first, i met our housekeeper Anna's new baby boy. Anna is the lady wearing blue. She is really neat, very kind and calm. Anna is Catholic, of which there aren't too many around here. She suffered a huge sadness a little over a year ago when her 12-year old son got ill and passed away. Anna has a 2-year old daughter, Jashina. The new baby's name is Tansik. The young woman wearing yellow is Anna's niece, who came from the villages to help with the baby - she'll also be able to learn Anna's trade. We'll write a letter of recommendation for her that hopefully will lead her to a decent job one day soon.
Anna and Tansik!
Auntie + baby
Also, one of our school janitors invited me to come to her house. She is another local lady who has become my friend. I went home with her after work last Saturday. We took a rickshaw to her neighborhood and home... one small room - husband, wife, 3 kids. When I was there the electricity was down... it was hot HOT and dark. We ate a birthday cake for her son, and her daughters played the harmonium and sang a few songs for the group of neighbors that had gathered.
on the way home, after our visit, I saw a community funeral pyre. It was bodies wrapped in sheets, placed in a circular fence-like structure with a huge bonfire in the middle. It was a strange feeling seeing that, but is a regular event and an affordable burial for many.
