Bombay through New Eyes

My first trip to Bombay was the typical westerner’s experience of the city. The girls and I hit up all the local points that cater to western desires. We ate pancakes, scrambled eggs, bagels and cream cheese for breakfast and most importantly we payed around 100 rupees for our delicious Italian roast coffee. I stayed with young people from all over the world in the Salvation Army Hostel. These young people dressed in hippie or alternative fashion with skin being shown in excess and smoking and drinking for enjoyment. My second trip was quite a different experience, as I went carrying the eyes of my fellow travelers, my co-teacher and her daughter that are well accustomed to their small and calm life in Bajipura.


As foreigners we are used to carrying around our passports, while traveling, knowing that we have to conform to police regulations and register at all hotels. I thought it would be a different experience for my Indian counter parts, since they are within their own country. They came to the hostel, where I stayed the first time, and were immediately turned away because they were not able to show identification. Hansabhen was so bewildered to know why a resident of India had to show their identification, she repeated over and over that she has never been asked for it before. Finally we got an offer from one hotel that would take us if Hansabhen could fax in her documentation. The hotel staff proposed to me that I “the foreigner” would be in charge of making sure they did not cause any problems in the hotel. The one glitch in the hotel staffs’ plan is that foreigners and Indians cannot cohabitate in one room, so therefore I would have difficulty watching their behavior.



When we finally tackled the obstacles presented with finding a place to stay we made our way to the streets. I had not quite been aware the first time how many foreigners frequented the area we were staying. Hansabhen frequently talked about how Mumbai was just like America, since there were so many Americans. I tried to inform her that most of these people were not Americans, but she insisted that Americans and foreigners are pretty much the same thing.

We sat down at the restaurant nearest to our hotel for breakfast. I did not put myself in the others’ perspective while choosing the restaurant, a famous hot spot, Leopold’s Café. As soon as we looked at the menu Hansabhen gasped at the prices and then started commenting that it was a beer bar. We sat down for a total of five minutes and then were off to find an Indian restaurant. We found a nice hotel that had high prices as far as Hansabhen was concerned, but actually it was pretty reasonable. Because the prices were considered high, we all had to sit at the table and stuff ourselves until we were going to burst out of our pants. We still could not finish and Hansabhen looked very distraught and had the remaining food packed for later, something a foreigner would rarely think of doing on a vacation. As we sat filling our stomachs, Hansabehn checked out each of the foreigners saying which member of the Nanubhai staff they looked like. She finally decided that all foreigners look the same.


The first destination in our travels was the temple of Ganesha. We waited in long line to find out I could not enter because I had my laptop. I waited outside for them to finish and then Hansabhen came back and said she would be happy to fight the crowds for a second chance to see Ganesha. We made our way to Ganesha, but were only allowed to go on a balcony and see the god at a distance. We sat looking from far away as people pushed their elbows into my side to move. Other people were able to get close to Ganesha and Hansabhen was determined to figure out how this could be done. We exited and she immediately started looking around to find the way to enter and gain closer proximity. She found a location where all the people were exiting from the temple and knew that these were the people getting close to Ganesha. Before I could hold her back she was disappearing calling my name as she pushed through the masses of people trying to exit the temple. Since I knew I would make a big scene attempting the same maneuver, I decided to go find her daughter and hoped that we would meet up again in the huge crowd.



After this we were onto going for our shopping marathon. We did not shop in the tourist areas that meet my every western desire for buying “Indian” jewelry and clothing, but in the heart of local shopping streets that consist of many stalls, lining the street. Instead of having the “Indian” jewelry and clothing that I enjoy so much they have the actual jewelry and clothing that Indians wear, which is many times to elaborate and over decorated for my taste. We spent around four hours going from shop to shop looking at the gold and sequins. Hansabhen and her daughter never grew tired but I became weak as I wasn’t interested in the items and each shop took a matter of hours due to the ruthless bartering of Hansabhen the professional bargainer.
For dinner they found their newest hot spot, a place where they could get 25 rupee dosa. We finished our leftover food from earlier that day so we could save even more money. On our way back to our hotel I began asking myself the question, “Why I was having them stay in this area?” As the westerners prepared for a night on the town in their low cut and low waisted clothes, I began to see them differently as Hansabehn and her daughter looked with their mouths open at the number of bra straps and bare legs they say hanging out of clothes. I became embarrassed at the way foreigners presented themselves in India and felt completely distant to the people in which I was supposed to belong. During these moments I felt like I was looking through the lens of a rural Gujarati, rather than seeing the world with the same perspective as the peculiar, under clothed travelers.



