"Here's to now." -108 Degrees South

So here I am... sitting on my bed, just having made the last payment to the water filter company. All debts are settled, all filters are installed, and all the schools now have the technology to keep their children healthy. It's been a long road, and it's one I never thought I would walk down in the first place. Thank you to everyone: First Baptist Church Somerset, FBC Richmond, Ward Correll, Maria and Haavard Kirste, Glenn Marshall Elementary and everyone who gave no matter how large or small the amount. I would also like to thank Madhu Sareen, my partner in this whole thing. I literally could not have done this without her and I know she will continue to be a good friend the rest of my life. 

It has been a blessing, a privilege, and a challenge to have undergone this whole thing. God pretty much threw me a curve ball at me back in November when I realized how big the project was going to become. However, the Clean Water Project is something I will remember and hold on to for the rest of my life. This is my final post on this blog. Thank you for keeping up with me and for encouraging me to do more. 

Over $14,000 went into this. 

Thousands of children now have a better chance at being healthy.

I am relieved.

I am thankful.

I am happy. 

I love you all.

Morgan

“All's well that ends better.” -J.R.R. Tolkien

Today we finished up the last five schools, even the one that was about an hour away. We made it! A part of me can't believe that it is all pretty much complete. This project has been in the works for almost 2 years now and to finally sit back and say it's done is very strange and very satisfying at the same time. Like I have said before, exams are right around the corner for these students. As a result, today, all but one school had a "study" day where the children did not have to attend. Although I was not able to see the students, I was able to spend more time with the faculty and they told me a more in-depth story about their schools. Without further a due, here are the last 5:

I was surprised that the Government Girls Secondary School Kothariya is still in the Udaipur school district. After one hour in the car, winding around severe mountain roads (which are terrifying by the way) we reached the school. Even though school had let out an hour previously, the staff stuck around to give us this warm welcome. They placed so many flowers around my neck I joked that I looked like I had a shirt made of yellow flowers. This school, despite begin so far out, was still extremely impressive. I came to learn the students have continuously scored high on all board exams and have also district level awards in both Judo and Table Tennis. The school does not have enough staff to teach all of the subjects, however that had not stopped them. The teachers take turns going around and filling in for the subjects that are missed. I was amazed at their passion for the students!

Government School Neemuch Khera caters to all the children within a one kilometer radius. Most are tribal children with parents in the working or farming class. The teachers tried to describe to me how dedicated they were to their children and because of this they promised to get this filter up and running in two days. Because of the children's backgrounds, they sometimes have problems in attendance. However, the teachers have a good relationship with the community and even make house visits when children have not attended in some time.

The Government Senior Secondary Girl’s School Sunderwas was the third stop on our tour this morning and unfortunately we did not get to spend a lot of time speaking with the faculty. They held a small ceremony for us and placed flowers around our necks to honor us. Their girls were currently on holiday to study for exams so I was unable to meet them. The teachers however, were all dressed up in pretty sari's and kept saying "thank you" over and over until we had to leave. 

I was able to spend quite a bit of time talking to the principal of the Government School Gorrela. He said that the children come from very rough backgrounds and most need a lot of motivation to care about their education. The teachers are their main motivators since many families in the area have some sort of alcohol dependency and the idea of education over work isn't common. During the harvesting season, the school has trouble keeping stable attendance because many of the families require their children to help with the work. The faculty does everything possible to emphasize how important education is and encourages families to motivate their children to go to school.

Government School Dhikali is in a very remote area. Over 70% of all students are from a stricly farming families and 60% of students are also girls. At first I was very proud of this fact, that girl children might be more concerned with their education. However, the principal said that most families send the girls to school because they are safer there than at home while their families are at work. This was quite shocking to me and I can't imagine what kind of environment these children must grow up in. On a happy note, this school does receive quite a bit of government help with things like new bathrooms, supplies, and equipment since they have next to nothing.

So, that completes the list of schools that were involved in this project. Tomorrow I'm sure I will write a post all about my feelings and such, but for now I am just content to see all this hard work be for something. Thank you again everyone who gave money, prayed, and supported me. You are loved and I can rest easy now knowing that your money (and finally ALL of your money) has been put to a wonderful, beautiful use. Until tomorrow....

"My experience has been that work is almost the best way to pull oneself out of the depths." -Eleanor Roosevelt

This morning we were able to visit 4 more schools, leaving only 5 more to go! One school is almost an hour away... a very rural school but still within the Udaipur school district. I hear they were in desperate need of this filter so I am glad they were included in this project. However, that will take a very long time to reach. It was my hope that we would finish school visits on Friday but we will see if that happens. So far we have installed in:

Government Primary School Dakan Kotra: A primary school that feeds into the Secondary school (who also received a RO filter). They got into little lines and were so patient as we took this picture, I was impressed. Their school is very far out from the city and I know for sure that this will have a huge impact on their lives, especially being so young.

Government Secondary School Dakan Kotra is also quite far out from the city and is about a 10 minute drive from its Primary school. I was given a tour of the school and when I entered each classroom, the students stood up and greeted me with an english song asking "How are you? I hope you're well!" It was a lovely visit and the students are getting this filter at a perfect time since exams are only days away! Getting sick would be a terrible thing for them right now because tests are never fun... even more so if you have a tummy ache!

The students from the Government Secondary School Nella lined the roads to show us the way to their small rural school. The principal came out to greet us and said over and over how important this filter is for his students. While waiting on the children to finish their lunch break, the principal brought us all water from the filter. Then, he asked one of the girls to go get a glass of water from the source they had previously used. As she brought the glass back, I saw dirt and black residue floating all around the bottom of the cup. The weather is so hot now, the children had no other choice than to drink lots of this dirty water before the filter was installed. This example and the way the principal was talking assured me that this school definitely appreciates this gift.

