2/7

Friday began with an early breakfast at DDC, mostly fruit, because Hannah is used to breakfast being sweet. Then we tried to get an auto to SWI. Unfortunately there were no autos on the street. We walked for a while, we passed St. Xavier and then finally an auto drove by! We reached SWI a little late, but if I haven’t explained yet, Indian time is different than American time. Schedules are a lot less important and begin late is more common than begin on time.
In the daytime hours I finished my project and emailed quite a few people at home. Hannah, Regina and I went out for South Indian food, at the restaurant in the back of the sweet shop. We had dosa and uttarpam. It was really good, the uttarpam is what we had last week after shopping with Regina and Johannes. The dosa was a savory thin fried pancake shaped in a triangle filled with vegetables and spices. The three of us went to Chonditola. And that was the first time that the kids cried when we left. It was heartbreaking. The two that I usually hold were the two that were crying. They are both pretty low energy, and the usually just like to snuggle in my arms. They are both around 3 years old. I shouldn’t hold them the whole time, because I think that is what causes the crying. But it is so hard, one of them just sits or stands around and looks so sleepy and the other one seems to be the one the older ones like to pick on. My heart had a lot of healing to do, after watching them stand there crying and holding up their arms as we walked away.
After Chonditola Hannah and I went with Regina to visit St. Xavier. We had a glass of water and exchanged some books. Then we went out to say hello to the kids. We chatted with a few of the older ones; they spoke wonderful English. And then the younger ones came over. They were in Kindergarten and I asked them if they could guess where I was from. They guessed India, then Germany, then they were lost. I told them I was from America and they started screaming and chasing a little one yelling America! Regina told me that they have nicknamed the one they were chasing America for some reason. It was amazing to see little kids with so much energy, because although some of the kids at Chonditola are active, quite a few seem very down. Which is understandable, considering that most of them are seriously ill or recovering from malnutrition. But it gave me hope that the kids at Chonditola, after some time, will heal and have as much energy as the kids at St. Xavier.
We left from SWI at 6pm and took a rickshaw to the train station. It was so awful watching the poor rickshaw driver try to pull Hannah, me and all of our luggage. But we finally made it! Hannah and I have come to the conclusion that Western women have larger feet, hips and chests, then Indian women. We are also taller with much longer legs.
We were on the sleep train, which means that we had beds, but no blankets. We spent a while chatting with Puthumai, it is always good to travel with Puthumai because it is the most of his undivided attention either of us ever gets ☺ After a wonderful dinner of mutton (which I just realized was goat) and chipati, we turned off the lights and fell asleep. It was chilly on the train and everyone woke up complaining of being cold. I think we all slept on the train, but train sleeping is usually in and out and pretty uncomfortable. But it is sleep nonetheless!