Sometimes it would be easier to Skype everyone at home all at once, as I have about 3,026 stories to sort through each time I sit down to write. Maybe I'll do a video blog one day, where I just talk 90 mph for a good solid hour, and then let you live your lives without scrolling through letters.
I feel so blessed here. I mean, I guess I'm so blessed in America also, but here, the blessings are just different. Or maybe it's just that things are a wee bit harder to come by, and that working with children in general makes me notice those blessings?
One of the most difficult things about being here is not getting to watch my sister's kids grow up. Especially as Elizabeth was born 3 days before I left America, I feel like a really crummy aunt since I won't see her again until she's probably walking. But I'm blessed to live in the time that we do, as I got to skype the kids last weekend--and my sister, parents, and best friend. I'm glad for technology to keep us in contact. But I'm also glad for the letter my oldest nephew, Samuel, wrote me, saying, "Dr At Mrla, I hope dat we kango to Indea." Little pieces of home like that kind of pull on my heart, making it both easier and harder to be here. (But good harder, so keep them coming!)
Tomorrow night, I'm traveling to Hyderabad so I can do some shopping for my girls and myself. Then Tuesday, I get to see my friend Liban, who was once my Hindi tutor, and is a Delhiite living in Springfield, visiting Hyd on business. (Re-read that last sentence, and you'll know it's a God-thing that we even know each other!) He's the first person "from home" that I'll get to see while I'm here, and there's just something comforting in that alone. But the blessings continue, and I'm so grateful for his willingness to bring items from my parents & sister, as well as his own family.
Blessings also come in the form of ayahs. My ayahs are beautiful, motherly ladies who really love my girls. They have been supportive through the potty-training process, and they safety pin the size 6 underwear on my 3 year old's waist, even though we all know she may just wet them again in an hour. Other apartments here have had a difficult time keeping their ayahs or having them do things in the way that they are asked (i.e. keeping the apartment and children clean, feeding correctly, disciplining appropriately, etc.), but my ayahs have been phenomenal through the whole process. They sweep up the rice after every meal (making sure it doesn't stick to our feet for the rest of the day), they respond quickly when a kid poops in the stairwell, utilize time-outs, etc. I am blessed to have them, and my girls are blessed to have them.
I'm blessed with the volunteer community here--both the long term and the short term. From Nikki, who is willing and gracious to let me interrupt her night because I have a lot building inside, to Jenny, who let me keep all my stuff organized in her room at Grace during potty training week and gives ideas for working with the schoolgirls. The women here are full of encouragement, ideas, connections with other people who have ideas, etc.. I am so thankful to be surrounded by them for the "venting" times, the "I have a fantastic story and you must sit on the cot until I finish" times, to the encouragement times when we both need to hear a "we're in this together."
My girls are blessings to me (obviously). I so wish everyone could see how beautiful these girls are, how happy they can make those around them. I lived with them for a week so we could work on potty training and behaviors on an almost 24-7 basis, and it helped me bond with some that I hadn't really connected with before. Another blessing. I now know that independent Paula actually is affectionate and cuddly--she just takes time. Shy, introverted Stephanie will now "yell" (her yelling voice is as loud as my hushed tones) at me to "Sing a song, sister!" Naomi will pull out her slightly frazzled pigtails for French braids the second I have a comb in my hand. Jeanette loves to imitate even though she is blind. She follows my fingers braiding her sisters' hair and then spends hours knotting my hair together in her best attempts to copy. Rebekah loves to do the actions to "Every Move I Make," 3-year-old Angel likes trying to fold clothes and sweep, and Heidi is a little mama who will pretend you're in trouble and shake that finger at you like nobody's business. And Jackie will wedge her way onto my lap as soon as it is available, even if I'm in the process of standing up.
But these girls are blessings to more than just me. I really saw this the other day when Paula and I were headed towards the roof for our Mummy-Daughter date night. I had stowed away some ice cream on the third floor, retrieved it, and then asked her to come up to the roof with me.
