Was it all a dream?

I have woken up in my own bed twice now. It is currently the second morning back and I feel so weird. This morning I woke up to my cat asleep on my chest and purring loudly. I am extremely more alive today than I was yesterday. I finally have fast enough internet to post all of the videos I took throughout the trip. Right now I am experiencing a feeling like...was that all real? Did I really go to India? Wait, was that a dream? I am glad I took so many pictures and the videos that I did just so I can re-experience a portion of the feelings I had there.
I am grateful for the internet. I know that sounds pretty first world right now, but I really am. I have been able to share my experiences with so many people. I think one of the most important things that I can do with the experience I had is to pay it forward. Share the love.
So now I am here in Provo. I am home...What now?



Seriously guys, what now?
I am going to Vermont on Monday with Sean. His work is paying for me to go out with him. I will have a week to job hunt, collect my thoughts, and create a plan for the rest of the year.

A list of the weirdest things in India

1. Lines (like a line for food) do not exist. It is a dog eat dog world.
2. Wedding rings? Nope. Instead of a wedding ring to show your marriage, you wear a black bead necklace and matching toe rings. 
3. Head bobble. Instead of nodding to agree or even to show you are listening, you bobble your head. This can be a mild side to side, or even a drastic straight up "shake your no" bobble. This still means yes, though! Sometimes people even understand you better when you head bobble.
4. People....ok not people, men. Men pee on the streets and on the wall. Basically unless it says "do not pass urine" it is fair game. 
5. Showing romantic affection with couples is not cool. HOWEVER, friends will hold hands and be cuddle. It was pretty culture shock to get off the plane and see so many guys holding hands and being cuddly. 
6. Traffic laws exist....as long there is a traffic guard standing somewhere. Honking is used as a brake warning, a blinker, anything. Honking always....all the time...
7. Scooters and motorcycles are everywhere. Not only are they everywhere, but they also have babies just chilling on the motorcycles or scooters. 
8. Bathrooms here....SO, folks grow out their left pinky and thumb fingernail to scoop off the bum hole. They also wipe with their hand. There are weird hose things. Everything is foreign.
9. Everything is dirty, but everything is decorated! Trucks, cars, trees, rocks, you name it. It will be painted and colorful. Everything is brightly painted.
10. Farting, burping, and nose picking is socially acceptable.
11. Everything is misspelled. This is not so much their fault...English was forced upon this country. Chinese is spelled Chinees.
12. Bob Marley. They are true fans. 
13. Buses have segregated seating for men and women....but dudes can still sit in a woman's spot without anyone doing anything.
14. Power and water can go out at any given moment.
15. Everyone's last name is their father's first name.
16. Construction is nonstop and seems to be left unfinished all over the place. The scaffolding they use is made out of sticks. It is messy.
17. Sometimes the city will go on strike. You cannot leave the house. 
18. The sewage system is open. Poopy water everywhere. You might not see it, but you will know it is there because of the smell. 
19. If the store has no change they will give you a little candy to make up for the 2 rupees they do not have.
20. Restaurants can be expected to not have items on their menu. Who knows what they will have, but do not be surprised if they are out of that amazing tomato soup that you came for. 
21. Gender equality is not a thing. If you are showing more than your ankles or any chest, you can be assumed to be inviting the attention you will get (this is mostly in Hyderabad). It is normal to see a group of 5 dudes sitting down chatting and a women slaving away doing heavy labor. Women are expected to do more work but are treated with very little respect. The concept of treating a lady like a gentlemen does not seem to exist. 
22. Babies will be completely decked out in make up. Eye-liner and all. In addition, mothers will also put a large black bindi on the forehead, cheeks, and bottom of the feet for protection. 
23. Spoons, forks? You won't find those. In South India, people use their hand as a utensil. There is a method of getting a little pile on your plate and kind of squishing it, scooping it up and using your thumb to thrust the food in your mouth. Also, do not use your left hand to eat...that is your poop hand. How dare you. 
24. Some people will not accept money if you are handing it with you right hand. 
25. Sarcasm is very rare. VERY rare. If you are sarcastic, people will often take it for face value. 
26. Sometimes if people are agreeing or saying yes, they will not say anything. They just make a "uhh" noise. It is addicting. I have even found myself catching on. 
27. Bartering at markets is a skill. Since we are white, it has been much harder for us to get fair deals, but we have learned. You have to know how to talk to the merchant and how to react to their prices. 90% of this is acting disgusted and giving the face to show it. Sometimes walking away is your best way to know if you are getting a fair deal. Even getting an auto is a bartering deal. 
28. When you think a baby is cute, it is rude to pat their head or touch their feet. The most appropriate thing to do when saying hi to cute kids is pinch their cheeks. 
29. We do not have door knobs in our house. We have door latches. 
30. So this may or may not be normal, but today I saw a man holding a pigeon. He was feeding it grains. I stopped and watched from about 15 feet away. After he finished feeding the bird he threw it up in the air and the bird flew away. Yep. That happened. 
31. There are cows EVERYWHERE and they have the right of way. Do not even think about getting in their way. Everyone respects the cows and their movement. 
32. Everything opens around 11:00 am. Dinner is served around 8 or later. It is normal for things to be open until 10pm.
33. If a cow is giving birth, they will put it on this huge cart for everyone to see and people celebrate.
34. I am fairly certain that there is always a festival happening. It is not often that you experience an evening without loud music and banging drums. 

