Tuesday, November 28, 2006
28th November 2006
Well finally i have got around to adding to the blog site. For any of you that know me well you will know that keeping in touch is not particularly one of my strong points, apart from the odd e mail here and there...but here i am!
Well where to start! Charlotte has done a fantastic job in her regular up dates of our adventures so far and the enthusiasm and passion that shines through in Charlottes writing represnts both of our love for being in India, it's great!
Living with the Chakmas has been fantastic, from the start we have been made to feel very welcome and as time goes on we can see, by the occasional verse of chakma song, that some are not as shy as they originally seemed. We were lucky enough to have some time at the start of the projct to visit the temples that we would be teaching in and meet other members of the Chakma community, and we were met with such genuine kindness and hospitality that we have been very thankful of.
We are now well into our classes and they are going really well (although at times i might not say that, when my advanced grammar classes are firing extremely difficult questions at me, followed up with the dreaded question within the grammar classroom...why?!). It seems that quite quickly the rapport and trust has formed enabling us all to share experiences, knowledge and jokes and as the weeks go on the relatiosnships continue to grow. Its such a priviledge to be in a position where we can discuss 'real life' issues with Indian people and create an environment of continuous learning from each other. An experience that will have an ever lasting impact on me.
The outreaches are amazing. When it was said during our volunteer training that in the past there have been groups of 100 children being taught, I could not even imagine us doing such a thing....well last Sunday at Ashok Negar Joy, Charlotte and I did just that. The numbers have been rising over the weeks and this week Joys head count revealed that they had reached the 100 mark! Doing the outreaches is so uch fun and if the children enjoy them as much as we do then it can only be a good thing! Last Saturday Charlotte and I accompanied by Vikram one of the Indian volunteers did the outreach in Seelampur, this allowed Joy some time as she has been doing 2 outreaches in a day. It is our smallest outreach which is actually quite nice as it can be more personal allowing you to get to know the children and do some the activities which are more of a challenge to control with larger numbers. So we are keen to take on this outreach allowing Joy to focus on the afternoon one in Shanti Negar where we have been unable to attend due to an outbreak in Dengue fever.
On top of all the teaching we have found plenty of time the cram in many shopping trips, trips away (which Charlotte has mentioned)relaxation time and even time to do our new found hobby...sudoku (thanks mum for introducing that!) it has resulted in many an hour of entertainment, with the only words muttered between me and Charlotte... "can you pass the rubber please".
Well i have to return to class now lesson number 3 of the day is due to start.
Bye for now!
...and if i have made any grammatical mistakes, keep them to yourself, i dont want to know!!!
Well where to start! Charlotte has done a fantastic job in her regular up dates of our adventures so far and the enthusiasm and passion that shines through in Charlottes writing represnts both of our love for being in India, it's great!
Living with the Chakmas has been fantastic, from the start we have been made to feel very welcome and as time goes on we can see, by the occasional verse of chakma song, that some are not as shy as they originally seemed. We were lucky enough to have some time at the start of the projct to visit the temples that we would be teaching in and meet other members of the Chakma community, and we were met with such genuine kindness and hospitality that we have been very thankful of.
We are now well into our classes and they are going really well (although at times i might not say that, when my advanced grammar classes are firing extremely difficult questions at me, followed up with the dreaded question within the grammar classroom...why?!). It seems that quite quickly the rapport and trust has formed enabling us all to share experiences, knowledge and jokes and as the weeks go on the relatiosnships continue to grow. Its such a priviledge to be in a position where we can discuss 'real life' issues with Indian people and create an environment of continuous learning from each other. An experience that will have an ever lasting impact on me.
