Republic Day!

Namaste Friends!

I am sorry that I have been updating my blog so sporadically, but life is pretty hectic at the orphanage.  Since I last wrote following Lorhi I have gotten into a pretty rigid routine and I love that the girls and staff are starting to allow me to help out more as they become more accustomed to having me around.  My days now start at 3:30 or 4:30am because I wake up to make breakfast.  The girls are back in school now and they need to eat by 7am so our day starts extremely early and we are all have asleep as we roll chapati's.  All my time in the kitchen is going to be beneficial when I get home and crave Indian food because I now know how to make almost all the dishes we eat daily and I have become quite skilled at rolling chapati's. 

Since the girls are back in school there is not much to do between 9am-1pm.  Dayana and I have been spending a couple of hours washing dishes or cutting vegetables for lunch, but during the mid morning the orphanage is very quiet.  The college girls do not go back to school until Jan 31 so we spend a lot of time playing cards if they are not completing chores.  Sarah and I taught the girls how to play Mafia, Liar (BS) and Egyptian Ratscrew.  Although I love all three games I have played them so many times in the last two weeks that I am going crazy (I need to think of some new games!).  Starting on Monday Dayana and I want to start volunteering at a children's hospital a few days a week while the girls are in school so we do not sit around during the day.  We both want to be as much use as possible during our time here, especially since we are taking a week off to relax and travel.

Yesterday was Republic Day, India's celebration honoring the signing of the Constitution on January 26, 1950, and I had been looking forward to the celebration for some time.  The eight girls in my English class worked tirelessly for 2 weeks memorizing the Indian National Anthem and they were supposed to recite it yesterday.  Unfortunately, they were unable to perform because some of the teachers at the school decided it was not appropriate because not all of the attendees speak English.  To say I was mad, frustrated and disappointed is an understatement. The girls worked so hard and they were incredibly excited to perform for their friends.  Today I will hold a little party for them because they put in so much effort and they will perform the National Anthem at the Annual Assembly in March because the event it is not a school function.  Luckily, a girl in my class, Akanksha, was able to recite her speech about the meaning of Republic Day in English and they did not cut that from the program (I have a clip of her reciting her speech but it wouldn't load).  Below I have included several  pictures from the event.
Love,

Allie

Lohri!

Hello Everyone,

This week at the orphanage was great!  The only downside was that Violet left, it always stinks to say goodbye to the other volunteers because we all get very close after living together for a few weeks.  Another volunteer, Sarah, arrived on Monday and she will be here until next Sunday.

On Wednesday Dayana, Sarah, Violet and I spent Violet's last afternoon in Faridabad treating ourselves to ice cream and a nice lunch at an Indian/Chinese Restaurant (it seems like every multi-cuisine restaurant is Indian/Chinese).  The food was great and it was nice to relax.

Thursday was a very special day because it was Lohri.  "Lohri, is celebrated every year on 13th of January. It is a festival celebrating fire.  At this time the Earth starts moving towards the sun marking the auspicious period of Uttarayan. First Lohri is very important for the newly wed and the new born babies as it marks fertility. At night, people gather around a bonfire and throw puffed rice & popcorn into the flames. Prayers are offered to the bonfire seeking abundance & prosperity. People make merry by dancing & singing traditional folk songs."

Special food was prepared for all the meals and the girls dressed up for the event.  After dinner a band arrived and the girls taught us some beautiful dances. Once the musicians left we all gathered around a large bonfire and everyone sang traditional songs.  Halfway through the festivities I was asked to sing and anyone that knows me knows I cannot sing to save my life.  Luckily Sarah sang 1/2 of Lean on Me with me (we were told it was a great honor to be asked and we should sing, hopefully next time they will give me a little warning!).  The next big event at the orphanage will be Republic Day on January 26th so I will make sure I have a song ready in case they ask.  The eight girls in my English class are going to sing the Indian National Anthem in English at the event and I am really excited. 

Here are some photos from the event!

They passed out peanuts and popcorn as a treat!

                                                                           Playing Twister!


I miss and love you all.

Allie

Newest Photos!

Violet and I on New Year's Eve

Last day at Morning Star School

Pics from the Orphanage

Out to lunch with friends!

Finally at the Orphanage!

Hello Everyone!

I am finally at the orphanage! I arrived on Tuesday and I love it here.  I apologize for the very long delay between now and my last post but my computer crashed and I had to have it repaired!  Since I last posted I went to Delhi for New Years Eve and had an amazing time with another volunteer, Violet.  We walked around Connaught Place and took several hot showers at our hotel (we had to boil water at our home stay in order to take hot bucket showers, so a real shower with hot water was a treat!).  We spent the entire time just relaxing and had a quiet dinner  in the roof top restaurant at our hotel and fell asleep by 11:30pm.  If I could I would go back to that hotel every weekend.  They had an amazing breakfast that Violet and I devoured for 1 hour as the staff laughed at how much we could eat (sometimes you need a break from bread and rice and they had pancakes!).

After spending four weeks at the slum school I decided I was ready to move to the orphanage.  My last day at the school was sad and it was difficult to say goodbye to the children, but I was thrilled to be moving to the orphanage so I could be around the girls all day. Working at the school was rewarding but after school I had far too much free time.

At the orphanage I share a room with Violet and Dayana, another volunteer from Spain that has already been living here for 3 weeks.  There are 88 girls that live in the orphanage and they range from 3-25.  All the girls are wonderful and are so nice to me.  Most of the time they shoo me away when I try to help with chores and tell me: no didi (no older sister), but I try to help out as much as I can.

A typical day at the orphanage begins around 5am, sometimes 4am.  Girls wake up to bathe, clean, make breakfast and get ready to school.  I have been trying to wake up by 5am so I can help with breakfast (I failed this morning).  I get up and try to quietly get dressed in the dark so I don't wake my roommates and I head down stairs to help prepare breakfast.  I have to throw on a hat and gloves along with my jacket because it is about 40 degrees in the morning and the inner portion of the orphanage consist of a courtyard area and you have to walk outside to reach any other room in the orphanage and the cold air penetrates all the rooms (it is not bad as long as you wear a hat and gloves in the morning and at night and it is definitely not as cold as it was at the school in the morning).  Breakfast begins at 7am and prayer is in the dining area at 6:30am.  I love attending prayer before breakfast and dinner with the girls because the sound of them chanting in Hindi is beautiful.  After a breakfast of chapati and potatoes  I usually head back upstairs for a nap and wake up around 9:30 so I can play with the girls in the park (I learned how to play cricket!), we also read stories, and I teach an English class to about 8 girls (I think more will join).  I also help with the sweeping and preparing lunch and dinner if they let me.  The girls love cards and story books, especially fairy tales, and they come to our room at night and we play and read with them.  By the end of the day I am completely exhausted but I love it!

I also decided that I am going to take a week to travel during the middle or end of February.  I think I decided on traveling to Patna to see my Great Uncle Father Dan Rice's grave, then to Mumbai, and finally to Goa so I can sit on the beach for a couple of days.  I think I convince Dayana to go with me and maybe we can recruit a few more volunteers!

I love you all and miss you so much!

Allie