Holiday Journal Extracts

To start with, I just wanted to apologise for not updating my blog over the last two weeks and explain my reasons. Firstly, this blog is about my year of teaching - I only have time off because the school is closed! And secondly, my holiday has been so jam packed that there hasn't been time to think, or even write my diary. We quickly sussed the Indian bus system and navigated our way on some very overcrowded buses to Pondicherry, Rameswaran, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Kollam, Alleppey, and even had time for five relaxing days in Fort Cochin and enough time to detour to Coimbatore to see Caitlin and Nuala. Instead of boring you with all of the details, I thought I'd post some extracts from my journal (which I still haven't caught up on!), so happy reading.

15.10.12 "Didn't sleep a wink last night because I had five men in the bunks surrounding me, all staring. But we arrived safely into Chennai at gone 3am with the plan of getting a bus straight to Pondicherry. Navigating our way to the bus stand was a challenge. Rickshaw drivers wanted Rs250 per person for the journey to the bus stand, but we knew we wanted bus 15B... It was just a case of finding it. We walked out of the train station and were pointed in the direction of the bus stop by a car park attendant. Avoiding all of the rickshaw drivers who couldn't believe what we were doing, we climbed over a barrier jn the middle of the road and started wandering up and down the closed shops in search of the 'bus stop'. We finally asked the right people, who flagged down the bus for us as it drove past. So proud we managed to persevere - especially as the bus was only Rs12!"

17.10.12 "We arrived in Madurai at 4am and, after considerable debate, decided to go straight to Rameswaran so that we would be back by evening. Finding our way involved a lot of asking people and a lot of buses. The view as we crossed the Indira Gandhi bridge, which seemed to go on forever, on to Rameswaran was amazing. The view from the next bus was equally impressive and we felt like we were back in rural India again, passing dozens of small huts made of woven reeds. Upon reaching the last stop slightly confused, we were hearded off the bus and towards some kind of elongated jeep. Already full with Indian tourists, it was a tight squeeze inside the jeep, but the hour long journey across the sands was worth it. Despite the rubbish and the lone snack stall, the beach was stunningly beautiful. We dipped our toes in the ocean and looked out to the first island of Sri Lanka. After having our photo taken with an Indian couple (on their camera), we headed back across the sands before suddenly grinding to a halt. The Indian tourists all jumped out and beckoned us to follow. The excitement was over a 'floating stone' which Rama had touched after leading an army of monkeys and bears over the sea to Sri Lanka to rescue his wife Sita from the demon Ravana. We quietly discussed the science behind the stone, but at the same time were intrigued by the excitement."

19.10.12 "Pineapple and mango looking out over the three seas which meet at the bottom of India was a pretty cool way to start the day. We then took a ferry - wearing giant orange lifejackets - to the Vivekananda Memorial off Kanyakumari. We enjoyed exploring the mini island and taking photos of school children who were taking photos of us! Typically, the monsoon rain started when we were at the furthest point possible from the ferry, so we all sat with our plastic bags full of soaking wet clothes on the bus to Kollam later that evening."

21.10.12 "The guidebook says that the large number of houseboats on the backwaters in Alleppey can be disappointing, but I found them beautiful. Renting a houseboat with six other volunteers [we met two more volunteers, Ruby and Veebs, for a couple of days in Kerala] and relaxing on the top deck chatting, writing postcards and taking in the beautiful views has to be the highlight of the holiday so far... We pulled over to the bank for dinner just as the monsoon rain started, which made for a strangely atmospheric end to the evening".

A Normal Sunday Morning

It felt like a normal Sunday dusting the lizard poo out of my room, airing out the mattress and scrubbing the bathroom floor until it was gleaming only for tenth class to trample mud in it within five minutes - yes, they even have school on Sunday! Before breakfast Raja came rushing upstairs to tell me that Balu was cooking dosa so I should come quick. Excited at the prospect of my first cooking lesson, I rushed downstairs just in time to see Balu pour a heap of salt into the mixture - good to know that my favourite food is nice and healthy. Balu showed me how to pour the mixture on to the pan, spread it out, oil the edges, and flip it at just the right moment. It turned out to be easier than cooking pancakes because the crispness means that flipping is easy. I think the boys were impressed with my cooking (I was pretty surprised too), because after two attempts I had managed a paper thin dosa, crispy on one side, soft on the other. Next step will be mastering the batter which seems to take two or three days to prepare. It turned out that Balu doesn't like dosa and Raja had already eaten so I was left with a plateful of dosa to work my way through. Whilst I was eating and Balu was cleaning up, Raja came running in screaming like a girl, swatting madly at something, which turned out to be the largest grasshopper I have ever seen. Balu simply walked over, took the cloth, placed it over the grasshopper and threw it outside. No wonder Raja calls him 'insect boy'.

