Thursday, July 21, 2011

Typical Americans

I have about 10 minutes, so I'll make this very worthy story as short as possible.

The other night we were typical Americans abroad, but I swear we didn't do it on purpose.  Americans are usually viewed as loud and imbibing to foreigners, and that is exactly what we were in Madurai.

We were hosted by Lady Doak College for 4 nights, but our group was just a little too big.  Half the group roomed in the guest house at the college, and the other half stayed in town at a hotel.  The hotel had a wonderful rooftop bar with a gorgeous view of the ancient temple in the city.  So, we spent our evenings "decompressing" on the rooftop.  The first two were very casual and low key. 

Then, Lady Doak College asked us to preform something at the International Cultures Event that we were scheduled to attend.  This threw us for a loop, but ultimately we decided the best/easiest thing to do was to do the Cotton Eye Joe.  We had a bit of a problem with technology in trying to get the song, but eventually we did.  So, all we had left to do was practice.  We decided the rooftop bar was the best place to practice, and of course we needed to have a little alcohol in our systems to loosen up enough to actually practice.  Therefore, we were instantly transferred from a group of teachers researching the Millennium Development Goals to the loud Americans dancing and blasting music at a quaint bar.

The actual performance at the festival ended up being a blast, but no where near perfect.  The best part of the whole affair is that there is no documentation of it since we were all involved :)

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Giving back

We have had a bit of down time and reflection lately, and our latest group discussion took place on the beach during an afternoon of fun at a wonderfully relaxing beach resort.  For the last several days, we have visited a lot of Non-government organizations (NGOs - like non-profits) that work toward the MDGs of empowerment of women and primary education for children.  These are the heart breaking, yet full of hope, stories you have read about with Mobile Crushes, Katha, and Ashram Orphanage.  I will be adding several more when the opportunity arises.

Our discussion has focused on what the organizations are getting from us.  We are not here to do charity, so we have not been making monetary donations.  We have been giving small gift bags with pencils, books, bracelets, key chains, etc.  However, our primary goal is to see ow these organizations are attempting to make a dent in India's pledge to meet the MDGs on time.

We were asked by the project coordinator Aditi, "What are we giving back to these organizations?"  Many group members feel that we have left these organizations wanting.  Some felt that it seemed they were looking for us to invest a large amount of funds, and they felt bad for not giving financial donations.  Others felt that spending time with the children just loving on them is a treat that they will remember for a long time to come.  Even more felt that making connections with group leaders and women will ultimately lead them to "give back" once we arrive back home.

Here is my take on it...
Through globalization, the world will eventually realize that India's problems are actually global problems.  These burdens are not for India to bear alone.  Otherwise, India's potential role in the global society will never be fully, or even partially, realized.  The best way we, the teachers on the Fulbright grant, can give back is to educate students year after year.  By teaching our students problem solving methods that have shown success on a small scale, the more foundation we give them to transfer these skills to a larger global setting in the future.  The challenge to teaching these skills will be to do it with empathy.  There is not "one solution" that will be able to address these problems, and the American way of addressing some problems (particularly universal primary education) will not work for the people of India.  Our students must be empathetic, they must learn the reality that India faces in order to begin to address issues on India's scale in ways that will actually work.

I hope that makes sense, and I invite all educators reading this blog to think about it.  Of course, another way we can give back is by posting about all these organizations for readers to read about.  Some readers out there are capable of donating some finances to these organizations.  If you are one of them, keep reading about all of them to see which one touches you most.  Then, follow the link that I provide to learn more about how you can get involved.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Yeligeri Summer Festival

I have posted so far about some of the organizations we have seen, and some of the lectures we have heard.  However, I haven't really posted on some of the fun we've had too.

While in Yeligiri Hills there happened to be a summer festival.  It is usually held in April or May, but had been postponed this year due to some political elections.  So, we lucked out.  Tourists from the whole valley area would trek up the mountain (about 4,000 feet) to attend the festival.  It was complete with food, entertainment, and scary rides (scary because they didn't look like anything I would be comfortable putting my own children on).

