Labor of love at Anwesha home

On our second day at the Anwesha home, we arrived early and did some crafts with the kids before they even left for school. Stickers were a HUGE favorite.  And they stuck them everywhere... on the craft paper, on their hands, on us

We then sent the kids off to school with lots of hugs...

And were immediately put to work.  The home is turning an unused area into a tutoring classroom and wanted us to paint decorative murals and educational scenes on the walls. Our group truly labored for love. Even though it was VERY hot - and we were all sweating up a storm - we created some awesome paintings.

First, there was the whole "mixing of colors" project, an enterprise unto itself.

Then we started on the walls. I chose to pair with Alex – our resident artist – and she drew an amazing and intricate flower on one wall. It took us all day to complete, but turned out great.

Jackie did an entire village of children below a tree... and got some help from the house mothers

Eileen went with a rabbit motif because the kids LOVE their pet rabbits.

Jessica, Will and Gabi did a huge tree and then painted the kids' hands and made their hand-prints into the leaves and flowers

This is my main man... Dharuba Das with a bright green hand. (Many of the kids have the last name "Das," which is a common surname in this area, and is what the home assigns when the kids' real name is unknown).

Xavier rocked the pink elephant

We also painted educational stuff inside the classroom, including an entire ecosystem, a diagram of photosynthesis and a full wall of planets

Not to brag, but we rocked it. The kids summed it up best - when they first saw the building - with a collective “WOW!!”

Mid-afternoon we set off to the kids’ school to escort them home.  We were a HUGE hit at the school and every kid wanted to show us their classroom and their desk.  Not a textbook or notepad in sight. Only a chalkboard at the front of the classroom.

When we got to the school to pick up the little ones (who get off earlier than the teenagers), the older ones were now eating lunch. They get the exact same thing - every day - rice with vegetable curry sauce. And obviously no utensils... hands only. They eat every grain of rice.

The kids were besides themselves that they got visitors to take them home.  It's about a mile each way so the orphanage gave us umbrellas to shield us from the sun. Naturally every child had to take a turn holding the umbrella or sharing the shade with us.

They were seriously cracking me up with their umbrella fascination

Once the kids were all home, and uniforms were off, serious play started.  There was an intensely competitive cricket match plus henna time (when the kids drew all over us with henna).

We did not leave the home until after dark.... And we'll be back again tomorrow ... for our last day with the kids. I'm anticipating some crying to leave this place.