Work, Diwali, and Gifts

We Celebrated Diwali last week, and we had to dress up so Miriam and I both bought Saris, and wore them to the Diya lighting, pooja prayers and firework celebrations. They're pretty difficult to go pee in!!!

At the school tomorrow I’m taking the grade 4 class (Standard 4, which is kind of like our grade 5) out in the garden to learn about composting and the environment and then teaching them PE. The teacher is not going to be there that day so I’m playing substitute! I made posters today about the 7Rs for the earth and the 6Cs

Reduce Reuse Recycle Rethink Remake Refurbish Repair (I think the champion of this is my Grandpa!)

Compost Conserve Collect Collaborate Conversation and Caring

My posters are pretty cool! I’m excited about them I hope the kids are! School ends at lunch tomorrow so i won’t have to prepare anything for the afternoon here.

Kindergarten here is called First Year and they don’t have any toys to play with, they have to do writing all day and other not fun stuff! Pretty happy I grew up in Canada, I played with sand and building blocks in Kindergarten and we learnt in a circle and how to sing and stuff. Not strict writing.

Jim Hodgson came from the United Church of Canada executive office, and visited with us yesterday! It was really nice to see him! We met in Toronto and became friends on facebook and have a lot of common political views, and so forth! He’s very smart! And super kind! It was nice to get to have a political chit chat about world and Canadian issues with him, felt like my living room at home with my family J  

This week we have a meeting to watch them plan a band camp for February, we won’t be going to the camp but we’re hoping to know what type of things they have to plan for here, because we’re hoping to host a youth retreat in December (between Christmas and New Years) on living in right relationships and make videos from the youth to the church. Youth here are really belittled and parental control is more like parental strangling to us anyways, Its a whole new culture! Again I am learning a lot and learning how much I love home!

We have started work at a home for abused children who have been taken away by the state form their parents. Its strengthening my resolve to be a foster parent one day in Winnipeg There is a two year old named Daniel there and he is the cutest thing EVER! (he reminds me of Bruno form Bolivia! L for all those who heard that storey or sermon) and his storey is really sad, but the kids there operate like a big family, they all look after one another and they all take turns helping with different tasks. We all ate Maple cookies and they liked them, I had brought them from Canada, I have another box, and I admittedly might just eat them by myself I didn't realise how good they were just kidding, I won't do that, we get enough sweets here as it is! I am getting to go grocery shopping today and am looking forward to picking out some food!

The kids at the home are really cool and I'm going to use what is left of my fundraiser money and whatever money I have to buy them Christmas presents. They don't even have a deck of cards, I should have taken all the ones everyone was offering me I was kicking myself for not having done that!

I got a list of their names and ages and I'm going to post it here without names for their safety, but with genders and what they’ve talked about liking and what I’m hoping to get them. If anyone wants to fund a certain gift I’m going to try to get prices for all of them this week sometime and will post it soon

Chubby boy toddler – 2 years – Big toy truck

Obsessed with Airplanes  boy – 3 years – Big toy Airplane

Quiet girl – 6 years – don’t know yet will ask Sunday

I love coloring girl – 7 years – pencil crayons set and coloring books

I do my hair pretty girl – 8 years – hair accessories

Dancing girl – 9 years – Dancing shoes

Playing Mommy to the toddlers girl – 9 years – not sure yet

Too many kids to remember something about all of them especially the quiet ones

Girl - 9

Girl- 14

Girl – 15

HannahMontanaBonanza girl – 17 years – Hannah Montana bag and poster

Shy basketball boy – 18 – Basketball

Big Brother (tries to take care of everyone and is protective) – 19 – Cricket Set

Man of the house – 20 – board game

Child Care student – 21- School supplies and card games

Disabled Adult Woman (from abuse) – 33 - Not sure yet

 I want to get them gifts that they all can use and share with one another but I want them all to get to open something for them! They don't have a basketball, or anything so it was hard to try to come up with things to do on Sunday. So we're hoping we can do that. The home is run by a an extremely kind woman and is faith based (again not many details for obvious reasons). Its pretty interesting, and totally packed!

I am looking forward to our weekly time there.