Eric's Rising Star Outreach Video!

Hey everyone! My good friend Eric (who is part of the A Team and who in real life is a 2nd year med student at UC-Davis) made a video of our time at RSO if you want to take a look! I wish him the best of luck as he starts classes again! :)

Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOa5BYatyu4 

Last day at RSO! [June 14, 2011]

Today marks my last day at RSO! I can't believe my 3 weeks have already come to an end. Lisa, Tanner, Nathan, and I drove 2.5 hours in a TATA Toro (without AC!) to Gresham hospital in Chennai. Greshman hospital was started by the German government and was founded to treat leprosy patients specifically. We were all surprised by the cleanliness of the hospital (it was much better taken care of than Ramachadran hospital) and were delighted by the tour given to us by one of the directors. We got to meet many leprosy patients (who are treated at the hospital free of charge) who were all very happy to be at Greshman hospital, because they receive such wonderful care. However, we also learned that many of the leprosy patients being cared for often re-open their wounds (which does not hurt since they do not feel any pain in their limbs due to the nerve damage) in order to stay longer at the hospital, which made us all really sad. One of the leprosy patients we met was an older who had contracted leprosy 30 years ago. We also met his wife (who does not have leprosy) and was actually a weaver that makes the famed Kanchipuram silk. We learned that they have 2 children and 3 grandchildren! They were both very happy. It was wonderful seeing the patients being taken such good care of.

Greshman hospital also treats normal patients (who come for eye check-ups, dermatology appointments, etc.) and Greshman provides prescription glasses for $3! Greshman also has cobblers that make custom made shoes out of tires and extremely durable rubber, especially for leprosy patients. Overall Greshman is a great hospital, and I hope that RSO will build a partnership with them!

On the way back to RSO we stopped at McDonalds. India's McDonalds has a 50 cent menu (compared to our dollar menu!) And an ice cream cone cost about 20 cents, which was crazy. Of course I had to have one!

In the afternoon, Lisa, Nathan, and I staffed the RSO clinic. Lots of kids have been having high fevers for the past few days, so we checked about 10 students' temperatures. One of theirs was 102.7 which is really high! A few kids had other complaints (wrist pain, deep bruising, etc.) but nothing super serious which is good.

After clinic duty, Lisa, Samm, and I went to our last family night. Gandimathy and the boys wrote me letters, made me paper cut-outs, and also made plastic insect toys for me! (They think its hilarious that I'm afraid of them). Lisa and I both suffered from nervous breakdowns when we saw a REAL spider in our family's house! It was HUGE (really, must have been 4 inches across) and the boys picked it up and chased us around with it. I think all of India must have heard our combined screams! I'm glad the boys had a lot of fun with us though. This craziness lasted for a good 10 minutes. We took lots of phoots which was fun! I also brought snacks and goodies for all of my little brothers, and they loved them! I was so sad to say goodbye to them. I promised the boys I would be back, so I definitely will. I hope to bring some of my friends back with me!

I took a taxi back to the airport, which is 2 hours away from RSO. I was a bit nervous about taking a taxi all by myself during the night, but it worked out great. Of course the driving was even crazier since it was at night and during a rainstorm (!!!) but I made it safely back to Chennai Airport, and caught my flight back to Frankfurt and then DC.

I already miss all of my new friends I made at RSO, especially Lisa, Samm, Eric, and Tanner, but know we will all keep in touch!!! I am so lucky to have had this experience, and cannot wait to return. Lots of love!

Our group at Gresham hospital in Chennai, India with our tour guide!

Me and some of my little brothers!

Me and Lisa, my newest best friend! 

We're planning another trip next summer. :)

Brenen, me, Tanner, Lisa, and Samm before I left!



Its an RSO Monday! [June 13, 2011]

Today marks my second to last day with Rising Star Outreach! I cannot believe how quickly the time has flown by, and I don't want to think about leaving tomorrow. But I was so excited to see Lisa, who just returned from her trip to Delhi and Agra. We had a LOT to catch up on this morning, and it was so much fun hearing all about her trip and sharing stories from the weekend! Unfortunately our partner in crime, Eric, had left with his family after his trip to Delhi/Agra, which was a bummer. But we're hoping to have a reunion sometime next summer! (If not earlier - I am trying my hardest to get Lisa to come visit me in NYC or DC!)