A huge struggle for anyone coming from the village, where we pay 5 rupees for a rickshaw ride, is taking the Bombay taxis for 50 times that price. The second day Hansabhen was bound and determined to figure out the bus system. On that day we spent our entire morning seeking out a way to get to Juhu beach, by bus. We asked around 30 locals and waited searching bus after bus to try and find the correct number. We finally found our bus and nearly did not make it on because the bus stops for a mere second and if you do not move fast it will be gone before you blink your eye. We finally found ourselves some seats and we were comfortable enjoying our 12 rupee bus ride all the way across Bombay. Our peaceful ride was interrupted when a whole crowd of people came on the bus shouting and bickering between themselves and they squeezed in every corner of the bus that they could find. One woman wrapped herself right around Hansabhen’s daughter who was frowning and not breathing and looking to me with a pained glance. I gave her a look as if to say I thought you were used to this crowd. As the ride continued the woman pushed in further and found a perfect spot on my lap.



As we talked together in our mixed Gujarati and English, Hanabehn began seeing me as a local, entirely different from the foreigners she saw surrounding her. She began commenting on how I looked different from them and I did not have the same bad habits as them. I also saw the separation of myself from the foreigners and began wondering how I will fit into my home again. Will a part of me always see the world with my new rural Gujarati perspective or after going home will I only see with an American view of the world. Through this journey I have realized how I have grown and changed in my new life and this realization was both surprising and enlightening.

A Bicycle Built for Two?

A 10th standard student has been pestering us for about 3 months to go to his house in a neighboring village. Finally, we cleared our weekend to head out to a village only reachable by bicycle on Saturday. This turned out to be one of the best days I've had in a long time.

It began with a slow Saturday morning without any classes. Addaia and I had asked for a second bike the night before and were patiently waiting around for it to appear on our front porch as we sipped our second cup of morning coffee. Eventually, and unsurprisingly, the school bell rang and we were still without a second bicycle. Yeshpal, the student, came to our porch at 11:30 on the nose and asked if we were ready. "Um, sure thing. We can fit on one bicycle, right?"

The scenery on our ten kilometer ride was so beautiful, we were really upset we didn't bring our cameras. We told Yeshpal how lucky he was to live in such a beautiful place and all he said in response was:

"Yes, teacher. I am afraid."

"Um, what?"

"...of the tigers. There are many tigers in these fields."

"Excuse us... did you say, tigers? Like big, carnivorous cats?"

"Yes, teacher. Many dogs are (hand signal for killing)."

(a later shot of the same area)

Well, at least we were on a bicycle, we thought. No use in worrying now, but Addaia began to pedal a little bit faster. This, of course, only gained us more attention as two American women squeezed onto one rickety bicycle going as fast as we could to a village in the middle of nowhere.

Before leaving, we had asked if we should bring some filtered water. "Oh no, teacher. We have Bisleri water." After our bike ride all the way to his house in the mid-day sun we are given water. After half a glass, we are told "Oh, teacher. This is not filtered water. We have no Bisleri water." Amoebic dysentery here we come!

Eventually, after eating delicious bananas straight off the tree, we ended up going down to the river with Yeshpal and his friends. "Miss, you swim?" chided one of the boys. Well, we can put our feet in, we thought. Ten minutes later, we were swimming in our salwar khameezes with water buffalo and cows. Literally. We only decided to get out of the water when the cows began to pee into the small pool we shared.

After we got out of the water, we were joined by three of our female students who took us to their house to eat a delicious lunch of Gujarati thali and more non-Bisleri water. The students seemed to be taking shifts with us. Every 5 minutes a new girl would come into the kitchen with two flowers, the previous one would leave, and we would begin another conversation about school and their village.

We finally told the students: "Only one more house, then we must go home." This of course turned into three more houses in a village 5 kilometers in the other direction from Kadod, more unfiltered water, sugary sodas, and chai. By this point, our stomachs were beginning to rumble as we braced ourselves for the 45 minute ride home.

