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.