So it was strange to pack up my things, take down my mosquito net and get ready to leave.  Having realised that the sun heats the water in the bathroom throughout the day. I treated myself to a warm shower in the middle of the day, put my hair in two plaits and changed into semi Western clothes for the journey. Next thing I knew tenth class were commenting on my 'super' hair and 'super' t-shirt, and even Venkayamma madam mentioned them. People were still commenting as I walked through Tangutur to the bus stand with Balu and Raja, who was carrying my big rucksack. We squeezed into a van and as we neared Ongole an 'I'll pay. No, I'm paying. No I want to pay'  argument broke out. After deciding that the boys would pay for the van and I'd pay for the rickshaw, I realised how much I feel like an older sister figure to them. I'll miss their company over the next two weeks.

The two volunteers from Ongole, Rebecca and Kyekue, and I headed to the station, where everyone seemed to want to take pictures of the three Western girls, to catch our sleeper train to Chennai. From there we will be going straight to Pondicherry to meet two other volunteers, Leah and Kirsty. I can't wait!

Progress: Month One

I think it's fair to say that this past month has been more about me than about my project. Getting settled has taken a long time, and now that I do feel ready to really get stuck in, the children have quarterly exams so I no longer have my normal timetable. However, teaching the nursery and kindergarten children has made me realise that I still haven't completely adapted to the heat or the overexcited noisy children. I feel like I constantly need to lie down and by the end of the day I am often struggling to work up the energy to tell the children off for fighting or refusing to do their work! It's been a busy month, and definitely a steep learning curve, but I am beginning to notice changes, and most importantly progress.

Personal Progress

As I mentioned in a previous post, being alone has definitely sped up my progress in terms of making the effort to intergrate into the community. I have been challenging myself to talk to a new person each day, branching out from the people who speak the best English, and today I was rewarded, being invited to two different teachers  houses for tiffins - although thanks to the extreme 'Indian time' in Tangutur who knows when I'll actually make it, inspite of my enthusiasm. However, I definitely need to learn the names of all of the different curries I've been eating, because the favourite topic of conversation seems to be food: "Have you taken meals? Which curry? Which tiffin?" Sitting outside I am probably asked seven or eight times at lunch time (I really should start counting!) by the students in tenth class, whose classroom is next to my room. They always peer around my door to look inside and if my washing isn't hanging in every available place, I sometimes let them in to be nosy. They like looking at my pictures and cards from home. They always ask about the boys in my pictures and I can tell they are commenting on the clothes I am wearing, but I've managed to distract them with the Telugu words on my walls; so far I can just about manage body parts and family members, still some work to do...

Project Progress

Although I love my project, I'd be lying if I said that it was perfect. Before I left for India I had an image in my head of teaching classes of attentive children English words and phrases through fun activities and games - now I realise how naive that thought was! Discipline is still an issue for me. Everyday I see the way the teachers punish the children, and everyday I am told that I should do the same. Keeping discipline in my classrooms is near on impossible because the children are always fighting and 'practising beating'. I've grown to be thankful when I see teachers with canes (which some of the children carry in their bags too), because I know the punishments without a cane are much worse. It is also frustrating that the children are beaten for making mistakes, because it means that they will never admit that they don't understand. What makes it worse is that the teachers change the test scores, so that their parents will never know that they are struggling. Today I sat with a kindergarten teacher who was rubbing out children's answers and correcting them. She would then pass them to me, and I marked the papers. It took all my self control not to say anything.

Despite all the difficulties, I feel grateful to be on such a welcoming project. I am hoping that soon the older students will let me help them out with their speaking, once I manage to persuade them that being able to speak English is the most important thing, even though speaking doesn't feature in their exams. The teachers will be more of a challenge. Trying to explain that in English we say 'aubergine' not 'bringal' or that they are pronouncing/writing the alphabet wrong never goes well, and seems to give them the impression that their English is better than mine. Saying that, I have managed to persuade them that it is 'zi-la-fone' not 'x-la-fone' and that 'Thursday' is not pronounced the same as 'Tuesday'. It might be baby steps, but it's a start.

So one month India is complete and there is still a lot to learn. This Sunday I have two weeks holiday and have booked trains to Tamil Nadu and Kerala - all very last minute so we're not sure if we even have seats! It will be nice to have a break from the intensity of being the only volunteer on my project and spend some time with some of the other volunteers. I have been working on a new plan of action for my classes, and hopefully giving myself two weeks to refresh will mean that I can focus all of my energies on the teaching when I return.

Feeling 'at home'

We are pleased to see you adding some personal decorations to your walls, with noone to remind you of the dangers of too much blu tack!

