Millinium Development Goals Achieved by this team from January 09 - January 14
110 Hours of class room instruction in conversational English and computer skills by 6 volunteers and 110 Hours
65 Hours of Childcare by 6 volunteer. over 420 students impacted.
January 9, 2011
"I see my path, but I don't know where it leads. Not knowing where I'm
going is what inspires me to travel it"
~Rosalia de Castro
Well, here we are. 6 amazing women, 6 different stories; all converging for a common purpose.
There's Carol, from California, a former teacher; Maria from New York, a pediatric emergency room nurse; Julie from Minnesota, works for Global Volunteers;
Shelly from Toronto, a massage therapist; Lisa from Oregon, a physical therapist; and
Myself from Delaware, a teacher. We sat through a meeting setting goals, being assigned jobs, and learning about what it is we will be doing here in, Chennai. After the meeting, we were all anxious to get out and about so we took the the streets and visited several stores to buy various items for ourselves. As I forgot my pajamas, that was on the top of my to get items. Carol and Shelly each treated themselves to saris. More power to them for purchasing and actually planning to wear them. Myself, I find like I'm too wrapped up and can't find that comfort zone when having one on.
Went to SEAMS and the energy level was palpable The kids entertained us with many songs; all very animated. They are still amazed with my
tatoos.
We finished off our night by going out to eat. My experience has been
hat whatever Stephen orders, it's going to be fabulous. To finish off our meal, we treated ourselves to butterscotch ice cream. So, here we are. Everyone on a computer touching base with home. I am looking forward to a fulfilling week and the opportunity to work with some incredible women and kids.
Shelly Talmo
Monday, 01/10/11
As I contemplate on my last week in India, I wonder why I volunteered to write the journal. It’s Monday. No matter where you are in the world or where you are coming from, Monday is still Monday. Although I should be carefree and enjoy my last week in India, I can never help but to feel sad about leaving India. No matter how many weeks I spend here with Stephen and Sheeba, it never feels like enough. Luckily, the excitement of a new team filled the walls of the guesthouse on Saturday and Sunday. As everyone prepared themselves to be “blinded and left in the dark,” Stephen our driver delivered each one of us to our destinations. Julie and I set out first to Grace School. Julie was introduced to the principle Ester and the teachers, and then we giggled as the children adorably said their morning prayers and pledged allegiance to their flag in perfectly straight rows of eight. I was surprised that the children wear a different uniform only for Mondays which is completely white and the teachers teased me for not knowing this. Again the Monday theme reoccurs. My rambunctious kindergarteners were actually very well behaved today and we were able to get through two exercises without someone falling out of their desk, stabbing a classmate with their pencil, or fighting over their erasers. In between the next group and snack time, Julie showed her family album to the teachers and we all “oh’d” and “ah’d” over the pictures of her kids.
Carol and Lisa headed out next to St. Joseph’s School. Lisa initially felt she was thrown to the wolves when she learned of her English-teaching assignments with her strong background of science. Lucky for Lisa, she was paired with Carol and easily acted as her teacher assistant for the morning. They both got their feet wet with upper kindergarten, third, and fourth graders. They sang nursery rhythms, If You’re Happy and You Know It, and then phonic lessons using flashcards. Lisa felt much better after her first dive on the wild side with the children of India. They were asked for their Western movie-star autographs at the end of the day, but kindly declined. They also got to experience a birthday at the school. A girl named Sujita was dressed up with female Indian attire and jewelry, and was going from classroom to classroom handing out candy for her birthday. Later in the morning, Carol and Lisa found her to be in their third grade class, so of course they sang tunes of Happy Birthday to her with the class.
Our twin Shellies had the usual eventful morning at Assisi Illam. Our new rockin’, energetic, charismatic, full of Tazmanian coffee and 2 days into quitting smoking Shelly was super-siked to see the orphans again, as well as play with the children in the daycare. Shelly and Shelly had the usual patience-testing task of teaching the 4 year-olds how to write the alphabet, but luckily for them, apparently D is much easier to write than B or C. Shelly T. also enjoyed being reminded by the daycare kids of one of her favorite games “Juice-Juice-Banana!” Shelly A. raved about having lunch with the sisters and it seemed like a very nice break in the middle of the munchkin mad house.
After lunch, Carol, Lisa, and I went to Grace School. I wish I could say we all took the car over together and arrived securely to meet our characteristic of an effective team of punctuality. But no, Lisa wanted to have a nice healthy walk to Grace school, and I made the mistake of taking directions from Stephen with a tiny glistening fraction of hope that we would actually find our way there. We did not. If there is one thing I have learned over my three trips to the guesthouse is how to perfectly retrace my steps. As this wasn’t the first time I’ve gotten lost in our familiar neighborhood, Sheeba simply laughed and walked us to Grace, where Stephen and I argued over whose directions, or sense of direction, was worse. Lisa was then introduced to her classrooms and of course Carol was already hard at work, introducing herself and getting to know the children. I had an absolutely wonderful time with the teachers. We couldn’t believe that one and a half hours had flown by with what seemed like minutes. The teachers enjoyed my structured workbook activities, and I enjoyed the way they scolded each other if someone else answered their problem during their turn. They told me they would wear uniforms tomorrow since they were now the students, and I said I would wear my sari since now I was their headmaster.
