A First Glimpse at Love

I was up and ready to start the day on July 24, 2011. I was ready to experience a new culture, to take it all in. To start that journey we had a complimentary authentic Indian breakfast at the cafe next to our hotel. This consisted of toast with jelly, an onion donut, fried rice balls, paper thin bread shaped like a cone called dosa, fruit cups, and chai tea of course! Everything was great but the tea was amazing. It tasted like hot chocolate!

Breakfast at Hotel

Dosa

After our stomachs were full of carbs, we left for the first orphanage called Eternal Joy. It was about an hour drive from the hotel. When we arrived the children were waiting for us outside eager for us to get out of the bus. They welcomed us with handshakes, smiles and songs! I remember thinking about how much joy they had as they belted out the choruses and danced. They even taught us a song in their language, Telugu.

 

Welcome Songs

Playtime with the 20 or so kids followed the singing. This involved cricket (Indians' favorite sport), cubberty, and taking pictures. All of the children were receptive to us. They love taking pictures. I can still hear them asking to take one picture, which turns into 20 pictures. We watched them eat their lunch. They got in a circle to eat as a group. We make sure we eat our own food and drink bottled water for sanitation issues. That sounds terrible but our bodies aren't accustomed to those bacteria. The children don't eat much. Their meal consisted of rice with a dal sauce.

Eternal Joy Eating Lunch

We had to leave after that to go to the next orphanage, Mercy Home. That is where we would be staying for most of the trip. It is the largest children's home with over 200 children. It was about an hour and a half drive. I was so tired I took a nap. Next thing I knew we were at the orphanage gates. After experiencing Eternal Joy, I was so excited for the rest of the week! When we stepped off our bus there were hundreds of kids in two lines waiting to greet us. They sang a welcome song, smiled, shook our hands, and threw flowers. It was like a party.

Welcome at Mercy Home

All of the boys wanted to know my name and talk to me. It was very overwhelming. I felt like a celebrity. They just wanted to feel loved. The boys helped us carry our luggage up two flights of stairs to our rooms. At this point it was extremely hot! We got everything organized and then had tea with the female house parent to the children. She explained her journey and her passion for orphans. It was very moving. We then met the children at their dinner. I was super excited to see what their dinners looked like. When the door to the dining room was opened, all the boys looked at me, smiled, and waved. It was so cute. The meal was the same as Eternal Joy's. That is what they eat every meal. As an American who has so many options available to me, this was unbelievable. Can you imagine eating the same thing every meal?

Mercy Home Boys Getting Ready for Dinner

After that we had dinner as a team. We had vegetable noodles and mangoes for dessert. At the end of every day we debrief and tell everyone what our "picture-of-the-day" is. Mine was the boys trying to get my attention at the welcoming entrance because they so badly want someone to acknowledge them.