The outreaches are amazing. When it was said during our volunteer training that in the past there have been groups of 100 children being taught, I could not even imagine us doing such a thing....well last Sunday at Ashok Negar Joy, Charlotte and I did just that. The numbers have been rising over the weeks and this week Joys head count revealed that they had reached the 100 mark! Doing the outreaches is so uch fun and if the children enjoy them as much as we do then it can only be a good thing! Last Saturday Charlotte and I accompanied by Vikram one of the Indian volunteers did the outreach in Seelampur, this allowed Joy some time as she has been doing 2 outreaches in a day. It is our smallest outreach which is actually quite nice as it can be more personal allowing you to get to know the children and do some the activities which are more of a challenge to control with larger numbers. So we are keen to take on this outreach allowing Joy to focus on the afternoon one in Shanti Negar where we have been unable to attend due to an outbreak in Dengue fever.
On top of all the teaching we have found plenty of time the cram in many shopping trips, trips away (which Charlotte has mentioned)relaxation time and even time to do our new found hobby...sudoku (thanks mum for introducing that!) it has resulted in many an hour of entertainment, with the only words muttered between me and Charlotte... "can you pass the rubber please".
Well i have to return to class now lesson number 3 of the day is due to start.
Bye for now!
...and if i have made any grammatical mistakes, keep them to yourself, i dont want to know!!!
Saturday, November 25, 2006
A wonder of the world......
Its been a while since I wrote last. This has not been for a lack of trying as last week I spent 40mins writing a post only to have the connestion interuupted and my work lost - eeeeek!
I have had my great mate Eirk over from Norway. He left this morning and we miss him already. Despite being here for only 2 weeks, he felt like a part of the team contributing to the discussions and grammar classes. He has been impressed by the friendliness and openness of Indians, but like us has noticed how conctrete their thinking can be at times. They seem to struggle with abstract ideas and view the world in black and white. We had an intersting discussion about sterotypes and I was highly amused to find out Indians seem to think people from the West are all beautiful, confident, intelligent, free-minded, happy and apparently we all look the same! They also think we are socially immoral and selfish.
Inevitably the conversations turned to Marriage and Divorce. I was horrified to find out that the students reckon up to 90%of people commit adultery in Delhi! I have also been disgusted to find out that domestic abuse is tolerated and accepted although not condoned. When I told one highly educated middle class male that I would leave my partner if he ever hit me, his response was shock and....'what, even if it was once'! We also discussed the problems with the Dowry system. When women are 'married off' their parents are expected to provide a Dowry. Unfortunately many women are tortured by their husband so that the parents will provide a higher dowry and many women are killed or commit suicide. Someone quoted a figure of 5% of women in India comitting suicide every year, a staggering amount of women considering the population of India is over a billion.
I have taken a real shining to one of our female volunteers called Mansha. Mansha is a 25 year old woman who lives across the road from us. She has great confidence and a real individual streak, a strong woman with a good sense of humour. She will be getting married to an Indian man who lives in Hounslow, London. She has met him once and likes him but once they are married in January she will be expected to move to London to live with him forever. She has no friends or family over there and bearly knows her fiance yet she is optomistic about the future and as a woman has been brought up to expect to make great sacrifices in her life. I wish I could share her optimism but I cant help but worry for her. Im glad that at least I can be a friend to her in London and I cant wait to go to her wedding in January. She is taking myself and Viki Sari shopping next week - I CAN'T WAIT!
I turned 28 last Monday. I had a fantastic day and everyone made a fuss and made me feel really special. Cards arrived on the doorstep and I even had a birthday cake! The highlight of the day however had to be seeing the Indian volunteers show off their Bollywood dance moves - I cant remember when I laughed so hard.
Two days ago we went to Agra to see one of the wonders of the world...yes...THE TAJ MAHAL! WOW! All I can say is that its amazing to see in the flesh. Sometimes you see these sights on postcards and on tellie and then when you see them for yourself they dissapoint. Not this one! Its spectacular and eveyone must see it! Check out Jet Airays or Air India and book your flights now!
