I have been invited to write on the blog! This is Nikki Sorum,
Marielle's mom and honorary mom to Jacqui for the next two weeks. I
arrived last Wednesday in Dehradun India to join Marielle and Jacqui.
We spent a few days in Dehradun, visiting their school, having dinner
with Pastor Chris Nelson from our hometown church, Bethlehem, and
staying at Amaji Lalita Arya's home. Thanks so much to Amaji for
letting the girls stay in her beatiful home and volunteer teach in her
school, the Lakshmi Devi Academy. We are now touring in northern
India, thanks to great advice from Vivek Agrawal, a friend in
Minneapolis.
So I thought I would share answers to questions that many of you have asked me about Marielle and Jacqueline.
"How are the girls?". The girls are simply wonderful. They are confident, healthy, world wise and French-speaking soul mates. Two beautiful blonde 19 year old women get a lot of attention in India. They are gently pursued by Indian paparazzi who wish to take their photographs. When we go swimming in the hotel pool, there are at least a dozen hotel staff who have many jobs to do at the pool, sweeping, bringing towels, bringing drinks, walking by with ladders....
And they are aware of the local customs and speak enough Hindi to impress the Indians. Every day I am complimented on their beautiful manners. This has been an immense year of growth for both of them. They are extremely brave in their adventures and fortunate to have this gap year experience.
"What have they been doing?". For the last two months, they have been teaching at a charity school in Dehradun, India. They have taught English, Tae Kwan Do and dance. There are almost 300 children at the school, ages nursery to 8th class. The kids clearly loved Marielle and Jacqui and will miss them. The children shared several dances, songs, and a Tae Kwon Do performance with me on the girls' last day at the school. As impressive as working at the school was their hour long journey one way to work. They boarded a vikram (tiny truck taking up to 8 people for 5 rupees each - 10 cents in US), walked for 20 minutes through the heart of Dehradun calmly crossing riotous traffic, and then negotiated for and rode an auto-rickshaw (a three wheeled covered motorcycle taxi) for the last 15 minutes ride (10 rupees each or 20 cents). I've traveled lots of places, but this was impressive commuting by the girls. They've lived as local Indians for the last two months, eating vegetarian indian, loving Bollywood movies, and wearing kurtis (modest tunics over leggings).
"What are you up to now and when are you coming home?". We are visiting Varanasi, Jaipur, Deoghar, Udaipur, and Delhi. We have visited Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, B'Hai, and Muslim places of worship, visited and stayed in palaces, shopped in the markets, floated on the Ganges at dusk and dawn, taken a cooking class, eaten primarily Indian vegetarian food., taken a yoga class by an Indian yogi. We have traveled by plane, car, auto rickshaw, bicycle rickshaw, vikram, bus, horse and buggy, rowing boat, and elephant. And we are only half way through our adventure! We will arrive home early afternoon on May 30. They are very excited to see their Minneapolis friends and family!
Nikki Sorum
So I thought I would share answers to questions that many of you have asked me about Marielle and Jacqueline.
"How are the girls?". The girls are simply wonderful. They are confident, healthy, world wise and French-speaking soul mates. Two beautiful blonde 19 year old women get a lot of attention in India. They are gently pursued by Indian paparazzi who wish to take their photographs. When we go swimming in the hotel pool, there are at least a dozen hotel staff who have many jobs to do at the pool, sweeping, bringing towels, bringing drinks, walking by with ladders....
And they are aware of the local customs and speak enough Hindi to impress the Indians. Every day I am complimented on their beautiful manners. This has been an immense year of growth for both of them. They are extremely brave in their adventures and fortunate to have this gap year experience.
"What have they been doing?". For the last two months, they have been teaching at a charity school in Dehradun, India. They have taught English, Tae Kwan Do and dance. There are almost 300 children at the school, ages nursery to 8th class. The kids clearly loved Marielle and Jacqui and will miss them. The children shared several dances, songs, and a Tae Kwon Do performance with me on the girls' last day at the school. As impressive as working at the school was their hour long journey one way to work. They boarded a vikram (tiny truck taking up to 8 people for 5 rupees each - 10 cents in US), walked for 20 minutes through the heart of Dehradun calmly crossing riotous traffic, and then negotiated for and rode an auto-rickshaw (a three wheeled covered motorcycle taxi) for the last 15 minutes ride (10 rupees each or 20 cents). I've traveled lots of places, but this was impressive commuting by the girls. They've lived as local Indians for the last two months, eating vegetarian indian, loving Bollywood movies, and wearing kurtis (modest tunics over leggings).
"What are you up to now and when are you coming home?". We are visiting Varanasi, Jaipur, Deoghar, Udaipur, and Delhi. We have visited Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, B'Hai, and Muslim places of worship, visited and stayed in palaces, shopped in the markets, floated on the Ganges at dusk and dawn, taken a cooking class, eaten primarily Indian vegetarian food., taken a yoga class by an Indian yogi. We have traveled by plane, car, auto rickshaw, bicycle rickshaw, vikram, bus, horse and buggy, rowing boat, and elephant. And we are only half way through our adventure! We will arrive home early afternoon on May 30. They are very excited to see their Minneapolis friends and family!
Nikki Sorum
Huzzah! from Isabel!
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