Here are a few pictures below that highlight the fun we got to have.

No festival is complete without balloons!

Yeligiri Hills has a quaint little lake, and the festival offered boat rides for festival goers.

The people were really nice and wanted to be in our pictures as much as we wanted to take pictures.  This family even tried to get me to take their daughter!

Fulbright photographer Robert the most interaction with locals.  As seen here talking to a father and daughter snapping a shot. 

Fulbrighters Rob, Gary, and Karen eat some fruit from one of the stands.

Fulbrighters Aditi, Natalie, Craig, and Karen eating more fruit.  They ate almost every fruit you could buy, and I'm pretty sure they still haven't figured out at least two of the fruits they ate.

Here's me with some local women who called me over to pose with them.

Brazilian Fulbrighter Noelle shakes her thing with the local girls in the big tent.

I myself danced, but for only a minute.

These were two of the girls we were talking to as they waited for their turn to perform on stage.  Almost all costumes were this beautiful and elaborate. 

People were so happy to have us there that security even allowed Robert to get on stage to take some pictures of the performers.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Hiatus

Sorry about the hiatus for the past several days.  I have been sick with a sore throat (like not able to eat more than 10 bites sore) and sinus issues.  That combined with a busy schedule, not a lot of free time, and spotty Wi-Fi have put me way behind in the blogging sphere.  Physically I am now on the mend.  Our very nice South India project consultant gave me some antibiotics, but I have to laugh at the process seeing as she would only give me enough pills for a day at a time, and then she decided after 4 days that I was done.  I guess it remains to be seen if I am getting better from those antibiotics or if I got a virus that has run its course.    

Since my last post we have left Delhi.  I did not get to blog about everything we did in Delhi yet, so I will be making those posts when I can get to them.  I figured this blog will go on way past my return date, so I can get to the various activities when I have time. 

When we left Delhi, we flew into Chennai and boarded a bus for a five hour drive into the hills.  This was a bit of a wake up call because in Delhi we had a nice large coach bus with enough room for every one of us to have our own row.  Not so much now!  We have a small 21 seater with a little trunk that doesn't even hold half our luggage.  Most of the bags are being strapped to the roof of the bus.  The bus is "air conditioned" in that air blows from two vent units, but somehow no one actually feels the air.  Therefore, I have secured myself a seat at the front so I can watch the road.  A small stuffy bus doesn't suit someone who gets motion sickness like me.

Anyhow, we spent two nights at Yeligiri Hills, one at Vellore, and we are now on our third night in Chennai.  Tomorrow morning we pack up again and head out for another town.

Stay tuned for posts on the many activities we have done during this time.  For now, ta ta (my paid Wi-Fi is almost up).

P.S.  For those who may have heard of some terrorist type activities in India, please know that we are not any where near them, nor will we be going to those areas.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Mobile Creches

This is another blog that is best said through a lot of pictures.  So, I will use the pictures to tell this story.  Some of them may be sad, so use that as a warning.

These buildings hold apartments that sell for about $750,000.  Do you ever wonder where the construction workers who build these live?

In India the workers and their families live close to the site in camps that the construction companies provide.

 These camps are often near standing water.  The hot humid conditions make these the perfect breeding grounds for malaria carrying mosquitoes.

They can also be near untreated sewage drainage such as this.

A surprising number of women work construction.  This could be because the family needs a second income, or because her husband is an alcoholic and can't function at his job.  If the whole family lives in these camps, and the parents have to work, what do the children do?  Do they go to school?

The answers is no, unless someone steps in.  Mobile Creches is an organization that has stepped in to provide care for children ages 0-14 (with a focus on 0-6).  They first and foremost try to get the often malnourished back to good health, but also provide education for the children that are able to attend.

Mobile Creches begin by working with the construction company and asking for a space in or near the camp to set up a facility.  These conditions aren't ideal.


This is the space of the mobile creche we visited.  It is in a partially dilapidated building, no running water, no electricity, and very little furnishings.

