Painting and such...

July 7, 2008-(Monday)- Palumpur, India

This morning things were a bit different at the school since we are cleaning and painting. I wore an old courta which belonged to another volunteer who had done painting previously. When I got to the school, the other teachers looked at me disapprovingly because of my outfit. I ignored them, but wondered why they would think I’d wear nice clothes to paint. It was raining so I couldn’t work on the school yard in the morning for more than a few minutes. Instead, we began painting the 10^th grade classroom since this one was not being used for testing. Had I known I would be painting, I would have brought supplies! Yes we can get paint here, but not rollers!, not roller trays!, not ladders, and very poor quality brushes! Jo was painting the outside of the school, and I was painting the classroom. At one point I asked some of the staff who were not doing anything if they would help me. They looked at me as if I were crazy. Instead, I got some of the students to help. There were some students who were not testing, and they were more than happy to help. We did get the room painted, but they did make a bit of a mess. Up until now I haven’t mentioned the weather except to say that it is HOT and HUMID. It rains here every day; Sometimes in the morning, sometimes at night, sometimes in the afternoon. This is normal as it is monsoon season. Unfortunately most days it is overcast, even if it is not raining. I get so excited when we get a few hours of sunshine. Another thing about the rain is that it differs in severity. At times it is what we would call a drizzle, but at other times it seems that the entire sky is emptying out and the amount of water falling is incredible. In Florida we have severe storms, but here it seems like there is the amount of water falling as in a hurricane, only without the destructive winds. The towns here have precautions for this. All the streets have drainage canals that double as sewers… When there is a heavy rain, everything is washed away, trash, dirt, etc. Where it is washed away to is another problem….

While Jo and I were painting, there were 2 other volunteers who simply sat in the principal’s office. When I asked them why they were there they said that since exams were going on, there was nothing for them to do. I told them that Jo and I could use some help, but they said they’d rather not. I don’t understand why people come on trips like this if they don’t expect to get their hands dirty. I came to work. I’m glad for the fun and exploring I’ve done, but mainly I came to help others, I wish all the volunteers had the same attitude. I hear complaints about all types of things… Didn’t they realize that India is a 3^rd world country? Actually, our accommodations are fantastic ! I really expected to have to “rough it” more. Anyway, as far as CCS (the agency I came with) is concerned, I am very satisfied.

Once I got back to the house, Juggy asked to talk with me. He was concerned that I am doing too much for the people at the school. He wants me to only finish the 10^th grade room. After thinking about it I realized that he was right. Since the teachers and staff don’t seem to want to help, I shouldn’t be willing to do more than they are. I have been working so hard, but they seem to be indifferent to my and the other volunteers’ efforts. I think of my own saying that “teachers shouldn’t work harder than students”. If the teachers aren’t willing to work, why should I do so much? The idea is supposed to be that the teachers will see some ideas and follow suit. Instead the teachers seem to be content to let us improve their school while they sit by and watch. This is not CCS’s vision.

After talking to Juggy, I took a well deserved nap. Then I went for a walk, and another adventure began. I began walking towards one of the hotels because I’d heard that there were hiking trails near there and I wanted to check them out. Along the way I met a little girl and she began talking to me. I immediately fell in love with her because she is the same age and size as Rachael. I learned that her name was Pooja. I also met her brother whose name is Vicrown. She is a sweet girl and she invited me to see her house. I walked up the hill and saw her family’s little home. She ran in and called to her mother and father. They asked me to come in. I sat and talked with the family for about an hour. At one point they offered me some water, as I was visibly sweating. I said “no thank you” and explained that I could not drink their water because I was from another country. I told them that I couldn’t drink tap water unless it was boiled, if I did, I would get very sick. Pooja insisted that they had boiled water for me, I was surprised but skeptical. Pooja’s mother then brought me out a glass of water on a tray. It was ice cold! I looked at her and said, “the water is cold”. Pooja explained that they boil the water then put it in a jar in the refrigerator. I was feeling a little worried, but I didn’t want to seem disrespectful, so I said a silent prayer and drank the water. The Lals are wonderful people. The father, Kishori, invited me for dinner! I accepted but I told them that I needed to go back to the house and let the staff know where I was. Pooja and Vicrown insisted on walking with me back to the house. Pooja was so cute. She insisted on helping me walk by taking my hand. I got to the house, changed into something nicer (I had been wearing hiking Capri’s and a t-shirt), and grabbed my laptop so that I could show Pooja and Vicrown pictures of Joel and Rachael. While I was changing, Juggy got the address and phone number of the LaL’s. Then I came down the steps and off we went. The dinner was nice, similar to what I’d been eating at the house. They enjoyed my pictures of home and the videos of Joel and Rachael. Finally, at 10:30, I thought it was time I left. Pooja wanted to know when I would come back to visit. I told her that I would return Thursday around 4pm. What a wonderful evening. The Lals are such a loving family. There may be a lack of material possessions, but it appeared they had everything they needed--and they certainly didn’t lack love in their home ! Kishori insisted on taking me back to the house on his scooter, so I had my first scooter ride too !