It seems fitting that the recycled gold border paper is prominently displayed to give you some colour. Perhaps some of your followers can send you further adornments, postcards and momentoes to brighten your space.

PS Try to keep your room clean and tidy!

Lots of love,
Mum x

How does this compare to a class room near you?

For all those familiar with teaching and learning in everyday British classrooms... projector? interactive whiteboard? coloured card? paper? books?

Makes you think.

 

Venturing out of Tangutur

It might be baby steps, but slowly I am venturing further and further afield. In the first few days on my own, even the walk down to the nearest shop was nerve-racking, and the busy bus stand just scared me. Now I will quite happily nip down to the post office or in to the bus stand to buy my favourite fudge without a second glance, and it's nice to know that slowly people are getting used to me!

Over the last few school days I have braved the crazy crammed full school buses which speed off to the different villages around Tangutur. Even getting on the bus was a challenge. The children were so excited to see me on the bus, they all screamed for me to sit next to them. And then I foolishly got my camera out. Everybody wanted individual photos. Individual photos with the Indian-no-smiling-photo-pose-face. So frustrating when all I really wanted were a couple of natural shots to show you all back home! But still, I definitely enjoyed my bus rides and got a completely different perspective of life around me. In comparison to Tangutur itself, the surrounding area is extremely rural, with many of the children being dropped off at the end of long tracks across fields or through almost jungle like areas. From a different bus, I saw the prawn farms which surround many of the villages as well as lots of different tiny temples. It was lovely to spend some more time with the children and get to know them a bit better - the buses are particularly good for finding out which children are related!

Another bus which I braved alone, was the public bus home from Ongole. On Sunday morning, I had crammed into a van with twelve other people, including Ramana, and headed for the UCLI school , where two other volunteers, Kyekue and Rebecca, are working. I spent the day with them planning our holidays which are next week, as well as taking a sneak peak at their school. They are in a Christian school and so they were helping out with Sunday school when I arrived. I soon realised I was one of few people wearing a Bhindi! Their daily life is completely different to mine, each project with its own advantages - we have decided I will celebrate Christmas with them, and they can come to me for Holi!

Where on earth is Tangutur?

Perhaps some of you are feeling in need of a little 'Geography' to put in to context where Andhra Pradesh is located before homing in on Tangutur, which is just south of Ongole.

Having helped select and pack a world map to support Katie's teaching in India, it seems only fitting that your knowledge of Indian Geography is enriched. I hope Katie will smile at this! Geography was by far her favourite subject at GCSE!

Lots of love, Mum x

PS Feel the need to update this post as in receipt of a very impressive sketch map of Katie's local patch. I think I can use with Y6 and Y7 in Map Skills. Some of my colleagues will be twitching at the thought of another model making Homework. I love the idea of a map in a bowl!

First snapshots of life in Tangutur

Not so alone

The support of Nuala and Caitlin has really helped me to feel ready to continue with my project alone. As strange as it may seem, I look back on their departure with fond memories. We left Tangutur over three hours before their train (its a half an hour journey to Ongole) and soon realised we were running some 'errands', which involved Ramana and his son Raja running around in the dark in search of plants for the house - so entertaining to watch! We then stopped off at an Indian takeaway, in which Ramana bought enough food to feed a small army. However it soon became clear that our van did not want to start. So we all piled into an already full Rickshaw, seven of us in total as well as Nuala and Caitlin's bags and the takeaway and sped off towards the station. When the train finally arrived Nuala, who had just hugged me goodbye, got caught up in the moment and tried to hug Ramana whilst saying thank you. Big cultural nono and he quickly pushed her away! The sight of Nuala sat in her berth on the train head in hands, mortified, still makes me giggle!

That evening was probably the best evening of my time in India so far. I sat downstairs with the family, and for the first time ate with them, food on laps, in front of the TV. It was strangely comforting, perhaps because it was the first time I truly felt like part of the family. I am now beginning to see the benefits of being 'alone' and am realising how lucky I am to be able to sit on my balcony helping Raja with his (ridiculously hard) maths homework, discuss the Adventures of Robin Hood with Ramana or watch Telugu TV with the family, which I'm slowly becoming addicted to!

It's not just with the family where there have been changes. The students in Class Ten, whose classroom is next to my room, are always popping round to say hi and ask me questions (as well as using my toilet), and I find myself beginning to ask them questions too, testing their English and seeing how far our conversations can go. Hopefully one day they will let me sit down and help them with their English pronunciation! The same can be said of the teachers, who are always chatting and have even offered to do Mehndi on my arm! I feel like I am trying a lot harder to engage with the people around me, no matter how poor their English, because I have to. Every day I try to push myself more to start conversations, how ever small or basic they may be. At the same time, the teachers and children have been teaching me little bits of Telugu so hopefully soon I can string a few sentences together!