Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Alas - the end is near
We moved to a really nice ocean front hotel for our last day. We all relaxed and tried to regenerate a little in readiness for our long journey home (34 hours for me!) We were also lucky to see a wedding of a Tamal girl and an English boy. He actually fell off the elephant that was carrying him to his wedding. I do hope you have enjoyed reading the blog as much as I have writing it. I will look forward to reading it again to remember all of my memories from India and Sri Lanka.
This is me signing off for another experience - Colorado and Mesa Verde here we come.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Pinnawala Elephant Sanctuary
We are now on our way to Colombo for the last three days of our visit. This morning we dropped into this sanctuary to see how they care for these elephants. We had a blast. It was incredible to be surrounded by animals in their natural environment. We also saw some being bottle fed as they had refused to take milk from their surrogate mother. Next they walked the whole herd to the river for bathing and fun. Karen was invited to take of her shoes and get into the water to wash an elephant. What an experience!
As we entered Colombo I could not help but notice the high profile of security around the city. I would say their was a checkpoint or just an armed soldier about every few hundred yards. They had just had world leaders meeting here for 3 days but now it was over, I was surprised that this level of security was still evident.
The afternoon was free so Karen and I took a tri-wheeler and did some shopping. As you know I am not a shopper but this was fun as we went to a craft shop where everything was made by the villagers we had met earlier in the week.
I have to say that after that I just enjoyed the facilities of this wonderful hotel and then crashed. Tomorrow is a full day of studies so I need to get a clear head.
Signing off and saying goodnight.
Ella finds a new home
Ella finds a new home
Today was one of the best days of the whole educational experience. On the morning we visited home craft industries. We saw how people worked in their homes and produced the most exquisite crafts for sale in stores in Sri Lanka and beyond. One craftsman even produced work for Tiffany. We saw some age old craftsmanship and the prices were very nominal I comparison to how much time was spent on the design and manufacturing of these articles.
Next we traveled out in the rural areas and visited the 18th century murals of Medavela protected in a Maha Viharaya (temple) in the village of Medawala Raja. The temple was the size of a walk-in wardrobe in the USA but the murals had been maintained by the villagers with financial help from the government. It depicted one of the famous Jakata Tales which describes how a family deals with the death of their son as a celebration of life and not a sadness of death.
The villagers were incredibly friendly and welcomed us with open arms. They had prepared homemade tea and traditional cake for us to enjoy before they performed traditional dance and drumming in front of the whole village. We were surrounded by children and we were all in our elements of joy. The little girl you see in the photo was delightful and so enjoyed holding Ella. I am sorry to report that Ella loved her so much that she decided she wanted to spend the rest of her life in the country where she really belongs. It was hard to say goodbye to Ella but as we left the village and traveled in our bus along the lines of waving villagers, I knew she had found a fantastic new home.
This experience reminded me of my South African Fulbright and the final day we left Soweto and the villagers danced and sang to us as we boarded our bus to return to the USA. The warmth of these people is the most important memory for both experiences.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Now leaving the Heritage Hotel, Kandalama and off to Kandy
These are some views of this fantastic eco-friendly hotel. It is also a great supporter of the local school that we visited. Stay here if you come to Sri Lanka.
Palace in the sky
One of Asia’s major archaeological sites, this is truly an amazing experience. Built by Kasyapa (477-495AD) it could only have been built to satisfy the need of this king for power and attention. The story goes that he asked his father the king for his share of the kingdom and his father took him to a reservoir and gave him a handful of wter. He was not happy so he walled his father alive in his then palace. Now it is called the Lon's Staircase and I climbed right to the top!! It was surreal as I was the only one there. I could not imagine what it must have been like to live there or even how they managed to get up to the top.
Dambulla Caves
I have never seen as many Buddhas in one area as these caves. The climb up 400+ steps was worth it.
In the evening we had a presentation on the world heritage site, Sigiriya, which we will visit tomorrow. This was followed by a scrumptious dinner where we all shared our thoughts on our travels so far.
Visit to Anuradhapura
This is a huge temple which houses the collar bone of Buddha under an impressive stuppa. We saw many people dressed in white, the color of purity, parading around the stuppa carrying a huge colorful cloth and flowers. We sat and discussed our literature until sunset. When the lights came on it was even more impressive. One could not help to be moved to pray to which ever God was your choice.
Free morning so we visited a school. Yeah!!!