EIRK WE MISS YOU XX
I have had my great mate Eirk over from Norway. He left this morning and we miss him already. Despite being here for only 2 weeks, he felt like a part of the team contributing to the discussions and grammar classes. He has been impressed by the friendliness and openness of Indians, but like us has noticed how conctrete their thinking can be at times. They seem to struggle with abstract ideas and view the world in black and white. We had an intersting discussion about sterotypes and I was highly amused to find out Indians seem to think people from the West are all beautiful, confident, intelligent, free-minded, happy and apparently we all look the same! They also think we are socially immoral and selfish.
Inevitably the conversations turned to Marriage and Divorce. I was horrified to find out that the students reckon up to 90%of people commit adultery in Delhi! I have also been disgusted to find out that domestic abuse is tolerated and accepted although not condoned. When I told one highly educated middle class male that I would leave my partner if he ever hit me, his response was shock and....'what, even if it was once'! We also discussed the problems with the Dowry system. When women are 'married off' their parents are expected to provide a Dowry. Unfortunately many women are tortured by their husband so that the parents will provide a higher dowry and many women are killed or commit suicide. Someone quoted a figure of 5% of women in India comitting suicide every year, a staggering amount of women considering the population of India is over a billion.
I have taken a real shining to one of our female volunteers called Mansha. Mansha is a 25 year old woman who lives across the road from us. She has great confidence and a real individual streak, a strong woman with a good sense of humour. She will be getting married to an Indian man who lives in Hounslow, London. She has met him once and likes him but once they are married in January she will be expected to move to London to live with him forever. She has no friends or family over there and bearly knows her fiance yet she is optomistic about the future and as a woman has been brought up to expect to make great sacrifices in her life. I wish I could share her optimism but I cant help but worry for her. Im glad that at least I can be a friend to her in London and I cant wait to go to her wedding in January. She is taking myself and Viki Sari shopping next week - I CAN'T WAIT!
I turned 28 last Monday. I had a fantastic day and everyone made a fuss and made me feel really special. Cards arrived on the doorstep and I even had a birthday cake! The highlight of the day however had to be seeing the Indian volunteers show off their Bollywood dance moves - I cant remember when I laughed so hard.
Two days ago we went to Agra to see one of the wonders of the world...yes...THE TAJ MAHAL! WOW! All I can say is that its amazing to see in the flesh. Sometimes you see these sights on postcards and on tellie and then when you see them for yourself they dissapoint. Not this one! Its spectacular and eveyone must see it! Check out Jet Airays or Air India and book your flights now!
EIRK WE MISS YOU XX
Thursday, November 09, 2006
One month on...
I cant believe we have been here for a month already. Time is flying by and Im starting to get anxious about the amount of time I have left.
We are now in full swing and the classes are going well. Our students are generally a really lovely lot and I've been surprised at the discussions we have had already. Before coming, topics like 'Arranged versus Love marriages', 'Relationships' and Religion' were things that seemed a long way off, but on the 4th session, my evening discussion group launched us straight into them!
Most of the people who attend the classes are the better off, modern Indians who aspire to work in Indian call centers, for the Government or private companies in management. They range from 15-25 years old. These people have access to the programme in order to help them pass demanding exams. India is known for its high rate of suicide in teenagers due to the pressures of exams and the numbers are rising. Employment is high here and the competition for jobs is immense. By interacting with people who are the future of India, it allows us to bridge some of the gaps between the East and the West. A lot of the advertsing here showing white people usually involve a man and a woman scantily dressed carressing an ice cream in a rather suggestive manner. This kind of advertsing gives Indians the impression we are all sex mad (this may of course be somewhat true) and they think we get divorced every other day. The quote they seem to love the most is "India has such a high rate of successful marriages and in the West 1/3 of marriages end in divorce". Can anyone tell me - is this true? Shocking really, but then I question the quality of the marriages over here, and typically its the Women who seem to loose out the most. Husbands over here are supposed to be treated like Gods according to tradition, but its a relief to hear the younger men saying that they look for a more equal partnership based on mutual respect.
