Arrival in Delhi

I am in Delhi! Wow, where to begin?! We left at 6:30 this morning and arrived at 8:30am. We had arranged for our hotel, Ajay Guest House, to pick us up at the airport, but (typical India) they never showed. We flew Kingfisher Airlines (I have never seen better service than with this airline!) and a man who worked there not only called the guest house to see if they were coming, but then he found us a taxi and arranged for us to get to the hotel. To be honest, my first experience of Delhi was of annoyance. The taxi ride was stop and go the entire way with a gazillion people everywhere. It was a bit much, especially when I wasn’t feeling well (nothing bad, we just both caught colds from the kids, so I have a sore throat) and we were exhausted from sleeping very little last night. However, we arrived at Main Bazar (the market area where our hotel is located) and I saw more of the India I am used to. The hotel is nothing what I expected to be, but I love it! We are paying 700 rupees a night for a room with a big bed and a/c. It is located right in the center of the market with shops surrounding us. There are quite a few foreigners here, more than I have seen in India before. They are mostly European, but we had lunch with a guy from Australia who let us borrow his Lonely Planet India book and helped us figure out some sort of a plan.

It is hard to describe our hotel. We got dropped off in the middle of this market where our hotel was not visible. Sarah and I were looking at it each other wondering what the heck was going on. The driver took us down a little alley way and there was our hotel! In the photo above, it is through the alley way where the guy is leaning over. No doors or walls or anything to the front check-in; just big open space surrounded by shops and a cute little restaurant. I will have to take pictures, my explanation doesn’t justify it! We napped for a bit and then went exploring. The Main Bazar is a few streets of market area, selling clothes, shoes, food, souvenirs, etc. It is very dusty, very cramped, full of cycle and auto rickshaws and to be honest, quite hard to breathe in between the heat, the dust, and the smog. There weren’t as many beggers as I had anticipated (I expect to see many more in the more touristy areas) but the level of poverty was much worse than I have seen before in India. It is very dirty here, garbage lines the streets. The beggars that we did see looked very poor. We gave our leftover rice from lunch to two street boys, around 8 or 9 years old. They were malnourished in a way that I haven’t seen since Haiti.

We took a cycle rickshaw about 5 minutes away to a movie theatre and spent our afternoon there. We saw Kites, a Bollywood film featuring the famous Indian actor Hrithik Roshan. It was really cute (and corny, in the typical Bollywood fashion). It is a love story between an Indian man and Mexican women. The movie kept switching back between Hindi, English, and Spanish. I understood two of the three, so that helped! No subtitles for the Hindi part though, but we managed to understand the full thing (it was mostly in English) and we both loved it! The theatre was really nice. It cost 150 rupees to get in, and then we bought popcorn and drinks. They security check everyone who comes in and made us take out the battery of our cameras and they held on to them until the movie was over. Another thing that was different was that they have intermissions; a 10 minute break half way through the movie! We walked around the plaza of the movie theatre for a bit more, and found a cute little book store we spent some time in. It had mostly books set in Asia; a lot from India, some from Pakistan, China, etc. There was also a selection of American books. A big section for books about yoga, another for human rights. I didn't end up buying anything, but may later. We did buy some snacks for our hotel room, where we are sitting now, watching TV and relaxing. It will be an early morning as tomorrow we are heading out to work with Project Why for the day; I am really excited about this organization!

Goodbyes Are Hard

Saying goodbye to the kids yesterday was hard. Sarah and her daughters took us out for dinner and then we drove to see the new ICM property. It is huge and they have big plans for it; a new SCH home, an ICM office, a school, playground, etc. It is going to be great once it is complete. After, we headed over to Victory to say our goodbyes. The kids were in their pajamas and ready for bed. I went around to each room and kissed those who were still awake and told them I loved them in Telugu (one of the few phrases I have learned!) The kids are used to volunteers coming and going, so I didn't expect it to be difficult for them, and it wasn't. Most of them didn't understand that we were leaving. Niramala and Anusha, however, started crying. And then I started crying. I knew Anusha would cry, but I was touched that her mother would miss us as well. I have a lot of admiration for her, she is a great lady. I had written up cards for Anusha, Niramala, and Hannah, and printed off some pictures for them. April was just falling asleep, so I didn't want to wake her up. I laid down beside her and kissed her and told her I loved her and then left. It was hard, I won't lie. I have a lot of thoughts on it, but am too tired to write right now. Maybe in awhile after I process everything a little, I will write more. I still have many videos of the SCH kids to share!

We took the overnight bus from Ongole to Hyderabad last night for 450 rupees (about $10) and it was very comfortable, and a lot cheaper than hiring a driver. We left at midnight and arrived around 6 or 6:30 this morning. We are staying at ICM's guest house, so Doug (who runs it) took us to do some shopping at the Big Bazaar. We are used to shopping 'Ongole style' (very rural area) so to be in Hyderabad is like going to a different world! The two cities are sooo different. Big Bazaar is like an Indian version of Walmart; five stories with electronics, clothes (mostly traditional Indian clothes), food, houseware, etc. I bought a salwar kameez and a kurta. I wish I could always wear Indian clothes! We stopped back at the guest house so Chelsea could finish packing, and then headed to the airport as she is on a flight right now back to America. However, we couldn't let her leave without a first taste of American food in a month; there is a McDonald's at the airport! It tastes pretty much the same (I had fries and ice cream) although there are some different (Indian) things on the menu. Chelsea- we miss you already!

I like Hyderabad, but I think I prefer Ongole. I love being one of the few foreigners, and I love that it FEELS so foreign. It is definitely interesting visiting Hyd and comparing the two though. Indians here seem very Western. In Ongole, all women and girls wear saris or salwar kameez's. Here, there are many women in Western clothes (skinny jeans, t-shirts, heels, etc.) Also, many Western stores and restaurants. It seems a lot more built up with a lesser level of poverty. Ongole is much simpler and more rural. It will be interesting seeing how Delhi compares with the three. It is about 7pm here and we are heading to the airport to fly to Delhi at 4:30 in the morning.

Grateful

I need to post quickly and share about my morning. We headed over to Victory this morning for a few hours. We are home right now to eat and pack and clean up, and then we are heading back for bedtime and to say our goodbyes. We walked into the orphanage and sat down with some kids, and Niramala (Anusha's mother) walked up to us with three bags. She didn't say a word, just put one on each of our laps and then went back to business taking care of the babies. We opened the bags and realized that she and Anusha had gotten gifts for us all, as a thank you for helping out, I guess, and for getting Anusha an outfit a few days ago, and her birthday celebration. Chelsea was given a ring, and Sarah and I got saris. They were beautiful and it almost brought tears to my eyes. We had done so little for them. And they have so little, and yet thought of us in this way. It was a very humbling moment where the best word to describe how I felt was grateful. Niramala is mother to ten children she cares for. She is mother to April, and her being there is what is comforting me most as I leave. About ten ayahs crowded in the room to watch us try on the saris, and then we took about a zillion photos (each ayah wanted a photo with us) before turning on the music and having a dance party with all the children in the room, and the ayahs! Before our photos, they smoothed out our hair and got us ready for having our picture taken. About five women crowded around each of us, trying to make us beautiful! They even put red nail polish on our fingernails, but just on the left hand. Women here don't wear nail polish on the right hand because that hand is for eating. Even those ayahs that usually drive us nuts seemed a little more bearable as we were all just feeling so happy. I know I will always remember both Niramala and Anusha, and I hope we can somehow keep in touch. They are truly good, good, good people.

The Kids I Love

Just got in front sleeping on the roof! We did end up sharing it with a few other Indians, but it was fun! And very cool, a great breeze up there! It got hot after the sun rose, so we headed back down now (around 7am). We are leaving at 10am to run some errands and head over to Victory for our last day, so I am just going to stay awake and try to pack. Our bus to Hyderabad leaves at midnight tonight. We are spending the day tomorrow in Hyd, and then going to the airport around 4am for our 6am flight to New Delhi. I just want to take this time to post about a few of my favourite kids!