Paula has cerebral palsy, with pretty bad knee contractures--so she crawls around everywhere. She didn't want to go to the roof, and I thought maybe it was because she didn't want to tackle another flight of stairs, so we just plopped down in the stairwell and ate it there. She kept motioning downstairs, and I figured out (via questioning and hand gestures, as there's a language barrier) that she didn't want the ice cream for herself. By asking another series of questions, I learned that Paula wanted all of the girls in her friends' apartment to have the ice cream, as well as her own 7 sisters in her apartment. When I said this, to make sure I understood correctly, she leaped up and quickly slid down the stairs, yelling at the girls that she was bringing her ice cream to share! In both apartments, she would stand on her knees, shriek with happiness, and clap as each girl got their 2 bites of vanilla soup. There were 17 girls total, besides Paula and myself. She made sure none of them were forgotten, and that the aunties got some, too. It was beautiful to see how mature and caring this girl is. I don't know how she learned a lesson like this, but she is a thousand times more selfless than me. Wherever life takes her, I know she is going to be a blessing to all those around her.
Which brings me to a frustration point: I just don't get how such precious children were not wanted. I don't understand how there are not lines of people trying to adopt them. "WHERE ARE YOU??" I want to scream sometimes at both locals and internationals. But that brings me to another blessing I learned about this week: the Indian gov't apparently changed the adoption rules recently.
Before, as a Westerner, you had to be 30 before you could even apply for an Indian child--single or married. But, if you were married, you had to be married for at least 5 years. Now, I guess foreign couples are eligible to adopt from India at the age of 25, without a length of marriage requirement. So, dear married friends back home who have told me you desire to adopt someday, you should start preparing and saving that cash, because I probably have a child in mind for you. And, if I ever marry, it will be a double blessing as I'll get to file that paperwork 5 years sooner than I expected. (Woohoo!)
My mind is in about 30 places right now, so I apologize if this wasn't written utterly coherently. Without rereading, I'm guessing I have just shamed my high school English teachers. But, I'm going to mention two more blessings and then get back to work:
1. This delicious, fudgy brownie I am eating as I type. 2. Mexican food. I woke up this morning and realized I haven't eaten a taco in almost FOUR MONTHS. Never before have I craved tacos at 7 a.m., but I have located multiple Mexicano restaurants in Hyderabad and have big mariachi-style plans for Tuesday or Wednesday :)
I feel so blessed here. I mean, I guess I'm so blessed in America also, but here, the blessings are just different. Or maybe it's just that things are a wee bit harder to come by, and that working with children in general makes me notice those blessings?
One of the most difficult things about being here is not getting to watch my sister's kids grow up. Especially as Elizabeth was born 3 days before I left America, I feel like a really crummy aunt since I won't see her again until she's probably walking. But I'm blessed to live in the time that we do, as I got to skype the kids last weekend--and my sister, parents, and best friend. I'm glad for technology to keep us in contact. But I'm also glad for the letter my oldest nephew, Samuel, wrote me, saying, "Dr At Mrla, I hope dat we kango to Indea." Little pieces of home like that kind of pull on my heart, making it both easier and harder to be here. (But good harder, so keep them coming!)
Tomorrow night, I'm traveling to Hyderabad so I can do some shopping for my girls and myself. Then Tuesday, I get to see my friend Liban, who was once my Hindi tutor, and is a Delhiite living in Springfield, visiting Hyd on business. (Re-read that last sentence, and you'll know it's a God-thing that we even know each other!) He's the first person "from home" that I'll get to see while I'm here, and there's just something comforting in that alone. But the blessings continue, and I'm so grateful for his willingness to bring items from my parents & sister, as well as his own family.
Blessings also come in the form of ayahs. My ayahs are beautiful, motherly ladies who really love my girls. They have been supportive through the potty-training process, and they safety pin the size 6 underwear on my 3 year old's waist, even though we all know she may just wet them again in an hour. Other apartments here have had a difficult time keeping their ayahs or having them do things in the way that they are asked (i.e. keeping the apartment and children clean, feeding correctly, disciplining appropriately, etc.), but my ayahs have been phenomenal through the whole process. They sweep up the rice after every meal (making sure it doesn't stick to our feet for the rest of the day), they respond quickly when a kid poops in the stairwell, utilize time-outs, etc. I am blessed to have them, and my girls are blessed to have them.
