New Delhi weekend trip

“I am not the same having seen the moon
shine on the other side of the world.”

– Mary Anne Radmacher Hershey

This past weekend the volunteers left for a weekend trip to New Delhi. It was such an amazing experiance to see everything and to take the time to get to know all of the other volunteers a little bit better. After arriving in New Delhi we took a rickshaw tour of Old Delhi. It was so much fun, I have no idea how we didn't all bounce out of them, the road was so bumpy and the cars were so close. At one point a car even tapped the rickshaw I was in! The drivers here are crazy. Crossing the street is like playing frogger with real cars.

Me and Laura Jane in our rickshaw!

view outside

Next we walked through a spice market

The next day we woke up reallyyyyy early so we could beat the crowds at the Taj.

It was absolutely amazing. When you hear people talk about places, ussualy they don't live up to the hype, this one definitely did. It is such an incredible building, made even more incredible by the story behind it.

This building was built by one of the ruler's of India for his wife. It is completely symmetrical and she is buried in the center. The building was to represent his love in a way that it would never be forgotten. Its so cool because the only part of the Taj Mahal that is not symmetrical is his tomb, she is buried in the very center while he is placed beside her. Its so interesting to think that the "mortal" part is the only imperfect part. Feel free to look up the story and learn more about the details, it really is worth it.
 She will definitely be remembered!

Next we headed over to Agra Fort. Which was also an amazing piece of architecture.

Followed by a refreshing swim at the beautiful hotel, we had so much fun, such a great group:)

We had dinner at pizza hut(which was like a real sit down restaurant here)

"Thank you for choosing Pizza hut it was a pleasure to serve you. Hope you visit us again - Akash" On the back of our receipt:)

And then dancing at the hotel's disco club:)

And last but not least we spent our final morning taking an elephant ride, it was sweet!

It was really fun but I found that I really missed RSO and the kids. Sightseeing is awesome but theexperiances I'm having at RSO win out every time:)

Crawling into my bed at the hostel was the best feeling in the world.

Home is where you feel safe and loved.

I'm home.

with great love,

Kenzie

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,

while loving someone deeply gives you courage. "

-Lao Tzu

She was so happy to see me, I loved it:)
She can always make me smile

This post is going to be super short, because we leave at 330am to catch our flight to New Delhi! The next three days will be packed with sight seeing and I'm super excited!

It was great to be back with the kids, I really really missed them so play time was amazing and dinner back up on the roof was absolutely amazing (sorry for the use of that word over and over on this blog, it just applies to so many things!). Tonight we did highs and lows and what we've learned and it was super touching. Everyone said something different, it was so cool to see how everyone is growing and changing and how we've managed to grow together. We've all become so close and have such a great dynamic. What took place the past few days could not have happened without all the different combined personalities. I will always have a special deep connection with this group of people because we have been through so many things together that noone will understand until they have lived it for themselves.

Low: Falling asleep and missing hot rod on the bus.

High: When the people at the first colony we visited brought us out drinks and flowers, it was such a huge act of compassion and sacrifice to show that they were grateful.

Lesson: I learned about selflessness. Some things are bigger then me, in those colonies helping the people was more important then my own worries or emotions. I needed to be strong and share a smile for them. In those moments I also learned about my own strength when faced with a challenge. I'm so grateful for these lessons.

Some of the girls:)

Finding yourself

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

Today we visited another new colony. The colony we went to yesterday had been visited by Dr. Kumar two years ago, but this colony had never been visited by him or any RSO volunteers, so we were not sure what kind of a reaction we would recieve from them.  When we arrived, we all crowded into their community center because it was raining. It was very crowded and stuffy, but we did our best to set up our stations and create order by allowing groups of 5 in at a time. I really learned to enjoy working on the diabetes testing with the girls yesterday, we had gotten into a really good rhythm, but today I was assigned to bandaging. I was very excited to try something new and contribute in another way.

