New Friends

To start off, here’s a little peek at the fabulous Deshpande wedding we attended this past weekend. Don't they make a beautiful couple? It was an amazing experience and we made many new friends.

Some of our new friends attend the school right next to the ladies’ hostel where we’re staying. The other day at the canteen, Kimmie met the headmistress, who was kind enough to invite us for a tour. We expected the tour to be no longer than half an hour, but actually ended up staying for an hour and a half. Lalita, the assistant to the headmistress, spoke English well and took us around to just about every classroom. The school has 1,700 students ranging from ages 2½ to 17, and we met all 1,700 of them. We were both a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of kids shouting “Good Morning Madam” and all of their excited attempts to shake our hands, but I think the award for most lasting impression goes to the warmth and generosity that embraced us with each person we met. Kimmie recognized some of the little boys from the Deshpande wedding, and I recognized Aishwarya, a girl we randomly met on the streets of downtown Hubli the day before. Now, every time we pass by the school, all the children wave from their classrooms and run toward us to shouting "Hi! How are you? Fine!" with the biggest smiles on their faces.

It costs 6,000 rupees a year to attend this school, and the headmistress told us that these students come from fairly well off families. Nevertheless, here is a glimpse of their water source:

Just seconds before this picture was taken we saw children taking turns drinking straight from that faucet at the end. Especially after getting to know these kids, we were reminded of our purpose here and are all the more motivated to improve the water conditions here.