Rae Clauser
As we sat around the breakfast table this morning, we talked about how we were feeling with this being our last day of service. Using “last day of service” isn’t actually accurate, as today is simply the end of the India Team 63 project. I am very sure that all nine members of the team will find themselves on another Global Volunteer project somewhere in the world. Although eight of us were “newbies” on our first Global Volunteer journey, Larry’s time in India was his third project, having previously volunteered in Ghana and the Cooke Islands.
Having received an invitation from Sister Emily to attend mass, Larry and Rae left breakfast early to be there on time. This special mass is held for the 400 students and teachers at St. Josephs School and is held the first Friday of each month. They were asked to participate in the processional and Father Paul thanked them for their service at the school. Sister Emily asked Rae to go into Larry’s 1st grade class that day to help the students complete the paper plate clocks that Rae made to help teach the kids how to tell time. Unfortunately Rae got her schedule mixed up and went to the 1st grade in the wrong period so she just did her clock thing and Larry had to take his 1st graders later in the day. Sorry Larry! A tour of the convent was given by the Sister before Larry and Rae left for the day.
After spending three weeks at Assisi Illum helping to care for five babies and teaching 12 small children, Anne expressed how she has gained a new empathy for mothers and sees how mothering is the toughest job in the world. How do they do it everyday, sometimes dealing with wild little ones! Thank you to all the mothers.
Marge had a wonderful morning at Grace School. The kids were all very excited and were singing and cheering. Marge wrote and directed a little puppet show titled “Fish School” for some of her students to act out. These little performers also took care of their own PR and marketing as they were telling many of the other classes that they had to come and see them in the play. They received a curtain call and performed it a second time as the other teachers heard about it and brought their classes to the premier event. Marge tried her new word “kellu” which is Tamil for “listen” but the students were too excited about the day’s activities to pay any attention to it! During the afternoon class, the kids set up the puppet show on their own and did another performance….one of many future ones.
Peter and Helen continued their hard work of painting the Study Hall at SEAMS. When we all go to SEAMS at night to spend time with the children it is so obvious what a fresh coat of paint, lots of sweat, labor and love will do to the spirit of a place. We would all like to be able to see SEAMS when it is completed with the help of future Global Volunteer teams as they add some much needed rooms and give them new toilet facilities.
We all decided to walk to SEAMS on Friday night so we could get our last flavor of the streets of Porur. Team 64 from Minnesota joined us for our final night there. The kids merrily greeted us all dressed up in new clothes, freshly combed hair and bight white smile… those same smiles that caught our hearts on the first night we met them. They entertained us with their own little Kollywood production which included Indian folk songs, group singing and drums. Both teams were then presented with a handwritten thank you notes including the names of all the children, after which the kids each shook our hands and thanking us for our help and love. I wonder how many times we have thanked someone for their love. What a nice thought to leave our final visit with the kids at SEAMS.
Earlier in the day Peter graciously shared with me some of his thoughts and feelings about his experience in India that we’d like to share with all of you. During his last three weeks, he has had an extraordinary, worthwhile adventure. This is a place filled with dust, squalor and such much unwanted noise, but it is these charming idiosyncrasies that make India so special. He feels very fortunate to have met so many Indian people, ranging in age from 3 months to 96 years.
It is the people have made this trip for all of us. Our fellow team members who have shown never failing support. Stephen and Sheeba who have not only served as excellent hosts but also made us all feel part of their family. The people in the community we have worked alongside for their patience and open-mindedness; and finally all the children we have served who have shown us so much love and have given so much more than we could possibly have given to them.
Quote for the day
It takes a little courage
And a little self-control
And some grim determination,
If you want to reach the goal.
It takes a deal of striving,
And a firm and stern-set chin,
No matter what the battle,
If you really want to win.
There’s no easy path to glory,
There’s no rosy road to fame.
Life, however we may view it,
Is no simple parlor game;
But its prizes call for fighting,
For endurance and for grit;
For a rugged disposition
And a don’t-know-when-to quit.
Author unknown
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