This village school was fun. They have installed solar heating in the field behind the school and they also grow their own vegetables. They compost too and use this to make the land more fertile. The school was Buddhist and had about 220 children ranging from year 1 to 12. We chatted a lot with the teachers and children and got to understand some of their problems and successes. One being that we took them CDs of USA songs and they had no player. Well guess what? Elizabeth, Jill and I went out and bought them one. It is a trade off - an elephant ride at the hotel or sharing with children. A no brainer.xox
Mihintale Monastery
A great visit to this 7th century Buddhist monastery was on todays agenda. We experienced meditation in our own cave. The wind was blowing gently, not a sound could be heard. Pure bliss. Later in the afternoon we visited the reservoir used by the monks and constructed to collect the natural rain water from the two surrounding hills. Several families were bathing or using the waters for beating their clothes clean against the rocks. We sat discussing literature about the formation while monkeys gathered and moved in closer, curious about us as we were about them.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
28th July
40-minutes later and I am in Sri Lanka. What a beautiful lush green island surrounded by the Indian Ocean. Straight away we were picked up, taken to lunch and then off to the Slimline garment factory that makes underwear for shops like Victoria’s Secret, Marks and Spencer (UK) GAP and many other high profile shops. It was not as I expected and they really did a great job of providing support and extra activities for the young lady workers. I mean travel and food daily, bonus payments for production targets, a gym and sports field, and a great clean and safe environment. Typically, these girls only stay at the factory until they earn enough for a dowry or to start college. I am pleased that the owners value their workers and treat them accordingly. I am extremely happy that their customers also are willing to pay a little extra so this can happen, too.
We then traveled 4 hours North to Hotel Heritance in Kandallama. This is an incredible place reported to be the best in Sri Lanka. It is 100% eco friendly and it was built into a rock. We are looking forward to seeing it in day light so we can appreciate it fully. It has 3 swimming pools and amazing food. This is indeed a bonus. We will travel to sites of interest from here including tomorrow when we visit the place where Buddhism started. We have an incredible gentleman joining us and he will instruct us at the site.
I just read a sign on the window which says “Do not feed the monkeys!!” This is exciting as long as I am inside and they are out.
Signing off and collapsing in bed at 11:00pm as we have another early star tomorrow.
40-minutes later and I am in Sri Lanka. What a beautiful lush green island surrounded by the Indian Ocean. Straight away we were picked up, taken to lunch and then off to the Slimline garment factory that makes underwear for shops like Victoria’s Secret, Marks and Spencer (UK) GAP and many other high profile shops. It was not as I expected and they really did a great job of providing support and extra activities for the young lady workers. I mean travel and food daily, bonus payments for production targets, a gym and sports field, and a great clean and safe environment. Typically, these girls only stay at the factory until they earn enough for a dowry or to start college. I am pleased that the owners value their workers and treat them accordingly. I am extremely happy that their customers also are willing to pay a little extra so this can happen, too.
We then traveled 4 hours North to Hotel Heritance in Kandallama. This is an incredible place reported to be the best in Sri Lanka. It is 100% eco friendly and it was built into a rock. We are looking forward to seeing it in day light so we can appreciate it fully. It has 3 swimming pools and amazing food. This is indeed a bonus. We will travel to sites of interest from here including tomorrow when we visit the place where Buddhism started. We have an incredible gentleman joining us and he will instruct us at the site.
I just read a sign on the window which says “Do not feed the monkeys!!” This is exciting as long as I am inside and they are out.
Signing off and collapsing in bed at 11:00pm as we have another early star tomorrow.
Sunday 27th
The food in India is incredible. I just love the variety of fruit at every meal. Today I had Jack fruit and Star fruit. Of course the mango is their national fruit and they are so sweet.
We had three presentations today at the Center for Development studies and then it was off for a back water canoe ride and then to Kovalam beach. What fun! Did I also mention this hotel is small bungalows spread out around the main reception and they all have ocean view and a hammock in our own private porch area. I think this is our down time after 4 hectic weeks of academics. You should have seen the waves on the Arabian Sea as it is monsoon season. Several of the girls went in swimming despite the red warning flag. I decided to wet my feet and hold tight onto my umbrella. I got a lot of teasing as they said I looked soooooo English!!
Tonight we had our farewell to India dinner. Lots of food, great company and even some dancing. Well it is off to Sri Lanka tomorrow. I am so excited to get our intinerary tomorrow. I know we visit a garment factory and we will go to a tiger refuge, I cannot believe how lucky I am. Signing off for sleep now. Goodnight.
Saturday 26th July
Bangalore is unusually quiet as people are keeping off the streets. Today another huge series of bomb blasts have been experienced further north. India is on full alert. We are expecting high security when we leave tomorrow. We, however, visited the Venkatppa Art Gallery and a huge monolith entitled Bull Temple. On the evening we had our home stays and it was incredible. The people here are truly so pleasant and we were lucky as our hostess had been on a Fulbright exchange as a teacher in Yosemite. She had only 6 students in her class. This school educates all of the children of the park workers. It was great to experienceanother typical Indian family meal and home.
