So I'm about halfway through, what have I learned so far?

As I sat on the bus coming home from school on Friday, I began to reflect on what I've learned so far during my experiences here since I have officially been here one month and have a little less than a month left.  Some of the items below are what I have learned about myself that I would like to share with all of you and others are meant for educating or entertaining purposes.

-       The traffic in India is outrageous as are the drivers.  There is absolutely no way of knowing how long it will take to get anywhere in this country.  On the roads here you will find cars, auto rickshaws, bikes, scooters, trucks, buses, camels, cows, and whatever else may be roaming the streets.

-       Pollution is definitely a concern, but there is only so much being done to make the situation better.

-       There is no denying the dirtiness as well as the poverty in this country.  For the citizens, it is part of the make up of the population.  People will unzip their pants and pee just about anywhere, piles of garbage lines the streets, and there is constantly fumes in the air for all of the modes of transportation in the streets.

-       A metro is currently being built.  One route will run north and south and the other east and west through the city of Bangalore.  There is a car on display right now and they are actively building the railway.  It was predicted to be functioning in December, but it appears as though they will be slightly delayed.

-       There are people everywhere in this country.  Even in the most remote areas I have seen between the places I have traveled, there is always someone on the side of the road.  A GPS is not necessary because all you need to do is roll down the window and ask someone where to go.  If they don't have the answer, not to worry, the person next to them will direct you.

-       Banana in Hindi is Kela

-       Sugar cane in Hindi is Ganna

-       Street food is incredibly extensive, but some of the most popular and safe items include sweet corn anyway you like it and sugar cane juice.

-       Drinking sugar cane juice or coconut water is actually safer than buying a bottle of water in some cases because it is not 100% certain that you can trust the person you are buying water from.  They have learned how to reseal the bottles and can fill them with whatever water they can find.

-       To activate any outlet, you need to turn on a switch, even to turn on the hot water for the shower.

-       Muslim are not well liked by the general public, there is enormous political tension between Muslim and Hindus.  I have not seen evidence of this, but I have heard statements like, "a good Muslim is a dead one" and "this area is especially dirty, it is occupied by the Muslims."  In the more educated circles, there is less tension, but I believe that this is present more in the northwest part of the country boarding Pakistan.

-       Education is one of the most important parts of a child's life.  Even the poorest of the poor attend school through high school.  It is believed that education is the only way to be successful in this country.

-       Students have hours of homework on a daily basis and learn at far more advanced levels then I have seen in America.

-       Parents take care of their children until 21 or until they are married in some circles.

-       Arranged marriages are still part of their culture; however, there are situations in which a proposal will be made and the prospects have the ability to say no.  Love marriages are also present. 

-       Your birth date is one of the first questions someone will ask you.  Horoscopes are a big deal.

-       When you are born, you are given a koondli (spelling?) which basically predicts your life.  If your koondli does not match that of your potential life partner, it is possible that the marriage will not be.

-       Teaching in a country in which the students have names you cannot pronounce is far more difficult than I had imagined.

-       The younger students have no problem asking me all sorts of questions.  Honestly, I love that they are not afraid to ask these questions because at least they will have accurate information instead of making assumptions based on what they have heard.  On my very first day a 5 year old asked, "to which god do you pray?" A third grader asked me if there is sun where I am from because I am so fair.

-       If a Thursday of school was missed, they will make up for it on a Saturday- not cool.

-       Everyone here wishes to have fair skin, meanwhile, we spend our time sunbathing to be darker.

-       Indians are open to share anything and everything with you.

-       Everyone I have met as an incredibly interesting story.  Many are separated by loved ones by thousands of miles for various reasons.  Some of their life struggles are similar to ones you would find in America, others are unique to their society.

-       Child are allowed to be hit in the convent schools.

-       There are four major types of schools in India: convent school run by the Catholic church, public schools, private schools, and International schools.

-       There are about 50 Jews in Jacoor, Bangalore.

-       Everything closes in this city by about 11:30pm, even the clubs and restaurants.

-       They do not have pretzels in this country!

-       I miss the comforts of my Judaism, but I have made my own connections and have enjoyed discovering its true importance to me.

-       Beds in India are much harder than what we have in America and far thinner.

-       Bollywood films are excellent, but the majority have little or no storyline; however, they are entertaining.

-       There are Jewish stars all over the place, but it is a sign of peace.

-       As I spend more time observing the people, I have noticed that everyone is a different color skin.  I am not certain of the significance, but I hope to look further into this with the remaining time.

-       Being alone here was far more challenging in the beginning, but now I am enjoying the freedom it has given me to explore myself as well as this place in my own way.

