At the moment we are waiting at the Minniapolis airport for our last flight home. Just like India, a country full of contrast, many of us have mixed emotions about the end of this trip.
Earlier today at breakfast, each of us shared something we appreciated about the group, and what effect the trip had on us.
I'd like to share a few with you.
- Happiness isn't measured by how much stuff we have but by our relationships and things we do for others.
- Think of others before yourself.
- We are now more aware of how our actions affect others, not only ourselves
- When meeting new people, we'll try to be more accepting and respectful early on than force the person have to earn our respect.
Things about the group that we have come to appreciate:
- Even though each member comes from a different background with a different personality, gradually we have come together and gotten to know each other.
- We have connected as a group on a level that will go beyond our 3 weeks together.
- Throughout the trip, we were willing to settle and compromise to help out another group member.
- For the most part everyone felt comfortable socializing with everyone in the group, which means the same people weren't always together.
Of course what just I've shared isn't everything we have experienced together or learned from this trip to India, but hopefully it helps you in understanding at least a fraction of this unforgettable journey!
See ya soon!
CATE
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Open Arms
Well hello everyone, this is Ryan with the last blog of the trip, as of right now were in Hyderabad at the airport waiting to board, and here I am with my "breif" message of India.
I didn't really know what to expect when stepping foot in India, if anything I would of thought of it the same as back home, but its not. People are more than friendly, no one is shy at all, and there not scared to walk up to you to talk to you to ask you who you are, where you came from, what are you doing, and another million questions. For example when we first got into Hyderabad we stop to pick up some soda and only the boys got out, and when I walked back to the car these guys asked me all those questions and wanted to take pictures with me probably to show there friends they saw a white boy. Everyone here has open arms and treat you like a rock star. They make sure you have everything you need to the fullest, and also they make sure your setting and not standing. The hospitalitly here is way beyond high, I for one have never been treated so good like this before, sorry mom hahaha. But were getting ready to board now, so this will be continued in Amsterdam.
Wish us all safe travel and keeps us always in your paryers
I didn't really know what to expect when stepping foot in India, if anything I would of thought of it the same as back home, but its not. People are more than friendly, no one is shy at all, and there not scared to walk up to you to talk to you to ask you who you are, where you came from, what are you doing, and another million questions. For example when we first got into Hyderabad we stop to pick up some soda and only the boys got out, and when I walked back to the car these guys asked me all those questions and wanted to take pictures with me probably to show there friends they saw a white boy. Everyone here has open arms and treat you like a rock star. They make sure you have everything you need to the fullest, and also they make sure your setting and not standing. The hospitalitly here is way beyond high, I for one have never been treated so good like this before, sorry mom hahaha. But were getting ready to board now, so this will be continued in Amsterdam.
Wish us all safe travel and keeps us always in your paryers
Hard to put into words
Before I wrote this blog entry, I didn't know what to write about. I was kind of avoiding doing it because I didn't know what to say. I still don't really know what to say. It's weird, because you would think that I would have a huge list of things to write about. Well, I do, but it's hard to start writing them down. It's hard to put it all into words. There's so much to share.
After an experience like the one that we just had, it is nearly impossible to tell people "how it was" right away. We could say, "fun" or "pretty good", but that wouldn't do very much good. If we tried to tell people it all at once, it would be pretty unorganized too. We would start telling one story, and in the middle of that story there would be another story to tell, and in the middle of that story, another. It could go on and on with stories of all kinds.
A lot has happened on this trip for all of us. We had one schedule for our group, but our overall experiences have been very different from each others. We have created relationships with people we've met, and connections with places we've been.
When we get home, telling this story may take weeks, or months. Main parts are easy to tell, but the little moments, and small experiences are things that may come out nearly a year or two later. With everythinng we see there will be a memory. It's been a great experience.
------Bjorn, A.K.A Byahn, or Beejon (Pronounciations are different here)
After an experience like the one that we just had, it is nearly impossible to tell people "how it was" right away. We could say, "fun" or "pretty good", but that wouldn't do very much good. If we tried to tell people it all at once, it would be pretty unorganized too. We would start telling one story, and in the middle of that story there would be another story to tell, and in the middle of that story, another. It could go on and on with stories of all kinds.
A lot has happened on this trip for all of us. We had one schedule for our group, but our overall experiences have been very different from each others. We have created relationships with people we've met, and connections with places we've been.
When we get home, telling this story may take weeks, or months. Main parts are easy to tell, but the little moments, and small experiences are things that may come out nearly a year or two later. With everythinng we see there will be a memory. It's been a great experience.