Friday evening 7/26/08
Diane, Mary, Corinsa, Cally and I were collected at our hotels and taken by auto rickshaw to meet Gorgon’s family in laws. The monsoon season is here and it came full blast as we were trying to negotiate rush hour traffic which was already spooked by the bombings. By the time we arrived, I was absolutely soaked and I was wearing my new Indian traditional outfit as I sat on the windward side. It reminded me of the joke, “Did you just come by bicycle?” Well I had! We met them at their sari shop and of course the girls had to try and buy first. It was fun and the shop looked like a tornado had hit it by the time they had finished.
We went to their house and met the mother and grandmother. What charming people. Indians insist on feeding guests first then they will sit down and eat when they are done. They had a house maid called Money who had lived with them since age 10. Her father was unable to feed Money and her sister so he brought them to the city and thankfully Money got a great home. Each year the family give her gold which she will use for her dowry when she marries. She is only 16 and they educate her at home until she has enough English to go to school. They think this will be the year she is accepted. You see she is from the country and children have to have a certain command of English before they are accepted in school. We had great food and chat and an open invitation to visit anytime we want. The sister and brother in law fund an NGO school further up north as well a working full time at an investment company. How neat would it be to volunteer in their school. The streets were deserted when we left this warm family home. The rain had now stopped and it was back to the hotel to pack ready to leave again for the final leg of our travels in India.
The food in India is incredible. I just love the variety of fruit at every meal. Today I had Jack fruit and Star fruit. Of course the mango is their national fruit and they are so sweet.
We had three presentations today at the Center for Development studies and then it was off for a back water canoe ride and then to Kovalam beach. What fun! Did I also mention this hotel is small bungalows spread out around the main reception and they all have ocean view and a hammock in our own private porch area. I think this is our down time after 4 hectic weeks of academics. You should have seen the waves on the Arabian Sea as it is monsoon season. Several of the girls went in swimming despite the red warning flag. I decided to wet my feet and hold tight onto my umbrella. I got a lot of teasing as they said I looked soooooo English!!
Tonight we had our farewell to India dinner. Lots of food, great company and even some dancing. Well it is off to Sri Lanka tomorrow. I am so excited to get our intinerary tomorrow. I know we visit a garment factory and we will go to a tiger refuge, I cannot believe how lucky I am. Signing off for sleep now. Goodnight.
Saturday 26th July
Bangalore is unusually quiet as people are keeping off the streets. Today another huge series of bomb blasts have been experienced further north. India is on full alert. We are expecting high security when we leave tomorrow. We, however, visited the Venkatppa Art Gallery and a huge monolith entitled Bull Temple. On the evening we had our home stays and it was incredible. The people here are truly so pleasant and we were lucky as our hostess had been on a Fulbright exchange as a teacher in Yosemite. She had only 6 students in her class. This school educates all of the children of the park workers. It was great to experienceanother typical Indian family meal and home.
Friday evening 7/26/08
Diane, Mary, Corinsa, Cally and I were collected at our hotels and taken by auto rickshaw to meet Gorgon’s family in laws. The monsoon season is here and it came full blast as we were trying to negotiate rush hour traffic which was already spooked by the bombings. By the time we arrived, I was absolutely soaked and I was wearing my new Indian traditional outfit as I sat on the windward side. It reminded me of the joke, “Did you just come by bicycle?” Well I had! We met them at their sari shop and of course the girls had to try and buy first. It was fun and the shop looked like a tornado had hit it by the time they had finished.
We went to their house and met the mother and grandmother. What charming people. Indians insist on feeding guests first then they will sit down and eat when they are done. They had a house maid called Money who had lived with them since age 10. Her father was unable to feed Money and her sister so he brought them to the city and thankfully Money got a great home. Each year the family give her gold which she will use for her dowry when she marries. She is only 16 and they educate her at home until she has enough English to go to school. They think this will be the year she is accepted. You see she is from the country and children have to have a certain command of English before they are accepted in school. We had great food and chat and an open invitation to visit anytime we want. The sister and brother in law fund an NGO school further up north as well a working full time at an investment company. How neat would it be to volunteer in their school. The streets were deserted when we left this warm family home. The rain had now stopped and it was back to the hotel to pack ready to leave again for the final leg of our travels in India.
Friday July 25th
We are now in Bangalore. The last few days have been a frenzy of school visits, dance exhibitions and a little bit of curriculum shopping.
