Re-Entry

It's been 2 weeks and a day since my return to the states.  Here are some observations and thoughts upon my re-entry:

1) Jetlag is no fun (took about almost 2 weeks to fully recover!)

2) Hot showers are amazing! 

3) So is your own bed! 

4) I went to buy a new pair of shoes.  After spending a little more than I intended to, I was struck by the memory of the children I met - almost all of them walked around barefoot on hard gravel, rocks and dirt because they don't have shoes. Sometimes the guilt that comes with that is a little overwhelming - it sneaks up on you, while watching TV, buying groceries, receiving a paycheck, sitting at the computer...thinking about all that we have and the little that they have.  Makes me want to share, share, give and share. And it reminds me to be grateful.

5) In some ways, the country of India is like the US - and nowhere is that more obvious than in the extreme diversity in culture, religion, art, etc., that for the most part, exists peacefully together.

6) I like spicy food! 

7) I can do 15 hours on a plane.

8) Our team was amazing! I missed them even as I was saying goodbye in the airport.  What a special group of people.  If you're reading this, and you're one of them, "Thank you" doesn't even begin to cover how grateful I am to have shared this experience with you!

 

8) Despite our differences, as people, we're all the same.  I've heard this said many times, but it's probably one of the biggest lessons that sticks with me as I go about life as usual - on the subway, walking down the street, at work - we all just want to be acknowledged, loved or accepted for who we are.   

9) And beyond that, as corny as it may sound, we each have inspiring gifts to share, whether it's in music, in the gift of speech and language, in teaching, in medicine, in caring for others, and it's our job to use them to help each other. In that way, little by little, change CAN happen!

10) The kids we met are love-personified.  I will most definitely go back someday. 

I can't say it enough: For everyone who supported me in this adventure - THANK YOU!!!! I sincerely hope that everyone can experience the joy and love that the children of Carmel shared with us! 

With love,

Brennan

   

And we're back!

We made it! Our team has returned to the States - we arrived early this morning. It was a long flight and I am glad to be back! I'm trying to stay awake and adjust to the fact that the sun is out when my body is used to being asleep!

It's been a few days since my last blog and a lot has happened! After the tearful goodbye ceremony on Tuesday night, we woke up a little earlier on Wednesday in preparation to leave Carmel on an early bus ride to the Bangalore airport. We had our usual coffee/tea, our last daily chapel service (which closed with a very moving version of the Our Father, sung with all of us, students, team members and staff, holding hands in a big circle around the chapel.) We had breakfast and then began a lengthy goodbye process. I have to admit that it was about 20 minutes too long for me.  I did once last round of hugs and got on the bus with a few of the team members while others lingered. I took a few goodbye pics from the bus and soon we were off. It was really hard to say goodbye - I remember watching the children wave as we drove out of the orphanage gates - it was emotional for all of us and many tears were shed. 

It was a long ride to Bangalore but once we got there, we found a nice hotel with a couple of restaurants to choose from for lunch before our flight to Delhi. Our first non-orphanage meal, many of us opted for the pan-asian/chinese restaurant for something a little different.  It was so delicious and a great change! I really did enjoy the food at Carmel - the chef who cooked all of our meals used to be an orphan himself - he and Backi and Freena (the couple who run the orphanage and school) grew up at another orphanage years ago called Bethel.  It had some administrative issues and Backi (an accountant) and Freena (a teacher) got married and eventually started the Carmel Matriculation school and orphanage.  The chef who cooked for us these last two weeks, Samuel, left the orphanage after finishing school and went to culinary school.  He now works at a restaurant in Bangalore which caters to Westerners.  Each year, he comes to Carmel for two weeks in January and cooks for the team members. And he really is an amazing chef! However, it was really nice to have a break from our usual Indian cuisine (reduced slightly in spicy heat for our delicate Western palates!  I was worried about the spicy food, but I actually think I have a higher threshold for tolerating spices after this trip.) After our lunch in Bangalore, we headed to the airport for a short flight to Delhi. We arrived at the Ashok Resort Hotel a little bit before bedtime.  I had a beer (Kingfisher) and some fries with some teammates, took a long, hot shower (my first real shower in 10 days!) and went to bed. 

