My first days at the home!

My first several days at the home have been everything I could have hoped for. Upon arriving last Friday, I was greeted individually by 130 beautiful children, each offering me a warmhearted "Good evening, sister!" along with the biggest smiles I have ever seen. That alone was just amazing. The children then swarmed around me - holding my hands, touching my necklace and earrings ("Very nice, sister!"), asking me about my moles and freckles, and all telling me their names at once! Not an easy task to learn 130 Hindi/Telugu names, most of which have 3 or 4 syllables and are entirely foreign to me, but I'm doing okay. Eleven days in, and I think I know about 3/4 of them. I am trying so hard to learn them quickly, because the children constantly ask if I know their names and are crestfallen when I don't!

My first night here, all the children sang me a welcome song during their daily prayer meeting. Each night they all chant a very, very long Sanskrit prayer that is inclusive of all religions. It is of utmost importance to the founders of Child Haven that every child's religion be respected, which is one of the things that drew me here. I love learning about their beliefs! And they are amazing to be able to recite these long prayers. As it is, they are all trilingual, speaking Hindi, English, and Telugu (the mother tongue of Andhra Pradesh, which is the state this particular home is located in). They work so hard, attending school six days a week and having lots of study time once they get home every day.

I think the most incredible thing for me so far has not only been the overwhelming love the children have so freely given to me, but also their joy for life. I have worked many years of my life with children in some capacity or another, and these children are by far the happiest I have ever seen. What a testament to simple living! They have so relatively little but have hearts full of joy! And they are so grateful to be at Child Haven. They are all either orphans or have been brought to the home by their destitute families, and Child Haven provides them with food, shelter, and quality schooling until they are old enough to succeed on their own. Child Haven was founded by Bonnie and Fred Cappuccino (Bonnie-ma and Fred-pa to the kids), who insist that the home be run according to Ghandian principles. Bonnie-ma and Fred-pa are not only parents to all the children (as well as about 1,000 others in seven other homes around India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Tibet), but they are also their heroes! Bonnie-ma visits every home four times a year - an arduous task for a woman in her seventies, but she is a bundle of energy, love, and commitment. She was at our home in Hyderabad a few days ago, and the children were over the moon to see her! They prepared special dances and songs for her, which were so beautiful to see.

One of my favorite things about the children is their affectionate nature - familiarity with me is instant, and they always want to hold hands or just cuddle. And boy, do I love hugs! This is definitely the place for me!

For those who don't know, I will be living at the home until early May. I have my own room, which is very luxurious considering that the children must sleep about 25 to a room so that Bonnie-ma and Fred-pa can care for as many of them as possible. I also have my own bathroom attached, which is taking a bit of getting used to! They have squat toilets here, which are essentially just holes in the ground. (My thighs are going to be in great shape after a few months of this!) And showering is a matter of filling a bucket with water from the the spicket and dumping it over myself! Not quite what I am used to, but very effective! I take all of my meals with the children, which usually means some form of rice and dal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is very tasty but a bit messy for me, as it is all eaten by hand (right-hand only) while sitting on the floor. The children do this much better than me, but I am getting better! It's a bit new for me to have spicy food and rice for breakfast, but I am tolerating it quite well so far. And I am loving the chai and soya milk, which is made directly from soybeans right in the home! Of course, I can only drink bottled or boiled water, as the tap water here is filled with bacteria that could kill a person whose body is not accustomed to it. But so far, I am dining like a king! Everyone said I would lose weight in India, but I'm not so sure - I can only eat about half as much as the children, and still, I am always stuffed! However, just yesterday some of the women here were saying I was looking thin - "not so much fat as before, sister" - and that I needed to eat more or else my husband would be very disappointed when I go home! Ha!

I will try to update my blog as often as possible because I have so much to tell! But internet access is very limited, so I will do what I can and let you use your imaginations to fill in the rest.... Hope all are well! Love from India!