If I think of more extreme differences, I will make a part two, but hopefully this gives you a little taste of the reality we live in every day. 

My LAST Saturday in India

So for the whole 3 months that volunteers have been in India, there has been an effort to work at the leper colony. It was not until a couple of weeks ago that successful communication happened, and the head doctor invited us to come visit. He asked us to come two days. The first day was last Saturday and I was not able to go due to my trip to Delhi. Apparently on that visit, the rest of the team still in Hyderabad were given a tour of the facility. They saw where the bandages were made and were able to mingle with the residents. There is not just housing and care for the people with leprosy, but also a school for the children who are born with HIV. So today we woke up, took an auto to the Secunderabad bus stand and took a bus to the leper colony. 

This was my first time EVER being there and I was extremely nervous. I have never been in a situation where people are suffering physically in this particular way. We were unsure as to what work they wanted us to do since the previous week was more of just a tour. We signed into the main office building and they escorted us to a room where we met a nurse and a nun. The nurse was extremely friendly and had us sit and get to know each other briefly. We talked about our intentions of the summer and she seemed like the person we should have talked to in order to be of more service this past summer. She told us that she wanted us to watch the wounds being cleaned and re-dressed. She said she would like us to help if we wished after watching the process. 

We walked to a building that was filled with residents waiting to have their bandages redone. We were invited into this tiny room that had two chairs. Each chair had a stool type thing that had a stirrup thing for the patients to put their leg up on. We watched the one man take off the old bandage, clean the wounds, and redress it. I was doing my best to keep cool but I got extremely woozy. I had to step outside for about 5 minutes and process everything. I thought about something Brooke said regarding the body. If you understand what is happening with the body it is a lot easier to look at things that would otherwise be considered gruesome. I was able to collect myself and I went back just in time for Eliza to be working on a man's foot. They just gave her the tools and gave her slight direction. Soon after Meera was working on patients. I knew I would never get a chance to overcome this fear within myself anytime soon, and I asked for gloves. I asked Eliza if I could help her on the next patient and she kindly walked me through. She let me do some of the harder stuff on the next guy. The patients did not speak english, so we did our best to exchange names and ask if things were okay. The process of changing the bandages is quite simple. 

1. Cut of the old bandages-do it slowly near the areas that have wounds as to not damage the healthy skin

2. Clean with a medicated cotton swab

3. Put an antibiotic powder on the wounds

4. Put medicated gauze on the wounds

5. Cover that with a cotton pad

6. Wrap with gauze

I am still in awe that they let us work. There was something about the experience that left us feeling really grateful in many different ways. I was grateful to Sivananda Rehabilitation Home for what they provide. The facility had a serenity that you do not find in India often. It is somehow right off of the road, and yet the trees and plants created a barrier from the world. It provides in patient and out patient care, which is so rad! These people have hope. Being able to mingle, you realize that no matter the outward appearance, there is something in each person that makes them, THEM. 

After that we headed to a place called Wild Ginger (Sean! It exists elsewhere! I am pretty sure the cooks were asian, too) and all shared some Dal Makhani. It was quite bizarre to think, I was just cleaning the wounds of people suffering from leprosy and now I am eating lunch...We washed up well, but there was a part of me that just felt weird. I thought about my Dad and what he would say to me. When I told him previously about the plan to go to the leper colony he advised that I should just leave it to the professionals....Well Dad, there are no professionals, just a doctor training normal people and those normal people training us. I guess in the end that is all we have...normal people.

After lunch, we headed to the general bazaar to find some last gifts for friends and family. Everyone was successful. We all were getting along really well. We ate dinner at a place called Om Shantis. You can get a TON of food for around 120 rupees, which is like 2 bucks. I feel like I need to try as much Indian food as I can (even though I am kind of over Indian food) just because I will never get Naan for 50 cents ever again in my life. 

I am still digging the vibe of this morning. I hate to be selfish, but it was so much more than service. I really did something today that I never thought I would have the chance to do...or even do if I had the chance. It was a cool day for everyone involved. 

Despite the harsh conditions here, including the treatment toward women, I love India. It has taught me so much about myself and also so much about PEOPLE. 

Hope you all are feeling some warm fuzzies like I am. 

