Bridges to India 2009

Kaytee, Annie, Larissa, Amber, Natalie, Dana, Shannon & Ellie
Hunter, Quinn, & Sam

Safe and Sound

Waiting

Arriving

The kids arrived home last night safe and sound after 48 hours on the road... or in the air.

They have arrived with 13,348 photos between the fourteen travelers (prize goes to Annie! - 2,371 pictures). Because they could not upload images in Kerala, we will now be repopulating the blog with the actual pictures of their travels. So check back over the next few days as the images and links change.

Galyn

Out of Touch - But On Our Minds

Backwater Tour of Vembanad Lake

The students are without access to the internet, and so cannot post for the time being. They are on a houseboat taking a two night backwater tour, after which they will fly to Mumbai where they will spend the night before flying home on Saturday. Please join us for their presentation next Wednesday night, 7:00PM in the Maverick Room at Riverdale High School.

Galyn

From the "Elders"

Dear Family and Friends,
Transition time!  We are finished with our stay at Hope House. We will be dedicating the completed addition to the Women's Empowerment Center this morning and immediately leave for the Backwaters for a day and night of "chilling out" prior to the hustle of travel, in India.

We wanted to let all of you know what a wonderful group of teenagers are traveling with us. As you may know, travel is a good indicator of character and all of them are GREAT travelers! Patient, helpful and ready to hurry up and wait.  Their ability to derive awe and wonderment from India is a joy to watch and experience.  They are respectful and fun loving.  Daisy has commented often that this group is very cohesive and well mannered.  She has been able to spend time separately conversing with each one of them.  She enjoys them together and individually.  We applaud your kids!
Perhaps you'll receive a blog at one of the airports during one of our layovers.  We look forward to sharing our experiences with all of you and will be presenting a community meeting on Wednesday, 12/16 at 7:00pm RHS. 
 Please feel free to attend!

Namaste, Susie and Dan

Last day with Daisy

Salutations dear blog readers. Amber and Shannon will be conducting your reading experience of the day.

Today is our last day at Daisy's house in Kerala, so it has been relatively mellow so that we can collect ourselves and prepare for the journey back home. This being India, however, we have still managed to fit quite a few interesting activities into our schedule. We woke up this morning and some of us enjoyed early yoga with Ms. Laly, and others took this time as an opportunity to call home and talk to beloved family members. We miss you all so much and can't wait to see all of you again! At the same time, we are all having a blast here in India, so saying goodbye is going to be difficult. Daisy has taken such good care of us here, and made sure that our days are full of lots of activity and learning. Lal always is there to brighten our days, and to make sure we eat meals... lots of meals. We're going to miss him so much, as he is always there to keep our happiness at maximum capacity.

The first order of business today was visiting the clinic. We had briefly looked at it before, but it was always through windows or a quick peek in the doorway, because it is always full of people waiting for Dr. Sashi's care. We saw the clinic's waiting room, examination room, and the room where needles full of various medication are distributed. The clinic is tiny compared to the large American hospitals we're all used to, but it is immaculately kept and it manages to feel open and airy. We saw Dr. Sashi perform a check-up on an eighty year old diabetic. He has been getting his medication from the clinic for four years, free of charge, because he cannot afford all the medications by himself. It was so great to see the direct impact that the clinic is having on so many people, and that all the money we raised can truly be used for the greater good, such as the welfare of people like the diabetic we saw.

The rest of the day was pretty relaxed, most of us hunkered down and did homework, with math being the subject of choice. Ms. Laly was also putting henna onto our hands, and her handiwork is amazing. Some of us had also bought henna yesterday, and were inspired to decorate other parts of our bodies as well. There was also much fawning over Rosie, as she is as cute as a button, but much smarter. Today, Shannon taught her how to sit, lay down, and come. Which wasn't a difficult task because she is very bright and willing...but only if you have treats.

Some of us went to join in the cricket game, and others are still relaxing. Since this our last day at Daisy's, we might not be able to post again before we get back home. So don't worry, we're all still alive and well. :)

Thank you to everyone who has read our posts and followed our progress on this trip, and especially thanks to everyone who has commented. Every day Ms. Keeton reads the comments to us, and it makes us so glad that you're all thinking of us. Thank you to everyone to has contributed to making this trip so incredible and unique, and special thanks to all of our parents and family members, we love you and miss you.

We'll see you all soon!

