Millinium Development Goals
Achieved by this team from January 30 - February 5
55 Hours of class room instruction in conversational English by 3 volunteers and 55 Hours of preparation time.
10 Hours of child care by 1 Volunteer.
1 school and 2 childrens home and over 120 students impacted.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Quote for the day: “Listen. Listen. Listen.”
This is another “first day” in India. This morning we go to the Grace School and at 5 pm we go to SEAMS.
The early morning sounds of cows, birds, and pouring water wake me up. I sit in front of the Guest House in a chair. Some mosquitoes around me but I have enough Deet on to discourage a horse.
There is a curry tree in front of the house – a source of Indian cuisine which we are loving.
Kathleen arrived last night at around 2am. I wanted to jump out of bed but I figured she was exhausted and actually my body wasn’t willing.
It’s 7am. The Hindu newspaper arrives and milk is delivered in a plastic bag that hangs from the front gate. The sanitation man drives a bicycle with a wagon hitched to the back. There are plastic bags hanging from the wagon. A man comes by to pick the yellow flowers from the tree in front of the house.
After breakfast, Stephen (our driver) took Liz and me to the Grace School. I was introduced to the third graders. Liz’s assignment is to K-2. I discovered that the kids can identify objects and have a wide vocabulary. I need to work with them on writing sentences. The children, eager, affectionate and lively. They want to hear about my life and tell me about theirs. We do rhyming words and opposites. They are anxious to show me their written work. Liz feels energized and satisfied by her work with her K-2 students. She accomplishes the goals that she plans for the day. Kathleen goes to Assisi and has a good time with the little ones.
At lunch, a traditional Indian lunch, Stephen joins us. Kath talks about her experiences in Ghana and Stephen and the three of us discuss the goals of our service and the characteristics of an effective team. Liz and I plan for our next day based upon what we learned today about the kids.
We go to SEAMS at 4:50pm. The kids run to the gate to greet us. Stephen assigned the older children to Liz and the older ones to me. I play checkers, bingo, Simon Says and I tell them the story of the “Three Bears.” I am struck by the contrast the life energy of the kids and the poverty of their circumstances. They support and care for each other. There is something very adult about them. Stephen picks us up at 7pm from SEEMS and we go to a lovely Indian restaurant-tandor chicken, nan made with dried fruit, prawns, fried cauliflower and a vegetarian dish. I eat too much.
We discuss India and its culture and the impressions of the day. . We all want to rise up to the challenge and do the best we can in the limited time we have. I feel overwhelmed.
Now to prepare for tomorrow. Good night! We want new experiences-we got them. Be careful of what you want.
Bonnie
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Quote for the day: “Be the change you wish to see happen.”
Morning followed night with a steady array of foreign sounds and smells. I feel safe and secure as dawn breaks and daylight trickles into my cozy room. I stretch carefully so as to not become entangled in my mosquito net. Not wanting to be a headline recall of mosquito nets due to Global Volunteer strangulation in Chennai.
I gather all of my materials for my lessons at Grace School. Monday was a very pleasant surprise for me. The children are more aware than I expected. I have K1, 2 and 3. I have my assigned standard (grade) levels. Teacher Elizabeth from here in Porur, an Indian teacher, is a harsh disciplinarian by American standards, mine especially. I modeled quiet voice to her and the children. It was very successful with the students. Styles, styles, styles. I modified my curriculum to suit each level. There word recognition skills are high, comprehension mostly not existent at my level. I begin our day with a “You are Special” verse sung by all. They caught on quickly and are getting the concept of special.
Pictures from my state of Washington provided great conversation with all three groups. Day, date, month, year talking in sentences for every activity. Nothing in isolation. Kathleen went to Assisi where she and the little ones worked on ABCs and they celebrated Sheba’s birthday with a cake.
Bonnie did rhyming word practice, read alternately with her students a book about whales. She was pleased with their knowledge base about whales and Christopher Columbus giving exposure to TV the credit.
SEAMS was very productive for me. I am blessed with small groups which attended better today. I’m using the same curriculum as am. The children’s lack of exposure is evident. They are safe, for which I am very thankful. . They lead a paper airplane project, which was a huge success creating great interactive play.
Dinner debriefing provides an opportunity to explore successes and changes to be made.
Each meal is a cultural experience. Showering here is another. Morning ones are cold, afternoon warmish and night tepid.
Sheba provided flowers for our hair and a bindi for our forehead with a sweet gesture. The adults and children enjoy seeing us attired. The students at Grace gave us a short dance recital. It was truly amazing. I say goodnight with a full and joyous heart from Chennai.
