Life at Rising Star

I've been home for 3 weeks now and apparently I got a little blogged out because I've had a hard time getting myself to post these! They are long overdue!

I just wanted to give you an idea of what life was like at Rising Star. They really do have great facilities for the volunteers thanks to people that have made wonderful contributions.

The girls are required to wear Churidaars (sp?) while at Rising Star. They have a bunch that we can use while we are there....So, every day we go to the Churidaar room and pick one out....




This was our room... There were 6 of us in here. And I loved my roommates. Myra and I really lucked out!

We had A/C - which was wonderful! Rising Star did not always have A/C for it's volunteers. The electricity would sometimes go out and it would get hot...but for the most part, we were really lucky. We heard the session before us lost electricity for 5 days!!! Yikes!



The roommates - minus Ali... We had a lot of fun together!!




The Squatter!!! They really aren't that bad.



The bucket showers. I thought that these would be super annoying. But they really weren't. You just fill the bucket half way up with water and use the scoop to poor the water over you. They have to use bucket showers to conserve water. Their water supply comes from a couple of wells. If they run out of water before the monsoon/rainy season, they are going to be out of luck!



The food! The food didn't seem like it was that bad the first week we were there...but when the second week rolled around and we were still eating the exact same stuff - it just got kind of old. I can't imagine the long-term volunteers that had to eat it all summer!

We ate on banana tree leaves... And this plate actually looks better than most nights because it's loaded up with fruits and veggies which wasn't always available...




We ate on the roof...under a cool looking tent thing...and usually with these fun people....



The view from the roof.... Not bad! :)




The Water - When Myra and I discovered that you can get somewhat cold water at the Kids dinning hall....we would make daily trips there to get some drinking water! The drinking water at the elephant house (where we stayed) was always hot when it first came out of the tap! Everyone would try to cram their water bottles in the freezer to get them cold.




The track - This is where Myra and I went to run a few of the mornings we were at Rising Star! It's a small track about 1/8 mile long! So - just 24 times around and you have 3 miles! :) We weren't allowed to leave campus for safety reasons to go running. I was a little bummed about that...but the track was a good enough alternative. I think we ran about 3 times. We were a little lazy the other mornings! ;)




The van - This was our mode of transportation! We spent lots of time in these vans to and from colonies or to/from Chennai. We had great drivers that took us where we needed to go...







The Junction - This is the little village about 10 minutes from Rising Star where we would sometimes stop for ice cream on our way back to campus!




The Wall - Every session paints something symbolic to their session...Since our session was very construction heavy, we decided to go with something that represented all the work we did their...





The people - This is the whole group that we spent 2 with!!!!!!


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Location:Sirungozhi Rd,,India

Aravind

My very first day at Rising Star and my very first time at playtime... I met the sweetest little boy. His name is Aravind and he's in 1st standard (1st grade). I played with him and a couple of other boys his age. The very next day at playtime, he saw me and headed towards me yelling my name, "Christine! Christine!"

His eyes and his sweet smile stole my heart almost instantly. It has been a week since I've seen him and I miss him so much.








How can you not fall in love with this boy? He's one of the only calm kids I met at Rising Star. He would come up to me every single day at play time, take my hand and just sit with me. Sometimes we would play "Concentration 64" or "Dora, Dora, Dora" or he would take my hand and lead me to the slide and ask me to take pictures of him jumping off of it.




He was so considerate of other people too. He never got mad at the other boys that would sometimes push him out of the way. And I loved watching him interact with his sister Amirtham. They were so loving with each other. If she had food she would always come over and share with him. Here he is sharing his glasses with her and helping her put them on.






Are they not the most adorable kids ever? I wanted to take them home with me!!! :)

At Rising Star, in the volunteer house, they have books set aside for each child that volunteers can write it. The books usually have some pictures of the children and sometimes of their family. I told Aravind and Amirtham that I saw a picture of their family and they just kept asking me for it. They wanted to see it so badly. So I decided to take a picture of the picture on my camera and bring it to their hostel to show them. They were so happy to see the picture. I also found out that night from one of the house mothers that Aravind and Amirtham don't have a mother - she passed away. So they are raised by their father.


It is so easy to forget the lives that these children came from when you only see them at rising star where they are so loved and taken care of. Their parents and families have leprosy. They live in these small colonies with just the bare essentials (sometimes not even the essentials). Their families are viewed as cursed for their disease. Those colonies that we would visit - with the most humblest of homes. That is where these children are from.

