There was still much work to do on the document that I've been working on for Asha, so today was a pretty standard, uneventful day for me at the office (can't wait to see the kids again!). But yesterday afternoon, after a few hours of editing the Asha document, I was fortunate enough to take part in something amazing. Since my arrival at Asha, the office has been crazy busy because the high school students (class 12) from various slums had finished their exams, got back their results, and were either still applying to colleges or waiting to see whether or not they had been admitted. After an extremely, and I mean extreeemely difficult selection process that makes getting into ivy leagues look like cake (but seriously though), many of the students have received admission into a university!! :)
Yesterday's event, which was held in the Asha headquarters here in New Delhi, was a celebration where the accepted students received advice and encouragement for their future endeavors. The students also had the opportunity to share their stories and to thank all those who helped them along the way. I counted 40 students at the event yesterday and another 40 came today (though I sadly wasn't at today's event), which is absolutely amazing considering how difficult it is to enter the world of higher education with the poor resources and the anti-education attitudes that are characteristic of the slums. These students, many of whom have been receiving educational help and encouragement from Asha for several years now, are a testament to the great work that Asha has done and continues to do in the slums of Delhi. I was honored to be able to talk to them and give them advice on what to expect at college and how to approach the new experience.
For me, the most memorable part of the event was when one girl came up to the podium to share her story, but became overwhelmed with emotion and began to cry. As I sat up at the front of the room, I was trying sooo hard not to cry myself. In between sobs, she told us about her struggle; how her application went missing right before the deadline. She told us how she fell into a state of depression for about two days as she agonized over the thought of seeing all her hard work go to waste. She talked to one of the Asha center supervisors, who told her to pray, that God would help her find a way. And the next morning, in a stack of papers in the office, she found her application. Her gratitude and appreciation for God's blessings and for everything the Asha staff had done to help her come this far was so moving. It is my hope that God will continue to bless her and all these students. What they have accomplished was no easy task, but I know that they will be an inspiration to other slum children--living proof of the power of change.
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| UK volunteers checking out the view |
And what better way to continue a fantastic day than to go watch a Bollywood movie! Without English subtitles of course (like a boss). After yesterday's event, some volunteers from the UK and I grabbed a quick dinner on their lovely hotel rooftop and made our way to the movie theater. Let me just say this: Wow...I see you India! The theater was sooo nice. I was a big fan of the reclining seats and of course of the amazing prices (large popcorn+soda+ticket approximately 8 USD). And I was definitely a huuuge fan of the movie, Cocktail. Now I'm not going to go spoiling the end for anybody who wants to watch (which you all should!), so no worries, but let me just tell you a bit about this movie. Maybe it's just my narrow-minded view of Indian culture, but I did not expect to see so much skin! Or hear so much English (which is totally not cheating because English was only thrown in from time to time). Even though I missed some of the jokes, I surprisingly got most of the story line! The comedy was great and I am currently obsessed with the soundtrack. All I need is someone to translate for me...or to just teach me Hindi so I can sing along, which is all I really want to do. That, and learn the dance moves! So yes, to all my Indian friends, I am definitely up for some learning so please teach me! Thanks :)
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| Awesome rooftop view |
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