Man, have we been busy! Since our last update, we had an amazing trip out to the Kumbhalgarh Fort and Udaipur. We are talking palaces, lakes, gardens, boat rides, amazing food, and shopping galore!
We are in full force with all of our service projects. Teaching is a big hit among our students. At the beginning of last week, they were a little timid and unsure of themselves, but now they command a classroom with energy and creativity. Construction for the new bathrooms is progressing better than we could have imagined. Finally, your kids threw out some unique and hilarious ideas for our mural paintings in the nursery school. We can't wait to see the finished product.
Even though we have developed a routine here, pleasant surprises are always thrown at us. Yesterday, on a spur of the moment field trip (planned by the Maharani), we had the chance to visit a "tribal" community. We visited an education center which focuses on simple technology that they can apply to their everyday lives. We also got the chance to see their homes, chat with them, and sing/dance with the children. Everyone was reluctant to go at first, but this was probably one of the most memorable experiences that we have had so far.
So now we are getting ready to wrap up our projects-- we are sad to say our goodbyes to all of our new friends in rural Rajasthan. We still can't believe that we have less than a week left before we head off to Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. But at least we still have a camel ride and the Taj Mahal to look forward to!
- Ted and Priyanka
