Deer Monkey,

Ok so first of all.  I saw monkeys in the wild for the first time the other day and it was so exciting!!!  It was like a huge group of them too not even one.  I fed them crackers which i'm sure they loved.  The interesting thing is that monkeys are seen as pests in India!  So we think it is really funny because we see monkeys and are so excited because we can only see them in the zoo, but we went to the zoo today and they had deer in the zoo!  So the animals we chase away because they eat roses or whatever are in their zoos!  But yeah the monkeys were really exciting for me.  

 I know I say this every day or every time I blog, but I am so in love with the children here.  I want to stay forever and just be with them and love them and play with them and help them learn english!  They are SO fun!!!  I am sponsoring the boy on the left in this picture, his name is Ragavan.  He is just adorable.  And all of the kids here are amazing but he needed more sponsors and I have been drawn to him since day one.  He was the first boy who I met and we taught him a game and we had such a good time!  So it was love at first sight haha I figure it's Valentines day so I have to talk about love!

 This picture is so funny because there is a boy pulling my hair, jumping on me, then Mussa is in the back pulling on this kids leg!!!  I love it!  Play time gets a little rough sometimes.  Today Mussa pretended to be a lion and I think I got killed at least 7 times.  He was ferocious.  And he took like 5 naps.  Basically after every kill he would just lay down and pretend sleep!  And I don't know how to describe his lion noise but it was not a lion but it was so funny!!
So all of the boys play this game here where they stand and just put their head down then everyone pushes off their back and jumps over them.  But when I play I just get low on the ground and it's perfect for them.  I don't think even the older boys could jump over me standing how they play.  And I don't think I would want to try.

 This is my buddy Vimel!  We had an arm wrestling contest in math club.  I won.  No big deal, I still got it!  I can beat 13 year olds all day.  I'm like an olympian to this crowd!

 I got my first henna here FINALLY!  It turned out great!  The girls had a blast doing it.  The girls here are such artists!  I am a little bit jealous.  I wouldn't trust me with a pack of henna, I would do a smiley face probably.  But they do awesome designs!

 We went to the colony today and there were so many kids there!  A few of the families there have kids who go to our school at rising star.  How it works is at rising star we are like a boarding school and we take priority to the kids who come from leprosy colonies.  If they go to a public school, if anyone in their family has leprosy they have that tag on them for the rest of their lives and are not treated very well so at rising star no one knows who comes from a colony or not so there is no segregation or labels on the children.  This program is seriously so great!  I am sold that it will help so many children.  It is already making a huge change in the colonies.  There is one colony that has a bunch of businesses!  Thank goodness for micro loans!  :)  Rising Star all the way!

 This boy and I became buds at the colony.  He is such a cutie!  He also loved being upside down so I got this adorable picture of him hanging off the slide!  He was so happy!  Even after he got hit by his grandpa and some other guy he was still just grinning away!  That is something that I hate here.  I hate seeing the children get hit.  It happens too often, and for the dumbest reasons.

 This is a mom of a girl at our school and her sisters.  These girls are so young but are out doing the laundry like professionals!!!

 Here is one of the deer.  They were actually huge.

 This is the bathroom!  1 Rupee to pee, and 2 rupees to poop!!!  HAHAHA!  This killed me.  We were wondering if you pay up front or after you are done.  Guy at door: "What will it be?"  Me: "I don't know it's always a surprise.  I'll get you on the way out!"  hahaha!  Oh India.

 Beautiful white tiger!

 Baby elephant and yes there is a man napping out there.  I wanted to be that man so bad.

 Giraffe!  Licked that tree for like 5 minutes then we left.

 I am still wondering what this billboard was about.  But I liked it!

 These are all the volunteers who are here with me!

Nothing has changed, I still love it and I am not wanting to leave.  I don't think I have ever been so determined to write letters and keep in touch.  I am going to be crushed when I have to leave.  I am already starting to feel the depression.  America is great sure, but being here is happiness I don't think I have ever felt.  There is so much love here.  I don't want to go back to people complaining, and thinking about themselves and their problems all day every day.  But I am excited to go home and continue in school, finish school, and see where else my life takes me.

Do Cows Wear Sunscreen?

Yesterday we went to this beach town that is like 2 hours northeast of Chennai.  It is known for it's stone carving which was really cool!  We watched them do some and it is super impressive.  They also have a bunch of old temples and stuff.  So there is a lot of history there.  Because of that we saw a lot of other tourists there.  We were not the only white people!  But there was this school group that saw us that still were so happy to see us!  They shook our hands and we sat and talked a while.  They were having the time of their lives, and I won't lie, so was I!  This may be as close as I ever get to feeling famous.  So I'm soaking it in ;)  

This first picture is what they call the butterball.  Or that could be what we called it.  I'm not sure.  It was this giant boulder that had the smallest base ever.  It seemed like is would roll down the hill at any second but it never did!  At least while I was standing under it, it didn't.  I was grateful for that!  But I'm a Campbell so I was obviously seeing if I could lift it up.  And the next picture I have been trying to capture all week.  Where ever we go we see these women walking around with huge buckets of stuff on their head!  This is the best picture I have gotten so far.  They have like 3 inches of padding between their head and the bucket but I just can't even imagine walking around with something like that on my head.  Way to go Indian women!  You are inspiring for real.  

 In these pictures we went around and saw some of the temples.  They were really awesome and you could go inside them and they all had these really cool carvings everywhere.  So they were prime picture taking places.  I am coping the woman on the left and just hanging out with the two people in the other picture.  Maybe doing a little meditating.

