Elephants in the room

If you leave a comment on a post, please remember to leave your name so I know who left the comment!

Snail mail from Alaska takes about 25 days to get here! From the lower 48 I am seeing it takes about two weeks. I wouldn’t recommend sending mail to me after April 1st. Thank you so much to everyone who has sent me mail so far. It feels like Christmas every time I get something in the mail.

I am connected on facebook with the Doon Youth Center in Dehra Dun that is run through Shishya. I have told Frieda that I would like to attend a meeting or something since it’s all right up my alley but she said it really isn’t for foreigners to get involved in. On Facebook I get invited to events they’re having and last Friday there was a free photography workshop. Nibha was already going so I registered online for myself, Liz and Lisa. I have so badly at least wanted to get my foot in the door! Ken gave us a ride and picked up the photographer and her husband too who were staying at the Forest Research place nearby (he is a professor of some sort in genetics and they live in Huston but he is from India). We would have been on time if it weren’t for the Hindu holiday parade we hit on the way there. Music, dancing and people pulling this trailer with more people on it with a rope held up traffic. The photographer’s name is Michele Wambaugh and her passion is photographing the gypsy women in this area. Before we hit the traffic jam we pulled over in a place for her to take pictures and she got a few, and so did Nibha. This is Michele’s website: http://www.michelewambaugh.com/. She photographed a lot of ballet companies and Broadway shows among other things. It’s ironic I attended a photography workshop here; since photography is how I came to be in Shishya in the first place.

Liz got a cell phone figured out in Dehra Dun after the workshop and a little barefoot boy out front of the shop kept looking at us with his hand outstretched. He walked by a few times. While we were waiting I bought a small bag of chips for him but he wasn’t out front anymore. So I wandered down the ‘sidewalk’ and saw him. He eventually turned around and I gave the bag to him. He walked along side me on the way back and he crushed them in the bag. I wonder if he ate them. I hope so. It cost me only 30 cents or so.

After the workshop and cheap cell phone purchasing, Liz, Lisa and me went to dinner at Kumars—the same place I went with a big group of girls about a month ago. Delicious food once again was consumed. I ate so much I said, “I can’t eat anymore.” Liz’s response was, “ Kelly, you’re not the same when you’re not eating a lot.” Ha!

It rained (Shishya got hail during the day!) last Saturday and there was thunder and lightning too that night. One big bang was right above us in the middle of the night (that woke up everybody) and I think it blew our electricity box out. I had morning duty with the boys on Saturday so I woke them up and helped them get ready for school and the day. All day the thunder rolled and lighting in the sky. Most of the kids from the area didn’t even come to school. All the rain we got the last few days reminds me of how it rains in southeast, Alaska and it made me a little homesick.

Last Sunday I actually lost my appetite all together. I ate too much chow mein on one of the boy’s birthdays with too much oil in it and I was so sick the next day and couldn't make it through church. I still haven’t felt back to 100% and it has halted my food intake tremendously—which is probably a good thing.

In 8th English the other day the boys were laughing and I figured out it was because the way I was sitting on the ground, you could see the string from my pants hanging out... which is a big no no. Kind of like having your fly down I guess. Oops.

It isn’t uncommon to see men of all ages in India holding hands with each other. It’s a way of expressing friendship!

I put the boys to bed the first time last week one night. It was fun praying with all the boys before bed. Apparently there is a song I need to learn… Amanda can you help me out? ;)

I have had a cough all week and have been feeling a little under the weather. Since school started up volunteers have been subbing at the last minute. For those that know me, I can stress big time. I’m trying to work on that here but having night terrors every night since I got back from my trip hasn’t been helping either (Poor Liz. It’s always something exciting happening every night. A few nights ago a big elephant walked in our room through the window.) I now help about 4 little boys with homework 6 nights a week and at the end of the night I feel exhausted and sometimes still have to plan for school the next day. I just wish I felt completely normal again. The night terrors add to exhaustion the next day. I again couldn't remember the last time I showered yesterday so I thought it was time to do so. I have been wanting to start running again but I don’t feel good enough too. So I decided today during the day I would finally bathe myself (going to bed with wet hair is coolllddd)—then I learned that our water tank to our apartment needed to be filled. So I bit the bullet and went to bed with wet hair.

I did my first Life Skills assembly this morning for grades 1-3. (We talked about times we feel angry and good ways to deal with it). There will be some adjustments for the next assembly... but overall it was okay. I'm glad to be doing it! Rahul said to me when I walked in the door for dinner, "Life Skills was so nice ma'm!!!". I'm glad someone thought so!