Hey everybody,
Today the toot toot's were no longer on strike. YAYY! :) Although they are charging more than they used to. But really, it's like a $1 difference so it's ok.
Unfortunately there is a major swine flu breakout here-32 positive cases just yesterday! So all the gov. schools got canceled. The IDEX people wanted us to come to the schools for an hour to wash each child's hands and comb their hair and then go home! Ridiculous. They said we couldn't teach though, because we could catch swine flu. That's India for you. They have the wierdest ideas sometimes. So we're not teaching again until Monday, and in the meantime if we leave the house we're supposed to wear those masks. Please pray for our health, and especially the health of our students, because most of them would probably die if they got it. And it would spread like wildfire there, with all the garbage and the insanitary living conditions. There have been some kids already in the day care centers with coughs and fevers, but they tell them to just continue as usual and sneeze in hankies.
Suchi, one of the IDEX exec's I've told you guys about, was crying today because she's having troubles with her husband, who i found out is an alchoholic. She feels it's her fault because she married for love instead of getting an arranged marriage. I never would have guessed that about Suchi. It's starting to make sense though, about Newton and Suchi both-why they work at IDEX. Both don't really need th money because they have other jobs. But they want to help other women. Even though they themselves are struggling with the inequalities, they help other women in even worse conditions. I love these women-their strength amazes me. Sometimes i get so frustrated with them, and the other volunteers often complain about them because sometimes they can be pushy and very unorganized, but then it's important to take a step back and remember that we wouldn't even be in the slums at all if it weren't for these women. So what if it's a bit unorganized and the kids don't have much and they don't have very good teaching tactics-at least there are schools there. At least kids like Dolat get to go to the hospital and get flu medicine. At least volunteers can come and give the children love, if not teach them the alphabet. At least the abused women can talk to someone, if not stop getting hit. And it's foolish to complain because we're the ones in a different country. we're the ones who need to change our ways, not them. They run their business how everyone else in India runs their business. Another area of frustration is that it's hard to communicate with IDEX because they are all Indian and they know English, but not perfectly, so often we get lost in translation. But we're the ones who are here in India and don't know any Hindi. They know much more English than we know of their language. Okay, i'm making no sense probably-just rambling. I just am kind of annoyed because people are so disrespectful to Suchi and Newton and they deserve respect.
No news on the whereabouts of Aja or Nayna. :/ when we ask the children they all get quiet and then they all say no. They say they don't even know the girls, even though i saw the girls talking and sitting with the others in the beginning. Where are these girls?!
I rock babies to sleep often during school. They usually get carted to school on their sisters' hips and break down in tears during school, so i hold them and they just melt in my arms. Poor babies :/ They don't know what a mattress and soft blanket and fluffy pillow is.
As you know, we have mice at our school. Today one came running into the room and charged right at a boy and it ran up one leg and arm and down the other squeaking and hopping and then disappeared. it was the freakiest thing ever! The boy went right back to coloring. I think i prbably would have been curled up in a fetal position and would have to be bribed into staying in that school :)
I am kind of starting to be afraid about how hard it will be to say goodbye to these people. I love them so much! I can't just forget about them. Leaving this place won't make them disappear. There are problems in this world. There are people in need. I can't deny it anymore. And i don't like that i've seen how the stereotypes of America are unfortunately pretty accurate. There are people from all different countries here, and they make efforts to speak each other's languages and they talk to foreigners and to each other. Yea, some are really creepy but that happens everywhere. It's so important to learn about other people firsthand. To step out of your comfort zone and be the minority, and humble yourself to learn about someone else's culture. I never understood this until going somewhere else. well, i'm REALLY rambling now-sorry about that :)
Got to go, but if anyone reads this, i'm going to go to Mocha tonight so i can skype! :) I'll be on around 8 or 9 p.m. here...which is...10:30ish...?? sorry my brain is clogged