 |
| All school physical training on Saturday even includes a drum beat to which the children do their movements. |
 |
| Saturday school begins with all-school physical training exercises. |
We have come to the close of our second weekend in Nagpur.
Though we are feeling a little homesick, we could not be more grateful for the
warm welcome we have received from everyone in Nagpur (except the people on the
streets who stare at us because we have white skin!!) and are beginning to
learn our way around Nav Jeevan and the city. Before dinner today, we noticed
the youngest border at the school, Monica (4 years old), crying. The older boys
said that she missed her family and her village. Monica has not cried for home
since she arrived after Christmas break on January 3rd! Katie and I
decided that she is our inspiration as we continue to be far from our families
as well.
First of all today we have a few updates for you regarding
some things that have happened recently:
1. The boy who has scabies is rapidly improving! He
is no longer in any pain and the infection around the infected area is cleared
up allowing the ointment treatment he was given to work well. The Wardens,
Vijay and Veronica, have been so very diligent in making sure he takes his
medications properly and applies his ointment. Also, I (Katherine) failed to
point out an important fact in the original post—this case of scabies occurred while
the child was home for Christmas break. His mother was infected, so he did not
become infected at the school. This is a tribute to Nav Jeevan and their
attention to the children’s health and wellbeing, noticing all that is amiss.
2. We have SOAP! Since our lunch discussion of soap
at the school sinks, Anita, the director of the school, immediately began to
arrange for soap dispensers to be installed at all the sinks for the children.
They began to go up the day after our original post and now are fully
functional. The best part is, there has been no need to cajole the children
into using them! They are well aware of proper hand washing hygiene. I bet we
will need to buy more soap bars by Tuesday.
3. Ravi, the child who Katie and I have been
helping with the alphabet, has learned how to spell his name confidently! He no
longer needs our assistance with this task and is quite proud of himself. I
hope the trend continues as we continue with the alphabet, numbers, and English
comprehension.
 |
| Katie and I returned to the craft fair we went to last week with Kiran and Roger (photographer) to listen to the regional music and see the beautiful traditional dances. |
 |
| Dancers from Rajasthan show their skill and poise. We were given a front row VIP seat at the show! |
This weekend has consisted mostly of school (both as part of
Nav Jeevan and of Alma College!), sleep, and discovery. While we are settling
in, many things are still new, as we think will be the case for the duration of
our stay in Nagpur. This morning we went to the Christian worship service that
the Christian children from the school attend. The sermon about healthy habits
for the soul, spirit, and body while focusing on the future rather than the
past was uplifting to many of the children as well as to Katie and me. We
intend to keep this in mind for next week as we work to accomplish our goals of
finishing our organization of the library and planning a female reproductive
anatomy, health, and wellness class for the older girls of the school.
Somewhere in between, we probably should do our laundry....