Nolan: Nolan is a sweetheart. His favourite thing to do is snuggle. He cannot walk, but he does a half crawl half scoot and whenever one of us sit down on the beds, we will soon feel Nolan’s head cuddled up on our arm or leg, after he has scooted himself over from wherever he is. He is very weak and the ayahs tell me they have trouble feeding him as he never wants to eat. Once he gains some energy, I know he will be walking. He is very determined and so badly wants to. We practice with him every day. Just looking at Nolan’s face makes my smile, he is such a sweet boy!

Hannah: Hannah came to the orphanage with some developmental delays, but for the most part is a normal kid (aside from an ‘institutional delay’ that most kids who grow up in orphanages face). She attends mainstream school and is very smart. Her English is quite advanced for her age (better than all the other kids’, and most of the ayahs too!), so she spends a lot of time with us as we can communicate easily. She is bossy and likes her role as the big sister to be known. She has been so helpful to us, and I look forward every day to spending time with her. She is funny and outgoing and loves to be around people. She longs for a family (making up names for her sister that rhyme with her own name, Shmanna, Lannah, etc.) but seems to have really found her family within Victory Home. She is the big sister and everyone knows it, and she is definitely loved.

April: It is pretty obvious how much I love April from my other blog posts, but I will post about it here as well. She is amazing. I have seen this little girl come so far in the last month. For a little girl who hated to even have her arm lightly touched, to one who will sit in my lap for an hour at a time and enjoy all the kisses I smother her with, is amazing. She is feisty with quite the temper, but also sweet and loveable when she is happy, with the most adorable open-mouth smile. When she wants something, she wants something, and she is determined. She loves music and loves to sing, and the thing that makes her happiest is swimming in the pool (except when it gets too crowded; my girl is a princess and she likes the pool to herself!)
I came into this knowing that it would just be a month, and trying not to let myself get attached. I am trying to think of it in different ways; rather than I am leaving her to go back to getting only as much attention as one child in a room of 20 can get, I am trying to think of it in a way like maybe I was just meant to pull her out of her shell. I was meant to work with her and bring out her comfort level with other people, and help her to trust. And there is going to be someone else who steps into her life to continue my work. My biggest hope for her is that she will get adopted (adoptions in this state have just re-opened). More than anything else, what she needs is a mother. But Sarah hopes to eventually open a foster care program. Maybe a volunteer foster mother will come and fall in love with April like I have, and be the next step in showing April love. You all know if it was ten years down the road I would be adopting her in a heartbeat, but I have to realize it’s just not meant to be that way and I was meant to do other things with her. She is a happy girl now. And the ayah in her room (Anusha’s mother) has been studying her with me, and learning about her. When I first came, they would just keep her in a crib and tell me she doesn’t like to be touched. Now, she is out on the bed, getting snuggled, getting loved on every day. She is going to see changes in her life and is not going to feel so alone, I know it. April and seeing all her accomplishments is hands down my favourite memory of SCH. She taught me a lot about loving someone unconditionally, despite (or actually, in embrace of) their special needs. I have come to not see her special needs as something that hinders her, but something that makes her special. The way she flutters her eyelashes, even though she has no eyes. She looks like a little angel. How CP affects her lower half, and how she will curl into a ball and just make me want to go over and cuddle her.

April is special, really she is. Each of these kids are, and they just need someone to be there for them and to realize it. I am just thankful that they came into Sarah’s care. Their futures are bright. They are loved. And there is hope for them to get their education, get the physio they need, and maybe even find families to feel the love that every child should feel. I know I have learned a lot from experiencing life with them, and each of them, but especially April, have taught me about love, acceptance, and have confirmed what I already knew was important to me; there are so many children in this world without families, and when I am older and am going to have children, I will adopt and do what I wish I could have done more long-term with April; show them love that they can only feel in a family. But in the mean time, for these kids, there is no better orphanage that they could be living in. It really is a family for them, and they are brothers and sisters in every aspect. It is going to be really hard saying goodbye today, but there is also a sense of peace about it, because they have Sarah and Theresa and I know things with SCH are just going to get better.

A Camel Ride!

Today we had planned to go to the fair, but it turns out it is damaged from the Cyclone and not re-opened yet. We went over to Victory in the morning. Chelsea is working on having the kids paint/decorate greeting cards as a fundraiser for SCH. I stayed downstairs and pulled out the pool, as usual. I really look forward to pool time with the little kids. They have so much fun and it is a great way for those who need physio to get it, and for the others to just cool off and have fun. We usually have water shortage so can’t use much water, but today there was plenty of water so we could fill the pool up to a decent amount. There is a leak in the side, so that, combined with water shortage, usually leads to a short pool time. Today the kids stayed in until they were prunes! We went upstairs to the girls room and brought down some of the girls (Zoe, Lily, Ginger, and Felicia) who we often don’t include in these activities. To be honest, we forget as there are so many kids downstairs who want to swim. With 66 kids, we have been focusing on one of the four bedrooms, but sometimes branch out a little and bring in some of the other kids in the fun (Aaron, from the boys room, usually comes for a swim too). But we included the girls today and they loved it. When we put the kids in the pool, we take off their diapers because they flake in the water and the kids end up with big white diaper chunks in their hair (not good!) We take their diapers off and put their clothes back on, then put them in. Having no diapers does lead to problems sometimes. Little Andrew has been officially banned from the pool after pooping in it two days in a row and ending pool time!! I couldn’t help but laugh today as I was trying to discipline Victoria. She is the oldest of that preschooler group and acts like a little mother. She is also very mischievous! Today I was unloading the kids one by one and putting them on a towel and then putting their diaper back on and sending them in for a nap. As I was leaning down to put a diaper on one of the kids, I looked over just in time to see Victoria stand up, pull off her pants, and PEE on two of the blind girls!! They are blind, so thought it was just water dripping on them, so they started smiling and clapping and splashing around in it. Oh my gosh, I was laughing so hard, but I of course had to pretend to be really angry as I got poor Jeanette and Jasmine cleaned up, emptied the now pee-filled pool, and sat Victoria in time out. She knew exactly what she was doing, she is such a little troublemaker, and she laughed the entire time she did it and the entire time she sat in time out. That kid makes me laugh with her mischievousness! She’s adorable, even when she is being naughty!

There are 2 physiotherapists here, a male and female. I have talked to both of them before, as they gave me tips on working with April in the pool one day, but today I sat in on April’s physio session. The kids who need it go get physio daily. Sujana Priya, the female worker, is the one who works with April. She is beautiful, so sweet, and the kids love her. I really enjoyed sitting in, and she taught me a lot. She confirmed that April does have CP, but that it is not severe and she thinks she will walk. She said she has had delayed milestones but that she eventually sees those accomplishments. It was nice to hear that, and to see someone working with her so lovingly. April, just as she does with me when I try physio exercises, screamed through the entire thing! As soon as she was done, I sat her up on my lap, and she quit the yelling and sat calmly. She has quite the temper! The kids really look up to Sujana Priya, and I love them having a female professional to look up to/have as a role model. I was really impressed with her. And speaking of April’s temper, she has started clawing her chest when she gets upset, to the point that her stomach and chest is covered in marks. I hate seeing that. I wish there was a way for her to express what she is feeling when she is upset, but I have a feeling that she will be able to do that one day- she is going to go far.

