Spoken English Charades

Eric and I teach supplemental Spoken English classes before and after school. Here, we're using a game of charades to teach verb conjugations in the present progressive tense. Listen closely and you can hear students yelling out, "She is dancing!, She is flying!, etc." Eric and I often use games to teach lessons, the idea being that learning - be it about pronunciation, grammar or syntax - doesn't have to be about monotonous, rote memorization. Although that's something we take for granted in America, it really seems to be a breath of fresh air for Kadod's classrooms.

"Chuck Doom Doom"

I have to say that when it rains in NYC, the rain does not put a smile on my face. Traveling just makes me annoyed and by the time I get to my destination I just don’t want to deal with the rest of the day. However, my hands somehow seem to reach for the touch of the monsoon rain in Kadod. Lately, all it has been doing is raining. Luckily, I brought my awesome rain boots with me to India and boy do people get a kick out of them! I pretty much get teased everyday but they happen to be great conversation starters, so I’ve come to appreciate them.
Today, the one day when I don’t wear them, it does not stop raining. I’m not talking about a light drizzle with a chance of humidity, nope, I’m talking about a crazy down pour where you might as well leave your umbrella home because you’re gonna’ get soaked anyway. Priya and I had just finished visiting an elderly couple in the village, when it was continously pouring outside. We held each other to try and fit under her small umbrella but nothing prepared us for how soaked our feet and legs would get from puddles that were big enough to swim in. By the time we got to Kadod High School, we were drenched, and then we went wild. We began dancing and singing “Chuck Doom Doom” in the rain failing at the classic, “Bollywood Movie Rain Dance”. I had been looking forward to getting completely soaked in the rain and finally the time had come. You’re not officially experiencing India unless you dance in the rain like no one’s watching

Madhi Mendhi

Today was an interesting day in the village of Madhi.  It was the annual Mendhi (Henna) Competition!  Furthermore, yesterday, Madhi English Medium School had its competition and the two winners were boys, which is slightly unusual as mendhi is most commonly practiced by girls.

Monday morning, bright and early I was approached by a student almost immediately after walking in the gates at Madhi High School.  She was begging me to let her use me as her model for the Mendhi Competition which was to be held on Thursday.  Before I could answer, another ten girls swarmed me and asked if they use one of my arms.  Although I was still unsure as to what I was agreeing to, I accepted the first offer from my student, Sweta.  Later, in the staff room, the teachers explained to me that every year there is a Mendhi Competition and the girls prepare their designs for months. 

The competition, which took place this afternoon, was quite the exciting event.  During the last two periods, all of the participants gathered in the hall and sat on the floor, facing their partners.  One hour was given to complete a design on one arm, from the elbow down. Tomorrow, the winners will be announced!  Check out the video and pictures of Felicia and I. 

A Year of Education in Gujarat

After my first two periods yesterday morning, I sat down in the staff room ready to enjoy the first chai break, and I noticed at the other end of the table two men in what seemed to be military uniform. Interesting, I thought. I took a sip of the chai, which was still very hot, when two students, also dressed in uniform, ran through the hallway outside of the staffroom. My first thought was that some sort of draft had started, and I was just out of the loop. I noticed that there were even more uniformed students walking across the grounds towards the back of the school where they normally have recess. I was extremely curious, and I had a free period, so I decided to see what was going on behind the school.


My first guess didn't turn out to be right. It wasn't a draft. One of the teachers that was helping organize the students explained to me that the governor of Gujarat declared 2010-11 as the Year of Education. One of the initiatives associated with this declaration was sending military personnel to schools across the state in order to lead rallies of students through their local cities, villages, and towns. With banners and sign posts in hand, the students were practicing chants that, interestingly, were mostly do with family sizes. When families have too many children, resources become too thinned, and parents resort to taking their children out of school early in order for them to work in their family business or on a farm.

I snapped a few pictures and was ready to head back to finish my chai (the heat was starting to bear down on me without protection from the glaring sun). All of a sudden, Principal Mahida put his hand on my shoulder and asked if I wanted to join the students on their rally through Kadod. Some of the students that I teach got really excited and started yelling "Sir, yes! Sir, yes!" making room for me in the line. How could I say no?