I'm blessed with the volunteer community here--both the long term and the short term. From Nikki, who is willing and gracious to let me interrupt her night because I have a lot building inside, to Jenny, who let me keep all my stuff organized in her room at Grace during potty training week and gives ideas for working with the schoolgirls. The women here are full of encouragement, ideas, connections with other people who have ideas, etc.. I am so thankful to be surrounded by them for the "venting" times, the "I have a fantastic story and you must sit on the cot until I finish" times, to the encouragement times when we both need to hear a "we're in this together."
My girls are blessings to me (obviously). I so wish everyone could see how beautiful these girls are, how happy they can make those around them. I lived with them for a week so we could work on potty training and behaviors on an almost 24-7 basis, and it helped me bond with some that I hadn't really connected with before. Another blessing. I now know that independent Paula actually is affectionate and cuddly--she just takes time. Shy, introverted Stephanie will now "yell" (her yelling voice is as loud as my hushed tones) at me to "Sing a song, sister!" Naomi will pull out her slightly frazzled pigtails for French braids the second I have a comb in my hand. Jeanette loves to imitate even though she is blind. She follows my fingers braiding her sisters' hair and then spends hours knotting my hair together in her best attempts to copy. Rebekah loves to do the actions to "Every Move I Make," 3-year-old Angel likes trying to fold clothes and sweep, and Heidi is a little mama who will pretend you're in trouble and shake that finger at you like nobody's business. And Jackie will wedge her way onto my lap as soon as it is available, even if I'm in the process of standing up.
But these girls are blessings to more than just me. I really saw this the other day when Paula and I were headed towards the roof for our Mummy-Daughter date night. I had stowed away some ice cream on the third floor, retrieved it, and then asked her to come up to the roof with me.
Paula has cerebral palsy, with pretty bad knee contractures--so she crawls around everywhere. She didn't want to go to the roof, and I thought maybe it was because she didn't want to tackle another flight of stairs, so we just plopped down in the stairwell and ate it there. She kept motioning downstairs, and I figured out (via questioning and hand gestures, as there's a language barrier) that she didn't want the ice cream for herself. By asking another series of questions, I learned that Paula wanted all of the girls in her friends' apartment to have the ice cream, as well as her own 7 sisters in her apartment. When I said this, to make sure I understood correctly, she leaped up and quickly slid down the stairs, yelling at the girls that she was bringing her ice cream to share! In both apartments, she would stand on her knees, shriek with happiness, and clap as each girl got their 2 bites of vanilla soup. There were 17 girls total, besides Paula and myself. She made sure none of them were forgotten, and that the aunties got some, too. It was beautiful to see how mature and caring this girl is. I don't know how she learned a lesson like this, but she is a thousand times more selfless than me. Wherever life takes her, I know she is going to be a blessing to all those around her.
Which brings me to a frustration point: I just don't get how such precious children were not wanted. I don't understand how there are not lines of people trying to adopt them. "WHERE ARE YOU??" I want to scream sometimes at both locals and internationals. But that brings me to another blessing I learned about this week: the Indian gov't apparently changed the adoption rules recently.
Before, as a Westerner, you had to be 30 before you could even apply for an Indian child--single or married. But, if you were married, you had to be married for at least 5 years. Now, I guess foreign couples are eligible to adopt from India at the age of 25, without a length of marriage requirement. So, dear married friends back home who have told me you desire to adopt someday, you should start preparing and saving that cash, because I probably have a child in mind for you. And, if I ever marry, it will be a double blessing as I'll get to file that paperwork 5 years sooner than I expected. (Woohoo!)
My mind is in about 30 places right now, so I apologize if this wasn't written utterly coherently. Without rereading, I'm guessing I have just shamed my high school English teachers. But, I'm going to mention two more blessings and then get back to work:
1. This delicious, fudgy brownie I am eating as I type. 2. Mexican food. I woke up this morning and realized I haven't eaten a taco in almost FOUR MONTHS. Never before have I craved tacos at 7 a.m., but I have located multiple Mexicano restaurants in Hyderabad and have big mariachi-style plans for Tuesday or Wednesday :)
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