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| Durga defeating her mortal enemy... a muscular Jimmy Hendrix |
It's a thing to go pandle hoping with people which just means you go around the city and look at the different pandles people have built. It was so fun and one night we even took a bog group and went pandle hoping from 4am-6am... after having a breakfast for dinner at my apartment of course. Anyway, Durga Puja was lovely, but I am kinda glad all of the craziness and traffic will now be over.
Volunteer work is going really, really well. At Daya Dan, I am becoming really attached to some of the boys. Binoy, the one I teach 2 hours a day, is really really hard to manage. He will rarely do as he is told by volunteers and never hesitates to run off or mess with things he shouldn't. However, a magical, magical thing is happening. He listens to auntie Morgan when she tells him what to do. Even beyond that... the days I miss (either because I'm sick or just worn out from working so much) he apparently asks for me. Remember when I said Sister Ann Rita, the nun in charge, told me someone else would work with Binoy? Well on Monday I actually taught another boy instead of Binoy and I heard him in the other room say, "No, I want auntie Morgan! Where is auntie Morgan?" My whole family is in education, but I myself have never been cut out for teaching. However, I understand now how teachers get really attached to their students. Even though I'll still see him every day, it's going to be really hard whenever I'm not his main teacher anymore.
As for New Light, I am still giving basic guitar lessons and then tutoring. With all the Puja stuff going on, New Light has been closed for awhile and only the little babies have been there constantly. One day though, I did get to go with some around to the pandles which was basically adorable. I think at this point, I'm getting to know the kids so well that I'm really understanding how bad some parts of their lives can be. It's one thing to read about New Light in Half the Sky and think "Oh yea, their mothers are prostitutes. It's another things entirely to have a relationship with these children, then meet their mothers, but also know stories about what has happened to both the mothers and their children. It's strange to think, but I am friends with some prostitutes. Also, it shouldn't surprise me, but even some of the little ones understand what their mothers do for a living. Like actually understands it. I have no idea how I would deal with that as a child. From these little kiddos, I'm learning about what it means to be brave. I'm learning a lot about myself too. Here, I think I'm becoming more of the me that I want to be. There are so many individuals here that are beautiful inside and out.... most of them are children. I want to be more like them.
On Monday I leave for Delhi to see my daddy!!!!!! I can't wait to see him and to have a break from my hectic schedule. After that, it's Udaipur for a week to do my water treatment project (Which I'll be keeping up with on my other blog found in the side bar) and then Mumbai for a short weekend! Overall, I'm having a pretty great time here. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers! Also, go look click on my Instagram link in the sidebar to see more Durga Puja pictures!
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| I made Binoy glasses one day becuase he refused to wear his own |
Volunteer work is going really, really well. At Daya Dan, I am becoming really attached to some of the boys. Binoy, the one I teach 2 hours a day, is really really hard to manage. He will rarely do as he is told by volunteers and never hesitates to run off or mess with things he shouldn't. However, a magical, magical thing is happening. He listens to auntie Morgan when she tells him what to do. Even beyond that... the days I miss (either because I'm sick or just worn out from working so much) he apparently asks for me. Remember when I said Sister Ann Rita, the nun in charge, told me someone else would work with Binoy? Well on Monday I actually taught another boy instead of Binoy and I heard him in the other room say, "No, I want auntie Morgan! Where is auntie Morgan?" My whole family is in education, but I myself have never been cut out for teaching. However, I understand now how teachers get really attached to their students. Even though I'll still see him every day, it's going to be really hard whenever I'm not his main teacher anymore.
As for New Light, I am still giving basic guitar lessons and then tutoring. With all the Puja stuff going on, New Light has been closed for awhile and only the little babies have been there constantly. One day though, I did get to go with some around to the pandles which was basically adorable. I think at this point, I'm getting to know the kids so well that I'm really understanding how bad some parts of their lives can be. It's one thing to read about New Light in Half the Sky and think "Oh yea, their mothers are prostitutes. It's another things entirely to have a relationship with these children, then meet their mothers, but also know stories about what has happened to both the mothers and their children. It's strange to think, but I am friends with some prostitutes. Also, it shouldn't surprise me, but even some of the little ones understand what their mothers do for a living. Like actually understands it. I have no idea how I would deal with that as a child. From these little kiddos, I'm learning about what it means to be brave. I'm learning a lot about myself too. Here, I think I'm becoming more of the me that I want to be. There are so many individuals here that are beautiful inside and out.... most of them are children. I want to be more like them.
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