To be honest though, I was so grateful that I was able to join the students in their rally. Walking alongside the same students that I teach, trying my best to follow their chants, I think I might have come a few steps closer to understanding why I'm here beyond just getting students through another year of English class. The students were taught yesterday that education is something completely worth screaming about and hopefully getting heard in the process. I was glad I was there to show them that I believe the same thing.

Seeing the smiling, entertained faces of onlookers throughout the town, I got this sense that people do understand the value and importance of education. I have to confess that I was quick to blame poorer families for neglecting a child's education just because it's assumed that they're going to be working just as their parents, and their parents' parents, did. Most of us grew up not having to worry about having a next meal or not, and we were taught that the worst possible thing is to stifle someone of opportunity. What if a family's decision to stop their child's schooling is not even choice, but a necessity? I found more food for thought to digest.

Here are more pictures and a video from the rally! Hope you enjoy them!

Eric

India = Never Boring.

Boring? Yeh Qya Hai?
I have come to a conclusion that it is NEVER a boring day in India. The last time I thought I was bored was when I was on a restless 14 hour flight to India. Everyday there is a new adventure, a new word I may learn in Hindi, and a new face with a new name that I continuously forget.
This week has been intense: I started a pilot program for the Women’s Initiative Program. It’s call “Women’s Empowerment Mentorship Program”. It is about teaching young women about influential Indian women, careers they can pursue and how important it is to continue an education. After a week of getting permission slips signed by parents and finding a location to host the class, I had a successful 3 days of the program. It is held every Monday-Wednesday during recess in the auditorium. I have 11 girls currently attending the class and their inputs on various subjects have been clever and knowledgeable. For example, they asked me about the American culture and I said, “Well in America, most Indian women, don’t wear Indian clothes. We may wear jeans and a shirt.” Then one of my students interrupted by saying, “But teacher, we wear jeans and t-shirts too.” These young women recognize the difference between the standing of men and women in India and they realize the different roles women now play from the past. I am interested to see how these young women grow and I hope they benefit from what I can offer them.
Another enjoyable event this week is when I taught classes at the English Medium School just 5 minutes up the road from Madhi High School. I teach 1-4th standard and boy are they adorable. This Thursday I met the music teacher, Vijay Bhai, and I had a few music lessons. He has an amazing voice and the children always love watching him and singing along. Later in the day when I was teaching the 3rd standard class a student walks up to me with his tooth in his hand, “Teacher, my tooth fell out!” After taking a few pictures of his new found excitement, I told him about the tooth fairy, and sent him on his way to the nurse. Next thing I know, three of my students come up to me to show me their teeth waiting to fall out. I laughed and said, “Wow, look at that! Please don’t pull it out now…”

Dhire Dhire (Slowly Slowly)

It is now the end of my first month in India. I am slowly adjusting to the weather, which varies between hot, very hot, and hot and humid.  Gradually, I am appreciating the unique and vibrantly colored dishes I have tasted.  I am thoroughly enjoying chai tea as well as the tasty Indian snacks my fellow teachers share with me.  And thus far, teaching is going well and I am learning how the education system of Gujarat functions as well as how to best teach seventy students in a single class.

It has been a challenging, yet interesting first month at Madhi High School.  On my very first day of school, I arrived wearing my salwar kameez and was swarmed by hundreds of curious smiling faces as I walked through the gates to enter the school.  It was a bit of blur as a result of jet lag, since I arrived in Kadod the previous afternoon. 

After meeting Principal Modi Sir, I was then taken to the staff room where I met several people who I’d be teaching with for the next ten months.  Everyone was extremely welcoming and anxious to get to know me.  Vijaybhai, the head of the English department, suggested that I accompany him to classes for the first day.  I quickly agreed, thankful that I would be able to observe his classes as he is very well spoken in English. 

