DAY 1

Today I flew in from Mumbai to Chennai at 6 am and from there we got a taxi to take us to the Marriott hotel, where the group of Rising Stars was to pick us up. Still no luggage of course and I am going on eating my 5th power bar, which Audrey was willing to share. Don't let me forget to mention I am a walking marshmallow. My ankles, fingers, and calves are swollen from the airplane and it is so annoying! Driving to the hotel I learned that basically anything goes in India and if you aren't careful you will get run over by a car. It was a mad house on the street but I held in my gasps fairly well! It was so cute to see families on scooters trying to get to and from their busy lives. I would describe the homes to you but to be honest there are rarely any. They make houses out of woven materials that look like tiny shacks. It is basically called the slums and a lifestyle that broke my heart. Many people are sitting on the dirt selling fruit and little kids are running around without shoes. There are areas that smell so bad you can taste the air. I have never seen so much garbage in my life and it makes it worse that these poor people are living in it. Cows, dogs, and goats must think they are humans because the frolic around everywhere. During the 2 hour drive to our village I had seen enough to want to take all of the people home with me. I now understand what a privilege it is to live in America. It is fun to see little boys just hanging on to any car to get a ride to and from school. The way they stare at us here is so funny. I went to go buy a drink and a bunch of them yelled, "Hey, look it is the Americans!" I really should have dyed my hair black.
On the drive I saw the Victoria Secret Plant where they make all the Victorias Secret clothing. Who would have known, a job well done! Pulling up to the Rising Star Village was quite the sight to see. There is so much land and in the village before it the people were ecstatic to see us. They were so friendly and jumped for joy. The biggest house in the village was owned by a police officer because he bribes people for money. The government here is very sketchy and most of the people in office are gangsters. If you hold an office you cannot be tried, that is why it has become so corrupt. The place I am staying is hard to describe but is truly amazing! It's like a palace compared to what I have seen on the streets. We are staying in bunk beds and the facility is brand new. We are the second group to stay here which was exciting. We were given a tour today throughout the colony and everything is being built so fast. This week the children are on Spring break so it is our job to work hard to get all the classrooms put together and create a new library. The children have not yet seen the additions that have been made and we have the opportunity to organize everything and paint the walls before they get back.
We have Indian style toilets, so if you are wondering how it works all I can say is just squat! ha I took my first bucket shower tonight and it was a dream come true after not having showered since Saturday. They give you a large bucket and you fill it up with water then just rinse off. The weather here is SO HOT, actually hot doesn't even cut it. Once I got out of the shower I was dripping sweat again. I have had 2 great Indian meals already that surprisingly were very good. The meals lack protein but weren't too spicy to eat. Today has been a long day but I am anxious to go to the leprosy colony for the first part of the morning and work the rest of the day! These people need to be shown love and I am so glad I have the chance to not hold back from fear of leprosy but to touch the faces of these wonderful people and show them there are people who care!