When I change the water, I destroy all the mosquito egg sacks that have been laid overnight. I feel like I'm doing my small part to keep the mosquito population down. :-) While making the world a more beautiful place.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Urli
When I change the water, I destroy all the mosquito egg sacks that have been laid overnight. I feel like I'm doing my small part to keep the mosquito population down. :-) While making the world a more beautiful place.
Welcome
I was downtown at a large market called Russel Market. I bought some fruit and vegetables but then I came across the flower vendors. I bought both garlands (yellow & orange) for less than $2.00 US. I thought they'd be a nice way to say Welcome, at least for a couple days.
Where we spend our evenings after the mosquito spraying.
Our home :-)
Annika's friends
Annika's friends Rachel (U.K.) and Junga (Korea)
Ozone is such an amazing place to live. Of course, it is nothing like living in India except the power outages - it's more like living in a resort. It is gated so the kids can't wander off and outsiders are not allowed in. There is barely any traffic except for bicycles, scooters and pedestrians, so the streets are safe for children. There are large open green spaces throughout the complex so there are lots of places to play.
And, of course, kids like to play at each other's houses...
Monday, September 29, 2008
Nature indoors :-)
When I came home one afternoon I went to get something out of the fridge. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a pile of dirt in my laundry room (where the fridge is). I thought that was odd because I had done a thorough cleaning the day before and it was not there that morning. On closer examination, I realized it was ants eating a cockroach.
Annika screaming in the background is unrelated to the cockroach.
The flickering you see is a candle I lit to add light for a better shot. :-)
This is my nightly kitchen companion. He likes to stay in the doorway of my laundry room. I look for him nightly just to say hello. But I have been missing him lately. Ozone recently sprayed for ants/insects and since then I haven't seen any of my gecko friends except the small one that lives in A&A's room. It's been a few days... very sad.
My Urli
An Urli is a traditional cooking pot made from cast bronze. In Southern India they have been used for centuries for floating flowers or as shallow planters to decorate courtyards, patios and temples.
Most of the Urlis I have found start at Rps. 4,000/ ($100) and can go into the thousands of dollars, mine is a regular stainless steel cooking pot I bought for Rps. 200/ ($4.75).
All of the flowers here at Ozone make it easy to decorate. I keep it right outside our front door to say "Welcome."
I love it. :-)
Jennifer
This is Jennifer.
Isn't she darling?
She is 17 years old, super sweet, and her English gets better with our comfort level. There are times when we don't understand each other but then we just keep describing what we need in different ways until we get it.
She eats breakfast and lunch at our house. She makes her own food and eats it sitting on the kitchen floor. This house comes with a servant's quarters (more like a double sized closet with an outside entry on the side of the house) and a servant's bathroom (for the maid and driver to use). Right now the quarters are full of tile that is being placed on the side of the house but once it's empty I will put a comfortable chair, table and colorful carpet in there so Jennifer can take her breaks comfortably and in her own space (away from her job).
She might spend the night on occasions when we want her to babysit. She said she likes the idea but I think my kids will steamroll right over her. She's much too nice. But maybe she can kick down when she needs to. She has worked as a housekeeper/nanny before - but the A&A are a special case. :-) (I wouldn't babysit them. Hahahahaha)
Our first encounter with a bully
There was a big party at Ozone Saturday night, very festive, held in the big park in the center of the community.
During the evening, Erik came upon Auggie standing in the middle of the street crying. Erik asked what happened and August told him a boy, "Tony" kicked him, punched him, and scratched him.
Erik went up to Tony's father to get his side of the story. Tony said when he came upon Auggie, Auggie was already in the middle of the street crying. He had done nothing.
Erik asked Auggie more questions about the incident and August's version never waivered.
Tony's father said his son is a very mild mannered boy and would never do anything like that.
For the rest of the evening August kept saying how he didn't want to see Tony and how Tony had hurt him.
Then a friend of ours, who is 9, said Tony is in her class and he's a horrible bully.
Poor Auggie.
During the evening, Erik came upon Auggie standing in the middle of the street crying. Erik asked what happened and August told him a boy, "Tony" kicked him, punched him, and scratched him.
Erik went up to Tony's father to get his side of the story. Tony said when he came upon Auggie, Auggie was already in the middle of the street crying. He had done nothing.
Erik asked Auggie more questions about the incident and August's version never waivered.
Tony's father said his son is a very mild mannered boy and would never do anything like that.
For the rest of the evening August kept saying how he didn't want to see Tony and how Tony had hurt him.
Then a friend of ours, who is 9, said Tony is in her class and he's a horrible bully.
Poor Auggie.
Watched a crow disembowel a rat
It was like watching a car accident and I just couldn't look away.
I saw the act from beginning to end. The crow was taught well and performed like a precise surgeon.
Amazing...