Delhi adventures

I feel like the past four days have seemed like a couple of weeks. We have gone to so many places and seen so many things. I am on the roof of the Hotel Ajanta. We just ate dinner over this incredible view and now I am using one of the "complimentary computers" to write this post.
I wish I could blog every 3 hours because after seeing so much, it is hard to decide what to write. Since I have the rest of the night free, I will try to fit in as much as I can remember about Delhi so far.

After arriving in Delhi after a very short flight, it was so strange to not have a work day ahead of me. I have had to tell myself multiple times not to feel guilty for taking this time to see the sights of India when there is so much work that can be done. I feel like I can take this experience and pay the world back within the means that I am capable of. It was such a gift to be able to come to India.

Anyway, day one we got on a plane in Hyderabad at 9am and arrived in Delhi about an hour and a half later. We were picked up by our travel agent and went to Hotel Ajanta. We dropped off our things and then went to a show that night where we saw a live performance of a show that had a similar plot line to that of The Prince of Persia (at least I think so). Our travel agent Steven went with us. All of these buildings at this place were super pretty. In a way it reminded me of a baby Disneyland, except without any rides. We walked into the main building and it was a big indoor courtyard thing. Each little shop or area was themed with different areas of India. There was food specific to location as well as jewelry and clothing. There was a lot of entertainment and the group had a great time looking around at all of the decor and performances.
After about an hour we went to be seated for or show. It was all in Hindi so we had to try and follow along the best we could. It was a bit like Broadway except no live singing. There were however, extremely awesome, massive dance numbers to super fantastic music. There was a lot of energy. We left with huge smiles.
After the show, we saw a little shop that was selling these little wrap things. It is basically some kind of leaf filled with seasonings, dried fruit, and who knows what else. The covered it in silver leaf and stuck it on a toothpick. Steven told me to just stick the whole thing in my mouth and chew it up. So I did. It was an indescribable combination of flavors and I did not like it at first. After chewing for a long time, I missed the whole memo that you are supposed to spit it all out. I swallowed it. I did not get a stomach ache, it just kind of felt like I swallowed a tube of toothpaste.
It was a great first day. We ordered room service that night and we all realized that we love Daal Makhani.

Day two we woke up early and went to Gandhi's house. It was an incredible place. We spent maybe only and hour and a half there though, due to the schedule. We learned about his life and his last hours. We also learned about his ideas about religion and human kind. It was humbling to see the strength one man can have. He possessed so much love for his India. I never knew the story of his assassination. We walked through a part of the house that had a timeline with a detailed description of his last 48 hours. It was heavy to read. I thought about what it must be like to visit Jerusalem. This trip to India has opened my eyes to the vastness of the world and yet, I realize how close we all are as people. How is it that someone has grown up on the other side of the world and whose ancestors are nowhere close to mine can laugh with me and have a connection? There is much more that is connecting us all as humans than I think we are wanting to admit sometimes. This obligation of brotherhood and sisterhood is a difficult concept for me understand, but I think I am a little bit closer.

After Gandhi's house, we took a cab to Agra. I loved the vibe of Agra. I cannot explain why, but it felt so alive. Our first stop was Agra Fort. This place is over 1000 years old. Guess what I learned about India? No matter where you go, concubines are probably part of the history. It was interesting to learn how important having concubines in your palace was. Agra Fort was MASSIVE. Like, huge. There was some crazy technology involved. As a form of air conditioning, there were special room designs and built in streams. Ventilation and water were used in every place we saw. It was exciting to explore and see the progression of style and technology in the newer areas of the fort.
As we were leaving, we saw lots of people wearing orange. This was apparently due to a festival...

Intejection: There are always festivals happening in this country. There is always some group of people doing this or that and when we inquire as to why, the response is always "It's a festival...." I think it is interesting to be in a country that is so passionate that there are so many occasions in which to celebrate.

Ok anyway, after Agra Fort we went to our hotel in Agra which is honestly the nicest hotel I have ever stayed at. We went swimming on the roof and later ate dinner with candle light and two men playing the drums and the sitar. There were lots of couples, so I assume that it is a known hotel for the romantic atmosphere. The bed we slept on was the most comfortable thing I have slept on since my arrival to India. We were spoiled to say the least.

The next day we woke up, ate an awesome breakfast and made our way to the TAJ MAHAL. WOOHOO! This is the highlight of my sightseeing so far. It was more beautiful than I anticipated. There was a peaceful feeling at the Taj that I have not felt elsewhere in India. To many of the people of India, the Taj Mahal is a symbol of love. Many who have the means travel to see the Taj multiple times. We got the chance to talk to some locals who were great.

There was more in this day and the day I experienced today, but I must get off this computer for now. I am the sweatiest person on planet earth right now. Delhi is hot. Realllllyyyyyyy hot.

All of my pictures are on facebook! After I get back to the states I will put descriptions of everything that is in the pictures.

Oh, also, I pet a cobra.

