Life in Hampi.....

We have been in Hampi for several days now. We didn't expect to stay this long, however, there is not a train on Fridays-although the website says there is one. We have a rule in India (1 of 10 developed in the last month)....that you must ask 5 people the same question...and the majority answer wins. If you only ask 3 people- you are at a very high risk of translation issues and/or potential scams. Four out of five people said there was no train today....so, here we are.

Hampi has been good- we found a volunteer opportunity on our first day here and have been volunteering at a program called "The Children's Trust". It is a program put together for 30 kids that would otherwise be begging on the street. This program pays for their school, supplies and three meals a day. The kids go before school for breakfast, at lunchtime and then after school to do their homework. It has been an eye opening experience- and although we leave everyday in need of a shower (kids hanging ALL over you)....the kids are adorable and their teacher extremely loving! We have been volunteering after school and helping the kids with their English....although neither of us have a clue what we are doing! We read to them- help them with homework and after we get them settled for dinner we leave.

Last night was particularly special for me- and my favorite moment in India this far. At the end of our volunteer time-  I noticed one of the girls hiding a decent size cut on her ankle under her dress . She seemed embarrassed...but the cut also looked infected. She let me take a look at it and it was gross! Long story short- I ran back to our hotel and got my first aid kit (supplied by the Herron Family cupboard)...and headed back to school. Although Ang and I have a ton of supplies for this trip- the first aid kit has been used more than anything. The girl had already left by the time I got back to school, but when her friends saw what I had brought they immediately started ushering Ang and I to her home.  There was not even a moment of hesitation for Ang or me....in fact, we didn't even give each other the glance of "are you okay?"....we just started walking. We wove through the small town with 4 girls leading us to her home. Winding around stray dogs and the typical cow to a place we wouldn't otherwise walk to. On the way, we met up with her mother and the girls explained in Hindi why we were coming to her home. The mom was welcoming and seemed appreciative. When we got there the little girl who was hurt was  SO cute and immediately invited us in. We could see into the house- clean, simple and smaller than any of our bedrooms. Since I figured I would need some natural light to clean up her cut- we put a chair outside. I cleaned up her leg- yes, my first aid kit includes gloves....and then one of the other girls presented her cut...so, I cleaned up that too. Ang was a great medical assistant! It was a very inspiring moment for me- for many reasons- but also another moment of pure gratitude.

Today we went to a pharmacy in the next town and got some supplies for the schools first aid kit. We are hoping to do a little presentation on keeping wounds clean today during our volunteer time. After bringing the first aid supplies back- we both learned a huge lesson on allocation and distribution. The Trust seems to have a lot of supplies....but the teacher, who speaks limited English, doesn't know how to distribute or allocate them. They have medicine of diarrhea, headaches and dehydration....but they are not used. For example, someone from Greece sent them a large box of med supplies...but if nobody teaches what they are for- they can go to waste. Hopefully, we were able to provide simple enough supplies for the first aid kit that they will get used. It reminded both of us how simple it is for supplies to be sent to impoverished countries- but with no education they are useless.

Hampi has been a good stop for both of us. Tomorrow morning we take the train (5 people confirmed) back to Goa to explore North Goa....before leaving for Mumbai (Slum Dog Millionaire) next week!!