As always, the evening to SEAMs turned into everyone’s favorite event. The children continuously run up to each volunteer for love and attention, and ask the new volunteers all kinds of silly questions. Julie performed word matching games with the fifth and sixth graders and Shelly A. eased the kids into their activities with a word search before starting their phonic exercises. Carol played Old Maid with each group, patiently teaching the younger ones the concept of the game, while older kids continuously interrupted and ran up to play as well. Lisa introduced herself and got to know her groups in depth, and then sang songs with her groups. We were all excited to hear that her luggage had arrived, and she had hopped out quickly to sign for them, and then got right back into the game like a true Global Volunteer. Shelly T. took on the amazing task of not only teaching Vinayagam one-on-one, but also teaching the older boys computer skills. She said it was great fun as they emailed, did activities on google, and created emoticons together. Apparently even with her triple-layered shirt, she still needs to de-Westernize even more around the rowdy teenagers. I took on the task of weighing and taking the heights of all the children. Oh how simple it sounds, why can’t it be true! No matter how many times Stephen kicks out the girls and boys from running into my room, there always seems to be that slippery skinny snake that sneaks its way in. This time it was Suranya. She would take each child by the shoulder, slam them against the wall, put their ankles together, make them stand up straight, look straight ahead, and keep their arms down at their sides. She would be the perfect drill sergeant for the Indian army. But then almost every child’s eyes filled with joy as I told them how much they had grown from just this past March, and I was glad to almost complete the entire orphanage.
We then all headed back to the guesthouse, and yes, I made my way back safely and it was actually Shelly T. who almost made the wrong turn and I safely guided her home. You’re welcome Stephen. We all discussed the pros and cons of the day, our own challenges and favorite events, and our hopes for tomorrow. My only hope for tomorrow is that I can get rid of this overwhelming feeling of hatred for Friday. Although Mondays are Mondays everywhere you go, I would rather it stay Monday forever this week in India. I love the culture, the people, the smells, the sights, the colors, the jewelry, the sounds, the food, the prices, the music, the diversity, the spirituality, and most importantly and above all else, the beautiful children. Although it is only Monday, I already miss you India.
“A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”– Mohandas Gandhi
Maria
Tuesday January 11, 2011
It is obvious the team is getting to know each other. This morning there was a lot of laughing as we shared conversation over breakfast. In the evening we were again sharing --- this time it was pictures off our cameras that allowed us to tell our stories.
In the morning Maria started our day with a recap of yesterday. Her journal was very beautifully told. How was I going to follow that? Well, here’s a try. It is day 3 of our volunteer stint. Shelly from Delaware is day 2 on her stop smoking campaign. Go Shelly. We all applaud her. ‘
Breakfast was soon over and we were soon off to our respective spots. Carol and I were off to St Joseph’s school and as always Carol’s teaching experience showed. Her stint with the book I LIKE BUGS got K-gardeners to think about things like top and bottom and right and left as they tried to fold a paper top to bottom and left to right. Once we passed that challenging task they were on counting numbers and drawing bugs on their paper. A couple of kids had no pencil. Simon Says was also a hit at the school but the kids didn’t quite get the concept of NOT doing the task when Simon “didn’t say”. The kids were especially cute shouting “Hail Mary full of grace” at the top of their lungs.
While Carol and I were teaching away at Grace School the others were quite busy also. Julie was quite smart to initially set her older kids down and let them know kindly that they must behave while she was teaching so she could actually teach. Then she was off on a run with teaching them sequencing. Maria, who is often challenged by kids who try to hurt themselves or other classmates in class started out with one girl falling on her bench and scraping her knee. That attended to, she moved on to teaching her kids about weather using a weather chart and even incorporating a Dr. Seuss book into her weather lesson.
Before we knew it lunch was over for most of us and it was off to the afternoon classes --- only poor Shelly and Shelly had to wait until after 230 pm to get lunch as there were not enough workers around to share the workload today among the employees and volunteers.
In the afternoon I was amazed that I was able to get past “greater than”, “less than” and equal to. I accomplished that by taking out those #@$!% meters and centimeters and breaking it down to just the number comparison task as I did math with the kids. Later, I thought it was cute the kids didn’t want to do social studies. They just wanted to practice reading aloud. I found out the one girl in my group who was a less proficient reader than the others was actually younger so that comforted me.
Julie and Carol were busy again in the afternoon. Carol was happy to see her kids were much better behaved today (the lecture by Julie worked). Julie found that in the midst of her lesson she needed to backtrack and explain the concept of “why”. Poor Shelly and Shelly came home tired and a bit frustrated by their long day at Assisi Orphanage but they rejuvenated when the word shopping was mentioned. I went along with them, only to get quickly bored shopping. I had to say though, that I found this store today less interesting in terms of offerings than the stores of Sunday afternoon. But then again, I have never been much of a shopper. Get in, get the stuf,f and get out. Well, the 2 Shelly’s both found treasures. Shelly was especially pleased with her new sandals.
