My circle of friendship. Carlysle

Though the expedition has been amazing my ymad experience began a long time ago. I remember attending my first parent meeting and Jeff and Jane telling me that my life would be changed forever. I was a little hesitant to believe this but after seeing how it changed my family members lives I knew it was true. The only thing I wasn’t sure about was how it would change my life.When I first came to India I was worried that I may not connect with the people here. After being here It is amazing the love and warmth that I have felt by all of the people. Mina the head of Nishtha, our home, is one if the most amazing people I have ever encountered. She is so loving and truly makes me feel like Nishtha is my home. Bina one of the main teachers at the main day boarding school is indescribable. She is so funny and loving. If any of my family is reading this she reminds me of aunt ann and acts just like her. She is constantly laughing with me and loving everybody. One women I met in my village is now one of my best friends. Her name is Mira Gosh. She is a big lady who loves to chuckle. Even though she speaks very little English and I speak basically no Bengali we will sit there and laugh at who knows what. She is so cute and ironically enough I look like a white descendant of her.
The kids at my village are absolutely amazing. They are so eager to learn and they just so badly want love and attention. Our school is not anything like I imagined it. It is completely handmade and has 3 large windows making to very dark. However this does not mean we have any shortage of kids in our village. They are all adorable. One little girl supri is so cute. She is about a fourth of my size and probably weighs less than 80 pounds. Her two front teeth are gone and she never stops smiling. She is five or how she says it pive. The first day I met her she was so shy, now she can’t wait to shout out the answers during lessons and can’t wait to give us all big hugs and kisses every single day. An older girl in our village named poli is now like a little sister to me. She is so intelligent and loves to help the other kids find the answers during our lessons. She loves to play my ukulele and always wants me to teach her something new on it. I love all of the people in my village. Uma pator and wish I could describe how amazing it is.
Main day boarding school is where we spend most of our time. It is awesome there. The girls are all so smart and they love to learn. Even though I love ever single girl there a few have absolutely stolen my heart. One of which is named Rosida. When I met her she was very shy. She smiled but never really said anything to me. Then on our third day of teaching she sat me down and started to look through her back pack. She pulled out a beautiful necklace with a C on it that matched the style of the R around her neck. I can honestly say that it has been one of the most meaningful gifts I have ever received from anybody, and I don’t plan on taking it off anytime soon. The next little girl that I have completely fallen in love with is named Monisha. She is a beautiful girl. Her smile is so contagious and makes me smile everyday. On our cultural exchange day she pulled me aside and grabbed my hand. She held up a beautiful ring that was so small that it only fit on my pinky. She pointed at it and said “Monisa.” I love knowing that I will always have a little piece of Monisa with me. There are dozens more girls that have touched my heart but if I wrote about all of them I would be here all night. I am just completely in love with India and I never want to leave. I miss my home but I wish that instead of me coming back to everyone, everyone could just come here.
At the beginning of ymad, Jeff and Jane told me that my life would be changed and that I would change. As the days go by I think that one of the changes in me has been that I value the small things much more than the large things. A small ring or a small necklace means so much more to me than anything I used to find important. Those small gestures of love have cause me to love more deeply and compassionately than I ever have before.

5 Responses to “My circle of friendship. Carlysle”

1. Ann Hansen, on November 26th, 2013 at 4:06 am Said:

   It looks and sounds like you have been a ROCKSTAR!! The pictures of you have been priceless-way to go Carlita:)Love you,
   Ann

2. Susan Porter, on November 26th, 2013 at 9:16 am Said:

   Carly…we are so excited to read your blog about your amazing experience! We love and miss you! Keep up the good work. XOXO MOM

3. Susan Porter, on November 26th, 2013 at 9:36 am Said:

   One more thing…Loved knowing your ukelele has been well used…you should have all the girls at your school sign to remind you of this great memory!

4. Lauren Williams, on November 26th, 2013 at 9:15 pm Said:

   Sista!Ok so just like when you and I were watchig the story about bat kid last week… I totally started tearing up when I read your post 🙂 it’s so good to hear from you! We miss you here at home, but it’s great to hear that you’re loving it and are making such a difference. Love you so much girl and thanks for making my day with this post! Keep it up sistasista.
   Love you,
   Lauren

5. Miss Lynda, on November 28th, 2013 at 11:52 am Said:

   I knew you would be phenomenal and the experience would be also. I miss you. See ya soon. The pictures are incredible!