Yesterday and Today

Today was a good day. My group was on construction but it was a way awesome construction day! We worked in an assembly line and it was so efficient and easy that it didn't feel like we did much work, but yet we accomplished a lot.When we finished our construction manager took us to the local snake charmer to see the cobra he caught! We watched him agitate/play with the snake and eventually devenom him! This particular charmer drinks the venom so he can build up an immunity to the bites--- cuurrazzzy! (he dilutes it with water but still!)

After the snake charmer was messing with him the snake broke free and that's when everyone is sprinting and yelling cuss words as they go it was madness.
We made it to the Bindu school of art and looked through a lot of paintings. These paintings are really neat because they are painted by people afflicted with leprosy. Some are missing fingers and almost all are missing toes and more. It was really neat to look through the art but I haven't been able to pick yet.
Instead of family time I skyped with my mom for 45 min! She was at work but no biggie right mom? I also bought some Skype credit so I can call direct phone lines. I was able to talk to my sister Tates for a little bit too. I tried facetiming my dad and brother multiple times but never got through to them. (nog I would've called you but it was pretty early your time)
My dad got my voicemail and as a response he wrote me one of the sweetest emails I almost cried. When I showed it to Kim she got choked up too. I have an awesome family!
This morning I was able to Skype with my dad and that was awesome too! Today is my halfway point it's been great!

Tutoring was not super fun tonight but that's okay. It's just hard when students don't really want to learn or put the effort in. Also our AC is broken in every room of the elephant house so that's not super cool either. It's colder outside than inside--which seems crazy. I'm outside but now it is raining on my laptop-awesome? I think not. However, the cooler weather is much appreciated.

Tomorrow I am on medical and then Friday morning at 3:00 a.m. we leave to Chennai so we can fly to New Delhi. There we will drive on a 6 hour bus ride to visit the Taj Mahal then back 6 hours then fly to Chennai and drive 3 hours back to RSO so it is going to be a lot of traveling in a few days-but it is definitely worth it to visit one of the 7 wonders of the WORLD!

When I left I didn't think I would miss anybody from home--I was wrong. I miss all of my family. I was looking through pictures on my phone and it made me miss my nephews a lot and Moca and Maya (our past dogs) I'd love to get my own pup when I get back home--that'd be super :D

That's about all for now

Play Time!

Aravind 2, Basha, and ?

Praveenkahn-They can climb trees that look like twigs because they are so tiny!

Sanjay and Johnathan

My little Sagaia Mary. She is Christraj's sister.

? and Christaraj. My little thugs are so cute!

This is Aravind, isn't he adorable?

This is sweet sweet Basha. He is from the colony I visited today.

Sanjay, Michael, Karthik and Johnathan Love these boys!

This is Ebenezer. I think he is stunning, and I LOVE this picture of him.

This is Michael. Every time you go to give him a high-5 he runs his fingers through his hair as if he is too cool.


She reminds me of my sweet niece Jayda. I can't pronounce her name though, let alone spell it. (sounds like Subasria)

Before I catch up on all of today’s activity I have to write about what just happened. I was sitting on my bed getting my computer stuff ready and I felt like something was in my pants. I said it out loud and my roommates jokingly said, “it’s probably a lizard” well I didn’t feel it anymore so I let it go. Then about 2 minutes later I felt it again but on the other leg. My initial reaction was to smack my leg and when I did I screamed and squealed because I felt something! I threw my pants off onto the floor and had my roommates look while I was jumping and screaming. It turns out it was a little baby lizard---IN THE PANTS I HAD ON!! I’m still wigged out-not exactly sure how I’m going to sleep tonight.

Today I was on the medical unit and we went to a leprosy colony to provide treatment. There are so many colonies RSO takes care of that they can only visit each one about once every two weeks. We each had different duties and I was assigned to washing feet and hands; whichever area had ulcers. It was a very humbling experience washing the feet of those who many call “untouchable”. These people are extremely loving and giving it is remarkable.