Last night after our arrival we were introduced to a wonderful troup of Yakshagana dancers and musicians who portrayed part of the epic Ramayana through their arts. This is a classical art from that combines dance and dialogue tell a story. It was very vibrant and intriguing and I the dancers practice at least 4 hours daily to keep fit and master their performance. One young man was only 12 years old and he had been practicing since the age of 4.
Later that evening a group of us went out to shop and I purchased 2 traditional outfits. I will wear one tonight as we are going to visit the family of the fiancée of our tour guide, Gorgon. This will be a great experience for the five of us and we are excited. Now I have reviewed all of the etiquette about eating and greeting so I am culturally correct.
This morning we visited a private Academy of Creative Teaching. What an extremely interesting concept. They offer teacher training to schools as the common belief here is that the Bachelor of Education required to teach does not incorporate enough hands-on teaching or skills base. They also act as an accreditation agency for schools and they have just opened up an international school in an adjacent building. We had some staff development on mathematical thinking and met a professor who is academically brilliant and can answer questions from up to 100 people in the same order as they were received. His method was attributing values to actions in order to remember them. I think that was it!! The students performed a small skit on one of the Indian fables and it was marvelous. This will be a part of my curriculum too for my class next year especially as we have the stage.
On a negative note - today we have had several bomb blasts in Bangalore. Don’t worry, Ella is safe and sound. Our activities have been cancelled and everyone is feeling a little antsy as we have to stay in the hotel. On a typically positive note, tomorrow we are going to start with dessert first then salad for lunch as the food is fantastic!!
We are now in Bangalore. The last few days have been a frenzy of school visits, dance exhibitions and a little bit of curriculum shopping.
Last night after our arrival we were introduced to a wonderful troup of Yakshagana dancers and musicians who portrayed part of the epic Ramayana through their arts. This is a classical art from that combines dance and dialogue tell a story. It was very vibrant and intriguing and I the dancers practice at least 4 hours daily to keep fit and master their performance. One young man was only 12 years old and he had been practicing since the age of 4.
Later that evening a group of us went out to shop and I purchased 2 traditional outfits. I will wear one tonight as we are going to visit the family of the fiancée of our tour guide, Gorgon. This will be a great experience for the five of us and we are excited. Now I have reviewed all of the etiquette about eating and greeting so I am culturally correct.
This morning we visited a private Academy of Creative Teaching. What an extremely interesting concept. They offer teacher training to schools as the common belief here is that the Bachelor of Education required to teach does not incorporate enough hands-on teaching or skills base. They also act as an accreditation agency for schools and they have just opened up an international school in an adjacent building. We had some staff development on mathematical thinking and met a professor who is academically brilliant and can answer questions from up to 100 people in the same order as they were received. His method was attributing values to actions in order to remember them. I think that was it!! The students performed a small skit on one of the Indian fables and it was marvelous. This will be a part of my curriculum too for my class next year especially as we have the stage.
On a negative note - today we have had several bomb blasts in Bangalore. Don’t worry, Ella is safe and sound. Our activities have been cancelled and everyone is feeling a little antsy as we have to stay in the hotel. On a typically positive note, tomorrow we are going to start with dessert first then salad for lunch as the food is fantastic!!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
A different school
Tuesday July 22, 2008
Well we are now over half way into our travels. Today we visited an “elite” school called The Cathedral and John Connor School. The fees for this school are about 14000 rupees from k to 12. It is certainly the bet school we have seen so far. I made contacts with two teachers. One for Indian pen pals for next year, and the other for teaching students who speak English as a second language. However, she teaches Hindi as a second language! We are going to exchange strategies so we can ensure we reach these children and make their education successful. They were in the middle of preparing for this Year 10 exam that everyone fears so I went over to the primary school. They have about 40 :1 ratio with no aides. The children were excited about my visit and shared many of their favorite book titles and they were very similar to our classroom; Captain Underpants was a BIG favorite.
Later in the afternoon we had free choice so three of us visited the home industries that we were unsuccessful with earlier in the week. I bought three children’s outfits for our reader’s theaters from India. No bargaining here and you could peruse with leisure which is my type of shopping.
In the evening we had a yoga class which was great. We learned about how the institute started and their techniques and then we had a lesson. The voice of the instructor was so smooth that one of the part fell asleep at the beginning when we were getting in touch with our bodies and he did not wake up till near the end of the session. I know I have to get into yoga more when I return as the stretching and peacefulness was super and I slept so well last night. It was late when we returned so we grabbed room service and went to Cally’s room to watch an Indian movie about the street children of Bombay (Mumbaii now.) It was very sad but all too true.