Rising Star is giving these children a huge opportunity, by educating them and giving them a chance to build a better life for themselves. Just by learning English, their chances at finding a better job increase 500 times! That's incredible. Rather than be destined to a life of begging and just getting by in a colony - they are getting the education they need for more opportunities and much better chances of getting a good job in India.




It is so easy to fall in love with these children. I hold a special place in my heart for so many of the children I met at Rising Star. It was so difficult for me to say goodbye. If you know me, you know that I like to do my best to keep in touch with people I meet and connect with. I think that is what was so difficult about saying goodbye to Aravind and so many of the children. I knew that my chances of staying in touch were slim to none. And that just broke my heart.

There are many reasons that I want to go back...and being able to see this sweet boy again is definitely on that list!



He was my buddy for 2 weeks and I just love him and his sister. If only I could have stolen them away with me! Almost every volunteer ends up having a favorite child or 2 at Rising Star. Aravind was mine.


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Pure Love

Yesterday we went with Medical back to Barthala Purim. I love the days we get to go with medical because I love being in the colonies and being able to meet all the people there. My favorite thing is just to make them smile. Because this is one of the biggest colonies, there were a lot of patients there to see Dr. Susan and we were busy the entire time.

This time I was able to help with washing their feet and cutting their finger nails.







I wasn't so sure how I was going to feel about doing this - but I actually really enjoyed it. They were just so grateful. They would always take my hand afterwards or touch my face and show their gratitude.




















This man that is sitting across from me didn't need his feet washed because he didn't have any ulcers, but he needed his finger nails cut. And he was so grateful. He spoke more english than most and kept saying to me, "God bless you!" They are so humble and so grateful for the help they receive. I feel very grateful that I was able to help them.






One of my favorite patients that I met with that day was this lovely couple. I was very touched by the way her husband was with her every step of the way. He was so sweet! He would help us hold her leg up and make sure I cleaned her feet and ulcers enough. He would help with cutting her nails and make sure I did the short enough.















Her ulcer was so big that I was glad I was wearing a mask when I saw it so that it was easier to hide my reaction. I was so sad for her because the whole bottom of her foot was an ulcer. (*warning - the next picture is of the ulcer)


When she had to go get it cut by Navamari, it hurt and she would cry. My heart just broke for her. Her husband would hold her hand and she put her head on his shoulder. I was so grateful that she had someone at her side to support her.








After washing, I was able to also go help with bandaging a couple of the patients. Navamari would cut off the dead skin and get rid of any debris and then I would wrap the bandage on.








I can't remember all their names anymore, but this lady below was Renuka. She would always laugh when I would smile at her.






And this wonderful man is Durai Sami. I also helped bandage his leg. I just love his beard!








I was so grateful we got to go to a big colony and do so much on one of my last days! These people, their smiles and their wonderful spirits just warm my heart.


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If the shoe fits

Yesterday, a few of us went to 3 colonies to measure patients feet so that they can get new shoes. Someone donated money to Rising Star to go towards giving patients with Leprosy new shoes. Shoes are very important for people with Leprosy because it can help prevent wounds which can cause ulcers and protect their feet.

We picked up the cobbler and off we went to our first stop - Bethel Nagar. It was such a wonderful day. We met so many wonderful people in the colonies and had the chance to talk to so many of the patients.






The cobbler didn't need much help measuring. The process consisted of placing their foot on a piece of paper and tracing it. And they they would just talk to them in Tamil - I'm assuming just asking them about their feet.


















We had lots and lots of people come because we went to 2 of the biggest colonies - Bethal Nagar and then Batala Purim. We had to register them in a book, take their picture and then make sure that they stayed in order. India isn't known for following a process so we had to keep an eye on everyone and make sure they didn't skip something or get out of place.







The best part of the day was being able to talk to so many of the people. It is just so much fun to make them smile - whether it's by holding their hand, asking them their name, doing a little dance, or making a silly face. The fact that we are willing to touch them and simply hold their hand means so much to them. They are used to being treated as untouchable. So, for us to be so willing means a lot to them and makes them feel a little more like the wonderful people that they are.







This is Annamma from Bethal Nagar. After I took her picture she sat next to me and I said "Super!" She then pointed at me and said "Name?" I told her my name and she then put her hand on my arm and looked at me and smiled. She was so sweet.