(The 3 preceeding pictures are of a grandmother to one of our Rising Star girls Vigilashmi. )

I had a very special experience. Rajim was the leader of this colony and he had some ulcers he needed taken care of on his feet. Well our nurse had to dig into his foot with scissors and tweezers to get some of the decayed tissue out. This is done without numbing or pain medicine and it was very painful and difficult for Rajim. Some of these pictures are intense and you can really see his anguish. Through his suffering I wasn’t sure how to help comfort him. I don’t speak any Tamil and even if I did I don’t know what I’d say. I resulted in putting my arm around him, as he squeezed my hand. He is such an amazing man and I struggle to put that experience into adequate words, but I am grateful to have learned from Rajim today. After he went through the most excruciating part of the procedure he formed his hands into a prayer and looked to heaven praising our Savior. Seriously, he is such an inspirational man. He taught me strength, patience, humility, and most importantly gratitude.
After we finished helping all of the patients we walked through the small colony and one family asked us to come in. We got a lot of pictures with them and then when they were showing us the second of two rooms in their house the man was a little too friendly with each of us that we got out of there quick. Kim thought he might be drunk but I don’t know. That little downfall didn’t outweigh the high I felt with Rajim and the rest of the leprosy affected patients we helped today. (Though the lizard in my pants might have.)

After the first colony Dr. Susan wanted to go search out another leprosy colony to start helping. We found it and the people were so excited. They started praising Heaven with huge smiles on their faces as they realized they were going to receive medical attention, that somebody cared. It was very neat.

We got back around 4 so we missed our alone time by 2 hours and we had play time at 4:30. Brittany and I decided to chill for an extra half hour and went to play time at 5 instead of 4:30. I took my camera today and I feel like I got a lot of good new pictures. I’ll do a picture post next It’s easier just to add them all in one post since I’m not proficient in the blogging world.

I had originally planned to come for 3 weeks like the regular volunteers, but then an opportunity to become a coordinator after this session presented itself. It requires that I stay until the end of August. I’ve thought about it a lot and I don’t think I’d like to do it. I think I’m ready to come home at the 3 week mark.
That’s all for now. :D

p.s. our roommate lizard is still here and making noises-I guess he wasn’t the one in my pants

Quick Catch Up

(Allyssa, Britt, and me at church in Chennai-we think Allyssa is a twin of Michelle Peshev)

It's amazing how much happens in one day here. I haven't blogged since Friday night and I feel like there is so much to catch up on.

Saturday we woke up early and left Rising Star around 7:00. We drove for about 1.5 hours to a tourist town called Mamallapuram. The second we got off our little RSO bus we were swarmed by people trying to sell us stuff. They followed us around and gave us a tour of the ancient ruins. I said no probably 30 times to these men selling little trinkets and things but to no avail. They eventually suckered me in. They would say things like "small business" "two kids" I know they could be lying but who am I to judge. I didn't spend a lot of money with them but I bought a few souvenirs. (No one else in my group got sucked in)

We spent about 3 hours in Mamallapurram shopping and looking around. We had one lady (in her teens) follow us around for a few blocks, holding out her hand saying "baby, baby" because she was carrying her baby with her. We refused to give her money. I know it sounds harsh but this is a huge problem in India where they make their living off of begging. I'd rather buy something I'll never use and support someone who is working rather than just give money away freely. I bought way more than I needed to throughout those three hours, but I did get some rocking deals as the day wore on.

I learned to let everyone in my group buy from certain vendors first and then since so many had bought from them they'd give me a better deal. On top of this Brittany is about the best barterer I have ever seen. I definitely learned some good tricks from her and even walked away from one place with a free purse! (I'm not giving details about the purchases because a lot are for family gifts)

We left Mamallapurram around 12 and headed over to a resort called "Ideal Beach". Let me tell you it was definitely ideal. We got to spend three hours chillin on the beach, playing in the ocean, and lounging by the pool. It was definitely a well deserved, nice break. On the way home we stopped at a local restaurant and got Parota. It is a bread sort of tortilla thing that is delicious. One of the few things I've liked here. The restaurant was swarming with flies and cooks who you can tell don't wash their hands after they go behind the building to take care of business, but that's India.

When we got back to RSO campus we had a little bit of time before we had movie night with the kids. We watched TRON from a laptop projected onto the cafeteria wall. I started out with about 4 little boys all over me but as everyone began to settle Karthik stayed on my lap the whole movie while Christaraj sat next to me. It was fun to see the kids figure out the movie and saying things like "hero", "bad guy", and "super movie". They use the word super more than any other word. The video took a lot longer than usual to finish because power outages are the norm here. Probably a minimum of 10 times a day. By the end of the movie I was very exhausted and as I was laying my head back on the cement cafeteria floor, a little boy behind me put my head on his lap and said, "auntie sleep". It was so cute. Have I mentioned I love these kids?

