Auto adventures

Last night our group was invited to a farewell dinner to honor the Fulbright-Hays fellows who are heading to the airport today. It was nice to meet other Americans- some of them were even from my area, so we were able to exchange contact information- and hear about their trip. What an experience! For the past 4 or 5 weeks these Elementary school teachers have been on a whirlwind tour of India, visiting several different cities and learning about different cultural traditions in all the various regions of the country. They have had the opportunity to visit a variety of schools as well. After they return home, they will submit curriculum units written with the intention of teaching their students about the culture of India. Fulbright-Hays runs a number of programs in a variety of countries, and somebody told me that the list for next year includes Argentina and Vietnam. It sounds like an amazing experience!

We also met a bunch of Fulbright-Nehru scholars who just finished a month of intensive Hindi training. They are all recent college graduates who will be acting as English teaching assistants for the next 8 months in various schools in Delhi. I talked to one guy from Philadelphia who, as it happens, knows my ex boyfriend's nephew. So that was weird. It always pays to play the "Do you know So-and-So?" game! The world is quite small. I wasn't sure whether I was going to have fun at this dinner or whether it was going to be some kind of boring formal event with a bunch of dull speeches, but I think we all ended up having a blast. It was nice to intermingle with all these interesting people and hear about their experiences. I was sorry that we didn't have more time with them, but I did exchange contact info with a couple folks so we'll see about a stateside gathering.

My days at KV No. 2 are drawing to a close, and the time I had is even less than I thought it would be due to missing time there for presentations and demonstration lessons at other schools. So, today we were granted leave from our regular schools to visit a Navyug School. The Navyug Schools are a network of government funded schools which cater to low-income students who demonstrate academic potential. The school we visited was small by Indian standards (about 550 students) and provided lunch (known here as "mid-day meal") free of charge to students.

I taught a class of 7th graders about the William Carlos Williams poem "This is just to say." This poem is one of my all-time favorites and my American students have invariably responded well to it, so I thought I would try out the lesson on an Indian classroom. I am happy to say that it went quite well- though the students were quiet and shy at first, they gradually warmed up to me and became engaged in the writing activity. I am really looking forward to reading their poems in detail and sharing them next year when I teach the poem during our poetry unit!

We also got shown around the school and definitely the highlight was watching a judo class. Yes, judo. These kids were dropping the judo thunder on each other like nothing I have ever seen. I took a lot of pictures, don't worry. It completely took me by surprise- as this is the first phys ed activity I've seen in my time here. I saw the music and art rooms, special project rooms, and other school facilities. The school was quiet and clean and the students very well-behaved. Walking around the building it seemed like every aspect of what they do during the day was to encourage their students' growth academically, socially, personally, and culturally.

On the way back to the hotel, our auto rickshaw broke down. It just sort of kept stalling out and the driver had to rock it back and forth with his feet to get going again. Eventually, the driver got out a couple times to try to fix whatever was wrong with some wire (I couldn't really see what he was doing) and then gave up. It was sort of a combination of Fred Flinstone and McGyver with unsuccessful results. I have had pretty rotten auto luck lately- maybe I should just stick to the reliable (but much more expensive) taxis for the next week. Autos are fun and all but.... sometimes such a hassle!

Anyway, speaking of reliable transportation, I'll be taking advantage of the complimentary car service and heading over to the Taj Mahal hotel in a couple of hours for some much needed relaxation.

As for the weekend, it's our last in India and I can't believe it. It's nearly impossible to believe that four weeks ago today I left Philadelphia to travel to DC for orientation. I have learned so much, and I know that I will continue to learn during my last week here. But to be honest, I am just about ready to come home- I miss my house, my cats, and most importantly my many loved ones!