Rami... aka, "Moussa!"

November 27, 2009
Rami’s that girl in the front of the class with glasses who’s furiously writing down every word the teacher utters, even if the teacher’s mad and is just talking to himself! But she’s also the girl who can have the whole group laughing in an instant with her simple yet versatile sense of humor! The other teachers have informed me that she’s a very “clever” girl meaning she’s a good student, but she has her moments in class!

Well, Rami’s nickname around here is “moosa” meaning mouse. And it’s actually another great fit, because she always has her hair in this long braid that goes from thick to thin on the way down and looks like a mouse tail! Every day at some point I hear someone shouting “Moosa!” and since 95% of the time it’s Laxman, I quickly hear the retort “Latte!” meaning sweet rice. Not sure where that came from, but it has it’s desired effect as his face contorts and she bursts out laughing. Those two are hilarious to watch. They might be the only two who never fight with each other!

While Rami’s the oldest in terms of school class (she’s in class 9), she seems younger than a lot of the other girls. She’s smaller, and she often seems to shrink into the background. However, all the kids look up to her in terms of studying and school. She’s quick to help with problems on homework and notes that her classmates Shiva and Sunita failed to write down! The other girls love to “dress” Rami up and do her hair (aka, braid it) and everything! Today, one of the girls had the genius idea of braiding her hair into two braids, leading Laxman to double over in fits as he called her a mouse with two tails. He actually fell out of his chair he was laughing so hard!

While Laxman’s her closest brother here, her mother and biological brother live nearby and often come to the same church as we go to. I don’t know the story of her father, but I know that he’s not around, and her mother can’t afford to send her to school so she lives in the hostel where Uncle can provide food, shelter and an education for her. Her mother is so sweet and proud of Rami, and in as much as we could talk, I gathered that she couldn’t be happier for her daughter! When Rami sees them at church, she’ll scoop her brother into a hug and beam at her mom.

I’m beginning to realize that most of the children probably only have a mother. Their fathers either have other wives or are just not there. In a male dominated society, being a single mother trying to raise children would be incredibly hard. But in His grace, God’s given kids like Rami homes to live in where they’re provided for and taught the truth each and every day. And one day, Rami will be a light in whatever job God leads her to, and she will proclaim His truth with the same fervor as Krishna does today!