------Bjorn, A.K.A Byahn, or Beejon (Pronounciations are different here)
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Uncomfortable sure feels good
One of our group mantras is how we sometimes have to do uncomfortable tasks to make someone else feel comfortable. Over and over these "tasks" have arisen with us being on either side. We have progressively been getting better at growing accustomed to them, but this was only possible through example.
Example #1 Our thumbs have practically fallen off from all the thumb wars we play with the kids. Is this uncomfortable? Well, losing a thumb usually is, but these kids are so adorable it is nearly impossible to say no to one more game.
Example #2 Last Sunday, we went to a service at Father Heyer Church. While there we were asked to sing a few songs. Standing in front of a foreign congregation while singing is pretty uncomfortable, but after the service a man came over to us and thanked us. This showed us that we did make a difference at that church service, and that the people of India will always welcome us graciously.
Example #3 The weather is extremely hot. We sweat...profusely. This temperature is sometimes super uncomfortable, but these kids deserve our time playing outside with them. I know that each of us would walk on the sun for them. I mean, we practically already are.
Well, our trip is drawing to a quick closing and we are hoping that we have just enough time to experience more uncomfortable situations. It makes the trip much more interesting and teaches us how to be gracious and courteous to others.
P.S. Just know that we are ALWAYS willing to get ready to rumble!
P.S.S. If I made any grammatical errors, please ignore them. I have been speaking telugu for the last two weeks and this is the first time I have used the english language in that time period.
P.S.S.S. To all those worrying parents: WE ARE FINE. WE LOVE YOU ALL.
Megan Renslow
Example #1 Our thumbs have practically fallen off from all the thumb wars we play with the kids. Is this uncomfortable? Well, losing a thumb usually is, but these kids are so adorable it is nearly impossible to say no to one more game.
Example #2 Last Sunday, we went to a service at Father Heyer Church. While there we were asked to sing a few songs. Standing in front of a foreign congregation while singing is pretty uncomfortable, but after the service a man came over to us and thanked us. This showed us that we did make a difference at that church service, and that the people of India will always welcome us graciously.
Example #3 The weather is extremely hot. We sweat...profusely. This temperature is sometimes super uncomfortable, but these kids deserve our time playing outside with them. I know that each of us would walk on the sun for them. I mean, we practically already are.
Well, our trip is drawing to a quick closing and we are hoping that we have just enough time to experience more uncomfortable situations. It makes the trip much more interesting and teaches us how to be gracious and courteous to others.
P.S. Just know that we are ALWAYS willing to get ready to rumble!
P.S.S. If I made any grammatical errors, please ignore them. I have been speaking telugu for the last two weeks and this is the first time I have used the english language in that time period.
P.S.S.S. To all those worrying parents: WE ARE FINE. WE LOVE YOU ALL.
Megan Renslow
Communication
Greetings from India!
Our trip has been the best experience that any of us could have ever asked for. We are learning so much and pushing our limits... in a good way. On of the harder things that we have been dealing with is communication.
The adults speak well enough English that it is fairly easy to carry a conversation with them. However some of the kids here are just starting to learn English. They all know common phrases like, "What is your name?" or "What is your favorite color?" but it does not go much past that. We have found other ways to form connections with these kids.
Most of the time they grab your hand and lead you to play your 900000000000th thumb war, but there are some more unique cases too. Just the other night a group of us were on the roof and some of the younger boys came up. After touching the basics of conversation we were all just standing around. Randomly Cameron made a cow noise. For the next half an hour we were all making weird noises and faces. We were all laughing so much we were crying.
Other times it is nice just to sit and hold a kids hand, because words are not always necessary for them to feel how much we love them.
One way we are working on talking to them is trying to learn little bits of telugu. So far I've learned to say, "how are you, I'm fine, I love you, thank you," and count to ten. Most of the time I know I'm saying it wrong, but the kids just shake their heads yes and smile.
We are thinking of you all and can't wait to see you soon. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, they're working. We're having a ridiculously good time!
Kathryn Theige
Our trip has been the best experience that any of us could have ever asked for. We are learning so much and pushing our limits... in a good way. On of the harder things that we have been dealing with is communication.
The adults speak well enough English that it is fairly easy to carry a conversation with them. However some of the kids here are just starting to learn English. They all know common phrases like, "What is your name?" or "What is your favorite color?" but it does not go much past that. We have found other ways to form connections with these kids.
Most of the time they grab your hand and lead you to play your 900000000000th thumb war, but there are some more unique cases too. Just the other night a group of us were on the roof and some of the younger boys came up. After touching the basics of conversation we were all just standing around. Randomly Cameron made a cow noise. For the next half an hour we were all making weird noises and faces. We were all laughing so much we were crying.