Since the fair was cancelled, we decided to go to the park instead, at 4:00 when it opens (yes, parks here open and close). We took about 20 kids with us. It turned out well, actually, because more kids were able to take part in the fun, as opposed to only taking one child per adult to the fair. We loaded up the car, and then came back and loaded it up again. Some of the kids had a blast (Victoria, Hannah, Phoebe, Lily, among them). Others didn’t seem to know what to do with themselves, as they haven’t been to play at the park very often. Most of them were scared and timid, as it was something they have only experienced a few times, if at all. Most were not brave enough to stay very long on the swings, but the slide was a big hit. The ayahs are so funny. Some of them are quite young and you can tell them didn’t experience much of a childhood. Because of how young they are, these 2 ayahs in particular sometimes frustrate us with their lack of maturity/motherly instinct in dealing with the kids, but on the plus side we decided they would be perfect in helping us with the park, so we brought them along. They were like 4 year olds when we got there. Running, screeching, and clapping at the sight of the swings and slide, and calling over at us to watch them as they played! Really funny. They are 16 and 18 years old, I think, so to see these grown women acting like that was entertaining, for sure! We did eventually tell them to play WITH the kids instead of by themselves, and they did do a good job of it, especially with Lily. She cannot walk, so they put her in their laps and went down the slide many, many times with her laughing the entire way. It was adorable. I bought the kids ice cream and a few lemonades to share and then they headed home. It was a great night.

After they left, the real fun began! We rode a camel!!! We saw this guy with a camel on a leash type thing walking around the area. Later, we saw two people riding it, so we decided we wanted to ride it too! For 20 rupees each (less than 50 cents) we got a ride on the camel around the neighbourhood! It was really funny, because I have a feeling it is equivalent to a children’s ride at home, and here were these three white girls riding this camel! But no one was laughing at us (for once!) and it was really fun! We came home after as Bujji needed to drive some of the kids with fevers to the hospital (Aloe, Monica, Yemima, and Keren are all sick right now, and Aloe and Keren needed to go to the hospital with fevers spiking to 105). We were energized from our camel ride, haha, so we went for a walk to get banana juice, and then took a rickshaw to go out for dinner at Ramya’s. We just got back now, and we are going to sleep on the roof tonight! We always see people sleeping on the rooves of the buildings around us, and we have been meaning to do it all month. We figured tonight, being our last sleep in Ongole, would be perfect!

Noah's Ark

As much work as the play has been, we performed it today and it was so cute! The kids all did an amazing job and were so proud of themselves. Plus, it was one of the rare opportunities to get all 66 children together (including those who cannot speak/walk) and just have fun; play some music and dance and sing. Hannah (our Noah) did beautifully and remembered her lines and said them proudly. Theresa came up with the idea to just sit the kids on stage and have them stand when it was their turn to say their animal line, and this made it much easier as many of the kids weren’t cooperating with walking across the stage (not to mention that many do not walk, or are just learning how to walk). We had about 18 animals and all the other kids (minus a few who had main roles) were water. We dressed them all in blue and sat them on a blue sheet (or in wheelchairs behind the sheet). When the flood came in the story, we handed them noise makers and they made noise. It was cute, and a nice way to involve those kids who can’t speak to say a line. For those kids that did have lines, they were adorable. Victoria was probably the cutest as a little bunny. She was so excited to hop! Rachel looked beautiful, as we found a zebra print dress in the donation room, so that was perfect to make her a zebra!

For those of you who know the SCH kids, Jeanette and Stacy were cows, Rachel and Aaron were zebras, Victoria and Phoebe were rabbits, Amulya and Dhivena were monkeys, Justin and Wendy were dogs, Serene and Paula were lions, Meghan and Stephanie were pigs, Amanda and Brent were chickens, and Aloe and Cedar were baby butterflies. Stephanie fell asleep right before her line, and Brent got distracted and strayed, so we ended up with only one pig and one chicken! Alesa and Christine were mean town people who laughed at Noah, and also got to hold the rainbow. Hope, Dinah, and Promise were Noah’s wife and children. Zoe, an adorable little girl, was going to be water. However, just a few days ago she began walking, so we wanted to reward her with a fun role. We made her an elephant, and she was so cute!

The play was a bit of a mess at parts (to be expected with 66 kids with special needs who had only practiced for 2 days!) but it was well worth it. It was FUN! We went out for ice cream afterwards with Shayna and Amira (Sarah and James’ daughters) and then heading out, slightly exhausted! Two more days left with the kids! Tomorrow we are heading to Victory for a few hours, and hopefully taking some of the kids to the fair at night! During the day, I'm hoping to pull out the swimming pool (like I have gotten into the routine of every day- the kids really look forward to it) and then just cuddling kids. It will be nice and relaxing not to have jobs to do, just to get some time to spend with the kids and work on walking, standing up, physio, etc. Today I finished the last job on my list; to print off big 10 x 12 headshots of the kids to hang up around the Home. I will pick them up tomorrow and then my list of jobs is complete; time to relax with my babies!!

Staying Encouraged

Today was one of those days that leaves me with little patience or energy! I think we were all feeling it today, and just wanted to get home. Sarah (M), Chelsea and I headed over at 11am with one goal for the day; to present our Noah’s Ark play around 5. We realized today how difficult this play is going to be. We have been working on it for about a week, but today we spent 2 hours just getting the kids dressed in their costumes! We brought all the kids with lines (or animal sounds) to the courtyard to run through it, after we had set up the microphone. It was a mess! Babies were crying, kids were screaming, they were all trying to get close enough to the microphone to yell into it. And then we called Theresa and Sarah to tell them to come over so we could do the big (yet very chaotic!) performance, but it seemed there had been a mixup. Theresa had driven last night to Chennai to drop Linda and Genie off at the airport. Her driver had gotten sick and she was stuck in Chennai. Somehow the message hadn't gotten passed on to us, and Sarah said we would have to do the play tomorrow. Of course, this was beyond any of our control. It was one of those times where I wish I was a more patient person. We all did. We all knew it was something we couldn’t control and we would just have to take the kids out of their costumes and do it again the next day.

By the time we got the news, it was around 3 or 4. We all sat down, exhausted, for awhile, not having the energy after all that work to even play with the kids. But we had to get them out of their costumes (to make sure they stayed clean for tomorrow) so we tried to stay positive and pulled out the kiddie pool and put the babies in. There was a shortage of water so we could only fill the pool up a bit, but the kids had fun anyways. I realized I hadn’t eaten all day, so pulled out the apple I had brought. Jeanette, Nolan, Genevieve, and Esther all crowded around me shouting “Ma! Ma!” and begging for apple! So I bit little pieces off and we all shared. It was a sweet moment for me and cheered me up a little. They were all so cuddly and calm, which was nice after a hectic day.

We left around 5 and just relaxed for a bit. Sometimes it is easy to get frustrated here with the language barrier (trying to tell kids to do something, but they don’t understand… or are just being naughty and understand perfectly but will laugh in your face!), or frustration with some of the ayahs who don’t do their job well (one room full of kids with dirty diapers who hadn’t left their cribs all day long, and the ayahs just sitting and talking, ignoring us when we ask for help to clean them up). Today I guess I had little patience! It happens. Probably due, in part, to leaving so soon and wishing I could just take April with me!! A good night’s sleep and some dinner will cure it, and I can’t wait to cuddle some kids tomorrow! They really are good kids. Amazing kids. Each one of them is special. And some of the ayahs are just as special. There are problems here that you would see at any orphanage, but they are being worked through and the future is bright. I just have to remember that when I am feeling down/exhausted/frustrated. They are a lot better off than where they were before, at the government orphanage. I am going to start fresh tomorrow and try to just enjoy every minute of my last three days, even when it gets crazy!