Liz
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Quote for the day: “Auntie, Auntie, Auntie.”
Bonnie and I began our third day in India on the roof top of our guesthouse with our Yoga instructor who leads us through 35 minutes of deep breathing accompanied by slow stretching poses. What a perfect way to begin the day.
Shortly thereafter, we join Liz, Stephen, Sheba and their darling son, Roshan, for breakfast. It’s such a great fun anticipating our meals suggested by the fragrant aroma coming from the kitchen. This is a pleasant prolog to our day and we soon enjoy scrambles eggs with onions, noodles and chapatti.
We all climb aboard Stephen’s van for our trip to the schools. Bonnie and Liz head out first to the Grace School. Our poor little Roshan is suffering from a slight head cold so concerned Mom and Dad take a detour to the hospital for a brief visit with the doctor while I head on to the Asssisi School for my morning with the kids.
Little brown faces and gleaming white smiles greet me as I walk through the gate. I ascend the stairs with my band of five and we begin our session by reviewing alphabet flash cards with upper and lower case letters. Next, I give each child a piece of paper accompanied by a handful of crayons. As I write the upper and lower case letters on the blackboard, my little ones do the same on their paper. I am amazed by the intelligence of these children. While some are a bit young and spend their time exploring the pleasure of putting color to paper, several are experts and move along the lesson with speed and skill.
I repeat this same exercise with two more groups of children. As the last group is quite young, we quickly move from the alphabet to simply exploring the blackboard with colored chalk. I soon discover one little artist off in the corner consumed in her own little world. Quite magically she draws a complex piece of art that is both unique and expressive. Like all artists, her magic simply pours through her fingers and onto her canvas. I am drawn to her piece and overwhelmed by its brilliance. I wonder who she might be one day, give an opportunity.
After a quick goodbye and a dusty ride home, we all gather at the dining table for lunch. Chicken curry, stir-fried cabbage and rice. Yum-yum!
After some preparation for this afternoons program at SEAMS, Bonnie and I head out with our cameras to discover more of our little neighborhood while Liz heads off to the Internet café. The remarkable sounds, smells and sites of India invade our pours and fill our senses. I snap, snap away attempting to capture the cacophony of sights that surround us. There is nothing quite like India.
After an hour, we turn the corner and arrive at our local 7-11 and the welcoming smile of its proprietor, who has quickly become our friend. There we meet up with Liz and find that she has been successful.
We all head back home for a quick shower and a brief rest before heading out for our afternoon program. I take a quick shower consisting of warm water, soap and two buckets. The job is quick and thorough. Next, I climb under my mosquito netting and onto my bed for a quick read, journaling and short nap.
As the afternoon fades, we gather once more in the dining room and head off to SEAMS for our afternoon of teaching. The children quickly find each of us and we move to our separate corners to begin the teaching. Like this morning, I review upper and lower case letters with the children and share with each a copy of the work I had prepared back at the guest house. It is an exercise of matching upper and lower cases by drawing a line between each. How quickly they consume this project and I must move on to another. A set of flashcards has a word beginning with its unique letter….A for apple and so on. I show the children the letter A with a picture of an apple and request that they sound out the word and write it down on their piece of paper. Once again, I am amazed at how quickly and accurately several of the children complete this exercise.
The hour moves swiftly and we all gather to leave early as we are attending an evening event of classical Indian dancing. We rush back to the guest house for a quick bite of dinner, jump into the van and Stephen guides us expertly through the madness of Indian traffic. It’s indescribable!
After an hour, we come upon the desired event where we go inside and settle ourselves among the spectators. We are the only whites. I am spellbound by the music, the tabla, the woman’s singing voice, the man’s voice in competition with the drum. The dancer is outfitted royally from tip to toe. Her make up is strong which only adds to the power of her expressive facial movements. As she acts out each part in the story, the musicians accompany her expertly. I am amazed how they go on and on without script and I marvel at the beauty and magic of the dancers graceful gestures. I review the crowd and notice only faces of the older generation. Like other cultures, I fear that the younger, upcoming generation may pass on this miracle of culture and history in favor of Pop and Hip Hop. I pray this will not happen.
On our way home, we stop off at a massive Hindu temple over 1,300 years old. The carvings are breath taking. Liz guards our shoes as Bonnie and I step inside to explore. It’s a bit like Alice slipping through the looking glass for we are in a world that is unfamiliar and dazzling. With eyes and bellies full after a magnificent night of culture, we board our van for the final drive though a crush of cars back to the guest house. Good night India……pulsing, steamy, chaotic, broiling, overflowing, mind numbing India.
