Home by Ellie Ewer

I’m finally home! I have dreamt about this moment every second of the past year and I can’t believe that I’m finally here. I am so happy to be home in these beautiful mountains that continue to leave me in awe. I fall in love with India more and more each second and I am having serious deja vu being back here because last year I was driving on the same roads and looking at the same views. It is actually the coolest thing ever because I totally remember everything.

This year I am at a new school called Shaneri. It is so beautiful! There was supposed to only be 20 kids but the when we got there on Tuesday there was 33, which is totally awesome because that just gives me more kids to fall in love with! They are the cutest and I love seeing their personalities start to shine through as they warm up to me. I love seeing them remember things from past YMAD groups like “Ride That Pony” and “Jellyfish”. Yesterday I taught a lesson about action words and I had all of these colorful scarves for the kids to play with. It was so fun to see them have so much fun playing with them. It makes me so happy to see how happy they get when they understand what I am teaching them. It makes everything worth it.  

There is a little girl named Mamta who I just love! She runs to me and holds my hand whenever she sees me and she has the most infectious smile. All of the girls want me to hold them and spin them around. Today we were all playing and I literally had 8 girls that I was trying to spin around and they all fell on top of me. It is so fun playing with all of the kids after we teach everyday. I love seeing them get more comfortable and I love hearing them call me Didi. 

While Shaneri has been an incredible experience, it has still been extremely hard to be just 20 minutes away from the kids I had last year in Lalsa and to not be able to tell them how much I love and have missed them in the year we have been apart. But the one thing that I have really learned this year is that I can never love too much. My heart has the ability to expand to love even more kids, more places, and more experiences than I would have ever thought would be possible. There can never be enough love in the world, so why should I close off my heart? 

As I begin to emotionally prepare myself for both of my Goodbye Days, first tomorrow at Lalsa during the Cultural Exchange and then on Tuesday at Shaneri, I have to remember that while my sadness will grow exponentially with double the kids so will my capacity for happiness. Happiness that can move mountains, even ones as tall as the Himalayas. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to return to the place that changed me into the person I was meant to be. I am so grateful for these children who teach me how to live my life with pure happiness, love, and intention.

All my love,

Didi Ellie

8 Responses to “Home by Ellie Ewer”

1. Grace, on March 29th, 2019 at 5:25 pm Said:

   ELLIE! I am absolutely dying at all of your posts ahhhhh! Please please give all the kids my love! Literally crying in the club rn

2. Madi Graham, on March 29th, 2019 at 5:26 pm Said:

   Ellie this post makes me SO happy. I’m so glad and grateful you’re getting to experience the pure HAPPINESS of being in India two years in a row. It’s unlike anything else in the world. If there’s anything you wish you had done the first year, do them now! You’ll regret not doing it again. Enjoy every single second of teaching and being with your kids. Write down their names so you won’t forget. Don’t leave anything behind. You don’t need me to tell you that though, you’re already a pro. I love you girl! Keep killing it. You’re making Vishvaas proud!

3. Mary Ewwe, on March 29th, 2019 at 7:13 pm Said:

   My sweet girl! You make me so proud to be your mom to hear all the good you are doing. The kids sound so adorable and I’m so happy you are enjoying them. We love and miss you, can’t wait to hear every detail.

4. Ryan Ewer, on March 29th, 2019 at 9:36 pm Said:

   Ellie,

   So happy to hear from you. It is amazing to see you grow and gain a broader prospective. I am grateful for you and sharing your experiences. Stay in the moment and bring them back with you. These are memories and experiences that will make you an even more amazing person and will help to shape your life. I love and miss you.

   Dad

5. Brin, on March 30th, 2019 at 1:51 am Said:

   Ellie this blog is amazing. I can’t wait for you to see the kids back at Lalsa. Take picture and say hi for me I love you can’t wait for the stories

6. Paige, on March 30th, 2019 at 5:04 pm Said:

   Aw els, that’s adorable. Please refer to the comments I have left for Kyls and know that they mostly apply to you too.

7. Amy Feldman, on April 3rd, 2019 at 2:30 pm Said:

   Ah! You are so sweet! love ya!

8. Melissa Thatcher, on April 7th, 2019 at 12:32 am Said:

   Great post Ellie! Loving and missing you. Melissa and Steve