Shabbat in Bangalore, Harry Potter, and German exchange students

     Rushing home on Friday to get ready for Shabbat was an incredible feeling that I hadn't had in quite some time.  The auto rickshaw arrived to pick me up and drive me to the hotel where services and dinner were being held.  When I got to the front desk, I didn't know who to ask for so I stumbled over my words and finally said I'm here to see the Rabbi.  She actually knew what I was talking about and pointed me in the right direction.  As I opened the door, I was greeted by Rabbi Rifkin, his wife Noa, and their two adorable children.  They had moved from Israel to India about two years ago and are living in the Chabad house in Jacour, which is closer to where Aditi is located.  From what they told me, the Chabad house is used on a regular basis during the week for the few Jewish families enclosed in the eruv.  Apparently there are a few Israeli families, a family from the states, and even one from France.  These families don't need Shabbat, but the business men who travel to India for work do.  Therefore, Shabbat is relocated to the center of the city so these businessmen are in walking distance.  After a little while a young Israeli couple showed up followed by a few business men.  They were all in fact Israeli.  Some of them were born there and travel all over the world while others made Aliyah with their families and continue to travel to various destinations for work. Services felt weird because I still don't like the idea of a division between men and women, but at the same time it was nice to have my own little corner of the room where only I could hear my prayers.  Dinner was delicious and lovely as we all sat around and talked about where we had come from and why we were in Bangalore.  We even did high points! I did not know this, but there is some drash that the rabbi gave about saying the best thing that happened to you during the week! At least it felt a little bit like Shabbat dinner!  By the time it reached 10, I decided it was time to wish my new friends, people I would probably never see again, a Shabbat Shalom and called for a taxi to take me home.
    Saturday was incredibly lazy.  Believe it or not, I actually woke up, wrapped myself in my talit and davened Sacharit all by myself for the very first time in my life.  There was something amazing about being alone in my room with my pajamas on ( I dont know if there is some halachic rule against that), wearing my talit, and saying the prayers that are so familiar to me. I skipped over some prayers, but found myself engrossed in others that I had simply glanced over in the past or read in Hebrew never really understanding the meaning.  It was a wonderful experience that I do hope to repeat to get more comfortable with the feeling of individual prayer.
     After davening, I went to have breakfast with Gina.  It was nice having an easy morning and she informed me that her friend had free tickets to see Harry Potter, so I thought why not! Hemal works for Titan watches and manages the entire Fast Track line, which is for kids.  He loves his job and comes with awesome perks like traveling and getting free movie tickets.  The movie theater was BEAUTIFUL! I mean it puts the ones we have in the states to shame.  You are assigned your seat so showing up to the movie late isn't an incredibly bad thing (we were 30 mins late due to traffic) and they have ever concession stand imaginable available during intermission.  Yes, there is intermission, which apparently everyone looks forward to during the movie. The movie was pretty good even if I didn't understand most of it and then we were off to meet Gina and some of their other friends at the Hard Rock Cafe.  This was probably the most "American" day I have had in India between sleeping in, going to the movies, and then going to the Hard Rock, it was just all in Bangalore haha. I had a nice time meeting Gina's friends and the music was fun- all around good night :)
    Sunday was also lazy and did not accomplish much,  but I needed to down time after my busy time in the north during the week.  Yesterday was the first day of Language Arts week at school and although I do not fully understand it yet, the planning of it seemed interesting. During our tea break at 10 I met the exchange teachers who came with a group of sixteen 15 year olds from Germany!  A group of our students at Aditi also went over there.  It was very interesting speaking with them and hearing about their program.  I even got to watch them in the Indian Folk dance class they took during one of the periods during the day.  It's so cool these cross cultural connections that are being made over here!
All my love from India!
    

Back to reality...

Waking up Wednesday morning was the saddest I've been since I left my blood family at the airpot a few weeks ago.  Teena and Maninder again woke up with me at 7am to eat breakfast and drink tea before we headed to the airport to catch my flight.  When we arrived at the airport Maninder again gave me the choice of going to arrivals instead of departures.  I assured him that if my graduation did not depend on it, of course arrivals would be my destination of choice.  Maninder said farewell to me at the car and Teena walked me up as far as she could to say goodbye.  There wasn't much time between when I got to the airport and when my plane was scheduled to take off so I didn't have too much time to be sad, but it hit me when I got on the plane and my seat was already taken by someone who was given the same seat.  Because I got there second, I was brought to the front of the plane in one of two rows of business class and remaind there for the flight.  An adorable young couple with an eight month old sat next to me. I know what you're thinking, but actually the baby was a great distraction and didn't cry the entire way!  As I landed, I realized I was heading back to school the next day, which felt rather "average" compared to the past few days I've spent traveling and seeing these amazing places.  Finally I reached home and collapsed on my bed- the exhaustion from the past few days had hit me.  The rest of my day was spent recapping the wonderful visit I'd had with my new Indian family and being incredibly lazy- just the day I needed.  Today, I woke up at 6am as I had the past few days, but new a different kind of adventure was in store for me that did not include seeing the places of the world, but teaching the young faces of the world who will hopefully have the privilidge to see these sites some day.  As I began my unit teaching standard three, I was welcomed with open arms and open minds, which was a big change from where I was last week.  I was excited to be there and it seemed that the students, as well as the teachers, enjoyed the lesson!  Being back at school wasn't as bad as I thought and was happy to see the familiar faces who were happy to see me.  The students in standard three were excited that I'd be teaching them and the other students I've taught since I've been here now say hi to me in the hall and are excited when they pass me. 

Now, I'll enjoy the next few days exploring Bangalore and attending shabbat services tomorrow night for the first time at a chabad.  To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about going to a chabad, but at the same time, I need to feel some sense of shabbat and Judaism while I'm here.  Although I've been praying by myself and definitely getting something out of it, there is something about being in a community that brings a different warmth to the experience.  When I was at college I basically refused to even try the chabad simply because Hillel wasn't for me.  However, since it's either the chabad or nothing, I figure I may as well experience this in Bangalore rather than not even try it while I'm here.  Not to worry, I will be sure to share what it is like.  Not to steal your line Jordan, but congradulations to those of you who have made it through the pages of my adventures in the north!  The rest of the pictures are in my facebook albums. Sending all my love from India!

