April 11th 2013

Upon landing in Bangalore I still wasn’t nervous. I think all these little signs made me feel like everything was going to be okay.

Once I made it off the plane and had to go through customs that is when I started to get nervous.I realized I didn’t have the address to where I was going to be staying. Really Molly! But luckily I have a very prepared and concerned dad to printed off my itinerary, addresses, and phone numbers for me and packed them in every bag I took. Love him. So with that down I head to the official. While he quizzed me on where I was going and what I was going to be doing he informed me once again that I can’t stay in the country for more than 180 days. I got that notice India, thank you very much.

I proceeded to pick up my luggage, no problem with that minus it weighs as much as a baby elephant. I then condensed my bags to three instead of four. I felt like a crazy lady with so many bags, and they are hard to keep track of. I then settled down in the waiting area because the girl I am meeting here doesn’t get in until 5 hours after I do.

So here I am starting my first blog while in India and I can say so far so good. I called home and mom didn’t answer so I left a message. I tried to get on the internet with no luck (that is my biggest regret so far, not bringing a cell phone), apparently you have to have a cell phone to use the internet here. They send you an access code and then you enter it into your computer. Well since that wasn’t an option I asked the help desk if there was anything I could do to get internet and they said no, you have to have a cell phone. But then again as my luck/karma/good juijui has it the information desk offered to let me use their internet. I logged onto gmail emailed Mom and Dad, Tanner, Tara and Amelia that I made it safely. I thought they would be able to spread the good word that I made it!

So now I sit and wait until Jenny gets here and then it is off for a long ride to the orphanage. Did I tell you we are getting the VIP treatment and the sisters are coming to pick us up personally? How awesome. Updates with pictures soon...love you.

4.11.13 - evening

So without the internet and no real purpose yet, I have a lot of spare time. I wrote letters to a few friends from home, wrote in my journal, and now blogging for the masses. The ride from the airport to the Provincial House in Bangalore was not too long, maybe 45 minutes. It is a little gated community off the main road. One of the sisters picked Jenny and I up at the airport with a driver, he loaded our bags and then we were off. The legend of Indian driving is true - I don’t think I will ever drive in India. There are too many people, too little road space, and no one follows the road signs. However, the honking, which at first I thought to be a mean thing, is actually a kindness giving to the people sharing the road letting them know “hey I am passing” or “there is a speed bump ahead” or my favorite “you have sidewalks but are walking in the road, I am coming up behind you, so please be aware.”

Anyway, after the trip we arrive at the house and it is very quaint, peaceful and just beautiful. It reminded me of the Domican Republic with the open architecture and the flora and fauna strewn about the property. The sisters fed us and then sent us to bed. I meant to only sleep an hour or two but 5 hours later I woke up. The sisters fed us again and we wondered about the property, took a few pictures and retired to the room to write. I did experience my first bug bites, two on my ankles right at sunset...damn my tasty skin. Until tomorrow <3 Molly

April 8th 2013

Yesterday I spent my last day in the US with all my loved ones. It was perfect - breakfast with the family, pedicures, longest shower ever, a nap, and then off to the airport. I was running about 30 minutes late so goodbyes were quick. We all welled up but no tears were shed. I grabbed all my bags - 2 checked (one for the girls, one for me), and my camel-back and a small book bag. (I really wanted to only have one carry on but damn the last minute items...they got the best of me).I went to check in, the line was long, the computers were broken - started off awesome. But then there was a shift in what I thought would be a day of bad timing and luck. All of my nerves from the day were calmed with one little thing...I checked in, put tags on my bags, and then it was time to weigh them. Well I thought the limit was 70lbs, wrong, way way wrong. 50lbs is the limit. Well I packed the girls bag to the absolute limit 70.5 lbs and my pack was full which ended up being 45lbs. The airline attendant asked me to weigh my bags, we weighed the girls bag first - the lady say the weight and just “wow”. We need someone to come and specially check it, and that it would cost. Crap!

Well I was explaining it to her that the really heavy bag was for the girls and that they don’t really get much so I tried to bring them everything I could. She went to the computer to finish checking me out and said well you will still have to pay. Crap again. I then asked her how much the bags would cost. She turned to me and said, “Well you are done and they didn't ask for payment. Someone must be watching over your trip.” And with those two words all my worries melted away.

I went through security with Tanner (he switched his flight back to Denver so he could walk me to the gate), got a sandwich for the flight, said our goodbyes, boarded the plane, was surprised when I had two seats to myself :) I slept for a majority of the flight because I found out there was no wifi - damn United flights! I reached Germany in just enough time to board my flight to Bangalore. This flight still didn't have wifi but it wasn't full so I had a full three seats to myself which allowed for some major sleeping.

