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Thanks for sharing your private thoughts with us. It made me sad and i would like to share my experience as an Indian in India.
"showing them how to do their makeup. Wishing their mom shared their laugh. Shared their love for shopping, their same personality ( less than 1% of the population has same personality as me…kinda lonely), their same love for animals, their same love for books, imagination, rose petals. "
Children from Indian orphanages mostly come from a family generally for whom Make up, shopping, love for animal and books and time to dream is not a possibility. They have such hard lives, a life an American CAN NOT fathom untill he visits our country. It comes as a shock to most people. My American friend was shocked at the children begging, crapping on the road, camping on the side of the road, eating left overs , some in their mothers arms while they beg,some by the side of the road wearing barely anything while their mother is doing labour work . The American slums is the Indian middle class for us. You have no idea how tough life in India under such circumstances could be. Sure you'd have had your mothers smile and touch but the rest is only a dream. You think those kids who are sleeping on the roads and eating from garbage don't dream of life in a far away place where life is easier ?
Sadly children in the orphanage would be from a family so poor like i described or from an unwed mother(middle or upper class) who would rather die than acknowledge the shame she brought upon her family.OR abandoned due to prejudices of being born a girl. Sadly in Rajasthan and Haryana its common to hear of little babies being strangled or drowned at birth.If they are lucky and not killed they face the worst abuse no American can imagine. example- fed in the end after family eats, beaten, made to work as a young child while the brother goes to school, possibly dumped into marriage to an old man who will not ask for dowry are some ways a girl child are mistreated.
I am sorry to say Americans will get the biggest culture shock if they haven't visited my country.
India is a depressing life for the "have not". Yet they are happy and not suing some one or complaining. Its because we believe in "what ever happens for the best". Not brooding and dreaming of what life could have been. Its not in our culture.
I do wish you peace in 2009 and hope you visit the country of your origin and learn about life here for the have nots ,the unwanted girl child and taboos of unwed pregnancy.
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