So my home-stay is over, and I am settled down in the city to stay for a while. My last week in the home-stay was really tough, I became dehydrated and had to sleep a lot. Then my family pulled out an ORS packet, which stands for Oral Rehydration Solution, which is exactly what I needed to rehydrate and feel better so that was such a blessing! The monsoon season finally hit though, and I kept slipping in the mud! All the rooms in the house stand alone - to travel from one to the other you have to walk outside in the mud. Every time I fell, the family thoughtI had broken every bone in my body and rushed to my side! They thought that the falling was causing me to be sick. They also believe that drinking cold water makes me sick, and they kept trying to get me to drink hot water - but I stuck to my crisp, cold water! This week brought an English speaking girl to the house, Riju-Moonie. Her exams had just ended and she came home for her one-month summer vacation. She was very helpful with language and she taught me how to play a game with 5 stones. You have to throw and catch the stones over and over again with increasing difficulty. I finally got up to 5 points! (You get 4-5 points in one round). Fun times though. When we went to look at the village fishery, one girl gave us all a piece of grass for protection against the evil spirits. I told her that I had protection with Dad, but she ignored me. I didn't think three little girls on an evening walk was the best time for a theological discussion so I quietly dropped mine on the road and talked quietly to Dad. Before we left the road to see the fishery one girl turned to me and asked me if I had the grass blade. I told her I had protection and smiled. That was my first time being asked to participate in all the superstition in the believing villages. Leaving the village was bittersweet. The people were really sweet and their love overflowed! I had such great friends there, but I plan on going back to see them again. I was glad to move back to the city though - the mud was really getting to me!
The next week I spent with a national family that lived in the city - kind of. They lived in the hills in the middle of the city, but it was quiet and beautiful. They had moved from the city 3 months ago to their ranch-style house in the middle of the "country". It was great - like a vacation! The whole family speaks English and they were excited to meet me and make my stay as comfortable as possible. The dad brought home soda pop and chips for me everyday because it was "American" :). I had my own room and my OWN BATHROOM! It was very relaxing and had a breathtaking view. After a week of rest I am back in the city. I will do some more language learning this week and start on my service project next week.
I have no pictures for you right now and I am very sorry!! I took so many pictures! My computer is on the fritz (yarp please!) so I am using friends computers while I figure out what to do about mine. As soon as it gets fixed there will be a bombardment of pictures that will take too long to get through!! My major Yarp requests are that my computer gets fixed, I can build relationships with nationals here around my house, I can stay attentive while in training for my service project, and that I can really start investing here in my area and the people here. Thank you all so much for all your comments, emails, and support!!!