Delhi: Old and New

Me and Jiya in front of the India gate

Our amazing dessert- Banoffee pie and chocolate mousse!

Me and the boys! Divraj and Bikram (left to right)

After getting almost a full night's rest, I woke up to have breakfast with Jiya and Teena, as we planned out our day in Delhi.  We decided on a few places so that we could enjoy the day and not be too busy and of course leave time to shop! So we drove around Delhi to see the Lotus Temple, Himayan's Tomb (which was just visited by President Obama), the Red Fort, the India Gate, the president's house, parliment, and the house of the lords and ministers.  We stopped for lunch at an awesome Italian place called the Big Chill where we ate delicious pasta and shared two large desserts over coffee.  Spending the day together site-seeing, shopping, eat, and talking was so much fun!  After our lunch break, we shopped for a while and had a blast before we went to see the Sikh temple where the family attends. It was very cool to see the ritual aspect of the religion, which is a sect off of Hinduism.  When we walked up to the temple, we removed our shoes and Jiya purchased holy food for her two sons Bikram and Divraj.  We covered our heads and walked closer to the steps of the entrance where she bent down to pay respects.  As we approached the center, there was a bed where their holy book sits as they read through the entire book over three days.  The repeat this process on a daily basis; however, Jiya explained to me that she reads parts of this at home every day and at the rate she reads it, it takes her about a year and a half.  What I also learned was that Sikhs are the ones who wear the turbans because they were brave warriors who were not afraid to stand up to the muslims.  The other Hindus cut off their hair and pretended to be Muslims.  Just an interesting fact I had not previously known.  Jiya drank the holy water and explained to me the holy bath before we got back into the car and headed home.  At home, we were greeted by her two sons who are so sweet and adorable!  Jiya and I drank tea while I got to spend some time with her boys.  Then, Teena's mom arrived, she had just gotten back from a two month vacation in New York (Chappaqua to be exact) visiting her other daughter.  I was thrilled to spend time with another family member!  Preet, Maninder and Teena's son as well as Jiya's husband, also got home around the same time so I got to spend time with him.  Because of his work schedule and my busy in and out we had not spent any time together.  Luckily, Preet, Jiya, Divraj, Bikram, and I all got to go out to a lovely dinner at a Viatnamese restuarant at one of the Taj Hotels. Spending time with them was so much fun! I only wish I had more time with them, oh, and Preet is hysterical!  I of course was fed way too much at dinner and drank a wonderful cocktail with Preet (Jiya doesn't drink in front of the children or Preet's parents, which I found interesting) so I could not have asked for anything better for my last night in Delhi!  Since we absolutely HAD to have dessert and there wasn't anything great on the menu, we actually went back to the Big Chill and took out dessert.  Preet ordered two HUGE mudpies, which I absolutely had to make room for although I have no idea where it came from.  When we got home I ate dessert with the three of them before saying a sad goodbye as I was leaving early the next morning :(

One of the Great World Wonders

Another early morning began, but I was brought tea as I got ready, so it wasn't so bad.  After enjoying tea and some biscuits, Maninder, Teena, one of their drivers, and I hit the road!  For the first couple hours I was in and out of sleep, but then enjoyed wonderful conversations with Maninder and Teena.  We spoke about India's corrupt government, the pollution, health care, and the poverty in the country.  It was so interesting to get their perspective on all of these issues and as Maninder said, "although it's sad, at least it gives us something to talk about."  This may be true, but it is important for me to hear about these things, although I suppose I could read about them as well.  We stopped on the way to pick up some breakfast at a south India restaurant that they knew they could trust.  The food was yummy and the company was even better.  We hopped back in the car when we were done and reached Agra after another two hours of driving.  Interesting fact about driving in India.  No matter where you are, even if you are in the middle of nowhere, there is always someone around who you can ask for directions.  There is no such thing as a gps, at least that I've seen, because you can always roll down your window and ask someone where to turn.  Our first stop in Agra was Fatipur Sikri, which was cool and interesting to see, but of course I had my heart set on seeing the Taj Mahal.  We spent about an hour at Fatipur Sikri walking around and taking the tour because driving over to the Taj Mahal.  Also, if you are keeping track of the number of times I ate this day, we are up to two and it is currently 1pm at which time we at meal three of the day which comprised of vegetable sandwiches which were delicious.  Anyway, we parked the car and took a horse drawn carriage from the parking lot to the entrance of the Taj Mahal.  It was either this or a typical car and Maninder insisted on the experience, which I enjoyed!  Walking up to the Taj Mahal was a beautiful site.  Teena warned me that the govenment does a poor job at keeping the monuments clean so she wanted me to be prepared for what I may see.  I was of course not disappointed, but was amazed at what I saw and learned.  The Taj Mahal was a magnificent and truly is a great world wonder.  Everything I learned about the way in which it was built and why in this specific way was so interesting!  As the day was getting late, we finished the tour and headed to a hotel to clean up, use the bathroom, and have a cup of tea (I of course had coffee J ). When we walked into the hotel, a necklace of jasmine flowers was placed over my head and a bindi placed on my forehead. We sat down and decided to have dinner there since it would be a long ride home- it was very yummy!  Spending the entire day with Maninder and Teena was so lovely and I enjoyed every minute talking with them and learning more about them.  By the day's end, I felt so much like part of their family and it felt incredible to find that thousands of miles from home.  When we finished eating, we got back in the car and headed home.  At around 9pm, I woke up to find us at a rest stop for the driver to eat and again, Maninder ordered food and at meal 5 of the day.  This food was different though as it was "economical" eating.  Basically it was a rest stop where they prepare fresh, cheap food.  Maninder trusts the food, which was good enough for me considering they are as careful as I am about what to eat, so we ate daal and naan- yum!  By this point I thought I was going to explode if I ate another thing so I was sure to keep my mouth shut for the rest of the day (which only had three hours left in it anyway).  The car started moving once again, but sadly we did not reach home until about 12:30am, which meant it was an incredibly long day and a VERY long drive for Maninder.  He insisted on driving the entire way even though the driver was brought along.  We turned in as soon as we got home and I was excited to explore Delhi with Jiya the next day!