The looks on these student's faces from the Gurukul Madyamik School in Sector Fourteen cracks me up! They sat there and listened as the principal told them about their new filter and how it would benefit their health and education. These kids were small, especially the last row on the right (who were also getting hot in the sun) so listening for a long period of time must have been difficult. Hence these grumpy faces. It made me laugh because it reminded me that kids are kids no matter where they grow up. And just like kids back home, the students at Gurukul Madyamik School now won't have to work about the water the drink, they can just be kids.

“Just this once, let it be easy.” -Cynthia Lord

I have heard over and over the saying that hard things are the things worth doing. If you Google this, you will find that Steve Jobs, Theodore Roosevelt, and Tupac have all said (in slightly different syntax) a life spent facing difficult situations is the best kind. This project has challenged me in ways I never thought and to finally see the outcome almost doesn't seem real. 

Finally, I am back in Udaipur to complete this project once and for all. I am so excited that all of the donations that have had to sit in my bank account for 4 weeks are finally being put to a wonderful purpose. This morning I went to the Government Senior Secondary School Bhuwana which had their RO filter installed just this morning. The principal was happy and even though I didn't get to spend much time with the students since they were in the middle of exams, many of them said their "Thank You's" and gave me shy smiles and waves as we took pictures.

I have done the numbers. Granted, I am really bad with anything resembling a math equation but I feel like I have run through these enough that they are accurate. I will be able to install in a grand total of 18 government schools by the end of this project (aka Sunday). That is far more than my original plan of... one. I never thought I could do this. I never thought I would be supported by over $13,000 of donations. I never thought I was capable to make fair business deals with people who didn't speak my language. I never thought any of this could happen in general I guess. But maybe that is why it happened... because I wasn't the one who made this happen anyway. 

So far, 9 schools have received access to clean drinking water. They are:

Government Girl’s Senior Secondary School Ambamata who received a Waterstep M100 back in November. They are wonderful, bright girls who also helped me train the next school on how to use the M100.

Government Senior Secondary School Badgaon who received the other M100 system and went out of their way to show their appreciation with this small ceremony. Their campus is GORGEOUS and in this picture you can see the canopy of pink flowers that provide shade for the children during their lunches or gatherings outside. 

Government Secondary School Devali was quite cute because as I approached the school, the boys were leaning their heads over the 2 story balconies to see us arrive. With this school, I was not able to stay long because there were also exams going on, but they were extremely positive and excited to receive this gift. They also loved my iPad and the fact that I was taking pictures... so I took this picture of them. As you can see, there were quite enthusiastic after I showed them this and I'm about 60% sure I got them in trouble with their principal for being too loud. Oops...

Government Senior Secondary Boy’s School Bedla School is located in the middle of one of the old Forts of Udaipur. Therefore, the campus it literally like a school in the middle of an old Indian castle. Because who wouldn't want to get their education in a castle??? The boys and I got to have a long chat about why it was important to drink clean water and they promised me that they would use this filter every day (aka they promised not to drink out of the tap even though it was a few steps closer than he filter. That may sound dumb, but it's totally a factor in people drinking clean water).

Bal Samiti School near Jain Mandir Devali is the school for Destitute Girls that Glenn Marshal raised the funds for. The girls made cards for the GM children their age who had sold Valentine's Day grams to pay for their filter. Also, I interviewed the girls on what makes a good leader. Mostly, the they told me that a leader told the truth, was responsible, and was good at giving orders and having people listen to her. I was very impressed with the education and care these girls, most completely orphaned, were getting through this government school. Even though they did not have families, you could tell how much their school meant to them and how their classmates had become like sisters. 

I don't play favorites, but the Prayas Sansthan Bhuwana School hit home for me. It is a special needs school that is far from the city. Like the Bal Samiti School, all these children are orphaned. However, unlike Bal Samiti, they are orphaned not because their families are dead, but because their families didn't want to deal with their disabilities. I was shocked to learn that even one was the daughter of an influential government official who just couldn't deal with her daughters condition. It broke my heart because I thought of the special needs boys I work with at Mother Teresa's and how much joy they bring to my life. I couldn't imagine parents not wanting them. Anyway, the school's principal is called Papa because they love him so much and he takes care of them around the clock. The waste water from the RO filter will also be used in their garden that the children are taught how to grow. Pretty cool stuff.

Prayas Sansthan Bhopalpura School is the younger campus of Bhuwana but still serves special needs. I'm pretty sure it feeds into the older school as well. I was able to go in and play a bit with the tiny kids and there was on little girl with down syndrome who grabbed my finger for a full five minutes before I convinced her I had to go. I wasn't mad about it.

Devi Annapurna School in Sector Three was nothing short of an overload of adorable. There were children of all ages seated orderly in little lines waiting on us to arrive. We were not told beforehand, but they had readied a presentation for us in order to thank me for the RO filter. Several of the girls did dances for me and were dressed in traditional indian clothes (and they were SO SO SO good. I tried to show one below so you all could see what I'm talking about). I was able to speak to them through my lovely partner Madhu at the end. I told them how much God loves them and no matter what, no dream they come up with is too great that they cannot accomplish it. The teachers told me at the end that they thought God had sent this to them and I responded with "Well, I think you are right."

Like I said, this morning I was able to go to Government Senior Secondary School Bhuwana school. The principal was told this morning that the filter would be installed and in less than two hours (record time for this place, let me tell you) he was able to get a hole drilled into the wall so that plumbing and pipes would allow the filter to be used immediately. That just goes to show how much this technology is needed and appreciated. If the principal understands how important clean water is for his students, I know the whole school system will take up the efforts to teach the children to take responsibility for their own health.

