My "flock" of children that followed me everywhere. They definitely were not shy. I felt like a rock star the two days being in the village as all of the children wanted to shake my hand and ask me questions about America. I also got the feeling that the "shake of the hand" is not a very common thing in India but everyone kind of felt it was the right thing to do with me. One day I was on the porch trying to converse with Manohar's relatives and a crowd of people started forming on the walls of the temple across the street just to get a look at the "westerner". They enjoyed copying many of my gestures such as nodding my head in agreement or giving a "thumbs up" sign. Communicating was very difficult when Manohar wasn't around but I gave it a shot. It was like a game of charades and everyone wanted to play. We seldom truly understood each other but always got a laugh. Many times the children would form circles around me and try to teach me Telugu. I took French and German classes in college but Telugu may top both of them as far as difficulty to learn but maybe it's just my age showing.
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