The children attending come from very poor families.  They often can't afford proper clothes.

They are also often malnourished.  The light color in this girl's hair is evidence that she is not getting adequate nutrients.
  At the school, there is no way to control the insects.  This one year old naps with flies crawling all over his face, even blocking is nostrils. 

Even in these conditions, there is learning...

laughter...

and love.

Mobile creches has a vision:  A just and caring world for young children of marginalized and mobile populations to enable them to develop into competent and confident individuals. 

Mobile Creches had reached out to approximately 700,000 construction children.  However, that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface.  There is an estimated 60 million construction children who currently have no where to go while their parents work.

It only costs around $16,000 to fully run a center for 50 children for one year.  Many construction jobs only last that length of time.  This covers nutrition, medicine, check-ups, and education.  I wish every American company with construction/development ties in India that sets aside funds for corporate social responsibility would sponsor a center.

As individuals, we can also help.  Visit http://mobilecreches.org/ to learn how.

Katha

Katha is an organization whose mission is to impact social injustice and economic poverty in urban India by providing quality education for children (living in slums) that will transform them into community leaders.  www.katha.org

This blog on Katha is done best by speaking through pictures, so let's start with the street we walked down to arrive at the Katha school we visited:


 The two pictures above are the "street face" of the slum.  These semi-permanent shops line the true slum behind.

The smell was atrocious.  Open trash bins, sewage leaks, and scavenging animals were everywhere (dogs, goats, and horses)
We then saw this sign like a beacon in the slum...even the state of Texas would like it, it's "recognized!"  Once we were inside, the gate was closed and we entered the oasis with white washed walls in which the noises and smells of the slum all but disappeared.















The walls of the school were filled with student motivation, color, and student created artwork.  Several times a year the walls are painted over and the students re-paint it.

Most classroom did not have traditional desks and chairs; it is customary to leave your shoes outside and sit on the floor (if you have shoes).


Many classes had the students up and active playing games.  This one was a game called "story play" in which they act out a story to deepen the meaning.

This is me with a group of boys that were at the school for English tutorials.  I helped them practice by telling me stories about animals, habitats, and food sources.
The school even offers vocational classes such as this for women living in the slums to provide them a skill or craft.  If that is mastered they could not only bring in money, but they have the potential to become the family breadwinner, thus improving her chances of eventually moving to a more secure dwelling.
Katha had so much more to offer than what is posted here.  They have computers with Internet, and even participate in international multi-media competitions.  Students from last year won one such contest and got to fly to Boston to attend a conference.

The Katha organization has around 95 such schools.  They reach over 200,000 children.  Yet, this doesn't even begin to make a dent in the children that need to be reached.  Many of the schools have the facilities for more, but lack the finances to be able to hire and train teachers.

Katha is always trying to improve the lives of the students within.  They take the work, bind it in books, and sell them at the schools and online.  They also sell the crafts that students make in school such as wooden toys, bags, and jewelry.  Again, all can be purchased in the schools and online.  Many of the teachers within the school were once the students in the halls, serving as examples of the changes that can be made.

Katha is always looking for help.  It may be through a partnership with schools in America, or it may be the tax exempt gifts people can give.  For more information, visit www.katha.org

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

No more long wind

I was analyzing my own post the other day, and I realized that I am long winded.  So, I then sought out the opinions of two of my colleagues, and I am beginning a new strategy:  The Ricky-Connie Method of shorter blogs.  Here is attempt 1

On Delhi Day 3 we:
  • Went to PRAVAH - an organization that works with adolescents and youth organizations and institutions to impact issues of social justice through youth citizenship action.  We discussed ways to transform students into active citizens.  Great discussion and it is something that I believe our high school's student council can benefit from a partnership with.
  • Centre for Women's Development Studies - research institute on women's roles in society and economic trends that affect women's lives and status.  There were many women, each with their own agenda and passions.  
  • United Nations Information Center - Lecture on the success of India in achieving the MDGs.  Very well done, and it generated great group discussion and reflection. 
    • Said the single most important thing that I have heard so far:  When you come to India you must learn things, but you must also unlearn things.
  • Shopping at Janpath - the Indian version of a cheap strip mall.  I got 5 scarves for the price of $7.00!
Janpath - bargaining stalls (not fixed price stores)

