Auntie!

The bell rang, and moments later I watched as the young children began to emerge from their hostel.  I sat on a cement platform with several other volunteers, seeking shelter from the sun.  We had materials for crafts with us that we planned to use with the children.  We had foam cut outs, pipe cleaners, googley-eyes, and little pom moms!  It didn't take long for the students to catch sight of us and wander over in curiously.  Suddenly, we were swarmed by children!

"Auntie!  Auntie!  Me!"

"Auntie, please!"

"Auntie, look!"

"Four, auntie!  Four!"

"Auntie, blue!"

"Auntie, red!"

"Please, auntie!"

"Auntie!  Auntie!"

In Hungary, the children sometimes referred to me as néni -- meaning aunt or Mrs; often used to refer to older women, whether relatives or not.  In India, they call me auntie-- and I love it!  For many of the children this is very convenient if they don't remember my name.  For the most part, though, I consider it very sweet to have earned that title here.  Today, this name filled my ears for what felt like an eternity!  It was exhausting to keep up with them, but the children loved doing the crafts and they even gifted a few of their creations to me!  

Please enjoy some images of the children who call me auntie-- including the image of the village children we saw on a walk today :)