Provide Care for 30 Vulnerable Children in India

I arrived at Dayspring Home a month ago. In a few days, I will go back to my country, 12,500 km away westward. As I think back to these past thirty days and I put in my backpack as many things as I can:

I take Makesh’s pertinence, Williams’ curiosity and Walla’s wisdom. I take Haraharan’s patience, Nalaya’s energy and Danapal’s discretion. I take Djenida’s love, Malathi’s games, Elakiya’s gentleness and Santhos’ hugs. I take Jowel’s jokes, Dhanalakshmi’s happiness, and Vaishaili laugh. I take Esaki’s pout, Kudipandi’s amazement, Muenieshwari’ cheekiness and her sister Selvi’s tenderness. I take Ravi’s humor, Shivakumar’s songs, Prakash’s presence and Aiyyer’s vigor. I take Dana’s elegance, Rajarajeshwari’s simplicity, Nanthini and Mahalakshmi’s Tamil lessons. I take Elizabeth’s delicateness, Valarmathi’s kindness, Dhanalakshmi’s shy smile, and Marishwari’ smartness. I wrap them gingerly, to carry them safely through a long journey back to regular life.

I will bring back all of this. Spending this month with these children is the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced and this is because of you.

Thank you for your support, and continue to give to these children. They need it, they deserve it, and they will give you back thousand times what you had given to them. 

Coming into Blossom Dayspring with an educator’s perspective I was ready to insert myself into this newfound community as a teacher and spread my passion of language learning. Upon deducing it was summer break, and most of the children would be off with various family members, I was unsure of the purpose of my presence in only four, young lives.

Whenever I find myself in a new environment I dedicate a set of time to observe my new surroundings. The power of observation is such a beautiful thing and allows for reflective thought as well as the ability to engulf yourself in silence, to fully hear what is transpiring around you. Unfortunately, my time here at Blossom Dayspring is limited and my observation process only allowed for a week; today marks the end of that week. From an educational standpoint, the first thing I observed was the vastly different learning context of this experience.

The balance between curiosity and intrigue allowed for close bonds to form instantly. Me, learning how to properly eat Indian cuisine, while educating the children in language development through interactive games and new technologies. But as we exchanged cultural and linguistic differences, I began to note the rare opportunity I was granted in having such a small amount of children. What I was first concerned for soon became my biggest asset; having daily, individualized learning time with a child does not happen often in any teaching context.

The knowledge that each of these children are here over the summer because they do not have another family outlet to go to was, and still remains to be the biggest struggle in living here. However, the normalcy of this fact, and the way in which each member of Dayspring works as a family is overwhelming to me. There is still a place to sleep, delicious food to be eaten, fun to be had, and love to be shared, only one difference - a new western face. Each morning, I have my tea and breakfast with the children, while practicing English vocabulary as much as we can. Marishwari, the youngest here for the summer, has self-appointed herself as my personal hairdresser and goes the work taming my locks. Her attention to detail in everything she does gives me an idea as to how to best reach her linguistically.

Through writing practice, which she instantly loved because of her meticulous nature, we are able to practice new vocabulary in the contexts of writing, reading, pronunciation, listening and conversation. The expression on her face when I let her know she has done a good job, or that she read an entire sentence in English is unlike any other teaching experience I have ever encountered, Blossom allowed this to happen. The consistency of having a home with unconditional love and support is how children grow, not only in an academic sense, but as a whole person. I am very thankful to have been just a small piece of this family for such short period of time and for what I will take away from it and carry with me to my next teaching experience.

With love from Blossom Family,

Tessa Gonzales