i wake up for the first time in india. it takes me a minute to realize where i really am... and what time it was. for someone like me who rarely wakes up on my own in the morning hours, i knew it had to be early. it was 8:45 am and i was wide awake. i start reading since i was so cold i didn't want to get out of bed yet. anna doesn't wake up for a couple more hours, and by the time she does i was outside on our terrace trying to warm up in the sun and looking around at our surrounding neighbors from the rooftops. one guy down below looks like he just got up, shaving in the sink that is outside while standing in his underwear next to his two very well kept cows. i scan to the other side to another rooftop and see a woman hanging clothes and some kids running around. it's a peaceful sunday morning. Rajesh had invited us the night before to a birthday party for a little girl who's family is friends and teachers of a nearby catholic missionary school... this was interesting because i didn't expect my first experience in India to be in the presence of nuns. the school driver took us there, but Rajesh had to stop in town at a store to buy the little girl a gift. i only got a glimpse of the town, and the only way i can describe it is like a maze. it's made up of very small roads that weave around buildings that existed well before cars. the buildings sit on top of one another. the oldest buildings are the most beautiful ones (even as rundown as they are)... like a movie set. our first day was nice and filled with lots of good (spicy) food.. we rested in the sun in the afternoon since we were still very jet-lagged and ended the night with dinner at Rajesh and Nisha's house.
i should probably preface my description of the school with some background information. Rajesh and Nisha (married couple from Kerala - southwestern India) were hired by the sugar cane factory owners to run a school. the family who owns the factory employs around 3,000 people and wanted to give back to the community by starting a school. when Rajesh and Nisha first started, their dream for the school was to bring progressive teaching methodologies to the area.. to create a school that goes beyond conventional teaching. the sugar mills fund the school so the school does not lack any materials. although the students are required to pay a certain amount (not much), many are here on scholarship. the school is next door to what used to be (in the 80s) the largest sugar cane factory in all of India and has gymnasiums, a pool, squash courts, and recreational space for the entire community. what is now the school, is what used to be factory labs/office space. they have an organic garden that is taken care of by the students and a large composting area. each grade has between 10 and 20 students.. some classes have up to 30 (mostly lower grades like nursery through 2nd grade). aside from being a bilingual school (english & hindi), they have theater, art, and music. you know how lucky the kids are to have this place and the best part is that you get a sense that they know it as well.
the first couple of days at the school were scheduled for us to observe certain classes and meet the teachers. so based on our interests, they gave us a schedule with the classes to visit and sit it on and talk with the teacher. the school is really amazing because of its inquiry/project-based methods. instead of being taught to just absorb information, they're taught to question the material. it's really rare to have such a progressive dynamic in most school settings, let alone a small town like Dhampur. they may expect to learn a lot from us, but i'm really thinking i'm going learn more from them.
yesterday was a holiday.. India Republic Day. there was no class, but we had a half day where some classes gave performances and sang songs, but mostly they just had relay games (what would be a field day in the U.S.). it was fun to watch the little kids run around with bags on their heads (pictures to come). it was all over around 2pm. Anna had the idea about going for a bike ride... the school has a couple of bikes for teachers and volunteers' use. only i don't know why there would ever be such a tall bike in this country of small people (much like me).. this bike was made for a viking. i felt like a little kid learning how to ride a bike again. oger-sized bike aside, our bike ride was out of a dream. we were hoping to ride by mostly farmland, but beyond the acres of sugar cane fields outside the school, there was no escaping the never-ending crowded towns. i almost killed myself on that bike. i couldn't stop looking at everything and everyone we rode past. it was the late afternoon so the light had this magical quality, giving everything in its path a seductive glow. the light here is unlike anything i've ever seen, only because it's filtered through this smokiness / fogginess that exists in the air here. if we thought we were going for a relaxing bike ride, there is no such thing. this 1970s bike that i was on (probably made of steel it was so heavy), rattled past vehicles of all kinds.. some i had never seen before.. something like half bus, half tractor, half rickshaw. as Anna and i rode off in an unknown direction, trying to stay on the road without getting run over by a motorbike, tractor, bus, rickshaws, or cattle, we ended up at the town again. we unknowingly rode in a big circle and ended up at the old town. it was too crazy to ride in there so we just walked our bikes inside. aside from the chaos around, it was surreal. i felt like i was in a movie. the whole ride was only about a couple of hours, but it felt like a lifetime. we somehow found our way back to the school and of course without fail, i got distracted looking at something and my front wheel hit Anna's back wheel and i fell off my bike! had to happen. anyways, i couldn't believe i had forgotten my camera.. probably saw over a hundred good shots... next time.
later that night, two more volunteers arrived.. Catherine, from the U.S. who has been traveling in India since october, and Melanie from South Africa. they were tired of course after arriving but we had some hot toddies (whiskey & hot tea w/ honey) at Rajesh & Nisha's house with them.