I saw the act from beginning to end. The crow was taught well and performed like a precise surgeon.
Amazing...
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
More proof we're living in India
For my own info, wanted to know what a Rat Snake looks like
This morning Erik had to wake up early for an early morning conference call. When his alarm when off he asked me to go downstairs and make him a cup of coffee. My alarm wasn't going off for another 45 minutes so I tried to stay in my sleep mode as I did it. I went into the kitchen and didn't turn on the light, as a result, a lizzard crawled across my counter top as I was waiting for the coffee to heat.
Then, at the bus stop this morning, my neighbor is telling me and some other women about her experience with a large snake in her house yesterday! She came home and saw that some items in her house were knocked to the floor, so she figured she had "another" animal in the house. She went outside and called a neighbor friend of hers from South Africa to come help her find it. They went into the house expecting a chipmunk or a crow and the South African friend found a large snake! She calmly closed the door to the room where she found it and they called the property manager for this development. The response was immediate and the snake was taken away.
It was only a "harmless" rat snake, but apparently it was quite large, and if it can eat a rat then I'm sure it could bite a person.
There was more talk of scorpions too but I had to get home.
"Good Morning Auntie"
I was back at the convent school today. It was very nice to walk in this morning and see bright smiling faces that I recognized. A few girls had new haircuts and I was quick to pick them out which sent most of them into a bashful blush. All of my "Good Morning Auntie"s were much more heartfelt as people recognized me, it had been 6 days...
For the first half hour of the morning the Sisters had me help sew some aprons. They asked me if I knew how to sew and use a sewing machine. I said yes but that I was out of practice because it has been many years since I've used one. A Sister took me upstairs and showed me the OLDEST manual sewing machine I've ever seen. You have to rock a pedal with your food to make it go. But the rocking motion is the same for both forward and backward stitching and for some reason I kept sending it into reverse. By the time I got the hang of it the 9:30a school bell rang and I was sent downstairs.
But I suppose in a place with constant power outages, a manual sewing machine makes the most sense (not to mention the cost).
I helped an autistic boy with the morning exercises. He thought it was funny so he laughed the whole time (the Sisters weren't happy with his laughter).
Then I helped in the classroom. I listened to two girls read. At first a Sister gave me the morning's newspaper so the students could read the big headlines to me. As we read I felt the headlines were terribly inappropriate; Suspects held in Pakistani bombing, 4 die in Temple stampede, local terror bombings, bombing suspects, Christians being terrorized, etc., etc., etc. So we got out a workbook with sentences that were much more friendly.
But here's the thing that has haunted me all day... one of the girls I was working with told me her parents were coming today at 4:00p. She was very happy. She said she misses her mother. "Mommy coming, mommy coming" Then as I'd work with the other girl, this first girl would start crying because she couldn't wait for her parents to come. So then she said to me, "Are you coming to my house?" And I said no because I had to pick up my children after school. So she said, "Good, because if you do my Daddy will beat me." And I was stunned and speechless. Then she asked if I will be at school when her parents come, I said no because I have to leave at 3:00p when school is over. She said "Good, because if you talk to me my Daddy will beat me." Wow.
Now you're probably wondering what I did with this information.
I did nothing.
But I've also witnessed how Nuns get their reputation for being strict discipilinarians. The Nuns definitely use tough love with these kids. So I didn't think reporting what I had heard to the Sisters would make the impact it would back in the US.
At recess the same girl had me sit with her while she sang me a song. When she was done she said it was "Daddy's song".
At recess I also played catch with several girls. One girl is both physicall and mentally disabled and has poor motor skills but we were able to play a game of catch. When I'd throw the frisbee softly right at her stomach she could usually catch it. She was THRILLED and I'm under the impression people don't play catch with her. She can't talk, she drools, and apparently when she likes someone she really likes them because she became very territorial about me. I tried to bring other friends into our game of catch and she got very upset. And words like "share" "gentle" and "no grabbing" have no impact for so many reasons.
After PE was lunch. I fed an autistic boy who can't hold a spoon or feed himself. The Sisters had me hold his spoon in his hand and make the motions like he's feeding himself. When the Sisters feed the kids who can't feed themselves I'm surprised the kids don't choke 'cause the Sisters are all about business. I, on the other hand, wanted to make sure the first bite was swallowed before he put another bite in. Silly me.
After lunch was nap time and I oversaw the same nap room I did last time. Same naughty girls being naughty while the nappers napped. But there is one little Angel, probably 4 years old, who slept with a smile on her face the whole time. Bless her little heart. I could have watched her sleep for hours.
After nap it was dance rehearsal time. A Sister told me they are rehearsing a dance number for the Parent's Program. I said that was exciting, and asked "When will the Parent's Program be, October?" No, MARCH!! They're starting now because it takes so long for them to learn the steps. Wow.