From now until Sunday I will be installing 9 more filters... basically what I am saying is that I will be running around after the filter company installs these things and I will be meeting the students, listening to the faculty, and seeing the schools that receive filters. I am very excited... and also very anxious to get it all done. I have to be back in Kolkata to teach english orientation at Mother Teresa's on Monday or I could stay longer... but when you make a promise to a nun I hear that it is advised you keep it. Angry nuns are quite terrifying, and that's coming fro a protestant. More to come tomorrow!

"More than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow."

I have never been someone who says "God said this..." Or "Jesus told me this..." I have faith in God's plan yes, but unlike Samuel I have never heard a voice magically call my name from the sky and tell me the plan for my life or what socks I should wear that day. I'd imagine it would sound somewhat like Morgan Freeman in an amphitheater though. However, for me, God speaks in moments, in doors opening, and through other people's actions and words. Things that reassure and timing that couldn't be anything but a work of the divine, have been my guides thus far. Today I have been humbled, amazed, overwhelmed, and heartbreakingly grateful. Today I have been assured that this is where I was supposed to be. Today... I have been donated enough money to install 13 more filters. Yes. That I said 13!!! I don't have a final total, but ball park we are talking $8,000!

I reread the email from First Baptist Somerset twice before I could tell my partner, who was sitting across the dinner table, why I had frozen mid-sentence. We had hoped for maybe 4 more filters... Optimistically. But 13.... Whoa! We needed to start calling people... As soon as we picked ourselves up off the floor.

First of all... This means I will have to return to Udaipur for a third time. I promised to do this and that means I will see it to completion. I would stay an extra week now except something special is happening next week which has been planned for a long time... My mother and my friend Jenny are coming to India!! Therefore, after they leave I will head back over and see this work is done and all donations are used up completely.

But to backtrack... This week:

Today, 5 filters have been installed. I will visit these schools tomorrow and the next day. In addition the company can install 5 more systems by Thursday which I can oversee. All in all, 11 systems (10 Indian RO filters, and 1 Waterstep chlorine generator) will be installed while I have been here. I will visit all of these schools to get their stories and meet the children who will be using these filters before I go. This morning I was able to go to the Dewali school and met the girls there. I will write their full story tomorrow, but it's a good one. Tomorrow I visit them again in the morning because we're gonna color some thank you cards for the students at Glenn Marshall Elementary who raised the money for their filter. It's gonna be so fun!! Coloring is best!!

Everyone, thank you so much. Words can't describe the good that has been done here. Things have fallen into place and I have been connected to people who have made this project bigger than I ever thought possible. One of my biggest saving graces has been Madhu Sareen, my partner in this who has negotiated and coordinated literally everything for me. I know, without a doubt, I could not have done ANY of this if I didn't have her at my side. She has taken care of me when I was really sick (last November), motivated me when I was getting fed up with how hard this work has been, and has shown herself to be one of the most honest and trustworthy individuals I know.

Everyone at home, thank you for believing in me. I'm young. I make mistakes. Sometimes I don't really know what I'm doing. And most recently I have underestimated just how much God can do. When we pray for help, what happens when God answers more than we thought possible? What happens when we want our cup to "overfloweth" but then we get so much it covers the floor and the living room and the basement too? As my dear friend Maria said when she received too many donations from Norway for her Christmas project, "Ya know....This isn't a bad problem to have." She was right, this is the best problem to have.

This is a story about people willing to give their resources to children they haven't even met, living in a place on the other side of the world. It's the best kind of love story. I am truly and completely blessed to be here. More to come tomorrow.

"The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence." -Denis Waitley

Today I am pleased to announce that the Badgaon Government Senior Secondary School received and were trained on how to use the M100 chlorine generator made by Waterstep!!  I am super pleased with this, not only because everything worked out perfectly, but because I know this school both deserves it and will be responsible in maintaining it. The school itself is quite beautiful, sitting at the base of a hill and shaded by a canopy of pink and red flowers. The students were just as beautiful, happy, and eager to learn.

One of the best parts was that my girls from Ambamata (the government school I trained back in November) were able to come out for a short time and help me teach. That was truly one of the highlights of my week: seeing these 16 year old girls take on a teaching role that will benefit other students in their community. The training itself was easy and the students caught on quickly. After requiring them to carry out the whole process by themselves, I was satisfied that they could do it from here on out. I will be back on Friday to check on everything one last time and drink a glass of that water with them!

As for installing the Indian filters... Over the past two days we (Yes, I mean Madhu. My miracle worker) have negotiated with the companies and have found one cheaper than we originally thought! Each RO (reverse osmosis) filter and the purchase of a black storage tank will be around $600! Wahoooo! At this current moment, unless I get more donations this week, I will be installing these RO filters in 5 different schools! Super exciting! All of this will be done by Wednsday and I will write the individual story for each school. Some of these schools guys.... they have amazing stories. One school is for destitute children who live in the actual campus. Another is a special needs school (yes, I literally jumped up and down when I received that assignment) and even others are from low income families. I know a source of pure water will make a huge impact on these schools and the children and I cannot wait to go and meet them all individually. More updates to come! Love you all!

Again, if you wish to donate to this project from now until Wedn. please go to http://waterstep.org/donate/ and then say it is for me for the India project! Please and thank you!

"Nobody said it was easy..." -Coldplay

Day Two ladies and gentleman!

Today was a slower day than anticipated, however I have some exciting news! We are (and by we I mean the amazing Madhu) is ensuring we are getting the best RO Indian filter systems for the best price. We have met with two different providers who are currently competing for our affections. Whoever promises us the best service, product, and price will land this project with us. I can already say the price for each filter will already be under $700. The exact amount as of this time, will be finalized tomorrow when we decide On the provider. So, yay! After this, filters should be installed almost daily if not more frequently.

We are looking at Sunday to be the first day of installation and the school which will receive it is amazing. More details on that tomorrow!

