Jan, a team member, wrote this beautiful letter to Sophia. I will be translating and sending it to her family. I wanted to share these loving words...
LETTER TO SOPHIA
March 23, 2010
Dear Sophia--
You never knew our names; you never knew how we cherished you and your vibrant spirit. To you, we were the people who strolled down your street one morning and kept coming back to build a house with your neighbors. You never knew how much your happy 5-year old voice delighted us that first day as you, peeking out through the hole in your gate, called out: “Hello. What is your name? My name is Sophia Khan.”
You never knew how your visits to the build site made us smile. You were a bit quieter and shyer then, seeming to wisely observe all the activities. When you went back into the street, you bounced about playing with your friends. You giggled when Steve did his crazy dancing and singing with all the kids and laughed when he taught all of you to play “Rock, paper, scissors.” You told your family that he was your favorite.
You never knew that our Habitat work team wondered what you would do when you grew up. Would you manage to get an education? We thought so because your mother seems well-educated. Would you manage to escape the harshness of life in your village of Hegdenagar? But then we asked if you would find, beyond the dusty streets, the love,acceptance and freedom that you have had there? Would you find happiness wherever you were? We thought and hoped that you would.
You knew, from our whooping and cheering at Friday’s neighborhood game day, our excitement when you threw the ball knocking over six water bottles, coming in second place to your mother’s seven! You knew we wanted you in the photos of the neighborhood kids and with the Habitat team.
You never knew how treasured these moments and photos would become. You never knew that Steve wanted to buy you a special gift that weekend but didn’t because of the Habitat rule that says we can’t unless we do it for all the kids. You never knew that on Tuesday morning we came to your gate to see you and your funny little goat.
You never knew, dear precious child, because on Monday you died.” Sophia? Little Sophia? Dead? How can that be?” Your grandmother said that you had climbed on a table, had fallen and hit your head. You had seemed to be getting better; then you just stopped breathing. So did we.
In accordance with Muslim law, you were buried before sundown that day. You never knew the tears shed, the prayers prayed, the cold pit of loss we all felt and feel. You, like the butterflies who came and brushed us with their wings, flitted into our lives bringing beauty and great joy. And then, like them, you were gone.
Our lives were touched and enriched by the few days that we knew you. Your spirit and beauty vibrated within each one of us. You were a child of promise, a child of the future of India. Your death has left your family heartbroken, your neighborhood quieter, your new friends bereft and people who didn’t even know you, sorrowful.
In the days since, I’ve reflected on you and the gifts you brought to those blessed enough to have been with you. One of the greatest gifts you brought to me is that you have become the face of children who die. Whether they die of accidents, disease, earthquakes, tsunamis, or neglect, all have died too early. They are loved, they are mourned, they are missed.
You, Sophia, child of blessing and wisdom, are also loved, mourned, and missed. You will always live in our hearts.
With love, laughter and tears.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Home Sweet Home
“You made this shack a home”. That is the one statement that Mohammed made on our last day in Hegde Nagar. We were able to complete the basement, start the walls and we even began working on the foundation for the kitchen and the bathroom. Maybe we were not able to get the roof started, but we turned their piece of property that was nothing more than dirt and rubble to a dream in progress.
I worked with a team of strangers that now are family. Jan, Jane, Jim, Melissa, Steven, Rachel, Diane and I will always be connected. We also now belong to Pyari and Mohammed’s family. My sweet girls, Ruksana Banu, Yasmin and Hajira Banu will always reside in my heart. I look forward to keeping in touch with them and watching those beautiful girls develop into strong women who will change their community and the world.
When Dad died, mom and I didn’t have anywhere to live. We lost our home. Helping to provide a home for people who once were strangers, helped me to push past that loss.
I’ve been back in Seattle for almost 40 hours. I am sitting in silence, missing India. The sounds, the people, the energy, the constant actions and reactions…I miss it all. I sit here writing, feeling so fortunate that I have a roof over my head, clothes on back, food on the table, yet so sad because I sit here alone in silence. Pyari and Mohammed don’t have any those things, but they have each other and a wonderful family. Pyari is such a strong woman and I learned so much from her. I hope that one day I can be half the woman she is.
Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village Women Build program was the most rewarding two weeks of my life. I’ve traveled around the world in a group and alone, but nothing compared to this experience. I have officially been infected with what they call, “habititus”. I look forward to my future builds with Habitat. I promised myself one build a year.
Thank you Habitat for Humanity for changing my life.
I worked with a team of strangers that now are family. Jan, Jane, Jim, Melissa, Steven, Rachel, Diane and I will always be connected. We also now belong to Pyari and Mohammed’s family. My sweet girls, Ruksana Banu, Yasmin and Hajira Banu will always reside in my heart. I look forward to keeping in touch with them and watching those beautiful girls develop into strong women who will change their community and the world.
When Dad died, mom and I didn’t have anywhere to live. We lost our home. Helping to provide a home for people who once were strangers, helped me to push past that loss.
I’ve been back in Seattle for almost 40 hours. I am sitting in silence, missing India. The sounds, the people, the energy, the constant actions and reactions…I miss it all. I sit here writing, feeling so fortunate that I have a roof over my head, clothes on back, food on the table, yet so sad because I sit here alone in silence. Pyari and Mohammed don’t have any those things, but they have each other and a wonderful family. Pyari is such a strong woman and I learned so much from her. I hope that one day I can be half the woman she is.
Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village Women Build program was the most rewarding two weeks of my life. I’ve traveled around the world in a group and alone, but nothing compared to this experience. I have officially been infected with what they call, “habititus”. I look forward to my future builds with Habitat. I promised myself one build a year.
Thank you Habitat for Humanity for changing my life.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Hello…my name is Sophia Khan.
Today was a sad day.
On our first day of work, we met this darling five-year-old girl who lived two doors down from our home site. She introduced herself in English, “Hello. My name is Sophia Khan. What is your name?” She stole our hearts with her beautiful smile, energetic personality, and complete awesomeness. She spent a lot of time coming by our site and hanging out with Steven (a fellow volunteer who all the neighborhood children loved).
Last Friday, we played carnival type games with the kids and Sophia came in second place. Her mom came in first! Our team leader promised Sophia a gift on our last day for being second place.
We didn’t work on Saturday or Sunday so on Monday we were looking forward to seeing Sophia’s bright smile as we walked by. But she had already left for school. Since today is Ugadi (Telugu New Year), we knew she would be home. A few minutes prior to turning the corner onto our street, I said, “I hope we see Sophia today!” Steven was ahead of us and walked up to Sophia’s gate to show us their odd goat. Her aunt came to the gate and in Hindi told me that Sophia was gone. She then restated and said that Sophia had died. My eyes filled with tears. My fellow volunteers kept asking me, “What did she say?” So I became the bearer of bad news. I informed them that Sophia died yesterday. She was playing in the afternoon, fell off a table and hit her head. She went to the hospital where she was stable, but eventually stopped breathing. She was buried that night.
We all stood around her gate and cried for what seemed like forever. Charly, our team leader came by and we informed him as well. The shocked look on his face was unbearable. He has a child close to Sophia’s age. We left her house with heavy hearts to continue the work we came to do.
Before we began work, we decided to pray for her soul. We cried and hugged and pushed forward. Charly wanted to separate us today so we could help other homes, but knew we couldn’t bear it. So instead, we began building our family a kitchen and bathroom. It was a quiet workday.
As we began to depart for lunch, Sophia’s mother arrived. She came walking over to us. This vibrant young woman, who couldn’t possibly be older than me, now looked as if she were 50. Since I’m the only one who speaks Hindi in our group, she walked over to me repeating, “Sophia’s dead, Sophia’s dead.” I didn’t have to translate the tears. We all held her, which was definitely out of her cultural norm, but she gratefully accepted our condolences. We met Sophia’s father today, but he is a man of little words.
Today was a sad day.