Another busy day in The Pink City

Fortunately, the City Palace, which was our first desination for the day, did not open until 10am so I got to sleep in a little- until about 9am!  Arachana and I got to eat breakfast together at the house before heading out to see more of Jaipur.  City Palace was beautiful, but was similar to the one I saw in Mysore.  City Palace is actually still occupied by the royal family and only a portion of it is open to the public.  We walked around for a while and after seeing all the rooms went to the Janter Manter, which is an astrological site. Archana and I enjoyed the placed and listened in as some of the tour guides explained what each structure meant.  I was interested in what they all meant, but not enough to spend the few hundred rupees to hear ALL about it. Needless to say, what I learned was perfectly sufficient.  Because my bus back to Delhi was at 2pm, we left the old part of the city to head towards the bus station.  Mandeep had suggested that we stop at McDonald's to pick something up for me to eat on the bus.  We did indeed go there to get me something to eat, which is somewhat ironic considering I never eat there when I'm home, but I knew it was safe and I'd be okay for the bus ride.  Saying goodbye to Archana was far sadder than I had ever imagined, I mean I had only known her for less then at this point, but we spent a wonderful day together.  After a couple of hours on the bus I was totally fine because I was excited to get back to Maninder and Teena.  Unfortunately, you can never be too sure how long it will take you to get anywhere in India because the traffic is absolutely outrageous!  I got back almost an hour later than I had anticipated, which again made Teen and Maninder late to the wedding reception, which I had been invited to on Friday night.  After being incredibly antzy and asking the guy sitting next to me on the bus a million times how far we still are, I was greeted by Maninder's smiling face J.  We rushed home so I could quickly change into one of Jiya's outfits so Teena, Maninder, and I could head to the party.  Being at the party and seeing how Indian's celebrate a wedding was so cool!  As you scan the room you can spot almost every color of the rainbow and like Jews, they love to dance and eat.  In fact, the wedding celebration is about a week long!  The only way to really explain it is through pictures, which can be found below.  The bride and groom looked incredibly happy and it was a love marriage for those of you who are wondering.  Everyone was dressed beautifully and I was thrilled to be part of the celebration and do some more dancing!  Because the three of us (Teena, Maninder, and I) were heading to Agra the next day, we again had to skip out early, which was sad because this was after all the wedding reception of his best friend's son.  Frankly I was exhausted, but I was thrilled to be there.  As soon as we got home I completely crashed because again, I knew I'd be waking up early to head to Agra to see the Taj Mahal!

City Palace

Maninder and Teena

Jaipur, The Pink City

Mandeep, Harv's cousin in Jaipur

Amazing view from the top of Amber Fort

Drinking coconut water right out of the fruit!

City gate, this is the pink color everything is

Captain Archana

The drive Prasad and my sweet ride =)

I don't think I can remember the last time I woke up at 4:15am, but I popped out of bed to take a nice hot shower, excited for my trip to Jaipur.  God bless Teena and Maninder for waking up to leave the house at 5am to take me to the bus. I actually couldn't believe it, but I was thrilled that they dropped me off- made me feel like I was home.  As I walked onto the bus I was somewhat sad leaving them because I hadn't had any time with them, but I knew I was headed to more family and that I'd be back the next day.  After about a six hour ride of being in and out of sleep, I finally arrived in Jaipur and was greeted by Mandeep, Maninder's nephew and Harv's (dad's friend) cousin.  Mandeep is a communication officer in the Indian army and has been stationed in Jaipur for the past year or so.  His wife and family lives right outside Delhi for the children's schooling.  Mandeep and I took a ride in the army truck, which was my sweet ride for my stay in Jaipur, to where I would be staying at the officer's guesthouse.  Sadly (for me), Mandeep had planned a trip to Goa with his wife and had to leave the night I arrived.  So, Mandeep and I had a few hours together in which we talked and went out to lunch.  When Mandeep had to leave to take the train to meet his wife, he left me in the wonderful hands of Captain Archana.  Because she is basically my age, we had a ton to talk about and by the end of my stay, I felt like she was an old girlfriend who I just hadn't seen in a while.  Captain Archana and I headed out in the army jeep to a few sights in Jaipur including the Hava Mahal (pronounced Hawa), Jal Mahal, and Amber (pronounced Amair) Fort.  These three places were great, but my favorite by far was the Amber Fort.  A section of Jaipur is walled  and to get to any of these places you have to drive through these pink gates.  I forgot to mentioned that everything in Jaipur is this interesting color pink, hence the nickname of the city.  Anyway, you can see the walls of the city that surround the older section including the fort.  The drive to the top was quite steep, but when we got to the top- wow!  From the top you can see so much of the beautiful city!  I highly encourage those of you who are interested to read a little about the Amber Fort- the history is very interesting! After walking around and taking in the view, we walked to a coffee shop.  Archana and I sat and talked while sipping our coffee for a little while and then headed down to where the jeep was waiting for us because we had to get tickets for the sound and light show.  It took us far less time than we thought, so we went back to the Jal Mahal, which was cool because we got to see it all lit up!  I also drank coconut water right out of a fresh coconut! (Sarah Parkes, that was my first for that day!)  The taste was eh, but it's really good for you and the experience of holding a fruit and drinking the water from it was fun!  Then to the sound and light show, which told the history of the city and did sound and lights against the front view of the fort- so cool!  This was also the only thing that Archana had never seen so I was happy she was experiencing something for the first time.  Shopping was next on the agenda (by the way, if it sounds like I did a lot in a short period of time, it's because I did- the itinerary was crazy, but we got it all in!) and I was taken to a market where Archana did some sweet bargaining! I got some very nice things and am excited about showing them to all of you when I get home!  Although shopping was great, I got to a point where food was all I could think about so the shopping stopped and we headed home to get ready for dinner.  Candles and Cuisine was Archana's choice and the food was very yummy, but a little spicy for my taste.  Dinner was lovely and I enjoyed the time with Archana, but by this point, at 11pm, I was exhausted so we headed home to share life stories, look at pictures, and get some rest.  Next day was to be just as busy!