After dance rehearsals it was 3:00p and parents, rickshaws and motorcycles started arriving to take people home or to the other orphanage.
I got a lot of "Thank you Auntie" and "Bye Auntie" as we all said good-bye.
I will be back next Wednesday since my kids have a program at their school this Friday.
The convent school will be on break next week but they told me I can come and do things with the girls who board.
For the first half hour of the morning the Sisters had me help sew some aprons. They asked me if I knew how to sew and use a sewing machine. I said yes but that I was out of practice because it has been many years since I've used one. A Sister took me upstairs and showed me the OLDEST manual sewing machine I've ever seen. You have to rock a pedal with your food to make it go. But the rocking motion is the same for both forward and backward stitching and for some reason I kept sending it into reverse. By the time I got the hang of it the 9:30a school bell rang and I was sent downstairs.
But I suppose in a place with constant power outages, a manual sewing machine makes the most sense (not to mention the cost).
I helped an autistic boy with the morning exercises. He thought it was funny so he laughed the whole time (the Sisters weren't happy with his laughter).
Then I helped in the classroom. I listened to two girls read. At first a Sister gave me the morning's newspaper so the students could read the big headlines to me. As we read I felt the headlines were terribly inappropriate; Suspects held in Pakistani bombing, 4 die in Temple stampede, local terror bombings, bombing suspects, Christians being terrorized, etc., etc., etc. So we got out a workbook with sentences that were much more friendly.
But here's the thing that has haunted me all day... one of the girls I was working with told me her parents were coming today at 4:00p. She was very happy. She said she misses her mother. "Mommy coming, mommy coming" Then as I'd work with the other girl, this first girl would start crying because she couldn't wait for her parents to come. So then she said to me, "Are you coming to my house?" And I said no because I had to pick up my children after school. So she said, "Good, because if you do my Daddy will beat me." And I was stunned and speechless. Then she asked if I will be at school when her parents come, I said no because I have to leave at 3:00p when school is over. She said "Good, because if you talk to me my Daddy will beat me." Wow.
Now you're probably wondering what I did with this information.
I did nothing.
But I've also witnessed how Nuns get their reputation for being strict discipilinarians. The Nuns definitely use tough love with these kids. So I didn't think reporting what I had heard to the Sisters would make the impact it would back in the US.
At recess the same girl had me sit with her while she sang me a song. When she was done she said it was "Daddy's song".
At recess I also played catch with several girls. One girl is both physicall and mentally disabled and has poor motor skills but we were able to play a game of catch. When I'd throw the frisbee softly right at her stomach she could usually catch it. She was THRILLED and I'm under the impression people don't play catch with her. She can't talk, she drools, and apparently when she likes someone she really likes them because she became very territorial about me. I tried to bring other friends into our game of catch and she got very upset. And words like "share" "gentle" and "no grabbing" have no impact for so many reasons.
After PE was lunch. I fed an autistic boy who can't hold a spoon or feed himself. The Sisters had me hold his spoon in his hand and make the motions like he's feeding himself. When the Sisters feed the kids who can't feed themselves I'm surprised the kids don't choke 'cause the Sisters are all about business. I, on the other hand, wanted to make sure the first bite was swallowed before he put another bite in. Silly me.
After lunch was nap time and I oversaw the same nap room I did last time. Same naughty girls being naughty while the nappers napped. But there is one little Angel, probably 4 years old, who slept with a smile on her face the whole time. Bless her little heart. I could have watched her sleep for hours.
After nap it was dance rehearsal time. A Sister told me they are rehearsing a dance number for the Parent's Program. I said that was exciting, and asked "When will the Parent's Program be, October?" No, MARCH!! They're starting now because it takes so long for them to learn the steps. Wow.
After dance rehearsals it was 3:00p and parents, rickshaws and motorcycles started arriving to take people home or to the other orphanage.
I got a lot of "Thank you Auntie" and "Bye Auntie" as we all said good-bye.
I will be back next Wednesday since my kids have a program at their school this Friday.
The convent school will be on break next week but they told me I can come and do things with the girls who board.
Rode my bike in traffic!
I rode my bike to and from the convent today.
Wow.
It's sensory overload...
Not only are you looking out for potholes (serious potholes) and speedbumps (the word speedbump does not do Indian speedbumps justice), you also have to watch out for:
cars who don't stay in their lanes (what lanes?),
rickshaws (or rather, Rickshaw drivers),
motorcycles,
huge trucks,
ox carts,
buses that stop at imaginary bus stops,
other cyclists,
pedestrians,
stray dogs,
no cows but cow pies,
all while trying to avoid inhaling huge clouds of black exhaust.
But it was fun. :-)
When I got on my bike to ride home, the sisters crowded around me. They thought my helmet was so unusual (pictured above), they thought my bike was so unusual (an old hand-me-down Trek from Becky Knape), the mountain bike tires were so curious, and best of all, the water bottle cage was pure genius.