Ok the end.
:)

So this one time, I puked behind a bus stop in India.

So yesterday we were out the door and on our way to the bus stop for GLOW girls when Brooke started gagging..We evaluated the situation and Julia agreed to stay home with Brooke. The rest of the team continued on our way to the bus stop and as we were waiting I felt the feeling...I know you all know the feeling. I tried to convince myself that it was all in my head and I was getting some kind of Stockholm Syndrome or whatever. Regardless of the reason, I ran behind the bus stop and crouched like a gargoyle and here comes Niagra Falls. We decided to cancel GLOW and Brooke and I had a sick day. After lots of sleep we both felt way better at the end of the day. 

Did you know that India has peanut butter and nutella? Well, they might be like 200 rupees...which is the price of a really cute top. We do not have problems. None...no problems.

On that note, today started with delicious peanut butter and high hopes, but the monsoony-ness of India really took a beating on me today. We returned to the school in Balaji Nagar where we painted the walls white/black. This school is something like 8x8 and is meant to be a school for an entire community. It basically is a cement box with no color and no nothing. This project is Eliza's and it is so awesome. Anyway, the journey to this school is somewhat complicated, but we ended up finding it. It was super super rainy. We got there and to our surprise they had somehow been expecting a CPR lesson from Lindsey so she and Brooke had to leave almost immediately. Eliza and Meera tackled the murals inside the school and I started on the mural on the outside of the school.

It was interesting because normally the company of the people is great, but I think the combination of the bad weather and the stress of the surprises made the company of the people a little overwhelming. The kids were extremely needy of our attention and the adults were just walking in and out of the school looking around. The small space  amplified everything. I kept telling myself that they were just excited for the new stuff and for the strange looking people. Thinking about it now I cannot even imagine how the teacher feels in that small space. 

I finished or "finished" my mural on the outside of the school and was sooooaaaakeedddd. I think I was just staring at it so long I am not even sure anymore if it looked good. The inside looked AWESOME. As we were walking back to the main road to catch the bus one of the ladies from SAPID pulled us over to this group where they asked Lindsey on the spot to teach CPR again! So she was just teaching CPR left and right. We finally caught the bus and I am pretty sure we all fell asleep.

Sweet relief at the end of our journey was found at Golden Crown. The elixir of life just so happens to be Paneer Butter Masala, Egg Biryani, and Butter Naan. We feasted. 

So what do you do at the end of a day like today? Get our heads searched for lice by our country director!
Happy Wednesday, everyone! I am the grumpiest today that I have been so far in this country, but I remain grateful. I go to Delhi tomorrow with some folks from the team for a four day weekend and then it is back to the grind on Monday and then our trip is almost over...This is going by so fast. It will be over in no time. 

The goodness of India

Today has been awesome.

Today we went to GLOW girls in the small Muslim community and we had a translator there. Though she was a little bit late, which made me extremely nervous, she was there! 

I was anxious/nervous to teach of course, but I really did not realize how extremely nervous I was to teach these girls about the menstrual cycle. We started off by doing a roll call and almost all of the girls from last week were at the group today. They brought the bags and journals that we gave them last week. We were STOKED. Not only had they kept everything, but they had been writing in them. 

Anyway, I led an imagination workshop and asked them to close their eyes and imagine their life in either one week, one month, or years in the future. I asked them to imagine what it would look like if they had a happy life. I then asked them to take two minutes to either write or draw about this in their journal. Some were nervous but we asked them to finish it later when they were alone. After that, we jumped right into "what happens when a girl body becomes a woman body." I started to teach some of the things that happen during puberty and right away a girl asked why her breasts are sore. The lesson continued and we taught about the period and all of the things that go along with that. We talked about pads and I showed the pad I had made as well as a sample of the pieces of material used to make a pad. I passed around the pad and some of the girls would not even touch it. There was a very cautious vibe in the group and though I felt like I was almost walking on egg shells, I felt confident. By the end of the lesson Brooke, Annie, Eliza, Meera, Lindsey, and Julia had all shared experiences as to how this part of a woman's life does not have to be endured alone. We taught coping skills and taught them the importance of friends and sisters. Brooke emphasized that though we may not openly talk about our period with everyone does mean it is a bad secret, but rather we can talk about it amongst our friends and sisters and it can be a lady secret. It ended on a good note and our translator Urmi seemed impressed. I asked the translator to tell the girls that when I learned the information that we had just taught them, I felt stronger, braver, and more confident. I told them that understanding who they are is powerful and when we know more, we are happier. 

Honestly, I cannot wrap my head around the lifestyles that exist outside of my wonderful little life in the USA. Just teaching about these things helped me realize how strong I can be, and how empowering it is to join together with others. I am so humbled and rewarded today with the girls that we get to teach. I am so grateful for the team here. I honestly could not do anything without their support. Knowing that someone else believes in me changes everything. 