Greeted By Family

Before getting on the plane to head to Delhi, I was incredibly anxious and nervous because of the way everyone talked about how it would be.  However, something absolutely incredible happened! One of dad's dearest friends is from India and has family in both Delhi and Agra.  When I stepped off the plane at about 8pm, I was greeted by three wonderful people- Jiya, Teena, and Maninder.  Maninder is the uncle of dad's friend, Teena is his wife, and Jiya is their beautiful daughter in law.  Once I got my bags, which sadly they made me check because it weighed too much, we hopped into the car and started driving.  What I found out about ten minutes into the carride, was that we were headed to a pre-wedding party! Luckily, I was somewhat dressed for the occasion as I wore an outfit to school that I had bought in India.  Maninder informed me that he told his good friend, whose son's wedding it was, that he was bringing a famous artist from New York so I was to play the part.  I was happy to play along, but bent it slightly to say that I was a children's book artist because at least it was sort of my field.  Of course this never came up in conversation, but I was completely prepared if it had.  As soon as we walked into the party, we were all greeted with open arms by the family of the groom.  It was clear just how much these two men care about each other and he was thrilled to have me there! He even pulled Jiya and me onto the dancefloor- yes, that's right I got my groove on at an India party =).  Also, at an Indian wedding they put Henna, Mhandi (spelling?) in Hindi, on everyone's hand.  The dude drawing on my hands did an awesome job!  I was totally caught off gaurd with the night's events but I had a great time getting to know Maninder, Teen, and Jiya, and above all was thrilled to be there with them in safe hands.  Because I was leaving for Jaipur in the early morning, we left the party on the early side, which I felt bad about because we had arrived late due to my flight arrival time.  About an hour later we pulled up to a magnificent home in the Friend's Colony in the southern part of Delhi.  The house was decorated beautifully and the room I was to stay in was beyond comfortable.  By the time I got to sleep I was only in for about a four hour nap as I had to make a 6am bus to get to Jaipur in the morning so I quickly got into bed and fell fast asleep.

School Days

             The past couple of days have not been as interesting as the first few.  However, I have greatly enjoyed getting to know more of the people at school and spending time with them.  Yesterday was a bit of a rough day teaching as one of the teachers seemed to feel that my explanation of the material was no sufficient and as a result decided to teach over me.  Although she may have been making sure that the classroom was being conducted the way she liked it, I felt slightly insulted.  Luckily, my supervisor happen to be in the room to witness this exchange and I was able to debrief with her afterwards.  Also, I will only be in this classroom until the end of the week so soon, this will no longer be my issue.  The truth is that this teacher, along with the others in this room, happens to be a fantastic educator.  What I don't appreciate are her expectation and her attitude with the students.  As a teacher, we always want to set the bar as high as humanly possible so that the students reach for the stars.  However, it is not to the point at which students feel as though making a mistake is the worst thing that could possibly ever happen.  Clearly I was and still am quite frustrated with this and nicely decided to bring it up with another teacher.  What I have learned is that in India, there actually is no room for error because any error you make brings you just one millimeter below the next person, which puts you closer to the bottom.  In India, education is actually your only way to succeed (so I've been told) and therefore, if you are not willing to put in your absolute best, well, as my dad would say, you're SOL. Another interesting thing to note about the students at this school is that 1) they almost all never see their parents because they are some hotsy totsy big shots who travel the world doing "amazing things" and these children are raised by their maids, drivers, and others 2) the parents couldn't care less about anything school related because they feel as though they have "done their duty" by sending their children and do not need to be involved and 3) when the parents do come to school it is somewhat of a fashion show and the parents are not terribly interested in what is going on in school with their child.

