In suit with previous days, our morning kicked off to an interesting start. I was woken early by Brian who needed to leave for the airport to recover his lost luggage. However, our taxi driver from the previous day was not there and was replaced by a new driver. The language barrier kept our new driver from understanding any of the directions we attemptted to convey so with courage and little hesitation, Brian decided to leave. Two hours later Bernard and I were still waiting patiently for his return to the apartment, with no way of reaching him without a phone, when luckily, Arushi, a college student coordinating with us from Jesus & Mary College, called our housekeeper and agreed to come pick us up. In the meantime she decided to take us to another NGO school her mom volunteers at. We left a note back at the apartment with our housekeeper to instruct the taxi driver where to take Brian to meet us. Although we both felt slightly uneasy, Bernard and I left the apartment and used the extra excursion as an opportunity to learn more while we waited for Brian’s call.

The school we were brought to houses over 100 children and provides them with 2 quality meals, education and some form of vocational training/artistic skill each day. We were mesmerized by the level of artistic abilities demonstrated by the children. They had all been taught how to sew, draw mehandi and design other forms of pottery and marketable skills. By affording impoverished children with these few skills, this NGO offers students the opportunity and ability to succeed in a profession which would otherwise not be available to them. As we went to leave the school, the lyrics from the song the children sung to us resonated within my head…”live in the moment, be happy and grateful for what has been bestowed upon you.”

Finally, with 2 suit cases in his possession and 4 hours later, we were able to reconvene with Brian and head to Shadipur Depot, the Children’s Hope facility. Unfortunately, the rains were so terrible that by the time we reached the colony the roads were too flooded to allow passage to the site. With great disappointment, we decided to drive back in the direction of Arushi’s home to discuss our plans for the following days. The rest of the day was spent traveling through busy Indian traffic, making curriculum copies, shopping for materials and brainstorming on how we can most effectively carry out our program’s mission. At the end of the day, we remained hopeful, confident and excited with anticipation for the commencement of our program.

Signing off,

Melissa