India Update # 2

11/11/04

Hello all!

Firstly, Happy Diwali! and Eid Mubarak!

A lot has happened since the last time I wrote, so prepare yourselves for a long and detailed update!

For those of you who would prefer to just look through my pictures, click here for a whole new set of updated pictures: http://photos.yahoo.com/ellinagairothe

I arrived in Periyapalayam by taxi on Monday morning October 25^th, with my luggage. Nathan, the PAM communications director, accompanied me, as Ekambaram was out of town. We stopped first at the school, to pick up Ebi (Ebenezer) who had the keys to our new house. I spent some time sitting in on a few of the classes and then had lunch (ordered from a nearby hole in the wall hotel/restaurant) with Nathan in the school office. The hotel sends your lunch to go wrapped in a banana leaf and twine.

After lunch, Ebi, Nathan and I arrived at the house (or what I now lovingly call my concrete box) and surveyed what was in place….pretty much nothing. Despite reassurance from Ekambaram that everything would be finished and in place (lights, fans, bed, dresser, running water, a new paint job) absolutely nothing was finished. But I wasn’t surprised. In fact it was all rather amusing. Nathan and Ebi went around the house, trying to figure out why our water tank wasn’t working. There is a well in front of our house, (please refer to the pictures I posted online for visual aids) which is supposed to pump water in from the community well. From there, a motor pumps water into a water tank on the roof—meaning we would then have running water in the house. In theory, this is all supposed to work. But Ebi and Nathan had no luck with it.

Slowly, people were called to the house to bring and/or fix things. A neighbor boy was sent to get a fan, a local electrician arrived to install the lights. The school van was sent to pick up a dresser from the school and transport it to the house. Another guy came to look at the water tank (still no luck). By the time things got rolling, school had finished and all the teachers came over to the house to help me get settled. I was sent to Shanthi’s house (one of the teachers and also my next door neighbor) to have tea with Shanthi and her family. Meanwhile, someone went to buy a kerosene stove, a pot and some milk. I found out later, that there is a tradition of boiling sweet milk when one moves into a new house and sharing the milk with one’s neighbors. So soon I was back at the house, now filled with more neighbors. It was a zoo, Aiyama (school maid) was cleaning, people were running around trying to fix the water tank, more items were being purchased for the house (a broom, cleaning materials for the toilet, more fuel for the stove) curious neighbors and passer-bys poked their heads in to see what the commotion was all about. Several of the teachers were wrestling with the cumbersome kerosene stove and fuel without the aid of a funnel…somewhat of a pungent mess. Finally the stove was working, (after being pumped) and soon the milk was boiled, sugar added and several stainless steel tumblers were passed around. I was amazed we fit so many people into that small little kitchen. But it was all very sweet. I felt quite welcomed into my new home and into the village by the teachers and my new neighbors.

The next task was dinner. Seeing as we had no food in the house, Shanthi offered to make chapattis for Ebi and me. So someone was sent to fetch a mixing bowl, flour, salt, oil, her chapatti board and rolling pin. She sat on the kitchen floor and rolled chapattis for us. Sharfun and Saritha (two other teachers) also stayed as the sun set and darkness set in. Ebi was running around doing all sorts of errands, and the teachers refused to let me stay in the house alone. Sharfun helped me to lay newspaper (as lining) on the cement shelves in the kitchen and my bedroom, so I could unpack some of my things. Someone brought a vegetable “side dish” that Shanthi’s mom had prepared for Ebi and I to eat with our freshly made chapattis. Aiyama fussed over me, pinching my cheeks, kissing my hands and cracking her knuckles against her temples (to take away the evil eye). It turns out that Ekambaram arranged to have her come to the house every morning and evening to help with the chores and food preparation.

I soon discovered that the power (or “current” as they say here) is never a given. It goes on and off at regular intervals whenever it feels like it, for no apparent reason. But especially when it rains. And the first few days that I spent in the village were quite rainy. I’m glad I thought to buy candles in Chennai before I came to PP. I sat many a night in bed, writing in my journal by candle light.

So my housing accommodations are very basic. But pretty much everything I need is there, minus the running water. But hey, who really needs running water anyway? Aiyama fills several plastic jugs from either the community well, or our personal well every morning when she comes at 6:00 or 6:30am—carrying them on her hip or her head. We use these jugs for our daily water needs—cooking and bathing mostly. It took me a few days to get used to things, but now I’d say I’m pretty well adjusted. My level of tolerance for dirt has raised significantly. It’s just impossible to stay clean for very long in a village, so you just accept that and move on with your life. Getting used to using a bucket of water and a plastic mug in place of toilet paper was probably the thing that took the longest to get used to…but its amazing, out of necessity, how quickly one adapts.