Something else interesting that I'm learning is that everyone has an interesting story that they love to share.  It is incredible to me how much we keep to ourselves (for the most part) as Americans. Meanwhile, Indians are glad to share their life story with you without warning or invitation.  Personally, this is great because I don't have to ask questions- the information is given.  Then, I also do not have to worry about asking further questions.  In addition to Mythri and Anupa, my two closest friends at the moment, there is not Kalpana who is absolutely wonderful and Ram.  Granted all of these people are at least ten years my senior but regardless, they are intellectually stimulating and great fun to be around.  Kalpana is a specialty teacher who works primarily with 4th and 5th grade math and science.  She is beyond brilliant and has a degree in micobiology and after spending all too much time in the lab, she realized there was more to life and so she started in the high school, but decided she wanted to move down to elementary (good choice).

            Now I'm just enjoying the company of the lovely people I have met and am gearing up for my big trip to Delhi this weekend, which as of today is a trip that I am VERY excited about rather than a source of anxiety thanks to some wonderful people from home as well as here in India =)

*check out new pictures uploaded on facebook!

A rainy, lazy, cozy, Sunday and my first day of teaching

            When I woke up, the sun was not shining, but it was the perfect dreary, rainy Sunday to stay in to eat and watch television.  I spent the day discussing curricula, lesson plans, and life with Rekha while watching her cook all the delicious food she insisted on feeding me all day.  The is no doubt that the food is spicy, but my taste buds are getting used to it and I continue to enjoy trying everything new.  Although I was perfectly content where I was, I needed to get back to Gina's to get ready for school and I wanted to be welcomed back so I did not want to overstay my welcome. Rekha called Vishnu and in about twenty minutes I was back to Gina's.

            Then! I called the people who I have been e-mailing with down the street.  Turns out they are friends of friends, but they are Jewish and Israeli so I was eager to meet them and they were happy to have me over.  When I knocked on the door, Ofer, a five year old little boy, answered the door.  I was also greeted by Sivan, the mom, Ari, the dad, and Tal an adorable two year old little girl.  Ari was busy with some work for a while, but talking with Sivan, spending time with the kids, and hearing Hebrew was perhaps the warmest feeling I've had since I got here.  Nothing made me happier then knowing that they are right down the street and so happy to have my company.  Sivan and I spent time talking while I enjoyed her company as well as Ofer and Tal's and before I knew it I had been there quite some time.  She told me about the few Israeli families who live near the Chabad house, which is about 40 minutes away.  According to Sivan, the majority of Chabad go-ers are business men who come in for however long and want to observe Shabbat.  As a result, they have begun to move services and meals to hotels in the city where they get a cheaper price and host these Shabbatot- I look forward to experiencing this at least once while I am here.  If nothing else, at least I have somewhere to go for Channukah!  After plenty of conversation, Ari came out of his office and we all ate dinner together. Sivan repeatedly mentioned how much the kids seemed to be enjoying my company and it seems they have found their new babysitter! Too bad I won't be here for very long, plus any salary in rupees is not exactly very much, but of course I would not do it for the money.  The Bloch (pronounced Block- how weird?!) family are definitely new friends of mine and I was invited back anytime I want. 

            Today was my first day of actual teaching with standard four.  The morning was spent running around trying to find a copier to make copies for my lesson.  I should not have waited, but Rekha assured me this would be alright.  In the end, I was ready and excited for my first lesson with them.  Because I used the whiteboard, the students were extra engaged for this was the first time they had been the whiteboard being used.  The classroom teachers gave great feedback and it was great to see them taking pictures of what I was doing with their students.  I also think they felt it was a nice break and they even stepped out of the room while I was teaching for a bit.  This was reassuring and I was surprised, but I was not even nervous about teaching today! The more I teach, the more confident I am in my abilities and the more I realize how much I love this profession!

            After school today, I stayed after to help Mythri with the play, but I ended up chatting with Anupa and not doing very much work.  It was great company and I was in no rush to get home, so being there to see what they are doing was nice.  Mythri drove me and one other teacher home after practice was over.  After dropping off the other teacher, Mythri asked if I wanted to go for coffee so I of course said yes and we sat for almost two hours talking and getting to know each other better.  Her life is beyond complicated, which I have concluded is masked by her humor and sarcasm.  Regardless, she has a good heart and I enjoy spending time with her.  Anupa also has extended various invitations to me, so I'm certainly excited about the time I'll get to spend with both of them while I'm here.  They may be a few years older than me, but when we are all together the age does not feel like much.  I am looking forward to spending more time with both of them!

            Now I am heading to finish up my work for tomorrow and read up on Delhi a little bit so I actually know what I'm looking at when I get there this weekend!

Mysore

Sleeping was a challenge because of the crackers that went off all night, but eventually I passed out (apparently the opium in the dessert helped this along haha).  When I woke up at 5am on a Saturday, I wondered what I was thinking getting up to spend a day touring.  Rekha did a lot of talking on the way from her house to the bus stop where the tour would begin, but I have concluded that she enjoys the intellegent conversation as well as my feedback on what she is trying to implement in the school.  Rekha is incredibly bright and has spectacular instincts, but she seems to be struggling with the direction in where she sees the school taking.  I am of course happy to help her out and it's been fun looking through various curricula and am thrilled that she values my opinion so much!

