why

why are you going to india again?

it costs so much?

you could buy a car.

you are a broke college student.

blah blah blah

those are the comments/questions i have been getting lately.

so let me answer them for you. 

why not?

why are you spending money on oreos, clothes, gas?

because you like it, and you need it. 

me, i need India. 

ever since i went last april my thoughts have been 100% india. 

I fell in love with the children, the country, the food and the people i got to be there with.

so why wouldn't i go back?

why would i waste money on myself when I could pay for these kids to be able to have more than one uniform or even just one school uniform, have a meal for a day, have a backpack, a jacket, new shoes, school supplies and so much more. 

Think about how much fun you had in elementary school.

it was a blast right you got to play on the playground go to lunch with your friends, have a desk to call your own, a tote tray, a cubby, and basically do arts and crafts all day everyday. 

thats the norm in America so why can't that become the norm in India.

they sit on dirt floors and repeat what their teachers are saying. 

they might say "the monkey climbs the tree" a thousand times a day. 

what is that going to do for them when they don't know what a monkey or a tree is. 

(I am proud to say that they do know what up is because i taught them directions and drilled that in their head so much!)

What is a monkey going up a tree going to do for them in the future? 

NOTHING

absolutely nothing. 

I am going to teach them life skills, 

sewing

gardening

writing

etc

and some other skills that are fun to have

sports

guitar

etc

I am going there to make a difference in their lives, 

 want to get them out of poverty

I don't want them to get sold into the sex trade,

imagine if your kid was going to spend the rest of their life on the streets, 

the the same outfit, 

worn and torn shoes,

not knowing when their next meal is going to be.

it makes me sad to think of anyone having to go through that. 

its horrible everyone deserves a chance

and by going to india i am giving them this opportunity to

have a chance to get out and make it big in the world.

These kids absorb information like sponges. I was teaching them for less than two weeks and we got a 3 year old  A FREAKING 3 YEAR OLD to write the English alphabet, draw a clock, and count to 50 in English. When I was three I was picking my nose and coloring outside the lines on a barbie coloring book when this little girl knows Hindi and a small amount of English. There is so much hope for this girl and 100s of other kids in India we just have to get there and get teaching! 

That's why I am going to India. To give little kids a life in the future, give them something to own. and show them love. that is the biggest reason i am going back. 

i fell in love.

sunita has my heart.

always will.

i just want to be able to show them that no matter how small they are and how little they have there will be a girl in Utah that loves them and believes in them unconditionally. 

I pray for Sunita and Shabu and the rest of my cute Thanah kids everyday that they will be given an opportunity to get a good steady job and support themselves. 

I could buy a car, I am a college student. but i am not poor.

I have a job.

 I have an education.

 I have an apartment. 

I have a closet exploding with clothes.

I have running water.

I have cupboards full of food.

I have a family. 

I have a best friend.

I have a ton of friends.

I have so much.

I am anything but poor.

I want to share all my riches with others. 

Why not travel 1/2 way around the world 

learn about Indian culture.

eat indian food.

dress like the indians,

meet indians,

and expand my education 

this isn't a vacation to india that i am going on. 

its basically a mini study abroad. 

i am almost 100% sure i am learning more than i am teaching the kids.

i am happier.

i am free.

i am loved.

i am open to new experiences/people/foods/everything.

I am going because I love my education so much I want to share it with others.
YMAD gave me hope. I tried out for TONS of things in high school and I did not make ONE not ONE. I was on the verge of giving up and telling myself I was a loser because no one liked me enough to vote for me for SBO or I wasn't outgoing enough to be on PLT or I wasn't pretty enough to be a CHEERLEADER. But i decided to try one last thing. and the day I got my acceptance letter into YMAD was hands down the greatest day of my life. it made me realize i wasn't a loser, i wasn't a nobody, i wasn't ugly and most of all i wasn't needed. YMAD needed me India needed me but even more I need YMAD  and I needed India. 

so don't damper my trip or say that YMAD is dumb.
it changed my life.
and if you gave it a shot it would change yours too.
don't ask me why i would do this when i can do so much more for myself
because i already have so much.
 i don't need anything more except a ton of dirt on my face and kids that haven't showered in weeks climbing all over me and pulling me in millions of different directions to teach me more than i could ever learn here in the US. 

i'm not saying don't talk to me about YMAD because I could talk your ear off but don't ask me why i would do this because  of    (insert something stupid here)   but instead do ask me about what i did, where i went, who i met, what i learned, or anything else about it.

xoxo jordie