Janpath - fixed price stores with 'covered' doorways

Monday, July 4, 2011

Delhi 2

Before I lapse into day 2 in Delhi, let me just make some general comments about my observations about traffic.  If you have ever seen any movies or television shows that have pictures of Indian traffic and think, "That's got to be an exaggeration," then your wrong.  Indian traffic really is chaotic.  There are lines on the road, but they must just be guidelines because nobody follows them.  Everybody honks just to let people know, "Hey I'm coming up on your right."  They honk to tell people to move, they honk when they see someone they know, they honk when they see someone they don't know and just want to say hi.  We decided to play a game on day 3; how many horn honks can you count in a minutes time.  In addition to cars, trucks, mopeds, buses, and three-wheel auto rickshaws going every which way, there are also bicycles, people, cows, dogs, and sometimes horses in the middle of the roads too.  Like in other places of the world, you can see a whole family of four on a moped.  It takes a lot of time just to get a small distance.  I would show you a picture of this, but I just haven't taken one that does it justice.

Okay, now that I have that out of my system let's talk day 2.  This morning we began at a modern Hindu temple called Akshardam.  It was huge, hand-crafted, and so filled with meaning it is very difficult to figure out where to start.  We could only bring in passports, money, and bottled water (nothing else), so we couldn't take any pictures or notes in a notebook.  Their philosophy:  if you are writing or busy snapping a photograph than you are not taking the time to be with family or worship in the temple itself.  There were parts of it, in other buildings on the property, that remind me a bit of Disney World because they would take you into a dark auditorium and show you a little show.  One was about how only you can sculpt your life.  You are the hammer, the chisel, and the rock.  Your actions are what sculpts you.  The next was an overview of the Saint that the temple pays tribute to, and the third was a robotics show depicting his first act under a tree when he was seven (I think I remember correctly) that set him apart as a saint.  He made fish come back to life because he couldn't stand seeing fisherman sacrifice their lives.  Needless to say he was a vegetarian.  There were several other little shows that we had to miss due to time, but we did end with a boat ride on the history of India.  It was seriously like "It's a small world" at Disney.  You enter the little boat and it takes you though the canal while you see different scenes out of India's history.

We had lunch on site and a question and answer session with our guide.  He delved into some of the requirements for the temple by explaining that according to Hindu religion a temple must be self sufficient.  So, he went into water capture and filtration process, solar powered electricity, all uneaten food goes to feed the animals on the property (another requirement), etc.  It was fascinating.  He then went into some detail about the center's to service in the community.  They have a commitment to help end poverty, promote education, and empower women.  They make sure to let you know that they run several schools across India that are free to people who can't afford it.  They want to reintroduce to society that women are not to be treated as lesser people, but the reason they are put behind the men is because their lives and importance is so precious that men must place themselves in danger and be prepared to give their lives in order to protect the women.  So, they hope to help India change in baby steps.

After that we had about an hours bus ride to the Hope Foundation Asharan Orphanage.  I thought this was going to be really sad, but it wasn't too bad at all.  They went through some stats about how almost 500 children have been brought to the orphanage since it opened in the 90's, but over half of those children were returned to their parents.  Of the remaining, almost all of them were able to be adopted.  Less than 10% of the orphans have had to stay in the system until adulthood.  The branch we were at was specifically for children 0-10 years old.  They were all healthy, and the facility was very Indian middle class (in America we would be a little cramped).  Of the 25 children on site, there were about 5 with disabilities.  Two had downs syndrome, one had what we would call autism (it's not recognized in India, they just say that she is "off"), and another had leprosy.  The fifth is another "off" child that is not diagnosed.  The special education teacher in our group had no idea what the official diagnosis might be.  She had a skin disorder, but also other issues.  She was commanding, she would slap you if you weren't paying attention (yes, I got slapped), and she was apparently saying really violent things such as,, "If you don't play this game with me I am going to kill you."  I don't speak Hindi, so I will have to take another group members word on that one.  In addition to getting slapped,  a little girl decided to draw on my pants, and a baby spit up on me.  This is pretty typical of my experiences with children, which is a large reason for why I don't have any!

