Filming with Seth

Today, my parents, Seth, Ivan and I stayed back at the orphanage while the rest of the team worked at the same clinic we worked yesterday.   All of us who stayed at the orphanage had a down day in our rooms, with occasional naps, except Ivan who was up and out the entire day.  The only thing that Seth and I did was film Seth playing with the kids from the orphanage.  This took place around lunch time, after which Seth took a long nap.  I had a fair amount of school work that I completed effortlessly, but the most exciting part of the day was filming with Seth. 

Seth and I walked into the orphanage cafeteria and set up the tripod in a small room with low, long tables and short, wooden chairs, behind which was a kitchen with sinks and dish racks.  While the camera was on the tripod, Seth taught me all about a video camera which is surprisingly like a digital photography camera.  I had to focus the camera with a nob on the lens and adjust exposure and white balance, all of which is adjusted on a still camera.  I got the video camera rigged and started recording Seth playing with the kids.  Around the tiny, dingy, white tables was a swarm of kids laughing and trying their best to communicate with the foreign white man.  Seth learned Hindi numbers from one to ten and the youngsters learned English numbers one through twenty. 

During filming, the lunch bell rang and a woman carrying a bowl of rice and dahl entered the room.  Dahl is a typical Indian lentil dish served over rice.  Soon kids started lining up in front of the woman and getting their plates loaded.  Seth and I acted quickly.  Seth, my video teacher, thought I was ready to take the big camera off the tripod and film the kids eating.  I felt honored that Seth put so much trust in me and my filming that he allowed me to hold the camera.

Kids Washing Dishes

That was basically my entire day, but the next few days to come will be much more interesting.  At midnight tonight, we will jump on an over night train to New Delhi, our last stop on the rickshaw rally.  From there, the Rally for Health gang will split up into their separate directions, some to home and some to other travel destinations.  Our family is leaving for the beaches of Thailand on the 28th!  It will feel so nice to be away from the chaos of India, but first we must venture overnight through chaos and travel to one of the biggest Indian cities, New Delhi.

Thank you for reading Rohan Geographic!

P.S.
Denny, a close friend of ours, asked about the weather and climate.  This is a brief summary:  In Rajasthan, the air was steaming hot and languid, leaving it’s victims sluggish. The air in Uttar Pradesh is either too hot or too cold.  Also in Uttar Pradesh, the fog is thick in the morning and night, and the air is infested with bugs, some of which carry dangerous diseases.  The air everywhere is smoggy and polluted, with no rain.