The beauty of India still amazes me every day. Right now as I'm writing this I'm sitting in the YMAD House, overlooking the grand Himalayan Mountains dotted with luscious trees and colorful buildings. I don't know if I'll ever be able to get over how pretty everything looks when it's illuminated by tree-filtered sunlight.
The kids here are so loving. Every morning I'm greeted by their little voices reciting their prayers and saying "good morning Maddy Didi!" Everything here is so starkly different from back home. According to our standards these people have so little, but what they lack in material possessions, they make up for with love. I've never met anyone who loves more relentlessly, instantly, and wholeheartedly as these children. They aren't afraid to love others because that's what makes their life complete.
Things are going really well here. I've probably gained like 20 pounds, but the food is so bomb. Naan for daysssss dude. The kids at my school are starting to get pretty crazy, but it has taught me so much patience. Here, being flexible is crucial. They always want to give you as much affection as possible, and wherever I am at the school, there are at least five kids hanging from my arms, legs, or back.
I want to either take an Indian kid or an Indian dog back home with me. Yamini is so precious, her love is almost as wide as her smile. Payal is actually one of the cutest toddlers I've ever seen. So is Dipti. And Himanshi. Yug is a little gangster. He wears his shoes that say "only money talk" every day. Divyanshi is so quiet, but so loving. Purvi is super sassy, she always makes me laugh so hard. Ankita is my favorite girl at the YMAD House. She makes my heart so full. She's so beautiful and so gentle, yet still one of the most fearless people I've ever met. (Except for when it comes to dogs- Ankita is afraid of stray dogs.) She faces the world with a smile, never turning away from things that others would normally shy away from.
Today we went to the Chamba market! It's so interesting how close together everything is. When we were walking down the street, someone asked Ankita where my YMAD group was from, and she told him that we're from the United States. He promptly asked, "...is Trump okay?" Ankita translated what he said for us, and we all laughed and said no. It was so funny.
I hope you are all doing well! I miss all of you so so so much. I can't wait to see everyone and tell you guys about India!
Mom and Dad- how is Spain? I hope the flight was okay! I miss you guys a ton. I'm doing really well here and, don't worry, we're all very safe. Have fun in Spain! Don't worry about me- live in the moment and enjoy how beautiful the world is!
Jonathan- I miss you so much. How are you? Have you put your other car door on yet? There are so many cool motorcycles here you would love them. I can't wait to see you when I get back. You better be the first face I see! I love you with my entire heart, I hope you know that. This entire trip I've been thinking about you so much and it's made me really realize how much I love and appreciate having you in my life. I love you!
I'm not sure when I'm going to blog again, but hopefully it'll be on Monday. We're leaving Chamba on Wednesday and going to Dharmsala. It's going to be so hard to leave the kids and the YMAD girls, but I'm so excited to see even more of India's beauty.
I'll see all of you soon!