...I was quite the attraction for a good 10 minutes.
Wow.
It's sensory overload...
Not only are you looking out for potholes (serious potholes) and speedbumps (the word speedbump does not do Indian speedbumps justice), you also have to watch out for:
cars who don't stay in their lanes (what lanes?),
rickshaws (or rather, Rickshaw drivers),
motorcycles,
huge trucks,
ox carts,
buses that stop at imaginary bus stops,
other cyclists,
pedestrians,
stray dogs,
no cows but cow pies,
all while trying to avoid inhaling huge clouds of black exhaust.
But it was fun. :-)
When I got on my bike to ride home, the sisters crowded around me. They thought my helmet was so unusual (pictured above), they thought my bike was so unusual (an old hand-me-down Trek from Becky Knape), the mountain bike tires were so curious, and best of all, the water bottle cage was pure genius.
...I was quite the attraction for a good 10 minutes.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Dad & Kate are at Oktoberfest
Dad and Kate went to Europe with his cousins Craig and Nina. They flew into Prague and eventually made their way to Munich to spend some time with German cousins and enjoy some beer.
Did you know that at Oktoberfest beer only comes in one size - large (1 liter)? Wow.
I wonder what the port-a-potty situation is like...
They expect 6 million people to visit the tents over the next two weeks.
Badminton
Just got home from playing Badminton with my friend Usha. The Badminton court was booked so we played using the volleyball net in the park. Playing Badminton under palm trees on a slightly breezy morning in India... ain't nothin' wrong with that.
We're going to make it a regular Tuesday morning rally. :-)
Don't send us packages
Hello Friends -
We appreciate the kind thoughts behind sending us care packages but a friendly e-mail will do just fine.
When a package arrives to our mail forwarding company they send me an e-mail with the different rates for getting it from New Jersey to Bangalore. If I want something trackable (forget insured...) the shipping starts around $70. I've approved two packages to be forwarded to us using regular air-post and neither package has arrived. And there's nothing we can do.
So unless you want to FedEx or DHL something directly to us (hahahaha, that's a joke, don't even think about it) then a friendly e-mail and some photos will do just as well.
Thank you!
- The Vignaus
Kidnappers seize group of foreign tourists in Egypt
CAIRO (Reuters) - Kidnappers in Egypt have seized 15 hostages including German, Italian and Romanian tourists near the Sudanese border and talks are under way over ransom demands, Egyptian officials said on Monday.
The kidnapping was the first of foreign tourists in Egypt in living memory, although Islamic militants have hit the country's tourist industry in recent decades through bomb and shooting attacks that have killed hundreds.
Read more, click here
Luckily Linda and family are in Alexandria, but it's a little close for comfort
The kidnapping was the first of foreign tourists in Egypt in living memory, although Islamic militants have hit the country's tourist industry in recent decades through bomb and shooting attacks that have killed hundreds.
Read more, click here
Luckily Linda and family are in Alexandria, but it's a little close for comfort
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Jennifer is back today!
Our maid, Jennifer, is back to work today. it's been over a week since she got an illness similar to Annika's and has been off work ever since. Jennifer got so dehydrated she had to be put on IV.
Today she is all smiles and happy to be back.
We're happy to have her. :-)
She's in the next room ironing shirts. She brought a small radio with ear plug to listen to and I can hear her humming... it's cute.
Today she is all smiles and happy to be back.
We're happy to have her. :-)
She's in the next room ironing shirts. She brought a small radio with ear plug to listen to and I can hear her humming... it's cute.
Annika is sick :-(
Annika has been sick since Saturday morning. She crawled in our bed early Saturday complaining of a stomach ache - that developed in to full blown intestinal distress and fever.
Sunday morning she wasn't much better so Erik called a doctor and he came to the house about an hour later. He asked Annika a bunch of questions, which she answered quite maturely, and he gave us some medication and instructions.
She seemed better until about 4:00pm. We were working on her homework and Erik came home and she suddenly got really whiny. I thought it was a ploy to get out of doing homework + getting Dad's attention but then her fever went through the roof. She went down for a nap and slept off and on the rest of the evening.
She slept through the night except for a couple trips to the toilet and slept in this morning until 10:00am. If you know Annika, she is not a napper and she does not sleep in, so her body is working hard.
She is home from school today. She woke up asking if August got to the school bus OK. She's chipper and on the couch watching a movie. Hopefully this afternoon won't be like yesterday.
Sunday morning she wasn't much better so Erik called a doctor and he came to the house about an hour later. He asked Annika a bunch of questions, which she answered quite maturely, and he gave us some medication and instructions.
