chartandwaters

This was the first time I met Moussina; she was in this little alley leading to the workshop. Her first words to me were: Will you take me to America with you? She, and a few of her friends, have an expressiveness that seemed to me more American than Indian. Americans are often said here not only to more forthright on certain subjects, but to be more expressive in our facial expressions and gestures.

That's Selvam next to her. He has a good relationship with his students and they like to hang out with him. He's helped us with nearly everything, including biking me 3 kilometers home many times at night on the back of his bicycle. He speaks some English, all of it way too fast (because his accent and English are so hard for me), and for some reason doesn't slow down when I ask him to; this can be hard since he's our main contact at the shelter. So Gandhirajan told Selvam I thought he spoke very quickly, but the fact that he spoke fast English made him proud, "Oh, really? She said I speak quickly?"



Here is Moussina in a graceful position and her good friend, Vijy, who teaches at the nearby creche; sorry, the images inside the workshop are all a bit dark as the walls are black.



I took this picture for Arjuna in the center, who lost a great deal in the tsunami. She is a very serious, thoughtful student, and her face has a unique depth and sadness. We were definitely fond of each other, but I sometimes wondered what she thought of my playfulness--sometimes she looked as if she was trying to decipher it, sometimes as if she would have liked to enjoy it if she could, and sometimes I think it was hard for her to know whether she was allowed to feel joy.