Before we knew it was time for SEAMS school and more conversational English and lessons. The time flew although I must admit I began to fade at the end. Maybe I needed food. A quick walk back to the home and we were soon making Poori. Poori turns out to be a deep fried delicacy that is nothing more than wheat flour, salt and water. Shelly and Shelly were most impressive with their embellishing of their poori. Shelly T made hers into an elephant ear, adding a good dose of sugar to it and Shelly A would only have needed some ice cream to make hers an Indian Banana split. The rest of our dinner included a wonderful potato and chickpea curry and chicken curry ( aka beef curry as beef is not be mentioned).
As dinner drew to a close we were sharing our pictures --- Carol mentioning her young grandson in the photo who was able to go to Hong Kong with her for a pose in front of one of the decorative Christmas trees there.
The night is drawing to a close as we laugh at the fact that Carol will not be drinking the WHOLE bottle of Indian wine that Stephen just opened for her as he rescued the cork out of the garbage and washed it off for her. She was glad she didn’t have to drink the whole bottle in one sitting.
The quote of the day was taken from my school class where I stole it off the chalk board.
ALL THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT. ---- Carol got her wine, I got my baggage, Shelly and Shelly got their lunch (finally) and I finally got my kids to learn less than, more than and equal to as I persevered despite doubting my skills.
Liza
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Today was another full day from beginning to end, filled with fun, comradery, and lots and lots of food. I had the pleasure of going to Assisi Children's Home for the first time. I am amazed at how are all the places, in which we serve, are so well maintained. The day care kids are precious. I worked alongside Shelly and does she have a way with the little ones. She's so spirited and engaging and seems to have an innate ability to know how long to stay on any given task.
Stephen introduced us to Sisters Rose and Matilda. Both women are extremely poised and from all indications are really committed to their young charges. I am looking forward to helping them with their fundraising and development materials next week.
Lovey was overjoyed to be asked to create a mural at Saint Thomas Hospital. She skipped to that work site and was equally enthused upon her return.
With the help of Stephen, Lisa was able to have her inflamed (or as she puts it "fat and angry") thumb checked out by an area doctor. Our on-call nurse and teammate Marie agreed with the MD's diagnoses which was reassuring.
Saint Joseph's little loves were in the capable hands of Carole who went it alone today while her team teacher Lisa was tending to her before mentioned digit.
In the afternoon, Sheeba and Stephen searched the highways and byways for a vendor who carried just the right undies and t-shirts to buy for the kiddos at SEAMS. We didn't leave there until every child had two sets of new under garments.
In the evening, we made our usual 5-7pm trek to SEAMs and we now have a rhythm going with our two sets of small groups. The Toy Story 3 puzzle was a big hit as was Maria's gift of Twizzlers candy for all the kids who endured having their ears dewaxed tonight.
we all rumbled through town to the home of Stephen's parents, where he resides with wife Sheeba and their adorable son. We were all revived by his mother's amazing dinner which was served to us on plates the size of platters, heaping with varied and delicious homemade Indian fare.
We returned to the guesthouse fors group photos and quickly made our way to bed, tummys filled with food and the rest of us filled with tremendous memories.
Namaste,
Julie Costa
Thought for the Day: "Don't worry be happy.
January 15-16, 2011
The driver was knocking at the door at 7 am. Noting that our team leader Stephen was not even awake I pushed him off politely stating we weren’t to leave til 730 am. Stephen appeared to awaken slowly at the breakfast table and I kidded him about it. But later he asked me or so I thought “ Can you walk backwards?” To which I thought, of course, I make many of my patients do that frequently --- but what I realized he stated was” can you walk barefoot?” This was because today was going to involve lots of Hindu temples.
We eventually shoved of about 745 am --- Stephen, Carole, Julie and I while the others were going to enjoy time at home in Chennai. Our first stop was at a memorial to Rajiv Gandhi, the son of Indira Gandhi, and one of the country’s prime ministers. He was unfortunately killed by a suicide bomber in the late 1940’s when he was campaigning for re-election. There were several pillars at the memorial signifying things related to India such as science and technology and agriculture, the lotus flower and the banyon tree.
Then it was off to the temples in Kancheepurum. We eventually saw 4 temples. One was devoted to the God Vishnu’s who had 10 incarnations. 3 of the temples were made of granite and one was made of sandstone. I found the sandstone one the most interesting and appealing to me. The others were very interesting in their own right. All had a water catchment tanks so that people coming from afar could refresh and clean themselves before going into the temple. One temple had a very beautiful neem tree where people would attach handcrafted items to symbolizing their wishes --- such as wanting to have a child or get married. One of the temples was painted white at the top. Stephen explained that they have a festival and paint some of the temples white every 12 years. Stephen reported another temple had 540 hand built pillars in it. Many of the pillars were etched with decorative lines, no two alike. Stephen is a wealth of knowledge with respect to all of these temples but in our minds it all became jumbled --- the overwhelming notation by all was they were each interesting in their own unique way.
