Fifth Day: Dancing

Top 5:

* Tutoring, especially math again - worked with two boys this time - so fun to figure out some of these more complicated math problems that I haven't done forever - and to remember why I loooove math - you can figure it out!  It's not some nebulous concept that we'll never understand, it's super logical and makes sense! :)

The school's morning Concave/Devotional for all students before school begins

There are a few of the teachers here in the picture - they really impress me - they are teachers,  the woman are also often "house mothers" to a group (families) of kids, and they often spend from 6am - 9:30pm here, with those kids due to one responsibility or another.  A-mazing.  That's dedication to the future of these children.  

Want to see our room?  So clean :)  This room could hold 7 volunteers - but since our group is small we have divided it up for three of us,  Allie, Nusly and I.

This feel like home to me :)  It's a squatter toilet!  And it's what they use here in India - and what we use here too.  So glad.  Really miss those from Thailand :).

* Dance - wow these kids at the school can dance!  I want to learn from them.  There is an international dance organization that sends dance teachers all over the world to schools that communicate a need for dance education.  Sarah, who just left Sunday night, has been here for a number of months, teaching dance classes for each standard (grade), most days of the week.  She has really loved it and the kids love her.  She teaches what is called "Life Dance" which is a type of dance that teaches life skills to the dancers.  These dances are just so so cool.  On Friday, Day 5, we all went to the dining hall/outdoor performance center/movie night spot.  Each standard performed for the rest of the school and it was sooo fun to see them do their dances.  They worked so hard on them and really put their selves in to these dances.  I recorded each one but somehow my camera and SD card had some issues so I don't have a video share, but trust me, these were some fantastic dances.  And the thing I like most is that these dances are focused on empowering the kids that perform them, which these kids really need.  So good and such a special thing that Sarah did for all of them by coming and teaching them these dances.

All the kids getting ready to perform and watch the dances from each of the standards (grades).  It was an awesome performance.  Wish my videos turned out.

* Awesome Friday night dinner!

Special Friday night dinner with chapati!  So fun, so tasty.  Chapati is like a tortilla/crepe/prata all in one.  It was a nice break for some from all the rice and curry, which I actually enjoy a lot, but it was nice to have the variety.  AALaura, this area is used all year long, it sounds like, for dinners.  It's great and convenient that it's on our roof so we don't need an extra room to hold dinner...though I wonder how that works during the really rainy season... :)

Two beautiful shots of the sunset here from on top of our roof that I wanted to share with you all.

* Coloring books - for Family time Friday night, I brought a Harry Potter coloring book, thanks to Steph :)  Seriously, those boys loooove to color, and they each would chose one they liked, I'd tear it out of the book, and they all shared the pack of crayons I brought.  There must have been at least 10 of these kids sitting/laying on the floor all around me, coloring their pictures, saying, "Auntie/Rebecca, look at my coloring!"  "Can I change the color?!"  "Look at my picture!" "Do you like my coloring?"  So fun.  And it was sweet, once one started putting "I love Rebecca" or "Sanjay loves Rebecca" they all started doing that.  It helps me remember their names better too, combined with my notebook that I carry around.  At any rate, I looooove those boys so much - how is that possible that I can love them so much and hardly know them - and they're little boys, but there is this constant and growing feeling of love I have for them, it's amazing.  Somehow, they've gotten into my little heart and man, I do not want to leave them.  We don't bring cameras during family time because the kids go nuts over cameras and are easily distracted, but the last night, I will bring a camera so that everyone can see these beautiful boys.  I love them!

Yes, this is how we shower...with a bucket! 

* Done with work - I finally finished the work I was doing in the evenings during part of Friday, and that was super nice to finally have done with and now catch up on all my blogging and plain old sleep!