"Tis the Season to be very jolly...

My three months at Shanti Bhavan are complete and over. Here's a few photos to say goodbye.

The main art project we did in our class was a competition entitled "I dream of peace one day", using watercolor. One of the cards will be selected to use for a holiday card in America (sponsored by one of the school's sponsors). This project reminds me of my favorite Christmas song:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail with peace on earth, good will to men."


This was my home for the last three months. My room was the top right window.



Four of the cleaning/laundry women. I just can't get enough of the beautiful sarees they wear. They don't speak English and I don't speak Tamil, Kannada, Telegu or Hindi... so we spoke "people" to each other.


Our lawn mowers. They individually pick the grass.


Several of the children added memories in the shape of beads and string to my hair.


One of the friends I made was Dawn. She is leaving Shanti Bhavan after six years. She invited me to sing a goodbye song with her.


We chose Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water". The ninth graders gave us a standing ovation!


saying goodbye to my girl Amrutha

GOODBYE, SHANTI BHAVAN! (I'll be back to visit in March or April... I have a whole film to edit and give back to them.)


HELLO, CITY OF BANGALORE!


I spent the last three days living with an Indian family (Sujatha, Karthik and their two children) and all I have to say is...wow. I won't attempt to write it all here. But I did attempt to write it in my journal. Here are a few highlights that actually can be explained:

This is a saree store. There is no way I could have done anything in Bangalore without the help of Sujatha and Remi, two very capable Indian women who bargained and shook their heads up and down at all the right times. So they helped me buy my first saree! (Tune in for photos next week after the Christmas party this weekend.)


This is how we get around in India, the Indian limousine, the grand and seemingly dangerous auto rickshaw. (just don't think about the dangers and you'll be fine) Going across town costs about 40 rupees, a few cents.



drinking my first coconut water straight from the source. I love this picture. It speaks on several different levels.


I was invited to go Christmas caroling with other Christians. They dropped me off at home around 11:30 p.m., but they kept going until 2:30 a.m. We all piled into a rented van and traveled all around the city, stopping at pre-determined houses of the carolers friends and families. This was one of my favorite nights thus far.



Santa Claus and I were posing for the picture, and just before it clicked he screamed in my ear and then turned back to the camera. My reaction was documented quite nicely I believe.



Breakfast at Sujatha's. This is poori and chutney. I adore Indian food. I have yet to have something I didn't like.


This is Sujatha's kitchen, which is considered middle class Indian standard.


This is my saree's tailor! I've never had anything tailored before! It's cheaper this way, and every street has about 10 tailor shops. I put this photo last, so you can anticipate that there will be more photos coming soon...