Monday night I made it to Delhi and overnighted there. Breakfast was included and that’s where I had my first meal in India. There were some North American choices (egg, toast, cocktail wieners (ewww)), which I eschewed in favour of the Indian selections - rice with legumes and vegetables in a sauce (both spicy), bread and chai tea. Lest you worry, your eyes did not deceive, yes, I drank tea. And, yes, I normally don’t drink tea or coffee but going to England or India and not at least trying tea would be rather like not going to see Big Ben or the Taj Mahal. It was different - quite milky and rather sweet and I liked it. Just as well, really, because its offered numerous times throughout the day. But they also had diet coke, so I had some nectar of the gods as well!
I would be driven to Jaipur but had a bit of time so I ventured out for a walk. First of many ‘notes to self’: a large number of various modes of transport, all moving very quickly and erratically (at least to me), making liberal use of the horn and not a sidewalk to be seen, so keep your elbows in! I was reminded of Judi Dench’s comments from the move “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel where she described her initial exposure to India as ‘an assault on the senses’. (I had no idea that this was but a blip on the horizon of assaults on the senses!)
Before heading to Jaipur, we picked up another volunteer arriving from Chicago - Alex, a 25 year International Relations graduate. We talked the whole way to Jaipur (6.5 hours) - and get this, Mackenzie and Roger, - he’s HAPPY to have someone who’s cheerful and chatty first thing in the morning! A kindred spirit!
We arrived in Jaipur around 8:30 pm and were taken to the home of Veena, who initially proposed the idea of Tushita Foundation. We had dinner with her, her family and visiting friends. I enjoyed the meal and an interesting conversation about workplace accidents. Here in India, there are a certain number of positions reserved to be offered to family members should an employee die, whether or not on the job. It reminded me of a Canfor sawmill I had occasion to visit in Ft. St. James, BC where there was an East Indian population. I recalled hearing reference to the fact that you could never be sure which family member would show up for any given shift. For us, there is no familial access to jobs which resulted in our interpretation of that practice entirely differently from what it likely was to them.
Wednesday I went to the Foundation for the first time, to a lovely welcome for Alex and I from the teachers. The 3 days since has primarily been getting to know the six teachers and sitting in on classes and, here are some early observations beginning with a quick note about how the Tushita Foundation works.
The Foundation is located in the village of Amer and is presently in its 6th or 7th year (haven’t been able to get a solid answer on that yet!). Its sole purpose is to teach English as a means of expanding the children’s horizons. Attendance is voluntary and although expected, it can nevertheless be inconsistent for one reason or another.
Classes are held from 3 - 6 pm, following the end of classes at their regular school but not before they’ve changed into their uniforms, provided by Tushita. There are 6 classes with children placed according to their proficiency in English rather than age, although generally speaking the children are similar in age in each class.
Classrooms are small - about 100 sq. ft. give or take and only two of them have doors - one “classroom’ is located in the entrance hallway. Given the space confines and in order to accommodate all the children who want to attend, each teacher has three 45 minute classes per day. I’ve been so impressed with both the teachers and the children. Only two teachers have had any kind of formal training and they are teaching grammar, reading, writing and speaking. No surprise, the kids are quick learners but so much so I found myself privately lamenting the pace we set for early learning in Canada. We’re not still doing “Dick and Jane” (thank goodness) but we aren’t where these kids are either. Yesterday I sat in on the youngest class and heard each child, 4 and 5 years of age, do the 2, 3, and 4 timetables.
At the end of day 1, I was asking myself what the heck I thought I could contribute but I was quickly to find out at a meeting with teachers yesterday, they are so eager to have someone help them perfect their grammar and pronunciation and to practise speaking. I started that today in Geeta’s class - I had an amazing afternoon. On that note, I leave you with some pictures from the Foundation,
Love you all!!
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