Mumbai is definitely the most cosmopolitan city we have visited and it feels pretty safe although I would not want to go out and about by myself at night. We leave tomorrow for Bengaluru. We have three days there and two in Thiiruvananthapuram ( meaning the abode of the sacred snake god Anantha – I hope there are not lots of snakes there!!!) which is the very southern tip of India and then it is off to Sri Lanka. I am so excited about that. I hope you are all enjoying your summer too. Signing off….
Well we are now over half way into our travels. Today we visited an “elite” school called The Cathedral and John Connor School. The fees for this school are about 14000 rupees from k to 12. It is certainly the bet school we have seen so far. I made contacts with two teachers. One for Indian pen pals for next year, and the other for teaching students who speak English as a second language. However, she teaches Hindi as a second language! We are going to exchange strategies so we can ensure we reach these children and make their education successful. They were in the middle of preparing for this Year 10 exam that everyone fears so I went over to the primary school. They have about 40 :1 ratio with no aides. The children were excited about my visit and shared many of their favorite book titles and they were very similar to our classroom; Captain Underpants was a BIG favorite.
Later in the afternoon we had free choice so three of us visited the home industries that we were unsuccessful with earlier in the week. I bought three children’s outfits for our reader’s theaters from India. No bargaining here and you could peruse with leisure which is my type of shopping.
In the evening we had a yoga class which was great. We learned about how the institute started and their techniques and then we had a lesson. The voice of the instructor was so smooth that one of the part fell asleep at the beginning when we were getting in touch with our bodies and he did not wake up till near the end of the session. I know I have to get into yoga more when I return as the stretching and peacefulness was super and I slept so well last night. It was late when we returned so we grabbed room service and went to Cally’s room to watch an Indian movie about the street children of Bombay (Mumbaii now.) It was very sad but all too true.
Mumbai is definitely the most cosmopolitan city we have visited and it feels pretty safe although I would not want to go out and about by myself at night. We leave tomorrow for Bengaluru. We have three days there and two in Thiiruvananthapuram ( meaning the abode of the sacred snake god Anantha – I hope there are not lots of snakes there!!!) which is the very southern tip of India and then it is off to Sri Lanka. I am so excited about that. I hope you are all enjoying your summer too. Signing off….
School visit
Muktangan NGO and Municipal School
One lady, Elizabeth Mehta, had a vision that she could use her 40 years of teaching experience to train 6 women from the lowest socio economic class and have them in turn educate preschool children from their own area. This vision has developed now into Muktangan School which educates children up to grade 5 and has plans to add a grade yearly up to grade 10. Three teachers share a classroom and each has from 8 to 15 students in a group. The teachers get one hour a day with a mentor teacher to plan the following lessons and discuss the needs of their students. These teachers now have a career, the children from these slum areas are getting a great education, and Liz Mehta is seeing her vision being surpassed. I want to tell you more about this school and share a video we all watched. The message here is if you believe in can happen then with hard work and a positive attitude then it probably will.
We spent all day at this school and it is high up on my list of best days in India. We especially enjoyed the singing and dancing in the pre K classes. Wait to you see the video of their British Indian accents and their own slant on singing popular songs like Hokey Pokey. We have another school visit tomorrow to an “elite” school so the comparisons will be interesting.
Karen and I decided to go and visit some home industries this evening where local people make and sell their wares. However, the place the taxi driver took us was not what we intended and we were looking at jewelry around $4000 and silk scarves for not much less! We hailed a taxi and were then taken to the wrong “Taj” hotel and had to get another one back to where we were staying. We have learned in India that people will pretend to know the way when you ask and they will direct you anyway. So far I have taken 3 taxis and never yet got to where I was intending☺
One lady, Elizabeth Mehta, had a vision that she could use her 40 years of teaching experience to train 6 women from the lowest socio economic class and have them in turn educate preschool children from their own area. This vision has developed now into Muktangan School which educates children up to grade 5 and has plans to add a grade yearly up to grade 10. Three teachers share a classroom and each has from 8 to 15 students in a group. The teachers get one hour a day with a mentor teacher to plan the following lessons and discuss the needs of their students. These teachers now have a career, the children from these slum areas are getting a great education, and Liz Mehta is seeing her vision being surpassed. I want to tell you more about this school and share a video we all watched. The message here is if you believe in can happen then with hard work and a positive attitude then it probably will.
We spent all day at this school and it is high up on my list of best days in India. We especially enjoyed the singing and dancing in the pre K classes. Wait to you see the video of their British Indian accents and their own slant on singing popular songs like Hokey Pokey. We have another school visit tomorrow to an “elite” school so the comparisons will be interesting.