I am so thankful that I brought a mosquito net with me! I think my room is a breeding ground for mosquitoes or something…I swear they wait, hiding in the corners and fly out to attack when I come into the room. Now geckos are my best friends—nice big ones that defy gravity to catch mosquitoes (and other winged creatures) as they fly towards the ceiling.

Aiyama is a funny woman—she has great facial expressions, particularly when she knows she is doing something wrong, (like throwing garbage into the neighbor’s yard) she looks like a mischievous child. She comes early, fills the water jugs, sweeps, does the dishes from the night before, runs errands (like getting milk for early morning tea), keeps me company while I cook breakfast and lunch and then leaves around 8:00am to clean the school. She carries on in Tamil, having full length conversations with me, and I don’t have a clue what she is talking about. So i talk back in English, and sometimes we manage to get our points across. As previously mentioned, she’ll crack her knuckles for me at least twice a day. Last week, she insisted on brushing and braiding my hair as I sat drinking my morning tea. Yet she has taken to calling me “maaa!” and Ebi “appaa!” (mom and dad) which I think is a rather funny title to give us.

So, I jumped right in as principal, without an orientation. It went quite a bit smoother than I thought it would—in fact, all things considered, I think my first week at VMS went extremely well. The teachers were not helpful in providing much orientation, so it was up to me to ask tons of questions, specific questions that is, to get a better sense of how things run and what needs to be done. The teachers have however, been very sweet and welcoming and open to my ideas and suggestions.

I learned the morning of my first day at school that I would be teaching several classes, in addition to my duties as principal. I am now the class teacher for 6^th and 7^th standard English, Social/History and Geography. Seeing as I wasn’t aware of this fact until that very morning, I didn’t have time to prepare a proper lesson plan. So i winged it—which I can be good at sometimes. It went well.

I soon learned that popular Indian teaching methodology puts the text book as THE final word. Teachers follow it without fail, and don’t infuse much outside creativity into their lesson plans. (Please note, I am not making a generalization about all Indian teachers, but simply making an observation about the majority that I have met and interacted with) Actually, I haven’t really noticed any sort of lesson planning, as the text book already has everything laid out.

Another issue I quickly discovered is the “questionanswer” methodology that guides all learning. Judging from its name, you can imagine what this involves: at the end of each lesson, there are chapter questions. The teacher writes the question on the board, followed by the answer. The student copies down both question and answer and is expected to memorize the information. An oral test on these sets of questionanswers will be given either the next day or the following day. So essentially, the student is not actually learning anything. They memorize words they don’t even know the meaning of, let alone are able to pronounce.

Clearly, I wasn’t going to follow this same methodology. The 6^th and 7^th standard English books were boring, outdated and far too advanced for my student’s level of English comprehension. So i threw them out, and started my students on a new book—“Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.” I’m sure many of you have read it, or know the story. It’s about a young girl who is diagnosed with leukemia as a result of the Hiroshima bombing. So far they’re making good progress. By the end of the week, I taught them how to fold a paper crane, which was a huge hit. Word spread and soon all the students were asking me to teach them—even some of the teachers. Yesterday, I held a larger crane folding class, with 4^th and 5^th standard and a few teachers. I have a feeling more origami classes will follow.

After a few days of a combination of teaching, observing, talking with the teachers and the director, and partaking in my principal duties, I made a few changes. Change number one was teaching methodology. I tried to explain to the teachers that in using the questionanswer format, students were not actually learning or understanding the material. They were more open to the idea than I thought they would be, agreeing that my suggestion was correct. So, I told them that they could give the students the questions from the lesson, but they should have the students find the answer, and then have a class discussion about what was correct and what wasn’t. It’s taken some time, but I think the teachers are finally starting to do this. This is going to require some additional support for them, in terms of training on how to lead class discussions and ask questions of the students that are not included in the text book lessons. I’m working on that….

My 2^nd day in PP, Ekambaram and his wife came to stay with us. There is an extra room in the unit directly above our house, which Ekambaram has decided to rent out as well, in case any “guests” come to stay. Ekambaram and his wife made sure that I had all the materials and house supplies that I needed. I had already gone shopping with Hemma auntie in Chennai for a pressure cooker, a cooking pot, stainless steel plates, spices and a few other kitchen items. But I went shopping again with Ebi, Ekambaram and his wife Victoria (yes, the school is named after her) and Aiyama. We bought all kinds of things—more plastic buckets, more stainless steel items, a mat, a lunch tiffin box set, ladles, food items, a big sack of rice, containers to hold oil, salt and sugar and a bunch of village-style kitchen items I have no idea how to use.

