Naveen Kumar, a ten year old, and some beautiful updates!

Two weekends ago I went to go and visit Jonathan.  As usual I was greeted by all the children with hugs and English greetings.  I always feel like a celebrity when I come to the Gurukulum.  Right when I got there a few of the older children asked how my father was and told me that they have prayed for him.  One student, Naveen Kumar, told me he has prayed for my father many times.  He even knew his name.  He is most certainly a very beautiful young man.  He is very intelligent, inquisitive, empathetic, and dedicated.  He goes on daily runs with Jonathan.  I was lucky enough to be able to join them on one of their runs.  It was beautiful.  Naveen told me what each and every tree was and what its medicinal value was.  He even made us chomp on leaves as we ran as it was good for our health!  He got to talking about his future, family, and native place.  It is apparent that he is very proud of his culture and his country.  On the topic of his family, he shared with Jonathan and I that his mother died and it was just his dad and his brother.  His dad is at home and his brother is in another hostel somewhere else.  I nearly started crying with that but then he just blurted out, "I want my mother".  I see these children all the time and I see the children everyday at my site.  I see them playing with their peers, doing school work, doing chore, and living their daily lives - and through this I think I have just been over taken by their daily joy and beauty to remember that their lives have been altered by a death in the family or extreme poverty.  When you realize all of this it makes you see and feel the greatness and beautifulness of these children even more.

The other day Durqa and her sister showed up in my room.  This is not all that unusual.  Shortly after arriving Durqa told me that her sister is very sad.  I asked why and she told me that her sister's son, who is ten years old, left this passed weekend to go and work in a egg laying chicken factory.  He will no longer attend school.  I do not know all the details but Durqa has told us that her sister's husband left the family, leaving Durqa's sister with four young children to care for, three girls and one boy.  They live with Durqa's mother and father.  Durqa helps to care for them as well.  Now, I don't mean to bring the reader down with sad things from India but its important to understand that for a family with a low socio-economic status this is not all that unusual.  Not all children are lucky enough to end up in an environment like the Gurukulum where they are cared for, fed, clothed, and most importantly - educated.  I wish there were more non-profits and more social services in India to help all the children.

The coffee/tea man knows my name!!!  I realized the other day how integrated into my little neighborhood I feel.  It's funny, its one of those things you don't really realize right away until suddenly one day it just hits you!  The men who work at the local restaurant know my name because I frequently buy coffee, tea, or naan there.  The man at the coffee/tea stall knows my name because I go there each morning for coffee.  And he actually really likes me because I am friends with Durqa!  I see the man who recharges my internet somewhere else in town and he smiles at me and waves.  It feels good to be integrated into the community and feel comfortable.  Have I mentioned lately that I love India!?!?!

"I am Jesus!"  So the other day I was sitting on the floor in one of the classrooms with a few of my children.  Christmas is all the talk lately because Laura and Jenna are going home for the month of December.  They asked me if I was Christian and if I celebrated Christmas.  This turned into all my children proclaiming to me what religion they practice but the best response was from one of my two Christian students who eagerly pointed at herself and said, "I am Jesus!"  I couldn't help bursting out laughing.  As you can tell my students struggle with the 'to be' verb still.

In the evenings I have started drawing with the hostel students from my school.  There are only seven of them but it is so much fun.  We just sit and color pictures.  It is a simple activity but I have so much fun just being with them.

The pictures I included at the top of my blog:
The first is of me arranging drawings from Jonathan's children to hang them on the wall.  Jonathan caught me off guard in my saree hard at work.
The second is of Jonathan and Naveen at the entrance to the Gurukulum before their run.
The third is of Jonathan with two of his students and their parents on the day that they came to visit.