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.
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!)
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