Art, Advice, and Inquiries

I had a contest with all of the art students at our school, which had them creating posters of mixed media representing something about Central JH, Texas, or America.  Some of them took some very creative liberty, but they were fantastic.  I chose 22 of them, and will now take them with me to India and donate them to the schools and orphanages that we visit.  They all did such  great job, and were also rewarded with ice cream, a picture of them with their art, a letter of congratulations, and eventually a certificate with a picture of where it will hang. 

When talking to the art students, several of them had some very random thoughts, advice, and questions.  I have one student that was so concerned that I would be walking barefoot that he made the point to talk to me several times about the diseases I could contract by walking barefoot in the streets of India.  I thanked him each time for his advice.  Another student was concerned about me drinking the water, and I explained that I wouldn’t drink it, brush my teeth with it, eat any fresh fruits or veggies off of the street, etc.  They then questioned how I would know how many bottles of water to use in order to take a bath.  I had to promise not to drink the tap water while I bathed or showered (like Charlotte did in SATC 2).  After word got around that I was going, several students had some great questions about it being so close to Pakistan, and if I was scared of a terrorist attack.  I assured them that I would try to be safe and make wise decisions (like I tell them to do).  I had one student that was confused about how all of the Indians “got over there” since they “started over here.”  I explained the difference between a person from India and a Native American.  This is why I love junior high kids!