Many of the wounds and ulcers on these people were worse then we had seen at any other colony so far. I was slightly overwhelmed at the very beginning, but after I began to work and serve these people, I was able to get the job done without focusing on the severity of the wound while smiling and comforting the people I was bandaging. I began to think about them more than myself and my own selfish fears and worries. After the foot was washed our job would come in; we would look at the ulcers, apply oinment, apply gauze, and finally wrap the foot or hand to hold the gauze in place.

About halfway through our time at the colony, one man came in for his turn. This man had the the worst ulcer I have ever seen in my life, it is hard to get the image out of my head. The ulcer covered the majority of the top and bottom of his mishapen foot. His skin was discolored and rough; it no longer looked like skin. I do not want to use my blog as a place for horrifying pictures or descriptions of wounds for people to be shocked by, out of respect for these beautiful people. I wish only to help show the feelings involved and the lessons learned. I feel that for this story the details are necessary. As the man's foot was unwrapped and the gaping wound was revealed, a volunteer hurried over to wash it. Tears streamed down the man's face as a he begged Dr. Kumar to amputate it. Dr. Kumar told us that for now it would need to be bandaged, and action could be taken later. This man was in so much pain and his wound was so severe. Another volunteer and I began to bandage the wound as quickly as we could. Even though the man was in pain, he still reached down occasionally trying to help push the gauze into his wound. I tried my hardest to help him, holding his hand whenever mine was free, or simply trying to share a smile and let him know without words that he was loved. When we had finished I had to excuse myself and step outside. I needed a moment to myself to think. While inside and busy I was able to focus on what needed to be accomplished and keep my feelings in check, because there was something more important that needed to be accomplished and him seeing my own tears would not have helped. A few of the other volunteers who had been helping the man or who had simply looked over and seen came outside as well, feeling the same way I'm sure.

I've learned so much about myself through my experiences today. Just this past year I made the decision that I want to go into nursing, but I have always wondered if I would really be able to hold up under the pressure, or keep myself in check when dealing with something gory. Today helped me so much to see my own strength and my ability to stretch myself. While I was working I didn't notice the smell, or the crowd, all I could see was the beautful person in front of me, and the only thing on my mind was how I could best wrap the wound to keep in clean and secure. It is not a bad thing to feel emotional, or overwhelmed, or to cry, but there is a time and a place for everything and sometimes you need to be strong for someone else. I learned that there are more important things than myself.

I am so grateful for everything I am learning and the opportunities I am having to grow and stretch.

I'm finding myself by losing myself.

After a long but worthwhile two days and a long car ride home (which I slept through as well, except the part where we all watched Hot Rod;)),  I am grateful to be back at the beautiful Rising Star campus, I've missed my bed:)

withgreatlove,

Kenzie

p.s. This adorable little woman is 95 years old. She was constantly blessing us and smiling; she loved looking at the pictures and pointing to herself:)

New colonies - Day 1

"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."

-Mother Teresa

Missed seeing the kids, but it really has been an awesome 2 days.

Today was absolutely amazing, but so different from any other day so far.

We left the Rising Star campus at 5 am and piled into two buses to take us to a neighboring state. The plan was that we would arrive at 9 and start work in the new colony and leave to go to our hotel at about 2 or 3... but TII, this is India:)

We did somehow manage to leave ontime at 5, but when we reached the border we were stopped and told that one of the buses did not have the correct paperwork. We sat there for a long time and finally had to turn around and rent a different bus. Everyone on the other bus moved onto the new bus, and we were off again! Later on we had to stop again at a grocery store to pick up toilet paper, which we realized we had forgotten to bring. (Indians do not ussualy use toilet paper, because it is expensive; they wipe with their left hand and then wash it. This is why you can eat with only your right hand at restaurants, which can be challenging when it's bread you need to tear!) We were then stopped by a policeman who wanted to again check our paperwork for entering a new city. We arrived at our hotel at around 12pm. I would also like to point out that I was very, very asleep during the entire drive and had to hear these stories after! Thank you dramamine :) ahhaha (motion sickness medicine, the drives here are Mr. Toad's Wild Ride status)