Ongole: The People

I am sitting here and realizing that I only have four more days left here in Ongole, before flying out to Delhi. In one way, I am very excited. I am interested in comparing life in Delhi to life here in the rural Ongole, and can’t wait to experience more of the Indian culture and do some sightseeing. On the other hand, I am sad about leaving here. I have met some really amazing people and love working with SCH. There are certain kids, especially April, that I will find really difficult to leave. One of the great things about SCH is that I feel like there will always be more to do. With this many kids, and the possibility of expanding, there will always be a need for volunteers and also a need for more help. The possibilities for these kids’ futures are endless, and I see many going to University or even coming to study in North America. First, I want to write about a few people who I have met this trip who have helped to make it amazing.

First, Sarah and James. They run India Christian Ministries, and Sarah’s Covenant Homes, and have devoted their lives to the cause. I really admire both of them and the work they do. Their daughters, Shayna and Amira (I haven’t gotten to meet their eldest, as she is away at school) are hilarious and always keep us laughing with their Disney Channel style entertainment. We are staying in Theresa’s apartment and we absolutely love her. She is awesome. She lived in Kenya for many years and has been here in India for the past year and a half. She has so much knowledge and I always feel comfortable going to her with my questions about the kids. Plus, she is hilarious and a great ‘substitute mom’ (coming to kill the bugs for us, and locking the door to keep the murderers out after we have watched too many Criminal Minds episodes!) I am really going to miss her, and have really appreciated all she has done for us. OH, she also introduced us to banana juice, which is the greatest thing ever and is our daily snack (the banana juice man must be making a killing off us). Bujji is our driver. He is hilarious. When Sarah, Chelsea, and I are at home, we laugh about something Bujji did or said at least twice a day. Like yesterday, seeing him (this teensy tiny little Indian man) yelling “Sisters!!” and sliding down the banister of the orphanage. Seriously though, he has made our time here in Ongole very easy with all he does for us, and we couldn’t have gotten half of this stuff done if it hadn’t been for him, working constantly, every day. He is a life saver! At the orphanage, there is Anusha and her family (her mom, grandmother, and sister). They are my favourite ayahs and we have so much fun with them. I look forward to seeing them every morning because they are just so pleasant, kind, and good with the kids. I will miss them a lot, and genuinely hope that I will be able to help sponsor Anusha through high school and then college. She is 12 and in grade 7 right now. I tell her almost every day how important it is for her to study hard in school, and how there are lots of people who will help her get her full education (she wants to be a teacher). I can’t forget Corinne. She is in America now, but was here in the apartment with us for our first week (and two months prior to that). She pretty much saved us during our first week, when we knew no one, didn’t know what we were doing or how to do anything. We miss her a lot! And lastly, my roommates! Chelsea and Sarah. We have had so many funny times that I can’t list them (plus, they would probably seem weird to anyone else, like ‘the hippo’ and how Sarah’s singing makes Dinah cry, every time without fail. And Chelsea’s “inappropriate” math jokes… enough said (weird Americans- oh, and that reminds me, our constant American jabs, and her Canadian jokes. We really do love each other, although you wouldn’t know it!). I couldn’t have asked for better roommates, or just better people in general to have spent this past month with!

One other random thing that I have been meaning to post: I am continually amazed at how obsessed Indian women are with jewelry. It is the sign of beauty here. Anusha’s mother wears gold earrings every day and we complimented her on how pretty they are. She told us they cost 5000 rupees (roughly $125, I don’t have my currency converter). This is over two months of pay for her. Humbling in many ways (seeing how hard these ayahs work for such little money) but really strange to me in another; I can’t imagine spending my money like that on things like jewelry. The culture here will always confuse me in that way!

Dress Rehearsal

Today we spent a good amount of time working on the play. The big debut of Noah’s Ark is tomorrow! Our Noah (Hannah) knows her lines and is very excited, asking every 5 minutes when the drama is. Our animals have (for the most part) learned their animal sounds, although our monkeys (Amulya and Dhivena, surprise surprise!) refuse to practice! Victoria is the cutest little bunny I have ever seen. She will be even cuter tomorrow once we get her costume on her. It is going to be one of those things where it won’t be perfect and we won’t expect it to be, but it will be fun, and cute, and the kids will be so excited. Genie brought vests and ziplock bags and Chelsea was upstairs with her putting rice in the bags and then filling these special pockets in the vest with the rice bags. We have several kids with autism, and they will wear these vests for certain amounts of time throughout the day to regulate them. Chelsea (who is studying to be a teacher) said she had two autistic kids in a classroom she substituted for who had something similar, but in a belt instead of a vest. It did wonders for them. Genie tried the vest with one of our autistic girls and said she saw the results right away; she was much calmer and steadier on her feet. Really interesting.

April loved the pool today, as usual. She loves the sun so I purposely put the pool in half sun and half shade, even though the ayahs hate us putting it in the sun (they hate the sun). But kids like April never see the sun and it is so good for them. Plus, she loves it. I put her in the shade, at request of an ayah, and she slowly scooted herself over until she felt the sun on her face. She lied down right in the water and basked in the sun! She was glowing! Ever since I have been here she has never taken in solids; her ayahs just feed her pediasure. I asked Sarah about it, and she said there was no reason why she shouldn’t be eating solids. I guess her ayahs just looked at her and assumed she couldn’t do it. I talked to her ayah about it a few days ago but she has consistently been telling me that April can’t do it. She compromised with me by putting bits of rice into milk and having her drink it. But April is so thin and malnourished. I feel like if she got some more nutrients she would really thrive. I brought it up again today at lunch time and they agreed to try it. Were they ever surprised (and excited) when April began taking huge handfuls of rice into her mouth! I was so happy! Anusha’s mom takes really good care of her. April is supposed to be moving upstairs to the room on the left with the bigger girls with more severe special needs, which makes me nervous. I have walked into that room many times to interact with the kids, and they are often there all alone with no ayah, just lying on the bed. Each room is supposed to have a certain number of ayahs (at least 3, I think) but some of the ayahs are definitely better than others, just like you would see in any job. Anusha’s mom is one of the best. I hate that April will be leaving her care! I just worry that she will get neglected… But for now I am just happy she has an ayah who loves her and cares for her like Anusha’s mom does. I am just feeling nervous, I guess, about leaving and her not having all the attention she has been loving for the past month. It is hard. I will post more on my thoughts about that later.

Recent Videos

Hannah dancing. She is one of my favourites. She is so smart, so outgoing, so helpful. An all around really great kid.


April and Molly in the pool

Monkey Sister, Eating Lice!

We have been trying to start the play we are having the kids put on (Noah’s Ark) for the last week now, but it kept getting postponed. We had a lot of time today as Sarah and Linda were doing nurse training and we headed over at 10am and didn’t leave until 8pm (with a lunch break in between). We sat Hannah down in the office and went over the script with her. She is such a bright kid and speaks excellent English, so we are having her be Noah and we went over the play with her so she could help direct the kids. We taught some of the kids their lines, and also started on their costumes. We are planning on spending a good chunk of tomorrow rehearsing, and hopefully will be performing it on Wednesday.

Aside from that we just had a fun day. We pulled out the pool for the first time since the Cyclone, now that power/water is finally back. We gave it a good clean and then put Molly and April in first. Sarah worked with Molly and I with April. They both loved it, as usual. They are little fish. We took them out and let the more mobile babies play. In the evening, we brought about half of the kids, maybe more, out in the courtyard and played ball and spent time together. Anusha loves to make fun of us and play “April Fool’s” jokes. Because she has broken English, everything she says makes us laugh. Everyday she tells me that I am a monkey and I like to eat the lice from the babies’ hair. Sarah and I spent a half hour coming up with comebacks that would seem very lame to any English speaker, but were very hilarious to Anusha, Hannah, and the ayahs. You are a hippo/pig/duck complete with animal noises had them in an uproar. Seriously. If any other English speaking person had been in the room we would have looked very stupid, but they thought we were the funniest people ever! Unfortunately we ended up getting the entire room very hyper so it was hard to get some of the kids to bed, but at least everyone was laughing and having fun. "Nikki Sister! A monkey sister. Licey for lunch!" is something I hear often!

