It’s hard to believe I have less than a week left in India. April brought about many changes for me. It was time for three of five of my long-term volunteer friends who had stayed with me for three months to fly out to their various destinations. We had become so close that it felt like I was sending a piece of me away with them. They were such an answer to prayer. It was amazing to see how God had brought us all together with our own strengths and talents to add to the team. I couldn’t have asked for better people to come alongside me to plant Project Rhino Centers all over Calcutta.
By mid April it was evident that the original plan for me to move on from the Katabon Rhino Center to start at a new location had fallen through. I was actually relieved to stay on at Katabon because I still needed more time to train in the local teachers. I’ve been told that children under the age of five in Calcutta are not held accountable for their actions in the home, so one can only imagine how difficult it has been to teach our classes of 3-5 year olds. I’ve had to pull out every teacher trick in the book, to show the teachers how to maintain a manageable classroom. Some days are definitely more trying than others, but little by little we are beginning to see a lot of progress with these little guys.
The highlight of my semester was when one of our local teachers put together a little program in honor of a famous Indian poet’s birthday. Two of our older students recited some of his poems while a traditional Bengali dance was performed by one of our local teachers and a 12 year old student.
The first of May flew by so fast, since we were accommodating 30 volunteers. They were such a blessing to me because of their eagerness to assist me with whatever classroom preparations that I needed. With my ever approaching trip to Nepal and report cards on the horizon, it was crunch time. Thankfully after I completed testing the students for their report cards, I was able to delegate the filling out of them to the local teachers just in the nick of time for me to head off to Nepal. I enjoyed nine full days there with my close friend Lizzie. As much as we loved volunteering at the learning centers, it was a much needed and refreshing change of pace for the both of us. We stayed in the valley of Kathmandu, which is surrounded by beautiful scenic mountains and historical sites everywhere you turn. Each day was filled with a cool summer’s breeze, plenty of shopping, and eating at fantastic, affordable restaurants. My most memorable afternoon was spent riding on a cycle-rickshaw for the first time on our way to explore the National Museum. One day later Lizzie and I woke up at the crack of dawn to take the Mountain Flight to see the famous Mt. Everest. The most breath taking sight I beheld was when they let me climb up into the cock pit to see a panoramic view of the Himalayas. Unfortunately, Mt. Everest was shrouded in clouds that morning, but it was still totally worth the flight to marvel at the glory of God’s magnificent creation. Towards the end of my stay, I was anxious to get back to Calcutta to wrap up all of my final tasks before basking in the Texas sun.
Honestly, I’m a little stressed right now because I have to organize all of the lessons and materials, so the learning centers can carry on while I’m gone this summer. No pressure right? Please pray that God will continue to give me wisdom and foresight to arrange everything and that I have a safe flight home, starting next Wednesday. Also, I am feeling a little sick with some stomach issues. Please pray that I recover quickly. God bless y’all!
Pict 1 – Lizzie and I on the cycle rickshaw. Pict 2 – Me in front of the ancient bird temple. Pict 3 – View of Himalayas from the Mountain Flight. Pict 4 – me & a student from Katabon