 Ok this guy's skin was all blue and he wouldn't smile for anything!  I was talking to him and we were having a great time but he was so stoic!  Appropriate for a stone carving town!  (Get it!?  Stoic!)  So when I took a picture he just stared.  And this was after I asked and he said yes.  You have to ask if you can take a picture here because there are some people who believe that if you take their picture you take part of their soul.  So I can imagine they wouldn't like it if you just snapped a part of their soul away.

In the same place (shoe store, I'll explain about that soon) we saw some guy come out of his shop with  a burning watermelon and smash it in the middle of the street!  Then we saw this beggar come up and start picking at it.  That was pretty sad, gross, and I couldn't pull my eyes away.  I don't think he even ate any though.  So I am really wondering what was wrong with that melon!  

At the shoe place I got custom made sandals!  They got the exact right size for my foot and got the leather to be the right length and made the shoes right there!  It was really awesome!  They are this really cool red leather and after I wore them all day they stained my feet a bit red.  It came off easy though.  I also got this anklet, and only one.  The girls the next day were all asking me why I only had one anklet on!  I guess you can't just wear one, you have to wear one on each ankle.  So I guess I'll have to pick up a second at the junction tomorrow.  The junction is a little shopping area just outside of our village.  A pretty fun place, it feels like a year round flee market.

And the next picture is of a sweet boat.  There were a million.  And I touched the Bay of Bengal!  And got a Bindi.  So that's what that red dot is on my head.  But all the girls thought I should have just done a small black paint mark.  They said that is better and that people don't wear that big red one.  But I saw plenty with the big red one.  I was styling.

 Next order of business is India has the most stressful traffic I have ever seen in my whole life.  I would say that for every 2 lanes there are 4 vehicles.  They honk about one hundred times an hour and are just swerving everywhere to get around people.  Also they get about 2 cm away from a biker or car and they are so calm.  I would never ever drive here.  EVER.

 This was probably my favorite part of India/this weekend.  On the beach there was just a cow.  Hanging out having the time of his life.  And in front of a tourist shopping area (a whole 15 minute walk street) there is just a line of cows walking around.  Not led by anyone.  Just walking around.  That is what the video is of.  I thought it was so funny!  And it happened while some guy was trying to get me to shop in his store.  So that's who the guy is haha I never went in.  He was way too pushy.  And I am so stubborn that if someone wanted me to do something so bad I just don't want to at all!

I hope you enjoy my blog!  I love India!!!  And the cows here are so cool.  And loved by all.

Sticks and Stones

Something that I have been thinking about a lot while here is how reliant kids in the US are for electronics.  I see it everyday even here, with myself, and my roommates.  We need technology.  But I play with the kids here and I am not kidding, they can entertain themselves with a stick for hours.  I know this because I have seen it!  The children here have so much creativity and have so much fun with each other!  They interact with one another, they run around in an open field until they can’t run anymore, and they are happy!  They live in less than optimal conditions to say the least but they are happy with what little they have.  They love India, they love to sing, scream (just for the heck of it), dance, laugh, and they love with all of their heart.  Everyday they see me and yell, "Auntie!  Sing ___________(fill in the blank some song)!!!  Dance Auntie! "  They love it haha and the songs they love are like Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, and so many random songs that I don't know but they think I have memorized.  A recent favorite is "Who let the dogs out!" and that has been really fun.  Oh and they all love it when I sing the disco song "Staying Alive".  That kills me throat after a while but they get a kick out of it.   I have been shown such an unconditional love from these kids.

All this just gets me thinking about my own children one day.  I have been against having TV’s, game stations, and all these things that keep a child away from social interactions.  But now, I know that it is possible, and in my opinion better to not have them have these things, I think it is such a good idea.  What happened to kids reading, playing outside, kicking a ball around, playing with a stick!  Creativity is being boxed and confined in these games, when they should be growing and challenged.  If my kids sit inside all day playing games (not happening, but if it does), we are moving to India, and they will learn how to play, be grateful, social, and they will learn how to truly love everyone around them! 

P.S. I just took a bucket shower with a poisonous frog next to me the whole time.

Here are some of the kids.  These are just a few, I have so many.  They love getting their picture taken and seeing it!

Goodbye Peanut Butter

Ok I am now in India and I am so in love already.  I don't want to leave.  The only thing I miss is a real toilet.  I have only been here for about 3 days but the people are amazing, the food is delicious, I love the heat, everything (minus the toilet thing) I love.  Oh and somehow I forgot to mention the amazing clothes.  Their outfits are what I have always dreamed about.  Baggy, breathy pants, and a long shirt so you don't have to worry about modesty at all!  So...India is amazing.  Yesterday I went to the leprosy colony and it was an experience of a life time.  I really don't think I will ever be able to beat a feeling like I have had here.  We will go every other day.  The people are incredible.  They have this awful illness but they were so happy when we were there.  I really think that Indian people are the most loving people I have met so far in my life.  They don't have a lot, so they just love, and love, and love.  I already want to come back.  And I will.  Also, I apologize about my blog, I don't read a lot of blogs, and I have never really had one so I'm not really sure what should go on a blog, ect.  So I will just wing it.  I have a bunch of pictures on my facebook that you should all look at.  The children here melt my heart constantly.  They are seriously the cutest things on earth.  I don't really have so much to say, I am just so incredibly happy here.  I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.  I would even give up peanut butter to be here.  If I ever live here longer I might have to.