Saturday night I made the journey to the Ganges (Ganga) River to take in the beautiful sites of the evening prayers. Getting there is not for the faint of heart because the traffic is crazy! Makes LA traffic seem like a walk in the park. Bikes, motorbikes, trucks, horses, cows, dogs, monkeys and pedestrians coming from all directions while the cars are driving at fast speeds. But all that craziness seemed to melt away once I got to the steps from a temple leading down to the river. I sat on the very bottom step right at the water. As the sun set the ancient songs of prayer began to start. It was so soothing and I quickly forgot about the traffic just a few feet away. Soon the air was filled with the smell of incense and all who were on the steps sat in peaceful silence as the ceremony began. Towards the end of the ceremony a young boy went around giving each person a handful of blessed flowers to take home as offerings for shrines within the home. It was such a moving experience that will stay with me forever.
Sunday morning, August 17, 2014, I joined my host Rajan on the search to find some children who had been absent from the school. We went into numerous slum communities asking for the children. After a few different communities we were able to find a nice young man to volunteer to join us on our search. He lead the way as we went into areas that were hidden away, down narrow roads or far out of sight from the main road. Thanks to his persistence and added help, we were able to find the children. Although he just met us, he was just as excited as we were to find the kids. When Rajan offered him a few rupees for his help, he did not want to take it. He said he just wanted to help us find the kids so they can go to school since he never could. So much of me wanted to give him a hug as he kept refusing to take the money as a thank you.
Here is our special helper of the day :)
Sunday morning, August 17, 2014, I joined my host Rajan on the search to find some children who had been absent from the school. We went into numerous slum communities asking for the children. After a few different communities we were able to find a nice young man to volunteer to join us on our search. He lead the way as we went into areas that were hidden away, down narrow roads or far out of sight from the main road. Thanks to his persistence and added help, we were able to find the children. Although he just met us, he was just as excited as we were to find the kids. When Rajan offered him a few rupees for his help, he did not want to take it. He said he just wanted to help us find the kids so they can go to school since he never could. So much of me wanted to give him a hug as he kept refusing to take the money as a thank you.
Here is our special helper of the day :)
Also had the chance to see a lot of cows while we were searching for the children.
Monday, August 18, 2014 was Lord Krishna's birthday so schools all over were closed. This gave me the chance to explore more of the Buddhist Temples in Sarnath with my host sister Rosy. We rode a rickshaw into town and even enjoyed some street food. One of the highlights of the day was a visit to the museum but sadly no photos were allowed inside.
Tuesday was a nice day spent with the children at school. It makes me so happy to sometimes just sit with a group of them as they are in class watching as they work on their Hindi lessons. Each of them has a story of survival or over coming conditions that sometimes bring tears to my eyes but they all already have a special place in my heart.
This little girl is baby Jasmin. During morning prayers she walked over to me and grabbed my hand. She is my little shadow during the school day.
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