As for the boy yesterday (Sarah and I have been calling him Jonah), he is gone. Just like that. The ayah who brought him sent him away on a richskaw, against Sarah’s instruction, once she learned that he couldn’t just stay here; there would need to be a search for his family. We don’t know where he is or with whom he is sleeping tonight. My only hope is that the ayah was trying to help a family member or friend who had parented this child but couldn’t care for him anymore. She knew Sarah wouldn’t accept children with families so she made up the story to help her friend and get him accepted. When she saw that there would be a search for his family, she went back on it and brought him home. None of this is confirmed in any way but it is what I HOPE is what happened. It is clear to me that he was well taken care of; he was clean and well fed. He was loved as well and missed his mother. This was not a street kid or someone who had been abandoned for very long. I know I will worry about him when I go to bed tonight…

Abandoned

The group split up today and Sarah (M), Theresa, and I headed to Victory. Bujji, the driver, was at Angel Home with Sarah, Chelsea, Genie, and Linda, so the three of us took an auto rickshaw. They are those little yellow vehicles that are used as public transportation. It only cost 50 rupees ($1) split between the three of us. It wasn’t all that exciting compared to motoconchos in the DR, but still a nice change!

At Victory we were really surprised to see a child that we didn’t recognize. The little boy, about 12 years old, had been brought this morning by an ayah. He was on the street begging and she had seen him there along for at least a week. He has CP, although is very bright. He was distraught and spent the entire day crying and shouting for his mother. It seemed obvious to us that he had either been recently abandoned, or that he had somehow wandered away from home. He can’t speak very much, but responded and seemed to understand everything that was happening. Sarah and I split up the day. I took the first half with him and she took the second. I held him in my lap and hugged him and kissed him as he cried. It was really difficult to see his pain. Sarah took him at bed time. Cleaned him up and lied with him in bed until he fell asleep. I won’t post much about him because I figure Sarah will at some point once it gets sorted out, but Sarah doesn’t accept kids who are dropped off at the orphanage like that (otherwise everyone would be bringing their kids to her!). Tomorrow he will go to child services who will start looking for his family, if he has one. If he doesn’t, he may be able to return to SCH. I am a little fuzzy on all the details but it will get worked out tomorrow. He is a sweetheart and so upset and scared. The kids, especially the big girls, were all so good to him and introduced him to everyone and tried to play with him (we got a few smiles out of him playing ball) but for the most part he was just scared. My heart ached when he was crying in my arms for his mother. I so badly wish we could learn his story and find out what happened to him to lead him to be alone in the streets. It is really difficult for many parents to take care of their children here, let alone for children with special needs. This is just a guess, but I think he has or had a family who loved him but couldn’t take care of him. He seemed like he really misses his mom.

Clean Up Part II

Today was Day 2 of the Victory Clean up attempt, and it was much easier in many ways but still lots of work! Life in Ongole has pretty much gone back to normal. I was really surprised at how quickly everyone bounced back. The streets are still very smelly, dirty, and muddy though! We have had power here in our apartment since yesterday morning, but at Victory they still do not have power or running water. Obviously when you have 66 children, this makes it really difficult to clean up after them, especially when a cyclone has just passed through and left a huge mess behind! We had about 10-15 kids isolated upstairs for the past few weeks, since before we had arrived. They had been tested positive for MRSA, but have recently gotten re-tested and are negative now, so could be moved out. We needed to clean and disinfect the entire room, which had become quite messy since the Cyclone with no running water to help with the cleaning. I really hope, for the sake of the ayahs, that the power comes back soon as it will make their lives a lot easier!

We took breaks in between and after. The fumes of the bleach from disinfecting were getting to us so we needed to break partway through. We washed ourselves up and went to sit down, take a break, and cuddle with our favourites! April was really grumpy today. Many temper tantrums that seemed set off by almost nothing. I caught her at a happy moment during my break though. For the first time ever, she seemed really genuinely curious about something. I always try to have her use her hands to touch my face, toys, etc. but she has never shown interest. Today out of nowhere she reached for my hands and touched them all over, especially on my nails. She went finger to finger and rubbed each nail. I moved my hand away to see if it was just a fluke, and then she reached back out for my hand and pulled it close to her. Then, she started touching the nails on her own hand to compare, and then switched back and forth. It is something really small, but I love seeing her beginning to get curious. It is amazing seeing her open up so much.

We ran some errands at lunch time (ATM, groceries, banana juice) and then went back to cleaning. We finally finished around 7pm and the room was spotless and disinfected. Since the MRSA kids are now testing negative, the rooms can move back to usual and those kids won’t be isolated anymore. They will get a nice, clean start in their new rooms! We didn’t leave until 8pm so spent an hour with the kids. Because the power is out, the rooms were dark so we took all the kids outside in the courtyard. A lot of the kids who aren’t mobile don’t get outside a lot (especially when it is hot) so to bring a bunch of them outside (we had maybe 20 kids playing with us) is a real treat for them. We brought out the big yoga ball and played Monkey in the Middle. Then we just all sat right on the tiles and listened to my mp3 player, played with the sunglasses Linda and Genie had brought, and just had a fun time. April was having a temper tantrum so I left her in the room to call herself down, as the ayah was with her. The ayah knows how much I love her, so brought her outside anyways even though she was screaming, arching her back, smacking herself, etc. It is really hard for someone else to calm her down and she usually just self soothes. I couldn’t handle watching her cry though so I pulled her in my lap and just let her tantrum there. I figure even if it drives her nuts, maybe she will just get it in her head that she’s not alone. She calmed down to the point that it was just a whine, and that’s when I pulled my mp3 player out and let her listen, and quickly she was relaxed and singing. She loves her music!

Victory Clean Up

I spent my day cleaning up poopy sewage water. With some snakes, frogs, and big bugs mixed in. Jealous?

We headed out this morning and the waters had come down a huge amount since yesterday. Still a lot of flooding in the fields and everything was wet, muddy, dirty, and full of garbage, but streets vendors were back on the street and we were able to make it to Victory just fine. When we arrived, we realized right away that we had a long day of work ahead of us. The night of the Cyclone at 4am the water had risen to the beds and the ayahs had to rush the kids upstairs. One ayah told me that they were moving things upstairs until 5am and that by the end they were up to their chests in water. Really scary.

The place was a mess. The water had washed everything around and keep in mind that this is not just rain water; it is sewage water. Filthy. It was covered in the courtyard and the two bottom bedrooms, the kitchen, and the physio room were coated in mud (let’s be honest; poopy water!) and washed up diapers, clothes, etc. Frogs and snakes had been washed in, and a huge infestation of giant winged ants. Sooo gross! We worked hard. We sent all the kids upstairs except Hannah, who thinks she is an ayah at the ripe old age of 10 and put herself in charge of helping us. We started by washing out the courtyard, but there was no power and little clean water (no running water, just what was in the tank) so it was difficult. Instead, Sarah (M), Chelsea, Anusha, and I went to one bedroom (the boys’ bedroom). We filled up buckets of clean water with disinfectant and got to work. We mopped out all the mud, and sterilized everything; the floors, the wall, the cupboards, the mattresses, the bed frames, etc. Genie worked in our room too, going through the Montessori toys that had gotten wet, and sorting those that were salvageable from those that weren't. Once it was clean and dry (which took a few hours) we brought some of the kids in. Everyone upstairs was very cramped, wet, dirty, and just needed some room. They hadn’t been bathed in 2 days because there were obviously more important things to be worrying about, but the ayahs managed to bathe them as we had our lunch and things were beginning to get back to normal. The first bedroom when you walk in was the worst, and the biggest job. It was filthy. A lot of mud had gotten in, and a TON of bugs. The bathroom in the other room was disgusting as well, but thankfully a few ayahs took on that job! We all worked together. The kids sat upstairs with a few ayahs taking care of them, and everyone else worked hard to clean up. We worked until dark when, with the power out, we couldn’t see anything anymore. By then, the two bottom bedrooms were sterilized and clean and kids were beginning to move back in.