So it looks like even more filters will be installed with just the money we have raised so far! How amazing is that?? Keep praying, keep thinking about all of us here in Udaipur, and let's see what tomorrow brings!

Fun fact: Tomorrow is International Water Day!

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much!" -Helen Keller

Here I am, on a Thursday afternoon smiling like a little kid because I'm realizing how awesome the next 8 days are about to be. I am in Udaipur again and will begin installing water filtration systems in government schools in this city. If you have read my previous posts, you know it has been a long and hard road that brought me to this point. Plans have changed, problems have been overcome, and finally my dream for the children of Udaipur will soon be made a reality.

When the district officer for education challenged me back in November to do more work for additional schools, I had not idea what that meant. What was I capable of? Would people trust me with their money? Could all those plans come together and be a real thing? Even still there was that voice in the back of my head saying "Okay no, this is going to be too hard. Seriously Morgan, it's too much for you. You did something nice for one school and you don't owe anyone anything else."

Except..... I knew that voice was wrong. I am supposed to be here and I know it is a work of God that everything has been given to me like it has. I was born into a supportive family, given a strong education, and have invaluable resources at my disposal. I have wonderful people backing me like Madhu and Dr. Sareen, Sundhiya, all of the incredible folks at Waterstep, and both my church congregations of First Baptist Somerset and Richmond. I have a desire to help as much as I can and to stop at anything short of that would be wrong.

So, everyone... The story so far. This morning I went over to the school where I installed a Waterstep M100 system back in November. I was pleased to find that not only was it working... The school had taken it and modified it to meet their needs. The tanks were now on the roof, the pipes were linked to the faucets downstairs and the M100 was fixed to the wall. The school had made the system easier to use than I even knew how to set up. So that was cool to see. They had taken ownership of it, put in their own efforts, and were proud at all they had accomplished (and so was I).

So here is the game plan. Indian filter systems are used in homes all throughout India. I have one in my own apartment in Kolkata. They also make them on a large-scale model which are used in larger buildings like schools. Since Waterstep's M100 is extremely good for areas without electricity or running water, I will try to install the one I brought with me in a rural government school. As for the other schools in Udaipur, the best and most efficient way to bring clean water to the most schools is through Indian RO filter systems. Today I am meeting with several different filter companies to find one that will meet the demands of the schools and will give me a cheap price... ish. As of now each system is estimated at around $700. Meaning I have enough to fit 4 schools with Indian RO filters. However, I want to do more than this. If I am able to raise enough for 4 or 5 more filters, this project will be recognized throughout the state of Rajathan. Not that I want any credit, but that means more attention will be given tot the government schools in Udiapur. Maybe that way they will have more aid thrown their way for books, or teachers, or opportunities in general. Who knows, but more awareness never hurt anyone.


So here begins this little adventure and I will be diligent in filling everyone in on the details. Your support, love, and prayers mean the world to me. I would not be here without you! Let's see what God has in store of this place!

!!!IMPORTANT THING!!!
I will be taking donations all during this week if you want to help further this project. It's super easy! Go online to http://waterstep.org/donate/ and specify your donation is for me! Thanks guys!

"Hope rises in love."

Practicing while in bed with a fever!

 If you've been wondering why I have not been able to update you on the state and location of the chlorine generator, well... I was dying! Okay not really but almost really. I reached Udaipur on a Thursday afternoon and from that night until Sunday I had a fever that prevented me from leaving bed for more than a couple hours. It was miserable! I had come to Udaipur to finally install the M100 chlorine generator into a school that didn't have clean drinking water, and the very first day I fell ill. It was hard to handle, especially knowing I had a limited amount of time to install and teach it before returning to Kolkata. However, I know SO SO many of you were praying for me and the support from back home was tremendous. Dr. and Madhu Sareen took extremely good care of me though and with medicine and sleep, I was fine by Monday morning.

What the girls were
drinking out of

So then, the water project... I am happy to say that everything went well during installation. It was decided that instead of installing at the bigger school with a thousand plus girls (who already had one filter), I would be at a school of 400 that had no (I repeat ZERO) source of clean water. In fact, the faucets they were drinking out of were dirty and unkept. It was that much more important then for the M100 to be installed here instead of the bigger school. I was able to talk to my friends at Waterstep a couple of days before to work out some key points in my teaching and have a refresher course on the system. (Shout out to Natalie Hymer and Nathan Rider! You guys are life savers!) I stared out teaching 20 girls from grades 9th and 10th. This way, the girls would be responsible for their own clean water, which not only teaches accountability but also allows for empowerment of young girls. Pretty cool if you ask me. So with what started with a group of 20 girls, ended up being
about 45 girls crammed around me watching us build the system. My translator's name was Sandhya Bhatt and she was so amazing in how she translated everything I said, word for word. Additionally she was someone the girls respected greatly, which was shown by how they hung on her every word.

My aim was to make the girls excited about having a way to get clean drinking water. If they were excited, then they would work hard to make it happen every day. I knew the system would require a little bit of daily maintenance, so it was that much more important to make the girls understand they were capable of running the system themselves. Training took a long time. I arrived around 10:30 and stayed until 4. Mostly I had the girls build the system, glue and cut the pipes, move the tanks, and do all the small things that gave them a better understanding how simple the system was to build and therefore easy to fix.

The M100 pumps chlorine gas into the tanks, which kills virtually everything inside. Because of this, there must be a waiting period until enough chlorine gas leaves the water to make it safe to drink. The teachers and I agreed the easiest way to operate this would be to chlorinate the tanks each afternoon before the girls leave for the day,  then by the next morning, they would be ready as soon as the girls got to school.