I was so worried that GLOW was not going to go well...I have been so worried that I will end up leaving India having done nothing. Today changed that. I feel pretty dang fulfilled right now. 

Sunday is for relaxing

Thank goodness for this Sunday because I can finally sit and recharge my batteries. I went to bed at around 10 last night and did not wake up until 9:30. I think I really needed some sleep. Today I can reflect on the week and also prepare for the week to come.

This past week I have felt so so so many emotions. On Tuesday we headed out for GLOW girls which is the first project (and probably only project) that I am team lead for. We got a little lost on the way and had to call SAPID to have some people come find us. When we finally got there we found out that our translator had a meeting she suddenly had to go to. We walked into the home where GLOW girls would be held and saw 3 girls. We were told by Dr. Meera that we would have 15 girls. We had planned for 17 just in case. We prepared a gallon zip lock bag with a decorated journal, a set of colored pencils, a pencil sharpener and two little jelly bracelets...Anyway, when I saw there were only 3 girls I felt a little bummed out that so many girls would not be able to get the bags...my disappointment did not last long because it seemed that word had gotten out that we had arrived. We were joined by 11 other girls and had to kick out some little boys! It was awesome. We wanted to do our best to get to know the girls without a translator. We passed around a piece of paper for a roll and the girls could all write their own name! We made name tags for everyone and passed out the bags. They opened them and we showed them how to wear the bracelets. After that we all just drew pictures together. These girls are so talented. So many of them have incredible artistic abilities…I am not sure if it is natural in Indians or what, but dang they put us to shame. Though I was so stressed to be in charge of something, I did my best to stay present.
 India is stressful. It is so unfamiliar and so far away from home…With the time change and lack of service on my phone, being restricted to extremely slow internet at either the apartment or the church has been a steep learning curve for me. I am so used to depending on Sean for guidance and support and I feel lonely sometimes when I dwell on that. I have found power in prayer and the support of others here. When I am out working, I realize how blessed I am and how selfish I can be. These things that I miss and consider to be imperative to my happiness are often things that the kids we work with have never known.
We went to a place called the MV Foundation which provides education and housing for children who have been rescued as child labor workers. Brooke is in charge of that project and she teaches children’s chorus music. It is so much fun to sing and dance with the kids. While we were there Lindsey noticed a little girl who seemed to have some kind of social condition. She watched a few of the girls pick on her and one hit her in the face. Lindsey tried to comfort her but she was too shy to talk to Lindsey. Part of Brooke’s project is that she makes crowns that say things like “best smile” or  “best dancer” etc.. Before the lessons she has all of us wear a crown to give to the kid who deserves the crown. We told Brooke about the girl who was being bullied and Brooke got her to go up and perform a song with her in front of the group during the time at the end when the kids do solos. This little girl’s face lit up and while she was performing I gave her my crown. She had the biggest smile on her face. Honestly that will be stuck in my mind forever. It is so cool that we can all work as a team so we can really make the biggest difference.
Talking to Brooke afterwards, we discussed how the statistics show that the majority of these girls at the MV foundation have been abused. We were humbled as we thought about the lives these girls have lived and will end up living.
The team has talked about how it is hard it is to be so unsure if this work we are doing is creating sustainable changes…Like, who is going to teach them music after we leave? Who is going to play games with them after we leave? I just have to have faith that whatever good we do here in India will be paid forward in one way or another.
In conclusion to this blog entry, I think that this trip is really teaching me the gift of charity. I am seeing more clearly all of the love that others show me. I am also really learning how meaningful the love I give can be to others.
India, you are definitely not going easy on me…but I am grateful.

Bore wells and butt holes

I have not posted in quite a while and a lot has happened. I am sorry to those who have been bugging me for a post!

India is the craziest place ever. Every day that I am here I almost cannot believe that it is a real place.

On Friday we had plans to go to the special needs school but due to the road conditions from the storms, they called and cancelled on us. Brooke, Lindsey, Eric, Julia and I ended up going to a mall and eating lunch. Brooke and I shared a Thali which is a plate with a few different curries and some rice. We also ordered some naan. We are waiting in the food court for our food to be done and we look over and see Eric pick up his food which is this giant smoking, sizzling platter. Food courts are much different here than in the states...After lunch, Brooke, Lindsey and I went to see a Bollywood movie called Ramaiya Vastavaiya. It was awesome and I love the music. I want to go again tomorrow to see a movie called Bhaag Milka Bhaag after projects. 
Seriously, tell me this does not look awesome. 

Anyways, I went on my first shopping extravaganza with everyone on Saturday. We went to Charmanar. I am mad I did not take a picture. I will if we go again...Basically imagine streets with shops on the side of the road and street venders packed in between the shops and the road. 
I was finally able to get enough clothing to last me a while. It is so weird how the dress for women in Hyderabad is still very traditional. The dress is very modest, but modest here has a different meaning than what we are used to back home. 

