Today was an amazing day for the group at Sahoo. Being the last day we had with the kids at both Ira School and the Sahoo ashram. Many of the YMAD kids, if not all, have grown attached to their kids and after the day was through there were many conversations about how cute everyone’s favorite child was. Through the excitement I had some time to reflect on the days events. For my expedition team, we had the unique opportunity to take part in a cultural exchange at Ira school. The preparation put into the performances must have taken countless hours. As I looked back at the dances the kids performed for us, I remembered the deep respect that not only the kids had for us, but the adults as well. Even if I had not taught a single thing to those kids, I believe that respect would still be there. You could tell how much these people appreciate the work that we are doing in India. As the great Mr. Dahmi (one of our contacts in Chamba) stated it is a great honor to do service because not only are you helping the people in need but it also pays respect to the Gods. I don’t know if that was necessarily the case or not today with Ira, but I do know that all my efforts in this expedition payed off at Sahoo. Saying goodbye to the mere 18 boys in the orphanage was one of the strangest sensations ever. These Muslim boys had nothing to give me but they understood why I had came and that I was leaving them. These kids have been known to be very aggressive and rowdy because they are tribal boys, but you know, seeing their eyes when the time came to say goodbye was too much. I just melted. For some people these kids would be too much to handle, but because our group worked hard with them and never gave up, the connection and what I think to be love showed through in the end. If I felt that sensation for just a split second, that would make all my efforts worth it.
Jared
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