of clean air and paperbag puppets

It is so good to be back at the orphanage. From just a couple days in the city, I have a slight cough and sore throat. But the air here is so so so so nice :) Well anything is nicer than the thick sooty cloud that is Dhaka's air. Southern California air is even nicer lol.

One thing I don't think I've mentioned yet is the beggars I've seen thus far. I've been to Vancouver's lower east side many times before and the beggars there are usually drug addicts or maybe they have mental instability. But here in Bangladesh, most of the beggars are children, or old men, or women with babies. I've seen a little girl with no arms--none at all. I've seen men with no legs, even one man with no legs OR arms. I've seen a woman with a couple teeth literally growing out the side of her mouth--she had four or five teeth where her upper lip should have been. But it's so heartbreaking to see so many children running freely on the streets begging for small taka so they can eat. And when you don't have anything lower than 500taka it breaks your heart to say no :( The difference between these beggars and the ones in Vancouver is I feel like those people have other options. What are your other options if you are missing a leg or have no arms? You are a social outcast stuck begging for the rest of your life. The poverty here is something I can't even begin to wrap my head around.

Again I'm so thankful to be back at the orphanage. Don't get me wrong, people are just as poor in the country villages but not as many heart breaking cases. Speaking of heart breaking cases, I was thinking how I hadn't seen horses yet in Bangladesh. I finally got my wish when we were in Old Dhaka but now I wish I hadn't seen them. The pair pulling a cart were so small and skinny that they looked half starved and half dead. If you've seen pictures of the horses I usually ride in Alberta, seeing these poor animals would make you cry.

But on a happier note (switching gears!) we did art again today. We gave each kid a paper lunch bag, a couple markers, and two pieces of pipe cleaners. Paperbag puppets! Again each kid was pretty shy about even making a mark on their bag but once Elliot and I drew an eye or nose they were off! Such creativity was flowing onto the paper and again "Teacher, teacher" rang out across the class as kids wanted to show off their creations. It's amazing to me again how simple things like paper bags can bring such happiness. I hope I bring a piece of that home with me--I know some people who could definitely use some "paperbag puppet happiness" in their lives...



































We're going back to the market in Hili to pick up the blouses and petticoats that go under our sharis. Should be fun.. We'll be stared at again but that really is just life here. Tonight I was asked to do vespers too... I think I'm going to talk about praying without ceasing and tell the kids the story about me and Elle being lost this week :)

ami tomake bhalobashi :)