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Monday, June 11, 2007 ( 1:50 AM ) shut up christine It almost hurts to say this because I've been dreaming of this moment for so long, and now I can finally say the words... Today I leave for India! I feel like I'm going to throw up! :) Work is (almost) done. Getting to this point has been a trip in itself. I think about all the overtime I put in to fund this...unfortunately I don't get paid overtime haha but I am genuinely grateful that I struggled with this job as much as I did because I appreciate every fraction of a penny I earned. For every experience I'm about to have, I know what its worth, and that feeling is something you can't put on a resume or deposit into your bank account, you know? That kind of work experience is priceless Speaking of priceless, Heffrey stopped by my house a few nights ago and gave me a small bag filled with band aids, antibiotic cream, aspirin, and a pack of chewing gum I stood there listening to him try to explain it... he held up the gum and said something like "I don't know why I bought this. I'm sure they have gum in India, right? I don't know why I bought this..." Something about that is so incredibly humbling. He's never going to meet those kids. Its not just about band aids and bubblegum, its the intention behind them. They might have cost 5 bucks but I packed them away in my suitcase as if they were worth a million dollars Whatever he put into that bag, you can't buy that off a store shelf. Thank you, Jeff. Also, I sent out an email and the response was amaaaazing I got over 200 nail clippers! Unji, Unji's mom, KC, Nanet, Linda, Cuong, Anto...thank you so much. Can you imagine the hundreds, and maybe even thousands of hands that will be affected? Nirali said amazing things happen when you bring together the things that matter most in life: small ideas, ordinary people, and a simple thing called love. So true. Those words have been permanently implanted in my head ever since I read them You know what else is pretty amazing...people started giving me things and I didn't even ask them. Someone told a friend of a friend who told someone that I was going to India, and a complete stranger (a complete stranger!) sent me a package Inside were little gifts like m&ms, nailpolish, a pair of sandals, perfume, a cd player, a cell phone. This is part of the email she wrote me: There is a family in which 5 out of 7 children have a rare disease that has no cure, there are only 40 worldwide cases, 5 of this in one family alone. These children will all die at a young age, one sibling has already died. They live in a village near Calcutta in a mud house and the surrounding neighbors are very hostile because they feel the children, who have malformations, are cursed. The children have been featured on Discovery health. Although they have such widespread coverage, doctors continue to use them for research without offering them compensation ( the family is illiterate and lets them do this thinking there might be a cure), they still live in the mud house. They have never went to the cinema, one of the children dreams of having a cell phone. So one day she saw this family's story on TV, decided she would do something about it, found my contact info, and I became part of the picture. Did I ever think I would be going to Calcutta to deliver this package to this family? Nope. But somehow I am, and its funny how things work out that way. Small ideas, ordinary people. This has been a very humbling, life-shaking experience so far, and I haven't even gotten on the plane yet. Kuo, you are my best. Anyhow, I need to finish packing up my precious cargo. This was a long entry and I'll probably be back by the time you finish reading it. See you in September! out like a trout peace out scouts #
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