Sticky and Hot

In India I wake up sticky and hot to the sound of children laughing and Indian music ringing in the distance. The smell of spices and human waste, cows dogs and the hot sun baking it all together permeates the air.
India wakes up before the sun and sleeps during the day. My experience here at Rising Star has been wonderful and I feel blessed to sharing my talents in such a powerful way. Within the past few days I have already faced many challenges but the staff and the volunteers are wonderful, they help make everything better and everyone wants the dance program to succeed. The greatest struggle we face is sustainability, I am working right now on trying to train some of the house mothers here at the school. We’ll see how successful my attempts really are.

6/4/09

Yesterday was rewarding I tought 2, 3, 5, and 6th standard. The 5th and 6th standard were very receptive to what I was teaching them and we had a lot of fun. One of the most rewarding things about teaching them is having them run up during free time or before they go to bed saying, “Katie, Katie, Dance Master look look...” and they will show me what we did during class. The kids work hard they rise before the sun which comes up around 5:45 every day. They get ready and go to school and then have a 45 min. lunch break at noon. After lunch they go back to school until 4:00. When they return from school they have play time but if they are not good in school they are required to stay in their rooms and study. At 6:30 everyone eats. The children break up into their families with their house mothers for dinner. After dinner we go up and put the babies to bed and send the older students back to school where they are required to do their homework until 9:30 at this point they come back to the hostel and get ready for bed. Indians work so hard and in terrible conditions. Living here has made me feel so grateful for the many many blessing God has bestowed upon me. Despite their difficult schedule the kids are all very happy. They work hard and play hard, I have never heard any of them complain about their rigorous schedule. They do not know any better.
As much as I love the work that I am doing here I must admit that I am still a little bit frustrated. It would be much easier if I did not have work on creating this program and could go with the volunteers. Mangula only gave me 3 classes a day and then I teach centers in the evenings.

Last night I taught my first center to the second standard and it didn’t go very well. They were all very rambunctious and it was hard getting any of them to focus. Their were kids playing soccer and blowing bubbles near by and many of the kids wanted to go and play. Just about the time I was feeling frustrated one of the boys came and tossed a ball at me, they clearly did not want to play. When I caught the ball I held it high, all the children were watching and I told them we will play catch but were going to do something a little bit differently. When you catch the ball you either have to hit a pose or do some sort of move and so I demonstrated. I held the ball up high and then plied and touched the ground with the ball I stood back up and tossed the ball to one of the boys he caught the ball and copied the move I had just done!! Okay I thought, this just might work, we continued in this fashion for the next 10 min. and the kids were moving their bodies, dancing and working on their eye hand coordination all at the same time. After about 10 min. their attention had been lost and so we moved on. I started teaching them an Indian dance with some indigenous type of movement, the girls especially loved that hands and the similarities to the Baharatntam. In about a week there is going to be a traditional Indian dancer that is going to come and live at the school for the next year. I hope to work with her and learn from her. The fact that she is here will really help keep this program sustainable.
Despite my aching body and extreme heat I love India. The children are wonderful and their hearts are so big, they are ready to love and be loved.
Last night I went up and started to read a group of girls the book, “I’ll love you for always.” Half way through the book I started to get tears in my eyes thinking about how much I love these children have and how much their parents love them. I don’t think I could send my child to a boarding school and it is not easy for all of the children, but the curse of Leprosy has created such an awful prejudice and this is just one of the ways this mental curse may be broken.

On my way to India we had a lay-over in Tokyo and then in Singapore. We were in Singapore for the day and got to go tour the city. It was a lot of fun, I got to hold a boa constrictor, and sing with the Philippine Pop star, Mike Chan, in front of thousands of people on Orchard road. I’ll post a picture soon. All of the people who are in my group are absolutely amazing and I feel blessed to get to work with and know all of them. I am also amazed at the overwhelming support I have received from family and friends and I want you ALL to know that already this has been life changing.