Karen and I decided to go and visit some home industries this evening where local people make and sell their wares. However, the place the taxi driver took us was not what we intended and we were looking at jewelry around $4000 and silk scarves for not much less! We hailed a taxi and were then taken to the wrong “Taj” hotel and had to get another one back to where we were staying. We have learned in India that people will pretend to know the way when you ask and they will direct you anyway. So far I have taken 3 taxis and never yet got to where I was intending☺
Mumbai
Sunday July 20
We had a great tour of the city by our awesome tour guide Parvene who was very knowledgeable and pleasant. We observed some very British architecture and visited the Victoria Terminus Railway Station. On pillars at the entrance was a lion depicting Britain and a tiger for India. The station could have been Paddington Station in London.
We visited the beautiful campus of Mumbai University. What a pleasure it must be to study here.
Parvene, whose religious affiliation is Parsi, a group of people who left Persia when it was invaded by Arabs, took us to where her people took their dead. This land is prime real estate on the top of a hill and it houses 4 towers where the dead are placed for the vultures to come and eat them. They believe it is the last special thing they can do. However, now there are no vultures due to them eating animals that had DDT, other birds such as hawks do the deed as well as the people scattering limestone to help the bodies deteriorate. Well it does save on burial costs!
After a brief visit to the Prince of Wales Museum to see my relatives (as Jill Ji calls them,) several of us embarked upon a boat to Elphanta Island to see the caves housing huge sculptures relating to the Hindu gods. We really enjoyed the climb up to the caves but it was sweltering hot as usual and we must have lost pounds in perspiration. On our return to the mainland, however, we were sat on the wrong side of the boat and got splashed many times much to the amusement of the other visitors.
I am always amazed how important education is to the Indian culture. We met a young man who had just returned from Russia where he is studying to be a doctor. People will travel all over the world if the scholarship is a good one. Nearly all of the adults we have met have shared with us how much they worry at 10th grade due to the BIG test they take here to qualify them for advanced level and entry test to college in 12th grade. It is so hard to get into universities and many students go to school then take 2 – 3 hours tutoring in an evening just to give them an edge.
We had a great tour of the city by our awesome tour guide Parvene who was very knowledgeable and pleasant. We observed some very British architecture and visited the Victoria Terminus Railway Station. On pillars at the entrance was a lion depicting Britain and a tiger for India. The station could have been Paddington Station in London.
We visited the beautiful campus of Mumbai University. What a pleasure it must be to study here.
Parvene, whose religious affiliation is Parsi, a group of people who left Persia when it was invaded by Arabs, took us to where her people took their dead. This land is prime real estate on the top of a hill and it houses 4 towers where the dead are placed for the vultures to come and eat them. They believe it is the last special thing they can do. However, now there are no vultures due to them eating animals that had DDT, other birds such as hawks do the deed as well as the people scattering limestone to help the bodies deteriorate. Well it does save on burial costs!
After a brief visit to the Prince of Wales Museum to see my relatives (as Jill Ji calls them,) several of us embarked upon a boat to Elphanta Island to see the caves housing huge sculptures relating to the Hindu gods. We really enjoyed the climb up to the caves but it was sweltering hot as usual and we must have lost pounds in perspiration. On our return to the mainland, however, we were sat on the wrong side of the boat and got splashed many times much to the amusement of the other visitors.
I am always amazed how important education is to the Indian culture. We met a young man who had just returned from Russia where he is studying to be a doctor. People will travel all over the world if the scholarship is a good one. Nearly all of the adults we have met have shared with us how much they worry at 10th grade due to the BIG test they take here to qualify them for advanced level and entry test to college in 12th grade. It is so hard to get into universities and many students go to school then take 2 – 3 hours tutoring in an evening just to give them an edge.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Friday July 18th
We all had a lazy morning as the pace is catching up on us. Later that day we went to Swabhumi, a cultural center which is focusing on preserving the ancient heritage of this country. Not too much there I am afraid although we had been told there was lots to buy. Maybe I am just too picky and not a shopper.
On our last evening in Kolkata we visited the neighborhood of Dr Mulick and had a very nice dinner at his house. We visited both Hndu and Muslim areas and temples and then a Catholic school called St. Aloysius. As all 16 of us paraded through the streets the neighborhood stood and watched and smiled. The people in India are just so incredibly friendly. We also met lots of people in the apartment block during dinner and had a great view from the roof tops of the block. The hospitality is so great and we were indebted to Dr Mullick for this taste of real Indian home-life.