After a quick lunch we finally arrived at the colony. When we got there we walked into a roofed town center/patio area. We were blessed to have the roof, because it had begun to rain. I was immediately overwhelmed seeing the people seated on the ground; they had been waiting for us since that morning. As soon as we began to unload, a man arrived carrying a box of cold sodas and gave one to each of the volunteers. It was hard to hold back the tears as I recieved this sincere gift. They had so little, but they were giving us all that they could. It meant so much to me.

We were then assigned to groups; some were washing feet, others took blood pressure, some bandaged, some were in charge of picture documenting, and 2 other girls and I were assigned to test for diabetes. I will admit I was very nervous about the diabetes testing.  I wasn't sure what to do, but I've realized through these past few weeks that you just have to jump right in 100%; thats they only way to learn. Diabetes testing on leprosy patients can be much harder than just a simple finger prick. Because of the disease, some have very thick and calloused skin, some have no fingers, and some have very poor circulation making it hard to get enough blood.

It was very hard for me to watch their pain as we pricked them multiple times trying to find a soft enough spot. I was very lucky to be working with two other very talented girls, one of whom actually has diabetes herself. They showed me what to do, and eventually I got the hang of it. I was grateful for the opportunity to not only help getting the blood, but being able to comfort the people and simply hold the hands of those who were so scared they would begin to tear up even before we had touched them. We helped about 85 people during our hours at the colony and diagnosed 12 new diabetics. 15 other patients were diagnosed with hypertension. They will now be able to get the medicine and help they need to keep themselves healthy.

When we finished I was "joyously fatigued," one of my new favorite descriptions, and also once again overwhelmed. I started talking to another volunteer, Kim, about our experiances from the day and it was impossible to hold back the tears any longer. We had felt so much love and tried to give as much love as we could give. These people were so inspiring and grateful. One woman walked around placing flowers in each volunteer's hair. I know that I will never be the same; they have taught me so much about living with pain, but loving and enduring at the same time. I have grown to love these people in just one day. They are absolutely beautiful in my eyes.

withgreatlove,

Kenzie

"Yesterday is history,

tomorrow is a mystery,

and today is a gift

that's why they call it the present."

Today was great, I was in tutoring group again, and we spent the day inventorying and organizing the star store an donated supplies for the school/ For those of you who don't know the star store is here's a short explanation.

A lot of the children who attend RSO's school have been taugh to beg for things because they have so little or their parents used them to beg for money. To combat this RSO came up with the star store. The star store is a room that contains tons of different prizes worth varying amounts of stars. Each week the children have the opportunity to earn 7 stars, one each day. They can then either use them in the stare store, or save them up for a big prize. This teaches the children about smart spending of money and it allows them to earn the things they need. Throughout the day if they do all of their chores, homework, and behave they recieve a star.

So I'm sorry this post is short, but I have a big two days ahead of me and I definitely need some sleep. Tomorrow at 5 we leave for a neighboring state where we will be checking leprosy patients. This colony, however is a large colony, and is new to RSO. They have never seen doctor's before so their wounds and infections will be worse then any that I have seen so far. I know that it will be a life changing experiance. We will work for two days, staying at a hotel one night.

high: Having on of the little girls run up to me, tell me she loved me and giving me a hug. Also finally figuring out skype and talking to my family:)

low: almost slipping and dropping all of the rice on the way to dinner

Hope all is well with everyone!

wwithgreatlovee,

Kenzie

“If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music in which he hears, however measured, or far away."

