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