- Amber and Shannon

P.S. Please remember to bring warm jackets and blankets for all of us new-found cold blooded creatures, the icy air will be a definite shock to the system!

Hurry Up and Wait

Bishop's House in Changanacherry

There's no such thing as a bad Monday in India! Some of us woke up early to a refreshing yoga session with Mrs. Laly. After breakfast, all of us loaded up in the bus and drove to another Hindu temple. Fortunately we avoided any downpours (as is what happened during our last temple experience) and were able to enter into the very heart of the compound. We saw elephants decked out in all of their gorgeous costuming and beautiful intricate paintings. There is a sense of ancient history about the place unlike anything us Americans can fathom; behind the temple we saw a stone pillar with pre-Sanskrit writing that is not even fully translatable. The kind of timeline that Indians have runs so far back into the reaches of time, and the Hindu temple was one example of that.

With this lengthy history comes diversity. As well as visiting a Hindu temple, we saw a Roman Catholic church very near Daisy's home in Changanacherry. At the same time as our visit a local school for mentally disabled children was there. One young girl came up to each of us just to touch our skin. Daisy told us that these children are extremely well cared for in school, just another example of Kerala's progressive educational system that we are helping to supplement with our work at Hope Charities.

For lunch we traveled to Mrs. Laly's former employer, the Athreya Ayurvedic Resort. We were greeted by a two-story tall statue of Hanuman, god of devotion, service, and dedication (appropriate considering the nature of our trip). We toured the gorgeous, tranquil facility and learned about some of the medicinal plants that grow there. Again, us Americans have a lot to learn from India's long history; they have had so much more experience with natural medicine than a lot of Westerners. Upon our arrival we were given warm pink water that has cleansing properties. We were served a nice lunch at the resort and then we headed back to Changanacherry.

Once back in Changanacherry, the group finished up our shopping. We got home in the very late afternoon. The whole process took about seven hours, teaching us a virtue of India: hurry up and wait. But once we got home, everyone was eager to interact with the kids. Some of us went and played cricket while others did some tutoring in the library (although they tutor us, too, in dancing and Mallayalam words and phrases). By being present in their community we interact with people of all ages. Not only are we helping them practice their English, but we show respect and interest in their company and customs. Spending time with them is both fun and valuable to them. Daisy told us that before the first trip, a lot of the kids were very sad; they never smiled. We haven't seen one frowning face on this trip!


Dana, Hunter & Natalie

A New Home and a New Puppy

Today, we slept in a little! Hooray! We woke up around 7:30 (that's our "sleeping in" for you). After a delicious and plentiful breakfast of toast (Kaytee ate a whole loaf) and fruit and a wheat dish that you dip bananas in (we found that to be interesting...), we piled into the motor rickshaws and headed over to the "colony"; not a ride for the weak-stomached. After the huge thunder storm last night, the boulder-strewn roads were a slick mud river that challenged the most capable drivers of these rickshaws. Once we reached the "colony", we got to see the house that part of our group's fund-raising helped to build. Completed just yesterday, it now houses a family of 6. Before we went in the house, the local pastor of the region (Catholic) chanted a prayer in song along with the women of the family. It was a really emotional and heartwarming experience because both the mother and the daughter started crying out of appreciation. They had formerly lived in a hovel that had cardboard for a roof and an torn sheets for curtains. Now, they could start over in a house with electricity, an indoor toilet and shower. Daisy explained to us that it was a huge breakthrough for the women of the household-particularly the teenage girl-to have the privacy of an indoor toilet. Part of the ceremony included lighting the first wood fire on the stove in their kitchen, and placing a pot of sweetened milk on top to be boiled over onto the fire. To much applause, when the milk boiled over, they served us all the hot milk, and the elders (Susie and "Professor Dan") were asked to be seated. We found the house to be quite small, consisting of a bathroom, one bedroom, a kitchen and a living room. Basically, the whole house was the size of one of our bedrooms. Daisy assured us that it was very luxurious and plenty of room for this family, considering what they had been living in before.