On our first day of work, we met this darling five-year-old girl who lived two doors down from our home site. She introduced herself in English, “Hello. My name is Sophia Khan. What is your name?” She stole our hearts with her beautiful smile, energetic personality, and complete awesomeness. She spent a lot of time coming by our site and hanging out with Steven (a fellow volunteer who all the neighborhood children loved).
Last Friday, we played carnival type games with the kids and Sophia came in second place. Her mom came in first! Our team leader promised Sophia a gift on our last day for being second place.
We didn’t work on Saturday or Sunday so on Monday we were looking forward to seeing Sophia’s bright smile as we walked by. But she had already left for school. Since today is Ugadi (Telugu New Year), we knew she would be home. A few minutes prior to turning the corner onto our street, I said, “I hope we see Sophia today!” Steven was ahead of us and walked up to Sophia’s gate to show us their odd goat. Her aunt came to the gate and in Hindi told me that Sophia was gone. She then restated and said that Sophia had died. My eyes filled with tears. My fellow volunteers kept asking me, “What did she say?” So I became the bearer of bad news. I informed them that Sophia died yesterday. She was playing in the afternoon, fell off a table and hit her head. She went to the hospital where she was stable, but eventually stopped breathing. She was buried that night.
We all stood around her gate and cried for what seemed like forever. Charly, our team leader came by and we informed him as well. The shocked look on his face was unbearable. He has a child close to Sophia’s age. We left her house with heavy hearts to continue the work we came to do.
Before we began work, we decided to pray for her soul. We cried and hugged and pushed forward. Charly wanted to separate us today so we could help other homes, but knew we couldn’t bear it. So instead, we began building our family a kitchen and bathroom. It was a quiet workday.
As we began to depart for lunch, Sophia’s mother arrived. She came walking over to us. This vibrant young woman, who couldn’t possibly be older than me, now looked as if she were 50. Since I’m the only one who speaks Hindi in our group, she walked over to me repeating, “Sophia’s dead, Sophia’s dead.” I didn’t have to translate the tears. We all held her, which was definitely out of her cultural norm, but she gratefully accepted our condolences. We met Sophia’s father today, but he is a man of little words.
Today was a sad day.
Monday, March 15, 2010
We Have Walls!
What a mind-blowing (or mind-blasting for the Russell Peters’ fans out there) experience to go from digging two feet ditches to having walls up! I can’t explain our team’s excitement and sense of accomplishment! We just wish we had the time here to at least get a door in! Many of the home sites have had door ceremonies, so we want one too! Charlie (Habitat employee), our house leader, says we are two days ahead of schedule. But we have to let the cement dry and cannot add anymore bricks for a few days. And well, we leave on Thursday so tomorrow and Wednesday will be spent cleaning up our site, shifting sand, bricks, and rocks from the street to the property. I’m not sure if I mentioned this, but I decided to be on a team where I didn’t know anyone. I traveled here with Madelyn and really hit it off with some great girls from Portland, but I really wanted to develop relationships and see how it is working in such a situation with strangers. Well, I have to say, I picked the best team! We all work so well together. The age range is from 30 to 70 years old and we are from the US, Canada, Ireland and Australia. The diversity is amazing and I really feel like I have created a family. Melissa (the Canadian) and I almost cried today as we took a picture standing behind our newly built wall. I can’t imagine how emotional tomorrow and Wednesday will be.
Because we are ahead of schedule, our team is being split up tomorrow to help other teams. That’s going to be rough.
This afternoon, we had a gentleman come to our lunch and speak to us about domestic violence against women in the Northern Karnataka region. The most important point he made was that not only were women learning about their rights, but men were also being educated and being held accountable! Loved it! This evening James, the Bangalore representative from the International Justice Mission discussed bonded labor slavery. IJM is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. James shared some fantastic success stories, but also those people who felt to afraid to recreate a life after being freed. Please visit the website for more detailed information: www.ijm.org.
It was a wonderful day and now I’m sad I’m leaving in two days…
Because we are ahead of schedule, our team is being split up tomorrow to help other teams. That’s going to be rough.