Ekambaram’s wife cooked dinner for us that night, so we all ate very well. They stayed the night and Ekambaram spent the next day arranging things like getting us a gas stove instead of our kerosene one, trying to figure out the water situation etc.Victoria even made us lunch for that next day, which was nice.

At lunch time, the students eat first, saying a lunchtime prayer and then eating in two lines—the lower and upper standards in different buildings. Some of the local moms come during lunch to bring their child’s lunch and feed them. The teachers eat once the students are finished and are outside playing (what little yard area there is on the school grounds). We all bring our lunches in tiffin boxes, rinsing our hands before we eat, and everyone shares whatever they have brought. It’s actually a very communal and social kind of activity, teachers serving one another with their hand from their own tiffin box. Commenting on the quality (or lack thereof) of the food next ensures, with much joking and laughing. I think its during these lunch periods that I managed to bond so quickly with the teachers.

Before I arrived at the school, I was nervous that the teachers would be very resentful of me. As I am young, foreign, don’t speak Tamil and don’t really have experience in a school administrator role. But to my pleasant surprise, the teachers were more than happy to accept me in this new role and acted as if I had always been there as the principal. They address me with respect, “m’am or miss” but simultaneously have a friendly relationship with me (particularly after school hours), as they are all about the same age as I am. Actually, only shanthi is older than I am. Ebi is the same age and everyone else is younger.

Over the next few days, I was able to make some minor adjustments in the class schedule (“time table”). I cleaned out and organized the school office, sorting old files and designating more efficient use of current files. Took stock of what was needed (materials, supplies and items like a first aid kit) and bought what few things I could find in the village stores. I created an attendance policy, outlined some basic rules and regulations, created a school mission statement, set the school holidays and exam schedule for the rest of the year and drafted what they call here a “school diary” (a small book with all the basic school info, rules, class timetables, the school calendar and pages for homework assignments and permission to leave letters) which I need to finalize this weekend.

I held a staff meeting on Wednesday, to go over all the new rules and policies and get feedback from the teachers. I banned peeing outside of the bathroom (a bad habit in India) as well as corporal punishment. Instead, if the teachers believe that a student needs punishment, I insist that teachers find “more creative punishments” like having the students pick up garbage in the school yard, or punishment that in more in line with the student’s behavior. For example, if a student does not complete their homework, instead of hitting them, having them stay in the classroom during lunch until they finish their homework.

My other main daily duties include collecting monthly school fees, writing receipts, monitoring the meager school finances, and keeping track of the daily school van trips.

So far I’ve found the students to be very well behaved for the most part, and extremely cute. They enthusiastically greet me every morning “good morning M’aam” with a salute. And again in the afternoon, “good afternoon M’aam” or anytime I enter a classroom to teach a class. I don’t think its necessary to stand and say good morning each time a student sees me, but old habits die hard, so I go along with it.

So far, the only punishments I’ve had to give are for students who come to school without shoes (as all students are expected to wear their uniform, including shoes and socks). I am a bit torn about this, because often students aren’t wearing shoes because they can’t afford them. I think the reasons for this uniform rule need to be reviewed if this is the main reason that students come to school without shoes.

About mid week, I discovered that one of our teachers was moving to Chennai that weekend and taking another job. So much for 2 weeks notice. She actually ended up staying a week longer than she thought, but at the present moment, we are one teacher short. So I am in search of new teachers. If any of you are interested in coming to Periyapalayam to teach, or know anyone who is, please let me know. I can cover your housing and food expenses and a modest monthly salary. Plus, the kids are adorable!

So for the time being, I am taking on a full teaching load, teaching all 7 periods, sometimes two classes simultaneously. We’ve had to adjust the schedule a bit to accommodate for one less teacher, which usually means at least one or two teachers end up with two classes during one period. so in addition to my 6^th and 7^th standard classes, I teach the spoken English classes for 4^th and 5^th standard, the moral and science class for 4^th standard and the math class for the UKG students. This leaves me with very little time for my principal duties, or to even think about longer term sustainability planning for the school. I’m meeting with Ekambaram this weekend to make a plan for hiring a new teacher, pronto.

