Can I borrow 20 bucks? yea, seriously.

Dear Friend,

I hope you are getting into the Christmas spirit! I found a tree in the city near our village for a good price and the kids love it. I’ll tell you strait out the gate that I’m going to ask you for $20 for Christmas. There’s a young boy here whose name is Ajith. He’s 11 years old, but about the size of an eight year old. He stays at the house for the toddlers because he would surely be trampled if he stayed with kids his own age.

Only about 30% of his lungs work. The HIV makes the kids more susceptible to catching TB and other infections, especially before they come here to the orphanage and don’t have proper care. I went with our priest to take him to one of his doctors appointments. The doc explained that his bronchi (or something like that, I don’t know much about that sort of thing) are enlarged which keeps mucous and fluid in his lungs that are already only working at 30%. He said that he needs a machine to wear at night (like a sleep apnea machine) in order for their to be oxygen in his blood to prevent further organ damage. The machine is $1,000, or about how much it costs to run the whole orphanage for a month. We don’t have the money, but with your help I figured, hell we can find just 50 people to donate $20 bucks to save a kids life.

Even though I work with them everyday the concept of an orphan is still hard for me to grasp, but think of it- this kid has no family. If we don’t vouch for Ajith, who will? I hope that you’ll help him out.

Technical stuff-- It’ll work best if one person can collect & then western union it over because we can only withdraw about $150 a day. Sorry that it won’t be a tax deductable organization-- we’re doing this kinda scrappy and want to get it done in the next week or so. We've got a pay pall set up, just click the button. I’ll post a list of everyone that has donated (unless you would like to remain anonymous) so you can see who has donated and that we’re not keeping the money. I’ll also put up some photos of the machine once we get it.

Hope y’all are doing well & thanks for your help. Mention this to other folks that you know that may want to help out. All we need is 50 people to give $20. We can do this.

Cat Archer

**Can't figure out this damn 'donate' button yet, gettin there.. Send me a msg if you want to help out for now. We're on a time restraint**

keep on the sunny side

Yesterday I went into town & worked at the Missionaries of Charity during the day & ran some errands. Bought a couple books my English class asked for, postcards for family & a pair of closed shoes (gross long story, but it was the doctors suggestion..). Anyway, left the MC's a tad early to catch the bus back to (for once) get back to the Ashram & the kids at home on time. I stood on the corner with the women waiting for the bus. One woman next to said "Auroville?" which is a tourist town near our village. I said no & told her the name of my village. In broken English & exaggerated arm motions I asked if she would tell me when my bus arrived and she agreed-- she was catching the same one. We boarded & I asked one more person if I was on the right bus & they did the head wiggle thing that most of the time means yes (but can also mean just an acknowledgment & that they have no idea what you are saying). As I went to sit next to the woman who helped me out the 'ticket taker' ran towards me saying 'NO'. I said the name of my village & he said 'YOU OFF'. I showed him my money & he pushed me down the isle to the steps of the bus. It wasn't moving that quickly & he shoved me off the bus into the road where I stumbled a bit as the people in the bus laughed and those nearby watched. I flagged the nearest rickshaw & agreed to his first outrageous price instead of engaging in the friendly routine haggling of the price. The only way I can describe how I felt is sad. I couldn't believe how much this man didn't like me even though he didn't know me. A couple hot tears touched my cheeks & I rode home stunned. I told the male volunteer who lives next to me & I can't believe how great he was. He's from Texas & his parents raised him right. He doesn't like us girls goin places alone & especially at night. Must be like herding cats for the poor guy because all us gal's are hard headed overly independent sometimes to the point of ignorance here (this is mostly the French..). I told some of the older girls I was tutoring and they said 'Auntie they don't like white people'. I tried to focus on the positive parts of my day & went to sleep.

This morning when I went for my run I couldn't get this man out of my head, but I knew that in order to forgive him I had to love him. I wondered how many times Jesus had tried to be in my life & I spat in his face & threw him off the bus. In some way I understood the ticket taker dudes asshole-ness just like I think all of you do, and I wasn't hurt or angry anymore.

I've been sewing up all the kids backpacks. I can see my mom shining through me at moments like that. Sometimes I worry that I haven't loved my parents enough. I'll be in Mass or think of them & a pang of guilt and worry will shoot through my chest & I'll just want to tell them I love them & hug them right then.

Okay, sleep time..

you got to heal faster than this 'ol world can hurt you

I went to town today to see the Doctor for some skin problems & another for my stomach (India is tuff on my body..) Tummy guy wasn't there today, so I went to a French bakery for some coffee & a sweet with two hours to kill. Had a great conversation with a sharp young lad who appealed to my intellect & a few other senses. Told him where I stay & what we do here, he said he'd like to stop by sometime & check it out. Something like 'oh Father, you'll love it' came out of my mouth. He just laughed & said I need to talk to some men who aren't men priests from time to time. Hope that means he was volunteering for the position ;)
Got to the doc, sat in the waiting room with Father-- who I met in town & had to see the same guy bout a thing on his foot. He'd just come from a Moslem family that he knows nearby who just lost a son to Leukemia. They're very poor & the congregation my priest belongs to had paid for his treatments. Their daughter had polio as a child & is crippled. Then he told me about Paris and St. Catherine. An Indian woman next to him saw him & started speaking French to him. She brought in her daughter and granddaughter from outside and asked him to bless them to which he obliged. We went into a smaller waiting room & he went in first then left. I was next. The doctor was a really nice guy. We talked for a bit about things I don't really remember but I know I was happy talking to him. I called him Father too, he laughed & said he had three daughters older than me, so I wasn't completely wrong in my statement. I got my medicine at a pharmacy & haggled with a rickshaw driver for a ride home.
I'm teaching English to a group of men who are studying to be Priests here at the Ashram I live at. I gave them an essay assignment with prompts all about the caste system. It's something that really intrigues me. One man was shocked that the west didn't have a caste system. He asked how we can accomplish anything. I've researched the subject a lot, but I'm eager to see what will be in their essays. I will keep you posted.