After we caught up, we got ready to give the kids anemia screenings (with lancers) and tetanus shots - ouch! Our great Group 1 had been greatly diminished since we lost Tyler (who was on an overnight trip with the nurses), the Morley family (Eric, Stephanie, and Dr. Morley), Nadya, and Sam (who was resting the whole day). So it was only me, Lisa, Tanner, and Nathan to take care of all the tasks for the day! We started the anemia screenings (which utilized finger pricking to determine the child's status) with UKG, then moved onto 2nd and 3rd standard. My favorite part was getting the kids from their classrooms, where I was greeted with "Good morning Aunty Elle! We love you!" and tons of kisses from everyone. I was sad to have to bring them to their fates, but all of them did really well and nobody cried! We rewarded them with stickers (which I was in charge of) and then returned them to their classrooms. After the anemia screenings we took a lunch break.


After lunch we were in charge of giving the 5th standard kids their tetanus shots. Unfortunately these shots are pretty painful and the discomfort lasts for a couple of days! But most of them did really well. I was surprised by how much more afraid and fussy they were than the UKG, 1st, and 2nd standard kids. A few of them were bigger than I was, so it was hard to get them to follow me/fight them off, so Tanner had to help me out a few times! There were only 21 of them, so it didn't take too long fortunately. Afterwards, Lisa and I watched Samm's "Life Dance" class which was fun! We got to see their beautiful dance to "Somebody" by David Archuleta. 3 of Samm's dancers were invited to a dance/athletic convention in Connecticut, but it might not happen because they are scheduled to leave in 11 days, and they don't even have their passports, let alone their visas to the US! I really hope they'll be able to make it though! Can you imagine what they would think when they flew and toured around NYC?


In the evening, Lisa, Samm, Sam, and I were in charge of distributing the Vitamin A tablets to all of the girls and their house-mothers. I mistook a house-mother for one of the students which was pretty embarassing, but she was very understanding - a lot of them look SO young!  Afterwards we headed to Gandimathy's house where we helped the boys with their homework (which is now our priority, since if they don't complete their homework they receive an "X" mark and have to run barefoot on the track in the afternoon). I helped the boys with their math homework and taught them how to correctly spell all the numbers from 1-50, and also helped them with their times-tables. It was frustrating at times, but Lisa and I utilized the chalkboard and they ended up loving it!


After "family time" I started packing all of my stuff which made me really sad! But I also got to finally try Brenen's combination of eggs + ketchup which he has been non-stop talking about. It was actually pretty good (but don't tell him I told you!) Tomorrow we are going to another Indian hospital for a tour which should be interesting. I can't believe its already my last day at RSO!!!

Brenen and me with one of my favorite girls, Boujie!

She's a great dancer and has a huge personality and smile! :)

The "Life Dance" class! They're awesome!

Lisa and me tutoring the kids during "family time".

Brenen and Tanner....?

Sunday at RSO! [June 12, 2011]

This morning we woke up early to go into Chennai for Church services and shopping! Samm, Kim, Joanne, and I went to Spencer's Plaza (by auto-rickshaw - fun!) and shopped for about 2 hours. Spencer's is one of the oldest malls in Chennai and was quite different from an American mall. The stores were tiny, and more like "stalls" and "vendors" than actual stores. I didn't buy anything, but did enjoy bargaining with some of the vendors. Afterwards we took an auto-rickshaw back to the Church. The ride was quite entertaining since our driver went incredibly slow. We weren't sure if he was doing this to spite us or not, but nonetheless it was quite comical! I had to sit on Kim's lap for the ride back because the auto-rickshaw is so tiny! It was fun though. We met back up with the group and headed to the Marriott for a glorious buffet lunch - it was absolutely amazing! Samm and I teamed up and went crazy with all the food - homemade Indian curries, pizza, made to order pasta, MEAT, and a delicious dessert bar! (Where I could FINALLY eat ice cream!) Afterwards we all went into food coma and slept during the 2 hour ride back to RSO. (Except for Kim, CJ, and Brenen who watched "Dexter" on the way back). When we got back to RSO we watched "The Shawshank Redemption" which I loved! Highly recommended.

Kim, CJ, and Group 3 (a nursing group from BYU) will be going on a 2 day leprosy colony trip, so I won't be able to see them before I leave! They're absolutely great people and I'm so sad to be leaving them!

Samm, Kim, me, and Joanne! (aka. the shopping crew)

at the Marriott brunch! Yum!

Me and coordinator Kim!