I got on a Karnataka State Bus Tour to find that I was the only foreigner until Tommi (I have no idea how she spells her name) from Japan sat down next to me on the bus.  When she got on the bus I was thrilled to know I was not the only one traveling alone and knew I had someone to keep me company all day throughout the tour.  We visited a number of temples, the Maharasha Palace, a fort of some kind, and a beautiful garden.  The temples were nice to see although they seemed to all look the same to me so by the third one I was less than impressed.  The palace was gorgeous and 65% of it is still occupied by the royal family.  Also another interesting thing that I did not realize is that when you visit certain places in India, you are required to remove your shoes as a way of keeping out the flith from the outside.  I assumed it was a respect thing, but apparently that is the reasoning.  My biggest concern was that I wouldn't get my shoes back and I'd have to walk around India for the rest of the day barefoot, but then I realized the majority of India already does that! On the hygenic note, unfortunately I experienced a true public bathroom in India and realized how unfortunate it was for me that I had to go.  Luckily, I found the balance between drinking enough so that I didn't get dehydrated, but not too much that I would have to go to the bathroom again! (for those who are wondering, I was successful in this endevour and only went twice the whole day and reminded hydrated!) Switching back to the site-seeing, the gardens were amazing and there was a singing foutain that I enjoyed very much- it was a perfect end to the day.  The toughest part of the day was getting used to everyone staring at me.  Apparently it is not known that staring is quite rude, but I've gotten used to knowing that everyone will stare mostly out of curiosity.  

The ride home from Mysore took forever even though I slept most of the way and I have to admit that I was relieved to be back in Rekha's hands when I pulled up to where she had dropped me earlier that day.  I was proud of myself for traveling the day on my own, but at the same time there was a certain comfort in being back in her hands as well as with her family.  Entering Rekha's home again was such a great feeling and I could not wait to shower, get into bed, and sleep until whenever I woke up.  Saturday was the longest day ever, but it was a great experience and I slept forever!

Diwali! (Deepwali)

Diwali began with sleeping in (finally) and having a nice leisurely breakfast that Gina kindly made for me.  It consisted of grilled cheese and eggs with onions and tomatoes- so perfect, so American!  We then got picked up my Rekha's driver, Vishnu, who took us to Commercial Street, which apparently is well known for it's shopping.  I think I mentioned earlier that everyone here has a driver or a company of drivers that they trust and use on a regular basis.  Apparently Vishnu and his company of drivers have been used by Rekha's family for over 15 years so she was confident in his ability to watch over me for a few hours.

Commercial Street reminded me a lot of Ben Yehuda Street in the way that it is set up and the shops.  There are some nice indoor shops where the price is fixed as well as the little kiosks that sell bangles, scarfs, and such where the prices can be bargained.  Shopping with Gina, and spending the afternoon getting to know her better, was wonderful!  The more time I spend with the people here, the more fascinating I find their lives!

            After our shopping time adn grabbing a bite to eat at a place called Woody's, I called Vishnu, to come get me to take me to Rekha's for Diwali.  On the way to Rekha's, Gina suggested that he drive me by a parliment building, which was very impressive, and the Lalbaugh Botanical Gardens, which were beautiful!  Due to political issues, visitors are no longer allowed in the parliment building but it was interesting looking from the outside.  The gardens were beautiful and there were a lot of people around so I was happy that Vishnu was with me.  He kindly drove me through and made sure I was okay, and also took pictures of me at the gardens.  As we drove from the gardens to Rekha's, there were certain areas where I prayed that he would not stop to let me out and say that this was Rekha's house.  My assumption was that Rekha is well off and lives in a very nice home, but I suppose that anything could have been possible, which was why I was nervous.  Of course I was not disappointed and they live in a beautiful apartment in a safe part of town.

At Rekha's, I was greeted by her ENTIRE family, her parents, her dad's brother and his wife, her brother, her other brother with his wife and son, and then her two children.  Spending the afternoon with them was very nice and slightly made me feel like I was at Aunt Penney and Uncle David's for Thanksgiving.  There was an endless amount of food and family that kept piling in- it was wonderful! I slightly felt on the outside especially when they switched to speaking Hindi, but I was happy to sit back and watch regardless.  When everyone arrived and we finished eating the first course, we went up to the roof to light crackers.  For Diwali, they light hundreds of crackers and apparently it's even bigger in the north!  From the roof, we could see a beautiful skyline of Bangalore and all the fireworks that were being lit.  The night was great, I was so happy to be with a family, but I went to bed early to get ready for a long day of traveling in Mysore!

So many wonderful things!

           Today was absolutely wonderful.  Finally, I slept through the night so right there was an excellent start to my day. I woke up to the sun shining, which was a nice change for the rain and dark weather we've had the past few days.  Then came my wonderfully hot shower.  This sounds like not such a big deal, but when you're in a country in which you need to turn on a switch and wait for the water to heat, it's slightly more complicated then it seems.  I also woke up to find out that a family friend of ours has friends in not only Bangalore, but they live on my street!! It also doesn't hurt that they are Jewish and perhaps a nice Shabbat meal is in my future. Speaking of Judaism, I've started somewhat of the spiritual journey of my trip and have been enjoying experimenting with personal prayer, which varies from day to day.  The first day it was shema al hamita (shema before bed), Wednesday I davened Minhah, and yesterday was Maariv.  Its an interesting feeling praying alone, but I think I like it and will continue to work on it.  Sorry for the side note, but it was important. 