Sunday we drove 3 hours into Chennai to go to church. It was a good experience to go. A long term volunteer helped Brittany and I with our Sari's, but when we got to church two sister's helped us redo them. Roslyn and Vannila Mary. Vannila Mary is a house mother here at RSO and she is Hindu, but she has come to church the past 3 weeks and meets with the missionaries each time during Sunday school. I slept through most of the sacrament talks, but while we sang "Jesus Once of Humble Birth" I stopped singing for a whole verse and just listened. I listened to the voices who have been born in very humble circumstances, who travel hours by bus to get to church, who love the Savior with all their heart, and it was a very special experience for me.

During Sunday School I sat in on part of primary class and then talked the rest of the time with Pam. She and her husband Jim are here for a year and a half. They are retired and contemplated serving a mission. After talking to Becky Douglas, their neighbor and founder of RSO, they decided this could be their mission. It was really neat getting to know Pam and her experiences. I did fully attend relief society and it was awesome. It went a half hour long (Indians don't seem to pay too much attention to time) but it was a neat unifying experience realizing again the love Heavenly Father has for each of us, no matter where or what circumstances we are born in. We are all His children and He loves us dearly.

The drive home from church was not fun. Another 3 hours on bumpy, crazy roads, but we got back safely around 3 or 4. We had the rest of the day to chill and hang out. We tried projecting Tangled in the Mango Room (our club house room) for a long time but with power outages, a slow computer, a scratched dvd, and problem with the speakers, it just wasn't meant to be.

I didn't eat their dinner but I was full from lots of snacks when I got home from church. After dinner I sat and talked to Kim and Derek for awhile on the roof. It was really neat just to talk about life and the similar decisions we each need to make. I was definitely comforted by talking with them. Afterwards I played a few games with some volunteers in the Mango room then went to bed. I'll catch up about today later tonight- no it's time to go play with the kids :D

Pictures!

We went on a walk through the village near us this morning. These are a few of my favorite pictures from that walk.

This is my favorite

Construction!

Today we went on with the construction coordinator, Kim Lyons, to a leprosy colony. We hauled sand from one central location to many different homes for them to use as mortar to build bathrooms. We transported the sand in what they called buckets but they are really in the shape of saucers. Needless to say it was difficult in 100+ degree weather. It was neat though because a lot of people ran out of water and we came together and shared what little we had. It was a neat experience, I'm not good at sharing details of things like this but it was definitely a neat experience.

While we were working a few women from the colony went and spent what little money they had to buy us volunteers cold juice! It was beyond sweet how kind, thankful, and generous they are. It is really humbling to think how much we have and at the same time how stingy we are with all of our excess. I am learning from the people of India day by day.

For play time today we did talent classes. There are two other people here, Drew and Carlee, who play soccer. We did a few relay races with the kids in our group and played a game called "head,catch". They thought it was all boring and all they wanted to do was play a real game of soccer. It was fun to play with the kids and it rained a little bit too so that was a pleasant surprise.

Today was the first time I felt clean, for a split second, while I was here. When we got back from construction I took a nice shower. The power wasn't working so I didn't get to sit in the air conditioning to dry, but we had moderate weather outside so I sat and watched some volunteers play soccer. I would have played if it weren't for two things: a) I ran this morning and also did lunges, squats, and yoga. b) I had just showered before they decided to play. It was fun to watch though, but I was reminded again of how much I don't miss soccer. I wonder when I'll miss it?

I'm really not into Indian food but I have gotten my appetite back. I got to hang out with Kim for a little bit today. We talked girl talk and over a nice bowl of cereal :)

I got to watch the dancer's perform their number again today. I recorded it for my pleasure as well as yours!

Tonight during dinner when we went through our highs and lows, Becky Douglas the founder of RSO, mentioned that she received an email her 3 year old granddaughter might not make it for her to get home. Two months ago she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and she was given 9 months to live. Becky is cutting her trip short and leaving tomorrow. The Marriott kids (3 married couples) are also leaving tomorrow, as well as our principal April. It will probably feel different tomorrow but it will still be good.

