Make the body healthy, & the soul will follow

At 4a.m. this morning I woke up with the sun. I could hardly refrain myself from opening the blinds to sneak a peak at sleeping India. India’s landscape, houses, and people are so different – and I just want to observe and take it all in with every breath I take. At 7a.m. I could not twiddle my thumbs any longer so I went downstairs and asked Nitya’s mom if she wanted to go for a walk with me. Off we went. We walked by mansions, that resembled homes in L.A. and Palm Beach, as well as huts that were made of tarps, ropes, card board, and bricks. We also walked by bare footed children wearing ripped underwear and stained t-shirts. Their hair and bodies were filthy from sleeping on dirt floors. They spend their days shifting garbage and talking amongst one another. For the first time in my life, I feel like I am beside the children I used to watch in the “World Vision” commercials. I look at them and smile, but they don’t smile back. Their souls seem empty. And their thoughts dark. I want to take pictures of the sleeping babies on the dirt ground. But I don’t want to insult their parents. After my walk, I met Mr. Yogi, my new Yoga instructor. Mr. Yogi will be coming to the house to teach me Yoga, everyday for one hour, for the next month. The cost: 1,200 rupees. Approximately 40$. Our first session was incredible and we went over theories and positions. My focus on this trip is improving my health and expanding my mind – and I know Mr. Yogi will be a wonderful guide. Today is “Teacher Day”, a Hindu holiday. Ironically enough, it was my first day teaching at the Amar Kirti School. I stepped into the classroom and asked the teacher (who’s 25, speaks little English, and has no prior teaching experience or certifications) “What have you been teaching them? Where should I take off? What exactly should I teach?” He responded “You teach”. “Pardon me sir, what do you want me to teach?” “You teach”. At this point, I realized that I was on my own. And did my best to teach 27 pairs of staring brown eyes. At the end of the school day, we played “Simon Says”. They loved it. Afterward, we served lunch. One glass of warm milk and two slices of white bread. There are no books in the classroom. No chalkboards. No large writing paper I can write on. I don’t even know where I should begin. Teachers out there that are reading this – HELP! boulangerh@mville.edu