That Saturday night we went to the LDS church for a Pioneer Day activity. We were greeted at the church and then led to a room where we listened to a lesson about the beginning of the journey in New York. We were then led to two additional rooms where we heard the history and stories of the pioneers up until the settlement of Salt Lake City. The church here is unbelievable. The saints in India have so much love and so much faith. For eight years they have been hoping to hear the announcement of a temple in India and though there are still no plans, they have faith. It was really humbling to hear them talk about the temple and how much they love it when many of them have never even been to one. I realize every day how much I take for granted.

The organization I am with is not religious based, but I am so blessed that the LDS church has so many service oriented projects happening here. We are able to be a part of some great things because of the partnerships that HELP has here. 

OK, Sunday has one story that requires sharing. We took an auto to go to church kinda far away and our driver got lost and we were so late and on the way Eric and I saw a man squatting with his backside to the road where we were driving and there was literally poop hanging out of his butt and on the street...Forgive the grossness, I have just never ever ever seen anything like that. "Welcome to India, Kayla. You think you have seen some crazy stuff? LOL, check this out then." -India

On Monday, we all had the opportunity to go to 6 bore well ceremonies. These bore wells were projects that the LDS church and HELP worked on together. Our team member Eric has been a big part of making these bore wells happen. The ceremonies were really beautiful. Typically, one of the members of the community would offer a scarf type thing to the three head members in our group which consisted of Ben, Julia, and Eric. Then everyone received a chalk bindi, which represents friendship. At each of the bore wells, there was a small plaque explaining who was involved in getting the bore well in the community. Chalk would be sprinkled on this plaque and a coconut would be broken by one of the guests. Then a beverage and a small snack would be offered to everyone. These bore wells were put in slums where water was a great distance away. Often times members of the community would spend most of the money they had just to travel to get water. The energy at each of these ceremonies was tangible. The gratitude expressed was unbelievable. India is beautiful.

DAY 2

Oh my goodness. Here I am in India. IN INDIA. My work day is basically over so I am finally finding time to write a new post.

Day 1: Day one was crazy town. I got in at like 5 am and got picked up by Brooke and Ben. It was super exciting and happy and we took the cab back to our place. I was jaw dropped the whole drive. We got to the apartment and I got to settle in and meet everyone. After eating breakfast, I did an orientation. We went over basic rules and regulations and then proceeded to enjoy lunch at this place called Golden Crown. SO GOOD. AFTER that I went to the general bazaar with Sarah, Brooke, and Meera. It is basically something you would imagine in a movie. A narrow alley way with shops in the sides of the walls...I got to get some pants and a scarf. It turns out the modesty here is much different than I thought it would be. I was not prepared...So after that and rushing around all day I got back to the apartment and fell asleep...Totally slept through dinner. I woke up at like 1 am and texted Sean for a bit and then went back to sleep until about 7am.

Day 2: Woke up at 7 am, like I said already...haha. I called Sean and we chatted for a while and then I called me parents. It was so good to hear from them. I was actually quite emotional after...Just missing my husband and hearing encouraging words. ANYWAYS, We had a team meeting and went over everyone's projects which was really neat. Things are getting done and I am already learning. We ran a couple of errands, ate lunch and then Sara and I headed out with Ben to meet up with Dr. Meera. Dr. Meera is one HECK of a lady. She has something like 6 degrees, one of them being a doctorate. She runs an organization called SAPID. SAPID does many projects and has been around for over 30 years. Dr. Meera told us how much good has been accomplished in India with the power of team effort. I loved her approach to creating change. SAPID offers the information and a way to start projects(better and sustainable ways of life) and then encourages the people to try it themselves...This either escalates to the success of a project in which SAPID withdraws, or if the people are unwilling to work, SAPID will withdraw. SAPID is willing to offer help as long as the people are willing to work.

We approached Dr. Meera with the intent on starting a new set of classes for GLOW girls. GLOW girls   means Girls Leading Our World. We have been asked to teach a group of 15 girls in the slums of a Muslim community about the menstrual cycle and self confidence. It is common that the period is viewed as taboo. After doing some research, we learned that in some Muslim communities girls were told to live in a shack for the duration of their period because it is viewed as a "curse" or "pollution.

We have been asked to teach what the menstruation cycle really is so that girls have a better understanding of who they are. The culture here is so complex. The women work so extremely hard but yet are not viewed to be in the same playing field as men...Ultimately, the responsibilities placed on a woman are vast in comparison to that of a man, and having something that occurs naturally being viewed as sinful or dirty is damaging for self esteem.

We are lucky in the sense that SAPID has had great success with this project in the past and education is being requested...We are lucky to have the opportunity to teach these girls who probably have not had the chance to learn basic biology from their mothers.

