Recap!

Wow, the days have been flying by here in India and I've had absolutely no time to sit down and write down everything that's happened. I'm so thankful for this half hour I have to sit here and eat my pringles stix and type this up.

First off, I weighed myself and the scale said I've lost 8 pounds since I've been here! There's no way that's right because I eat ALL the time. I am always hungry and wanting more fooood....especially a cheeseburger.

Anywho, on Monday we went to a traditional Indian birthing center. All the babies there were soo teeny tiny itty bitty little creatures and it was so fun to sit and hold them.

Here's a picture of the facility. It was INSANELY hot in there. After you have a baby, aren't you already uncomfortable? Imagine going through labor in a 100 degree room filled with other laboring moms. I was miserable in there and I ain't even preggers!

The day after my group was there, another group of nursing students got to see a live birth! They said it was terrifying. No pain meds. Cutting the woman through the muscle (unnecessary) in order to get the baby out. Lots of crying out in pain and lots of slapping and punching the mom for being "weak". Disappointment when the baby came out as a girl. It sounded pretty horrific. One girl passed out. Have I mentioned lately how grateful I am to be an American? I am going to kiss American soil as soon as I get home. I'm also grateful that my parents have valued my worth as a girl and a woman. I was interviewing some women with my instructor and we'd ask them (through an interpreter) what the worst part about their pregnancy was. And they either said "the pain" or "I'm having another girl." It broke my heart.

On a happier note, a girl did my hair at playtime. Isn't it beautiful?? She was so resourceful.

My favorite time of day is "family time" where we get to go spend quality time at the kids hostel. The girls go nuts when they see a camera and are obsessed with taking pictures. Here's a few:

PS) Indians don't smile in pictures.....I promise 2 seconds before these pictures they were smiling and laughing.

This is how I look about 97% of the time everynight. I. am. BEAT! But I'll just sit there and they'll do my hair so it's a win win.

Yesterday a girl named Tamil Selvi threw me a "birthday party" (my birthday is in January..no clue where she got that). But I MISSED IT!! I had to work in the dang office. I heard that she used rocks to build a "chocolate" cake and used flower petals to throw confetti. She made me a few gifts too to go with it all: a plastic gecko, a bag made of out leaves, and some "chocolate" (it was actually a rock). I am amazed at the creativity of these kids. And the thoughtfulness. I wish it was my birthday everyday in India!

Today was an...interesting...day! We went to this place called the "Win" Foundation (Women in Need) and did physicals on the kids there. It's not like a home or a school, but more of a shelter for the kids in the nearby village. The village is known for having a lot of alcoholic parents that force their children into begging. So, the kids go out, beg all day, come home with their "earnings" and the parents use it to buy more booze. So much abuse and neglect takes place in this area. The "Win" house serves as a place where kids can come and stay instead of going out to beg. The kids here were so welcoming and sweet. They chased our bus down the street as we were coming in...we felt like celebrities.

Some of the conditions these kids were in were horrifying. Some made me sick to my stomach. This little chica had club feet and other deformities so she just rolled around all day. She was super sweet and super shy...I probably was a little too white for her.

I have a special place in my heart for this little girl. I can't remember her name, but she came to my station to get her vitals taken and I instantly felt something different about her, and I started to tear up. I found out later that she was non verbal and had other issues because her mom drank a lot while she was pregnant (once again...that village is overtaken with drunks). Her mom passed away and her dad beat her so much that she became deaf in one ear, then he abandoned her on the streets. As soon as I saw her, I looked into her eyes and saw the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life. Later on she came up to me, threw herself in my arms, and just laid her head on my chest. I about lost it. I had to go to a corner and just cry, all while holding her. It was hot, she was heavy, but that moment was priceless. This sweet child of our Heavenly Father has never truly felt loved before in her life, yet she was so open and willing to show me a kind of love that I didn't deserve. I was overcome with emotion and I could feel how precious she is in the sight of God.

This little kid was also all over me...and everyone else...such a little monkey. I really couldn't tell if she was a boy or a girl. The sad thing is, we couldn't tell on half the kids. They were in such rough conditions and so so dirty, it was hard to tell the difference. One kid who I swore was a girl, turned out to be a starving, helpless little boy. I was shocked. Another girl came in with open sores all over her poorly shaved head that were covered in what looked like raw eggs. Horrifying. I felt so helpless being there. What could I do to help this situation? It's a death cycle that these parents are putting their children through. There really are no words to express what I saw and felt there....

Here are some views outside the shelter

This adorable little girl was standing outside her shack in the village as we were leaving. Her grandma was in the background beating a dog with a stick. I'm sure that little girl was next. We made eye contact and she gave me the sweetest smile. All I wanted to do was wrap her up and take her home with me!

They fed us lunch at the shelter and we ate it in the traditional Indian fashion-with our right hand (the left hand is used to wipe your stinky butt). Lunch was SOOO good and they had CHICKEN! Meat does not show it's beautiful face around India very much so we felt spoiled. My body is soo happy right now.

The Win shelter made us all really appreciate how good we have it at Rising Star with beds & a kitchen & air conditioning (even though it goes out 10 times a day)!

I am EXHAUSTED and the heat is about to kill me. But I've been blessed with health & strength. Everyday is a push but it's teaching me a lot along the way and I'm grateful to be here.

One more day until our weekend at Delhi! So excited.

Ta ta for now.