Day 1

Since I am a better blogger than journal writer (which tells you something about my journal), I decided to keep this separate from my other blog since I am going to try to write everyday. But certainly don't feel obligated to read everything.

Here is what I have done since I left Seattle:

-Drove three days by car

-Flew 15 hours by airplane

-Spent a terrifying 20 minutes in the backseat of an Indian taxi cab

-Rode three hours by bus

-And finally arrived at Rising Star

Here is what I haven't done:

-Taken a picture

I am so glad to finally be here! After we arrived and had orientation, we got to play with the school children who live in the same compound. We ate dinner of rice and sauce, using a banana leaf as a plate. We are assigned to help out in the different houses (as these children live apart from their leprosy-afflicted parents) so after dinner I and another volunteer spent the rest of the evening helping our house of about 20 girls with their homework and reading them bedtime stories. I was starting to feel the jet-lag and it showed. While the girl I was reading with took her turn, she suddenly turned to me with an accusatory cry, "You sleeping!" Yup!

I took my first bucket-shower tonight. It consists of a bucket and a smaller pail. You fill up your bucket with lukewarm water, then dip and pour. I have never wanted a hot shower _less_ in my life so it was actually quite refreshing. As expected it is awfully hot here. I am constantly wiping the sweat out of my face but the volunteer rooms are air conditioned which is a blessing. We also use the conventional Indian toilets squat which take a little getting used to.

The children are a joy and easy to love. They call us "auntie" or "uncle" which is very endearing. Before dinner tonight we had evening prayer (while Rising Star is nondenominational, they teach of God). The children sang many songs I did not know but they also sang "I Stand All Amazed" and I appreciated being able to sing along. Just before bedtime, I was talking with a girl and she asked me my name and when I told her, she grinned and said (what sounded like), "I am Kristen." I was surprised at that but when I said, "Oh, we have the same name!", she shook her head and said, "No- religion! I am Christian!"

Namaste, friends.