After we said goodbye to the family, we got back into the rickshaws for another booty-bumping ride back to the house. We thought we would get another chance to work on the Vocational Center today, but seeing as it was a Sunday, the workers did not arrive. So, after a while of contemplating what to do that day, Susie riled us all up and we walked with Lal to the market where he purchases his groceries. Lal told us that it would only be about a 2 kilometer walk (aka 1 mile) but as India has shown us before, everything is at least twice as long as expected. We ended up walking 4 kilometers one way (aka 2 miles) and back in the heat of the day, sweating and huffing. Susie sang out to us that it was "character building" and Mr. Palma agreed as he adjusted his sweatband and shook out his t-shirt that was a shade or two darker with sweat than before. Back home we were relieved of our heat with cold showers and fresh limeade that Lal makes for us. After some lounge time to recover from our cross-country trek, ROSIE the new puppy arrived! Lal held her with loving arms and introduced her to Jimmy, the now-jealous, spawn-of-satan Dalmatian guard dog. Jimmy didn't seem too upset when Daisy showed her love for him but it will still take him some getting used to. This gangly, big footed, bony puppy will prove to be a little bit of a challenge for Lal to train.

Today really gave us the chance to see what our hard work and fund-raising efforts have brought to a community. Daisy told us about how when she came here in 2001 all of the children had sad faces, and would not look you in the face - their eyes were cast down. Now, they have a reason to be confident in their abilities. They know that they have options and a future ahead of them - no wonder we see so many smiles and waves every day. They all show pride in their homes, themselves and their community. We feel like we are really making a difference here, even though some of the stuff we are doing we may take for granted at home. All of us in Portland know that we have options in our future, and it's nice to know that we've given that freedom to choose to kids in India.

Well, that's about it faithful blog trekkers! We're off to go have another round (hopefully better) of Indian hamburgers -made by Daisy herself this time.

Ta Ta (goodbye in Malyalam) for now! Enjoy the ice fest while we sweat it out in Kerala!

Love always,
Kaytee and Ellie

Sweat and Sarees

Today, like every other day, we woke up to an early morning yoga session. It was wonderfuly strenuous, and a great way to start off the day. Then we had a great Indian breakfast and headed off to work on the Women's Empowerment Center. Little children came bright and early to ask where Annie and Dana were (their new best friends).

While some students plastered the last two interior walls, others went to the neighborhood cricket field, which the children had invited them to. Students sifted, pulled weeds, plastered, and played cricket for three hours in the early morning. Currently, the inside of the Women's Empowerment Center is all finished, and all that is left to do is the exterior walls, and the floor. Sifting dirt for the cement may sound easy, but each person was sweating buckets after just ten minutes. However, we were all able to catch a break since the neighborhood kids were eager to help and take our jobs.

During the cricket game Kaytee and Quinn made some great hits, and Annie found her new calling. She is very good at catching the ball as it comes flying towards her face.

We went inside for our cold showers of the day, and had a light lunch. Quinn stayed outside longer and introduced the kids to agame of Vietnamese hacky sack (kah). Inside, the girls were having fun getting dressed in their sarees. First, they put on a fitted belly shirt that is the bottom of the saree. Then, they put on a cotton drawstring skirt that goes under the silk saree skirt part. The six meters of beautiful fabric is strategically draped around your waist and shoulder for a perfect finish that takes about 30 minutes. For the finishing touch, the women placed strings of jasmine in our hair. This was done by Mrs. Lolly and another woman who sewed many of the sarees.

The boys dressing affair was much simpler than the process of putting on sarees. First, they tied their lungees (man skirt) which took about 30 seconds. Then they put on thier simple man tunics. To top off the simple chic look, they put on thier necklaces, which were Hindi prayer beads.

Then we all walked down to the center, where the children of Hope Charities had prepared a show for us. There was singing, dancing, story telling, and even a version of Indian "Backstreet Boys." Sam, Hunter, and Quinn were eager to join the boys in dancing wildly and teaching them great American dance moves. Annie, Ellie and Sam rapped the theme song of "Fresh Prince of Bel Air," which left them all in awe. Also there were singing performances by Dana, Natalie, Shannon, Ellie, Amber, Kaytee and Sam. Mr. Palma showed off his harmonica and saxophone skills.

At the very end the performers of Hope Clinic were awarded surprise presents for their wonderful entertainment. All 13 of the travelers were awarded necklaces of jasmine from the children. All 11 students quickly ran back to the house to prepare Mr. Palma's surprise birthday cake. We all sang and celebrated. That is all for this eventful day. Wish us luck in finishing the finishing touches of the Women's Empowerment Center.

Thank you for all of your comments, keep them coming, we look forward to them every night.

Xoxo, Annie and Larissa.