By the end of the week, I felt as if I had been there a month—since I was able to accomplish quite a bit and jump right into things. On Saturday, I called the teachers to the office to collect their monthly salary. Ekambaram was supposed to arrive from Chennai with the money for their salaries. So we planned to meet at 10:00am. I should have taken Indian standard time (IST) into account….because Ekambaram arrived at 1:00pm. So, the teachers and I sat in the office waiting. But of course we’re all used to IST, so we made a game of it and took bets on when Ekambaram would actually arrive. We also gave Sudha (the teacher that is leaving) a going away present. It was a rainy day, and the office roof leaks. But everyone was in good spirits, so we played charades, and sang songs for 3 hours. An unexpected bonding opportunity for all of us. Mani borrowed a bit pot from the landlady to use as a tabla, and Sudha and Deepa sang all sorts of Tamil songs. Sharfun and Shanthi and I sang Hindi songs. It was great.

Once Ekambaram arrived, the mood became serious again, as I counted and recounted each teacher’s pay, making note in our accounts book. Ekambaram brought one of the Victoria Educational Trust members with him, so we all went to the house for lunch—teachers included. It was a full house—we ordered from that same hotel and ate on banana leaves on the floor.

I left for Chennai later that afternoon—taking a incredibly bumpy bus ride to the main Chennai bus terminal and then an auto rickshaw to Abha’s house. I had made arrangements several weeks prior, to meet up with the Conn. College SATA India 2004 (the same program I did in India in 2000) folks during the end of their temple architecture tour to Goa. So, I took a 5 hour train ride from Chennai to Bangalore, where I met Raju (the India correspondent/program director)’s wife, Vidya, who was also meeting the group in Goa. From Bangalore, we took a 14 hour overnight train ride to Goa. Left the station Sunday late afternoon and arrived in Goa at 5am Monday morning. We checked into the Kenilworth beach resort, where we met the SATA group several hours later as they came in from Bombay. I went through a mini culture shock once I arrived at the resort…having come directly from village life, I was suddenly in a huge luxurious beach resort that catered to European tourists and rich Indians on holiday. I hadn’t seen so many white people in one place since I left the US! The facilities were expansive...three pools, tennis courts, a gym, huge scrumptious buffets and of course, just a pleasant walk away from the beach. So it was a bit of a shock at first, but I must admit, it was nice to have a hot shower (as opposed to my cold water bucket baths), western style toilets and be able to walk around the beach in a bikini top (probably the only time I’ll be able to do that while I’m in India). My week with the SATA kids was the only time I’ve worn western clothes since I arrived in India. It was also really nice to see some of my Conn. friends—Kaye and Dave being the two Conn. folks I am closest with of the group. It was also nice to exchange stories about India and my experiences here with Americans in India, as opposed to Indians.

Most of the time in Goa was spent on the beach, or in the hotel, glued to the TV as we followed the US presidential elections…this quickly became depressing. And by Wednesday night, we were all thoroughly depressed. I don’t have much to comment on present state of affairs with the prospect of four more years…but take slight reprieve in the fact that I am presently living outside of the US.

One of our days in Goa, we took a bus to visit an old Portuguese house, built in the 15^th century. For those who aren’t familiar with Goa, it was once colonized by the Portuguese, so there is a strong Christian influence in this area. For every numerous Hindu temple or shrine that may be in another locality, there is a church or a shrine to the virgin Mary in Goa. After lunch, and during a rather long bus ride to Panjim, our bus decided to break down…on some small Goan countryside back road. Typical. It took about 2 hours for another bus to come—Raju on the phone yelling at the travel agency the entire time. I was reminded again about the level of comfort and convenience that one experiences on a SATA program. The program is quite comfortable—no meal is had in any non-AC restaurant likewise, likewise with the hotels. You’re driven around in an AC bus, all transportation is taken care of—its all very convenient. Americans tend to be very conspicuous in India—but a group of 18 Americans together in one place at one time is terribly conspicuous. I try my best when I travel, to blend in as much as possible (minus the fact that my face usually makes me an “other” or an outsider in most places). Despite these American group dynamics, I enjoyed myself, because I was reminded that I was only part of this group as a guest for a few days (and Conn. paid the bill! :0)

So where was I? Oh, so a new bus finally came and took us to Panjim, where a boat was waiting to take us on a tour of the river. In 2000, we did a similar trip…but it was an extremely crowded boat, the majority of the passengers being male and drunk and there was quite a bit of groping going on. So this year, they hired an entire boat, so we had the boat and the dance floor to ourselves. Which I thought was very excessive, but definitely eliminated the grop-fest. Oh, did I mention that there are DJs and a bar and a few evening entertainment pieces included on these boat tours? It made for a memorable evening. Dave and I made sure the DJ played plenty of Hindi songs, and plenty of bhangra.

