NYC. They have lines on the road but for all I know, the lines are there for decoration because no one pays any attention to the lines. Cars, autorikshaws, cabs, trucks, bikes…any vehicle just goes where it can fit. Families of 5 all ride on a motorbike together – no one wearing a helmet. We saw a mother with a baby that was no older than 6 months – the baby was sound asleep on the mother’s lap – the mother just held the child with one arm…there are infants on the bikes, it seems so crazy to me, but this is completely normal for them.

I have begun to really just accept and go with the Indian lifestyle. Of course thing surprise me and I smile and laugh to myself but I am getting less and less surprised at what I see.

I will never again complain about a crowded subway in the city! This morning I travelled from my hotel to the MGBS and got on a bus to a town called Nalgonda. At Nalgonda I was the ONLY non-Indian. And I was the only one who spoke English. I figured out where the bus to Chandur was and waited. Some people who knew a little English came up to me and talked to me which was nice. I had to fight my way on to the bus once it came. We were PACKED in that bus like something I have NEVER seen before. There was no room anywhere it was crammed with people. I was standing close to the front right near the door so I was very happy to at least have some breeze. The lack of deodorant use in this country was a struggle this morning. The bus ride was 90 minutes long. I literally could not move for 50 minutes. Then the bus finally started to empty out. But I was pressed up against multiple people for at least 50 minutes. So, as I mentioned before, I will never complain about a crowded subway ever again. Also! The bus was pulling away and people were hanging on the side of the bus!! And they stayed like that until their stop! I could not believe it. They were literally hanging from the windows. It was completely nuts.

BUT I made it safely back to Chandur! I got off the bus and I was so happy to be home! The hotel was nice, sleeping on a mattress that was thicker than 3 inches and showering in a real shower instead of using a measuring cup to pour water over my head from a bucket was nice…but I was happy to be home. There are so many luxuries that are very nice – but I have realized that I do not NEED them. I am happy here with so little. I appreciate air conditioning and a hot shower and sleeping underneath the covers – but I am happy to be back here. I have found a comfort zone in India :)

Since the men can urinate whenever and wherever they please, I found this amusing.  Painted on the wall "Do Not Pass Urine Here"

Trusty Autorikshaw "rik" for short

These are ALL OVER the cities

...To make life easier

I didn't think I wanted to make a blog at first because I have been keeping a hand-written journal (which I write in close to every day) and I did not think I would want to write in two things every day.  But since I have been slacking with mass e-mails, I figure that this is the easiest way to really let people know what I am up to and how daily life in India is. 

I have finally gotten into a routine. It's about time! I have been here for 46 days!!  But really, life is great here.  I have some hard times but that happens everywhere.  I have gotten accustomed to the goats, pigs, chickens, cows, dogs, and every other type of animal wandering around everywhere.  When I go into town, I still get looks, but I have grown used to that too.  No one has ever travelled here so they are still amazed that I am still here!  I have become used to the Indian accent so I understand A TON more than I did a month ago, which has helped tremendously for obvious reasons.  I have learned to speak very slowly when talking.  Slow - that word describes the way of life that I have been living here.  There is nothing to be anxious about, unless I create something in my head that tells me I need to be anxious.  The way of life is so completely different and refreshing.  The teachers that I am working with, and who I also teach English to, really appreciate that I wear the traditional Saree now.  They love that I am diving right in to their culture which they are so proud of.  The language barrier is still strong, but we are breaking it down each day. 

Last Sunday was Independence Day for India - which was quite a celebration.  Very different from the 4th of July!  The children had a program and performed dances and routines along with a very traditional marching procession and hoisting of the flag.  They are very very proud of their independence (which they only received- I think - 63 years ago). 

I'm not quite sure what else to say right now in this first entry.  I will hopefully become a little better at this, but I did figure that this would be easier than e-mails!

My third grade class

Fitting right in with the teachers at my school. (They are all short too!!)