Literally, I have been here for over 6 weeks. Wow. Time has just sped by without me even realising how fast it's gone! I look back over pictures and journal entries and I suddenly realise how long I've actually been here. It's been a significant amount of time. I keep wanting it to slow down though so I can stay longer. Even though it has been quite a while, because so much is happening everyday, it seems so short! Last I updated, it was International Woman's Day and Holi. It is now the last week in March. It's going to APRIL soon. And yet, I still have excited bursts of "I'm in INDIA!" running through my head frequently.
Since the beginning of this month, the weather has steadily become warmer and warmer. When I got up in the mornings, I used to be even a little cold. Not anymore. I try and keep my room cool during the day, but somehow, inevitably, every night it has heated up again. I got a tip from one of my friends here to pour a bucket of water on the floor, turn the fan on full and just let it evaporate. So, the other night, I tried it. I think I was feeling a little desperate/over-zealous. I poured one bucket of water, saw that it didn't cover even half of my room, so I poured another. Firstly, this second bucket was a little bigger than the first, and secondly, the first bucket had covered more ground than I thought, the water just hadn't spread out as much. So, I turned on my fan and waited. And waited. And started to sweat. A lot. The water was quickly evaporating and turning my already warm room into a sauna. Yup. I didn't want to open my screen as the mosquito's would come in, but what could I do? I flung open the doors. Then, looking around the room, I realised the water had quite significantly pooled in certain areas. Like, behind my wooden chest of drawers. I pulled away my furniture from the walls, grabbed a towel and started mopping the water towards the door. It was quite a lot of water.
I ended up sitting outside for a good hour (mossie repellent well applied) just writing journal entries and reading. A few of the girls who were still awake saw me sitting outside and came to check on me. They saw all the water covering my stairs and doorway and were like "Didi, what happened?!" Didi is the word for big sister. When I explained I had been mopping my room (a common practice here) they all wanted to mop my floor too. But I declined the offer. It was hot enough without 3 or 4 extra bodies inside.
The kids in school are having exams right now, so I have been quizzing the nursery little ones on ABC's, nursery rhymes, counting etc. It's quite sweet to listen to them saying these basics with big eyes and awkward hand motions. But today, I heard Baa, Baa Black Sheep so many times, I think I might not even know the right version anymore. On the exam days, I take the kids who finish their "exams" to the play room next door. My rather limited Marathi has come in useful in these situations. Words like, "Wait" and "Come here" play especially large roles.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to spend as much time with the special needs girls, as the hot afternoons has made them more prone to stay inside and rest. I do go over there later in afternoon sometimes though, and I love just sitting and listening to them talk excitedly about the things the do and enjoy.
So, that's all I got for now. Time passing ridiculously fast, the weather being ridiculously hot, children being ridiculously cute and having a ridiculously good time.
Peace and blessings.
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