Where in the World is....Audra

They gave me their candy…
A few days ago, I had the privilege of visiting a childrens’ home in a rural section of the Namakkal district in India.  A home that serves children who have been affected by HIV, I walked up the outside stairs to a rooftop “terrace”, which functions as their classroom, to be greeted by 22 children standing and saying “hi madam”.  All in green-checkered shirts and green bottoms (shorts for the boys and skirts for the girls) they were able to contain their exuding excitement by remaining in their places.  They asked us to sit in front of the children as each child stated, in their best English, what their name was, what standard they were studying in and what their age was.  Each time I told them it was nice to meet you, they would reply passionately “thank you madam”, as if they were nothing BUT grateful for this compliment.  Their eyes shone with curiosity and a beauty that I have consistently witnessed in the Indian people I have crossed paths with.  They began jumping up to sing songs to us…and just like any other child, they would push and pull their friends to participate or join them in their performance.  When the songs were finished, I decided to pull out my cameras and see if they would like to take pictures of each other for me.  Before getting the words out and translated to Tamil, I had already been surrounded by most of the children, eager to both touch the camera and see themselves on the screen.  Adding chaos to a normally disciplined group, we regrouped them and allowed one child at a time to use the camera.  Children were jumping in front of the camera right and left…longing for a picture of themselves with their “best friends”.  Arms around one another, helping each other up and tending to the smaller ones, this group was really a family.  
Probably more excited than the kids, we pulled out the caramels that we purchased before arriving.  As I handed them this simple treat, each of them thanked me, looking me directly in the eyes…”very very thank you madam” was what I heard over and over again.  For such young children, they seemed to be more excited by the gesture of giving rather than the gift itself.  In the process of handing out the candies, the children began to state, that I needed to take some for myself also…I reassured them that I would have some after they each got their fair share.  As I sat to revel in their enjoyment of this simple treat, a young girl walked up to me and handed me one of her candies…trying to tell her that there was plenty left over for me to have one, and that she could eat her candy, the children began following her lead and before long, I had a handful of candy that totaled more than what I had given each individual child.  I was overwhelmed by their graciousness…for being children with so little, their desire to share what they had was enormous.
What beautiful children…it is as if God decided to make up for what they lacked in life with the gift of a generous and loving spirit that radiated through their eyes...a means to show the world their undying light.  
The day was full of laughter, both at myself and at their curiosity.  As we sat for lunch I was pulled into different directions…”come madam”…”lunchy time”.  I was walked over to the faucet where I was to rinse my hands.  Then, I was given a silver plate and directed to sit on the mat.  My plate was soon switched out with a banana leaf, the tableware of the adults, and I was given rice, dal and some cooked green leaves.  Now for the test…to eat with my hands!  They laughed at the idea that I didn’t know how to eat, but quickly came to my rescue and stuck their own fingers in my rice to mix it around and then guided my hand to my mouth.  All eyes were on me, until I got the technique down.  After eating, I was pulled over to the faucet, to again rinse my hands.  As I sat in the chair taking pictures with the kids, I noticed the children sitting at my feet.  Continuously sneaking a “feel” at my feet, I noticed a few of the children, wiping one finger on my foot and then quickly looking at the finger they had just touched me with…I immediately realized that they were looking to see if my color had come off.  An area unused to foreigners, this behavior was so normal…curiosity of our differences…absolutely endearing!  
In an attempt to have some sort of school-day the children gathered around other children who, with the teachers help, led spelling exercises…the older ones helping the younger children with no prompting from anyone around them.  Many sat with their small, beat-up slate boards and the new sticks of chalk that they had been handed earlier.  A school of very few resources, they struggle to educate the many grade levels within the single space they can utilize, as well as the lack of teaching materials they have available to them.
Though their classroom is surrounded by the beauty of the outdoors...lush green fields and a Hindu temple right next door…the children are limited to this space during school hours and must keep relatively quiet, as the landlords live below them on the first floor.  As you walk from this outdoor classroom, partially covered by metal siding, into the door of the house, you quickly realize how meager their facility is.  Standing in the small kitchen you can see directly to the other end of the house, which is approximately 20 feet away.  In the bedroom, their single bags of clothes are placed neatly on the built-in shelves on the wall.  A single window in the room allows the fresh air to breeze through.  There are no mattresses on the floor, as the children sleep on the few woven straw mats that they have.  No toys, stuffed animals, TV or books are in the home, as they don’t have the means to obtain these things.  So what do the children do after the seven hours they are in school?  Sometimes they are able to go for a walk, but more often than not, they spend their time, after brushing their teeth (which they were VERY excited to show me!), and washing their school clothes in the buckets outside, singing songs and telling stories with one another.  A vast difference from the lives of the “institutionalized” children I know. Before leaving we were able to see the new home/school they are in the process of building (as they have been given 2 months to find a new location).  The school is larger and with the hopes of future donations, has room to expand.  
As the day wound down, I bent down to say goodbye to the children.  I reached up and touched a little girl’s cheeks, while at the same time making a kissing noise…without realizing it’s effect, I was suddenly being covered with kisses…kisses on my cheeks, kisses on my forehead, and for a few brave ones…kisses on my lips.  The innocence of each child’s desire for affection was tremendous…I was honored to be the recipient!  
A few of the children asked me to come back “next year” to visit them, as they perched themselves over the side of the roof waving goodbye as we drove away….