We still have a lot of work to do. Having 66 children in 2 bedrooms for 2 days leads to a huge mess upstairs, especially when there is no power, no water, everything is wet, no clean laundry, and the ayahs are busy trying to clean up the mess downstairs and make sure everyone is healthy! We are heading back over tomorrow to finish the clean up.

OH! I can't forget to give an April update. Of course I grabbed some breaks to love on my girl! She smiles everytime I pick her up now. I am in love! I tried the exercise where we stand her up (from the angry video from before) and this time she didn't pitch a fit! She whined about it while we did it, which she always does, but instead of going into a 15 minute tantrum afterwards, she sat down on my lap and started smiling! So proud of her :)

Power Is Back On

Power is back on! We went over 24 hours without it. It was an early bedtime last night as it was pitch black. Chelsea, Sarah, and I headed to our bedroom around 8, just as we could see one part of town getting their power back. We ended up staying up for awhile talking about the day and about what we saw, and how many people are going to be affected by this. At one point, around 9pm, we heard screams coming from below us, outside. A woman screaming in Telugu. She then switched to English and yelled "Help me! Open the door" We ran to the window just in time to see a few men with flashlights go to help her. We are still not sure exactly what happened, but her screams stopped so we guess she was helped, although it was too dark to see anything.

Not only are many, many people left homeless (we saw some houses flooded up to the rooves), there is going to be a huge number of sicknesses due to water borne diseases. Many of the people are cold and wet; could get pneumonia, etc. I suspect we will see more mosquitos as well. I haven't talked to Sarah yet today, but as of the last time I had talked to her, no word yet from Angel Home (the boys home). They are right on the coast. However, are a bit off the ground (stairs to get up) and are surrounded by sand which should suck in some water. But they also don't have a second floor to go to in case of emergency, like the Victory Home had to. We are just waiting for the car to get here, then Theresa is going to drive and we are going to attempt to head over. I have a feeling we should be able to get to Victory today, even if we have to get out of the car for a bit and walk through the more flooded areas.

BBC News posted an ARTICLE about Cyclone Laila. Worth checking out, and it reports 50,000 people evacuated.

Aftermath of Cyclone

This will have to be fast as my battery is about to die. I can't post again until the power comes back on. The Cyclone left a lot of people homeless. I have seen severe flooding in the DR but nothing like this. The rain and winds have finally stopped. We tried to head out to Victory around noon today. Sarah stayed home with the girls and we went, with James driving. We were in the car for probably an hour, trying every route, but it was impossible. So much devastation. In many points, the water was up to people's chests. We saw women carrying their toddlers above their heads trying to get to higher ground. Many people had packed up all their belongings into a single bag and the water is up to the rooves of their houses. People are living in their rickshaws. We have heard from Victory and they are fine. The bottom floor is flooded out, so everyone is on the top floor, along with many of the people from the surrounding village who are seeking shelter. We haven't been able to get in contact with people from Angel Home yet. It was definitely eye opening and scary seeing what the people here are living through. Many have nothing left. One little girl was wearing just her underwear and was shivering in her mother's arms. We gave her a blanket and she returned with a huge smile. It seemed to be all they had. Really sad. We are hoping to get over tomorrow once the waters go down and we can get the car through.

Cyclone

A Cyclone has hit India! It rained all yesterday, and there was a huge storm overnight. It woke us all up. Huge winds, lot of rain, lots of thunder and lightning. We woke up to no power and the apartment partly flooded. Here is a NEWS ARTICLE about it. We tried to get a car to take us to the orphanage this morning, but there was too much flooding in the streets (and other debris; tree branches, etc.) Bujji, our driver, is at the orphanage though and is keeping us updated. We went outside for a walk to see the damage and got soaked in the procees. It is incredible here, so I can just imagine what it is like in the slum area surrounding the Home. We are hoping we will find a way to get there later today as we really want to see what everything is like outside our street, and want to help with the clean up at the Home. Rains have lightened up a bit but are still steady and winds are strong. I am just writing quickly as I dont know how long the power will be out for, and my computer battery doesn't last long!

April's Anger

This is the video I took of April being angry after trying the exercise where we stand her up. I have seen the many moods of April :) and I think it is anger, not pain. But I have very little knowledge of special needs. She goes up for 20 minutes every day with Dr. B to get physio. I am using the exercises he taught me, and when we did them together (Dr. B and I) she had the same reaction. He said she wasn't being cooperative, so maybe sometimes she reacts better with him. I think I will ask to sit in the next time he works with her, I would be really interested to learn.

Thoughts?

Ayah For A Morning

It rained all day today (the first time we have seen rain in India) and was almost chilly! Two new volunteers arrived last night, Genie and Linda. They are both really nice, and are here for one week. Linda is a nurse so this week is going to be major training. Sarah has arranged several days worth of ayah training in health and safety. For the morning, the ayahs all went upstairs with Linda, Theresa, and Sarah and had training classes. Genie and Chelsea worked with the big girls upstairs, and Sarah (M), Anusha, and I watched the kids downstairs. Three of us and 18 of them; mostly babies or the boys with more several special needs. It was busy! Usually there are several ayahs in each room who take care of the kids’ basic needs; diaper changes, feeding, cleaning, etc. We go and do other things; stimulation, exercises, games. This morning we were spreading ourselves thin trying to do both… with 18 kids! It was tough but a really good way to experience taking care of the kids' everyday needs, and seeing what the ayahs go through. I did more diaper changes today then I have ever before, and mixed a whole lot of cups of pediasure!

Today was a great day for April, with many milestones. She was a happy girl when I arrived and snuggled with me for awhile. When I was working with her in the pool a few days ago, Dr. B. showed me how it is good to lie her on her stomach and press down on the small of her back. She didn’t like it in the pool and squirmed and wouldn’t stay put. I have tried it on the bed before and she freaked out. Today I flipped her over and started massaging her back as I did it. She lay on her stomach for several minutes with her legs stretched out behind her; a position that is sooo good for her! I massaged her back and she seemed to be enjoying it! I decided to test my luck after that and picked her up so that she was facing me. April can be held in two ways; cradled like a baby, or with her knees bent and facing the same way as the person who is holding her. Neither last very long as she hates being held. I put her chest against mine (as I normally hold children, but how she usually hates) and she let me hold her that way! It is really good for her as then her knees aren't bent up in the fetal position so her muscles can stretch. Plus she can relax against the rise and fall of my breath and the sound of my heartbeat, which should be comforting for her and help her trust other people. It didn’t last too long before she squirmed into the baby cradling position, but I got about a minute of holding her like that, and several minutes of her lying on her stomach, which was great. She was being playful afterwards and rolled over! She usually just stays in the same position, so I was really excited to see her lying on the bed and rolling over; trying new positions and testing out different muscles. Later on in the afternoon, I tried the exercise she hates. Sarah held her armpits so she was upright, and I pressed her feet to floor so she was straight, standing up (but not really putting any weight on her feet). She screamed and had a big fit again, just like last time. I took a video, but will try to upload it over night tonight. Let me know what you think. I don’t think she is screaming out of pain. I think it is just an angry temper tantrum. She doesn’t like it and doesn’t like being made to do it. I think that because she doesn’t scream until after. While we are doing it she just whines and squirms (no tears or anything). Plus, I can do the same position while she is lying down and she is perfectly fine. I will post the video and see what everyone thinks though.