Elephants, Dogs & Ice Cream

Hey, it's Sam and Natalie, here to provide yet another installment of our adventures in India. We woke up extra early this morning to take a bus ride to see, feed and ride an elephant named Durga. Apparently, Durga is named after a god of destruction, but he seemed more hungry than destructive. We fed him bananas, slices of bread, and hardened balls of molasses, all of which were gobbled up eagerly. Everyone had a chance to to ride Durga, including some of our more uncoordinated members. Fortunately, Durga was patient enough to pose for numerous photos with each of us, all of which screamed Facebook.

As we drove off, we were asked if we would like to meet a dog breeder. Although our group was slightly ambivalent to the idea, everyone warmed up quickly to the cute puppies that we met at the very well kept facility. One in particular struck a chord with us--a yellow Lab-like creature with eyes occupying most of her face and a tail in constant motion. Daisy liked her too, and they are picking her up to bring her home the day after tomorrow! We are particularly excited for her arrival A) because she is adorable and B) because it will make the day of our house manager, Lal. Lal is a Nepalese fellow who is short and adorned with a sweet moustache. He spoils us by doing our laundry, playing Karim (Indian pool) with us, making us incredible tea and just playing our parent in general (and also on occassion joking older brother). We all adore him and are so happy to give him this puppy; he will have a blast training her. We named her Rosie for the City of Roses, because we bought her when a Bridges trip was at Daisy's house.

Puppy purchased, we moved on to our own little ice cream odyssey. We first drove to the ice cream parlor, which was actually not the right parlor. So we drove further, our exhausted bodies craving some kind of food. We ended up at a store/restaurant/ice cream place, where we experienced the best ice cream I've ever had in India.

Afterwards, we finished up some shopping and headed home for a late lunch. We spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening helping out with the construction of the Women's Vocational Center. As the sun started to set and rain began to pour, some of us went out to play cricket with the kids in the neighborhood. Interacting with them is half the fun in this experience, and it's hard to avoid being swarmed by them the second we step out the door. As I write this, Quinn is in the opposite room reading stories to some of the children who come to Hope Charities for after-school tutoring. When we first got up to the library, they were all crowding around us trying to teach us Mallayalam words and phrases and their dances, none of which we can do very well but we try our best. It's enough to do that and see the looks on their faces when our awkward American tongues manage to say "Ende para Natalie" or "Ende para Sam" (My name is...).

No matter where we are or what we're doing, adventures seem to find us. In the smallest moments or largest events, we find things to learn and enjoy in the people here and each other. There's disappointments, like starting to sweat as soon as we get out of the shower, but there's the successes too, such as finishing plastering a wall in the Vocational Center. Today has been no different.

PS Notes from Natalie
Mom, Dad, Allie, and any other family reading this..... I love you guys so much and miss you a TON!!! Please can we go to Thai Basil when I get home? :) So excited to see you when I get back, although I'm having an amazing time and am so thankful. Mom in particular, you helped me pack well. I haven't been sick at ALL literally AT ALL and I've been very comfortable. (Sam wants to tell you I'm resilient, surprisingly).

Schulz's Back to Portland

Riverdale India 09 Team

Thank you for the update on the work you are completing. Sounds like the project and educational process are going great. Jennifer and I miss all of you and the work getting done. We wish we could have stayed longer to help and experience what you are.

The trip home is going to be as interesting as India. It could be a lot easier but it is India. Jennifer and I will fill you in on the details later this week based on taking notes each step of the way. The most important thing is that the trip home will require lots of teamwork and patience's. It is long, long, trip.

During our trip, when something is LIT or just India, Jennifer and I would look at each other and say, "ReLAX....ReLAX.... RElax." You know what I mean and I am sure this can help for your trip back to the States.

Continue to do great work and email me if you have any questions at kss@inicigroup.com.

Karl Schulz

First Day of Work!

Hello from everyone in the Bridges to India crew! This is Dana and Shannon and we are having a blast so far on our trip. This morning we rose early for some relaxing...relax....relax....relax... (it's a joke) yoga. Some of us decided that we needed to catch up on our sleep, but many people participated in yoga. For breakfast we had something interesting, but we really can't remember because most of us had the "pancakes" with Natalie's peanut butter. Shannon was upset that she lost her extra-crunchy peanut butter, but we are sure it will show up soon. We then got all primped and prepped in our safety goggles, work gloves, and close-toed shoes for a hard day at work down at the clinic. We have been planning to help out with the construction for an add-on to the Women's Vocational Center, where they have the resources to earn money by sewing. They were working on our very own saris, which was "uber" exciting to see the process of something so personal. They also demonstrated the embroidery work that they have been practicing.