This blog post is really long, but I am so excited to share the things that I have learned already.
We start teaching next Tuesday and will continue two more lessons the following Monday and Tuesday.

I cannot believe I am doing this.
I have never been more scared, or inspired.

India bound

Holy crap. Here I am at gate c62 waiting to go to Hyderabad. The further into the Heathrow airport I went the more I realized how different I looked compared to everyone around me. I am watching some little kids fight and it somehow comforts me.
I didn't sleep much on the flight because the idiot in front of me had a seat that leaned further back than it should. Seriously the top of the seat was like 5 inches away from my face. Whatever. We actually got a meal on the flight and I watched some cool movies.

There were so many languages and accents all around me as I went through customs. I actually really liked it. It's unreal to think that everyone has unique personal experiences... mind boggling in fact.

Boarding.

Here we go.

Part 2:

I'm the only white passenger on this plane. Amazing. We were served dinner on the plane and guess what it was? Butter chicken. Indian food on a plane?! What?!

I've already watched holes, wrote in my journal and now I'm watching deathly hollows part one.

I'm not sure how i'm still awake. I slept at the beginning of the flight but not much more than that.

Recovering from this time change I'd gonna be brutallllll.

So far so good.

Well I'm writing this on my flight while listening to a band called Megafaun. There's a good vibe right now.

So stoked because drink service came by and I am now enjoying a tomato juice on ice. My favorite part of flying haha.

Initially my flight was supposed to be at 3 but due to some possible storms or something the lady put me on the 1:50 flight. Even though it took forever to take off, I am happy.

Saying goodbye was surprisingly hard. Sean really is one heck of a guy for supporting me in this. I have a lot of love in my life and it'd be wrong if I didn't strive to share that with others. I really hope I can bring some extra joy to India.

This next layover will be long so I plan on eating. I could only eat a half of a Hawaiian sweet roll this morning because of nerves but now that it's the afternoon I want some grub. My life kinda revolves around food guys.

I don't get to India until Tuesday so hopefully you enjoy hearing about my journey in getting there.

IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!

This blog entry is simultaneously serving as a pep talk for myself. 

Sean and I slept in today, watched vine videos, and then went to a place called El Vaquero. FOR REAL, GO HERE. I feel like such an idiot for complaining about having no place to go for great mexican food all this time living in Provo. Sean got the Tacos Al Pastor which are $1.25 each and I got the Quesadilla Asada which is $5.99. Honestly, tastes unreal. So fantastic. 

ALSO, the cook was totally rocking sunglasses as he worked the grill. I managed to sneak a picture.

What. a. badass. (pronounced budoss, do not worry mom, I will not swear on a blog).

So, now I have to finish packing. I am honestly almost done which is weird...I am normally a last minute packer. Maybe I am postponing finishing just so things feel somewhat normal. 

One of the volunteer's moms just dropped off some stuff for me to bring to her. This is really happening. 

So I still gotta pack:

pipe cleaners(for Brooke)

headphones

Nintendo DS

writing supplies

a blanket

cortizone cream

snacks

Not bad, eh? I even reserved my seats on my flight already.

Oh, by the way. I have received so many texts and messages of encouragement for my trip. Thank you to everyone. You have no idea how much it means to have your support. Makes me feel confident and excited. 

A gif to brighten your day.

You know how sometimes we do some really cool thing but nobody is there watching to see it...Yes that has happened to me, but more often I do something really embarrassing and silly and am just really glad nobody was there to witness it. 

Yeah, kinda like this. 

Thank you Reddit, I love you. 

Korean food is delicious.

To start this entry, I want you to know about the new thing I added. SO, in high school when I would write in my journals at the top of the page I would put a little music note with an equal sign and then what I was listening to. I felt like it helped to show the mood of my entries. I looked back at those journals the other day and it totally worked! I was like, "oh man this entry makes so much more sense now! I did not hate everything I was just angsty from RATM!" Soooo I have added a little playlist thing on the blog of some songs that feature the general mood of music I am listening to. It is on auto play and has a little ad in the beginning...kind of annoying but we will see how it goes. Let me know what you think. 
  
Carrying on. Korean food is my favorite of all foods. Especially bibim naeng myun. I could literally eat that every day. I will crave it for days sometimes....and nothing else will satisfy that craving. I will either need to just get some or get over it..

SERIOUSLY. I want that in my face all the time.

I wonder if I will get any food addictions in India? Probably. I am so excited to see all of the different types of food. From what I understand the food varies depending on the area you are in. I am soooo stoked because I will have the opportunity to go to Dehli and spend a few days there near the end of my trip. I plan to eat everything so be prepared for pictures of everything I eat...and maybe pictures of me eating it. 

I am not sure if I am just afraid of travelling but I am so tired lately. Has anyone else experienced this kind of thing? 

Okay, I got this.