Saturday at RSO! [June 11, 2011]

Today I got to sleep in since its Saturday! I woke up at 9 a.m. and then we decided to go to Chengalpattu - a town about 45 minutes away. We went to the leprosy colony we had treated last week. CJ and Derek had to survey the community center that was just built, because they are planning on doing more construction work with the volunteer groups that will be arriving soon! It was Brenen, Joanne, and Lex's first visit to a colony which was exciting! We stopped at the elderly home the colony had built and talked with many of the residents. They were so sweet and excited to see us, and they all invited me to sit on their beds and talk with them. I got to see the patient that Eric and I had escorted to Ramachadran Hospital a few weeks ago. He loved flashing his beautiful celebrity teeth, and we got a great picture! (See below). We also toured the painting school that had been built by the leprosy colony and I purchased a gorgeous picture of an Indian girl dancing. According to the artist, the picture took about 4-5 days to paint and I think it is absolutely beautiful. It is such a unique souvenir, and it really humbles me and reminds me to make the best out of any situation I am in. Just to think that somebody without any fingers was able to make such a beautiful piece of art is inspiring. I can't wait to get back home and frame and hang it! After we visited the leprosy colony, we went to downtown Chengalpattu and did a little shopping. I bought some Indian sweets, which are absolutely delicious! We then stopped at the grocery store where I bought some mango juice to last me for 3 more days!


We then returned home and I got to attend one of Sam's "Life Dance" classes. It was great! Sam was teaching the kids a new dance, and it was fun to watch them learn it. The kids are so excited to be dancing and the class went by way too quickly! After class, we all ate a casual dinner on the roof. It was nice to be with a smaller group so we could all talk! We then went to Movie Night with the kids in the cafeteria, where we watched "Despicable Me" - an adorable movie! I had tons of kids crawling on me during the entire movie and others wanting to do my hair. Needless to say, it was difficult to actually watch the movie. But it was totally worth it! Sam and I then walked back to the boys' hospital and helped them brush their teeth and put them to bed - I officially adopt Sam into Gandmathy's family! She's great with the kids.

and congratulations to my little brother, Justin, for graduating today from Sidwell Friends! He'll be heading to Yale University in the Fall, and we couldn't be happier for him. I wish I could have been there to see him graduate, but I send him all the best wishes from India!

Again, I am so thankful for this opportunity to be here. My favorite parts so far have been working with such amazing and talented students from all over the world and working with such wonderful kids. I have really fallen in love with them and cannot believe my time is almost up! I will certainly be returning though :) Love to everyone.

Me and one of the leprosy-patients at the elderly home!

Me and my favorite elderly patient at the leprosy colony!

Eric and I took him to Ramachandran hospital to get fitted for his dentures - look at how great his teeth look now! :) He was so proud of them.

The amazing picture I purchased from the Bati School of Art!

Keep in mind it was painted by a leprosy patient with no fingers!

Brenen, CJ, Lex, Kiley, and me grocery shopping!

The kids during their "Life Dance" class!

Aravind after he brushed his teeth.

He's my favorite!

Its Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday! [June 10, 2011]

Late last night Group 1 (my medical group) decided that Nathan finally needed a haircut. I must say that Tanner, Tyler, Eric, and I did quite a good job (checkout the pictures below). We gave him an American mullet just in time for his visit to the Taj Mahal tomorrow!

I woke up to an empty room today since my roomates (Stephanie, Sam, and Nadya) left for the weekend trip to Delhi and Agra! It was nice to sleep in though. I headed to the school and Tanner and I added the dental screening results to the kids' electronic medical files - we did it super fast! So then we got to help out with the eye screenings for the kids. It took about 3 hours, but we got to see all of the students! In between I got to help Brenen tutor Barash in math - we helped him learn how to do "averages".

In the afternoon I hung out with Sam ("Dance Master Sam") who is here for a month to teach the kids dance. We bonded over our experience here at RSO and started watching a movie. However, after Derek informed us that there was an hour meditation session with the kids, we bolted there ASAP. I was surprised that over 50 kids turned out for this weekly voluntary meditation session held in the cafeteria! Of course I was expecting a laid back meditation session, but this was quite the opposite. I found myself in quite uncomfortable and challenging poses, but was overjoyed that I had 2 teachers ("Pooji" and "Makalakshmi") to help me through the hour! They were so excited to instruct me and were incredibly encouraging. I learned from them the importance of releasing your right foot first from a pose and that you should open your eyes when you are doing meditation because its "healthy for the eyes and psyche" among many other things. It was so much fun, and I'm so glad that I had them to guide me! In the middle of our meditation session, Lola (the mountain sheep that is RSO's official pet) bolted through the cafeteria and was chasing a little girl (lovingly, of course). It was pretty funny. The boys had a rough time removing her from the cafeteria. I'm pretty sure she wanted to participate in meditation, too!

During playtime I found myself pushing all of the swings for the kids and refereeing a basketball game. It was so hot today! Not to mention that since all of the other volunteers are in Delhi, the kids are constantly clamoring for my attention. We then had a laid-back dinner on the rooftop and headed to "family time". I brought Sam with me to "family time" and she loved it! For some reason the boys were having trouble falling asleep tonight so I sang for about 30 minutes! Gandimathy also shared some gossip with us which was fun and surprising. We're excited to go back to "family time" on Sunday.

