Bigger Than I Thought By: Toni Van Otten

This world has gotten a whole lot bigger than I ever thought it was. The people and culture are all so different.  It is incredible. I was group leader and I think I liked that better then teaching. Jake our medic did medical exams. I got to help. It was So cool. He showed me the difference between a ruptured ear drum and a healthy one. Most of the kids have ruptured ear drums. It is so normal for them.

Today our goal was to find something we are grateful for. Living in a first world country we are so accustomed to our everyday convinces. Most of these kids have rotting teeth. Im grateful to have access to toothbrushes, doctors, medicine, heat, and food on tables. It is easy to be grateful for the bigger things in life. It is a real reality check when you come here and see how much more you have to be grateful for.

We went to a firkin Indian wedding, and we got to dance! It was not on my bucket list before. Then after the wedding it was. Now it’s was checked off. The wedding was very beautiful the bride had an earing connecting to her nose and going to her ear. It was so cool to see the differences in culture, and how different the weddings and, parties are.

I have a favorite student at that school is named jarsa. She is literally the cutest. She is so smart. She is trying to teach me Hindi, which I love. Maybe when I get back, I will learn Hindi and then come back to India. Every day when I get to the school, she gives me the biggest hug. It melts my whole heart. We had a dance party at our school. She had some pretty awesome moves. She started copping me and I taught her the sprinkler witch I learned from watching Hitch. Being around these kids everyday helps me rambler why I am here.

We painted a super awesome mural. It was the sea with lots of sea creatures we put it on the school. Witch I found out yesterday is called Chinsari. I will remember this experience for the rest of my life.