On Thursday, we took an overnight train from Goa to Bangalore. The SATA folks sat in AC 1^st class and I sat in non-AC 2^nd class (there weren’t enough tickets available)--quite a different experience in terms of seating and sleeping arrangements. But I didn’t mind in the least, as I much prefer any form of travel without AC. In my compartment, I had the freedom of hanging out the side of the train (sure, not the safest thing to do you may think, but such a fun way to ride a train!) I was able to witness our voyage through the mountains as the sun set, with the wind in my hair…can’t get much better than that.

We arrived in Bangalore early in the morning on Friday, and took 3 hour bus ride to Mysore. So in summary, my week break involved a lot of traveling! I stayed with the SATA folks in their dorm rooms at the JC women’s college guest house in Mysore. Tons of changes to SATA India program have been made since I participated in the program in 2000—all for the better. After subsequent years of trial and error, I think they have a lot of things ironed out that were a problem in 2000. This year’s housing accommodations alone are 10x better than what my group had—with internet connection in their rooms! That’s unheard of! There isn’t even an internet connection in my entire village!

It was fun to be in Mysore again, after 4 years, to rediscover our old “stomping grounds.” It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 4 years since I was first in India. But there is no doubt that that experience changed my life and that I wouldn’t be here today if I hadn’t spent that semester in Mysore.

On Sunday, I took a 7 hour train ride from Mysore to Chennai. On the train, I sat next to a Punjabi guy who thought I was an Indian from the northeastern province. I guess that’s a good thing—means I’m doing a semi decent job of blending, right?

I took a very early morning bus from Chennai to PP on Monday and arrived 10 minutes before morning assembly. So I walked briskly to my house, dropped off my bag and then headed to school. The main street where the bus stand is located is quite close to my house, and the school is about a 2 min walk away.

Upon returning to school, I noticed quickly that I need to be at the school physically in order for the policies that I suggest or enact to actually work. Small things like the class schedule slipped back into old habits and some teachers pulled out rulers to slap the kids with on their palms. But if I am there to monitor things, they go pretty well.

Ebi started taking "tutorials" after school which means that students come to the house for tutoring sessions for help with homework etc. Even though Ebi is technically the one in charge, I end up getting pulled in to help, since they take the tutorials at the house. There are two sets of students that come, so essentially tutorials are from about 4:45pm until about 7:45pm. Which means I work an average of 12 hours a day.

My morning routine: wake up at 6:30am, cook breakfast and lunch to take to school (although lately I’ve been skipping breakfast), bathing (gotta love those bucket showers), dress and pull together school materials and then run to school by 8:30am. I arrive early to open the school and the office and get things going for the day.

School runs from 9:15am -3:30pm. I stay at school until the 2nd van trip leaves, around 4:15/4:30pm. (There is one school van that takes 2 trips to pick up the kids from their homes in the morning and drop them off in the evening. Most of the students live in even smaller villages outside of PP)

My night routine--once the tutorials are over, Ebi and I head to the market to buy veggies for dinner, we cook (usually he'll make one dish and I make another---team cooking!), eat (sitting on the floor, using our fingers and our stainless steel plates and tumblers) and then I have about an hour before bed to prepare my lesson plan for the next day. Then it starts all over again! So, it’s pretty busy, but you folks know me, I always prefer being overly busy as opposed to having nothing to do at all.

On Monday, I went with the 2nd van trip after school to take the kids home and meet some of their parents. It’s amazing how far some of these kids come every day just to go to school. The parents were very curious and friendly, inviting me to coffee. But as there was a van full of kids we had to drop off, I couldn't accept any of their invitations to drink coffee and chat. But I promised to come back another day. Some of the kids live in huts and shacks in super small villages, with no electricity. It is amazing that they'd be able to do their homework at all, as they get home right before it gets dark outside.

I was only in PP for three days, as there is now a 5 day school holiday for Diwali and Ramzan (Eid) celebrations. I’m spending the break in Chennai, attending to my email withdrawal.

It is a tradition during Diwali to light fireworks and firecrackers. I think Chennai has taken this tradition out of control—the noise begins Wednesday night, with extremely LOUD firecrackers exploding well into the night and starting again at around 4:00am. It is not just one or two houses that light crackers (and other sorts of exploding devices), it’s nearly every house! So it’s incredibly noisy, and sounds like what I would imagine a war zone would sound like. But everyone is in a festive mood, there is lots of good food and yummy sweets to eat and tons of relatives to meet.

So, that’s the update from here. Sorry it ended up being so long. I’m proud of all of you who actually managed to make it to the end of this email!

Please browse through my updated photo folders and enjoy at your leisure:

http://photos.yahoo.com/ellinagairothe

And send me letters! I like mail.

More to come!

Elli