After the temples it was on to a buffet lunch in Kancheepurum at one of the hotels. It was hard to describe all the items on the buffet table but it was easy to find more than enough to eat. This included finishing with a dash of ice cream.
From there it was on to the silk shop. We were treated to a display of the loom work done to make a saree which was about what I expected. I did find it amazing that the gold in the sarees is gold plated thread. The sarees are made of about 6 meters of cloth with the edge of the piece being slightly different in pattern to the rest as that is the portion that the saree top is made of. I knew there wasn’t any reason I would wear a saree so I just enjoyed all the fabrics as Julie and I helped Carole pick out a beautiful saree for a few quid as the Brits would say (or should I say rupees?). Stephen, not to be bored by the shopping had stepped out for a breath of fresh air and was back in time to send us off to then next adventure.
Then it was on the Pondicherry, a long ride where we were content to snooze in the vehicle or look out the window. I enjoyed the few rice paddies I saw, the roadside shops that reminded me a bit of Mexico and also all the greenery and ocean or backwater views here and there.
Once in Pondicherry we settled into our hotel which reminded me a bit of Las Vegas as the inside of the hotel was painted with murals, not unlike those at the Venetian in Las Vegas. I was sure there would be something more classy to find in Pondicherry and we were not to be disappointed. Julie stayed behind to rest up at the hotel while Stephen, Carole and I ventured into the French section of town, which is separated from the Indian Section by a canal. We walked along the beach promenade and I enjoyed the statue of Mahatma Gandhi with all the children running up and down the base of it in the darkness. I also enjoyed stopping at the memorial to B.R. Ambedkar, one of the fighters for equality for all Indians who helped set up the Indian constitution.
Dinner was at a multi cuisine restaurant in a local hotel as the locals call it. I had some sort of Indian delight which seemed like an offshoot of an eggroll --- held together by mashed potatoes and veggies and baked with a curry dipping sauce --- it was hot! Carole’s soup was so hot that she couldn’t eat it but she enjoyed an unusual salad made of cantelope, cherries and tomatoes and yoghurt. Not my cup of tea but possibly the cherries had to do with Pondicherry I thought.
After a good sleep or a mediocre one it was off again in the morning to go to Catholic church with Stephen. Julie commented on how the inside of the church was a bit overstimulating and I would certainly say it was well adorned. Settling in though, we soon realized the components of the mass were about the same in Indian so we could follow right along although we didn’t understand a word. One thing that we all enjoyed were the little girls all dressed up in their best. Later Stephen told us the sermon was about being a good servant to God, not cheating or lying and also setting a good example for others as then they will see you are a good Christian.
We zipped back to the hotel to get some complimentary breakfast where for some of us it was nice to enjoy something that was a little less Indian. My French croissant could hardly have been called something truely French but I did enjoy the lime juice.
After checking out, it was off to the highlight of my day which was the ashram honoring Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. It was a place of silence as it was meant to be a place of meditation. I found all the cacti and floral displays to be stunningly beautiful and was saddened I couldn’t take photos. However, it will be a memory to store away of all my travels.
Then it was on to Auroville ---- possibly one of the biggest surprises to me in India so far. This sight was the concept and vision of The Mother and was to be a place where people would live if they were choosing to seek enlightment, live in the way of the people there and also hoping to live among people of all walks of life and experience to so as to live in human unity. This place is pretty amazing but a bit hard to describe. I suggest Wikipedia here for further study.
We had a delightful lunch at Auroville --- the gals enjoyed quiche and I loved my raw salad --- cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, garbanzo beans etc, never looked so good. Stephen had dhali which I had recognized to some degree from Indian restaurants stateside.
Then it was off to Mamallapuram and the 5 Rathas. These were interesting shrines carved from stone, an experiment done in the 7th century to see if these stones were sturdy and durable enough to build temples of. The detail in some was amazing and again I liked the animal structures, but there were plenty of stories carved in the rocks also. We went on to some other rock structures and while Carole shopped there, Julie and I took lessons on what all these rocks depicted. Eventually in the heat, this traipsing around became an endurance event and I must admit it was good to get to the top of the light house for a view of the sea.
Good thing we got to go DOWN to the car. Then it was a saunter home to Chennai with the traffic coming back into the city. I chuckled as we went by Dizzie Land, a take off on Disney, but an Indian amusement park that looked very busy with locals. Finally it was home sweet home and home looked quite good. On arrival we were told that Shelly had enjoyed 2 days of painting at the hospital and Shelly A had enjoyed a relaxing weekend of reading, cooking with Sheeba and shopping --- of course, shopping!