Everything with my flight is resolved. I am glad that happened...After so much stress over the credit card, I actually feel EXTRA relieved. 

Bless Brooke for listening to me vent over and over and over again and answering my same questions time and time again. 

My cousin Laura went to Ghana a few years ago and she told me to get stickers for the kids. I got 340 stickers! Smiley faces, stars, and hearts. I am so excited to stick stickers on kids hands, faces and clothes. That is....if they like them...

I am mostly done packing.
I got a temporary wedding ring to wear while I am there from Encore Thrift Store...If you have not been to that store, go now. Not only are you going to get awesome stuff, but the people you will be supporting are amazing. 
I also had my mandatory check out meeting. I am mostly good to go...just a little bit more paperwork. 
My sweet sister is totally following me around everywhere and doing my errands with me. 

To sum it all up..this is happening...I am going to India. 

BOOM!

FREAKING OUT.

I am officially panicking. 

Packing is fine...whatever, but the scariest part right now is that the credit card I used to pay for my flight had fraud on it and when they replaced the card they had to use a new number. Why is this bad? I need the card I used to pay for the trip to present when I am checking in...I guess...That is what they tell me. SO I gave my travel agent a call and she said she would call me as soon as she got to the office.....so here I am waiting....and waiting....AND WAITING. 

From day one I have been MOST nervous about traveling...It is like some elaborate magic trick that must be timed perfectly or else it will not play out correctly...WELL, right now I feel like a magician with an assistant who has diarrhea. 

To cope I made a instagram video thingy. 

I am convinced that I am really funny, but nobody else really gets my humor...another coping skill I guess. 

Thank goodness for my husband and my parents. My dad is a pro-flyer so he will help me select seats tonight. 

I also have my sister visiting me soon. That calms me because I have that to look forward to. 

I guess in one way or another I am going to end up in India.

Just gotta get it done.

Oh by the way...Brooke, I am totally gonna pack 2 white rockstars for a special occasion. 

The most adventurous Sunday ever

Alright...Sean and I are NOT very social people but we have made it a goal to try and be much more outgoing and make some friends. SO TODAY, we got invited by a couple at church to eat dinner at their house. I had already signed up to cook dinner for a girly who is going through some hard medical stuff right now AND our bishop and one of the bishopric members had planned to visit us at our house right after church but we managed to work everything in the schedule. 

Our visit with the bishop was awesome. They just wanted to get to know us. Turns out all of us have roots to California. 

We made some amazing dinner for the one girl and her hubs and when we dropped it off we realized that I was in a choir with them in California! We had so many random connections AND turns out her husband is a nerdy gamer like Sean. Super awesome.

THEN we went to another couple's house for dinner and they have a BEE FARM. WHAT?! We got to chew on some honey loaded bee's wax which was surprisingly fantastic. Then they had homemade bread and pesto with which we got to make paninis. 

Basically the love was most definitely shared today. With any religion you may belong to, there is something really unique and fantastic about having something random that connects you. I saw today how with as much as we gave we got back so much more. It is so cool how that works. We are lucky to be in this ward. There are so many good people who have set goals to do good things and be good people. It is a pretty contagious vibe. 

Right now my heart is torn because I know there is a lot of good that is here waiting for me, and yet I am leaving for a month in hopes of a life changing opportunity. I know that going to India is the right thing to do. My heart is in a position right now that is ready to share love with others and also absorb some beautiful parts of life that I am completely unaware of. I know that it will be an incredibly beneficial aspect of my future and deciding what I will pursue next.

I am honestly the most blessed person in the world for the opportunities that I have, and also for the love, support and encouragement that I get *cough cough*, that's mostly about you, Sean.

Anyway, more India updates to come. The countdown is almost at ONE WEEK. Please leave me any thoughts, insights, questions, stories, requests to make this blog more effective(to those who are interested =] )

New phone=New adventure

HELLO BLOGGING!

To preface this post, let me note that I am pretty bad at committing to projects...However, I am determined to keep up with this not only as a way to share the joys of my life with others, but also a way to document this phase of my life to reflect on.

I am preparing to go to Hyderabad, India right now and I leave in NINE days. I am so nervous/excited/havenotacceptedthatIamreallygoing. I wonder when the real nerves will hit me. 

I view my life in terms of monumental(at least monumental to me)experiences. FOR EXAMPLE, today I 

   1. Got a new phone (galaxy s3)

   2. Got my malaria pills and the majority of my supplies for the trip

Both of those things are a pretty big deal so when I look back I will think "that time when I got a new phone and my malaria pills." OR say I have a lunch date that I am looking forward to, I will think of my life in terms of amount of time before I get to go to lunch with that friend I like. 

ANYWAYS, the new phone has opened the door to endless social networking possibilities and I have been juggling the idea of a blog for a while so lo and behold here I am. 

I hope you enjoy the adventures that I share.

Feel free to leave me advice or your own stories.