– Kathleen
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Quote for the day: “I try to make a connection with everyone I meet as a way of honoring them as a person.” Kathleen Hubbard-Ismail
Kathleen and I meet at 7:15am in the front of the guest house to wait for Selva, our yoga teacher. We discuss our thoughts and feelings of the moment. When Selva arrives at 7:30 we go to the roof, spread our mats and begin. This is a perfect way to begin the day-on the roof looking at the tops of trees.
Breakfast is rice cakes with tomato chutney and hard boiled eggs.
Liz and I go to Grace School at 9:15. At the 10:15 break, four teachers fly to my room hungry about learning English and sit like polite students. We discuss saris and they tell me I should buy one. After school at noon, they come back. Liz and I had only 15 minutes to spend with them because we are going to Chennai after lunch. We discuss sleeping, mats vs. mattresses and pillows. They said they prefer sleeping on the floor, no pillow, because it’s better for the back and more comfortable. Our time together with the teachers is one of the highlights of the day. They are very sad to see us leave earlier than usual.
Liz and I are driven back by an auto rickshaw driver. “Another first.” It was a bumpy ride. Dust blows into the face and curves are taken at a speedy pace.
In my class at Grace School, we discuss adjectives. We make a list and then apply the words in sentences. In addition, we read a book on the planets. The children are eager students and not unfamiliar with the subject. I’m impressed.
In the afternoon, Liz, Kathleen and I are driven by Stephen to the government store. The store is huge. It takes us an hour to buy a few gifts and we drive back to the guest house to get ready for SEAMS.
Truthfully, our work at the end of the day 5-7 feels like a burden but miraculously once we start work time flies and the kids are interested. We work on writing sentences in English and reading books. Everyone takes a turn reading. Before the session, started, we did a little Yoga and they seemed to be familiar with it. Liz celebrates her birthday with the kids by providing a birthday cake and dinner for them.
Stephen and Sheba take us out for dinner. Stephen explains the institutionalized caste system. He discusses Gandhi and quotes this line, “He gave us independence, not freedom,” said by, B. R. Ambedkar. Stephen talked about the history of India behind this statement.
The three of us sit at the table in the house in the evening. Liz emails, Kathleen organizes her lesions for the next day, I gather a few materials for my classes and go upstairs early to write, read and think.
A good day with many blessings. Nandri!
– Bonnie
Friday, February 5, 2010
Quote for the day: “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” Mother Theresa
An early start to see the flower, vegetable and fruit market. It was unbelievable. Glorious color flowers bold and humble vendors hawking their items.
We Americans are entertained as much by them as they by us. Back to the guest house for a quick breakfast; grab our daily lesson plans and supplies bound for Grace and Assisi respectively. Bonnie and I are greeted warmly by the children and staff. We hold our 45 minute sessions doing reading, writing, singing sentence building, enunciation is stressed.
Bonnie tutors teachers during beak, I converse with the school commissioner. Then it’s class time. Those two sessions slip quickly by. I begin each session with the “I am special you are special” song. Their eyes twinkle and smiles are broad as we begin. Calendar practice is part of my curriculum everyday.
The lunch dismissal bell rings, we sing our good bye song “Zippitty Du Da Day”. I head to Bonnie’s classroom to help coach the teachers. We are enjoying this component of our day immensely.
Planning time over lunch, Bonnie and I went to have oil massages. Wow, what a great experience.
The off to SEAMS for another busy evening. It’s hectic yet rewarding to see growth in the area of focus and their desire to learn. We all read, write, do speech and grammar practice. I involve songs as well.
Then we do interactive play. Kathleen and I attempt jump rope. Much more practice is needed. The boys enjoy soccer balls.
Our tired but happy group of Stephen, Sheba, Bonnie, Kathleen and I head for the guest house. Our first week successfully completed.
It’s a privilege my time and talents with these children. Blessings from India.
Liz
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Quote for the day: “I think that whatever happens is for the good.” Stephen Raja
Driver Stephen picks us up at 7:30am. Our day will be spent going to the four major temples of south India. We drive on a highway and get an opportunity to see the colleges, medical schools, rice fields, stalls, buildings under construction, more cows and particularly the sight where Raijiv Ghandi was assonated.