My quote of the day comes from some suggested for us as the kids will be waiting for us tomorrow……………
Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him. (Albert Schweitzer)
I have to add a 2nd quote though, also as this was a 2 day stint ----
No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks. ---- A huge thank you to Stephen for his patient and knowledgeable
110 Hours of class room instruction in conversational English and computer skills by 6 volunteers and 110 Hours
65 Hours of Childcare by 6 volunteer. over 420 students impacted.
"I see my path, but I don't know where it leads. Not knowing where I'm
going is what inspires me to travel it"
~Rosalia de Castro
Well, here we are. 6 amazing women, 6 different stories; all converging for a common purpose.
There's Carol, from California, a former teacher; Maria from New York, a pediatric emergency room nurse; Julie from Minnesota, works for Global Volunteers;
Shelly from Toronto, a massage therapist; Lisa from Oregon, a physical therapist; and
Myself from Delaware, a teacher. We sat through a meeting setting goals, being assigned jobs, and learning about what it is we will be doing here in, Chennai. After the meeting, we were all anxious to get out and about so we took the the streets and visited several stores to buy various items for ourselves. As I forgot my pajamas, that was on the top of my to get items. Carol and Shelly each treated themselves to saris. More power to them for purchasing and actually planning to wear them. Myself, I find like I'm too wrapped up and can't find that comfort zone when having one on.
Went to SEAMS and the energy level was palpable The kids entertained us with many songs; all very animated. They are still amazed with my
tatoos.
We finished off our night by going out to eat. My experience has been
hat whatever Stephen orders, it's going to be fabulous. To finish off our meal, we treated ourselves to butterscotch ice cream. So, here we are. Everyone on a computer touching base with home. I am looking forward to a fulfilling week and the opportunity to work with some incredible women and kids.
Shelly Talmo
As I contemplate on my last week in India, I wonder why I volunteered to write the journal. It’s Monday. No matter where you are in the world or where you are coming from, Monday is still Monday. Although I should be carefree and enjoy my last week in India, I can never help but to feel sad about leaving India. No matter how many weeks I spend here with Stephen and Sheeba, it never feels like enough. Luckily, the excitement of a new team filled the walls of the guesthouse on Saturday and Sunday. As everyone prepared themselves to be “blinded and left in the dark,” Stephen our driver delivered each one of us to our destinations. Julie and I set out first to Grace School. Julie was introduced to the principle Ester and the teachers, and then we giggled as the children adorably said their morning prayers and pledged allegiance to their flag in perfectly straight rows of eight. I was surprised that the children wear a different uniform only for Mondays which is completely white and the teachers teased me for not knowing this. Again the Monday theme reoccurs. My rambunctious kindergarteners were actually very well behaved today and we were able to get through two exercises without someone falling out of their desk, stabbing a classmate with their pencil, or fighting over their erasers. In between the next group and snack time, Julie showed her family album to the teachers and we all “oh’d” and “ah’d” over the pictures of her kids.
Carol and Lisa headed out next to St. Joseph’s School. Lisa initially felt she was thrown to the wolves when she learned of her English-teaching assignments with her strong background of science. Lucky for Lisa, she was paired with Carol and easily acted as her teacher assistant for the morning. They both got their feet wet with upper kindergarten, third, and fourth graders. They sang nursery rhythms, If You’re Happy and You Know It, and then phonic lessons using flashcards. Lisa felt much better after her first dive on the wild side with the children of India. They were asked for their Western movie-star autographs at the end of the day, but kindly declined. They also got to experience a birthday at the school. A girl named Sujita was dressed up with female Indian attire and jewelry, and was going from classroom to classroom handing out candy for her birthday. Later in the morning, Carol and Lisa found her to be in their third grade class, so of course they sang tunes of Happy Birthday to her with the class.
Our twin Shellies had the usual eventful morning at Assisi Illam. Our new rockin’, energetic, charismatic, full of Tazmanian coffee and 2 days into quitting smoking Shelly was super-siked to see the orphans again, as well as play with the children in the daycare. Shelly and Shelly had the usual patience-testing task of teaching the 4 year-olds how to write the alphabet, but luckily for them, apparently D is much easier to write than B or C. Shelly T. also enjoyed being reminded by the daycare kids of one of her favorite games “Juice-Juice-Banana!” Shelly A. raved about having lunch with the sisters and it seemed like a very nice break in the middle of the munchkin mad house.
After lunch, Carol, Lisa, and I went to Grace School. I wish I could say we all took the car over together and arrived securely to meet our characteristic of an effective team of punctuality. But no, Lisa wanted to have a nice healthy walk to Grace school, and I made the mistake of taking directions from Stephen with a tiny glistening fraction of hope that we would actually find our way there. We did not. If there is one thing I have learned over my three trips to the guesthouse is how to perfectly retrace my steps. As this wasn’t the first time I’ve gotten lost in our familiar neighborhood, Sheeba simply laughed and walked us to Grace, where Stephen and I argued over whose directions, or sense of direction, was worse. Lisa was then introduced to her classrooms and of course Carol was already hard at work, introducing herself and getting to know the children. I had an absolutely wonderful time with the teachers. We couldn’t believe that one and a half hours had flown by with what seemed like minutes. The teachers enjoyed my structured workbook activities, and I enjoyed the way they scolded each other if someone else answered their problem during their turn. They told me they would wear uniforms tomorrow since they were now the students, and I said I would wear my sari since now I was their headmaster.
