Last day at Rising Star Sept 7

Thursday  September 7 last day at Rising Star

In the morning, we visited our last lepracy colony, Chettipunniyam.   A young woman, Abby or Ambica who usually accompanied us in the colonies was with us and this was her home so people were excited to see her. 

We went to the community center (built by Rising Star) and played Jenga with some of the kids. I massaged and oiled the legs of the community leader. She had leg muscle pain that I massaged and she said it felt a lot better.  The day before our facilitator, Natalie, went back to college at CalPoly San Lois Obisbo  so we were down a volunteer. The dance master Susie came to the colony today and the kids at the colony were excited to see Susie. She taught them all in her dance classes so she knew most of the kids.  We also got out the nail polish and Camille painted those who wanted their nails done. 

There was a boy and girl there that were home because their father had just passed away from a heart attack. So sad. There were a few women sobbing in their homes including the man's grandmother who was inconsolable and refused to eat.  We tried to make the kids happy and spoke to the very sad wife.  

Back at the school we had our last lunch there.   Last time eating with my hands. We got there as the kids were finishing up. After lunch, we worked on weaving the webbing of a metal cot, a project that could help older people in the leprocy colonies. The young people usually sleep on the floor, but the aged and infirm might be more comfortable on a cot. There are a number of older people in the colonies that had been identified as desiring a cot. We wove some cotton webbing on a cot and finished it off. 

After the cot weaving, Camille and I got henna on our hands and feet. 

I went to see my sponsor child Pria for the last time. Pria is 12 and is the teacher's assistant- she is very responsible. She wanted some candy so I bought her 5 pieces of strawberry gum from yesterday's Colony visit. She is a little shy and quiet. The school kids are getting ready for end of term testing then they have a week break and will go home. Pria said she lives in Cudalor which is south a few hours on the coast. She was looking forward to going to the beach at home. She and her friends wanted to look at pictures from my phone because the lifestyle is so different from hers. She asked me what religion I was and I told her Christain. She is hindu and her best friend who is mushed next to her looking at photos on my phone is Muslim. When I gave her the gum, she took one piece and gave the rest to her friends and her sister. She is so kind. 

After recess, we had our last dinner with the volunteers.  One of my highs was seeing Pria so willing to share with her friends and to see her with her Muslim best friend. 

I forgot that the day before Natalie, who left for college earlier in the day, spoke of our first day at the colonies dancing with Jayraj. Jayraj said that he had so much fun dancing with us, he forgot he had a disease. A nice way to end at the Rising Star Outreach- lifting people with leprocy.