The coolest part was the next day, when Sandhya and I took the first drinks of clean water, followed by my team of girls. I guess I've read about this and trained about this for so long that I lost understanding that this system literally saves lives. Water is actually made CLEAN. As in
I can drink it too and be healthy. It was a really humbling and encouraging moment for me. This work was really hard and I could not have done it without the help of so many friends, sponsors, and even strangers here. I am blessed to say that will all this help, now 400 girls and their teachers have access to clean drinking water and can do it themselves. No outside help, no reliance on a foreign party, and actually no men haha. So thank you for your belief in me and in this project. Who knows what opportunities will present themselves after this? I am blessed beyond belief by what this process has taught me and the friends I have made along the way.  There is a lot more need in the schools in Udaipur, I understand. What started as one chlorine generator for one school branched out to help another. That wasn't my original idea at all and it seemed very random and unbelievable to have changed how it did. That is why I trusted it, because usually that's how God's plan works.

As for the Blind school, don't worry. I was able to give them something too. Because of one donor we were able to get all new desks and benches for the boys so they don't have to sit on the floor anymore. This less fancy but they are an essential need because they will provide a better learning environment for the boys, especially since they will have designated desk space for their books instead of the floor. I won't get to see this in completion but it has been taken up by the local Rotary club in Udiapur (thanks Madhuji) and so I know without a doubt it will be completed responsibly and efficiently so the boys will be benefited soon.

All in all, Udaipur was hard but I am so blessed to have had everything happen like it did. Thanks again everyone. I couldn't have done it all without you. I really, really mean that!

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” -Rabindranath Tagore

I have a relative game plan now! Wahoo!

I met with the DO in charge of education for Udaipur and showed her the M100 to see if there were any schools she knew of that needed clean water  As it turns out, there is a huge school in the city that serves roughly 1,200 girls annually. They do have a filter, but it is not big enough to serve the entire student body. Therefore, her plan was for me to build the chlorine generator in that school and compare it to the filter. Suddenly, this system will go from serving 40 students to 1,200. Whoa!

Another really cool thing that happened was, I impressed the DO who wondered if we could continue a partnership for all the schools under her care in the future. I told her I
am young and don't have the resources a huge NGO would have, but I would help out if I could. Therefore, I might have the opportunity to continue serving the schools in Udaipur later in my life. The blind school is also under her care because it is a public school, so maybe I can talk with her more about specific needs they may have now that clean water isn't an issue.

I have decided to wait until the huge holiday of Dewali is over before I complete this project. For one, I need some time to regroup and contact some people about how to make this able to serve over 1,000 girls a day. Additionally, if I come back  after the holiday, I will be able to see all the boys in the blind school (which I so want to do) as well as teach the girls at the new school how to use the M100. You see, they are gone for Dewali holiday as well. The last really amazing thing was all the relationships and connections I made during this time. Ever since coming to India the idea of someday opening my own NGO will not leave my head. I can't explain it, just like I couldn't explain the need I had to come to India in the first place. When I get crazy ideas like this I can almost hear God yelling at my stubborn self to do them haha.

I spoke with my friend Samvit about NGO's in general and he shared some great wisdom about many aspects of the field. Above all, he talked about how the motives behind your work are the most important. Also, I visited the family I grew close to last summer: Jamila, Mustafa, and Alifya. I missed them so much that I'm pretty sure I tackle hugged all of them the moment I walked in the door. Also, let me take a minute to talk about my host family from last year, the Sareens. First of all everything I will say about them they wouldn't ever brag about themselves. As a couple, Madhu and Dr. Sareen do more for their community than I've ever seen anyone be willing to do. As a medical doctor, Dr. Sareen has treated probably thousands of people in his lifetime and most out of only charity. Madhu has one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen and if I could be more like her I think I'd be doing alright.
As a principal and huge philanthropist in Udaipur, her network and connections were able to get a location for my project the very next day!

All in all, my project will continue after Dewali (second week of November-ish) and until that time I will return to Kolkata to continue my work there. Never thought I'd say this with only 2 weeks away from it, but I miss my city with all the Daya Dan and New Light kiddos. So, with God's help, this story will continue later. For all those involved with this project, be expecting a call from me soon! ;)

Actual picture of me taken at 3:15 am

Oh an on a completely unrelated note, while I was in Udaipur I had the weirdest medical incident in probably my whole life! Oh India.... A mosquito bit me on the top lip while I was asleep. Yes, I realize how silly that sounds. My top lip swelled up the size of a cherry at 3 am. No joke, it was huge, I was super ugly, and it wouldn't go away!!!!!! Luckily Dr. Sareen gave me some Indian drugs and it shrunk to a reasonable size (only about an hour before I met the DO of education haha!)

"She knocked and waited, because when the door was opened from within, it had the potential to lead someplace quite different.” -Laini Taylor

Today I went to the school with to further discuss my project and how we were going to get started even with the miscommunication about my arrival. After talking for several minutes, it became clear that the goal of my project was actually taken care of already. The Rotary Club installed a huge water purifier in the school only 2 or 3 months ago. One of the teachers said he knew about my project but when the rotary club came and offered a source of clean water, it was better to go ahead and get the boys clean water sooner rather than later. I agree with this wholeheartedly. The health of the boys over the implementation of my plan is hardly a comparison. They said the M100 is a great idea, but not necessary anymore for the needs of the boys at the school. Instead I probably had resources that could help these boys in other, more essential an relevant ways. He said he will let me know what those ways are soon.

So, where does that leave me and where do I go from here? I'm not going to lie, I was pretty let down when things turned out differently than I had expected. It's hard not seeing my boys after traveling so far, and the M100 will not be for them anymore. However, I think some things happen for a reason, especially those that don't make sense. I have all this training and knowledge about water health and hygiene, purification, and sustainability. I have financial and moral support from loved ones back home. I am in a place that I know has deep need of clean water. So... what to do?

Tomorrow morning I am meeting with some people and will hopefully get a list of some rural schools that don't have access to clean drinking water. These could be normal public schools or special needs ones, but I will not know until these meeting happen.