As always, the evening to SEAMs turned into everyone’s favorite event. The children continuously run up to each volunteer for love and attention, and ask the new volunteers all kinds of silly questions. Julie performed word matching games with the fifth and sixth graders and Shelly A. eased the kids into their activities with a word search before starting their phonic exercises. Carol played Old Maid with each group, patiently teaching the younger ones the concept of the game, while older kids continuously interrupted and ran up to play as well. Lisa introduced herself and got to know her groups in depth, and then sang songs with her groups. We were all excited to hear that her luggage had arrived, and she had hopped out quickly to sign for them, and then got right back into the game like a true Global Volunteer. Shelly T. took on the amazing task of not only teaching Vinayagam one-on-one, but also teaching the older boys computer skills. She said it was great fun as they emailed, did activities on google, and created emoticons together. Apparently even with her triple-layered shirt, she still needs to de-Westernize even more around the rowdy teenagers. I took on the task of weighing and taking the heights of all the children. Oh how simple it sounds, why can’t it be true! No matter how many times Stephen kicks out the girls and boys from running into my room, there always seems to be that slippery skinny snake that sneaks its way in. This time it was Suranya. She would take each child by the shoulder, slam them against the wall, put their ankles together, make them stand up straight, look straight ahead, and keep their arms down at their sides. She would be the perfect drill sergeant for the Indian army. But then almost every child’s eyes filled with joy as I told them how much they had grown from just this past March, and I was glad to almost complete the entire orphanage.
We then all headed back to the guesthouse, and yes, I made my way back safely and it was actually Shelly T. who almost made the wrong turn and I safely guided her home. You’re welcome Stephen. We all discussed the pros and cons of the day, our own challenges and favorite events, and our hopes for tomorrow. My only hope for tomorrow is that I can get rid of this overwhelming feeling of hatred for Friday. Although Mondays are Mondays everywhere you go, I would rather it stay Monday forever this week in India. I love the culture, the people, the smells, the sights, the colors, the jewelry, the sounds, the food, the prices, the music, the diversity, the spirituality, and most importantly and above all else, the beautiful children. Although it is only Monday, I already miss you India.
“A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”– Mohandas Gandhi
Maria
It is obvious the team is getting to know each other. This morning there was a lot of laughing as we shared conversation over breakfast. In the evening we were again sharing --- this time it was pictures off our cameras that allowed us to tell our stories.
In the morning Maria started our day with a recap of yesterday. Her journal was very beautifully told. How was I going to follow that? Well, here’s a try. It is day 3 of our volunteer stint. Shelly from Delaware is day 2 on her stop smoking campaign. Go Shelly. We all applaud her. ‘
Breakfast was soon over and we were soon off to our respective spots. Carol and I were off to St Joseph’s school and as always Carol’s teaching experience showed. Her stint with the book I LIKE BUGS got K-gardeners to think about things like top and bottom and right and left as they tried to fold a paper top to bottom and left to right. Once we passed that challenging task they were on counting numbers and drawing bugs on their paper. A couple of kids had no pencil. Simon Says was also a hit at the school but the kids didn’t quite get the concept of NOT doing the task when Simon “didn’t say”. The kids were especially cute shouting “Hail Mary full of grace” at the top of their lungs.
While Carol and I were teaching away at Grace School the others were quite busy also. Julie was quite smart to initially set her older kids down and let them know kindly that they must behave while she was teaching so she could actually teach. Then she was off on a run with teaching them sequencing. Maria, who is often challenged by kids who try to hurt themselves or other classmates in class started out with one girl falling on her bench and scraping her knee. That attended to, she moved on to teaching her kids about weather using a weather chart and even incorporating a Dr. Seuss book into her weather lesson.
Before we knew it lunch was over for most of us and it was off to the afternoon classes --- only poor Shelly and Shelly had to wait until after 230 pm to get lunch as there were not enough workers around to share the workload today among the employees and volunteers.
In the afternoon I was amazed that I was able to get past “greater than”, “less than” and equal to. I accomplished that by taking out those #@$!% meters and centimeters and breaking it down to just the number comparison task as I did math with the kids. Later, I thought it was cute the kids didn’t want to do social studies. They just wanted to practice reading aloud. I found out the one girl in my group who was a less proficient reader than the others was actually younger so that comforted me.
Julie and Carol were busy again in the afternoon. Carol was happy to see her kids were much better behaved today (the lecture by Julie worked). Julie found that in the midst of her lesson she needed to backtrack and explain the concept of “why”. Poor Shelly and Shelly came home tired and a bit frustrated by their long day at Assisi Orphanage but they rejuvenated when the word shopping was mentioned. I went along with them, only to get quickly bored shopping. I had to say though, that I found this store today less interesting in terms of offerings than the stores of Sunday afternoon. But then again, I have never been much of a shopper. Get in, get the stuf,f and get out. Well, the 2 Shelly’s both found treasures. Shelly was especially pleased with her new sandals.