today is only day 5. i went around to the younger classes today to observe and meet more kids.. i don't think i'll be working much with the younger kids (below 3rd) since they don't speak English yet & i don't speak much Hindi. at this point i have somewhat of an idea of what i want to be teaching.. of course i will talk to Rajesh tomorrow to finalize my plans. i have chosen to work mostly with the 5th graders. but for now, i hope to have a photography class with the 5th graders (Anna is going to pair that with a writing class), teach one or two art classes and assist in others, teach a 5th grade English class and assist in two others (1st & 2nd), and a Capoeira class with the 6th & 7th graders. outside of the classes that i teach, i will mostly be working with the art classes (all grades). of course, all this is tentative but hopefully next week i can start teaching.
i should probably preface my description of the school with some background information. Rajesh and Nisha (married couple from Kerala - southwestern India) were hired by the sugar cane factory owners to run a school. the family who owns the factory employs around 3,000 people and wanted to give back to the community by starting a school. when Rajesh and Nisha first started, their dream for the school was to bring progressive teaching methodologies to the area.. to create a school that goes beyond conventional teaching. the sugar mills fund the school so the school does not lack any materials. although the students are required to pay a certain amount (not much), many are here on scholarship. the school is next door to what used to be (in the 80s) the largest sugar cane factory in all of India and has gymnasiums, a pool, squash courts, and recreational space for the entire community. what is now the school, is what used to be factory labs/office space. they have an organic garden that is taken care of by the students and a large composting area. each grade has between 10 and 20 students.. some classes have up to 30 (mostly lower grades like nursery through 2nd grade). aside from being a bilingual school (english & hindi), they have theater, art, and music. you know how lucky the kids are to have this place and the best part is that you get a sense that they know it as well.
the first couple of days at the school were scheduled for us to observe certain classes and meet the teachers. so based on our interests, they gave us a schedule with the classes to visit and sit it on and talk with the teacher. the school is really amazing because of its inquiry/project-based methods. instead of being taught to just absorb information, they're taught to question the material. it's really rare to have such a progressive dynamic in most school settings, let alone a small town like Dhampur. they may expect to learn a lot from us, but i'm really thinking i'm going learn more from them.
yesterday was a holiday.. India Republic Day. there was no class, but we had a half day where some classes gave performances and sang songs, but mostly they just had relay games (what would be a field day in the U.S.). it was fun to watch the little kids run around with bags on their heads (pictures to come). it was all over around 2pm. Anna had the idea about going for a bike ride... the school has a couple of bikes for teachers and volunteers' use. only i don't know why there would ever be such a tall bike in this country of small people (much like me).. this bike was made for a viking. i felt like a little kid learning how to ride a bike again. oger-sized bike aside, our bike ride was out of a dream. we were hoping to ride by mostly farmland, but beyond the acres of sugar cane fields outside the school, there was no escaping the never-ending crowded towns. i almost killed myself on that bike. i couldn't stop looking at everything and everyone we rode past. it was the late afternoon so the light had this magical quality, giving everything in its path a seductive glow. the light here is unlike anything i've ever seen, only because it's filtered through this smokiness / fogginess that exists in the air here. if we thought we were going for a relaxing bike ride, there is no such thing. this 1970s bike that i was on (probably made of steel it was so heavy), rattled past vehicles of all kinds.. some i had never seen before.. something like half bus, half tractor, half rickshaw. as Anna and i rode off in an unknown direction, trying to stay on the road without getting run over by a motorbike, tractor, bus, rickshaws, or cattle, we ended up at the town again. we unknowingly rode in a big circle and ended up at the old town. it was too crazy to ride in there so we just walked our bikes inside. aside from the chaos around, it was surreal. i felt like i was in a movie. the whole ride was only about a couple of hours, but it felt like a lifetime. we somehow found our way back to the school and of course without fail, i got distracted looking at something and my front wheel hit Anna's back wheel and i fell off my bike! had to happen. anyways, i couldn't believe i had forgotten my camera.. probably saw over a hundred good shots... next time.
later that night, two more volunteers arrived.. Catherine, from the U.S. who has been traveling in India since october, and Melanie from South Africa. they were tired of course after arriving but we had some hot toddies (whiskey & hot tea w/ honey) at Rajesh & Nisha's house with them.
today is only day 5. i went around to the younger classes today to observe and meet more kids.. i don't think i'll be working much with the younger kids (below 3rd) since they don't speak English yet & i don't speak much Hindi. at this point i have somewhat of an idea of what i want to be teaching.. of course i will talk to Rajesh tomorrow to finalize my plans. i have chosen to work mostly with the 5th graders. but for now, i hope to have a photography class with the 5th graders (Anna is going to pair that with a writing class), teach one or two art classes and assist in others, teach a 5th grade English class and assist in two others (1st & 2nd), and a Capoeira class with the 6th & 7th graders. outside of the classes that i teach, i will mostly be working with the art classes (all grades). of course, all this is tentative but hopefully next week i can start teaching.
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