would y'all like to know a little bit about where i live and who else i hang out with besides the girls at the protective home? ok! well, i'd be happy to tell you all about it. a man named cini happens to be a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend from my days volunteering at freedom firm. and cini, who knows just about everyone in town, connected me with a place called the maharashtra fellowship for the deaf -- otherwise known as the mfd. and the mfd is just down the road from the protective home. still with me?
and the mfd had a couple of rooms in the upstairs of a big house that they weren't using. and that is where i now live. it really is a blessing, because it is safe, has wifi, and also because it is so close to rescue foundation that i can walk there. i usually catch an auto rickshaw, but it is just a 5 - 10 rupee fair (10 - 20 cents). whee!!
here's a photo of the big house where i live.
my rooms are on the second floor behind that staircase that you see on the left side of the building. if you squint, you can see the door to my outer room is slightly ajar. i also have access to the roof, which is a pretty cool place to do exercises in the morning if i can get up before the sun gets too hot.
and here is the room where i spend most of my time when i am home.
most of the linens from an american family who have been in pune for five years and are now headed back to the states. thank you, dear janet!!
mfd is a boarding school for over 100 boys and girls who are deaf, and one of the cool things about living at mfd is that i never ever ever have to cook. at around 8 pm i just listen for the banging of metal bowls and ladles plates and cups -- i thought mfd would be a really quiet place to live, but it isn't!! -- and then i look out the window and down below to make sure they haven't started without me, and then i scurry downstairs and outside to the girls' dining area. and then one of the girls signs to me, asking if i want to have food, and i sign back and say yes, and when the buckets of food are toted over from the huge outdoor kitchen, one or two girls from each table pop up and get the rice and curry, and when it is all doled out, i get a plateful.
here is the dining area where we eat. it looks a little gloomy at night, but it is always fascinating.
i love it here and am learning some sign language, too. it's also very handy that i learned the american sign language alphabet years ago.
here's two of the 10th standard girls who are always so nice.
and here is a short video of sarubai, who is asking me if i want breakfast. this is the last breakfast of the school year for 9th standard and below.
[wpvideo 6LVCj6RM]
and that is my post for today. i hope you are having a fabulous week!!