Leave a Comment
June 15, 2019 - 2019: Asha Ki Chamak
HELLO!!!! Holy smokes I am in India… like… WHAT!!! It honestly still doesn’t seem real to be here… but I am and I LOVE it!
Getting here was pretty rough… I don’t think I really knew how long 40 hours was until now… between the crazy flights, and long and I mean LONG bus ride I was so happy to see are “hotel” which I say the word hotel loosely, the second I walked in I thought “there is no way in shell that my dad would let me stay here” lol… but really it’s not that bad, I am totally happy, a little sore from the “bed” but hey its all apart of the India experience.
Ok so I knew that I would love the kiddos here but I had no idea how much, between the brown eyes and smiles for days I cant get enough. They are just so unbelievably cute I cant take it, they way that they are so happy with so little it really makes me appreciate what I have. I really hope what we are doing is making a difference, they deserve the world. The light that you can see in their eyes it just… amazing! I see so much hope and love in them, not just the kids but in the mothers to. They have started coming around and watching us, they smile and laugh. They are so interested in what we are doing and helping their kids.
Yesterday as we were on the bus back down the mountain we were passing another bus on the road which in America would be a maybe one lane road but in India they pass buses and cars. They are so close to each other and I honestly don’t know how they do it. Anyways this road is super curvy and has so many tight turns, i got so car sick the first day i barfed out the window… 4 times… ewww. So we were passing the other but and some guys that were just on the road were guiding the bus driver and i look over and right out my window are 2 guys, Raj told us not to smile or wave, I kinda just looked at them for a second and they smiled so but and the one man was missing front 4 teeth. I was kinda freaked out at first but then they put their hands together and said“ namaste ” so I smiled back and didn’t think much of it, we passed them and I just moved on to the next thing but then i starting thinking, we have such a language gap here what if there was just one universal thing that we all did and it hit me a SMILE, a smile is so much more then just showing your teeth, it shows joy and happiness. I see them all day on the faces of these amazing kids. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you came from, or the language you speak. We can all smile across the world and it still means the same thing.
Well, theres my inspirations moment for my life time… lol. Love you all so much, I’m having the best time don’t worry about me!
Sending my love and prayers and a Happy Father’s Day wish! Love you Dad!
-Syd
p.s. please comment… they read them at dinner to us and its kind of the best thing… i would LOVE to hear from you all!
Hi Sydnee, it was so fun to hear about your grand adventure. You are so amazing to go and help and do. The smiles on the kids are beautiful and yes, a smile is something we can all give and it makes both of us feel better. Keep up the good work. Be safe and have fun. Miss your smiling face. Hugs and kisses, love Grandma Ann
Ah! Sydnee, this is so cool! Keep smiling girl and enjoy those sweet kiddos, they will remember you forever. I hope you are taking lots of pictures, I want to see them all when you get home! Love you lots! Aunt Mel
Hey Sydnee! It’s so cool what you are doing! We are so proud of you! Thank you for the perspective it made all the things I’ve been complaining about seem so small and insignificant! Stay safe we love you!
-Rob, Kayla & the boys
Sydnee, your post brought a HUGE SMILE to my face and if I can say – it’s about time! No updates for three day’s (Hello Chris and Marce – how about a few Insta Updates for a dad all the way in Heber!). We are so PROUD of you, keep Smiling and sharing your awesomeness with your friends in India.
Love you!!
Dad
Patrick,
Even though this says Lisa Palmer, it’s really Chris. I’m using her login to manage the blog.
Anyway, as more and more of the teens have been able to blog, our focus on updates has shifted away from Instagram. We don’t want to steal the kids thunder by having a leader posting to Instagram. The kids are having deeply personal and life changing experiences that we want them to be the first to share. Hopefully with five (5) teens per night posting, you will get enough pictures and information to taste what Sydney is experiencing. This is a remarkable group of teens that have shown incredible stamina in the face of a fairly rigorous schedule.
Thanks for sharing Sydnee with us. She has been an amazing contributor to the team and we love her steady, go with the flow temperament.
Chris – that was meant as humor, just joking with you – love what you are doing, keep up the great work and a huge thanks for all your doing for Sydnee and all the ymad kids. – Patrick
Love your photos! Thanks for sharing.
I loved seeing the pictures and reading about your adventure. India has a special place in my heart. I made several trips there in the late 1980’s and like you appreciated the smiles from people who are so happy with so little. A good lesson for all of us.
Have a wonderful and rewarding stay.
Vicki
Oh how I love this post! S.m.i.l.e.=. Spiritually minded in life eternal. A smile costs nothing yet means everything. Thank you for sharing this, what amazing experiences you have had.
Syd!!! I would’ve totally barfed too. Since you talked about smiling and it being universal. I was smiling THE whole time reading this post. Keep smiling and sharing your light. I’m totally stealing “shell” as my new word.
Love you!
Aryan
Thank you for your blog and beautiful insight. My son Taneh is in your group and is a man of few words. I loved his blog but it has been great reading all the blogs of others to get a better feel for what he is experiencing. And thank you for posting more pictures (he only posted one-but it was a good one that fit his experience perfectly). Sincerely,
Sarah Anderson