One Short Story...and Pictures!

Yesterday was incredible...I know I won't do it justice here, but I will try. I got to work and there were our women. We laughed with them and they taught me the Hindi words for the English words we are teaching them. They are very sad as it's Maria Theresa and Katja's last day today. We were invited to Gitadevi's to enjoy chai tea in her home with her and her son. She showed us her pictures and statues of the Gods and a picture of her late husband. She then pulled out her magical collection of large and gorgeous seashells. Where she gets them, I am not sure, but she was enthralled with them, as were we. After going through them and oohing and aahing, she pulled three out to give to each of us, her gift. It was the most selfless gift I've seen, as these were her precious items in a one-room house with just a bed, a tv and a small 'kitchen'. My shell is HUGE and pointy and I'm not sure how I will pack it for home, but I will find a way. This act was truly magical. On the walk to her house through the tiny paths we came upon three baby goats, so we had the chance to coo at them and hold them. It made me miss my Kitty! Although one of the goats kept headbutting my leg after I set it down. Not sure if that was a good thing or it was mad at me...

We had our lunch then, sharing with Rikesh (our other translator) and Gitadevi. Then, our session with the girls commenced. And it was a powerful one..\

At the beginning of the lesson one of the girls, Sonu, was crying. Neha (our translator) explained to us that Sonu did not pass her 10th class examinations, which insulted her uncle and grandfather. They were shouting at her that she was a failure and not allowed in their homes any longer. She was devastated. We began to ask some questions to try to understand the situation, such as what did her parents think, did she live with her Uncle/Grandfather, and it turned out that she didn't and that her parents still wanted her to study and to try to pass the examination again in the future. We took a step back and talked about how sometimes in life, you must stop, or even take a step backwards, in order to move forward again. That failures will happen, but they will not be failures at all in the end because of what we learn from them and how they test our character. It was beautiful as the other girls were all rapidly talking in Hindi, standing behind her and telling her to continue studying. We went on with our lesson and asked Sonu to write some sentences on the board. She excels at English, (struggles with math). You could tell from the smile on her face that the confidence from doing so well in front of her peers helped. Then, Maria Theresa gave a going away gift - every girl received a beautiful, sparkly sari. You should have seen the room erupt! We told them to put them on and they were giggling and laughing and helping each other tie them on. It's not until a certain age that a girl learns how to tie a sari, so they did very well but sometimes weren't sure and it was hilarious to watch. There were pictures and memories that I'm sure they will have, as will we - forever. And at the end of all the chaos and laughter, Sonu turned to us and said, "I will continue my studies."

It was so simple, so small, but my heart exploded.

The moonlight festival.

The first dot.

Jimena!

This view is from the morning we woke up for yoga at 6 a.m.
from the roof of where I stay.

Mamta, moi, Gitadevi & Maria Theresa

Over the doorstep to our school, to ward off evil.

The schoolroom for the women.

Everyone around Katputali wants just 'one picture, one picture'

Our baaaaaby goats!

The walk to Gitadevi's

Our beautiful girls in their sari's. You'll notice that most
don't smile for pictures, but after the camera goes down they are
back to smiling these beautiful smiles. We try to get them
to smile for pictures but mostly to no avail. 

The girls thought it'd be fun to have us dress up in sari's.
Myself, Maria Theresa, Gitadevi & Katja.

Beautiful Sonu
who will continue her studies.

That's all for today. Today it's work, then off to a night market and out for dinner with Saara & Jimena. This weekend is Maria Theresa's last here in Jaipur and tomorrow we leave at 9 a.m. for a 5.5 hour trip to Agra. Taj Mahal - the most romantic act of love - see you tomorrow!! We plan to go for sunset and again for sunrise.

PS - One last thing, I learned to count to ten in Spanish and Hindi yesterday. I will practice more for the time I am here. That's six languages now from one to ten baby!

PPS - I have yet to see or drink a drop of alcohol while being here. I am hoping I can enjoy a glass of wine while overlooking the Agra city this weekend. But sorry I cannot tell you how Indian beer tastes! The food though, is to die for. Chapati is wonderful, and everynight we have some kind of curry dish with vegetables and rice. I have yet to see any meat.

PPPS - Today a cow right outside my flat stared at me for an entire block.