I'm Going to INDIA!!

I am very excited for the opportunity that has been presented before me. I am the first volunteer being sent to India by the NGO, Promethean Spark, in southeastern India. I will be teaching in the Rising Star School for Leprosy affected children and am very excited for this amazing opportunity!

I am excited to share my talents and love for dance with those who are less privileged. I will be furthering the work that Shaun, the founder and CEO of Promethean Spark, started by motivating the kids to keep their light shining bright.

Over the past couple of days I have met and worked with Shaun, who is AMAZING! working with him has caused me to be even more excited to travel over to the land of Sari's, sacred cows and Bollywood movie stars. Right before Shaun left today he looked me in the eye and said, "I just have one thing to say, Luke 1:37, For with God nothing shall be impossible."

He could not have been more right! WITH GOD NOTHING SHALL BE IMPOSSIBLE! With those words packed safely in my memory I am embarking upon a journey of a lifetime and can not wait!

I'm Going to INDIA, and am looking for sponsors

May 14, 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

I am currently studying dance performance at the Boston Conservatory. I was recently extended an invitation to be a volunteer dance teacher for the Non-Governmental Organization Promethean Spark in Southern India during the month of June 2009.

Promethean Spark is a NGO dedicated to helping underprivileged children in southern India who suffer from leprosy. While in India I will be teaching the students at the Rising Star School in Thottanaval for five hours a day, four days a week. During my days away from the school I will be visiting with the leprosy patients of the Bharatapuram Leprosy Colony helping them with a movement therapy program. Along with helping those in the leprosy colonies, I will partner with other volunteers to establish mobile units, water treatment facilities and another children’s home. However, as a volunteer, my expenses are not paid and I am looking for sponsors like you to help me.

By sponsoring me you would be investing in the education of hundreds of leprosy affected children. Your generous contribution will help them. Through the healing power of dance, these children will gain confidence, discipline, focus, concentration, perseverance, self-esteem, and leadership skills.

The cost for me to teach in India is $2,500, which includes my transportation, accommodations, and meals. I am seeking sponsors like you to help me reach my goal. Your donation of $25, $50, or $100 dollars will have a far-reaching impact on the children of India and their families.

Because Promethean Spark is registered under the National Heritage Foundation as a Congressional District Program, your donation is tax-deductible. To make a contribution please visit the web-site: http://www.prometheanspark.7p.com/ and click on the donate link, all donations made through this site for the month of May go towards my expenses.

When I return from India, I look forward to sharing my experience with you. I plan to present a slide show and showcase the dances I will have taught the children. As a way to thank you for sponsoring me, I will be pleased to include your name, or the name of your business or corporation, in the program.

Your generous contribution will help eradicate the mental, physical, and social effects of hundreds of leprosy-affected children and youth in India. Thank you for your consideration and support. It is my belief that one individual can, indeed, make meaningful change in the world.

Sincerely,

Katie Winder

P.S. Please be sure to make your donation no later than May 31st.

The Moments that you get to LIVE

This morning I woke up and felt the sun on my face I brushed my teeth and I pulled my hair up. I pulled on my grey sweater and tied on an old pair of worn out imitation converse sneakers from Target. I filled my Trader Joes bag with books, ballet slippers and a granola bar and walked out the door, I made it down five flights of stairs and felt ready to start a new day. Unlocking my bike I began pedaling towards new hopes and dreams. It seems to me that much of life is filled with a lot of very ordinary experiences that seem rather unimportant and uninteresting. I have also noticed that life is full of many difficult experiences but in the midst of doing ordinary things everyday and dealing with the hard things in life there are moments that the clouds lift and a person is able to simply live and taste something of the divine. This week has been an interesting week, I have had a lot to do and had several times when I just had to stop and take a break. On Tuesday I was feeling stressed, I hadn’t packed myself a lunch so I ended up running to Au Bon Pain for a cup of soup. Rather than staying inside I decided to walk outside across the street and enjoy the beauty of the Christian Science Center. I sat down cross legged in front of a patch of Lavender in front of the reflecting pool and simply LIVED.

