I feel like I have really gotten into a routine at my school these days. I have learned to deal with the chaotic environment and really dedicate myself to the teaching moments that I am given, whenever they may arise. I realized the other day that my students really have progressed in their ability to communicate. On my first visit most of the children did not know much more than a simple greeting. Now my children can tell you about themselves and inquire about you! For the past few days I have been reading my children stories as a kind of easy activity. This term is extra short and they are often left alone in their classrooms to plow through loads of work so I try and make their time with me a little more relaxing and fun. The books that I have been reading are in English and Tamil. I let a few of them take turns reading the Tamil to the class while I read the English. You can tell most of them have never been read to. They now beg me daily to read to them. Maybe I can get my hands on some simple English children's books and read those to them.
I have been reading several books lately. There is this Indian author who writes books about Indian youth and their lives and struggles. Just my style! His name is Chetan Bhagat. One book in particular really intrigued me because it offers a perspective on Tamil Nadu from an Indian from North India. The racism toward Tamils in the book is interesting and reminded me of racism in the South of the U.S. The title is: 2 States: The story of my marriage. After I finished reading all his books I took up a rather serious book which is probably one of the best books I have read in quite a long time. The book is set in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in the 1970's-1980's. It tells two stories which alternate between chapters. One of the stories is about a human rickshaw puller the other about a Polish priest. Although based on the background of the book which I read about online there is a third character who will be entering the story soon! Although I am not in Kolkata, I can still draw many similarities to where I live and where Jonathan lives. This book is titled: City of Joy.
This past weekend we had a long weekend due to two holidays this week. I went to stay with Jonathan which was nice. It is nice to experience different living situations only to realize how fantastic your own is! Jonathan's site is much better than mine. The school is orderly and the structure and treatment of the children at the orphanage at his site is of much higher quality. However, my living arrangements really surpass his. Anyways, we went to see two movies this weekend in Coimbatore. It was nice to be in such a western style place. And it was so much fun watching movies! We saw Taken 2 and Premium Rush. Both were great movies. Jonathan and I got the opportunity to go for a few walks around the fields at his site. The fields have really turned from many shades of beautiful browns to vibrant shades of green. It looks breath taking and a sight that I never want to forget with all the water buffalo wandering slowly through the fields and the old men in their longhis standing in their fields. One of the days that I was at Jonathan's site was a holiday. It was interesting seeing how much Hinduism is drilled into these children and how strongly holidays are observed. But then again I do live on an atheist compound. The holiday was basically a holiday devoted toward cleaning spaces, decorating them, and blessing them. Which was perfect since Jonathan and I spent the morning cleaning his room not knowing of the holiday. But around 4:00pm the children all gathered in the prayer hall and began chanting. This chanting lasted for about 1.5 hours. During this time some of the older girls and workers gave gifts to the Gods and decorated the sanctum with flowers, a yellow paste, and red paste. Also, during this time all the children were given beautiful dots of yellow, red, and gray on their foreheads. Of course all the children wanted to give Jonathan and I our dots so I had several layers of yellow, red, and gray on my forehead. Once the children were directed to stop chanting they all then rushed toward the sanctum and they prayed to the Gods. Then a staff member went in and came out with the gifts from the Gods. Then all the children and staff shared in the gifts from the Gods. The gifts were puffed rice and roasted chickpeas. I sat on the floor with the boys and enjoyed my snack. It was humorous because some of the children were folding their shirts and filling that area like a sort of pouch. Well, the older boys that I was sitting with kept pointing and saying, "bad habit", as they ate their snacks off sheets of paper. It was funny. There was also a touching moment that nearly brought tears to my eyes. There is a very young boy who has a development delay. He came to sit near me and the older boys. He somehow did not get any snacks and was eating puffed rice off the ground. I had eaten my snacks already and called Jonathan over to give him his snacks. He took them with a smile on his face from Jonathan, who he absolutely adores. Then Jonathan walked away. The young boy finished the snacks as there was not much because Jonathan was almost finished. An older boy who idolizes Jonathan then gave him the remainder of his snacks. It was so sweet and really shows the impact that Jonathan has on his students. Mentally ill and developmentally delayed people do not always get treated with dignity in India. But I think that Jonathan is slowly changing the attitudes of the children at the Gurukulum by showing patience and compassion toward the children with developmental delays. On another random side note about this holiday, all the cars, lorries, buses, autos, and scooters were decorated with yellow and red paste, and banana leaves. Jonathan watched the function that took place around the vehicles. Maybe he will write about it in his blog soon!
Now onto a funny topic! Last Friday was the first day of all day rain. The rainy season has started! I arrived at school only to find nearly all my children dressed in knit sweaters and hats!!! I could not believe my eyes. The weather had to be between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. I was laughing so hard I broke a sweat! I could truly not believe my eyes. I wish I had brought my camera to school to capture this sight! I asked one of the older girls if she was cold, she looked at me like I was crazy and responded very eagerly, " Yes Miss!"