Here are a few pictures of our time.:
Fulbrighters Pamela and Natalie making bookmarks with the above four age group.
Fulbrighter Jen is holding a baby- the one who spit up on me

After the orphanage we came back to the hotel, and went our separate ways for the evening.  Some people got massages at the hotel, others went to a nearby shopping area and ate dinner at a risque restaurant (plastic pole dancer decorations), and then three of us went to the Lotus Temple, a temple that is part of the Bahá'í Houses of Worship.  The Bahá'í believe it is most important to worship God, so they invite people of all religions to come into the temple to pray.  It was very reverent and peaceful.  The structure itself was huge!  I liked this excursion because this time we were not the ones asking for pictures.  The locals were taking pictures of us left and right, and they even asked us to posed for pictures with them.

Jen and Craig pose like the ultimate American tourists in front of the Lotus Temple
After the Lotus Temple, we made an unexpected side trip to another temple that you could see from the Lotus Temple.  It is called the ISKCON Ashram (temple), and we didn't find out until after the excursion that it is a Hare Krishna temple.  I would tell you more and post a picture, but this is the subject of my blog contribution to our program blog at http://fulbrightindia2011.com so if you want to read more, then please visit.

Until Next time,
Namaste!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Delhi 1

Day 1 in Delhi was jam packed, and we began by meeting Dr. Sharada Nayak (pictured), our local Fulbright consultant (pictured below).  She gave us some great advice on what to expect, and what we should and should not do.  She is also a teacher, energetic, and incredibly vivacious for a 79 year old woman. She told us to not only interact with the culture, but to ask questions and think about how it changes us (and our teaching).  She of course gave us plenty of good health advice too!


Then, we were off to Humayun's Tomb, the prototype for the Taj Mahal.  It was built for a former emperor.  Out lecturer was historian Professor Beeba Sobti.  The official lecture was to be about the preservation attempts of historic monuments, but since she is a historian, she was able to give us all the good stories.  It was fun, and informative.  We enjoyed watching Professor Sobti get more poetic as other tomb visitors stopped and listened.  We had some fun along the way since the locals stop and gawk at us.  They all want to say hello, pose for pictures (which they expect you to pay them for), and tell you impressive stories.  We heard about when both Will Smith and President Obama toured the tomb.



After the tomb, it was off to a food court for lunch.  My dreams of India being my summer diet have officially been shattered.  The food here has been pleasantly wonderful, and the portions are huge!  However, I am aware that my curiosity and tolerance of Indian food will probably wear off at some point in the next 30 days, so I have vowed to change it when possible.  Lunch was my first opportunity...I had pizza.  It tasted just like what you would get at Chucky Cheese.  The only problem I am having to adjust to is our schedule of meals.  Breakfast between 7:00 and 8:00, lunch between noon and 2:00, dinner is between 9:00 and 10:00 at night.  I am an early dinner eater (5:30 or 6:00) so this is quite a change for me.  Another change is in ordering food.  In America we are used to allowing workers time to finish completely with one customer before we approach to order.  Two girls on my trip and I watched three locals cut in front of us before we realized that she is never going to look at us and ask "May I help you?"  So, we had to fight our way to up to the counter and bark orders at her.