Sarah and I started in the smaller of the two rooms in the morning. Many of the kids were up at preschool so there were only 6 in the room; Nolan, April, Jasmine, Felicia, Dinah, and Molly. We tried really hard to spend an hour just having them do things that were productive for them individually, rather than just lying there staring at the ceiling. Dinah’s neck control is really bad. There is one Bumbo seat and sitting in it is so good for her. It props her up so she can really work on those neck muscles. The same for Molly. We put her on her stomach and used toys with loud noises to get her to look up and raise her head to look at the toys. Jasmine is working on walking, and so is Nolan. The chairs, scooting across the floor, are great for that. April just needs to be loved and learn how to trust. Felicia is new for us. She has been up in the medical room for most of the time we have been here, but is doing better today. She came to SCH very ill and never smiling. Bujji, our driver, told us that she is his favourite child because her transformation was so amazing. We didn’t know much about her special needs, or abilities, so we just spent time getting her to sit up, and making her smile.

It was a tough day in some aspects, but really rewarding in others. Seeing all these milestones that April is making is amazing to me. But taking the ayahs’ job, just for a morning, really confirmed for me how difficult it is to take care of these kids. With 18 kids and only three of us, many of them did end up just lying there on their backs all morning with no stimulation. I can understand now why the ayahs have trouble doing that when there are so many other things to be done. There was a diaper to change, a mess to clean up, a child to be fed, a crier to be soothed, etc. They have really difficult jobs and I have a lot of admiration for them.

This Week's Videos

Really adorable village kids


Chelsea getting her mehndi done

Let's Go Fly A Kite

Kite flying at Angel Home with the boys was our plan for the day. We needed to head over one last time to get photos of the last 4 boys (for their updated filed, Family Photo packet for volunteers, and to be framed around the Home). I got those photos so now the only ones missing are a few of the sicker kids at Victory. For the kids who are sponsored (and I will talk more about the sponsorship later) we had them colour pictures for their sponsors. We took a picture of them holding their drawing and will email them out to sponsors. They are pretty much just different coloured scribbles, but as a sponsor of 4 kids in Africa and Haiti, I know how exciting those scribbles can be!

We pulled out the kites and spent the afternoon flying kites and jumping on the trampoline. I had a hard time falling asleep last night (too many Criminal Minds marathons!) so was already tired; now I am exhausted! It will be an 8pm bedtime for me tonight as it is going to be an early morning.

The kids from the village across the road came to the Angel Home gate and were climbing like monkeys up the gate to try to get our attention. I approached them, took some photos, and played with them. They are really sweet. Clothes in tatters, showing me a poverty I hadn’t yet really seen in India, mostly only having worked in the orphanage. ICM (of which SCH is a branch of) hosts the kids during the school year to come over and get a snack and tutoring. When I left, each kid took my hand and kissed my mehndi, it was really cute… and took awhile as there were about 15 kids!

On the way home, Sarah swore she saw a cow with two heads. We made Bujji drive all the way back, only to find out it was just two cows (stupid foreigners!!)

Mehndi

We stayed in today as there was a lot of work from home to do. Aside from updating the Family Photos book for volunteers with new photos of the kids, we needed to prepare for our play. I don’t want to give away too many details yet as I want it to be a surprise, but we wrote the script, chose songs, worked on some accessories/set and found costumes. It is going to be really adorable! Afterwards we decided to use today to get our henna tattoos. I learned that while they are applied with henna, they are actually called mehndi. It cost 500 rupees (around $11 or $12) and took between 30 and 45 minutes to do. We got the palms of our hands up to just under the elbow. It is popular in India and other parts of Asia, used for ceremonies and festivals and special events, especially at weddings. It can be done anywhere, but is usually done on the hands and feet. The girl who did it was really sweet and good at what she was doing. I could tell she was artistic; even her salwar kameez was different than any I had seen before with little mirrors along the neckline and more decorations along the hemline of the pants. She did each of us and Theresa had to help us open doors, hold our bags, etc. as it was still wet and even after it dried, it would crumble if we touched anything so we needed to be careful. We had to do groceries so it was pretty funny attempting it with only Theresa’s hands! Everyone in the store was trying to help us! When we got home we sprayed it with spray hair gel, a tip Theresa had found online. It moistened it so it wasn’t crumbling and would stain better. We had a Criminal Minds marathon as there was very little we could do without the use of our hands! We could have left it on all night, but we got frustrated and took the henna off now (the black part). The longer you leave it on, the longer the tattoo will last. I ended up leaving mine on for about 5 hours. It should last around 2 weeks. I love it! Tomorrow we have to spend all day at Angel Home as we have some photos we need to finish up. It will probably be our last time with the boys at Angel Home. Then the next day we will get back to our kids at Victory- I can’t wait! I miss them!

Getting started:


The henna artist and us before we washed off the dye.


The finished product:

Joy

Her smile makes my day. It really does. It is amazing because every little accomplishment she makes is 500% more exciting to me than for a child without her special needs. Because Sarah and Theresa don't know April's medical history (she lived in a government orphanage up until December when she came to SCH, and is getting waaaay better care here) they said it is still really hard to tell exactly what the extent of her special needs are. It is obvious that she is blind and has no eyes. Theresa said she has many characteristics of autism, but that she isn't sure if it is autism, or just characteristics of blindness as they are similar. They aren't sure if she has cerebral palsy, or if her muscles are just weak. From working with her for the past 2 weeks, I think she does have mild CP. I was reading a book on Theresa's about CP and she fit many of the characteristics. However, I also think she has the potential to walk someday. Isn't her laugh (and snort!) the most amazing thing ever?!

Streets of Ongole

Ever wonder what the streets of Ongole look like? Here is a quick video. I have a feeling it will look verrry different when I got to Delhi. I have heard 2 stereotypes about India; that is smells and that the men are very pushy and will grab women, etc. I haven't experienced either of these at all. Ongole is quite small though, and I suspect these stereotypes exist for the big cities. But so far, mostly pleasantness. I have seen very few beggars (one of which is in the video) but I suspect some of those are not actual beggars, but just thought they would give it a shot, seeing white people. I haven't seen another foreigner here in Ongole, so we are a bit of a rarity.

Hydrotherapy

Today we headed over to Victory around 11am. We had a few kids’ photos left to take. Sarah wants us to get updated photos of all the kids to print off and laminate in 8 by 10’s to hang up all around the Home. It is a huge sense of pride for them to be able to point out their photos to visitors, and it makes it feel like home, rather than an institution. We had ten children’s photos left to take that we hadn’t gotten during the Mother’s Day photo shoot last week. Many of the kids were too sick to get photographed though as they had just returned home from the hospital. We did manage to get a few though. It is time consuming getting them clean, dressed, and smiling, especially for those who have more severe special needs or aren’t feeling well. We spent time after that doing more organizing. We had to go through the clothes in one of the bedrooms and organize them and throw out the old and ratty things to make room for the new donations. We organized the storage between gender and size to make it easier on the ayahs.