As I've been attempting to form a new game plan, I have been thinking a lot about NGO's, cultures, and mission work involving the two. When people want to give money, it is easy to make charity sound perfect and that everything works according to plan. The children will always remember the foreigners who came and helped, the people of the community will be overly grateful and understand your efforts, and most things will be organized and run accordingly to plan. I think sometimes, yes, this scenario becomes a reality. However, when one deals projects like this in other countries and communities, there must be an understanding that things could go completely wrong. Perfection is NOT important. You will not have a fluffy feel-good story sometimes. Things will annoy you. Upset you. Disappoint you. But perfection is not the reason anyone does charity, is it?

As my friend Tim told me, you can have the best intentions in the world but if you can't face disappointment or failure: nothing will be achieved. I think that is a misconception some people have about mission work. When things go differently, it's not that your work is a failure. If at this time you were to give up, then yes, it would be a great failure indeed! However, getting past the change and deciding to take up something different than what you originally intended, then that can lead to benefiting people and improving lives.

I have good intentions. I have the ability. And I'm not planning on giving up. We will see what tomorrow brings. In the meantime, keep me in your thoughts and prayers. A door has to open somewhere right? 

"And so we go..." -D.J. Machale

So a quick update: I am now in Udaipur after spending a wonderful week with my father in Delhi. I am so happy to be back here where my love for India first started. Tomorrow I go to the school to check things out. Sadly, there was a miscommunication and today actually started a two week holiday for the boys at the school. Therefore, most are gone back to their homes and I will not be able to see them on this trip.

Hema, the girl who works in the Sareen's house.
She's pretty great.... And she's gotten so tall!!!

Despite this, tomorrow I am excited to go and buy the equipment for the M100 chlorine generator and figure out the logistics of this thing! I am so grateful to the people who have helped me along the way and I am truly blessed to finally be here. I am staying with my host family that I spent a month with with last summer. They are wonderful, wonderful people who are connected to the blind school. My host mom, is even wiling to help me during this the water treatment project. She is definitely a go-getter and I am so lucky to have her help. So, keep me in your thoughts an prayers!

Let's do this thing!

I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love. -Mother Teresa

This is a post that is long overdue. Ever since I left my boys in Udaipur, I wanted to give back to them in some substantial way. Here is what has happened this past year:

The M100 generator can
create 10,000 gallons of clean
water a day!

One of my best friends, Natalie Hymer, is going to save the world someday. She works for an organization called Waterstep (formerly Edge Outreach) in Louisville KY. They are a Non-profit that installs water purification pumps and treatment systems ALL over the
world. Not only do they enable these communities to have access to clean water, but they also empower them by training local people how to fix the filtration systems/pumps if they break. Therefore, individuals who use the pumps and filtration systems don't have to rely on any outsider to obtain clean drinking water.

I was talking to Natalie about my trip to Udaipur and I realized that the boys didn't really have a constant source of clean water. It's not really something I thought about, but I now realize that they ran to get me water before and even though I thanked them, I couldn't drink it because I knew it was city water from the sink. I also remembered taking one of the boys to the hospital because he was vomiting. I am not saying that it was due to water-born sickness, but I wouldn't rule it out. So, when I mentioned it to Natalie, she said that Waterstep would be onboard.

Full system

The first step was to get my story out. I had a basic idea of how to do this, but I needed lots of help. I sat down with President Crouch at Georgetown College and explained what I wanted to do. On November 15th I gave the only Deborah Lecture every given by a student at the college. This is special at Georgetown because the speakers in those lectures are supposed to exhibit "great courage" or experienced something significantly special in life. However, it was not me that had such courage, but my boys Udaipur. This lecture was also important because it put me in touch with the Mukherjee family, who were invited by President Crouch.

Dr. Mukherjee and his wife welcomed me into their home and for the last semester of college I would go over and learn Hindi and eat Indian food. Not only that, but they took a

Learning how to build the system

special interest in the water project and donated enough to finalize my plans. Words can't describe how much I love that family and how grateful I am for everything they have done for me. With the money donated by both the Mukherjee family and the Deborah Lecture fund, I was able to train at Waterstep on water health and hygiene as well as purchase the M100 Chlorine generator.

The big issue was to figure out how to teach the M-100 and health and hygiene to blind

Gary Mudd and I after my tour of APH!

students. Waterstep had never taught their system to any community with disabilities before so they went above and beyond to help me with this desire for the blind school. They put me in contact with Gary Mudd and the folks at the Kentucky school for the blind and the blind printing house in Louisville. This is the largest community of blind individuals in the country. I got to train Gary Mudd (VP at the American Printing House) how to build
an M-100! Mr. Mudd is now a dear friend and his input in my water training was essential to its success because we discovered some challenges. The main problem for adapting the M100 to blind students was how to do the sight-based color chlorine test with boys who couldn't see it.

Blindfolding the Waterstep staff

It essentially is a color pool chlorine test, where the water has to turn a certain shade of yellow to show how much chlorine is in the water. Currently, we are exploring ways to allow the boys to become self sufficient in this chlorine test, and we hope it will be through the existence of talking lab technology. This technology will hopefully come over to India with my dad when I visit him in Delhi at the end of this month.

I plan on going to Udaipur at the end of the month and I am both extremely excited to see my boys and extremely nervous about how this project will go. However, I have had so much help along the way that I know I cannot fail now. As soon as I have more information on dates and the solution to the color test, I will post details. Until then <3

"You're already home where you feel love." -The Head and the Heart

I suck with goodbyes. I just hate that 'moving on' time when you know people aren't going to be a part of your life anymore. That being said, I have also put off writing this because, besides updates on my project, I know it will be my last one and I have a lot to say.