We began working by collecting leaves, sticks, and rocks to put them into other piles of leaves, sticks, and rocks. Then, we moved gravel for the foundation of the center. Quinn, Shannon, Hunter, and Dana were the first to begin sifting granite sand, old school style, by using pans to dump it onto a screen where someone would then smooth it over with a wooden tool in order to filter the smaller sand out. Quinn thought that this was rather inefficient. Daisy agreed. So, we began the process of lifting up the screen and shaking it back and forth. Consequently, the work was finished faster, but our shoes became great sights of geological excavation. Later, we formed a human sand brigade to move our freshly filtered sand into the preexisting frame of the center. One local boy even skipped school to help us because he was so excited. But we later found out that he didn't have the money for the bus to get to school. Daisy is working to help this family. The people who had started the building process of the center, were demonstrating to us how they mush the sand with water to create a cement. Everything here is granite. Granite floors, granite counters, and now even granite cement! Mom, you should think about granite counters (from Shannon). Then, the junior girls began plastering over the lava-stone bricks with the cement. During this process, our same little helper and his two younger siblings had quite the photo shoot experience. Annie and Ellie made supermodels out of the boy's younger brother and sister, while he ran around with Kaytee's camera, artistically taking pictures of everything... everything.

Lal brought us all lime juice, which was so refreshing after working so hard and being so sticky and sweaty. Then, we went up to the house for some lunch. During our time in Daisy's house so far, we have had some pretty interesting food. Daisy had told us many times that she has been unhappy with the cooking, although we haven't lodged any complaints. Dana remembers looking over and seeing Daisy, Lal, Ms. Laly, and Vajeema speaking very fast in Malayalam. Apparently, what had been occurring was the firing of our cook. I guess Daisy really wasn't happy with the cook and decided to do something about it. What spunk?

Shannon and Amber completely missed this whole episode because they had fallen victim to a change in bananas. Originally, we were fed small finger-sized bananas that were yummy and sweet. Today, we were treated with scrumptious house-sized bananas. After Amber and Shannon ate them, they fell into a comatose nap and proceeded to have the most bizarre dreams. Shannon is thinking about smuggling some for the hellacious plane ride (only joking).

After working some more, and becoming thoroughly tired, hot, sticky, and sweaty, we gave in due to thunder in the distance. However, for some reason some of us decided it would be a brilliant idea to go for a walk towards the school to see if they were out yet so that we could walk them home. Unfortunately, the rain decided to accompany us as well. So we turned around, much to our chagrin, the students overtook us in a rumbling bus. Twice. But lucky for us, we got a shower out of the ordeal. A natural shower.

After some downtime, Dana, Shannon, and Amber, began to rehearse for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the front room. Lal then entered with two eleven-year-old neighborhood girls. They were quite giggly and glad to meet us. The girls left, and Dana walked them down the street. Then Lal brought us outside to pet the guard dog, Jimmy the Dalmatian. Shortly after, Lal began to push leftover "hamburgers" on us. But... no one was hungry.

Then we had dinner which consisted of goat mutton, veggie goop, and flaky, delicious, naan-like pastries. Dinner was much better than before. Haha. Susie then read us a bedtime story of all you avid bloggers' comments. Thank you so much for following our progress!

We miss you all,
Dana and Shannon

New Friends

From Dana

Don Bosco Secondary School, Kerala

Hello it's Ellie and Larissa,

Today was a quieter one of our days here in Kerala. Those who wanted to partake in the yoga session with Mrs. Laly woke up at 6:45, the rest woke up at their usual time. We had our breakfast and headed out the door around 9:00 to the Don Bosco School of 2000+ students (Mr. Palma apparently really enjoys the name "Don Bosco").

We were greeted like celebrities (it's becoming a usual--as it has occured with the other schools as well). We were paired up in groups of 2 and 3 to sit in on one class at the school (we decided that our first experience with a full day at school was too overwhelming). They drilled us with many questions as usual, and then we assembled in a large room-our Bridges to India group on a platform overlooking the audience of junior and senior students for a Q and A discussion. We decided to have two sessions with each class. At first it was hard to get questions out of them. We knew that they were dying to ask us many questions, but they were too shy. Finally some spoke up.