This afternoon, we had a gentleman come to our lunch and speak to us about domestic violence against women in the Northern Karnataka region. The most important point he made was that not only were women learning about their rights, but men were also being educated and being held accountable! Loved it! This evening James, the Bangalore representative from the International Justice Mission discussed bonded labor slavery. IJM is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. James shared some fantastic success stories, but also those people who felt to afraid to recreate a life after being freed. Please visit the website for more detailed information: www.ijm.org.
It was a wonderful day and now I’m sad I’m leaving in two days…
Saturday, March 13, 2010
My First Day Off
It was spent sleeping until 11:30 AM, traveling to the Aroma Home Spa, taking a local bus to dinner, then to the Ice Cream Corner and a bumpy ride back to Hotel Evoma. It was a pretty perfect day!
Below is an email I sent to my work family yesterday:
I'm feeling super homesick today and wanted to drop a line and say hello. India is wonderful and you all know how in love I am with this country, but today I'm a bit sad. Lots of mixed emotions.
We are really getting to know the family we are building for. A family of five lives in a room the size of Cary's office. They eat there, study there and sleep there. It's heartbreaking. But today when we broke down their old wall and started building a new one, we were all overcome with joy. We spent the last hour of our build, playing with the kids and hanging out with the homeowner. They made us the best chai I've ever had because it was made with love. I couldn't help but shed a tear when I saw Pyari (the home owner) buy eight cups from the street vendor because she didn't have any. She bought cups for us! Maybe that doesn't seem like a big deal, but she earns only $2/day. The cups cost $1 total.
I'm also sad that we will not be able to complete this home before we leave. I will be back to see it though. I have to.
I feel so unbelievably fortunate to have a roof over my head, a job, a car, and all of you. So I am overcome with emotion today.
--------------
I have no idea how to say goodbye to this beautiful family. They have transformed my life. As of yesterday, we completed the first set of cement bricks around the edge, outlining their living and sleeping area. We also broke down their last wall! The last hour was spent playing games with the kids of the family and the neighborhood children. We had a blast with them! Please check out the pictures below.
There is another day off tomorrow. I’ll be taking some girls shopping and then off to see Karthik Calling Karthik (movie). Taking it easy until another busy Monday!
Below is an email I sent to my work family yesterday:
I'm feeling super homesick today and wanted to drop a line and say hello. India is wonderful and you all know how in love I am with this country, but today I'm a bit sad. Lots of mixed emotions.
We are really getting to know the family we are building for. A family of five lives in a room the size of Cary's office. They eat there, study there and sleep there. It's heartbreaking. But today when we broke down their old wall and started building a new one, we were all overcome with joy. We spent the last hour of our build, playing with the kids and hanging out with the homeowner. They made us the best chai I've ever had because it was made with love. I couldn't help but shed a tear when I saw Pyari (the home owner) buy eight cups from the street vendor because she didn't have any. She bought cups for us! Maybe that doesn't seem like a big deal, but she earns only $2/day. The cups cost $1 total.
I'm also sad that we will not be able to complete this home before we leave. I will be back to see it though. I have to.
I feel so unbelievably fortunate to have a roof over my head, a job, a car, and all of you. So I am overcome with emotion today.
--------------
I have no idea how to say goodbye to this beautiful family. They have transformed my life. As of yesterday, we completed the first set of cement bricks around the edge, outlining their living and sleeping area. We also broke down their last wall! The last hour was spent playing games with the kids of the family and the neighborhood children. We had a blast with them! Please check out the pictures below.
There is another day off tomorrow. I’ll be taking some girls shopping and then off to see Karthik Calling Karthik (movie). Taking it easy until another busy Monday!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
BUILD, BUILD, BUILD!
I need to recap. The days are just going by so fast and we are doing so much. The house I am working on is making progress. In fact, we are one day ahead of schedule. The foundation was already placed and we worked on completing the basement. The outline was dug, filled with granite and random rubble, then filled with dirt/mud and finally another layer of rocks, but done in a more structured way. I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard in my life. Throughout the whole day, I think of Dad. He must be turning in his grave! I hated going to Home Depot with him. I hated working out in the yard or helping with anything that resembled construction. And now, it’s my choice to do it…and I have to say, I love it!