-Henry David Thoreau

Yesterday was Sunday, its been so nice to have a day off and be able to rest. In the morning we chose out our saris and headed over to have the house mothers wrap us. It was misting, and walking back to the volunteer hostels was absolutely beautiful and serene. I loved how quiet it was, I was all alone, surrounded by palm trees and the bright  green of the other plants around me. Everything was muffled because of the rain and the beautiful cloth of my sari flowed around me feet. I know it sounds silly but it really was a quiet special moment. It really made me realize I will miss having all of this beauty around me wherever I go.

(side note: just heard tons of screaming from the little girls so went outside to check it out, saw my first real cobra! they caught it and are going to kill it, will definitely show pictures in my next post!)

While we were on the RSO bus heading out to church one of the little boys ran forward and began talking to the bus driver and he immediately stopped and began to reverse for a good amount of time. They were mainly talking in Tamil but from what I could catch it sounded like something had fallen out of the window. We reversed for a good amount of time and I just kept wondering what would be worth all this and if it was really that important. When we finally stopped to boy jumped off to grab the object I just burst out laughing. He came on carrying the window. The window had fallen off the bus. It was a totral T.I.I. moment. (TII stands for "this is India" noone really knows how it began but its a phrase used when something doesn't go as planned, if you didn't already know India is a pretty go with the flow place, you just have to be flexible. I absolutely love how relaxed it is.)

We arrived at church and had a beautiful Sunday meeting. It was amazing to see how the LDS church we went to was exactly the same as it is back home, just not always in the same language:)

We met in the basement of a building, and there was even a gaurd at the door.

Everyone looked beautiful.

Amy Antonelli Left yesterday:( she is seriously amazingg

And anothr TII moment happened on the way home from church, the good ol bus broke down... It was actually pretty funny cause it was bound to happen atleast once these couple weeks:)

Afterwards we ate an amazing dinner of spaghetti, and the Bertha family gave a beautiful devotion about humility and we all went to go spend time with our families and help the older kids study for their exams. While we were there the power went out and it was pitch black all the little kids were all riled up, it was pretty funny, they would try to scare me by making monster noises. After I was able to locate my backpack one of the house mothers told us to head back to our rooms early because it was going to rain. The lights didn't take to long to come back on, but by the time we reached the hostel it was raining. We all ran out into the middle of our court yard and started dancing and splashing in the puddles, others filled up buckets from spouts and splashing everyone, needless to say we were all drenched by the end. It was so much fun:)

no idea why I have such creepy eyes... ahah but you get the idea.

/Afterwards we all sat outside and blogged and talked  for hours, it was a wonderful night

wwithgreatlovee,

Kenzie

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

 – Mark Twain

This weekend was absolutely amazing!

On Saturday we spent the day at mamallapuram, a beach city. There was lots of shopping and temples to explore. I found that I am actually pretty good at arguing down prices. Plenty of anklets and bed spreads and custom made chudidars to entertain us all. While me and another girl were running back to the atm it started absolutely pouring. We were in a hurry to get back to a certain shop so we ended up running through the pooring rain, our chudidars soaking wet. The whole time we ran people were yelling at us from windows telling us to get out of the rain. It was fun and we were both laughing, only in India.

After we'd spent all our Ruppee's we headed over to the butter ball. The butter ball is so cool to look at, its this huge rock on an incline and it never rolls down. The story is that they have tried pushing and pulling it with teams of animals.

Here's what it looks like:)

Gotta take the typical tourist pictures!

The temples were absolutely amazing and we had a fun time just walking around and taking pictures.

amazing view

imitating the lions:)

We ended the day with a tastey dinner of parota. Its this tortilla like food that you dip in sauce and comes with an omelette. I seriously have never tasted anything like it and I have a feeling I'll be craving it back on the states...

Afterwards we spent the evening playing sardines in the hostel and on the roof, it was dark and the stars were so bright. It reminded me so much of the song "Sure on this shining night" that we sang in choir this past year. We had a great time, at first I was worried that we wouldn't all get along, but we're all having a blast. I love how close we've gotten in just the past week!

wwithgreatlovee,

Kenzie