Now, I don't know if you realize this, but this whole time Addaia and I are riding on a rickety old bicycle, she is pedaling and working hard to carry both of our weights and I am attempting to balance myself on an unpadded metal bar over the wheel. Meanwhile, I must suspend my legs just above the ground while using my arms to try to brace myself while we hit the many bumps in the Indian roads between the two villages. Not the most comfortable bike ride in the world...

(the bike we rode on, note the back wire rack where I sat for nearly 3 hours that day)

In the end, it was a great day spent with students and friends. We have already made plans to return to their beautiful village. Maybe next time, we'll borrow a motorbike instead...

The Girls are Growing in Confidence

The weeks leading up to the Spoken English drama completion were intense. The most intensity was coming from my afternoon girls’ class. They were so ambitious; they wanted to undertake a play, a dance, and a song. The girls wanted to come to my house to practice on the weekends and each and every day they would ask me, “What are we going to wear teacher.” We stayed late every class preparing decorations and perfecting the play and the dance. I encouraged their ambition and excitement to want to perform on stage.

These bold girls are completely out of the ordinary for Bajipura High School. In my 9A class each and every day I have to fight with the girls to answer questions. I will ask a question and there will be around 20 hands that shoot up from the boys’ side. They squirm in their seat and make pleading noises, but I look at the girls’ side and there is never a single hand in the air. They will never volunteer to participate in class activities and even if their name is mentioned sometimes they become embarrassed and put their head down on their desk. I am continually asking the girls to show their bravery. On one occasion I asked them to make a loud tough sound, so they could show me their strength and courage. Around two students participated in this silly activity and the other students sat in their seats looking flushed.

It is completely different with my Spoken English girls. They are in a classroom of their own with no boys to compete with and their confidence in English is growing every day. Girls throughout the school are serious about their studies, but they only keep their nose in their books and do not speak their knowledge. My girls are achieving great things because they are both hard working like the other girls, but also confident enough to speak what they know.

I enjoy my morning and afternoon classes equally, but I really wanted my girls’ afternoon class to win the drama competition. It was more difficult for my girls; their skill level is not as high as many of the boys in my morning class. They also do not have the natural acting skills that the over confident and expressive boys have. Even though they were the underdogs, they worked so hard I thought they might be able to finish first.

On competition day all the groups performed well. They all came on the stage and gave their best performances. All classes did their best, except my girls’ class. Although the boys have had so many experiences being the leaders of the classroom and of the school, for many of the girls this was their first time on stage. I think my girls’ class could not do their best because they did not have the practice that the boys have had speaking in front of the whole school.

As the winners of the completion were announced I had butterflies in my stomach. Third place went to Drew’s boys class, and then second place went Drew’s boys class, when they were going to announce first I just knew that my girls had lost. Sure enough they announced the winner as my morning class. I wanted to be happy for my students, but I looked over at my girls and could see them crushed by the announcement.

My first thought was that this was going to ruin the girls’ aspiration to be leaders in their school. I was so nervous that this experience may be their last time stepping out and taking a chance to work hard for their success as leaders of their school community. In fact, it turned out that their reaction was quite the opposite. I had a copy of their dance, song, and play recorded and they ask me each and every day when they can have the video of their performance. Many of the girls told me that their parents were so proud of them and in their faces I can see the pride they have in themselves. I truly feel like I have contributed to these girls stepping out of the quiet and reserved mold that Indian girls so often fit. After this experience I hope these girls will step up and be the leaders for other girls. Soon maybe more girls will start performing at the top of their class and pursuing the same professions as the boys. It is amazing how one small leadership opportunity can change a child’s view of them self.

Lions, Tigers and Bears! Oh, My!