The goodbyes from my friends and host family were hard, but not as hard as the ones made at school. I hope to visit my friends from the states soon and my host family, well they are so connected with the US that I know I will eventually see them again. However, I may never see any of the boys at school for a number of reasons. They may not enroll again, they will grow up or be in different places, or I will never visit Udaipur again. Who knows?

The morning of my last day I bought gulab jamin (my favorite sweet) for all the teachers and staff. They then told me they were so sorry to see me go but would remember me every time they heard the expression "oh boy" which I used a lot (in response to some of their ridiculous questions).... Or whenever they ate gulab jamin again at school haha. I had mixed emotions about saying bye to some. I don't think I would miss a couple of their remarks to me haha.

After the teachers left, I got to say my goodbyes to the boys. Most were still at home for the rahki holiday so that almost made things easier. 

Dm and Bhavesh, the two older ones who can speak the best English, told me that they would be sad all day. As I was making my final rounds to say bye I had about 5 boys following me around, either holding on to my hands or my elbows or the tail of my scarf. It was a nice send off. I felt super loved. I guess I now know how Virenji feels when they walk around with him like that. Bhavesh even said as I was walking towards the gate, "You will never leave this place because you will be in our hearts." Those were the sweetest words he could have given me.

Little Amrit was by the gate playing cricket and he stopped to come say bye. He almost cried, but instead I started singing "twinkle twinkle little star" and he sang along with me. I had taught all the boys that song the week before and he sang it to me every time he walked by. I figured that would be a good way to say bye to him. 

The boys opened the gate for me and, one by one, they finally let go of my hands. From there I walked a few streets over to Jamila's house.  I was able to say bye to her, Alifiya, and Mustafa which was really hard as well becuase I came to love that family with all my heart. The last goodbye I made was to the cook named Pinkie.  I came to her house and met pretty much her entire extended family. She cried, kissed me on both cheeks, hugged me forty times, gave me a coconut, and then put her bindi on my forehead. It was a lovely last visit with her.

I won't type out every other detail of the end of my trip. There were last minute things, of course, but they don't matter much. Except.... My taxi man to the airport was 30 min late and I thought I was going to miss my flight... Again. But that was the only real memorable thing.

As I'm flying back now, on the airplane from London to Chicago, I think I'm trying to process how I'm going to deal with everything. Everything I have experienced, seen, and learned will no doubt make differences in my normal life. I just don't know how yet. I am much more concerned that after spending lots of time in comfortable America again, I will forget the worldview I learned while being here. That would be a terrible loss. I don't want to take for granted things I am given freely. Or not so freely. I have learned that even if things come with a price, that still doesn't mean you get them after you've paid it. 

I have decided that my project for the boys will really begin now. In India, I could only speak a little bit of Hindi. I didn't know the culture. There wasn't much I could do besides love them, and thankfully I came in with that understanding. However, now is the time I know I can make a difference. I have to give a presentation to my college about this trip and in it, I will address the needs of the school and ask for help. I have many statistics, numbers, and project ideas written down that they require, but I think for now I will try to narrow my goals down to specific tasks. Like money for a headmaster so the teachers will be motivated to even go to class and students won't be sitting there wasting time. Or a hostel for girls so that blind village girls can get an education along with the village boys. I know that if I can share these stories with people, that there will be action. I plan on making a video of my trip as well that will no doubt end up in my presentation... And on Facebook probably. 

I realize this may sound a lot about money, but there is something I have learned. There are already people India who are better equipped, qualified, and able to do the tasks that I would want to undertake myself. It is not that I need to become someone who fixes things in the school, but instead my role would be to empower and finance those who can. So even though my time in India is over, this is the project that I have promised to overtake for the next year. If you are reading this, I would ask that you talk with me about it. Help me. Support me. But most of all pray for me that this will be something that works out and I can do. I look forward to everything this will mean and can't wait to see how people back home will respond to all my stories and ideas. 

So... To wrap it all up, I knew the second the wheels touched off the ground at Mumbai that I would miss this place and its people. I am now friends with individuals on the exact opposite side of the world. I can speak tori tori (a little) Hindi. I can take bucket baths. I can wrap a sari. I can chase down monkeys, barter with rickshaw wallas, and make chapatis. I have changed a lot and have grown in both confidence and experience. But above all, I have grown in love. That has been the best gift of all. I eagerly await the next time I will set foot on India soil. Until then, all my love. -Morgan <3

"Countries are different, but people are the same."-Miss Jamila

I have three days left after tonight. Part of me is excited. I know I'll be happy to return home to everyone I love and care about.... my homesickness has showed itself recently. Granted, I've been sick for the better part of the day. Being sick in India is not fun, especially when your friends drag u hiking... up to a temple... on a mountain...above all of Udaipur. Haha.

Despite all that, I will be so so so sad to leave at the same time. I almost feel like an entirely different person here. I mean my idea of what is important and what is not has changed. I have realized that back home, I've taken loads for granted. My worldview was skewed. Like how crazy is it that in America I can drink water from the sink, and that blind children are given tools for success, and that I never have to worry seriously about my safety after 9pm in my own neighborhood?

 There are people here I care about so much... My boys at school, my indian friends, Alyssa, Hisa, Jeselene, and the Sareen's. I think a little bit of myself wants to stay here in India with them forever. I didn't know them a month ago and it's crazy to think how important they have become to me in such a little time period. India has been everything I hoped it would be. I wish I could tell you all the differences it has made on me, but I probably haven't realized them all myself. I have learned the value of people, kindness, and toilet paper. I am less concerned about what is thought about me, and more focused on what makes me happy and passionate about life. 

Yesterday I made chapatis with the cooks at school (tortillas essentially). I made 40! It was awesome and super hard. The lady who was teaching me was making this gorgeous, perfectly round chapati and mine could barely even be called a circle. Haha! I got better though, as time went on. The cooks are great, and while I was sitting in there with them laughing about my horrible Indian cooking skills, one of the boys was sitting in there translating for me. His name is too complicated for me to say in everyday conversation, so he let's me call him DM. I don't have favorites at the school, but if I did he would be one of them.