June 2013 - Back on Track

I know I have been neglecting my blog and instead focusing on individual emails and messages to friends and family members. But major things have been happening this month and I want to share them with the world. I now vow to post at least one blog a month. So to update all of those readers who do not know what is going on - I quit my job in Colorado in April, sold most of my belongings and moved to India. I am working at a boarding house in Joseph Nagar which is 5 hours outside of Bangalore. Here I am living on site, teaching English and Math at the local primary school, teaching exercise to the children and doing whatever is needed of me. The first two months were overwhelming and crazy and it took me a long time to find my place in this community of 80 children, four Sisters, four teachers, one Uncle and a village (or Nagar) of about 65 families. In those first two months I successfully taught the girls conversational English, how to swim, American exercise and yoga, introduced them to painting and Play doh, finished two murals, taught them about littering, puberty, hitting, lice, properly bathing, American love marriages, how to make balloon animals and multiple other daily differences in our cultures. In turn they taught me how to pick mangoes, care for rabbits, play cricket, take a shower in a bucket, eat rice with my hands, quite 80 children, sing in Kananda, dance to traditional and pop Indian music and finally how to love when you have nothing at all.

Those first two months are now a blur, when in the moment I wonder how I was ever going to make it through the next 10 minutes. There was a lot of frustration, yelling, crying (them and me),scolding and hugging. The climate went from me sweating through two shirts a day, to me wearing long pants and long sleeves everyday. The demeanor of the children has changed dramatically and continues to change daily as their ages range from five to nineteen. Their are children who love, those who cry all day, those who just crave attention and those that don’t think they are worth anyone's time. Between all of those children, all of those emotions and all of those differences I have to find times to share myself, my experiences and my love with each and everyone of them. It is exhausting but every night I go to bed knowing that what I did that day mattered. That even if I just touched one little heart or sparked one little mind that that just that was enough.

At the end of the second month I left for a week to see the other volunteer, Jenny, off and at first I though that week away would be heaven. However, after only a few hours on the train Jenny and I both missed the girls, we wanted to know what they were doing, how they were feeling and we just wanted to hug them. After a few days Jenny and I both had no idea what to do with our time, I felt bored and useless. Coming back to the girls was amazing. The pure love I felt upon arrival was one of the best feelings I have ever had. Each day I stay I realize that it makes it that much more difficult to leave. But I know that when it is my time to leave everything will line up, as it always has, and something else amazing will be waiting on me. Until that day happens keep turn to more frequent blog posts!

Conversations with Nuns about Sex 5.16.13

So little by little the Nuns are opening up to us about different topics.Tonight at dinner we were discussing children and how they bring light and life into a home.That prompted multiple more conversations a few of which I will tell you about.The immediately began to talk about how children are blessed by God and are pure and innocent when they are born and are corrupted as they grow up.This was very intriguing to me, as I believe everyone is good at heart.From that
comment they began talking about Santo, Uncle Perrier’s son - who is the cutest child ever.Which prompted me to ask when his wife is due to have their next child. Which led to me asking if they find out the gender of the baby before it is born.

So Sister Anna said that they typically don’t find out the gender of the child before they are born because some families will abort the baby if it is a girl. So I asked her if abortions are legal here and she said that it is legal with the state but not with the church. The Sisters then asked Jenny and I if they are legal or illegal in the States. (This discussion about abortion went on for a while and I brought up the fact that I read in one of the magazines here that you can abort a child in India up to 30weeks. Which is ridiculous, that baby is so old and is almost fully developed.) Anyway, the abortion conversation led to a fertility conversation. Apparently one of the towns’ women has been married for 8 years and her and her husband have yet to have a child. She has two uteri and one is big, but can’t house a baby. The other is small and can but is too small to actually fit a baby. So this lady had surgery to fix her smaller uterus but there still hasn't been a child. Sister Mary said that the lady was tired of having sex and just wanted God to bless her family with a baby. Her and her husband are now looking into fertility options. Taking his sperm and matching it with her eggs. Sister Anna said that it was against the church to do so and Sister Mary rebutted. They discussed in Kanada for a while before they basically agreed and said it depends. Then they asked us if it was safe and if people in our countries did such things. It was very interesting to hear why the family wanted a baby so badly. We are here working at an orphanage where dozens of children need homes and this family wants a baby so badly that they are willing to have a medical procedure, which does not guarantee a baby, but won’t adopt. The Sisters informed us that in their culture not only do babies make the parents happy but also make the community, families and Church happy. If there is a marriage with no baby everyone assumes something is wrong and that the marriage isn't successful. This assumption causes pressure which in turn actually does create problems in the marriage. The families then arent happy with the arrangement and things can turn ugly.

All in all it was a great cultural converstation that was very educational. I also was able to hear Nuns say the words - sperm, sex, menstration and then go on to say “You know she was just tired of doing it with her husband” “If you don’t want another baby then you should learn to control yourself” “It is his sperm going into her body”. All of which made me chuckle inside and end my crappy day with a smile.

I am starting to feel like the Sisters are my family and I am greatly enjoying being here. If only
Tanner could join my world would be so happy. So here’s to wishing.