21 December 2008

Sunday, December 21, 2008

I woke up today at the Lotus Hotel in Pondicherry – soon the music and sounds from the streets below reached my ears. After breakfast, we took a short ride to Sri Awiobindo Ashram. I was amazed by the peace and serenity I felt enveloping me as soon as I entered the doors. Complete silence. Beautiful plants and flowers. The noise of the world outside the Ashram melted away. Everyone was either walking around in silence or meditating.
From the Ashram we drove to Auroville. Forty years ago this community began; since then, the members have reforested 2,000 acres of land where hardly a tree grew before. They have created a school and health care system among many other things. In a leaflet I read, their goal is “to be a place where human relationships, which are normally based almost exclusively on competition and strife, would be replaced by relationships of emulation in doing well, of collaboration and real brother (sister) hood.” It was an inspiration to be there and to learn about what they have created. One of their core beliefs is in human unity.
As we drove on throughout the day to visit different sites we passed through many small villages. We had lunch at a seaside resort in Mamallopuram and of course, some of us snuck off down the street to do some shopping. Then we visited the temple nearby on the beach and later 2 others. Sorry, Stephen, I don’t remember their names as I write this, but the wealth of your knowledge about every site we visited and the countless number of stories you told us is incredible.
The only downside of a terrific weekend came during the moments I thought of the children I have had the pleasure to know – even briefly – this past week. How were they spending the weekend?
Beyond a doubt this past weekend has increased my understanding of Tamil Culture. I also thought it was a terrific experience for the team (minus Joelle) to share together.
I found this quote accidentally in my bag a few days ago:
“Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieve through understanding.”
It reminds me of the GV’s “slogan” – Wage Peace and Promote Justice.

Miriam

20 December 2008

Saturday, December 20, 2008

“Don’t tell me about your education, tell me about how far you’ve traveled.”


I didn’t have a quote and came across the above in a book I’m reading – it seemed apt. Travel is such a broadening experience – especially if you let yourself be immersed in another culture. I feel fortunate to be able to experience India not only as a “tourist.” I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to share and process the experience with our group. And I feel fortunate for the generosity, wealth of knowledge and insights of our Global Volunteers host – Stephen.
Today was very special for me. As someone who has practiced yoga and meditation for many years, to finally see, with my own eyes, some of the temples of Southern India and to see the people on pilgrimage was something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. The experience surpassed my expectations.
With Stephen’s wealth of information I learned much about the temples of Kanchipuram. My favorite was the temple of the Mango tree with its many splendors and the fact that as a place on the historic register, non-Hindus are allowed inside. Earlier at the Kamashi Amma temple – many of us got to experience an elephant ride. As usual – we all took photos galore.
What made it all extra-special – was our first extended down-time as a team. All of us found ourselves thinking about the SEAMs children – which tells me that the program is doing what it should – not just improve the lives of others, but also make each of us more conscious participants in our global network….so that we carry on after we leave the program by sharing our experiences and finding new ways to make a difference.
Speaking of global networks: a personal high point for me as having Harshal figure out why my cell phone hasn’t been working! Yea! I’m connected again.
Stephen was patient, as usual, in indulging our desires to take home tokens of our India experience (i.e. – shop). And we got to learn about some of the little details about each other (worst jobs ever) over dinner.
All in all – a long and very satisfying day.

Enid

19 December 2008

Friday, December 19, 2008

Anonymous Quote:

“The measure of a truly great person is the courtesy with which they treat a less fortunate person.”

India – close to my heart. The warmth in the air – the friendly people – the hustle and bustle of everyday life to make ends meet – the colorful fabric – the open markets – the curiosity in the children’s faces remind me of my native land Haiti – thus fill in a small space in my heart from the nostalgic that I sometimes feel living abroad.
Today has been a rewarding day for me in many aspects – Pretit – a name which fits her just right – such precious little girl whom I have noticed the minute I stepped in Assisi Children’s Home – so shy and withdrawn – a painful reminder of that little girl inside of me so many years ago forced to live in a strange and cold environment. Today we constructed a tower together again and played patty cake. I looked into her beautiful wide brown eyes. I find myself wondering, what is she thinking? Is she crying inside? What would she say to me if she could? Will this caterpillar get to develop into the beautiful butterfly which she deserves to become? Only time will tell. But today Pretit and I had a beautiful connection – she puts her arm in the air for me to hold her for the first time – I picked her up and we actually held each other for awhile.
Another rewarding event is that under the instructional leadership of Joelle, Cynthia, Miriam, Sister Carolyn and I crafted a masterpiece of a crèche for the children’s holiday performance. It was great to see the camaraderie while the rest of our group worked together on the colorful gold and silver angle wings for the common goal of doing our part to make the day a special one for the children. The whole performance was spectacular – it was so heartwarming to see the children dressed up in their Sunday’s best and just enjoying themselves.
I am filled with gratitude to be a part of their little world even for a short amount of time – their faces will forever be imprinted in my memory.