She seemed better until about 4:00pm. We were working on her homework and Erik came home and she suddenly got really whiny. I thought it was a ploy to get out of doing homework + getting Dad's attention but then her fever went through the roof. She went down for a nap and slept off and on the rest of the evening.
She slept through the night except for a couple trips to the toilet and slept in this morning until 10:00am. If you know Annika, she is not a napper and she does not sleep in, so her body is working hard.
She is home from school today. She woke up asking if August got to the school bus OK. She's chipper and on the couch watching a movie. Hopefully this afternoon won't be like yesterday.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Dan's here
Dan from his previous stay in India
Well, as warned, Dan arrived in India yesterday. He came over for dinner along with Jenne, John and Robin. I felt like he was a long lost friend after all the stories/adventures Erik told me while they were running loose around Bangalore.
It's Friday night and Erik is out. I'm about to go to bed. And since we have Gopi he has a built-in designated driver so everyone will be safe...
Goodnight
Nobody said anything about Scorpions...
They are cleaning the palm trees all around Prestige Ozone now. I guess once the fruit gets heavy they could cause serious injury if they should fall on residents big or small. So the maintenance people are cutting down the coconuts and cutting away old, brown, palm leaves.
Well, apparently scorpions live in palm trees so there has been an increase in people finding them in their homes!!! Luckily we all wear sandals or we'd have to make sure to check our shoes carefully before putting them on.
I was talking to one lady from England who has had three in her home and she has a 4 yr. old boy! She managed to crush them with a shoe and no one was hurt but since my discussion with her more people have told me their scorpion stories and recommendations for exterminators.
Wow... I guess we're really living in India.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
What a day...
I just got home from my first day volunteering at the charity. It is at a convent and what I thought I was getting in to and what is reality are two totally different things.
I was told the convent was a group of Italian Nuns who do physiotherapy on disabled orphans. So I was expecting a clinic type setting where children would be getting physical therapy and I would help any way I could... cleaning bathrooms, chopping vegetables, laundry, whatever...
When I walked in I was introduced to a couple of nuns who brought me into their school. A few students came to greet me and they all had mental disabilities. The students and nuns took me around to show me where the live-in students live, then they took me to the school to show me the classrooms and dining area (that doubles as a classroom and art area). Then they took me outside to greet the non live-in students as they drove up.
This is a school of 48 mentally disabled people (because not all are children) with about a third having a physical disability as well - in wheelchairs or walkers. Some are live-in, some are orphans who "belong to the school" (their words), some are orphans from a nearby orphanage who attend school, and some are day students whose families drop them off.
They come by family car, rickshaw and motorcycle. One girl, who is autistic and is pushed around by wheelchair, arrived by motorcycle!! I was a bit shocked and asked a Sister and she told me that the girl is able to hold on tight enough so she comes by motorcycle with her father, then the school has a wheelchair waiting for her.
Everyone called me "Auntie". As they met me they said "Good morning Auntie, what is your name?" and they continued to call me Auntie. A lot of them thought it was funny that my name is Helen because the convent has a Sister Helen and that was just too hilarious for many of them.
Here's what my day consisted of:
When 9:30a struck the kids sang a song (school song? Indian national anthem? I have no idea) then did some exercises (only a handful could actually do it, for others it was an exercise in following the schedule). Then the kids lined up and walked, scooted or rolled back into the school.
The Sisters asked me what I would like to do. I said I'd do anything they need me to. They asked me to work with the older kids in their classroom. I went to the classroom and sat at a table with some older girls and helped them write a cursive "a". They would try and try and every time they'd make a mistake they'd open their pencil boxes, get out their erasers, erase their mistake, put the eraser away, close the pencil box, push the pencil box up, and try it again. Usually followed by another mistake and the same routine with the eraser. Eventually they'd get one right and I'd clap and say "Good job!" which would make them blush or smile at me with the biggest grin. Totally sweet. The Sisters were moving about the room trying to help everyone. They are very kind but stretched very thin so their bedside manner was not as touchy-feely as mine. (Plus, it was only my first day... they live there 24/7)
Then they asked me to listen to one girl as she read. She read a workbook to me about loving Jesus and remembering to say "Thank You" and "Sorry". I was very impressed with her reading - I mean, here she is mentally disabled and she knows more of a second language than I DO!!! But later in the day I saw a poster with every one's picture and birth date and saw that this particular girl is only 6 months younger than me. Wow. Makes you grateful...