The questions that came out were very interesting: They asked about Nursing homes--for them, putting a parent in a nursing home is disrespectful and looks like we don't care about them. They also asked about boy/girl relationships, a lot about the differences in our education systems, family relationships (like with our parents and siblings) as well as the war in Afghanistan. Dana, Kaytee and Ellie figured that they would probably be singing in every gathering we had. "The Star Spangled Banner" and "Let It Be" are becoming favorites among the Indians here.

After the Don Bosco School, we piled into our rickshaws and ate sandwiches on the way. We headed off to shop around town. Some boys bought more lungis (male skirts) and shirts, and we also found a small store that sold spices and local candies (we went crazy over the chocolate!). When we came back outside, we were greated with terrential downpouring, so we decided to go home early. Trying to do anything in this rain is basically impossible. On the way home we had some rickshaw troubles--we got a little split up. Susie and Mr. Palma's rickshaws got left behind Daisy's. But they were able to find their way back home--many noted it was just another adventure in India.

The rest of the day was down time, and we came home to fried onions and cauliflower (almost like tempura). For dinner tonight, Daisy surprised us with Hamburgers. Hunter joked saying they were water buffalo burgers. The hamburgers were....less than conventional. Very Indian style. it was like a deep fried hamburger with an Indian twist. Annie, Larissa, Dana and Susie checked out the sewing center and saw the handbags that they are hand embroidering to sell and make a profit to supplement their home income. Annie made two friends while exploring the backroads around the house--visiting homes along the way. As they walked, a caravan of children seemed to grow larger and larger as time went on. The boys informed Annie that her name means "ladder" in Malyalam, giggling. And, for a while, we were wondering why people laughed at Kaytee's name...apparently it means "naughty one". No Wonder. Well, that's all for now, wish us luck on our first day of building the Women's Vocational Center!

P.S: Thank you for your continued commentary on our blog! Susie reads them to us every night before we go to bed, it's one of the most exciting parts of our day! Keep Posting!
Dad and Lucie, I love you! And Zoe and Ellie, we appreciate you checking up on our blog. Miss you so much! Love, Ellie and Larissa.

A Skeleton on Fire - Normal Here?

Well hey, it's Quinn and Hunter. Sorry for the delay, but we're finally going to fill you in on the first day of December. We woke up to the sounds of yoga, and began our early morning exercise. We cleared our bodies of stress and gasses, and headed down to breakfast. We had ada, which is a rice flower crape; in the center is coconut, sugar, cardamon. All of these ingredients are grown locally. It is absolutely outstanding, as one might imagine.

We then hopped on our fancy legs, and walked to the nearby, St. Peter's School. We were involved in an assembly, along with the presentation of World AIDS Awareness Day. The presentation was a bit... unorthodox. After a few words by the principal, Mr. Palma and Shannon, we were sitting at the front, when suddenly, India techno began to blare out of the speakers. The students began to to cheer; we were a little confused. Then, a gangly Indian man, in a skeleton costume, burst forth and began to dance in front of the cheering crowd. A lit torch was passed to him, and he continued his dance moves with fire. He even made Mr. Palma grab onto the torch, rather exhilarating. He disappeared as suddenly as he had come. After the performance, Mr. Palma was given the opportunity to play his saxophone for the school. With about 700 cheering students, he loved every second. After his jeering performance, the skeleton man returned, this time dressed as an old alcoholic. The same techno still blared in the background. We later learned that man was an actor in a roaming awareness troop. The first act was to show the emotions of someone with AIDS, the second was about the problem of alcoholism in Kerala.

After the assembly, we were taken to a Q&A session with the students. It was very interesting, and we were able to break the stereotypes, on both sides, about our cultures.

Then we went home, to have a siesta, as people were exhausted and needed a nice rested. The days at school are very tiring.

In the late afternoon, we boarded the bus to visit a town with an ancient Hindu temple for their yearly celebration. We saw very beautiful elephants being dressed in gold plated trunk covers and bells. Yet, we were not able to view the procession as an awesome downpour and lightning began. The undercover areas flooded with people and water. The bus finally rescued us after about an hour and a half of watching the storm lash around us. We drove off to dinner, lightning still crackling in the sky. We ate at a resort by the river, and partook in a meal consisting of fish, curry, nan, some pastry-stuff, and ice cream. The fish was actually a type of piranha and had many bones, so getting any meat out of it was a chore.

We all returned home, for a much needed rest.