The next day we got on the bus again (we spent a lot of time on the bus during this trip, especially the last few days!) The sight-seeing part of our trip had officially begun! We went to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal - it was truly spectacular!  I've never seen anything like it and I doubt I will again!  This amazing structure is a tomb for a queen, built in the 1600s by her adoring husband.  It is made of a special marble called Makrana and inlaid with semiprecious stones like jade and lapis lazuli. It took 20,000 people to build it. It was unforgettable. We then ate a very late lunch and went to a marble factory that handcrafts all kinds of items out of the same gorgeous marble and inlaid stones as the Taj Majal. Our tour guide was fantastic - he was great at telling us interesting facts about the Taj and really took care of us - the hagglers on the street were particularly intense in Agra and he really helped us deal with them. But he couldn't protect us from the horrible traffic we hit on the way back and it took at least an hour longer than it should have to get back to the hotel.  We finally arrived at 12 am - I know I headed right to bed and I'm sure others were may have done the same. It was a really long day, but so awesome!

The next day was more sight-seeing. We had a tour guide this day who gave us a lot of information about the Hindu way of life. We went to a ruin of a mosque in Delhi (made out of the remains of a Hindu temple that Muslims overtook.) The tall tower at this sight is called the Qutab minar. We also went to the Gandhi museum where Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life.  Our last stop on this last day was a six-story shopping center called the Central Cottage Industries Emporium, which sells goods from artisans all over India.  There was also a lot of traffic this day due to the rehearsal in the morning of a Republic Day parade on the 26th. But we did get to see the beautiful boulevards of New Delhi, the former British section of Delhi. We headed back to the hotel, grabbed a bite to eat and left the hotel for the final time, on the bus, for the final time (hooray!) and went to catch our flight home to the United States.  

Will write a bit more tomorrow! Can't stay awake any longer! :)

Goodbyes

Tonight we had a farewll ceremony. The day was great but the night was
teary for everyone. We leave early tomorrow morning for Dehli and I
will have lots of time to write more on the long trip there... :' (

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Another full day!

Somehow we are in our second week here and time is slipping away! We
only have one more full day left here: tomorrow (Tuesday.) Already the
kids and some team members are getting sad as our departure from this
beautiful place and the beautiful people who live here gets closer and
closer. I keep trying to live in the present and really enjoy the
moment, but the cloud is there, nonetheless. We leave on Wednesday
morning and head to Delhi for two days before we get on the plane back
to the States.
But today was great! I stayed on the orphanage campus with a handful
of people and worked on the wall they are building aound the perimeter
of the campus. (The rest of the team went to the school.) Sections of
the wall are brick and others are cinder block. I was told that
eventually they will stucco the whole thing. But it was really good to
do some physical work and help the in a different way. In the
afternoon, we all went to the school for a Science Exhibition. Some of
the 7th graders put on a science fair-type program. It was great to
see what they are studying and they worked so hard. This evening there
was another cultural program, but this time it was mainly the kids who
are enrolled in the school, but who live at home with their parents
instead of at the orphanage. It was truly fantastic - the best we've
seen so far. They did a lot of traditional Indian dancing, which was
gorgeous, as were many of the costumes. Some of the little kids spoke
as well - telling stories and reciting verses. They were so amazingly
adorable. *t the end of each little speech, with their sweet tiny
voices, they'd say "Thank YOU!!!" After dinner, Ackie, a charming
character on our team, requested that I sing to him looking down on
him from the guest house "veranda" (a little porch-like common area on
the second floor of the guest house.) It drew a crowd and by the time
I was finished there were about 20 people who gathered - kids and team
members combined. I'll never forget it.
I will truly miss this place and the love that fills it. The people
I've met on this trip are inspiring and warm and fun and kind and
generous and loving. I am so grateful for the experience and
opportunity of this trip. Thank YOU!!! :) :) :)

