What a wonderful day we had with 440 children who patiently waited for
the line up heading to the camera area. Getting good smiles was our goal
but often the best were just after the click of the camera. Sue noticed
one smaller boy gazing down at the bedkit items as she adjusted the
focus. You could almost feel his amazement at the sight of the school
bag, notebooks, clothing, pillow, raincoat, mosquito net, blanket,
towels and sheets - All for him! By the time he carried the rolled up
bedkit to his home and shared the contents with his family, you can be
sure that this day will always bring special memories.
The school courtyard was a perfect location for our work and we again
had excellent student volunteers to help guide the children around to
the various stations. At one side there was a long trough with taps for
hand washing and I spotted a monkey come down from a nearby tree to the
trough. He (she) actually turned the tap for a drink but I was too slow
with my camera to record it. Apparently the monkeys regularly do that.
After all, thirst is universal.
There is another area for drinking water that was donated by the class of 1988 and installed just last year.
We
are learning a lot about local customs. One of the boys had yellow
markings on the points of his shirt collar. After inquiring about that,
we learned that when a Hindu person receives new clothing, it is marked
with tumeric or saffron.
As travelling volunteers we are fortunate indeed to share in so many enriching experiences.
So
it's time to prepare for tomorrow's distribution followed by a
"felicitation" party with our host Rotarians. Stay tuned for our next
blog.
Team Chennai 2014
