Today, Nam and I were sent into the classrooms to teach on our own.  There are about 120 students from the slum neighborhood this school is located in. They range from 3 to 18 yr. olds.  Some classes have 8 kids, others 40, depending on their level.  The kids are so happy to see us each time, they all say good morning mam and when they were leaving school, some bowed and touched our feet out of respect (wow, that was strange).  The fifth graders sang some of their favorite songs to us in Hindi....and they seem so happy even though they are so poor. We spend our afternoons working on lesson plans for the next day. They have no resources, so we bring the crayons, paper, etc. and the class rooms are cement block bldgs., dirty floors that they sit on, no windows, etc.....very sad !!!  Even though, they smile, laugh and seem so proud of their school work. The teachers are grateful for our presence and the resources that we bring each day.  

We have Hindi lessons every afternoon;  man, is this hard to learn !!  When we drive to and from school each day, the sights we see......blow our minds. !!!  Cows everywhere in the busy streets, attack monkeys along the fences that line the roads, goats, pigs, and sickly dogs mingling amongst all the people, traffic and craziness. Contradictions of every sort fill your senses.....there seem to be so many men just hanging everywhere......the women are working apparently. People wash their clothes, their dishes, their children in dirty washtubs on the sides of busy, dusty streets. We at home surely take for granted clean water and clean air, the most basic needs of people are not being met here.  I must say OMG a hundred times each day !!!!!!!!!

I feel as though we will be able to make a difference here to these kids......they seem to appreciate us being here, so much.  That is why I am here.

Rats.....what a great way to start my morning, day two. Even though....... I am completely intrigued by this place. They can send me cockroaches and rats, but don't let them run across my feet. I chased two rats back out under the door early this morning, and then found one dead at the bottom of my stairs as I left the apartment at 7 am to walk with my friend Syrinda from Seattle.         

Everything is covered in a thick dust, including my nostrils..... I just keep blowing it out !!!!  My throat is sore and scratchy from the pollution.  There is really only tea and water to drink, Indian's don't drink alcohol, but it's OK because it's against house rules to consume alcohol in house during this program anyhow.  Two volunteer college kids got sent home last week for smoking weed on property.  The food is very hot, interesting flavours I can't identify, and I don't know the names of any of these dishes, yet !!

There is an Indian man singing/humming loudly in the streets below each morning to warn all the apartment dwellers of the fruit/vegetable cart approaching.  The sirens are loud and the pigeon living above my head at night on the air conditioner wakes me often.    

 I live with three college students and the India program director who is here from NY checking it all out.  My partner, who I will be co-teaching 4th grade English/Arts with is 21 yr. old Namarata from Australia. She is of Indian decent, born in Fiji, lived in New Zealand and now Australia. She is studying social justice/law and is passionate about women's rights in third world countries.  She is extremely bright and very pretty......and we are going to have a blast teaching together !!!!  Matt, a 22 yr. old student from Ontario is studying cultural anthropology and really fascinating to talk to....very funny, very smart!!  There is also an 18 year old from Boston in my apartment here for 12 weeks. What a great group to live with for the next several weeks.

I asked Bela, India's on-site director, if I may do two weeks of my volunteer time up in Dharmshala, where the Tibetan in exile community lives.  It's cold there now being closer to the Himalayas and quite beautiful.  Today, I start my job teaching......or just observing day 1. Temps here are about 75 days and 55 nights...pretty comfortable.  You can never really see the sun through the smog.....but,  it's there. 

Here's one I'll try on the students...."What do you call a cow with no legs?"  ........ground beef.....I sure hope they have a sense of humor!!!!  But, you know, they are vegatarian and see cows as sacred animals, maybe I should save it, huh ??

There are so many contradictions here in India. It is so very fascinating here....

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