Well I finally got basic dialup internet access so I can update you all on were things stand. We are almost done moving into the new house. The pregnancy has made things difficult for Mercy. The roads are terrible full of pot holes and ruts. She’s had a lot of difficulties getting around in the little three wheel rickshaws that are so common around here but we are managing.

I received the motorcycle yesterday I purchased last week. A Bajaj 180 cc, it’s about as big as a motorcycle get’s around here. I shopped around the bike I was going to get was a 500cc Royal Einfield Bullet however it appears that the discontinued the bike last year I was told it was just to big so no one would purchase it. The bike I got seems to be OK it fits me well enough. Purchase price on the bike was about $1750 (70,000 rs.) new so all things considered I guess I can’t complain.

We did finally get our bed so we are up off the floor. We ordered the bed on Aug. 20 and were told it would be done by Friday the 24^th. We called on the 25^th and were told it would be done on 27^th. On the 27^th we went to his shop and he said the bed wouldn’t be done till the 28^th but since it was so late they promised to deliver it for free. On the 29^th we went again to his shop (grouchy from sleeping on the floor for 2 weeks) we were told the bed was done and ready for delivery. He said he would bring it over later that day. In reply I told him I wasn’t leaving unless it was with the bed or with our money back. We were subsequently ushered over to the side of the shop were our bed was so he could prove it was done. Sure enough there sat our 6 x 4 bed with attached headboard. When we had ordered the bed a week and a half before part of the reason we had to special order it was because we wanted 2 legs in the center of the bed to support the extra weight of a 200(+) pound American. As we inspected the bed we found that the 2 additional legs were missing. We pointed this out to the shop keeper who suddenly remembering the whole point to this 2 week ordeal said he could have the legs attached by 8:00 pm tonight and have it delivered. A bit exasperated at this point we told him to forget about the legs and simply delver the bed ASAP. We loaded the bed onto a three wheeled truck like thing and took off. Finally we have our special ordered bed that we waited 2 weeks for that looks suspiciously similar to every other bed in India. I didn’t break the first night so I guess it might make it. In the end we ended up paying for delivery anyway since we failed to mention that our bedroom was on the second floor and free delivery only applied to deliveries on the ground floor.

The sticker price in the end on our hand crafted 6x4 bed with headboard? $75.

The sticker price on the average Indian mattress? $25.

A mattress with enough support for a 6’2” 200(+) pound American? $300 - $500

           

            We still have some paperwork to do before we can officially open the orphanage. Hopefully Mercy will be able to get to that next week. However in the meantime the two girls my wife’s mom has been taking care of for us have moved into the ground floor. Mom moved in as well in order to continue to take care of them. All the time I was growing up I felt like my parents thought I was cheep labor. If anyone asked my father if he had a lawnmower the typical answer was “sure he’s in watching TV”. Guess I never figured on turning the tables but having mom move in was cheaper then hiring a full time care giver and she is a lot more reliable. Once we finish registering we will begin taking on some more girls. We should be able to handle up to 6 more girls in our current facility possibly 8 more we’ll have to see.

            Next door to the house we rented is a large plot of trash it seems to be the area dump. When we first rented the house I wanted it cleaned out of fear for the girls. As I was typing this entry the door bell went off. At the door was what appeared to be an elderly gentleman and a boy that looked to be about 14 - 16. Malnutrition and hard work make it very hard to tell how old anyone is. Children that are well into their teens will be about the same size as an American 10 year old. Men in there 40’s will look like they are 60 to 70. So this is likely a father and son but there is no way to tell it might also be a grandson which is what it looked like or even just another hired hand. Mercy had evidently talked to him yesterday and agreed to have him clear the plot of trash. As soon as the man saw me he wanted to raise his price. He had agreed already to 1200 rs($30) so it would be bad form for me to give more now however as I looked at the 2 of them my heart wept. The 2 of them would likely work all day clearing trash uprooting the plants and leveling the soil. When they were done it would be clean and flat open dirt and they would do it for less then $1.50 an hour. But that is life here, for many if they find any work at all they feel lucky. I just got done spending $1750 on a motorcycle so I can get back and forth to work and to these men I just hired that $1750 is likely almost 2 years salary.