The first temple we tour is the Kamakshi Ammap Temple. There are no words to describe the ancient beauty of the stone carvings. We are delighted to take photos and listen to Stephen’s stories about the gods and goddesses of the Hindus. We get some photos of the elephant.
We go to Ekambranatha Temple, which is the temple of the mango tree. It was started in the 8th century continued in the 12th century and finished in the 16th century. There are 540 pillars and no two pillars are the same. Each pillar is from a single stone (granite). Elephants were used to lift the stones. The tops of the pillars have the banana tree leaf turned down to welcome visitors into the temple. This temple is dedicated to Shiva.
We enter barefoot in the temple to pay homage to the gods, to avoid bringing the dirt of the street, and to massage our feet when we walk on the uneven stone. They believe that the walking barefoot relaxes the body. It is a kind of yoga. We learned that the symbol of Hinduism is the reverse swastika. Hitler reversed this symbol of Hinduism and made it the symbol of the Aryan race. He used an ancient symbol of the Hindus and made it one that symbolized the purity of the Aryans.
Stephen tells us the ancient story and points out the characters in the carvings. In spite of the heat and thirst, I am transfixed.
We go to the Kailashnatha Temple – the most beautiful. It is the oldest temple dating back to the 8th century. It is made of red sandstone. There is a Buddha influence in the architecture. There are 58 meditating panels. The original writing of Tamil is under one of the statues. Stephen explains the story of the lotus flower. The lotus flower grows out of the dirty pond. It grows pure and beautiful. It is the symbol of what humans should aspire to – purity and beauty.
The national flower of India is the lotus.
The 4th temple we visit is the Varadarajaswamy Temple built in the 12th century. It is a remarkable feat. I took a photo of a chain hanging from the corner. The chain was carved from one stone. The significant thing about this temple is that the pillars are carved out of one piece of stone, black granite but produces the sound of gold and silver when tapped on them. Stephen tapped the pillar in three different places so that we could hear and see the difference. The intricate patterns of saris are derived from the carvings on the pillars.
People come to the temples in a serious and observant manner. They take their religion seriously here. There is honor and respect
We all love the experience. Kathleen and Liz engage with families and individuals and take their photos.
We eat lunch at a lovely air conditioned hotel then we go to the silk factory and buy scarves made of the softest silk and exquisite colors.
– Bonnie
Sunday, February 7, 2010
I wake up this morning with great anticipation about our trip today. In the car, Stephen, who is a remarkable story teller tells us a story about Mother Theresa. Mother Theresa visited the home of a rich man and after a tour of the house she asked him for a donation for her cause. He spit into the palm of her hand. She said, “Thank you for giving this to me. I accept it. Now, may I have a donation?” This is a great story with a lesson on how to behave when insulted. Her dedication to her purpose did not waver. This man ultimately became Mother Theresa’s strongest supporter.
Our first stop today was the tiger cave carving done in the 7th century. This carving was a learning experience for the artists. They used a hammer and chisel first on wood and then on stone. They could not afford to make a mistake. We saw the area that was covered by the Tsunami on 2004. Ancient ruins were uncovered by the Tsunami.
Today we saw the largest bas relief in the world. The elephant was life size and the bas relief told the story of a battle. We learned that African elephants have longer trunks and bigger ears compared with Indian elephants.
Stephen told us the story associated with each temple that we saw – the events – the names of the gods and goddesses. He pointed out the construction of the pillars, types of stone and each specific detail of the carvings.
We go to the Shore Temple, which is a World Heritage Site. We saw Krishna’s butter ball. We went to the temple of the five brothers – the Mahabarata. One funny thing that happened is that Kathleen bought her ticket to the Shore Temple but threw it away after the entrance, then had to retrieve the ticket from the garbage because they would not let her in to the next temple without it. Then she left it in the car. She begged the officer to let her in – even used the hand position of a blessing from the goddesses but the officer still refused. No matter. She made friends with the concrete pourers, the Untouchables and took their photos.
I got ripped off by a guy selling post cards.
Liz bought a carved elephant from the carver and took his photo.
This has been an unforgettable weekend. Stephen’s driving is almost athletic – he deals with the cars, bicycles, motorcycles, busses and cows. Stephen is out teacher. We ask endless questions which he answers patiently and thoughtfully. We feel very lucky to have this experience with someone so savvy and smart. He made Shiva, Vishnu, Pallava, and Durga vividly come alive.
Each of us is thankful.
Now we are ready for the week to come!
Namaste! The light in me honors the light in you.
Bonnie
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