Actually its more like Jaguars, snakes and donkeys, but I believe the latter is equally frightening. No, this isn't an irrational fear. I run into snakes and packs of donkeys each day during my marathon training runs. I must say I was a bit nervous the first couple of times I set out-I had never run into so much wildlife and seeing snakes in the wild is a bit daunting. At this point I was still okay with the idea of running through the sugar fields and encountering them from time to time, until we found out about the jaguars.
Last week a student invited Kathryn and I to his village for lunch. He told us we would have to take bicycles because his village was about 15 KM away. Since we knew the principal had bikes, we didn't worry about it until the day came and we had to go and borrow them. Just as our luck would have it, the principal was out and we had no bikes. We decided that our best and only option would be a bike that had been sitting on our porch for what appears to be a few decades, growing a thick layer of dust, cobwebs. Already being a huge spectacle in Kadod, Kathryn and I attracted even more attention to ourselves while struggling to maintain balance on one bicycle.
As we began to more comfortable with our riding arrangement, we began to admire the scenery. Rural India is a beautiful place and I'm really lucky to have the opportunity to live in a place so beautiful. As we remarked on the beauty of the landscape and green plantations our student pedaling in front of us turned and said, "Yes Miss, Very Beautiful, but very very scary." We questioned him about it and he told us that many times as he rides to school and back every morning he sees many Jaguars and that they have a tendency to attack livestock and villagers. Upon hearing this, I began to pedal a bit faster. We spent a wonderful day in his village eating with our students, playing in the river and making many house calls. The story of the jaguars remained with me.
That week I continued my training routine of running in the early mornings before school. It starts off with passing by the hostel housing many of the male students. This morning I mentioned the story of the Jaguars as I passed by, and how I was a bit worried about running through the fields now that I knew there were jaguars lurking in the fields. My spoken English boys agreed and told me a story about his father being attacked on his farm . His family, with the help of a few neighbors beat the jaguar to death, but almost killing his father in the process. At that point it was too much, I decided they were messing with me and told them I didn't believe them.
To my surprise the next morning the students triumphantly entered class armed with a copy of the article describing the event from the local newspaper. They had even gone to the trouble of translating it to English so I would be able to understand it. I was amazed by the time they had taken to translate the article and bring it to me. I was having a pretty difficult week with many of my classes being taken over to prepare for exams, this act brightened my mood and renewed a sense of purpose.

A Mother's Will

As India’s rural education develops, it is making progress towards the educational needs of its children and future. One area that seems to be lagging behind in the rural segment is providing specific instruction and support for children with special needs. I know this area will garner more attention in the future, but at the present time, there seems to be a greater focus on other areas. Families are forced to cope as best they can to provide for their children if they do fall into this category, and I saw a most prevalent display recently of just such a commitment.

We have a student in the 4th standard at our school by the name of Nishal, and while he has the same twinkle in his eye as many of his fellow classmates, his body does not cooperate to allow him to keep up with them. Nishal has a developmental disorder that restricts his motor function, but it does not dampen his spirit for learning and enjoying life. I had seen his mother carrying him into school from the car, but not working specifically with the primary students, I did not have much interaction with his class. Recently, however, I was walking past a classroom, and I noticed him sitting there with his mother. It is the moment when you just want to stand there and smile because it is true love in action. His classmates had gone out for physical education class, and his mother was sitting next to him, gently holding his hand and helping him to write some words in Gujarati. He had a specially fitted pencil to enlarge the gripping area so that he did not have to close his hand tightly around a normal pencil. There was patience and love in her eyes as her hand guided his through the soft curves of each word.

This example underscores a larger issue with educational systems around the world- so many times, parents just want to plug children into the system and hope for the best. Special needs or not, our children require active parental involvement in their formative education. We don’t often get to see this role played out as dramatically, as in the example of Nishal- a mother’s love, sacrifice and determination willing her son to a better future and productive life. She does not ask herself- Why? I am sure that as she has tried to help him with his lessons, she has learned just as many lessons about life from him as well. Worrying and fretting are be of no benefit, as there are still more words to write, and only a son’s determination along with a mother’s will is going to accomplish the task.

Flex Your English Muscles

While it does not present a problem to get students to participate in class, it can be somewhat difficult to get them to use English on a more consistent basis. We don’t always have the longest class periods to teach our lessons, and with schedules changing due to school activities, the time in class can be really short.

Most people wish to be able to speak other languages, but few people are willing to put in the time and hard work to actually speak another language well. I like to begin by asking the students if they speak Gujarati well- it is always a resounding YES!! I then ask if they can understand Gujarati well- again, an emphatic YES!! I ask them to indulge me again, and I ask them if they can read and write Gujarati well…..The response is a laughing- Of Course YES!! I then ask them …..why? They are quick to respond that it is their mother tongue, so naturally, they can speak, understand, read and write it well. I ask them what a typical day involves, and I ask them to think about all of the situations throughout a day that they encounter that language. We really never think about it, as we just take it for granted that our newspaper will be in our native language, our TV news will be in our native language, at the store, the clerk will speak our native language- the list can be almost indefinite. It takes time to learn a language, and it takes submersion in a language to really become proficient at it. Yes, there are some exceptional people that can learn by themselves, but I think time and being submerged can really speed up the process.

