Day 4: Orphanage at Hunsur

Day 4 consisted of the following:

• Relaxing at Hotel
• Lunch time
• Traveling to Hunsur
• Welcoming from the Orphanage

Thursday 12th November 2015

Relaxing at Hotel:

It was about 26 degrees during the night but thankfully we had a room with a celling fan which ran all night long, without it you wouldn't survive.  Still getting use to the time zone changes, so couldn't get much sleep during the night, it was the same for Keith.  The noise of the city surprisingly quietens down after 10pm but starts back up at around 5am.  I still can't get over how noisy everything is, mainly car and motorbike horns going off everywhere.  Still feeling sick, really sore throat and headaches, but slowing getting better.  

We tried to go down to the bank and exchange some more currency but a guard told us they were closed today because of the Diwali festival.  Something I picked up on was at the hotel reception area there was an idol laden with flowers and in front of it was a whole lot of different fruits, Keith said it was an offering to the gods, but it seems like a real waste of food.  The temperature was starting to get a lot hotter since the rain has stopped, it was really hard to even stand out in the sun for a short period.  I've found it really interesting just watching people go about their daily activities, some would be sitting around with nothing to do, while others would be walking and carrying large items on their head.

Lunch Time:

It was about 11am and the person coming to pick us up hadn't arrived yet, we phoned them to check where they are at, and said they will arrive about 2-3pm.  Keith said "indian time" is like "island time", as in very relaxed and don't mind being late.  We headed out to find some lunch, we walked down to the bus stop which was quite busy, men in uniform were constantly calling out the location of where the bus would be traveling to, in attempt to get more passengers onboard.  I noticed there were so many different smells everywhere we went, it was really incredible. 

We found a vegetarian restaurant and ordered two onion dosa's.  I was surprised at how good it was, filled with different vegetables and nice dipping sauces.  Keith said dosa is a very common type of food to eat for southern Indians.  On the way back I bought a banana and water.  The guy behind the shop looked puzzled because I asked for only one single banana and not the regular one kilogram which people would buy.  Keith pointed out that Mysore is a very multi-cultural place, meaning a lot of different types of Indian people from all over India, however I couldn't tell the difference between the people, to me it looked like everyone was Indian and I was the only European around.

Onion Dosa with two dipping sauces - Very tasty and filling

Traveling to Hunsur:

A man named John Mark and his friend picked up us from the hotel in a small bus/van, he works for the Christian school in Hunsur, he spoke reasonable english and was very nice.  

There was so much to see during the drive to Hunsur, you can quickly notice the change from being in the city to the country.  The distance from the city to Hunsur was only about 30-40km but it took about 1 hour to drive because of all the random speed bumps, police barriers, and pot holes all through the roads.  The country side in India is amazing, everywhere you look there are people doing something, herding cows, setting up small shops, etc.  The town of Hunsur is actually quite large, around 50,000 people.  I saw lots of little shops everywhere, it was like a smaller version of the Mysore city, but a lot less noise.

Ride to Hunsur - John Mark is the driver

Welcoming from the Orphanage

When we finally arrived at the orphanage we were greeted by several people, including Shanthi, the wife of the owner, it was very welcoming.  However what happened next really blew me away, putting it into words doesn't give it nearly the appreciation, or the emotion felt that it deserves, but I will try.  Keith knew what was going to happen, but I wasn't expecting it.  We were made to sit down in chairs while the whole orphanage lined up in front of us, about 70 kids, mainly between the ages of 5-14.  We were each presented with a huge jasper flower necklace as a welcome gift and then asked to say something in front of everyone.  All the children were silent, standing up right, in line, and staring at us with such intent as if it were a really special occasion for them.  Keith said a few words of thanks which was translated to everyone, then it was my turn.  I'm generally quite confident with speaking in front of people, but this was a whole new level which I've never experienced before.  I so nervous I was shaking, stumbling with words, and wasn't sure what to say as I was really overwhelmed by it all.  It was also my first time speaking while it was being translated so I had to pause every few words.  After I finished all the children came up to us one by one, shook our hands and told us each their name.  They are really lovely children, so bright and happy.  I just couldn't get over how all of the children were staring at me with such curiosity.

Welcoming at the Orphanage

After the welcoming had finished the children went back to playing outside and we talked with Shanthi and the others.  I was shown to my room which is a small bunk bed in the corner of an empty room, it is very basic but very adequate.  I later found out that the room was build just five days before I arrived, specially for me.  Later we had dinner the house Raju and Shanthi live in, it is a very nice house.  The custom is for guests to eat first and then everyone else afterwards, it is a strange feeling eating your meal with people watching every move you do, however the food was really nice and there was great company.  At 7:30pm we were invited to watch the children pray.  We were seated on two chairs at the front of a room where all the kids were lined up facing towards us.  They began to sing a prayer in the Kannada language, it went on for about 10 minutes, it was a really unique feeling having the privilege to hear them sing, it was fantastic.  Keith was then asked to give a short story, which he did very well and everyone really enjoyed it.  Later I was shown the children's rooms, 4 or 5 rooms with about 20 kids in each one.  Each child had their own bunk bed, very thin mattress on the bed, and a small tin box with all of their possessions in it.

Room which I will stay in for the next three months

It's experiences like this that when reading James 1:27 "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans..." really takes on a whole new light.  Every child was so bright, happy and glad to see me.  I feel really humbled that these children have so little and yet they are so happy.  I'm so thankful that the Lord has opened this door for me to stay here and I can see that I am going to be really challenged in so many ways but also hoping that I will have a new found appreciation for the Lord.  When I first came to India I wasn't too sure exactly my purpose, but now I know, I have the desire to serve these children in every way and teach them about God's love.  Tomorrow we are going with the children to the school which is nearby, Keith said I should be expecting to jump straight into it.  Hoping that I will have the wisdom needed in what to say and how to act.

Picture of the orphanage

Picture of one of the school buses