After dinner at family time I had fun with my girls helping them with homework and singing songs. The girls are so cute. One girl named Eshwari (ish-wad-ee) had her head on my lap and said, "My head has lots of lice" haha - yikes. Sagaia Mary gave me a bracelet she made out of yarn in talent class and also made me a ring. I'm planning to take a picture tomorrow night of it with her bracelet as well. They are our friendship bracelets :)

As I was singing to the little girls, I looked at Abashi and she was staring off into space but her cute little feet were wiggling. I don't know if this will translate to anyone else but this is for my recollection of this sweet moment.

*The other day Becky was telling us that Amy Antonelli said something along the lines that leprosy is the biggest blessing these kids will ever have in their lives. It may sound weird, but this school is the best in the area. The kids are well fed, have love and compassion, and a good education. Unfortunately we don't have the capacity to take in all of the kids in the surrounding villages. Who knows what happens to the kids who can't be at school could be that they are, beaten, malnourished, uneducated, or begging for their families survival. Leprosy is truly a blessing in the children of RSO's lives, despite all of it's challenges the disease of leprosy has given these children many opportunities they otherwise would not have. May we take the time to notice the blessings in our lives that may be in disguise.

We are having game night now with the volunteers so I'll talk to you later!

Chill Day

Today was a pretty chill day. We were on the special projects group which basically means you do whatever random projects the organization needs. Today that included making a shed for Lola the sheep and also painting the elephant in front of the elephant house. Because we were on campus we got to eat lunch with the kids. It’s interesting because they eat on the floor with their hands and they eat a special way with their hands. I made a peanut butter and banana sandwich and brought it with me. The children thought it was weird I eat with both of my hands. I tried explaining I don’t use my left hand for the bathroom like they do but they looked confused. They also were questioning why I wasn’t eating their food like the rest of the volunteers.

I haven’t ever really liked Indian food and every meal is spicy. The spicy isn’t good for my stomach so I usually have a valid excuse not to eat. It’s crazy how much you crave water though and even though we have three refrigerators (smaller size than we are used to) they don’t get our drinks very cold. I go through about 40-60oz of water a day but I crave 120 oz. I crave a bin full of sonic ice, but any ice would do!

Today during play time I went to watch the dance class practice. I’m happy I did because they rehearsed their dance to “Somebody’s out there” by David Archuletta. They love him because he has been here a few times and sang for them/served them. Anyway the dance is choreographed to portray the children suffering and then angles come in and pick them up. (angels are the volunteers) There is a segment in the song where each child was supposed to go home and observe their parents who are leprosy afflicted and pick a daily movement that they could then choreograph into the dance. This part made me cry, to see what the kids see through their own eyes. Some kids were begging, some were walking with pains and dragging a leg or an arm. I came to realize these kids seem so normal and amazing, and every once in a while you are taken back to their reality of where they come from. These kids are so amazing and it makes me more and more grateful everyday for the things and people I have been blessed with.

Each evening after dinner we go to our “families” and help them with homework or play with them when they are done. Today I wore soccer shorts for painting/construction and stayed in them all day. This was a mistake because my girls kept asking me why my shorts didn’t go past my knee. To be clear this particular pair went to my knee but not over it. Anyway I hope my luggage gets here tonight so I can stop wearing these grubby clothes and get clean! (one other girl besides Brittany and I lost her luggage and her name is Ivy. She still doesn’t have hers, and her birthday is tomorrow! We are both celebrating our birthdays in India!)

I think this is the wrap up of the day. I really need to shower it’s been a few days. Bucket showers here I come :)

Bags coming today? Maybe?!

For the third day in a row we got wind that we should get our bags today! Our drivers had to go into Chennai today to take the founder of Rising Star, Becky Douglas, to do some administrative things. They are planning to pick up our bags for us, so we had to provide them with copies of our passports, visas, flight tickets, and baggage claim tickets. Hopefully with all of this information they will be able to bring us back our bags tonight! It has been 5 days with only one change of clothes and it has been difficult.

It is amazing what you take for granted in the states. Ice, cold fruit, cold water, basically anything cold. Grocery stores without bugs, beds, pillows, the list could go on. The interesting thing is in America the children are given so much, and yet I feel the kids here are just as happy if not more so. Some may say ignorance is bliss, or something along those lines. Regardless of those excuses it goes to show that as a nation dependent on consumption, the US could go without in many areas and still be happy.

