Today was a perfect Monday - fairly low key but still interesting enough to get you charged up for the week, not that the weekend is much different from the weekdays here!
I finished the report from the surveys in the Ram Rahim Tekro. There were over 900 families surveyed, which I think is an impressive feat in itself! The data were also very interesting, which I have already mentioned. I'm looking forward to hearing what the people funding the projects there think and to see how we proceed from there.
I was sitting around Manav Sadhna today working on my laptop when one of the boys in the Earn and Learn program (designed for kids who work on the streets as a way to earn an income making greeting cards and get some basic education while staying off of the streets) came up to me. He watched me for awhile, which happens pretty often with these kids. I started to talk to him, ask him his name etc. He wanted to know where the mouse was for my computer. I showed it to him and watched as he tried to move the courser around in amazement. It reminded me of the girl I talked to on Friday. She asked where I was from. When I said America, she then asked me if I knew who Amitabh Bachchan (huge Bollywood movie star) was - when I said I did, she very innocently asked if I could introduce her to him. I was so taken aback by the question and didn't realize how serious she was until I looked at her closely and saw her eyes open wide in amazement and anticipation. I told her I didn't know him personally - she replied saying she knows he's probably a very busy man.
Interacting with these kids makes me realize that they think of me, or many of us, as these superstar celebrities from these glamorous worlds. They think we live alongside big movie stars in a world far removed from their own. As hard as it is to see this, it is encouraging to me when I see these kids feel so comfortable around me and the other staff, and see that they we talk to them and care for them like family. Just spending two minutes talking to them or showing them how the mouse works a laptop seems like a small thing to us, but it makes these kids feel like they are some of the most special and important people in the world. Knowing I can be a part of that makes every day something to look forward to.
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