Report of 17 Dec '07
Hello from the B -
Naren is very sick today. Fever, asthma attack and general malaise. Nothing can turn the world upside down like one's child being ill, and all my thoughts are with the boy. He is to go on a class trip today to look at how villages in North India are empowering themselves, and is likely to not go.
The B is ok, and we are using a new occupational/physical therapist we hired to improve gait in some of the women. Regretfully, one of them, Ms. V, fell and sustained big injuries on the face. I am seriously suspecting a fracture and ordered some xrays, but Ms. V apparently would not cooperate with the x-ray taking and yelled obscenities at all concerned. We are going to have to use our best judgement here. Ms. V is normally a cheerful sort, a huge fan of filmi music, and has a tremendous sense of rhythm - bopping along to the songs with great glee - and we hope her current illness will not get the better of this joie de vivre.
Tutoring did happen, and Navin and a friend tutored. We will have a small Xmas party for the chilluns this Friday and wrap up for a couple of weeks. Last year, when one of them seemed mighty excited about Xmas, I asked how she celebrated it; she said they set out a nativity scene and go to church. I asked if they made goodies to eat, and immediately kicked myself: our tutoring populace cannot afford a whole lot at all. So no goodies to eat, no new clothes and no gifts - but she was so excited about the festival. True meaning of Xmas, then, isn't it.
We had Navin's class over for a party last week, as I don't know many of the kids there. A few boys and nearly all the girls showed up. Navin states he and some friends mainly hang around with the girls, playing basketball, chatting, etc., and he and Skanda are the only boys who steadfastly attend the girls' parties; I asked if he didn't feel awkward at the last part and he stated absolutely not, there was more pizza/cake for him and Skanda since the other boys were not present. Pragmatism for you. Anyway, we had a whale of a time, the kids were scrupulously polite and it was a treat to have girls in the house. Several of them thanked us long after they left, for a wonderful time. It was sweet.
Y'day was a potluck with some neighbors and that was also great fun. It is simply spectacular to be surrounded by good people.
We leave for Madurai at the end of this week to celebrate Xmas with my parents. Various sibs and sibs-in-law will trickle in later, and it will be a time to eat, laugh, talk, eat some more.
May you have a very merry Christmas and a happy, healthy 2008!
Unw -
R
Naren is very sick today. Fever, asthma attack and general malaise. Nothing can turn the world upside down like one's child being ill, and all my thoughts are with the boy. He is to go on a class trip today to look at how villages in North India are empowering themselves, and is likely to not go.
The B is ok, and we are using a new occupational/physical therapist we hired to improve gait in some of the women. Regretfully, one of them, Ms. V, fell and sustained big injuries on the face. I am seriously suspecting a fracture and ordered some xrays, but Ms. V apparently would not cooperate with the x-ray taking and yelled obscenities at all concerned. We are going to have to use our best judgement here. Ms. V is normally a cheerful sort, a huge fan of filmi music, and has a tremendous sense of rhythm - bopping along to the songs with great glee - and we hope her current illness will not get the better of this joie de vivre.
Tutoring did happen, and Navin and a friend tutored. We will have a small Xmas party for the chilluns this Friday and wrap up for a couple of weeks. Last year, when one of them seemed mighty excited about Xmas, I asked how she celebrated it; she said they set out a nativity scene and go to church. I asked if they made goodies to eat, and immediately kicked myself: our tutoring populace cannot afford a whole lot at all. So no goodies to eat, no new clothes and no gifts - but she was so excited about the festival. True meaning of Xmas, then, isn't it.
We had Navin's class over for a party last week, as I don't know many of the kids there. A few boys and nearly all the girls showed up. Navin states he and some friends mainly hang around with the girls, playing basketball, chatting, etc., and he and Skanda are the only boys who steadfastly attend the girls' parties; I asked if he didn't feel awkward at the last part and he stated absolutely not, there was more pizza/cake for him and Skanda since the other boys were not present. Pragmatism for you. Anyway, we had a whale of a time, the kids were scrupulously polite and it was a treat to have girls in the house. Several of them thanked us long after they left, for a wonderful time. It was sweet.
Y'day was a potluck with some neighbors and that was also great fun. It is simply spectacular to be surrounded by good people.
We leave for Madurai at the end of this week to celebrate Xmas with my parents. Various sibs and sibs-in-law will trickle in later, and it will be a time to eat, laugh, talk, eat some more.
May you have a very merry Christmas and a happy, healthy 2008!
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
8:46 PM
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