Chellamma is from Batara Purim. After she had her feet measure, she just sat on the ground and I came and sat next to her. She just looked at me with the biggest smile and then I smiled at her and make a few silly faces and she just laughed and laughed!






Myra saw Noorjahan look like she had just kind of fallen when walking between stations so she called me to help her. I helped her up and over to a chair. I saw her sitting waiting to get her feet measured and went over to sit next to her and tried to cheer her up and take a picture with her. But she seemed so sad and I thought she didn't me bothering her.

After she was done with getting her feet measured, I was just standing there when all of a sudden she took my hand and started leading me away. I said, "do you want me to walk you home?" and she seemed to agree with a slight head nod. Her little hut/home was just across the way from the old folks home that we were stationed at. She held my hand all the way to her house. I decided to sit down with her for a minute. She sat down and there were 2 other men laying there. No one really said anything. It smelt so bad, and it was so dirty. Flies everywhere and kittens roaming around. I asked how many cats and one man held up 6 fingers. Noorjahan then put her hand up to her mouth like she was trying to signal to me that she was hungry.

My heart just broke as I sat there in their tiny little hut - with these people that looked so frail and so sad. I've just come to love these people and it breaks my heart to see them live like this. I wished that I could do more for them. It also made me realize just how blessed I am. My struggles are nothing compared to what they face each and every single day.






I noticed Supramani looking at me as I was sitting next to Chellamma. I remembered he was the guy at the old folks home that thought I was so tall when I visited last week! I sat down next to him and he pointed outside and moved his hands and I realized he was trying to tell me - "You were dancing before!" (or something to that affect). So I started to move my hands and shake a little bit as I sat next to him like I was dancing. He laughed and loved it.

The next thing I knew he was singing to me in Tamil! I didn't understand a word - but I loved it! It brightened my day and made me so happy.






I love this picture because when Indian people see a camera, they tend to put on a serious face. I have several pictures before this of Supramani with a serious face - but not this one! We caught a genuine smile on camera and the smile I was seeing before the camera came out! He made my day!






Malleshwary and Beula seemed so happy to have us at their tiny little colony. They live in A.S. Nagar and we only saw 4 people here. We loved the colors of their saris and so we took a bunch of pictures of these beautiful ladies. They also wanted to get a picture with us!

This was one of my favorites because it just shows how happy we both were to be meeting each other.






I had such a wonderful day. Despite the sadness of meeting Noorjahan and seeing her home (which was the low that I shared at dinner that day), I'm just so grateful I had the chance to spend so much time in these colonies with these people.

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Hard Day's Work

Monday was an exhausting but very rewarding day! We went to Bartala Purim - the largest and most thriving colony near Rising Star to help them install septic tanks so that they can have working toilets in the community. The colony funds their projects mostly through the art school we've visited and other businesses. Rising Star just provides some manual labor to help them move along a lot quicker.





We had to lower these big round cement cylinder things into these holes in the ground and then fill the wholes around the cylinders with dirt. we had these small shovels and shallow bowls to accomplish the task. It was a labor intensive day - that's for sure.







We worked together and got about 4.5 septic tanks ready for whatever the next phase is...

While we were filling dirt into one of the wholes - Davaraj (the man pictured below) came out of his home. I went over to say hello and he started saying something to me. One of the boys with us spoke Tamil so he came over and said that he was calling me his mother. Ha. I'm not sure why he was saying that - but i thought it was sweet.




The whole group of us after a loooong days work!!!!! We were hot, sweaty, tired, and dirty. But it was worth all of that to be able to help and get a lot done!


Bartala Purim has a snake charmer...and every once in a while he'll have some snakes. Sometimes poisonous; sometimes not. Yesterday - he had 2 rat snakes. Not poisonous - but apparently it can hurt if they bite. Anyway, we were allowed to hold them... I was nervous - but figured I had to do it!! I got a little nervous again when i was holding these 2 because they kept moving. I even felt one of the snakes tongue on my arm - that might be a little too close for comfort. :)



On our way home we stopped for some Pirotha!!! It's this amazing flat bread that I guess is only made in this part of india! It's delicious!!! You pay by the Pirotha and you can get a little egg omelet to eat with it which is really good! It was a nice way to end our hard working day!




Monday June 18th -
High: Working hard at construction with everyone.. AND realizing that i've finally learned all the girls names in my house!
Low: That the A/C unit had leaked all over the bottom of my bed the night before and that just wasn't so comfortable! ;)

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