The family is wonderful. We are working in a Muslim community. The homeowner’s name is Pyari. Her husband’s name is Mohammed and the eldest daughter is Ruksana Banu. She is going to school to become a tailor. Once this house is built, her parents can then find a suitable groom for their daughter.
It’s now March 11th. There is no Internet connection so I’m just writing in hopes that I can post this soon. I am starting to fall sick, but going to push through it and continue working. Last night was “Indian” night. We drove back to the site where we have lunch, Nagalahari Center. The tent was decorated in purple, gold, red, pink, white, and green. The meal was absolutely delicious, especially the paani puri, bhel puri and chaat station! Katie, a volunteer from Portland, Oregon passed on dinner and ate 21 paani puris! Aside from dinner, there were two vendors selling their Kashmiri handicrafts and an up and coming female designer who intends to hire underprivileged women to help her produce her designs. Part of their proceeds went to Habitat for Humanity India. After dinner, we had one dance performance, the Northern Ireland team sang an old Irish song, Home site number 5 sang a cute little song in Kannada (I love you, do you love me), and then two of the house leaders, John and Bunty, accompanied by D.J. on the dholak (drum) sang a pseudo-bhajan! It was a great evening! We headed back to the hotel for Ladies Night at the Ultra Violet Lounge. In India, it doesn’t mean the same thing. We walked in and realized that ladies night meant one free “mocktail”! We were so bummed. So instead, we ordered a few Kingfishers and called a night.
It’s about 7AM now and it’s time for breakfast. My home site is going to start laying blocks today! So exciting! At lunch, we have a speaker that will discuss women’s rights in India. And tonight is Bollywood night! There will be henna, food (Indian of course), and DJ and a dance floor! Can’t wait to bust a move☺
10PM
Just returned from the Bollywood party at the hotel. It was so fun! We had henna artists and tons of food: butter chicken, palak paneer, fresh naan, daal, and so much mithai! The DJ played lots of Bollywood music, but enough top 40 to keep everyone on the dance floor.
So more about the workday: We continued with the basement until the afternoon. At lunch, we had a speaker discuss women’s rights and land issues here in India. It was a great talk. I will post his talks later. After lunch, we completed the first layer of cement bricks. It was a satisfying feeling to see the actual outlines of the room. The last half hour we spent with the family, sitting in what will be their living room. Pyari, Mohammed, and their two younger daughters, Yasmin and Hajida Banu served us fresh pineapple slices with salt and chili…it was delicious! Then we had an opportunity to ask them questions and they in turn asked us. We discussed their children, how they felt about us helping with their home, etc. They are so appreciative of our assistance. They feel very proud knowing that people from so many parts of the world are assisting in building them a home. They now know that they can find a suitable groom for their older daughter. It’s an amazing feeling to know that complete strangers from all over the world have come together to make a community better. It’s very moving.
The family is wonderful. We are working in a Muslim community. The homeowner’s name is Pyari. Her husband’s name is Mohammed and the eldest daughter is Ruksana Banu. She is going to school to become a tailor. Once this house is built, her parents can then find a suitable groom for their daughter.
It’s now March 11th. There is no Internet connection so I’m just writing in hopes that I can post this soon. I am starting to fall sick, but going to push through it and continue working. Last night was “Indian” night. We drove back to the site where we have lunch, Nagalahari Center. The tent was decorated in purple, gold, red, pink, white, and green. The meal was absolutely delicious, especially the paani puri, bhel puri and chaat station! Katie, a volunteer from Portland, Oregon passed on dinner and ate 21 paani puris! Aside from dinner, there were two vendors selling their Kashmiri handicrafts and an up and coming female designer who intends to hire underprivileged women to help her produce her designs. Part of their proceeds went to Habitat for Humanity India. After dinner, we had one dance performance, the Northern Ireland team sang an old Irish song, Home site number 5 sang a cute little song in Kannada (I love you, do you love me), and then two of the house leaders, John and Bunty, accompanied by D.J. on the dholak (drum) sang a pseudo-bhajan! It was a great evening! We headed back to the hotel for Ladies Night at the Ultra Violet Lounge. In India, it doesn’t mean the same thing. We walked in and realized that ladies night meant one free “mocktail”! We were so bummed. So instead, we ordered a few Kingfishers and called a night.
