Brooke Larsen

Today isn’t the day I’m supposed to blog but I decided to early so I could wish my dad good luck with his iron man!!! I see Kona in the near future! I wish I could be there to cheer you on but just know I will be thinking of you here in India and I’m excited to hear the result! You’ll do great and no matter what I’m pretty impressed how fast you got in shape and I have faith this will be your best time!
So much has happened in the past few days it’s hard to decide what to write about. The other day I experienced a wave of overwhelming emotion when we took our kids to the science museum. We watched an IMAX movie, and for many it was the first time they ever saw a movie screen. When the movie started the whole room filled with cheers and my eyes started watering in reaction to their excitement. No kid I know in the U.S. would display that sort of reaction.
It’s difficult to think about the day when we leave these kids. Every day we get closer, even though communication is still hard. I would never expect you could feel such love and gratitude from and for someone you’ve only known for a few days and have only been able to communicate simple things. I hate thinking about how every day we grow closer and more comfortable with each other, but the day also grows closer when we have to say goodbye, and I may never know the fate of these girls I’ve worked with for the past week. Today in the village we taught the girls how to sing the chorus of “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley. When they finally picked it up it was one of the best moments with my village kids. After leaving the village school we went through a new village today and Mrs. Olson if you read this I thought of you. Rob asked questions to the farmers in the village who Nishta are trying to introduce organic farming to. They’re trying to use compost for fertilizer instead of buying it, and their facing problems with the pesticides their using because the bacteria grows stronger and the ecosystem gets destroyed. The men asked what they could do during the 6 months they’re not farming for money and for some reason I thought about how valuable our education is and how we are automatically secured a more successful and lucrative life than these men not just because the education we’re guranteed.
I’m seeing and experiencing such unreal things I still can’t believe where I’m at and what I’m doing at times.

Brooke Larsen