Afterwards we decided to pull out the pool again. I have really been wanting advice on how to work with April, so was so happy when Theresa came as she has helped me so much. She brought the physical therapist to come talk to me. He works with the kids who need it, like April, for 20 minutes every day. We had all the babies in the pool again and they were having a blast. After they played, we took them all out except April and Molly, and the physical therapist (Dr. Bhaskar) sat with us at the pool and taught us excercises to do with the girls. Molly has CP. She is around the same age as April, maybe a year younger. She is very stiff in every muscle of her body. She cannot sit up or anything and is only comfortable lying on the bed in her back as that is the way her body has gotten used to being positioned. April, I have mentioned before, is stiff as well but in an opposite way. She prefers the fetal position and does not like being straightened (to a standing position). As we were playing in the water before Dr. Bhaskar started working with us, she became very relaxed to the point that she was lying down completely with her legs flat, rather than bent up. She will only do this in the pool. She even let go of her hands and put them to her side in the water. She is usually chewing on them to the point that the skin on her fingers and hand is all peeling. She was having a really fun time and it was amazing seeing how loose her body had become. Dr. Bhaskar worked first with Sarah (M) and Molly. Molly loved the exercises and smiled the whole time. Her body, like April’s had become very loose in the water. With April, we started on simple exercises just moving her legs in and out, which she loved. I do this often on the bed, but it worked even better in water. Next, he wanted me to flip her over on her stomach, holding her head up so she wouldn’t get close to the water, and press down the small of her back so she would be lying flat on her stomach. I knew this would be a problem for her as she hates this position. Hates it. It makes it especially difficult to hold her, as you can’t have her face you as you would normally. You have to cradle her like a newborn so she can stay in that fetal position. I was right, she didn’t like it. I tried it a few times though, even if it only lasted a few seconds. She would fuss and squirm and I would sit her back up. Next, he lifted her out of the water holding her armpits, and asked me to press her feet down to the bottom of the pool so she was standing up completely straight. She has never done this before and screamed! And screamed and screamed some more! She went into major meltdown after that and raged for 10-15 minutes; screaming and slapping herself, which she does when she is upset. I took her out of the pool and cuddled her on the bed. After it passed, she was back to her happy self and was laughing when I tickled her. I talked to Theresa and Sarah about it and they said I should definitely still do water therapy with her. They brought up two other children at Victory who walk very well now, and used to be exactly like April. They said to keep that exercise to the very end and spend most of the time just letting her relax in the water and enjoy some of the leg exercises that she likes, and then try a few of the more difficult ones at the end. That made sense to me. I really think she can do it, she was just scared as she has never been in that position before. I felt better after talking to them though, and getting the encouragement to continue with it. It was really hard seeing her go from being so happy to so angry, and I worried that I was putting her in pain. They confirmed that it is good for her, even if she doesn’t love all parts of it.

Other things that happened today: I learned how to lice check! Because there are so many kids here it is really hard to get the lice under control. They check them every day, so Anusha’s mom showed me how to check April’s head. The lice shampoo here doesn’t kill the lice, it just paralyzes them. Then you comb them out and squish them to kill them. I also learned how to wear a sari. Chelsea had bought 3 earlier this week and a seamstress at the home was making the “jackets” for them (the little belly shirt that goes underneath). Some of the ayahs put them on us and showed us how to wrap them. They thought it was pretty funny watching us try to figure it out. Chelsea paid 1000 rupees for each (just over $20) and one of the ayahs said we need to bring her shopping with us; the ones she wears (a worse quality of material) are only 100 rupees! Lastly, Anusha gave us a present as a thank you for her birthday celebration. The photo of it is below… sweet? She said it is my “best friend April”!

Water = Freedom

I learned earlier that one thing that really opens April up is music. Today I learned the second thing; water! But let me talk about the rest of the day first. We headed over to Victory around 11am. Sarah wanted us to organize some of the storage units. There are so many resources and educational toys that can be used when volunteers come, they just needed to be organized so volunteers can see what they have to work with, and so Sarah and Theresa can see what supplies they are running low on. We threw a bunch of the old, junky toys away to make room for the new donations. They were nice and neat and organized when we finished. We also tried sugar cane juice and banana juice. I had chewed on sugar cane many times before in the DR and never really liked it, but the sugar cane juice was good, and we all loved banana juice! It tasted like a smoothie.

As I mentioned before, we had really wanted to bring some kids to the swimming pool, but it is closed for repairs. We decided we wanted to buy a little blow up pool, but when we mentioned it, Sarah said there already was one! It was in storage and everyone had forgotten they had it. We pulled it out and filled it up with water. Let me first add that when I walked in today, April was in a great, smiley mood. She had a fever yesterday so I was worried, but she was feeling much better today. I lied down with her in bed and as soon as I started kissing her she got a huge smile on her face. Before, she would push me away when I kissed her. Then, she would tolerate it. Now, she loves it! I give her probably 100 kisses every day and now I get a smile with each one! Anyways, we filled the pool up with water and piled the little ones in: April, Nolan, Esther, Lily, Jasmine, Jeanette, Ginger, Genevieve, and Molly. I knew that the water would be good for April, but I wasn’t sure if she would like it at first. I sat her in it and a smile spread across her face. Within a few minutes, she was pure joy! It was beautiful. I splashed water on her and tried to get her to splash the water. Her body was so relaxed! She is usually quite tight and only likes to sit or lie in the same position with her knees bent. She laid down with me holding her head and just floated. The other kids loved it too. Molly, like April, cannot sit well so Sarah (M) sat beside April and I, with Molly. She was all smiles! Genevieve cried at first, but only for a minute before she realized how fun it was. Esther had us all cracking up as she would fall to the bottom of the pool and slip and slide and then come up soaking with a huge smile! We threw in balls and cups to play with and it entertained the kids for quite a while. The big kids wanted to go in too! We took the little kids out to switch and let the big kids go in (which got quite hectic). Nobody wanted to get out! I wrapped April up in a towel and sat her on my lap by the pool. Her body felt so relaxed. When being held, she always squirms and whines as there are very few positions she likes. The ayahs call her the snake. After swimming, she sat comfortably in my arms for probably a half an hour, smiling and enjoying being outside. I only brought her in because she still had no diaper on and I didn’t want to get peed on! Plus, she was getting sleepy in my arms and I figured it was about time for a nap. But that pool is definitely going to be pulled out more often. The kids who are mobile loved playing in it, and for those who have cerebral palsy, or aren’t holding their heads up well, it was like freedom for them. They were so happy! And seeing that joy on April’s face was indescribable. I love that girl so much!

Happy Birthday Anusha!

We celebrated Anusha’s 12th birthday today by taking a van load of kids to the beach! She is the daughter of one of my favourite ayahs, and is on summer vacation from school so is hanging out around Victory Home with her family all summer (her mother, grandmother, and big sister all work there). She works just as hard as the ayahs and we wanted her to have a fun birthday, so we decided to make it special for her. She is a great girl, really smart, speaks some English so often translates for us, and is all around a really fun girl to get to know. She deserved a memorable birthday! We brought cake to Victory Home and sang Happy Birthday and shared the cake with the ayahs and kids. She was very excited!

We piled quite a few of us into the car: aside from Chelsea, Sarah, and I, we brought one ayah, Anusha (obviously, being her birthday) and six girls; Victoria, Alesa, Amanda, Christina, Hannah, and Rachel. We drove to Angel Home, about an hour away. We had lunch and picked up some of the boys and then went down to the beach. It was a blast! Christina and Alesa were scared at first. Hannah, being typical brave, bossy, leader Hannah, dove right in and tried to go as far out as possible. The waves were huge! Victoria, at only four years old, was a huge daredevil. She didn’t want to hold our hands and was often knocked over by the huge waves, but would jump right back up with a smile and do it again! Rachel only has the use of one leg, so, understandably, she was nervous, but we sat her at the shore and stayed with her and she giggled the entire time as the waves crashed up against her feet. We spent the day getting pushed over by huge waves and laughing, and laughing, and laughing… and sun burning! I had a blast the last time we went to the beach, but this time was even more fun now that we know the kids better. Plus, I am a sucker for little girls, and we brought a bunch of them along with us. I didn't get too many pictures as they stripped down to their underwear after only a few minutes, but I did manage to get a few great ones before that.

Anusha had a great birthday, and was so thankful and happy. It was just as nice seeing the gratitude in her mother’s eyes. I think the best part of the day, however, was when Hannah came up to me and said, in her broken English (she is 10 years old and very, very smart): “Nikki sister, beach, very, very happy!”