Other times it is nice just to sit and hold a kids hand, because words are not always necessary for them to feel how much we love them.
One way we are working on talking to them is trying to learn little bits of telugu. So far I've learned to say, "how are you, I'm fine, I love you, thank you," and count to ten. Most of the time I know I'm saying it wrong, but the kids just shake their heads yes and smile.
We are thinking of you all and can't wait to see you soon. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, they're working. We're having a ridiculously good time!
Kathryn Theige
Leaving
Greetings from Indiana!
We have three days left here at the orphanage and we are all feeling it in different ways. Though we feel a pull to come home to long showers and McDonald's fries, we have all come to see the orphanage as a home away from home. We have fallen into our rhythm here and it is hard to imagine leaving.
We've found our own responsibility here at the orphanage, painting benches.Having our own job gives us a sense of purpose and accomplishment, though the children are quick to do our work for us.
However, as Kathy says, we came here not to paint, but to fall in love with the children. Everyday the time we spend with the children is our highest priority, whether it be playing cricket or thumb wars, learning a new dance, or eating alongside of them.
Though the initial shine of our arrival has worn off, the children are still willing to drop everything to spend time with us. Gradually we have all formed bonds with our own groups of children and gotten to know them better individually. Several children have also given us their nicknames which are not only easier to remember, but also give us a better idea of their personality.
We all agree that leaving the orphanage will be the biggest challenge of this trip, but we know all that we have learned and experienced here will stay with us.
We will live these last days here to the fullest, but in less than a week...
ready or not here we come!
Katharine Herman
We have three days left here at the orphanage and we are all feeling it in different ways. Though we feel a pull to come home to long showers and McDonald's fries, we have all come to see the orphanage as a home away from home. We have fallen into our rhythm here and it is hard to imagine leaving.
We've found our own responsibility here at the orphanage, painting benches.Having our own job gives us a sense of purpose and accomplishment, though the children are quick to do our work for us.
However, as Kathy says, we came here not to paint, but to fall in love with the children. Everyday the time we spend with the children is our highest priority, whether it be playing cricket or thumb wars, learning a new dance, or eating alongside of them.
Though the initial shine of our arrival has worn off, the children are still willing to drop everything to spend time with us. Gradually we have all formed bonds with our own groups of children and gotten to know them better individually. Several children have also given us their nicknames which are not only easier to remember, but also give us a better idea of their personality.
We all agree that leaving the orphanage will be the biggest challenge of this trip, but we know all that we have learned and experienced here will stay with us.
We will live these last days here to the fullest, but in less than a week...
ready or not here we come!
Katharine Herman
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Well Hello!
This is Cameron typing on the board of keys and I would like to say that we are having a splendid time here in India, but we do miss all of you! It seems like it was just yesterday that I was hugging my mom goodbye at the airport. That is not the case because the trip is almost half over and we have been and REACH for one week and it has been a blast! I guess I have to use this as communication with my mom because she doesn't know how to answer the phone when I call let alone work her cell phone!
These kids are the best thing for me right now. To see the happiness they bring to each and everyday it gives me no reason to feel sad or unhappy about the things happening to me on this trip. I have a mother and a father to travel home to when these kids may no one in their lives but friends. I want to be that friend that they can turn to to keep that happiness because they are putting that happiness in me each morning I see them singing their hearts out. I wish I could sponsor each and every kid there.
We have all seemed to find a new passion in a game called carroms. Its the Indian style of pool. I personally have fallen in love with cricket, although the boys at the orphanage make me look like a fool playing with them. I don't think I want to leave this place! Sorry mom...
Well if I type anymore I could call it a book, so im off! Keep us in your prayers as you are in ours! Oh and mom we are sponsoring a kid, his name is frog :D
Gods love,
Cameronnnnnn Aaaaakre
These kids are the best thing for me right now. To see the happiness they bring to each and everyday it gives me no reason to feel sad or unhappy about the things happening to me on this trip. I have a mother and a father to travel home to when these kids may no one in their lives but friends. I want to be that friend that they can turn to to keep that happiness because they are putting that happiness in me each morning I see them singing their hearts out. I wish I could sponsor each and every kid there.
We have all seemed to find a new passion in a game called carroms. Its the Indian style of pool. I personally have fallen in love with cricket, although the boys at the orphanage make me look like a fool playing with them. I don't think I want to leave this place! Sorry mom...
Well if I type anymore I could call it a book, so im off! Keep us in your prayers as you are in ours! Oh and mom we are sponsoring a kid, his name is frog :D
Gods love,
Cameronnnnnn Aaaaakre
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