Jai Ho

Today there was a dance competition at the school. It was similar to when we have a talent show. The kids did a great job.. it was so much fun to watch. At the end of the show they had one final surprise. A BIG group of children did a dance called Jai Ho. It was so neat. They had to practice a long time and work as a team but the result was great!

No School Today

Because of political unrest we had no school today. So instead some friends came to visit. Hopefully we will have school tomorrow.

Rain Day!!

Today it POURED rain. I have been told that during monsoon season the rains can be very heavy but I have never seen these heavy rains until today. Within a few minutes it went from a light rain to a downpour. The school grounds soon looked like a lake. Kids were outside jumping in puddles, sliding in mud and kicking balls around. What a great time! They cancelled school for tomorrow. It is a RAIN DAY.. Just like a snowday.

Davey Kids

Yesterday kids at the school were so happy to read books from Davey students. Mrs. Sheets' third grade class made books on animals to send to India. The kids in India loved them and wanted to pass on a BIG thank you!

School Visit

Today we visited a new school. It is REALLY far away from a city. We drove by rice fields where women work hard all day planting and harvesting. We drove past many people who are shepherding goats and water buffalo. The water buffalo and goats walk right down the same road on which cars drive. Sometime they were so close to the car that I could reach out and touch them. We also saw two monkeys. Many schools in India have many flies. This school was great. Instead of flies... they had butterflies.

Hang On

In India many families don't have vans or cars. Whenever they need to travel they take everything on a motorbike. Sometimes a whole family and even a goat can be seen riding on a motorcycle. Kids never ride in carseats and most don't wear seatbelts. Even babies need to learn to hold on tight.

When We Turn off the Light

Small as a peanut,
Big as a giant,
We're all the same size
When we turn off the light.

Rich as a sultan,
Poor as a mite,
We're all worth the same
When we turn off the light.

Red, black or orange
Yellow or white,
We all look the same
When we turn off the light.

So maybe the way
To make everything right
Is for God to just reach out
And turn off the light!

-- Shel Silverstein

On The Road

In India all kinds of things can be on the road. You can find cars, motorcycles, people walking, cows, goats, and sometimes even camels. One popular way for people to get around is called a rickshaw. In the place I am staying they have auto rickshaws. An auto rickshaw is a small three wheeled car. The cars are very small but so many people can squeeze in. One time I road in a rickshaw with 9 other people. In some parts of India they have bicycle rickshaws (a cart filled with people and pulled by a man on a bike) or hand-held rickshaws. That is a cart pulled by a man who is running. That would be hard work.