It’s about 7AM now and it’s time for breakfast. My home site is going to start laying blocks today! So exciting! At lunch, we have a speaker that will discuss women’s rights in India. And tonight is Bollywood night! There will be henna, food (Indian of course), and DJ and a dance floor! Can’t wait to bust a move☺
10PM
Just returned from the Bollywood party at the hotel. It was so fun! We had henna artists and tons of food: butter chicken, palak paneer, fresh naan, daal, and so much mithai! The DJ played lots of Bollywood music, but enough top 40 to keep everyone on the dance floor.
So more about the workday: We continued with the basement until the afternoon. At lunch, we had a speaker discuss women’s rights and land issues here in India. It was a great talk. I will post his talks later. After lunch, we completed the first layer of cement bricks. It was a satisfying feeling to see the actual outlines of the room. The last half hour we spent with the family, sitting in what will be their living room. Pyari, Mohammed, and their two younger daughters, Yasmin and Hajida Banu served us fresh pineapple slices with salt and chili…it was delicious! Then we had an opportunity to ask them questions and they in turn asked us. We discussed their children, how they felt about us helping with their home, etc. They are so appreciative of our assistance. They feel very proud knowing that people from so many parts of the world are assisting in building them a home. They now know that they can find a suitable groom for their older daughter. It’s an amazing feeling to know that complete strangers from all over the world have come together to make a community better. It’s very moving.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Equal Rights- Equal Opportunities- Progress for All
Today is the 100th year of International Women’s Day. And what a day it was. It started at 6:30AM with a group breakfast. We then boarded buses to Hegde Nagar, which is our work site. The group took a quick tour the different houses we would be working on and we had the opportunity to meet these wonderful women the homes belonged to. After the quick tour, we headed to the opening ceremonies of the build. The chief guest was India’s first female Deputy General of Police, Jija Hari Singh! It was an empowering morning. As we gathered under this beautiful tent, Carnatic music and live singers engaged us. Just as we began to sit, hundreds of women from all walks of life marched into the arena with their colorful saris and amazing spirit. They held signs, but since they were written in Kannada, we were not sure of what they said. There were various speeches both in English and Kannada from guests, children performed, and women sang. The message created by Habitat for Humanity and BIRDS (Bharti Integrated Rural Development Society: http://www.birds-india.com) for this year’s Women’s Day: Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities and Progress for All!
After this fantastic assembly, we embarked for lunch and then straight to work. I am working on home site # 12. The name of the homeowner is slipping my mind at the moment, but I will ask again today. She has four children, two girls and two boys. Her husband also lives there. The foundation has been set, but nothing else. So yesterday was spent digging a two foot deep edge around the foundation, which will help us create a base. I’m not in construction nor do I understand it so I’m not sure how this works. We were told not to take cameras to the site, so I didn’t have one, but today I’m sneaking one in. Maybe some of you will understand how this will work. The tools are limited. For the few hours we worked yesterday, I used a long pole with a sharp edge to loosen dirt. My teammate used a shovel like contraption to dig up the lose dirt and throw it into the center. The goal for our two weeks is to have the walls up. If we work fast enough, we may even be able to start the roof!
Yesterday was exhausting and we only worked a few hours. I have no idea what today will be like. It is 90-95 degrees here and no shade. We are keeping hydrated as best we can. It is time for me to head out and board the bus. It is a 30-45 minute bus ride to the site. Wish me luck!