When I arrived at school, I went to standard 3 because I had not spent much time in there yesterday and it was fascinating!  Plus it doesn't hurt that the students in that particular classroom have taken an interest as well as a liking to me =). First I learned about why we celebrate Diwali. I know I should have done my own research, but it was cool to hear about it from a practicing Hindu.  The teacher read the story about Ram, which explains that Ram, one of the Hindu gods (I think the god of all gods) left and when he returned to the forest, everyone celebrated and was happy so they light firecrackers.  Therefore, everyone makes diyas, which are photographed below, which are made out of clay, decorated with paint and glitter, and then they place a small bit of cotton to be lit, which are then displayed in the homes as decoration.  Children also light these huge firecrackers, which reminds me of the 4th of July.  Apparently it's like Christmas though with all the presents, sweets, and celebration.  Should be a neat experience!  After learning about Diwali, one of the language teachers came in and taught the students a passage in Hindi, which was incredible to see written out on the board and listen to the students repeat.  One student even sung the passage for the class!  I tried to attempt to write out the Hindi, but it was an epic fail, maybe I'll get some lessons.

During our tea/coffee break at 10 I tried a sweet that they make for Diwali called mysorepaka, which is made with butter and chickpea flour- it was delicious! When I saw Rekha, she handed me a container of pasta and sauce that she made for me which was so amazing because she knows that I've been iffy about the food.  Since many of you have asked about what I've been doing in terms of food, I've been trying to stick with easy things and relatively bland for the time being and it's been working out well. There are also things like hard boiled eggs that I've been eating for breakfast, and japatees, (I have no idea how to spell this but it's a good guess) which are a thinner version of naan, and of course I brought my peanut butter even though I found out you can buy it here.  Also, there are cooked veggies and rice that I've been enjoying, so the eating thing hasn't been too bad and in terms of water, I've just buying bottled by the liter.  Can you believe 5 liters of water cost me 67 rupees! That's less than $2! It's crazy how cheap the majority of things are here!

After being incredibly excited over my pasta, I began wandering over to standard 2 and but got sidetracked with talking to Mythree (because Indians have trouble with the "th" it sounds more like Mytree, but I'm getting used to it) and Anupa.  Anupa got up to do her job after a few minutes, but Mythree and I stayed to talk for quite some time.  She's very interesting and has a wonderful sense of humor, which I greatly appreciate!  What I am quickly learning about the society here is that even though 70% still have arranged marriages, there are many exceptions and variations.  Arranged marriages are still common, but there is slightly more of a choice.  Mythree has a very interesting story that is far too long to explain, but it was nice spending time with her and finding out more about Indian culture.  At school, Mythree teaches drama and has asked that I stay back once a week to help her with the 8th grade play, which will be fun to help out with and I look forward to spending more time with Mythree.  I was also invited to Anupa and Mythree's weekly coffee trip after stay back on Wednesdays when teachers stay to plan when the students leave.  Looks like I'm making friends even if they are a few years older!  Though I was truly enjoying my time with Mythree, I decided it was time to be responsible and go to standard 1 to see what they were doing.  It was good that I went to because Rekha was there and they were learning about the history of Bangalore.  They were making this food that goes along with a sweet called sugyhalva. The first bite was good, but then my face started to tingle and I felt slightly woozy so I decided a couple of bites were enough.  During lunch, Allison from Wisconsin joined me and we got to talking, which was nice.  Turns out she went to the University of Wisconsin and has some friends that she wants to introduce me to so I look forward to that happening!  In the afternoon, I planned math with the standard 4 teachers and it was nice to be in a planning meeting again and working on lesson plans.  When I got home,  I found my clothes washed and placed neatly on my bed.  Did I mention how much I love Shema- she cleans my clothes, makes my bed, cleans my bathroom, and makes my food- what could be better! Gina came home and handed me my plane tickets for Delhi and Goa! I've already booked a couple of trips so far and cannot wait to start seeing more of this country!  Now I'm just excited not to have school tomorrow and spend some time watching movies and being lazy before the next couple of days when I'll be up and doing and going!   

Diyas

Eating sugyhalva

My desk at school!

I'm learning so much!

Yesterday is an easy recap, it was a nice day.  In the morning I was in standard 4 and I could not believe the learning that I was observing! There are upwards of 30 students in almost every classroom with three or four teachers.  The teachers have a specialty, but they could teach all of the subjects  Since they teach their specialty, they support the teacher teaching the lesson and work with a small group of students. Ms. Sandra, one of the standard 4 teachers was writing words up on the board, which eventually we found out is a poem called a cinquain.  I had no idea what this poem was so I was basically learning with the students! As she was teaching this, the students had nothing on their desks, they just listened, watched, and retained everything.  They did a few examples as a class and then the students began to make their own.  For those of you who may not know what a cinquain is/looks like, I am happy to provide one:

India (noun)

Loud, dirty (2 adjectives)

Honking, begging, celebrating (3 present tense verbs)

Home for the next two months, (phrase)

Culture (noun that is a synonym for the first noun).

I was certainly amazed by this and was happy to learn about poetry, although I wonder why I never learned it in school.  Perhaps I just don't remember.  After being in standard 4 for the morning, I spoke with Rekha about teaching and planning to determine what exactly it will look like for me in the next few weeks.  So, we sat down and planned everything which was great.  Looks like I'll be teaching one unit per week in a given standard and I'll be starting with math in standard 4 next week! Rekha has invited me to spend Diwali (pronounced Divali because I don't think they can pronounce the "w") at her house tomorrow through Sunday morning so I'm very excited for that!  For Diwali, they make these things called Diyas, which I will explain more later, but I made two of these with standard 3 in the afternoon. Everyone at school is great!  I think that is pretty much it for yesterday, as I said, nothing terribly significant.

They learned about the circulatory system and then they eat made their own system.

Standard 4 classroom- they take off their shoes to learn!