A Day to Process and Relax

July 28, 2011 is the day we had to leave Mercy Home to go back into Hyderabad to visit the other orphanages. Prior to leaving we had to clean. This was a rather tedious job, which took several hours. I didn't want to leave. It was extremely difficult saying bye to the kids not knowing the next time I would see them. Two boys I had gotten to know fairly well, Javeen and Sunil, came over to me and asked if I was going back to America. I told them yes so they understood I wouldn't see them again this trip. They looked very sad. I took a few pictures with them and told them I would send them in the mail. I said bye to the two boys, Rajesh and Samson, who wanted me to remember their names. We loaded on the bus and waved bye as we pulled out.

Javeen and Me

Sunil and Me

On our way back to the city there is a beautiful mountain that can be hiked. There are spectacular views all the way up. An old fortress is at the top. Apparently a nizam used to live there. We had a great time bonding as a group. As I was leading the group down, we were greeted by two Indians about 3/4 of the way down. One had a microphone and the other a camera. He said he was with a tv station and started to ask me questions. I had to tell him politely no thank you. Everywhere you go a crowd gathers.

Part of Fortress

Me Being Goofy

Awesome Smooth Rock

We made it back to the hotel later in the afternoon and decided to go shopping down the street. Shopping for clothing is interesting because they bring everything out on the tables. Everything is piled up high and when we were done they had to fold it back up. I ended up buying an outfit and many others did as well so we could wear them to dinner that night. We all looked very snazzy. I was teased that I looked like a rabbi. We went to dinner and then it was bedtime.

My New Duds

Acting Like a Rabbi

The Group Looked Great