Today I was on special projects and we worked on building a shed for the pet sheep Lola. Sound pointless? It kind of was but it was also fun to work with our hands and as a team.

We got our bags tonight at 10:00!! halleyuah!! TSA went through our bags and totally destroyed them! They also stole my Lacoste sunglasses, costco size mixed nuts, costco size box of gum, and my Adams peanut butter! I am so sad but yet so happy to get my bags. Bittersweet :)

Eye Doctor with Aravind :)

(I'm very pasty compared to these kids, get used to it)

Today we woke up kind of early because our group, Group 1 was on medical. We took 10 children to an eye doctor in Chennai that is doing this work for free! It was over a 3 hour ride due to traffic but once we got there they started examining these kids right away. I got to be paired up with Aravind. He is the sweetest little boy in the whole world.

Aravind has quite a story. Two years ago he came to Rising Star with his sister after their father lit their mother on fire and killed her. Aravind (2 at the time) witnessed this tragedy. Apparently this is a common enough occurrence that in India they call them “house fires” to cover up the truth. At the same time these father’s that do this love their children and would never hurt them, but men are viewed as superior to women so abuse is very common. It is tragic.
I got to be paired with Aravind all day long and I loved it. He was constantly holding my hand or sitting on my lap and I loved every minute of it.

After all the children were done being examined the two doctors took us up to an auditorium and expressed their desire to help those in need and it was really touching. The main doctor said if he wasn’t compassionate or able to use empathy then he would not be capable of being a physician. I thought that was very neat of him because he donates so much time and many resources to help those who can’t help themselves. Apparently India has the 2nd highest population of blind people, and the largest population of blind children. The other doctor said something very profound. “The problems are enormous, but the possibilities are enormous.” I thought that was great. Another interesting thing about these two men are that they are both Christian. That is not very common in this country and especially among doctors.

(I know I look pasty but get used to it )After the auditorium the doctors fed all the children while the volunteers in my group ate our sack lunches in the van. I have not had much of an appetite at all due to heat, malaria pills, and the time adjustment.

We weren’t able to pick up our luggage so hopefully we will be able to tomorrow. It has been a long time and we are ready to get them back! It’s been 5 days that we’ve been in the same clothes-that is 4 days too long! Luckily we where the native clothes, chudidars, everyday so the only thing we are reusing is under clothes-yuck!

We didn’t get back from Chennai until about 5:40 so we missed play time and chilled for a few minutes before dinner. I didn’t eat dinner because I’m not feeling to hot but later I had a granola bar to make up for it hopefully.

I went to family time after dinner and enjoyed singing my girls to sleep and telling stories. I also enjoyed having my hair played with by some of the older girls.
No luggage today but hopefully tomorrow!

1. The girls say their prayers every night and they love Jesus.
2. There is a LDS church being built in Chennai- the first church building to be built new.

3. I’m exhausted
4. There are so many details to be caught up on but I don’t have the time or energy. Hopefully I will tomorrow.

Rising Star!

Today we woke up naturally around 7:00, took advantage of the showers again, and went to breakfast. Again the Marriott staff was extremely hospitable and made both Indian and American food for us to try. Dosa’s are like a crepe and they were okay but I think everything else Indian I tried I didn’t really care for. They had great omelets, muffins, and French toast and that huge breakfast ended up feeding us for the majority of the day.

Rising star was an hour late picking us up because of traffic but I screamed out of joy when I saw Kimmy and gave her a big hug! Kim needed to exchange dollars for rupies while so when everyone else was loading the vans we were inside. When we came out all the vans were full so the three of us got in a car (mid suv) and drove the 2.5 hours pretty comfortably. My eyes were glued to the window as we drove through the different scenery from downtown Chennai to the rural outlying villages.

We definitely stick out like sore thumbs here in India but when we smile and wave they always smile and wave back. There smiles are so white and beautiful. We got to campus around 2. We had orientation and got our rooms and then we got to play with the kids.

The second we came over to the boys and girls hostels they were all over us ready to play! They are so cute I played soccer with them and it was so much fun. Sometimes I was carrying two kids while chasing another- all smiles all the way. No need for shoes or a pumped up ball we had fun without those luxuries. Every day we get to have play time for two hours and then we come back to the elephant house (volunteer house) for dinner on the roof. We ate a vegetarian dinner with a form of rice, fresh mango, tortilla and some spicy potato thing. I enjoyed the tortilla and mango mostly.