I have been reading several books lately. There is this Indian author who writes books about Indian youth and their lives and struggles. Just my style! His name is Chetan Bhagat. One book in particular really intrigued me because it offers a perspective on Tamil Nadu from an Indian from North India. The racism toward Tamils in the book is interesting and reminded me of racism in the South of the U.S. The title is: 2 States: The story of my marriage. After I finished reading all his books I took up a rather serious book which is probably one of the best books I have read in quite a long time. The book is set in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in the 1970's-1980's. It tells two stories which alternate between chapters. One of the stories is about a human rickshaw puller the other about a Polish priest. Although based on the background of the book which I read about online there is a third character who will be entering the story soon! Although I am not in Kolkata, I can still draw many similarities to where I live and where Jonathan lives. This book is titled: City of Joy.
This past weekend we had a long weekend due to two holidays this week. I went to stay with Jonathan which was nice. It is nice to experience different living situations only to realize how fantastic your own is! Jonathan's site is much better than mine. The school is orderly and the structure and treatment of the children at the orphanage at his site is of much higher quality. However, my living arrangements really surpass his. Anyways, we went to see two movies this weekend in Coimbatore. It was nice to be in such a western style place. And it was so much fun watching movies! We saw Taken 2 and Premium Rush. Both were great movies. Jonathan and I got the opportunity to go for a few walks around the fields at his site. The fields have really turned from many shades of beautiful browns to vibrant shades of green. It looks breath taking and a sight that I never want to forget with all the water buffalo wandering slowly through the fields and the old men in their longhis standing in their fields. One of the days that I was at Jonathan's site was a holiday. It was interesting seeing how much Hinduism is drilled into these children and how strongly holidays are observed. But then again I do live on an atheist compound. The holiday was basically a holiday devoted toward cleaning spaces, decorating them, and blessing them. Which was perfect since Jonathan and I spent the morning cleaning his room not knowing of the holiday. But around 4:00pm the children all gathered in the prayer hall and began chanting. This chanting lasted for about 1.5 hours. During this time some of the older girls and workers gave gifts to the Gods and decorated the sanctum with flowers, a yellow paste, and red paste. Also, during this time all the children were given beautiful dots of yellow, red, and gray on their foreheads. Of course all the children wanted to give Jonathan and I our dots so I had several layers of yellow, red, and gray on my forehead. Once the children were directed to stop chanting they all then rushed toward the sanctum and they prayed to the Gods. Then a staff member went in and came out with the gifts from the Gods. Then all the children and staff shared in the gifts from the Gods. The gifts were puffed rice and roasted chickpeas. I sat on the floor with the boys and enjoyed my snack. It was humorous because some of the children were folding their shirts and filling that area like a sort of pouch. Well, the older boys that I was sitting with kept pointing and saying, "bad habit", as they ate their snacks off sheets of paper. It was funny. There was also a touching moment that nearly brought tears to my eyes. There is a very young boy who has a development delay. He came to sit near me and the older boys. He somehow did not get any snacks and was eating puffed rice off the ground. I had eaten my snacks already and called Jonathan over to give him his snacks. He took them with a smile on his face from Jonathan, who he absolutely adores. Then Jonathan walked away. The young boy finished the snacks as there was not much because Jonathan was almost finished. An older boy who idolizes Jonathan then gave him the remainder of his snacks. It was so sweet and really shows the impact that Jonathan has on his students. Mentally ill and developmentally delayed people do not always get treated with dignity in India. But I think that Jonathan is slowly changing the attitudes of the children at the Gurukulum by showing patience and compassion toward the children with developmental delays. On another random side note about this holiday, all the cars, lorries, buses, autos, and scooters were decorated with yellow and red paste, and banana leaves. Jonathan watched the function that took place around the vehicles. Maybe he will write about it in his blog soon!
Now onto a funny topic! Last Friday was the first day of all day rain. The rainy season has started! I arrived at school only to find nearly all my children dressed in knit sweaters and hats!!! I could not believe my eyes. The weather had to be between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. I was laughing so hard I broke a sweat! I could truly not believe my eyes. I wish I had brought my camera to school to capture this sight! I asked one of the older girls if she was cold, she looked at me like I was crazy and responded very eagerly, " Yes Miss!"
Kylie, this is just a fantastic blog to read! It brings happiness, delight, and deep satisfaction. Keep reading to your kids - that is who you are, and it creates memories for them much deeper than the actual stories. / On one of their visits shortly after you two had left, we showed the video "City of Joy" to Mark & Lois. It's a good movie (even with Patrick Swayze) but I'm sure it departs significantly from an even better book. / Here's hoping that you often laugh so hard that you break into a sweat! / Cheering you on, Ron
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