In the evening I hung out with Brenen and Sam and watched a movie with the other coordinators/volunteers and updated my pictures and blog (which I hope you are all enjoying!) I'm so sad that my time here at RSO is coming to a close. But I'm excited to return to the US and see what I can do there to make a difference.

Cutting Nathan's hair! Didn't I do a great job?

The final product. Check out that smoldering facial expression.

Family time isn't the same without Uncle Eric!

(and Aunty Lisa, of course...but she'll be back on Sunday!)



Dental Screenings! [June 9, 2011]

Check out the YOUTUBE video (less than 3 minutes!) of my time and experience in India that was made for my brother (Justin's) vocal benefit recital for RSO! Justin performed his concert on Sunday and has raised over $5,600 for RSO so far! Congratulations Justin! :) Here's the link for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPlL8d9s6MM

Today we were given the task of performing dental screening on the 200+ kids at RSO! A dentist came in and worked with us from 10 a.m. - 2:15 p.m. We helped him do initial screenings and identify possible cavities and tooth decay. I helped the kids fill our their dental forms and escort them to the doctor. It was so much fun being around them, especially when they remembered my name and wanted to play with me! It was super exhausting though, and we were all tired when we finished, so we returned to the Elephant House and relaxed until playtime at 4:30 p.m.!

During playtime today there was an intense game of soccer going on! Lisa and Eric participated, but I was a basketball referee for a game going on, and also observed the "Bubble Masters" blowing huge bubbles made from soap! It was pretty fun.

Dinner tonight consisted of fish (not a fan) so I passed. But it was a sad occasion because it was the Morley family's last night with us! (Eric and Stephanie are part of the Medical Team, along with their dad, Dr. Morley, who is a pediatrician in California). Eric is a part of Gandymathi's "family" (which Lisa and I are both a part of) and we are certainly going to miss him this coming week, especially during "family time"! But he starts his 2nd year of Med School next week, so he needs some time to recover from this trip before it starts! Eric is one of my closest friends here at RSO in addition to Lisa, and we call ourselves the "A Team". (I think its a well deserved team name!)

Tonight during "family time" we took lots of family photos (see below!) The younger kids watched a bit of "Spy Kids 2" and then I sang them to sleep. While they were sleeping, Gandymathi shared with me some of the children's stories. They were incredibly sad. I knew that they all came from poor families, but one of my favorite kid's (Aravind's) Dad had killed his Mother, and now this child lives with his aunt while his father is in jail. Whenever there is any mention of anyone's mother, he gets silent and doesn't speak to anyone and just sits in a corner. It absolutely broke my heart. Another of my favorite kids, Arun, was left in a leprosy colony originally when RSO did not have room to take him in. Arun and his father had traveled from Delhi, but because his father did not have enough money to take Arun back with him, he decided to leave Arun and return to Delhi to beg for eventually enough money to come back and get Arun. In the meantime, he left Arun in a leprosy colony by himself. Arun was only 3. Can you imagine what this child must have been going through? What must he have thought when his father abandoned him in an unknown place? I can't even fathom this. Luckily RSO came a few days later to the colony to treat the leprosy patients, and when they told RSO of Arun's story, of course RSO took him in. I am happy to report that Arun is one of my favorite kids and so happy and healthy today! RSO is truly a gift for all of these children. Lisa and I mused on what we could do to help these kids, since RSO only goes to the 10th standard (or "10th grade") and hope to return someday to possibly help teach the kids or help apply them to colleges if possible. We will definitely have to consult RSO on this endeavor, and will keep you all posted!

Most of the RSO volunteers are headed to a weekend Delhi and Agra trip tomorrow. (They'll travel from Friday to Sunday). I won't be going because my father says we'll return soon and have much more time (than 3 days) to visit those places! I'll be here with the awesome coordinators and my friend Tanner (he went on the trip last year), so hopefully we'll find some fun things to do this weekend. I'll let you know!

I can't believe that I leave RSO in less than a week! I realized how happy I was to see my boys last night after being away for 2 days in Adhrah Pradesh. Even leaving my boys last night was so hard, and I get to see them again tonight! I can't imagine what its going to be like when I return home to Hawai'i. I do know I want to come back though, and hope to drag tons of my friends with me! Again, I thank my lucky starts and God for giving me this opportunity to be here and have this once in a lifetime experience in India.

Me and the 1st standard kids while they were waiting for their dental screenings!

Tanner performing a dental screening on a UKG standard kid.

We're so lucky to be part of Gandymathi's family!

We have the best 18 boys ever. :)

The A Team + Gandymathi = an unforgettable experience

Brenen and one of his kids.

(Photo credit to Arun who took my camera!)