Out of nowhere while he was translating for me he said, "Morgan didi, I feel like your life is like a movie." I froze from all chapati making and stared at him. If you've read any of my earlier blogs you will understand why. He added, "We are all characters in it. Then you will go to America..... Its a good movie. I will remember it always, until I'm old."

Seriously, that is what he told me. My mouth just hung open until one of the cooks fussed at me for taking too long. I thanked him and told him how much I will miss everyone at school. So much affirmation about my trip to India was given to me by what DM said. The fact that I could have any impact on his life whatsoever, even as just a friend who knew him for some time, that means the world to me. It makes me smile now, just typing it.

This morning there was the Rakhi ceremony at school. Hisa went with me and helped me tie one on every boy's hand. It was really special to me. Idk, its ironic to think that all the boys have called me didi (sister) and then a holiday celebrating brothers and sisters would happen at the end of my time with them. I'm blessed. So blessed indeed.

Tomorrow I will say my goodbyes at school and then I will have the weekend to pack/relax/last minute frantic shop for gifts. I will probably write one more thing on here before I head home. Until then <3

"Oh the places you will go." -Dr. Seuss

I would say it was a pretty successful trip on the whole. We saw lots of things, went to a lot of places, never missed our trains, avoided rabies, and didn't die. Ultimate recipe for success right there.

Agra was by far my favorite of the two places. The Taj was absolutely gorgeous! Delhi was okay. I think it was just so big we didn't know where to go exactly. And our rickshaw driver was rude. Even so, we still had a lot of fun and there were several really really funny things that happened.

So at the Taj, Jeselene needed to go get something before we went in so I sat down to wait on her. It was hot, my hair was down... So I decided to fix that. I started braiding my hair. No big deal. Out of nowhere this old lady comes and starts braiding my hair for me. I said no like 5 times but she still did it anyway. And her granddaughter was precious and laughing so I didn't fight it too much. Anyway, this crowd also forms watching/videotaping/taking pictures. Why? Why would this be a big deal in India? Apparently it was and like 30 people stopped to watch this Indian woman braid my hair. Embarrassing. I'm pretty sure my face was red. One of the guys taking pictures looked at me after hearing I was from America and said, "You are like a celebrity to us!" Well, swell. Glad I could make someone's day. I got out of there as soon as Jeselene came back. She just looked at me bewildered and asked what happened. I really didn't know what to tell her haha. "Well Jas, a mob of people wanted to braid my hair...." The rest of the day we were either from South Africa or France depending on who asked us. 

Right after the Taj, we went to a huge tomb a couple of miles away and probably the funniest/most traumatic event of our trip happened.... We were attacked by monkeys. This is not a joke or an exaggeration. They ripped Jeselene's pants! We have proof!!! There we were, just sitting there taking pictures of a cute little heard of monkeys when I notice one is coming up behind me. As we both turn to look at it, another one (with a baby on her stomach. Talk about setting a bad example for your children) swoops in from the other side and grabs my bag. So what did I do? I leapt into action and chased after her. This causes another huge male monkey to chase after me. This whole time, Jeselene is screaming and standing there helpless with her hands in the air saying "I don't have my rabies shot! I don't have my rabies shot!!" Meanwhile all the tourists and Indian onlookers are just standing there watching the show. The girl monkey finally drops my bag after her baby monkey almost fell off her. So I grab it really quick and run away from the male monkey. I decide it would be a good idea to run and hide behind a tourist man and woman. I mean if they weren't going to help me, I might as well use them as a shield. The monkey chasing me eventually gave up, went over and grabbed Jeselene's bag and sat a couplet feet a way. I swear he maintained eye contact the entire time as he slowly ripped open her wrapped gifts. I'm serious, it was pure evil wrapped in a cute furry body. We kinda just sat there, Jeselene with her mouth open because a monkey was essentially eating her gifts, and me laughing hysterically because I couldn't believe it all just happened. I also decided it would be a good idea to throw my water bottle at the monkey so it would drop Jeselene's bag. Nope. Didn't work. Eventually this rugged looking indian man showed up, walked up to the monkey and grunted. Not kidding. He just grunted. The monkey then looked terrified and ran away. Well, if I had only known to grunt haha... The damage was minimal. Jeselene's pants, some bite marks on a keychain, but mostly just our dignity. I mean... I chased  a monkey. All dignity was gone. 

That night we got to sleep in a SUPER nice hotel. With air conditioning and fluffy beds. They also had American showers! The next morning we boarded our train at 5 in the morning and headed to Delhi. Like I said, it's huge. So unless u have a general idea of what to do, you probably need someone to show u around or tell you what to do. We saw India gate, Loti garden, and went to HARD ROCK CAFE!!!! Oh and we got Jeselene's nose pierced in the mall! Yay! A really quick note about the trains. We rode on an A/C sleeper which are considerably nicer. Apparently the ones without A/C are kinda dangerous at night. Anyway so the way a sleeper works, there are like 6 beds to a section. They are really small and get even smaller when you sleep with your backpack beside your head so it doesn't get messed with. Although this is advised so stuff does not go missing, it is still uncomfortable. However, my first sleeper train experience was a good one. 

I'm writing the from school this morning. This week is called Rakhi, and it's the brother/sister festival. The sister is supposed to tie a little bracelet on their brother's arm. In turn he promises to  be there for her all her life. It's quite precious. So, since the boys all call me didi, which means older sister, I got them all Rakhi. Many of the boys have already gone home to celebrate, but they will be back on Friday. Sadly Friday is also my last day. So so sad. I'm seriously gonna have a hard time leaving them.   I guess I have to make the best of this last week. Until then <3