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We're on India time

We were warned before coming here that Indians don't follow time like
Westeners do. They are on what we have started referring to as "India
time." It is now understood that when something is planned to start at
a specific time, it will start at least a 1/2 hour later than the
scheduled time, if it happens at all. This mindset results in a very
laidback people, as you can imagine. But it all works out, and it does
so at just the right time.
An example of this unpredictability are the construction projects that
were planned for this trip. The awesome playground for the kids was
put together when we got here (though there was a simpler version we
put together on the school campus,) and Freena and Backi's family
living quarters' expansion was put on hold for other school/orphanage
needs. So, predictably, plans have changed! (Tomorrow, we are working
instead on the wall surrounding the campus and some yardwork that
needs to be done at the orphanage. And of course, spending some time
with the kids in school.)
Today we just hung out here; playing volleyball and other games,
singing and reading and face painting. We heard the story of the
orphanage and their wish list for the future. This evening we had a
singing program. Different groups sang for us and we for them. At
dinner we had french fries, which all greatly miss! Off to sleep!
(Ta-ta!)

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Eating under the stars

Today was one of my favorite days so far! But first, a few more things
about yesterday: there were monkeys everywhere, the bus' brakes
overheated on our way down the mountain and we sat on the side of the
road feeding the monkeys until we were sure the brakes were working
properly. It has been said that the driver, when we got safely back to
Carmel, had 3 shots of whiskey and passed out from the worry and
stress of the drive! Anyway, today, as usual, we were up before the
sun. The last three days, many of the children were off from school
for the Pongal holiday (like our Thanksgiving.) But school was back in
session today (they go to school six days a week, normally.) We went
in the morning to our last 4th standard class ("stnadard" is their
term for grade) to do a presentation on Hershey, PA, Milton Hershey
and the orphanage he founded. One of our team members lives in
Hershey. He put this lesson together and a few of us helped him with
it. (We did this lesson with the first 2, 4th standard classes on
Tuesday.) Others did crafts with the kids. Right before lunch, a
bunch of us went into the town of Dharmapuri to shop for Sarees, a
traditional outfit worn by the women here. It's a process, and I'm
glad Freena, who runs the orphanage and school, and one of older
students, Priya, went with us. Once you choose the material for the
outside wrap, you choose a long skirt to wear underneath and material
for a midriff shirt to be tailor-made for you. Freena has a tailor who
is making the shirts for us. We went back to the orphanage for lunch,
and in the afternoon went back to the school for a "Sports Program."
It started with some martial arts and formation exercises
demonstrations and then it was basically like field day - they had fun
little games prepared for our team like balance the lemon on the spoon
as you race across the field and musical chairs (which I came close to
winning!) Then we had our daily afternoon tea (one of the many
remaining influences from British rule) and headed back to the
orphanage. Later we ate dinner under the stars on mats on the ground
with the children. I wish we ate like that every night! There was a
fireworks display and ice cream. One of the many gifts of this place
and the children is that it helps bring out your inner child and the
simple joys of being one.

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21 Hairpin turns

Well, it turned out to only be 20 official turns, but if it were up to
me, I would have labeled at least 5 more turns as officially
"hairpin." We took about 15 of the children and our whole team up to a
hill station called Yercaud. It was a 3-hour bus ride up a mountain
that wound and twisted and included 20+ hairpin turns. We were warned
that if you were prone to motion sickness, this could be a
particularly tough trip and to take dramamine. As it worked out, no
one on the team got sick, but two of the girls did - one on the way up
(the one sitting on my lap, of course!) And one on the way back.
(Luckily, the girl sitting with me let us know that she was about to
spew, so we were prepared when she did! The other girl was able to get
off the bus before getting sick.) Besides the long treacherous bus
ride, the day was great - at the top of the mountain we went to a
rose/flower garden, had a picnic and did pedal boat rides in the lake.
Now we're back and I'm sooo ready for bed! Xoxo

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