Update

Hey All! Hope you're doing well. I can't go much into detail about too much because so much happens sometimes it's too much to go into depth about everything! :) you know me-ever the analyzer.
Went to Jaisalmer this past weekend. It was REALLY hot during the day (who woulda guessed in the desert?) and really dirty there. I almost stepped on a big dead rat on the way to our hotel! But there were a lot of cool antique-type stuff and there were a lot of crazy awesome doorways and architecture there. Oh yea. and we had to run and jump onto a high step because a cow was charging us lol. i felt like i was in Spain for a sec...
The camel safari was sweet! we took a jeep out more into the desert, then got on camels (mine's name was Asid, like Uh-seed) and went further into the desert. It's not what i expected. i thought there would be tons of sand and mirages and it would be unbearably hot, but it wasn't. The heat was intense, but not too bad. and there were TONS of bushes and trees and cacti. We got to some dunes though, and slept there. The moon was really bright so we had to wait til the moon set at about 3-4 a.m. to really see the stars. They were gorgeous-the shooting stars were unbelievably bright. We slept on a blanket right there on the sand. Our biggest threats were these giant beatles with tracks that had the appearance and size of bike tracks. They're harmless, but HUGE. We ate with our hands and some small boys who came along washed our dishes with sand. mmm sanitary. the chai tasted slightly salty by the next afternoon :] At night though they started a fire and we sung sungs like A-winga-whap from the lion king and i will survive, which made the camel guides cheer and whistle and start dancing like mad around the fire :) They sung some indian sungs and banged on the water jug. it was some good times :) But MAN am i sore! and i thougt biking to millenium park that one time was bad-at least my bike seat isn't 4 ft wide!! Oh Camels... So yea. I decided that if Napolean Dynamite was an animal, he would most definately be a camel :) they are REALLY awkward haha
Today i went to work and had no translator, which was kind of intimidating. I have the craziest kids from all the 3 schools. The boys literally beat each other up. they choke and punch and when i try to break them up, they kick each other. Someone is always crying. and they steal food and chalk from the little ones. it can be so hard to love these kids. on the other hand, what else do they know? Old men randomly come in the school sometimes when it's really wild and they start hitting the children with sticks these whip-like reeds and shouting. What can i do? I wish i knew their language. I would like to teach them about kindness and giving; things they don't teach in the schools at all. Also i got permission to buy a plant for the class. i'm trying to decide what kind. The older kids are going to be responsible for watering it. They need to learn about the earth-about caring for things. A huge problem that would fix a lot in the slums is the garbage issue. no one will pick up their garbage because they are untouchables, so they have no garbage bins. that's why they live near fields-so they can fill the fields with all their garbage. it's horrible. We have to educate the kids on staying healthy, but how can they when they live in pure refuse?
Tomorrow we're taking the older ones to the zoo (they pronounce it the "jew" haha) which i'm looking forward to a lot :)
Some of the other volunteers working for women's empowerment went to a hospital and saw some pretty interesting things. the birthing room consisted of a bunch of tables which the women all lay on, and there's a slide that goes down into a bucket. no curtains or even light. there was 1 doctor to 6 women in labor. crazy huh? no wonder most women want to stay at home, even though often times that means even more unsanitary conditions that kill the baby, the mother, or both. They met a girl who's 15 and 6 months prego. and she already has another child! and her husband beats her...she had a huge knife wound scar. In Pushkar we saw a few women who were victims of bride burning. that's the worst. i don't think i've ever seen anything more haunting in my entire life. those are the kinds of things you don't even take pictures of...the women were laying silently in the middle of the road wrapped in bandages and covered in black viels. Most had small babies at their sides. An exposed leg of one woman showed deep red burn scars. It's just horrific.
The woman who takes care of us, Fatima, is a middle aged Muslim woman. She was married at 16 by an arranged marriage, but the man quickly divorced her, saying she was too ugly. She's not allowed to remarry. Women. I want to do something about all this. How do you stop things like bride burning? What does it take to sustain a place like the slums, and make it thrive? I think about these questions over and over. I think the slum needs a community garden. They need to learn that society is there to contribute to and take part in, not to take from with the assumption that everyone you take from will take from someone else. That will keep everyone from drowning, but it won't ever get them to shore. hmm...
I saw a cockroach the size of an escalade in our bathroom...yummy.
better get going though...this is so long! I have a cold that's not too fun. i think it's from all the dust and pollution here. Please pray for healing :) Love you all! keep me up to date on your lives

by the way, i was able to add lots of pictures from India onto my flickr. if you want to see some snapshots from my adventures so far, check out www.flickr.com/cassieruso. it's a lot easier than putting them on here :) sorry!

God Bless You all and Peace be with you. I pray that you all can abide in the love of Christ,
Cassie