Saturday July 19, 2008
We are staying at the Taj President in Mumbai. We checked in and immediately went out to see the home of Mahatma Gandhi when he was in Mumbai and it is also a museum now. We watched a 30 minute video of his life but the highlight for me was to meet the daughter of his second son, in other words, Gandhi’s granddaughter. It was so ironic that she was visiting today and came in to speak to us as I had met his other granddaughter, the daughter of his third son when I was in Durban, South Africa. She gave us an insight into her life with her grandfather and she shared that he always had time for his grandchildren even though he was so busy. He was also meticulous about the length of his white robe he wore as it had to be just above his knees. She told us that when Martin Luther King visited Gandhi at this home, he decided to stay as he felt a complete peace so they had to find him a bed for the night. She was a very gracious lady and I enjoyed listening to her very much.
I can tell you that Mumbai is very cosmopolitan and right beside the Arabian Sea. There are no cows here on the road although I did see one being led on a rope. There is not a lot of litter either, thank goodness. We will be here for 5 nights so I will sign off now and get some sleep.
We all had a lazy morning as the pace is catching up on us. Later that day we went to Swabhumi, a cultural center which is focusing on preserving the ancient heritage of this country. Not too much there I am afraid although we had been told there was lots to buy. Maybe I am just too picky and not a shopper.
On our last evening in Kolkata we visited the neighborhood of Dr Mulick and had a very nice dinner at his house. We visited both Hndu and Muslim areas and temples and then a Catholic school called St. Aloysius. As all 16 of us paraded through the streets the neighborhood stood and watched and smiled. The people in India are just so incredibly friendly. We also met lots of people in the apartment block during dinner and had a great view from the roof tops of the block. The hospitality is so great and we were indebted to Dr Mullick for this taste of real Indian home-life.
Saturday July 19, 2008
We are staying at the Taj President in Mumbai. We checked in and immediately went out to see the home of Mahatma Gandhi when he was in Mumbai and it is also a museum now. We watched a 30 minute video of his life but the highlight for me was to meet the daughter of his second son, in other words, Gandhi’s granddaughter. It was so ironic that she was visiting today and came in to speak to us as I had met his other granddaughter, the daughter of his third son when I was in Durban, South Africa. She gave us an insight into her life with her grandfather and she shared that he always had time for his grandchildren even though he was so busy. He was also meticulous about the length of his white robe he wore as it had to be just above his knees. She told us that when Martin Luther King visited Gandhi at this home, he decided to stay as he felt a complete peace so they had to find him a bed for the night. She was a very gracious lady and I enjoyed listening to her very much.
I can tell you that Mumbai is very cosmopolitan and right beside the Arabian Sea. There are no cows here on the road although I did see one being led on a rope. There is not a lot of litter either, thank goodness. We will be here for 5 nights so I will sign off now and get some sleep.
Kolkata
We leave Kolkata in the morning and I can hardly believe it. It has been action packed as usual. The highlight for me was spending time at a rural Muslim minority school , Sishu Bikash Academy, which was only one hour from the border with Bangladesh. The humidity was so intense there and several of us were very dehydrated. As I stood teaching in the classrooms I could not help but wonder why none of the children seemed bothered by the heat yet I was perspiring profusely to the point I thought I was going to melt! The students all ran to the bus as we pulled up outside and were so excited and keen to show us what they had learned. I spent time in an English classroom and they were reading the Bremen Town Musicians. I knew this book from my third grade class so I was able to have a conversation about the content. Two boys volunteered to read aloud for me and they did a great job. The children asked for my autograph and I felt like a rock star!!
I also visited a social studies class and did a mini lesson on USA and in particular, San Diego. The teacher asked me to tell them about the history of the USA but I did not think I had time☺ I decided to do an overview of California and its geographical position. Unlike the school in Varanasi, no one knew about Mickey Mouse. They did get the concept of where the USA was in the world by a super map I drew on the blackboard. However, I felt embarrassed as I kept breaking the new chalk with my heavy handedness.
We also walked around the village, guided by the principal and Dr Sunrit Mulllick and found that everyone was really happy and greeted us well. They obviously respected the principal of the school too. We came across a girl’s school and they were fantastic. They asked me to go into their classroom and I showed them my San Diego book and photos of my family on my laptop. They loved this a lot and I was sad to leave them. I promised to send them photos by mail that I took while I was there.
The time went too quickly and the guide had to come in to the school and get me as everyone was on the bus ready to leave and I was still having fun inside. On our return we observed the worst slums we have seen so far. The government is pushing these slums out into the suburbs of town. In the USA the suburbs are the place to live but not here!