After class everyone went out on the playground. By this time more kids were getting comfortable with me and would come up and hold my hand and not let go. They would say "Auntie" and then point to something, like a tree, or a butterfly, or nothing at all. I walked around with a couple girls like that. Then I made my way to the more active area of the playground and played ball with a little girl with downsyndrome. Another little darling girl, probably about 5 yrs old, tugged on my shirt. I squatted down to be at her level and she just looked at me. She put her hand out, so I put my hand out, she put her hand in mine and just looked at me with empty eyes. A Sister came up to me afterward and said "She has no mother so her father left her, she does not speak." Dude... and the precious little girl obviously has a broken nose. So is it the accident that broke her nose what caused her disability or was it her disability that caused her to break her nose? Or something else that I'd rather not think about. The Sisters told me about other children on the playground as well, they pointed out who were from the nearby orphanage, who lives at the school, one orphan was abandoned near the convent around the age of 4 with a drainage tube sticking out of the back of her head. They introduced me to a little boy who they said has a very good brain but cannot speak, walk or control his body - I'm guessing CP.
The snack on the playground was hard guavas from the Convent's tree. They were very hard, very sour, and left a furry feeling on my teeth. I took a few bites to try but then one little girl saw it in my hand and wanted it so I gladly gave it away.
After playtime was lunch time. Today was one girl's birthday so she was wearing a salwar kamis instead of the school uniform. Her Dad came with a HUGE pot of chicken briyani for the whole school and he stayed and ate with her. Chicken briyani in India comes complete with bones so as I helped hand out the plates to the different children we had to take our hand and scrape the chicken meat off the bones. The sisters wanted me to sit and eat but I wanted to help, so after helping to hand out the plates I spoon fed some of the children who could not feed themselves. The little girl I helped was too excited to eat because I was helping her. I'd say "open" and open my mouth too and make sounds like Mmmm Mmmm and that made her crack up and pound her hand on the table so she couldn't eat. (I managed to get some food into her though.)
After lunch they put me in charge of the nap room. The smaller kids came into a classroom, sat at school desks, took a hand towel out of the desk, rolled it onto the top of the desk, then crossed their arms and put their heads down. Little angels who sleep sitting up. I thought of Auggie and all the classrooms he's been in and the cozy places where he takes a nap with a full sized blanket from home. These girls were obviously used to it and the smaller ones went right to sleep. The other ones, on the other hand, were very naughty. A room of about 12 mentally disabled kids trying to keep them quiet and still... nearly impossible. We did this for about an hour.
After nap we all got together in the dining area where "Auntie" was going to do some songs with the children. Well, that was news to me, so we did "One little finger" "Old MacDonald" "Twinkle Twinkle" "Ba Ba Black Sheep" and then the children ran with it and started singing song I had never heard before. It was all singing and laughing for those who are able to engage.
At 2:45p some parents started showing up to take their kids home. The first was a mother of the youngest downsyndrome girl. The mother lit up when she saw her daughter. It was very nice to see. Then other parents or rickshaw drivers showed up to take those away who needed to leave.
I got a lot of "Goodbye Auntie" and "Thank You Auntie". It was all very sweet. Then the girls who live at the Convent went back to their area of the school, I said goodbye to the Sisters and said I would be back on Friday. They said they do yoga on Fridays. Hahahaha, I've been looking for yoga...
I was told the convent was a group of Italian Nuns who do physiotherapy on disabled orphans. So I was expecting a clinic type setting where children would be getting physical therapy and I would help any way I could... cleaning bathrooms, chopping vegetables, laundry, whatever...
When I walked in I was introduced to a couple of nuns who brought me into their school. A few students came to greet me and they all had mental disabilities. The students and nuns took me around to show me where the live-in students live, then they took me to the school to show me the classrooms and dining area (that doubles as a classroom and art area). Then they took me outside to greet the non live-in students as they drove up.
This is a school of 48 mentally disabled people (because not all are children) with about a third having a physical disability as well - in wheelchairs or walkers. Some are live-in, some are orphans who "belong to the school" (their words), some are orphans from a nearby orphanage who attend school, and some are day students whose families drop them off.
They come by family car, rickshaw and motorcycle. One girl, who is autistic and is pushed around by wheelchair, arrived by motorcycle!! I was a bit shocked and asked a Sister and she told me that the girl is able to hold on tight enough so she comes by motorcycle with her father, then the school has a wheelchair waiting for her.
Everyone called me "Auntie". As they met me they said "Good morning Auntie, what is your name?" and they continued to call me Auntie. A lot of them thought it was funny that my name is Helen because the convent has a Sister Helen and that was just too hilarious for many of them.
Here's what my day consisted of:
When 9:30a struck the kids sang a song (school song? Indian national anthem? I have no idea) then did some exercises (only a handful could actually do it, for others it was an exercise in following the schedule). Then the kids lined up and walked, scooted or rolled back into the school.
