The mighty Ganges River, searching for absent children, Buddhist Temples and new friends

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 :)

 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.

India Independence Day and making bracelets

Friday August 15, 2014 was the 68th Independence Day for India. The children celebrated with lots of song and dance plus Rajan got them special treats. Every child showed up to school which was rare and all of them were thrilled to celebrate. There was so much pride in their nation expressed through song and dance. I am so happy I was able to be part of this special day.
In the words of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi: "We have had enough of divisiveness and communal wounds inflicted on Mother India. Peace and brotherhood will give strength to take the country forwards. I am sure it can be done."

On Saturday I taught another art class and this time we made bracelets. I brought beads with me from home and learned that these style of beads are not available in India so the kids were thrilled to have something no other children would have. It was a very rewarding experience because the children's faces would light up when I would give them beads and they were so excited to show off what they made. 

New beginnings

Today I had the chance to meet two wonderful, friendly and smart young men; Satwant and Amit.
They started off at Buddhas Smile School when they were both very young. Throughout the years my host Rajan continued to encourage them to stay in school, provide them with meals, clothing and funding from donors so that they could stay in school. Not only did they finish grade 12, but they also scored well enough on their final exams so they could apply to college. Both of them got accepted to the Pandian Saraswathi Yadav Engineering College!!! Rajan was able to find donors to fund their tuition, living expenses, books and all other fees. She has been a angel to them.
The school is 50 hours away by train and will be a world of difference from what they are used to but they were so excited to have a new start. As they were saying good bye to their families, I could see the nerves and emotion start to set in as they looked worried. Although not socially accepted, I shook both their hands and told them that everyone is proud of what they are doing. As the bus drove away their families stood with us watching them leave to pave the path for a brighter future. These are the first children from Buddhas Smile School that have gone on to college and there are already four children who will be eligible to follow in their footsteps next year.
The children from this area have so much working against them; poverty, crime, forced marriage, high cost of education, parents who are absent or not supportive but Rajan and her school provide each student who comes here with a chance to alter their path to a life of opportunity.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” 
― Nelson Mandela

Visit to a Bengali Refugee community

It is monsoon season here in India and the rain comes down very hard making the humidity so thick that it feels like you are walking around in a sauna. Although it's hot, the India weather has been doing wonders for my skin. I have not worn any foundation, concealer or face powder since I've been here because my skin has been acne free.

Sadly, the heavy rain and humidity does not do such great things for the children who attend this school. More rain leads to flooding and then areas of stagnant, dirty water that causes skin infections for the children. Also increases the number of kids getting malaria. The other day I accompanied Rajan to visit a little girl named Mona. She is a student at Rajan's school and she was in the hospital because of dehydration. She had an infection from dirty water so now she was vomiting and had loose bowels.Thanks to donations, Rajan was able to pay for the hospital treatment and Mona was put on an IV. While we talked to the doctor, he stopped after a few minutes to ask me if I spoke Hindi. When I said no he switched to English so I could be included in the conversation. I really appreciated him being so polite. He told me that the street children get sick like this often because the water here is polluted all the way to 350 feet under ground. 

Today, Tuesday, the rain was coming down extra hard so many children did not show up to school. At the end of the school day my host Rajan and I went with the bus driver to drop off the children so we could see what damage the rain has caused in their homes. It made me sad to see how flooded the homes were and for some children the water came up to their thighs. As we walked around the kids rushed over to talk with us, hold our hands and had the most beautiful smiles on their faces. It was then I realized that although I know these conditions can't be healthy for the kids, the kids are still happy. I admired their innocence and their energy. 

Each day I am here, I am more grateful for the experience. I get to witness on a large scale how beautiful, strong and forgiving the human spirit can be. Traveling by myself is also helping me to grow as a person and I feel proud that I can get along with people regardless of language barriers or cultural differences. I only have two and a half weeks left but I'm sure there is much more to come :)

In other news my host family also gave me a packet of jeweled bindis. I am totally embracing the cultural dress and I absolutely love it.