As we arrived to his first class in standard nine (9^th grade), I immediately scanned the room for a seat in the back where I could comfortably sit and soak in this first English class on the other side of the world.  Much to my surprise, Vijaybhai called me to the front of the room to introduce myself.  After I talked for two minutes about who I am and where I came from, I thought my portion of the class was over.  Little did I know that it was now the question and answer session for the new American teacher.  I was excited that the students were so intrigued by me and I happily welcomed their questions, assuming they would be basic facts about myself, my family, or my hobbies.  On the contrary, the questions I received were: "Who is your favourite (Bollywood) actor?", "Who wrote the American national anthem?" and "Who made the American flag?" Well, I have only seen Slumdog Millionaire, which is not technically Bollywood, and while I do know the anthem writer and I do not know who made our flag, so I was a little embarrassed.    Later that night, I “googled” Bollywood actors and who made the American flag.  The next day at school, I proudly shared my answers and I received another set of trivia questions.

In the weeks that followed my first day, I have become much more comfortable at Madhi.  I enjoy teaching my Spoken English class as well as my Gujarati- medium classes.  Every day brings new challenges, but I am blessed to have a great co-teacher, Ameetaben, as well as a helpful staff.   Thankfully, the weather has begun to cool down as the monsoon started not long ago.  Unfortuntately, with the rains comes a plethora of insects, but I am grateful for the cool breeze and night-time rains.  I am still adjusting to life in India, but I look forward to the next several months and I can only imagine the experiences I’ll have. 

2010 School Year Begins!!

Hello all!

I’m Priya Garg, Nanubhai’s India Program Director, and I’m here to announce the start of a new school year and our new class of fellows and interns! Before they start blogging about their experiences here on the ground, I would like to introduce our fantastic new group:

AT KADOD HIGH SCHOOL!!!

Eric Huh is a graduate of Columbia University with a major in Neuroscience and Behavior. He is excited and has many hopes for the opportunity he has been given to be a part of the Nanubhai team and serve the city of Kadod and Kadod High School. He has had experience teaching English during summers in Honduras and Kazakhstan which has fueled his commitment toward teaching and allowed him to realize the tremendous value in education. He understands how much more there is for him to learn and is, therefore, all the more eager for the experiences he will have in India. He looks forward to learning Hindi, getting acquainted to local foods, and growing in love with a country he will be able to call a home away from home.

Zach Hindin graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the George Washington University with an interdisciplinary major in Philosophy & Global Politics and a minor in Jazz Performance. Since fall 2006, he's co-directed Banaa.org, an international educational empowerment network that creates scholarship opportunities for survivors of genocide in Sudan at universities across the US. In spring 2009, Hindin lived in Varanasi, where he studied Hindustani classical music as a GW International Research Symposiast. In addition to North India, Hindin has traveled through Thailand, Singapore, Turkey, Greece, France, Spain, and, most recently, to the Caribbean islands, where he toured with his reggae band. At the moment, Hindin has aspirations to continue studying philosophy and eventually pursue an MFA in creative nonfiction. Having sat behind the student's desk for more than 15 years, he's excited to continue learning, this time from the other end of the classroom.

AT MADHI HIGH SCHOOL!!!

Emily Richardson graduated from the University of Dayton in 2007 with a degree in Science and Psychology. She had plans to obtain a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, but abruptly decided to go abroad and do a year of service in Africa. Emily went to Karonga, Malawi in Central Africa and taught at an all boys’ boarding secondary school in a rural village. After six months there, she fell in love with teaching, as well as the community and culture, so she decided to give up her position at graduate school and stay in Malawi for an additional two years. There, she taught English Composition and Grammar, Biology and Chemistry in addition to coaching several sports and clubs. As a result of this incredible experience, she now wants to pursue a career in International Education Development. Now, Emily is looking forward to teaching English in a different part of the world and learning as much as she can about the Indian culture and the Kadod community!

Felicia Singh (Summer Intern) is an English Literature and Adolescent education major at Adelphi University. She is interested in teaching middle school or high school students the value of literature. She is the president of her senior class and works hard in other leadership opportunities on Adelphi's campus. She loves her Indian culture and strives in learning as much she can about it. In the future she would like to work on women's initiative programs around the world as well as teach in other countries. Felicia has a strong belief in the quote, "Be the change you want to see in the world" and she strives to do just that.