The Sisters asked me what I would like to do. I said I'd do anything they need me to. They asked me to work with the older kids in their classroom. I went to the classroom and sat at a table with some older girls and helped them write a cursive "a". They would try and try and every time they'd make a mistake they'd open their pencil boxes, get out their erasers, erase their mistake, put the eraser away, close the pencil box, push the pencil box up, and try it again. Usually followed by another mistake and the same routine with the eraser. Eventually they'd get one right and I'd clap and say "Good job!" which would make them blush or smile at me with the biggest grin. Totally sweet. The Sisters were moving about the room trying to help everyone. They are very kind but stretched very thin so their bedside manner was not as touchy-feely as mine. (Plus, it was only my first day... they live there 24/7)
Then they asked me to listen to one girl as she read. She read a workbook to me about loving Jesus and remembering to say "Thank You" and "Sorry". I was very impressed with her reading - I mean, here she is mentally disabled and she knows more of a second language than I DO!!! But later in the day I saw a poster with every one's picture and birth date and saw that this particular girl is only 6 months younger than me. Wow. Makes you grateful...
After class everyone went out on the playground. By this time more kids were getting comfortable with me and would come up and hold my hand and not let go. They would say "Auntie" and then point to something, like a tree, or a butterfly, or nothing at all. I walked around with a couple girls like that. Then I made my way to the more active area of the playground and played ball with a little girl with downsyndrome. Another little darling girl, probably about 5 yrs old, tugged on my shirt. I squatted down to be at her level and she just looked at me. She put her hand out, so I put my hand out, she put her hand in mine and just looked at me with empty eyes. A Sister came up to me afterward and said "She has no mother so her father left her, she does not speak." Dude... and the precious little girl obviously has a broken nose. So is it the accident that broke her nose what caused her disability or was it her disability that caused her to break her nose? Or something else that I'd rather not think about. The Sisters told me about other children on the playground as well, they pointed out who were from the nearby orphanage, who lives at the school, one orphan was abandoned near the convent around the age of 4 with a drainage tube sticking out of the back of her head. They introduced me to a little boy who they said has a very good brain but cannot speak, walk or control his body - I'm guessing CP.
The snack on the playground was hard guavas from the Convent's tree. They were very hard, very sour, and left a furry feeling on my teeth. I took a few bites to try but then one little girl saw it in my hand and wanted it so I gladly gave it away.
After playtime was lunch time. Today was one girl's birthday so she was wearing a salwar kamis instead of the school uniform. Her Dad came with a HUGE pot of chicken briyani for the whole school and he stayed and ate with her. Chicken briyani in India comes complete with bones so as I helped hand out the plates to the different children we had to take our hand and scrape the chicken meat off the bones. The sisters wanted me to sit and eat but I wanted to help, so after helping to hand out the plates I spoon fed some of the children who could not feed themselves. The little girl I helped was too excited to eat because I was helping her. I'd say "open" and open my mouth too and make sounds like Mmmm Mmmm and that made her crack up and pound her hand on the table so she couldn't eat. (I managed to get some food into her though.)
After lunch they put me in charge of the nap room. The smaller kids came into a classroom, sat at school desks, took a hand towel out of the desk, rolled it onto the top of the desk, then crossed their arms and put their heads down. Little angels who sleep sitting up. I thought of Auggie and all the classrooms he's been in and the cozy places where he takes a nap with a full sized blanket from home. These girls were obviously used to it and the smaller ones went right to sleep. The other ones, on the other hand, were very naughty. A room of about 12 mentally disabled kids trying to keep them quiet and still... nearly impossible. We did this for about an hour.
After nap we all got together in the dining area where "Auntie" was going to do some songs with the children. Well, that was news to me, so we did "One little finger" "Old MacDonald" "Twinkle Twinkle" "Ba Ba Black Sheep" and then the children ran with it and started singing song I had never heard before. It was all singing and laughing for those who are able to engage.
At 2:45p some parents started showing up to take their kids home. The first was a mother of the youngest downsyndrome girl. The mother lit up when she saw her daughter. It was very nice to see. Then other parents or rickshaw drivers showed up to take those away who needed to leave.
I got a lot of "Goodbye Auntie" and "Thank You Auntie". It was all very sweet. Then the girls who live at the Convent went back to their area of the school, I said goodbye to the Sisters and said I would be back on Friday. They said they do yoga on Fridays. Hahahaha, I've been looking for yoga...
It is NOT extravagant to have a maid in India
I got home from my day and my house is covered in a thin layer of dust AGAIN!
1) They vented my clothes dryer into the garage instead of out the window which required cutting a hole in a 6" concrete block wall - I am grateful for the change but now my laundry room AND kitchen are covered in dust.
2) They finished the patch job on the kids' bathroom ceiling - more sanding = more dust
3) Appartently some sanding/patchwork was done near the front door CAUSE I SEE A BIG PATCH OF DUST NEAR IT and smaller bits of dust everywhere else.
I swear...
I think I've got a handle on things, I start to think I can relax in my home, but right now I'm feeling overwhelmed.