Before we knew it was time for SEAMS school and more conversational English and lessons. The time flew although I must admit I began to fade at the end. Maybe I needed food. A quick walk back to the home and we were soon making Poori. Poori turns out to be a deep fried delicacy that is nothing more than wheat flour, salt and water. Shelly and Shelly were most impressive with their embellishing of their poori. Shelly T made hers into an elephant ear, adding a good dose of sugar to it and Shelly A would only have needed some ice cream to make hers an Indian Banana split. The rest of our dinner included a wonderful potato and chickpea curry and chicken curry ( aka beef curry as beef is not be mentioned).
As dinner drew to a close we were sharing our pictures --- Carol mentioning her young grandson in the photo who was able to go to Hong Kong with her for a pose in front of one of the decorative Christmas trees there.
The night is drawing to a close as we laugh at the fact that Carol will not be drinking the WHOLE bottle of Indian wine that Stephen just opened for her as he rescued the cork out of the garbage and washed it off for her. She was glad she didn’t have to drink the whole bottle in one sitting.
The quote of the day was taken from my school class where I stole it off the chalk board.
ALL THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT. ---- Carol got her wine, I got my baggage, Shelly and Shelly got their lunch (finally) and I finally got my kids to learn less than, more than and equal to as I persevered despite doubting my skills.
Liza
Today was another full day from beginning to end, filled with fun, comradery, and lots and lots of food. I had the pleasure of going to Assisi Children's Home for the first time. I am amazed at how are all the places, in which we serve, are so well maintained. The day care kids are precious. I worked alongside Shelly and does she have a way with the little ones. She's so spirited and engaging and seems to have an innate ability to know how long to stay on any given task.
Stephen introduced us to Sisters Rose and Matilda. Both women are extremely poised and from all indications are really committed to their young charges. I am looking forward to helping them with their fundraising and development materials next week.
Lovey was overjoyed to be asked to create a mural at Saint Thomas Hospital. She skipped to that work site and was equally enthused upon her return.
With the help of Stephen, Lisa was able to have her inflamed (or as she puts it "fat and angry") thumb checked out by an area doctor. Our on-call nurse and teammate Marie agreed with the MD's diagnoses which was reassuring.
Saint Joseph's little loves were in the capable hands of Carole who went it alone today while her team teacher Lisa was tending to her before mentioned digit.
In the afternoon, Sheeba and Stephen searched the highways and byways for a vendor who carried just the right undies and t-shirts to buy for the kiddos at SEAMS. We didn't leave there until every child had two sets of new under garments.
In the evening, we made our usual 5-7pm trek to SEAMs and we now have a rhythm going with our two sets of small groups. The Toy Story 3 puzzle was a big hit as was Maria's gift of Twizzlers candy for all the kids who endured having their ears dewaxed tonight.
we all rumbled through town to the home of Stephen's parents, where he resides with wife Sheeba and their adorable son. We were all revived by his mother's amazing dinner which was served to us on plates the size of platters, heaping with varied and delicious homemade Indian fare.
We returned to the guesthouse fors group photos and quickly made our way to bed, tummys filled with food and the rest of us filled with tremendous memories.
Namaste,
Julie Costa
Thought for the Day: "Don't worry be happy.
The driver was knocking at the door at 7 am. Noting that our team leader Stephen was not even awake I pushed him off politely stating we weren’t to leave til 730 am. Stephen appeared to awaken slowly at the breakfast table and I kidded him about it. But later he asked me or so I thought “ Can you walk backwards?” To which I thought, of course, I make many of my patients do that frequently --- but what I realized he stated was” can you walk barefoot?” This was because today was going to involve lots of Hindu temples.
We eventually shoved of about 745 am --- Stephen, Carole, Julie and I while the others were going to enjoy time at home in Chennai. Our first stop was at a memorial to Rajiv Gandhi, the son of Indira Gandhi, and one of the country’s prime ministers. He was unfortunately killed by a suicide bomber in the late 1940’s when he was campaigning for re-election. There were several pillars at the memorial signifying things related to India such as science and technology and agriculture, the lotus flower and the banyon tree.
Then it was off to the temples in Kancheepurum. We eventually saw 4 temples. One was devoted to the God Vishnu’s who had 10 incarnations. 3 of the temples were made of granite and one was made of sandstone. I found the sandstone one the most interesting and appealing to me. The others were very interesting in their own right. All had a water catchment tanks so that people coming from afar could refresh and clean themselves before going into the temple. One temple had a very beautiful neem tree where people would attach handcrafted items to symbolizing their wishes --- such as wanting to have a child or get married. One of the temples was painted white at the top. Stephen explained that they have a festival and paint some of the temples white every 12 years. Stephen reported another temple had 540 hand built pillars in it. Many of the pillars were etched with decorative lines, no two alike. Stephen is a wealth of knowledge with respect to all of these temples but in our minds it all became jumbled --- the overwhelming notation by all was they were each interesting in their own unique way.
