India Report 5 (nothing happens)

So, I cut my arm today...

Relax, just a scratch. I was scrambing down a hillside, grabbed a tree to slow a skid, and got a little scrape. The way people reacted to it, you'da thought I'd rammed the arm through my kidney. Anyway, I found a "mountain" to climb... a hill, actually. It's right behind a catholic church, and all along the steep, cobblestoned path are stations of the cross. It was very wierd, put at the top, watching people pray and then turn and ask us for pictures and autographs. The obsession with white people/foreigners here is insane.

Without betraying anyone's privacy,here is the history of most of the children that are taken care of by the mission. (There are roughly equal girls and boys, but writing his/her every time is a pain, and because I am male, will be our prototypical child.) I've typed up about 10 billion progress reports. These are double-translated: they are written in Telegu, translated into English, then I translate them into "Western" English, changing such interesting phrases as "their father plays with bufallo" and ones that readers might find offensive, like "the child is not intelligent." Christianese phrases are left as written.

Child so-and-so hails from such-and-such a village. His father is a daily wage laborer/has another low paying job, and his mother is also a wage laborer/homemaker. His father is/is not an alcoholic. The parents barely make enough money to pay for food and education for the children.

After the ilness/death/alchohol or adultery induced departure of one/both parents, the child is cared for by the other parent/grandparents. However, the meager income is not enough to support the child.

The parents/grandparents approach pastor whats-his-name, and with his cooperation the child joins the mission home.

The child joined the mission in some year, and is now so old and in a grade. He does well/struggles in school. His favorite subjects are this and that. He attends Sunday School and has learned singing and bible stories. He is shy/mischivous/a natural leader with his peers. He is growing strong spiritually in the Lord. He wants to be a doctor/nurse/engineer/pastor and help the poor and bring Glory to God.

The children live in 2 different dorm houses, one of which has a school attached. They have house parents to care for them. They get plenty of food, though it's simple. Rice forms the majority of every meal. If you'd like to donate a bag of rice, now is the time to buy and it's $25 for a 75 kg bag. Please leave a comment with contact email or email me if you are interested. They are well educated in local schools, and brought to the doctor when necessary. The one thing they seem to lack is personal one-on-one attention to adults. This can nor really be helped, as there simply aren't enough adults to go around. We are trying to do our part by spending time with the kids. They especially like photos. The boys are very athletic, and like to play "soccer"- kicking a tennis ball into the wall of the opposing building to score. Bicycles, geese, passers-by and girls are considered natural obstacles. They also love cricket, which is a dumb to play as it is to watch.

Not much has actually happened since my last blog, we continue to be treated like kings, and to work in the office. The internet here- no wait, if I try to describe the frustration I will descent into cursing. Let's just say mega-suck and leave it at that.