Apologies for the gap in updates...we were experiencing some internet issues (and I kept falling asleep instead of blogging lol).
So, the past three days have incorporated a wide variety of experiences! On Wednesday, Kendra and I spent our last day at the girls' home. We presented them with a huge amount of children's books (both in Hindi and in English) to help build their library! Just a few titles included: Amelia Bedelia, Aesop's Fables, Frog and Toad, Rainbow Fish, and plenty of assorted fairy tales (including my personal favorites by Hans Christian Anderson). We were even able to find several Tin Tin comics that had been translated into Hindi! Of course, what gift would be complete without an assortment of candy? So, the girls also received Jolly Ranchers and Dum Dums, little notes, and mini-flashlights. The girls spent a good half hour flipping through all of their new books, flipping on their flashlights whenever the power went off, and begging to eat their candy before lunch. :) Then, we said our final good-byes and returned to the guest house to wait for our friends from Calcutta to arrive. P.S. That night I actually got to eat chicken enchiladas!!!!! I'm pretty sure they weren't as good as the States, but boy did they taste fabulous after a month with no Mexican food!
Thursday was our day at the Taj, along with Agra Fort and another historical site that I could not pronounce if my life depended on it. Although it was significantly hotter than the last time I visited, I had a great time at the Taj! Some of us played a game to see who could get the most pictures with strangers. Okay, that probably needs some explanation...Especially at sites like the Taj, those of us who's skin is fairer in color are constantly flagged down by Indians to take pictures. (Maybe it's because we're the same color as the Taj?) Anyway, we thought it'd be fun to turn the tables and ask them for pictures instead. Most people are more than happy to oblige (they get the pictures too) and it made for a fun day. I myself was asked to be in 2 photos and I asked to take 1; so I did not win the contest. For the first time, I saw Agra Fort, which is famous for being the place where the Maharaja who built the Taj was imprisoned by his own son, presumably for spending too much money on what is essentially a fancy tomb. We also saw the other site with the unpronounceable name, which was home to one of the Maharajas for less than 20 years; but it took 14 years to build!
Today was our first day of debriefing. Talking through what we've learned or thought or felt or seen over these past few weeks was a great experience...and we'll be delving a little more in depth tomorrow. We also spent some time just relaxing at a friend's house. Some of the group went to visit the girls' home; but since Kendra and I had already said our good-byes we opted to stay at our friend's house. What movie does a group of women choose to watch when we have free-range of our choices? Why, Tangled, of course! So we watched that and took naps and then the rest of the group got back, so we watched Captain America (which was surprisingly good!) Overall, a relaxing day before we hit the debriefing hard tomorrow. Looking forward to a good night's rest tonight. Only two days left in India!
So, the past three days have incorporated a wide variety of experiences! On Wednesday, Kendra and I spent our last day at the girls' home. We presented them with a huge amount of children's books (both in Hindi and in English) to help build their library! Just a few titles included: Amelia Bedelia, Aesop's Fables, Frog and Toad, Rainbow Fish, and plenty of assorted fairy tales (including my personal favorites by Hans Christian Anderson). We were even able to find several Tin Tin comics that had been translated into Hindi! Of course, what gift would be complete without an assortment of candy? So, the girls also received Jolly Ranchers and Dum Dums, little notes, and mini-flashlights. The girls spent a good half hour flipping through all of their new books, flipping on their flashlights whenever the power went off, and begging to eat their candy before lunch. :) Then, we said our final good-byes and returned to the guest house to wait for our friends from Calcutta to arrive. P.S. That night I actually got to eat chicken enchiladas!!!!! I'm pretty sure they weren't as good as the States, but boy did they taste fabulous after a month with no Mexican food!
Thursday was our day at the Taj, along with Agra Fort and another historical site that I could not pronounce if my life depended on it. Although it was significantly hotter than the last time I visited, I had a great time at the Taj! Some of us played a game to see who could get the most pictures with strangers. Okay, that probably needs some explanation...Especially at sites like the Taj, those of us who's skin is fairer in color are constantly flagged down by Indians to take pictures. (Maybe it's because we're the same color as the Taj?) Anyway, we thought it'd be fun to turn the tables and ask them for pictures instead. Most people are more than happy to oblige (they get the pictures too) and it made for a fun day. I myself was asked to be in 2 photos and I asked to take 1; so I did not win the contest. For the first time, I saw Agra Fort, which is famous for being the place where the Maharaja who built the Taj was imprisoned by his own son, presumably for spending too much money on what is essentially a fancy tomb. We also saw the other site with the unpronounceable name, which was home to one of the Maharajas for less than 20 years; but it took 14 years to build!
Today was our first day of debriefing. Talking through what we've learned or thought or felt or seen over these past few weeks was a great experience...and we'll be delving a little more in depth tomorrow. We also spent some time just relaxing at a friend's house. Some of the group went to visit the girls' home; but since Kendra and I had already said our good-byes we opted to stay at our friend's house. What movie does a group of women choose to watch when we have free-range of our choices? Why, Tangled, of course! So we watched that and took naps and then the rest of the group got back, so we watched Captain America (which was surprisingly good!) Overall, a relaxing day before we hit the debriefing hard tomorrow. Looking forward to a good night's rest tonight. Only two days left in India!
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