My maid has been sick since Saturday and even though I had never had a maid before two weeks ago, I'm having trouble living without her. She probably won't return until Monday which means this is how I'm going to spend my Thursday and that sucks.
Thanks for listening. :-)
UPDATE: I just reread my posting and "dust" makes me wound like a whiner... it's more than mere dust, it's a fine white film...
1) They vented my clothes dryer into the garage instead of out the window which required cutting a hole in a 6" concrete block wall - I am grateful for the change but now my laundry room AND kitchen are covered in dust.
2) They finished the patch job on the kids' bathroom ceiling - more sanding = more dust
3) Appartently some sanding/patchwork was done near the front door CAUSE I SEE A BIG PATCH OF DUST NEAR IT and smaller bits of dust everywhere else.
I swear...
I think I've got a handle on things, I start to think I can relax in my home, but right now I'm feeling overwhelmed.
My maid has been sick since Saturday and even though I had never had a maid before two weeks ago, I'm having trouble living without her. She probably won't return until Monday which means this is how I'm going to spend my Thursday and that sucks.
Thanks for listening. :-)
UPDATE: I just reread my posting and "dust" makes me wound like a whiner... it's more than mere dust, it's a fine white film...
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Happy Birthday Miss Kaisa
Miss Kaisa turns 5 today!!
Hope you're enjoying Egypt and your new school!
We'll have some dahl and chapatis in your honor!
Love,
Helen, Erik, Annika & August
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Happy 21st Birthday Leah!!!
Can't believe it, after 21 years of waiting, you're finally 21.
Congratulations!
We hope it was a great day.
- Uncle Erik, Auntie Helen, Cousins Annika & August
Happy 4th Birthday Finn
Photos by Frank Keillor
Mr. Finnigan Snow had his 4th birthday this weekend.
Another P-Z event we missed but thanks to the internet we're able to share our photos & stories.
Congratulations to Mrs. & Mrs. P-Z!!
Erin and Tuala were legally married on August 3rd.
Big bummer we weren't able to be there but they know our hearts were with them.
August 3rd was the 10th Anniversary of their Commitment Ceremony which we did attend. :-)
Congratulations P-Z family!!
Jobs are very black & white
If you are hired as a carpenter, then dripping adhesive on the floor and leaving behind a dusty mess is none of your concern because you completed the job you were hired to do.
I spent yesterday on my hands and knees scouring my kitchen floor with an abrasive sponge trying to get the space livable again. I rubbed and rubbed to get dried adhesive up off the tile that looked like blotches of dirt and grime. I also got up the layer of dust at the same time. You can now be barefooted in my kitchen again.
Another example: A man came and fixed a hole in the ceiling of the kids' bathroom. Sure, he did his job, but the whole bathroom is covered in a thin white dust from the drywall sanding. There are chunks of plaster stuck to the walls, in the shower, and almost filling the soap dish. It will take a lot of scrubbing to fix his sloppiness - cleaning up was never a consideration, I don't believe containing the mess ever entered his mind.
What I'm trying to say is that work here is very black and white. You hire someone to do a job and they will do that job only (unless you specifically negotiate additional work).
Since the population is so large, I suppose you hire an unskilled worker to do the cleanup of a tradesman. I just couldn't imagine going into someones house and making a horrible mess and just walking away...
He's coming baaaaack...
Dan...
Erik's partner-in-crime during Erik's two months in India w/ out the family,
will be back in India in the next week!
I am afraid for my family.
Although, I do believe Dan senses my fear and has sent a message about being a good cook...
maybe it won't be so bad after all. :-)
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Ganesha's Birthday!
We had so much fun, hard to capture in a few picutres and captions, but you'll get the drift...
Kids each got to pick a statue of their own. Annika fell in love with hers and decided to keep it forever and ever. August liked the idea of throwing his in the lake at the end of the day. Annika's cost Rps. 15/ and Aug's cost Rps. 10/.
There were roadside stands of colorful statues everywhere.
Almost every neighborhood had their own display, some had them every block.
A HUGE amount of pride goes into the Ganesha shrines. These folks saw we were taking pictures and moved out of the way so we could get a better shot.
These boys came walking down the street beating their drum and spreading good cheer.
What happens if you leave a clay Ganesha out in Monsoon rain.
Ganesha factory
Our driver Gopi is the bomb. On Ganesha's birthday he took us on a tour of neighborhood Ganesha displays and to this amazing "factory" where some of the more ornate Ganeshas are made.
Because these statues are eventually disposed of in a lake, they are made of straw, burlap, and clay mud.
Then they are put outside to dry.
They are made to order, so you specify how you want your statue. Looks like they are made for events other than Ganesha also.
Because these statues are eventually disposed of in a lake, they are made of straw, burlap, and clay mud.
Then they are put outside to dry.
They are made to order, so you specify how you want your statue. Looks like they are made for events other than Ganesha also.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)