It's the Little Things

Today our group traveled to a Leprosy Rehabilitation Centre, Missions of Charity Orphanage, and an Ayurvedic Hospital, and it was probably the hardest day that I have had in India so far. Not because I was tired, sleep deprived, or crabby, but because I met people who changed my outlook on almost every aspect of life.

We began our morning at the Leprosy Centre. I know what you’re thinking why would you go there and rick contracting the disease? Which were my thoughts exactly upon arriving? After standing around and awkwardly avoiding interaction with the Lepers, we were invited to sit down and learn about the disease from doctor who works daily with all of the patients at the facility. The doctor told us that there is a large stigma surrounding Leprosy, the disease cannot be spread through physical touch and interaction, it can only be spread through nasal secretions or droplets. Every case of Leprosy is 100% curable.

After listening to the doctor speak, we were invited to walk around and explore the centre grounds. I was led around by a 90 year old Christian woman named, Hulhamna, who was more than willing to welcome us into her home. Although Leprosy had taken everything from her, including most of her toes and fingers, she was more than willing to share her home, faith, and her story with us. It was a truly an experience that I will never forget, and it changed the way I view my life. Most of the patients at the centre, live in little one bedroom apartment like rooms that consist of no electricity, no running water, cement floors, and most of the time no bed besides a woven mat. Hulhamna was so proud of her little apartment, fully decorated with crucifixes, sarees, and hand crafted pots. She smiled and invited us inside of her quaint little home, she pointed out all of her expired Jesus calendars and I realized that I have never felt so connected to someone as I did her. Hulhamna spoke only Tamil, and I speak only English, but somehow we found a way to communicate, mostly through smiles and giggles.

The next part of the day that truly hit me hard was when we headed to the orphanage. But this orphanage was not like other orphanages, this one was for special needs women, some of who had grown up there after being pulled off of the street. All of the women have nowhere else to go besides the orphanage because they were abandoned and dumped on the streets by their families. In India, having a child with special needs of some sort is often looked at as a curse, and it is believed that if you have a child with special needs you committed a grave sin, and are being punished for your wrong doing. When being led into the first building of the orphanage, I couldn’t help but cringe, all of the patients were sitting on the floor in a room filled with nothing but cots in mismatched clothing. Once inside the room, we were not given any directions and blankly stared at all of the patients. It was the most awkward encounter I have ever experienced, I felt as though I was observing animals in a zoo.

Finally the nun led us into the next room, which was slightly bigger and filled with twice the patients. After we all stood there for a couple of minutes, I finally asked the nun if it would be okay to interact with them, and she said yes. All my life I’ve worked with children and adults in America with special needs, I’m certified in Respite care, and am always looking for new opportunities to help out. I decided to make the first move, I stepped away from the group, crouched down at the first person, looked into her eyes and wished her a happy new year. She smiled, and said Happy Pongal. I continued to move down the row of patients greeting each one just as the last, and when I turned around to look at the group, everyone began to start interacting as well, I couldn’t believe it. Each woman was ecstatic to not only receive the attention of visitors, but also to hold your hand, play with your hair, or touch your face. This was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had, these woman were so excited by our presence. It’s the simple things in life like saying hello and holding a hand, that really matter in the end.

-Ashley