After this fantastic assembly, we embarked for lunch and then straight to work. I am working on home site # 12. The name of the homeowner is slipping my mind at the moment, but I will ask again today. She has four children, two girls and two boys. Her husband also lives there. The foundation has been set, but nothing else. So yesterday was spent digging a two foot deep edge around the foundation, which will help us create a base. I’m not in construction nor do I understand it so I’m not sure how this works. We were told not to take cameras to the site, so I didn’t have one, but today I’m sneaking one in. Maybe some of you will understand how this will work. The tools are limited. For the few hours we worked yesterday, I used a long pole with a sharp edge to loosen dirt. My teammate used a shovel like contraption to dig up the lose dirt and throw it into the center. The goal for our two weeks is to have the walls up. If we work fast enough, we may even be able to start the roof!
Yesterday was exhausting and we only worked a few hours. I have no idea what today will be like. It is 90-95 degrees here and no shade. We are keeping hydrated as best we can. It is time for me to head out and board the bus. It is a 30-45 minute bus ride to the site. Wish me luck!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Dog, Circus, Ping Pong
A golden retriever in an auto rickshaw, the circus is in town and an intense game of ping-pong.
Madelyn and I are roommates. Another Habitat volunteer from Seattle, Lori, came knocking quite early. It is her first trip to India and she was wide-awake at 9AM. She told us that the eight other volunteers already at the hotel were headed into Bangalore proper for shopping and lunch. So we decided to join them, but there was no room in the taxi. I love that Madelyn is up for anything so we jumped into an auto rickshaw and headed into town. An hour later and some negotiating with the rickshaw wala, we were able to find our group and do a little sightseeing of MG Road and Brigade Road. We then headed to lunch at Ebony, located in the Ivory Tower! After lunch, you know I had to hit up the beauty parlor. Got these eyebrows did! Headed back to the hotel to relax. En route, we saw a beautiful golden retriever taking a ride in an auto rickshaw. That dog was so happy!!! I just thought, “Butters would love this!” As soon as we passed that, I saw the circus tent! I told Madelyn that we need to go to that, but due to a group dinner and the intense game of ping-pong accompanied by loud Bollywood music, I didn’t make it! I hope to go tomorrow!
So far, the group is fantastic. I look forward to working with them. Today we found out that the foundation has been set for these homes so we will be working “up”. We will know more tomorrow evening at our initial meeting with the entire volunteer group.
So stay tuned…
Seattle-Paris-Bangalore
Teenagers. French teenagers. They irritate me. I tried very hard for 9 hours to reflect back to my teenage years. Was I loud, obnoxious, and angry with this permanent frown on my face that’s apparently cool? Yes, I was, just not in public and especially not on an airplane. In 2000, I traveled to India with three teenagers and not once were they obnoxious to the other passengers. So here’s what happened. A frustrated group of French parents must have decided to send their children to the United States to torture Americans. They were on my flight back to Paris…all 12 of them. I had the pleasure of having the angriest and loudest one sit behind me, who’s only English phrase he repeated through the flight was, “How low can you go, how low can you go” (rap/hip-hop song by Ludacris). We also had touch screen televisions on the back of our seats. Apparently his television was not as sensitive to his touch so he pounded it the entire flight. We could not have landed in Paris sooner. I held myself together very well…I want to keep a peaceful state of mind…but the thought of chucking him out of the aircraft did cross my mind.
We landed in Paris right on time and had two hours to kill before the flight to Bangalore. As we boarded the shuttle to the aircraft, I couldn’t help but examine at my companion’s reactions. Madelyn is a world traveler (this is her first trip to India though) so she’s got this down. She stood right next to the door so she could quickly exit. I stood as far from the door as possible. As the shuttle continued to fill, all the Indians stood toward the front…not the back where I had plenty of space. Very eager Indians acting as if we don’t have seat assignments crowded her! We get to the aircraft and they are still cleaning it. So we stand there for at least 20 minutes. And when we are allowed to exit, there she went! She was amazing…just pushed her way in. By the time I boarded, she had put her carry on in the compartment above her and was seated! We sat on the tarmac for at least an hour if not longer. Not sure what happened. For those of you who know me well, I was already asleep. In fact, some loud announcement woke me and that is when I realized we didn’t even take off yet!
I was lucky enough to get an empty row and relax a bit. So here I am writing about this journey on the flight. We will be arriving in Bangalore at about 2/3AM on Saturday morning. That’s it for now…
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