As all good things must...

My time here in India is about to come to an end. As I've not updated in the last couple of weeks I suppose you are all wondering what I have been up to.

We spent our last week in Rajakadd. Kim and I are mostly finished with the work, but there are a couple of things that we will finish up at home. My working expereince is filled with mixed emotions, there were many good things going on as well, and there were well, some not so good things that came to manisfest towards the end of our stay. It's was fasanating and heartbreaking to see so many of the things that read or learn about in school about NGO's and their situations in developing countries come to manifest. It's also, amazing to expereince these things first hand and realize not only the hurtles honest organization have to overcome, but all of the millions of people who are reliant upon institutions that do not have their best interest in guard.

Saying goodbye to our neighbors was difficult. The last few weeks we had become very close with both the women and the children, and Mikes arrival also brought a new excitement in everyone. The last few weeks we had spent quite a bit if time with the children and both families kept us in generous barrage of home cooked Indian food. The last few days were filled with meals and more meals, family photos. The final goodbye was very very difficult and both Kim and I found ourselves drenched in tears, as we made our good bye hugs and clammered into the rickshaw to the bus station. Our neighbor women friends, Sini and Anila, were also in tears. Our special neighor kids, Gothum and Nandala had to be taken in to the house they were in such a mess. We went to the bus stand, and right before our house our neighbor Sini's husband had walked into town to say goodbye again, and made it right before the bus left. The bus goes back past our house and Kim and I anxiouslly waited for the bus to go by so we could wave out the window at the neighbors. Kim and I were seperated on the bus and I was near the front. Just as we were going to get to the house it started down pouring and the windows were jammed shut moments before the house. (The windows are big metal sheets.) I could just see Ms. Humsa standing lonely on her porch waiting for us to go by (which was fitting as she had often been there before), she couldn't see us though and that set me into another fit of tears that lasted about and hour as we drove out f this beautiful valley the last time.

We've been on the road for over a week now, and decided to head east into Tamil Nadu as opposed to the oginal plan to go north because of the monsoon. We went to Chennai (Madras), Mallapuram, Pondicherry, Tranvajore, Trichy and now find ourselves in Maduri. It's hot, in the 90's, dry and dusty everywhere we go. It makes us sadly miss the coolness and lushness of the mountains and most certianly the kindness of the people.