A K on the L: By Leah Darby

November 26, 2018 - 2018 Operation: Azadi

Everyday here seems to get better than the last. On Saturday, we had the cultural exchange! The roomies woke up and got dressed and then went down to breakfast. After breakfast, we practiced our song and dance and then we left for the first school. We started at the green team’s school and sang count on me, danced to happy, and then sang one day. It was really interesting to see the different schools and kids and how they interacted with their group. I was so glad to finally meet all the kids everyone had been talking about all week. After that we went to my school! I was so excited to see all the kids- I jumped out of the car and accidentally ran into Nell because I was so eager to give them all high-fives and hugs! When we started singing count on me, I started tearing up within the first 30 seconds. But I wasn’t crying because I was sad, I was crying because of how much joy and love I feel for all these children. I am so lucky to have been able to meet these children and get to know them and be a part of their lives. After a few moments I noticed that a lot of the kids were crying too and that made me lose it! I couldn’t even sing because I had so many tears streaming down my face and I was working so hard to not cry out loud. After the song we danced, which helped me a little bit, but when we sang one day all I could do was stand there and watch all the kids while I cried. It was really special because I almost never cry- which shows how much these children have touched me. After that we went to the red and blue schools. Their kids dressed up really fancy and performed for us which was really fun and cute. When we got back to the hotel everyone showered, journaled, and worked on henna. That night the YMAD girls came over for dinner and Harry Potter! It was a lot of fun to spend that time with them. We gave them gloves to keep and I sat by Sejal. She put my hands in hers and held them the whole time to keep them warm. She is so special and important to me. I am constantly impressed with how kind and observant she is. 

        On Sunday we woke up and Zoe braided all the roomies’ hair so that it matched and then we took a pro roomie pic. Then we went to Khajjiar. The drive there was incredible! The terraces in the mountains and colorful houses were beautiful and getting peaks of the Himalayas was stunning. We also had a really great conversation about our families and how much we love them and look up to them. Right before we got there, we stopped at the temple of Shiva. When we went inside, the man in there gave us each a blessing and a bracelet, which was really cool. Then we got to Khajjiar and I sat on the grass with a big group of people and caught up (almost) on my journaling. When we got back to our hotel I worked on my journal even more (I was really behind!) and then we had dinner. After dinner we met in a circle and talked about what we are grateful for and it was very emotional and touching. Then Brooke and Allison gave us our letters from our parents. They made me so happy and also made me miss home a lot, but the thought of going to my schools again the next day made me excited to be here all over again. 

           Today I woke up so excited to go to school! I hadn’t seen my kids since Thursday and I was itching to talk and teach and play with them again. This day was so much fun! My lesson topic was nature, so we got to paint rocks. Then I had a ton of the kids sign my arm with their names in english and hindi. Then the two teachers came around and wrote “I love you. I miss you” on my arm in henna. It was so funny and cute of them! On my last teaching rotation, I had the oldest kids and we played a hide and go seek flash card game. Instead of having me in charge, I let Souraj be the leader which made him so happy. Then we all played with a parachute, which the kids loved! When we were leaving the school I couldn’t stop hugging all the kids. I am going to be so heartbroken tomorrow when I have to say goodbye to the kids. Right before I got in the car, I was saying goodbye to Souraj and he leaned in to give me a kiss. I turned my head so he could kiss my cheek but then he grabbed it and turned it back around- so I guess I got my first k on the l today! Lol! We drove straight to the YMAD house after school today and played heads up sevens up and little sally walker. Then the girls did henna on us and Sejal did mine. We had to say goodbye today and it was hard. Sejal gave me a letter and bracelet and it meant so much to me. She is so special and kind and I know I will never forget her. This past week has been incredible. Last night at our meeting I told everyone that this experience had made everything hard I went through last year worth it. It has really and truly changed my life and my outlook on life. I miss everyone at home and can’t wait to see you, but I’m also loving every minute here!

2 Responses to “A K on the L: By Leah Darby”

  1. Leah I love you so much and I love how happy you sound. I know moving to Utah sucked for you but what an enormous blessing ymad has been in your life! I can’t wait to see your face. Have the best time this week!!

  2. LEAH!!!! I miss you so much. Reading this made me cry because I wish I could be with you. I’m so glad that you’re having fun, but I miss having you at home, and our room is so lonely at night without you. LOL you got a kiss!!! Have fun, love Momo!!!

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