Life in India Continues

Well folks it seems as though I have let a bit of time lapse between blogs. I guess since I last spoke I was detailing my first impressions of India. However, I guess I will now detail what I have been doing to keep myself busy. Many of you think I lead of life of leisure here in India...and well you are right. I kinda like this retirement thing! However for those of you who are cringing at my lack of "job", I have actually been quite busy.
First off I have been volunteering at this school for orphans and underprivileged children. The criteria for these kids to attend this special school is that either they are orphans or they come from families of five or more people who’s monthly income is 700 rupees or less. That is...let me see...about $195CND per month for a family of five. Anyways for these kids this school is a great opportunity to at least get a basic education and learn English. I am teaching a remedial class of five kids who need a little bit of extra help in English and math. Also these kids lack affection so having us volunteers at the school on a regular basis is great motivation. As you can see in the picture below these are some of the kids from Prakrama House who attended a football match (soccer for those of you in North America) at my Dad’s Canadian school. It was a really neat and life changing experience. I am even more thankful now for what I have and have accomplished in my life.

I have also been helping out at my dad’s school with the grade 7 and 8 Ultimate Frisbee team. Monday I held my first full practice to myself. We worked on passing and cutting (for those of you in the business). And then we played a scrimmage game...it is fun playing with the kids as it is easy to mark or guard a little kid. I have never been tall in my life but when I play with the grade 7 and 8’s I tower over them which give me an unfair advantage! I am however also playing on an adult team that plays once a week to keep my Ultimate skills up!
I have also been doing some day trips around including the Nandi Hills. This was a retreat for the British elite who were stationed in Bangalore as an escape from the heat. Now sort of a run down building was once a very splash place. Also located at Nandi Hills is an ancient stone Hindu Temple. After taking your shoes off to walk around the temple, you can buy flowers as an offering to the gods. These pictures of my dad, my new friend Carla and of course ME!! We are just exploring the temple and the VERY scenic vistas.

Now for my highlight of this past week, the Dalai Lama came to Bangalore to give a speech on secular ethics and environmental issues we face in today’s society. Luckily we were invited to sit in the VIP section of his presentation and with the ok zoom power of my digital camera I got a few good pictures. Although his speech was a bit dry (partly due to language barriers) the overall theme of his presentation was interesting and memorable.

Bye for now!!!
PS check out the next post as it details a great trip to Hampi I recently took!