Apology

Ok we have to apologize. We are way behind on blogging. We are just having too much fun.

Our Last Week at Narayan Seva

It seems crazy that our time here at Narayan Seva Children's Home has come to an end. It seems like just yesterday we were worrying about how we were going to memorize all of the children's names and how we were going to survive on white rice. Now it had come time to say goodbye. I knew that I would be sad leaving but as the kids all rushed in for hugs and last minute pictures I couldn't help but tear up. All of the children are amazing and will have a lasting impact but there are certain children that made me want to break down and cry right there. Little Ista who wanted to kiss us on both cheeks and the nose, Shiela who helped us with everything during our stay and who clutched on to us like she was never going to let go, little Mina with her sweet smile and tears in her eyes, Chetan blowing baby kisses, and Asha who was too upset to even hang around for the goodbyes. By the time Kayla and I made it into the bemo the tears were flowing. This was an experience I will never forget and am so happy Kayla and I had the opportunity to meet all of these amazing children. As we were leaving they all asked us to come back one day. Who knows- maybe we will.

Chetan & Asha

Silly Gopal

Asha & Mina

Arun

Mahldev and "the" hat...I think he sleeps in it.

Dicky!

Final Cultural Ceremony at Narayan Seva

On our final day the children put on a Cultural Program where they had a chance to show off!

All of the kids do yoga twice a day....my body would break in half.

Gopal sang a song.

The boys did a dance to Justin Bieber.

The girls went crazy!

The younger girls put on a fashion show.

The older boys did an amazing job showing off their yoga skills.

I honestly don't know how they get their bodies to bend like that.

The older girls did a traditional Balinese dance.

The also put on a bit of a comedy showing the differences between Balinese and Indonesian dance and language.

Then the little girls showed off their yoga skills. No wobbles or falls.

Finally we played a game where people walk around the inside the center of a circle and then touch the people that match a called out trait. For example, "Touch a person that you think has a kind heart." It was nice to sit there with your eyes closed and literally feel how much the kids appreciated us.

The Volunteers of Narayan Seva

During the Narayan Seva English Camp Kayla and I were responsible for creating a lesson that would teach the kids the parts of the human body in English. Instead of doing a typical lesson we decided to make it a little more interesting. We stayed up late one night and made these...

We divided up the kids into 5 groups (for the 5 volunteers) and they each got one paper person. The people could be take apart piece by piece and then put back together.  

We modeled each of the paper people after one of the volunteers.

Sister Kyra

Sister Lysanne

Brother Ernst

Sister Kayla

Sister Sarah

Awww Sisters...new profile pic?

After all of the groups went over the body parts it was time to play some games.  

The kids were blindfolded and then played a version of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey."

The results were pretty entertaining.

 Overall the lesson was a huge success and I am not sure who had more fun with the paper people....the kids or the volunteers!

Narayan Seva English Camp

During our last week at Narayan Seva they were holding their annual summer camp for kids from the surrounding villages. It provides an opportunity for the home to generate some added income, it let's families from outside the home get a glimpse of everything that goes on at Narayan Seva, and it gives more children a chance to learn English. The camp is 3 days long and the children attend classes, play games, eat, and sleep at the home. Any children between the ages of 4 and 13 can attend the camp. I was a little worried that some of the younger children would have some issues when it came time for the parents to leave or for them to go to sleep in a strange place but not a single tear was shed during the entire camp! There were 5 volunteers, including Kayla & me, during the camp and we were responsible for lessons on all 3 days. All of the children worked very hard and had great time.

Yogendra the little monkey...if you can't find him- look up

Asha the spitfire

Gopal- our overseer

Surya-always into everything

Satya- one of the sweetest kids you could ever meet

Shiela- very artistic, loves to sing, and incredibly helpful

Kayla and sweet Ista

Dipti

We took a break from lessons to play a game of "Duck, Duck, Goose" or what the kids call "Sleep, Sleep, Awake."

Sister Lysanne

Brother Ernst had to give little Agni a helping hand

Sister Kyra

The kids thought that this was hilarious!

I was having a slight wardrobe malfunction...

Kayla & Arundati

The kids LOVE "Blother."

"What? You think googly eyes are only for the art project? You gotta think outside the box."

Little Chetan wanted in on the camp.