On speaking on topics like these it feels like a huge responsibility representing my country, in fact representing 3 continents ('The West')as I worry sometimes that my opinions will be taken as gospel. I have tried to make clear that I am one person who can only offer my experience and opinions of the world and explain what I find important in life. Through our discussions I think we are realising that we are not all that different after all, and in fact all we want is to be happy and wish happiness for our fellow human beings.
India is changing and changing fast. The divide between the rich and poor increases, fashion is slowly changing in the wealthier circles, coffee shops are springing up and the Government is trying to encourage people to shop in big malls. But every now and then we see things that remind us that we are in India. Today we saw a dog walk by with his tail hanging off having been savaged by another dog and on street a ting puppy lays dead on the road having been run over. Buffalows struggle past us on the congested roads with heavy loads and rope pierced through their snout and we see goats being led off for sacrificial slaughter. These are the things that leave a bitter taste in the mouth.
But it's all made worth while by the children that we meet. Their eagerness to learn, a new word learned, a smile.
Namo Amida Bu
We are now in full swing and the classes are going well. Our students are generally a really lovely lot and I've been surprised at the discussions we have had already. Before coming, topics like 'Arranged versus Love marriages', 'Relationships' and Religion' were things that seemed a long way off, but on the 4th session, my evening discussion group launched us straight into them!
Most of the people who attend the classes are the better off, modern Indians who aspire to work in Indian call centers, for the Government or private companies in management. They range from 15-25 years old. These people have access to the programme in order to help them pass demanding exams. India is known for its high rate of suicide in teenagers due to the pressures of exams and the numbers are rising. Employment is high here and the competition for jobs is immense. By interacting with people who are the future of India, it allows us to bridge some of the gaps between the East and the West. A lot of the advertsing here showing white people usually involve a man and a woman scantily dressed carressing an ice cream in a rather suggestive manner. This kind of advertsing gives Indians the impression we are all sex mad (this may of course be somewhat true) and they think we get divorced every other day. The quote they seem to love the most is "India has such a high rate of successful marriages and in the West 1/3 of marriages end in divorce". Can anyone tell me - is this true? Shocking really, but then I question the quality of the marriages over here, and typically its the Women who seem to loose out the most. Husbands over here are supposed to be treated like Gods according to tradition, but its a relief to hear the younger men saying that they look for a more equal partnership based on mutual respect.
On speaking on topics like these it feels like a huge responsibility representing my country, in fact representing 3 continents ('The West')as I worry sometimes that my opinions will be taken as gospel. I have tried to make clear that I am one person who can only offer my experience and opinions of the world and explain what I find important in life. Through our discussions I think we are realising that we are not all that different after all, and in fact all we want is to be happy and wish happiness for our fellow human beings.
India is changing and changing fast. The divide between the rich and poor increases, fashion is slowly changing in the wealthier circles, coffee shops are springing up and the Government is trying to encourage people to shop in big malls. But every now and then we see things that remind us that we are in India. Today we saw a dog walk by with his tail hanging off having been savaged by another dog and on street a ting puppy lays dead on the road having been run over. Buffalows struggle past us on the congested roads with heavy loads and rope pierced through their snout and we see goats being led off for sacrificial slaughter. These are the things that leave a bitter taste in the mouth.
But it's all made worth while by the children that we meet. Their eagerness to learn, a new word learned, a smile.
Namo Amida Bu
Sunday, November 05, 2006
In the thick of it!
The semester has started at last. 108 students have been admitted on the course which will be held on Mondays and Tuesdays. Its a tireing day with 5 different classes of people with mixed abilities but it keeps us on our toes and the characters in class keep us highly entertained. Im really quite surprised at the level of English Grammar students posses and it puts me to shame. I have frequent flashes of 'what the hell am I doing teaching English' - my partner will agree thatI am probably the worst speller in the UK and sometimes have difficulty with stringing sentences together. But so far so good and Ive managed to wing it somehow.
