Wednesday.

I felt so much better today. I am still not completely 100% , but definitely doing much better than yesterday. I felt well enough to go to my placement today. Oh how I love seeing those kids. Oh man how their smiles just light up any room. If only their smiles worked like antibiotics. They were so happy to see that I was back. Today the kids had an exam and it covered mostly the alphabet. Most of them did exceptionally well, and we did our best to help the others who were struggling. After their test we had playtime. The kids love to play with not only their classmates, but with some of the older kids from the other classes. One of the older girls in another class, her name is Shirivany, and she is so sweet. I tell her about my home back in America and she tells me about her siblings and what she wants to be when she grows up. She is awesome. She tells me she wants to go to school to be a teacher. Pretty amazing. After our placement we went back for lunch. After lunch we had a little field trip to Arkshadham Temple. The Swarminarayan Arkshadham (try sounding that one out haha) showcases the history of India's artwork, architecture, and spirituality. It was really cool, but not like your normal temple. This one felt more like a ride at Disneyland rather than a true authentic temple experience you would expect. First off, the temple was only built less than 10 years ago, so it is very new compared to most. Second, the way they introduce the history is through a 40 minute video in this huge movie theater. It bigger than most of the IMAX theaters back home. Very strange. And then finally, you get to enjoy this "boat ride" displaying India's rich past and all of its accomplishments. I put "boat ride" in quotes because it wasn't even a boat ride, that's just what they call it. You know that ride at Disneyland, It's A Small World? Well it was just like that only it was talking about India. It was just like an amusement park ride! While it was very informative, overall it just felt very weird. And then we just walked around the temple grounds and went inside. That part was super cool and absolutely beautiful! The marble carvings in the wall were gorgeous! Too bad cameras were not allowed anywhere near the attraction. It was perfect with the sunset. Bummer. But overall a much better day than yesterday, and I feel like I am slowly, but surely finding my niche here in Delhi. Just have to take it one day at a time. While there are some bad parts here, there are a lot of good parts and its those ones I have to remember. Hope you are all doing well at home and I am sending lots of love! Will post again soon and namaste!