Good thing Blogging isn't my job, or I fear I would fail miserably. I'm so sorry that I haven't been very diligent in getting new posts up. I've been so busy, though, and have been having some great experiences.
Well, I think I'll start with big event number one: going to the Indian wedding. Prashant, my older brother's friend, was kind enough to invite Jake and I to attend a wedding with us. I'm so thankful, because is definitely one of my highlights since I've been to India. There was just such an incredible amount of everything there: food, drinks, friends, family, music, entertainment, dancing, excitement, colors, beautiful saris, etc. I was so intrigued by everything that was going on around me that I was speechless. Jake and I were smiling from ear to ear the whole time. Every wall of the event space was lined with endless amounts of food. Prashant and I joked that it would be paradise for Mance. After one plate I was full, but there was so much to taste that I willed my stomach to hold more. Everything was delicious. Also, I could get over how incredible everyone looked. The saris were brightly colored and embelished with so many sparkles, patterns, and designs. I felt so underdressed in my plain black shirt and dark jeans haha. Jake and I both had an amazing time, and thanked Prashant for inviting us after he dropped us back at the home base.
This week my students were having their spring exams everyday, so I didn't get to do much teaching. One thing that I really enjoyed, though, was getting to know the kids in a different way that just students. They were allowed to go out and play after they finished testing, so I got to just play with them. They taught me new Hindi words and games. Our roles were reversed and I was suddenly the student learning from them. It was a great week.
Also, I went with Jake and Cathy to Pappan Kalan to paint a room for the women's sewing group there. Before the room such a dark place. The windows let in little sunlight because of all the morter and dirt that was caked on them. The walls had become an uninviting grey, and there were signs of mice everywhere. As a surprise for the girls, we painted cleaned everything up, painted the walls a bright yellow color with some designs as a border, and then ordered tile to be put in the kitchen area and a new rug. The girls didn't know that anything was being done to the room, so I'm excited to see how they respond. The room now light and inviting with a bright purple door. It felt good to be doing some physical labor here, where I could actually see a visible improvement. Working with the kids has been so rewarding, but sometimes I fear that they're helping me more than I'm helping them.
It was funny watching all of the children gather outside the door to see what the "crazy foreigners" were doing. They kept coming in around the corner, trying to sneak a peak at what was going on in the room. Who would have known painting a room would cause so much commotion. Every once in a while we would take a tea break and play a little with the children. At one point Jake was taking so long to finish painting one of the doors because every five seconds he would run off to play. I ended up finishing the door for him haha.
On the way home Jake and I were in such a good mood that we sang the whole way home. Both of us were listening to different songs on our iPods, but were trying to make the songs go together haha. I feel bad for poor Kathy and Kewal for having to listen.

Ok, so I tried to add some pictures of the before and after for the sewing class, but it's not working. I'll try again tomorrow morning.