The outreach work is really good fun. I didnt realise how much I love children although they do tire me out. The children are sooooooooooo cute and I love the black khnol under their eyes to protect them from the sun. It makes them look really holy somehow and very Indian! We ahve only done 2 outreaches this week as one of the sites is afected with an outbreak of Dengue fever as I mentioned before and the other area has been closed down by police as riots have been breaking out. The Government are trying to push a bill to close most local shops in a bid to drive people to shop at big shopping malls. This has created a mager uproar and the whole of Delhi went on strike for 3 days. I was so impressed with the organisation and coordination of the people and its great to see democracy in action. However unfortunately on the 3rd day, people took to the streets and in some areas violence broke out. One of those areas is where we hope to teach on Friday mornings - Seelampur. Riots broke out and 2 people have been shot by police. Rocks were thrown and buses set on fire! Things seem to have been restored to order now hopefully.
It amazes me just how well me and Vicki get on. We sleep, eat, teach, travel and pretty much spend every minute of the day together yet always have something to laugh or talk about. I hadnt expected to make such a good friend along the way and it makes the whole experience so much richer.
Its wedding season here. This means throngs of wedding processions singing, dancing and generally having fun passing our street. They are usually followed by 2 white horses with the groom in tow and a huge brass band. The Bhangra beats are brillaint and its so refreshing to see mena dn women really leting go and dancing their hearts out.
The other day we were teaching in a temple and a wedding procession came in to be blessed. The procesion including the brass band cornered us and pulled us into the circle to dance for the crowd. My polite refusals were met with smiles and a strong arm pulling me into the crowd! So like a performing bear I started twirling, clapping, and doing my best to dance to the Indian beats and give the crowd what they wanted. Viki joined in and the two of us let our inibitions go and gained a lot of street cred from the locals who were stragely impressed at our wild moves! A fantastic experience.
I think Ive said enough for now although I could go on and on.
Needles to say, I am loving it. India is fantastic!
The outreach work is really good fun. I didnt realise how much I love children although they do tire me out. The children are sooooooooooo cute and I love the black khnol under their eyes to protect them from the sun. It makes them look really holy somehow and very Indian! We ahve only done 2 outreaches this week as one of the sites is afected with an outbreak of Dengue fever as I mentioned before and the other area has been closed down by police as riots have been breaking out. The Government are trying to push a bill to close most local shops in a bid to drive people to shop at big shopping malls. This has created a mager uproar and the whole of Delhi went on strike for 3 days. I was so impressed with the organisation and coordination of the people and its great to see democracy in action. However unfortunately on the 3rd day, people took to the streets and in some areas violence broke out. One of those areas is where we hope to teach on Friday mornings - Seelampur. Riots broke out and 2 people have been shot by police. Rocks were thrown and buses set on fire! Things seem to have been restored to order now hopefully.
It amazes me just how well me and Vicki get on. We sleep, eat, teach, travel and pretty much spend every minute of the day together yet always have something to laugh or talk about. I hadnt expected to make such a good friend along the way and it makes the whole experience so much richer.
Its wedding season here. This means throngs of wedding processions singing, dancing and generally having fun passing our street. They are usually followed by 2 white horses with the groom in tow and a huge brass band. The Bhangra beats are brillaint and its so refreshing to see mena dn women really leting go and dancing their hearts out.
The other day we were teaching in a temple and a wedding procession came in to be blessed. The procesion including the brass band cornered us and pulled us into the circle to dance for the crowd. My polite refusals were met with smiles and a strong arm pulling me into the crowd! So like a performing bear I started twirling, clapping, and doing my best to dance to the Indian beats and give the crowd what they wanted. Viki joined in and the two of us let our inibitions go and gained a lot of street cred from the locals who were stragely impressed at our wild moves! A fantastic experience.
I think Ive said enough for now although I could go on and on.
Needles to say, I am loving it. India is fantastic!