I'M BACK....and this is a very long blog.

It has been much to long since my last post and I have learned a lot since that last post. Since my last entry I visited New York City and had a life changing experience at the UN. I had a rejuvenating visit to Utah for my Grandparents 50th Wedding Anniversary and joined with the millions of other Bostonians who had to move on the 1st of September. I fell into a relationship and fell out of a relationship, I started school and hosted Apartment FEST I and II where Val and friends painted our room, made IKEA furniture, target and hardware store stops, bought a loft bed off of Craigslist and got lost in Quincy for two hours trying to find the couple who we were supposed to pick the bed up from. I have been choreographing and working on getting an outreach group up and running. Life is busy, Life is beautiful and I KNOW THAT GOD LOVES ME!!



What I have learned about the UN:
The UN is overrated it is full of a lot of people trying to do the right thing but get caught in bureaucratic tape and seem to talk themselves in circles. The most powerful experience I had while in New York was coming to realize how real things such as rape, aids and global warming really are and how important it is to stand up and do something about those who have been abused.
Something that I was really struck with was how much I need to be reaching out to others and using my talents to help those in need. In many ways I was out of place at this conference as a dance major it seemed funny to be rubbing shoulders with the owners and entrepreneurs of NGO’S and NPO’S from all over the world, but then I realized I can use my art to help raise funds for specific groups that I feel really driven and passionate about. My voice can be heard, it’s simply a matter of going out and “making my day work.” it made me realize that what I chose to do with my life is important and I began to finally feel at peace for choosing to live this creative and unconventional life style. For a long time I would always down play that fact that I wanted to pursue the arts but after talking to a lot of different people at this conference the spirit bore witness to me that this is what I am supposed to be doing right now and I can do a great deal of good with the talents that God has blessed me with.
Something else that really struck me while in New York was the power of our law and our freedom of speech and ability to voice what we believe to be true and right and how important it is to have righteous lawyers and judges. There are so many people in today’s world without integrity that would be willing to sell someone out for three pieces of silver and frankly it scares me, and it causes me to wonder what has happened to the honest and valiant?

mmmm...wow I feel like this is starting to sound like I have lost faith in humanity… I haven’t, but I was awakened into truly realizing that we get on our knees and pray to God with all our might and then get up off our knees and go to work following the commandments with integrity and steadfastness because this is how we are able to accomplish great things and truly help our brothers and sisters. When we have lawyers and judges who understand this concept it becomes easier to rely on

So relationships are funny things, actually they are beautiful and I truly have gained a testimony of relationships because I believe that that is what this life is about: Relationships and change. As I have grown closer to my Savior my hope in humanity has grown helping my faith increase and become brighter and my ability to really feel of the pure love of Christ, which is Charity, charity towards all those with whom I associate with.
On a side note a friend of mine sent me this quote and I liked it, if you change the ending to say that the “ greatest relationship of all is between you and God.”

"I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging, and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself."

Along with learning about relationships with others and with GOD I have felt extremely empowered as a women in the 21st century with painting our apartment paying rent, electricity, an gas bills. I love life, it is hard, stressful, and beautiful!!

I'M 21 !

I'm really terrible at taking pictures so I have to give credit to every single one of the pictures on my blog to someone else, most of them come from my very talented and amazing friend Katasha Cox, if you have not checked out her blog or know who she is please click on her name on the right hand column because she is fantastic, her birthday is in July and she loves the color red...what more do you need in order to be kindred spirits? No, but really she is fantastic and we got to share our Birthday party together, we had a whole bunch of our friends over for cake and ice cream and it was a lot of fun! I felt so blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people, although I was not with my family I was so grateful for my loving roommates and friends who have literally become my Boston family!

Right now I am 21, still single, living in Boston, dancing, and spiritualy progressing.