Nicky

17 December 2008

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

“It was a good day.” GOD

Today began with the smiling faces of the children from Assisi. The sisters were kind to us today and only gave us 10 children…..yesterday it seemed that we had 20! Today they even provided toys…..this really made things much easier. By afternoon we brought the kids down from the 2nd floor….or I should say they brought us down. They then continued their wildness for awhile before their afternoon nap. The nap’s an amazing site and comes just when you think you’re going to pass out from sweating, dancing, singing and picking up and putting down so many of the kids. They nap. We eat, and then we worked on the Manger. This gave me a 2nd wind as I watched the manger grow into psychedelic colors and beautiful tissue flowers. We made the bus driver wait until we finished Sister Rose’s final flower. Sister Carolyn was so proud she asked us to take her picture!
Return to Global Volunteers quarters: Everyone had a great day. Enid felt spoiled by biscuits and juice, Molly was frustrated because everyone’s name starts w/an “S”, Miriam loved the little angel faces, Chris felt frustrated because she wasn’t sure if she should tattle, Joelle was glad that Cynthia learned how to make a flower and Stephen was thankful that we all had a better day!
As God once said, “It was a good day.”

Cynthia

16 December 2008

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

THE SERENITY PRAYER
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.
The courage to change the things I can;
And the wisdom to know the difference.

The serenity prayer seems very apt for the day our group had today! Harshal and I returned to SEAM to continue working on the dormitories. We finished knocking out the bricks (Hooray!) and moved onto sifting sand so we (or someone) can make concrete a little later in the project. It was a welcome relief from the brick breaking but I found myself exhausted by the process none-the-less. However, amidst all of the hard work, we had a wonderful treat. The local Christian leaders all gathered for their monthly meeting, and this month was at SEAM. The meeting is only at SEAM once a year so we were lucky to get to see the group of local leaders as well as hear them sing their devotional music. I must say, their songs made the work go much more quickly and easily. We will be hammering the ceilings to prepare for the concrete application tomorrow
It seems like everyone in the group had a day of ups and downs. Lots of children are beginning to recognize and connect with the volunteers and things at both schools seem to be more structured which made Enid and Chris’s days run more smoothly. Our evening at SEAM ran a little more smoothly than last night and it seems we are moving in the right direction. Those kids sure are great.
After dinner, Stephen gave us a wonderful but heartbreaking explanation of the caste system here in India. It is an extremely complex issue which I think is hard to comprehend, especially for Americans. It sounds like those in the lower caste must contemplate the serenity prayer often. My wish for Stephen and his family is that they get to see major improvements in the rights of all Indian people, in practice not just on paper, in their lifetime.

Molly Luetkemeyer

15 December 2008

Monday, December 15, 2008

“If we really want happiness, we must acknowledge that it comes about by taking care of people.” The Dalai Lama



How do you corral the wind?
How do you blast a tunnel through a mountain?
How do you walk a tight-rope without directions?

This day at our sites we tried, we tried, we tried to do these things. No matter how successful or unsuccessful in our tasks it mattered not. What mattered is we cared, and this care brought us joy and happiness.
Sr. Rose’s skillful lasso tamed the wind in two perfect lines of twenty children each in no time at all. How does she do it? We, on the other hand had to be content with arms aching from lifting children (Cynthia), books wrestled from hands (Nicky), tears brimming in gratitude because of the excellent care given to the children (Miriam), and games of “I’m going to get-you, get-you, get-you” and “hog-pile” (Joelle). The wind eventually settled to a gentle, peaceful breeze as sleep overtook the tightly lined bodies of children on mats.
The heavy-hitter work was left to the hands of Harshal and Molly as stone and cement was chipped away to make ready the door frames of the dormitory rooms for the SEAM Children’s Home. Perhaps this is how Michelangelo started his career as a stone carver….and eventually worked his way up to: ‘Seeing an angel in the stone and carved to set it free…’ These two, however, seeing angles – carved. The mountain tunnel starts when the first stone is removed. Bravo.
The tight-rope act was performed by the amazing duo – (drum-roll please…) Enid and Chris – Tada! The balance in check: memorization vs. true learning, judgment without criteria – not being supplied with all the information, yet being required to deliver a verdict….the walk was indeed precarious….How did they do it? They walked gingerly along a cultural divide and somehow managed the expanse. Openness and willingness of heart were the skills they used to cross. (Applause.)
The Wind, The Mountain, The Tight-Rope were the “best parts” and the “challenges” of our first day. We look forward to the happiness we will find this day in caring for others.

Joelle

14 December 2008

Sunday, December 14, 2008

What a wonderful day!
We spent the better part of the day with orientation – getting to know each other and what we hoped to gain from the program. Things like a better understanding of Indian Culture and helping children were prominent themes. Stephen is doing a great job leading us along our journey and providing cultural insight to our many questions.
After orientation was completed we had a little free time so Cynthia and I ventured out into the neighborhood for a walk. Everyone we came across was friendly and full of smiles, especially the small children who enjoyed having their picture taken so they could see themselves in the digital camera.
After our walk we all went to SEAM Children’s Home – What a joy to see the bright smiling faces of the nearly 40 children at the home. After introductions the children sang two songs. I tried to concentrate on their faces realizing this was a pretty special experience. After the songs we paired off in small groups. I had four very bright young boys who all knew their ABC’s and numbers in English. We sang a song and played a hand slapping game with numbers and the alphabet. Mani (sp?) was the winner proudly pumping his arms in the air. Sanjay displayed some acrobatics when he lost his turn just after I did. 2 other children were a little more reserved but all four wanted their photo taken so I obliged with just one group shot.
We ended the day with a wonderful dinner – food and conversation, finally each taking a turn to say what the best part of the day, a challenge, and what we were looking forward to tomorrow. A great idea by Molly and I help we do it nightly in an effort to be grateful each day for this experience.
While I’m sure common, it seemed fitting to start with a quote from Mohandas K. Gandhi:

“Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.”

Chris