However, that is enough about lunch and food.  On with the day.  Next we went to the Center for Science and Environment (CSE).  We toured the facility and listened to an overview of the CSE.  Since I am an AP Environmental science teacher, it was right up my alley!  We heard the story about how land preservation began in India, and it's appetizingly different than what you might think.  Instead of the typical arguments for land preservation, such as "we should save the trees because they are living organisms," or "If we don't save the trees we won't be able to use them for resources," India began their locally named "tree-hugger" movement as a result of women's rights.  You see, women are not allowed to urinate publicly like men, so they needed the trees to provide cover.  Thus, land preservation was born.  We also heard about how the CSE is involved in school, and I am so excited to say that I MIGHT have an opportunity to attend a two day teacher training program at the end of the month to learn how to assess schools on their environmental protocol.  There are still some logistics to work out, but if I do get to attend the training it will be awesome!  There may even be a chance to have my students conduct the assessment on our school, and then we can share it with another school in India (I sure hope my global liaison is reading).

From there, we went to India Gate, India's WWI memorial.  It was crazy crowded, but still a must see.  We only had 10 minutes since it was a total tourist stop with no connection to our Fulbright mission.  Please check out the pictures below.



India Gate and armed security guard
The crowd in the background was just on the other side of the India Gate of the previous picture (things are always this crowded)




 


Two fountains flank India Gate, formerly off limits to the public, now used for swimming and boat rides



















So, if that isn't enough...there's more.  See this is around 6:30 in the evening and we don't eat until 9:00-ish.  The bus dropped us off at the hotel and we had some free time until dinner, so a group of us (about 7) went to a shopping area for a couple of hours.  Three of us (including me) bought some fabric to have a shirt tailored for me.  The tailor is coming to our hotel one night later this week.

Finally, we ate dinner and practically went straight to bed.

The exciting thing is that I will be posting more tomorrow, so stay tuned.  If you can't wait, you may check out the whole group's blog (which I will also be posting through during the trip). That address is http://fulbrightindia2011.com

Friday, July 1, 2011

We're here

Namaste,

We finally made it!  The Fulbrighters did have a few interesting issues along the way, but the planes were on time, and the flights went smoothly. 

To start things off, one of our group members didn't show up at the airport until boarding.  I guess he missed the memo on arriving 2 hours early for international flights.  His excuse is that he forgot to start taking his malaria medication two days before the trip, so he took two pills on an empty stomach (supposed to take with food) the morning of our flight.  He was sick as a dog, and the 14 hour plane ride didn't help him.

During the ride we encountered typical plane issues:  One man's bags were too heavy, the flight or food didn't agree with some stomachs, some of us slept too much, others slept too little, and of course we got told more than one by the flight attendants that we couldn't invade their space back by the restrooms.  However, in my opinion we had good reason to invade their space, because the only window shades allowed to be left open were those on the doors at the back of the plane.  We flew from Chicago up through Canada, over Greenland, across Scandinavia, into Russia, and finally past Pakistan into India.  The entire time we were in daylight, and most of the time the sky was clear.

So, being curious Fulbrighters we wanted to look out the windows.  I personally got to see Greenland (the western side), the Ural mountains of Russia, and the tail end of the Himalayan range.  A very nice Indian man that took a liking to our group was going to show us the wall built on the border of Pakistan and India, but it was too cloudy at that point.

I thought the flight went by quite well overall.  I was slightly miffed because the TV player in my seat had a bad connection with headphones, so I didn't get to watch a single movie, TV show, or even listen to music.  However, I did sleep for about 4 hours, got up several times to talk to other people while looking out the window and stretching, and my seat mates kept up some riveting conversation (we were of course in a middle row, and I was the second seat in).

Once we landed, it took two hours to exit the building.  It's not because customs were difficult to go through, but because it is difficult traveling with a group.  One had realized she forgot her wallet on the plane and the rest of us waited while she had to go back to the gate.  We had to stop 3 times and wait on people to go to the bathroom, and twice to get money or exchange money.  Once we finally got out security, we were greeted by two men who gave us each a dot of orange powder in the middle of our foreheads, and a lei of bright orange marigolds.  We took a group picture (that I will have to get later because it was not on my camera), and then we were off to the hotel.  It was dark by that point, so I still haven't really seen much of Delhi.  I look forward to telling you about it on my next post!