After the temples it was on to a buffet lunch in Kancheepurum at one of the hotels. It was hard to describe all the items on the buffet table but it was easy to find more than enough to eat. This included finishing with a dash of ice cream.
From there it was on to the silk shop. We were treated to a display of the loom work done to make a saree which was about what I expected. I did find it amazing that the gold in the sarees is gold plated thread. The sarees are made of about 6 meters of cloth with the edge of the piece being slightly different in pattern to the rest as that is the portion that the saree top is made of. I knew there wasn’t any reason I would wear a saree so I just enjoyed all the fabrics as Julie and I helped Carole pick out a beautiful saree for a few quid as the Brits would say (or should I say rupees?). Stephen, not to be bored by the shopping had stepped out for a breath of fresh air and was back in time to send us off to then next adventure.
Then it was on the Pondicherry, a long ride where we were content to snooze in the vehicle or look out the window. I enjoyed the few rice paddies I saw, the roadside shops that reminded me a bit of Mexico and also all the greenery and ocean or backwater views here and there.
Once in Pondicherry we settled into our hotel which reminded me a bit of Las Vegas as the inside of the hotel was painted with murals, not unlike those at the Venetian in Las Vegas. I was sure there would be something more classy to find in Pondicherry and we were not to be disappointed. Julie stayed behind to rest up at the hotel while Stephen, Carole and I ventured into the French section of town, which is separated from the Indian Section by a canal. We walked along the beach promenade and I enjoyed the statue of Mahatma Gandhi with all the children running up and down the base of it in the darkness. I also enjoyed stopping at the memorial to B.R. Ambedkar, one of the fighters for equality for all Indians who helped set up the Indian constitution.
Dinner was at a multi cuisine restaurant in a local hotel as the locals call it. I had some sort of Indian delight which seemed like an offshoot of an eggroll --- held together by mashed potatoes and veggies and baked with a curry dipping sauce --- it was hot! Carole’s soup was so hot that she couldn’t eat it but she enjoyed an unusual salad made of cantelope, cherries and tomatoes and yoghurt. Not my cup of tea but possibly the cherries had to do with Pondicherry I thought.
After a good sleep or a mediocre one it was off again in the morning to go to Catholic church with Stephen. Julie commented on how the inside of the church was a bit overstimulating and I would certainly say it was well adorned. Settling in though, we soon realized the components of the mass were about the same in Indian so we could follow right along although we didn’t understand a word. One thing that we all enjoyed were the little girls all dressed up in their best. Later Stephen told us the sermon was about being a good servant to God, not cheating or lying and also setting a good example for others as then they will see you are a good Christian.
We zipped back to the hotel to get some complimentary breakfast where for some of us it was nice to enjoy something that was a little less Indian. My French croissant could hardly have been called something truely French but I did enjoy the lime juice.
After checking out, it was off to the highlight of my day which was the ashram honoring Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. It was a place of silence as it was meant to be a place of meditation. I found all the cacti and floral displays to be stunningly beautiful and was saddened I couldn’t take photos. However, it will be a memory to store away of all my travels.
Then it was on to Auroville ---- possibly one of the biggest surprises to me in India so far. This sight was the concept and vision of The Mother and was to be a place where people would live if they were choosing to seek enlightment, live in the way of the people there and also hoping to live among people of all walks of life and experience to so as to live in human unity. This place is pretty amazing but a bit hard to describe. I suggest Wikipedia here for further study.
We had a delightful lunch at Auroville --- the gals enjoyed quiche and I loved my raw salad --- cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, garbanzo beans etc, never looked so good. Stephen had dhali which I had recognized to some degree from Indian restaurants stateside.
Then it was off to Mamallapuram and the 5 Rathas. These were interesting shrines carved from stone, an experiment done in the 7th century to see if these stones were sturdy and durable enough to build temples of. The detail in some was amazing and again I liked the animal structures, but there were plenty of stories carved in the rocks also. We went on to some other rock structures and while Carole shopped there, Julie and I took lessons on what all these rocks depicted. Eventually in the heat, this traipsing around became an endurance event and I must admit it was good to get to the top of the light house for a view of the sea.
Good thing we got to go DOWN to the car. Then it was a saunter home to Chennai with the traffic coming back into the city. I chuckled as we went by Dizzie Land, a take off on Disney, but an Indian amusement park that looked very busy with locals. Finally it was home sweet home and home looked quite good. On arrival we were told that Shelly had enjoyed 2 days of painting at the hospital and Shelly A had enjoyed a relaxing weekend of reading, cooking with Sheeba and shopping --- of course, shopping!
My quote of the day comes from some suggested for us as the kids will be waiting for us tomorrow……………
Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him. (Albert Schweitzer)
I have to add a 2nd quote though, also as this was a 2 day stint ----
No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks. ---- A huge thank you to Stephen for his patient and knowledgeable
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