Later that day we visited Victoria Monument and St Paul’s Cathedral which were very British in their architecture. They had a great historical timeline which helped cement some of the dates in place. What a great day!
I also visited a social studies class and did a mini lesson on USA and in particular, San Diego. The teacher asked me to tell them about the history of the USA but I did not think I had time☺ I decided to do an overview of California and its geographical position. Unlike the school in Varanasi, no one knew about Mickey Mouse. They did get the concept of where the USA was in the world by a super map I drew on the blackboard. However, I felt embarrassed as I kept breaking the new chalk with my heavy handedness.
We also walked around the village, guided by the principal and Dr Sunrit Mulllick and found that everyone was really happy and greeted us well. They obviously respected the principal of the school too. We came across a girl’s school and they were fantastic. They asked me to go into their classroom and I showed them my San Diego book and photos of my family on my laptop. They loved this a lot and I was sad to leave them. I promised to send them photos by mail that I took while I was there.
The time went too quickly and the guide had to come in to the school and get me as everyone was on the bus ready to leave and I was still having fun inside. On our return we observed the worst slums we have seen so far. The government is pushing these slums out into the suburbs of town. In the USA the suburbs are the place to live but not here!
Later that day we visited Victoria Monument and St Paul’s Cathedral which were very British in their architecture. They had a great historical timeline which helped cement some of the dates in place. What a great day!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Kolkata
The hotel is beautiful. Kolkata is really westernized compared to where we have ben so far. Ella loves it here. Can you find her in the photos?
We went to see the Victoria Memorial as in Queen Victoria the former commonwealth ruler. WE had a presentation and the man kept calling the English "Little Brits!" I could not help but tell him that I was one of them at the end of the lecture:-)
Mother Teresa's building was very emotional. What a tiny lady with such a huge vision and heart. The photos do not do it justice but we could only photograph in certain areas.
Today is Wednesday and we are going to take a walking tour of Kolkata. It has been raining hard and it gets pretty muddy but it is also fun.
Thankfully my blog is up and running again.
More later.
My Crazy Daughter
This s what Justine is doing while I am in India. AND she told me to be careful!! I guess she is my daughter so what can we expect.
Varanasi to Kolkata by overnight train
Varanasi to Kolkata by overnight train.
The evening reception was excellent. The sitar and tabla drum lulled me into having one of the best night’s sleep of the trip. I met another Fulbright scholar and his wife who are studying in Varnasi for 9 months. They are living with a family in the city and it was very interesting to hear about the day to day life of a family. I had no idea that every day for 4 hours they have power cuts during the time when business need the power. Families also only eat two meals a day so that took some getting used to also.
On Monday, July 4 we visited the prestigious Banaras Hindu University at the Malviya Center for Peace Research. We heard some interesting insights into the role of women and the difficulties experienced to advance through the ranks of education. We also visited the art museum on site and enjoyed viewing ancient relics – one being a crystal which was from100 BC and some magnificent miniature paintings. The rest of the afternoon was down time to prepare for our overnight trip to Kolkata. We had an incredible downpour and it was fascinating to see how quickly everywhere floods and how traffic stops. These monsoon conditions really cause turmoil and people plough through mud and water and just continue their life.
We now all definitely know that we brought too much luggage. We were allowed 2 x 50 pound bags from the states but only 1 bag here in India. Getting all of this on the train and trying to fit it under the bunk beds was nigh on impossible but our wonderful guide and USEFI representative were incredible.
One fact that I have not shared yet is that they have wild peacocks everywhere in India. The other fact while on the subject is that men just peeeeeee everywhere and continuously. We counted 21 and we had not even left Varanasi. We do not understand it and I know it is gross but the hygiene mentality is not here at all. Put that together with the cow poop and the litter just dumped everywhere and it is no wonder typhoid and hepatitis is rife.
Back to the train…….. I got the middle bunk of three and we were in a carriage with many others. I slept pretty well until I realized I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. It was easy walking the corridor as I could see the light at the end of the corridor but when I returned it was hard to see which was my bed and I had to gingerly feel to see if there was a body on the middle bunk or a space. One mistake later, I snuggled back into bed and awoke at 6:00am ready to spend another day.
We are staying at the Hotel Oberoi Grand in Kolkata and it is magnificent. We had the morning free and I bathed and relaxed while catching up on my blog. I am off to lunch now and then to a City Tour to acclimate us. We are also going to see Missionaries of Charity which is Mother Teresa’s charity. More to come later. I hope you are enjoying my travels as much as I am. Miss you all and please excuse any typos as time rushes by and internet is extremely expensive in the hotels but I do not want to sit in the Internet Cafes. xox
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