I then ask the students to think about their own experience in learning English. Most of them have come up in a system where they try to learn a language only in the classroom during small time intervals. Some of that time, they have spent talking in Gujarati, so the actual time of English submersion is less than the time spent in class. I then ask them to Flex Their English Muscles. You may be asking- What? I ask them to strike a flexing pose, which is followed by giggling. Some of the boys really take it seriously. I then ask them to tell me what goes into making a muscle big and strong. They respond with exercise, weight lifting, proper nutrition, and time dedicated to these practices. I respond- exactly, and I go on to point out that their language abilities are very similar to muscles. We have to push ourselves beyond normal comfort levels. You can not practice the same words over and over and expect your vocabulary to improve. You have to try new and possibly more difficult words to expand your vocabulary. This is very similar to lifting heavier weights in order to push your muscles further and getting them to grow bigger and stronger. Just like actual exercise, this pushing to build vocabulary is not always comfortable or easy- possibly even exhausting at times. It does help to build language abilities though. It also takes time- people want to wave a magic wand and learn a new language.


It takes time and dedication to learn a language, and the commitment never stops. I ask the students what happens to muscles that may have been big at one time, but then are not used and go without exercise for a long time. They respond that they get weaker and smaller. That is true about language too- if students take a long break, a holiday vacation for instance, and they do not practice English, they tend to regress a bit in their language abilities. Without that constant stimulation of a second language, our mind tends to settle back into the daily routine of our native language.

The students tend to enjoy the little talk- especially the flexing part. I hope they continue to flex their English muscles on a daily basis, and I really do think it will help to build up their English abilities.

Authentic Learning Inspires and Empowers

My students chase after me down the hall saying, “Meghan teacher, Meghan teacher, what will we wear for the drama.” Ever since I have set the date for our English drama program it is all the students talk about. Even though I am half the world away from my teaching experience in the US, I am reminded of my Citizen Schools students last year as we prepared for the WOW! Presentation, or the event where they present their learning and projects to the community. We are so far away, but the response to such activities is always the same, one of complete excitement and empowerment. The fact that authentic products inspire students where ever you are in the world is proof enough to me that is one of the best methodologies of teaching that one can implement.

Many times while teaching in traditional lessons teachers are continually trying to encourage their students to speak out, but they only sit uninspired without speaking. Teachers constantly need to be the source of energy in the classroom, while the students sit idle. When students are learning through authentic teaching methods then the teacher is being inspired by their students. There is no possible way that I can maintain the energy that my students have for their drama practice. Each day they are developing new ideas and changes to make the drama better and ask to meet me Saturday and Sunday to practice. The students are able to improve their understanding, expression and confidence of the English language without even realizing that they are working.

One group has developed a quiz titled Indian Discovery. My students are playing various famous Indian actors and actresses. I worked with them tirelessly to write the script and now they have so much pride in their work and all think their jokes are hilariously funny. If I had written it for them they would certainly not have the same amount of energy and interest to perform the drama.

My afternoon class read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” and developed their own dramatic version of it. This class is a lower level, but they were still able to write their own script. Complete with voices from 8 reindeer, Santa, mother, father, and two children. The girls have already memorized their lines with only some encouragement from me. While they are very serious about the drama, my girls are just the same as adolescent girls in the United States; their biggest concern is what they will be wearing. Even with my students obsession with their dress I am proud of my class because they do not behave like the stereotypical girls from India. They are outgoing and willing to step out and be noticed for their talent and hard work. I don’t feel solely responsible for their difference in personality, but I do feel I helped encourage their nature that is hidden within. Being given opportunities to take charge, they become powerful and find the confidence to compete with all students, even the domineering boys.

Having realized the importance of authentic learning experiences and the impact they have had on my students in both Citizen Schools and here in India I would really like to undertake more projects. There is a primary government school not so far from Bajipuara High School where students are not awarded the same opportunities that the students at Bajipura High School primary school have. At the primary level, in government schools many students are not given a quality education and therefore when they come to the secondary level they are already much behind students that have attended private schools. I want the next project for my Spoken English Classes to be going and teaching lessons in English at this school. The students can teach simple things such as colors, numbers, days of week etc. I think this opportunity would really help my students feel empowered by their newly acquired expertise in English. Please look forward to more updates on real authentic learning occurring in rural India at Bajipura High School!