After dinner we all go over to our “families” in the hostels and help them finish their homework, sing songs to them and put them to sleep. Our kids range from ages 2 to about 15. I have already bonded with the little kids they are soooo cute! Sagaia Mary and Abashi are two of the most adorable girls I’ve ever met and they are so loving! Abashi looks like Halle Berry it’s crazy!

We got word tonight that our luggage should be in Chennai tomorrow and maybe we can pick it up when we are there for medical session.

Until then goodnight!

p.s random things about india
1. they don’t obey any form of traffic law, not even lanes!
2. there are more motorcycles/mopeds than cars. Sometimes whole families pile on these bikes to commute. The man drives, the women sit sideways (don’t straddle the bike!) while holding their children!! It’s madness
3. there is dirt and garbage everywhere-to get rid of it they burn it and that makes it stink.
4. the kids are awesome!!

Simply Simple

The reason I chose the to title my blog simply simple is because of the amazing peace in simplicity. India is a place of simple things and everyone is simply happy. I am grateful for the simple joys in life including every little smile will get from the adorable kids from Rising Star Outreach in India.

Traveling to India

Tonight we finally arrived to our Marriot Hotel in Chennai, India! Brittany and I have been traveling for almost two days now and it feels good to be here despite the many struggles we faced on the way.

We left Salt Lake City at 4:30 on Friday and flew to Chicago. From Chicago we were flew to London. There was a problem with our plane that delayed us by over two hours. Unfortunately we missed our flight from London to Chennai; however, the airline crew was notified in advance. When we got off of the tarmac the employees had already rebooked us on different flights and had our boarding passes printed and everything. (Being an organized person I really appreciated this.) There were some drawbacks- we had to wait at the London Heathrow Airport for over 6 hours and we had an extra stop added to our Itinerary. During those six hours we found computers to help us contact our families to update them. WE also needed to schedule a hotel room and my mom graciously and efficiently took care of that for us. Thanks mom! We also did some laps around the terminal checking out the shops, restaurants, and products. American Airlines gave us a 10 pound meal voucher to use in London. We decided to eat at Starbucks and made our first friend there. His name was Kahn. He worked for Starbucks but conveniently took his break after we ordered and sat by us. We talked a bit and he was a nice fun guy about our age. He was studying business in London but is originally from Dubai. After dinner we headed to our gate and Saturday night at 8:45 we left London for New Delhi.

When we arrived in New Delhi they had us go all around the airport in different areas, go through the visa checking station and all that jazz. Once we made it through there we had no clue where departures were so we asked a worker and she directed us to go through customs and then on up an escalator around the corner. Little did we know we were supposed to pick up our checked baggage and take it through customs with us. (yikes!) Even after we made it through the Delhi madness to our departure gate we had to wait there for about 6 hours for our flight to Chennai.

While we were waiting for our flight we were laying on these nice chairs that were almost like the chairs you’d lay on at the pool. There were 3 and Brittany was in the middle and this is where we met our 2nd friend of our journey. A young man about our age came up and sat down next to Britt. They began talking about very random things (mostly he talked and Brittany pretended like she knew what he was saying) By the end he was giving her his number in case we ever need help while we are here. He had to leave before we did, but he made sure to buy us a snack before he left. (He also asked if we could share the snack with him J)

Our flight from Delhi to Chennai was only two and a half hours but I pretty much slept the whole way. It ended up being good because when we FINALLY landed in Chennai our luggage was literally lost- we had no idea where it was or how to find it. The workers were telling us if it was in customs still we needed to get a lawyer and a notary and all kinds of stuff, meanwhile we are 2 hours late for our driver so I’m trying to track down his phone number to make sure he is still here waiting for us- thankfully he was! We left the airport with no clue when, where, how, or if we would get our bags but there wasn’t anything we could do about it then so we pressed on.

At the Marriott all the employees were extremely kind and welcoming and helped us through our luggage problem a little bit. We ultimately went to our room with stressed out bodies and minds. I was able to call my friend Kim who is a coordinator this summer and she helped ease my worry by saying there are workers here who could help us locate our luggage.
I was also able to talk to my mom, dad, and sister tates on the phone for awhile so that was great.

I took advantage of the shower and stayed in there for quite some time. Now I’m heading to bed-we get picked up by Rising Star Tomorrow woo woo!