The Art School and Sangita

I misunderstood what my roommate Janeen said this morning. It went something like this:

Me: "Wait, Mulan wants you to wear a sari to the colony?" 

Janeen: "No, Uma."

Me: "Mulan isn't even Indian."

Kendra: "Mulan isn't even real."

We had a great laugh about that. Then we continued to talk and laugh and somehow got onto the topic of Dani and her family visiting the Hoover Dam when she was seven. Kendra misheard Dani and thought she said the Cougar Dam, and said, "I visited the Dam Cougar!", jokingly-- we busted up laughing. Now we all hope to visit this imaginary Cougar Dam.

We visited a very rural colony today. There weren't enough jobs for everyone because of the small size of the colony, so I improvised and socialized with the people. I met a cute puppy too. It was fun.

Then we drove to Bharat Puram, the first colony we visited on our trip, to visit the microgrant program art school and Pearls with a Purpose. We got to see the artwork of some of the patients who live in the colony. Many of them don't have all of their fingers, or any fingers at all. Their work is beautiful.

At playtime my heart melted, but it wasn't heat stroke. It was Sangita. Sangita sat on my lap and was enthralled by my phone. She just climbed right up like all of the shyness she had had never existed at all. I loved it. We took turns taking pictures and showing each other. At one point I exclaimed, "Oh, Sangita! You're so pretty!". Sangita is a UKG and knows barely any English. But she's learning quickly. And she learns by copying phrases-- so "Oh, Sangita" was said in a healthy dose.

Velankanni and Sangita

Dani and I watched the ground move beneath us when we walked over to teach the girls hygiene. We've had trouble with the wifi and the power here. It was another moment when I felt so grateful for my experience here. Where else does the ground move beneath your feet right in front of your eyes? Scorpions, giant ants, spiders, snakes, mosquitos, flies, (and other assortments of creepy crawlies that I probably don't know the names of) you name it-- it was definitely there. 

We taught the girls about hygiene and the older girls about maturation. I love when the little ones wave their arms and say, "Jessie! Jessie!" as they try to get my attention; and watching their smiles when they hide bashfully behind their friends after I wave back or make funny faces. We clipped the younger girls' toenails while fifth through tenth standard learned about maturation and then I was able to help some of the younger girls with their English homework. It was tender when they crawled into my lap and asked, "Auntie, help me please?". How can you refuse them? 

We said goodbye to our Professor, Cheryl Corbett, and it was rough. We all cried. We sang "Savior May I Learn To Love Thee" and hugged her goodbye. Cheryl really is awesome. She has become our mother bear of sorts out here and we all have nothing but the highest respect and admiration for her. I'm so glad I got to experience India with her. She is so knowledgable about India from her previous trips here with BYU. It's fun learning about her and what she loves. It's fun singing with her on the bus rides and listening to her stories. We all laugh and have a good time with Cheryl. She cares so deeply for all of us and worked so hard with Craig and so many other people to make sure we had the best possible experience in India. Words cannot express my gratitude for the privilege of having her as my instructor. Thank you, Cheryl. We love you.