The One with the Laundry In the Ganga

Durga helping with my Punjabi outfit

So one thing that I had not considered before coming here was how I would do laundry in India... Let's just say that I am glad that I brought more than the recommended 4-5 pairs of underwear.  Yesterday the kids needed some supervision washing their clothes in the Ganga, so Annie and I decided to go with them.  I brought a huge bucket of our clothes with me, and Annie carried Radica (3) and down to the river we went.  What I didn't realize is that getting the river required climbing over rocks as big as myself  and that this laundry process is actually quite extensive.  Thankfully 9-year old Durga assumed that I would pretty much be useless and helped me step by step through the process.  First the clothes soak in soapy water.  Then you scrub them on a rock with a brush and then wash them again in the river, and then find a clean rock to let them dry on.  The kids thought my incompetence was hilarious and loved being in charge of the laundry process.  I eventually resigned to building sand temples (kind of like the Indian equivalent of sand castles) with the kids while Annie finished the laundry.  Then I agreed that we should take the short-cut back home, and I ended up literally climbing through trees up the mountain with my huge bucket of clothes.

At the end of this adventure Annie and I sat down to a delicious lunch at the cafe and I felt such a sense of accomplishment.  I appreciated the opportunity to jump into these kids' everyday lives and just experience how they do things at Ramana's.  Since Ramana's runs quite smoothly without extra volunteers, I felt pretty useless during my first few days here.  It seemed that I was creating more work for them by needing help and explanations, when really they have everything running perfectly without me and my group wanting to help.  I realized yesterday how much I am gaining just from spending time with these kids.  They are so loving and appreciative of everyone who enters their life.  I have never felt so welcome to a new place before in my life.  It is also incredible how much fun kids can have without all of the gadgets that our seven year olds carry around in America.  It's nice to see people truly appreciate the presence of others, instead of needing to fill their time with video games, television, and iPhones.

Radica having fun by the Ganga

Anyways it is time to get back to Ramana's to take the kids on a hike! Hopefully I will have one more update before I head to Varanasi for three weeks.

:Love,
Jenna