Photobucket Album
Friday, August 1, 2008
Saying goodbye
We had to say our goodbyes this past week to both the children’s home and CBR. We had so much fun in the children’s home, and grew to know them so well. We recorded two Nepali songs with them on Garage Band and will soon give them a CD of their music! Saying goodbye was one of the hardest things we had to do. We arrived at Shining Stars at 7 am in the morning when the children were eating daal/bhaat and getting ready to go to school. They all knew it was our last day, and so many of them wrote us personal letters telling us how much they were going to miss us and asking us not to forget them – these are probably the best souveniers that we will be bringing back with us. Before they left for school, all 31 children, the two didis, and three tutors lined up and placed tikas on our foreheads. Tikas are red powder mixed with a little bit of water, and people place this on someone’s forehead as a symbol of a Hindu blessing and for good luck in the future. You can probably imagine what our foreheads looked like after this ceremony – our heads were covered in little read dots.
After we walked the Shining Stars children to school, we went to CBR to say our final goodbyes. Unfortunately, there were only 2 children at the center because the jeep had no petrol (how shocking...). The teacher actually came up with her own schedule and used the picture communication symbols with the children. The kids are really catching on to this method of communication very quickly, as are the other didis. It was so nice to see our efforts sticking as we left the center. We said our goodbyes, but we were very upset that most of the children were not there.
We went back to our host family’s house, had our final daal/bhaat meal, and said our goodbyes to our family. It was a very traditional goodbye – they put tikas on our foreheads and leis of fresh purple flowers around our necks. It was a really meaningful goodbye, and we are definitely going to miss them – even our little bahini.
We arrived in Thamel around 4:30 pm, packed our bags, and left for Chitwan National Park at 6:15 am the next morning. The bus ride was 7 hours long, but it was absolutely beautiful. We went through the mountains and drove alongside the river – breathtaking views. When we got to Chitwan, we had a couple of hours to unwind, had lunch, and went for a nice jungle walk to the edge of the river where we watched the sun set. That evening, we went to a cultural dance show where they performed 5 or 6 indigenous dances of the Tharu people who live in the area. It was hilarious – the host had a very annoying Nepali/British accent and the dances were very interesting.
The next morning, we all got into a dugout canoe and went down the river. We were fortunate enough to see a rhino bathing in the river right in front of the canoe. Afterwards, we got to bath elephants! This was the most exciting part about the whole trip. We all hoped onto elephants (three of us on one) and went down to the river. We had no idea what to expect, but before we knew it, the elephants were throwing us off of their backs and into the water! We did not expect to be on TOP of the elephants during their bath, but it was exhilarating and really fun. We got to climb on their trunks and they would swing us up onto their backs. Later that afternoon we went on a safari on elephant backs. We got to see numerous rhinos, deer, and cool bird species. It was a lot of fun, but we are sore as if we rode horses! We got to drive the elephants by sitting on their necks and kicking behind their ears to signal which way they should go. Our group had a lot of fun!
After we walked the Shining Stars children to school, we went to CBR to say our final goodbyes. Unfortunately, there were only 2 children at the center because the jeep had no petrol (how shocking...). The teacher actually came up with her own schedule and used the picture communication symbols with the children. The kids are really catching on to this method of communication very quickly, as are the other didis. It was so nice to see our efforts sticking as we left the center. We said our goodbyes, but we were very upset that most of the children were not there.
We went back to our host family’s house, had our final daal/bhaat meal, and said our goodbyes to our family. It was a very traditional goodbye – they put tikas on our foreheads and leis of fresh purple flowers around our necks. It was a really meaningful goodbye, and we are definitely going to miss them – even our little bahini.
We arrived in Thamel around 4:30 pm, packed our bags, and left for Chitwan National Park at 6:15 am the next morning. The bus ride was 7 hours long, but it was absolutely beautiful. We went through the mountains and drove alongside the river – breathtaking views. When we got to Chitwan, we had a couple of hours to unwind, had lunch, and went for a nice jungle walk to the edge of the river where we watched the sun set. That evening, we went to a cultural dance show where they performed 5 or 6 indigenous dances of the Tharu people who live in the area. It was hilarious – the host had a very annoying Nepali/British accent and the dances were very interesting.
The next morning, we all got into a dugout canoe and went down the river. We were fortunate enough to see a rhino bathing in the river right in front of the canoe. Afterwards, we got to bath elephants! This was the most exciting part about the whole trip. We all hoped onto elephants (three of us on one) and went down to the river. We had no idea what to expect, but before we knew it, the elephants were throwing us off of their backs and into the water! We did not expect to be on TOP of the elephants during their bath, but it was exhilarating and really fun. We got to climb on their trunks and they would swing us up onto their backs. Later that afternoon we went on a safari on elephant backs. We got to see numerous rhinos, deer, and cool bird species. It was a lot of fun, but we are sore as if we rode horses! We got to drive the elephants by sitting on their necks and kicking behind their ears to signal which way they should go. Our group had a lot of fun!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Sister sister!
Sister sister! the common attention getter by the kids in the children's home, they yell it ALL the time, it is so cute in the nepali accents!
now, to catch you up on LAST week (we have not had internet for a while!)
Last Friday, no children came to CBR! Of course, there was no petrol for the jeep... so, we had an entire day with the teachers. We sat down with the director, didis, and teachers and did simulations and “lessons” for the teachers on how to run a special education classroom, basically. We helped them make picture schedules, and modeled their use. We also modeled ignoring and positive reinforcement, among many other behavior management techniques. The six hours we spent with the teachers were some of the most influential moments we’ve had at CBR. We are looking forward to seeing how the teachers act in the future.
Last weekend, we went and stayed a couple of nights in Thamel. We arrived on Friday afternoon after a day at CBR. We decided that we would make a trip to the US Embassy so that we could register and let them know that we were volunteering in Nepal. Right down the road from our bus stop at Ratna Park, there is a heavily guarded area with huge walls and automatic doors that has signs on it saying “United States of America.” Like normal people, we assumed that this was the actual embassy. When we approached the gates, we were told that this was actually the diplomat’s sports club. Seriously? Do they really need a freaking sports club half the size of Nepal? Who knows what it really is – this is just what we were told. Anyways, they told us to walk a ways up the road and we would reach the actual US embassy. So, we started on what ended up being a trek across Kathmandu. We kept walking, and walking... we passed the French, British, Israeli, and Japanese embassies, but we still had no sign of the American embassy. We started our little walk around 3:50 pm, and around 4:45 pm, we finally arrived at our destination. It was in the middle of nowhere, wayyyyyy outside of Kathmandu. When we walked in and asked to enter the embassy, we were told that entry hours ended at 4:30 pm. Jessi pushed and pushed until the guards finally called someone inside. When we got on the phone, we were so excited to here a man with a southern drawl say to us “Hey there kids!” The man came out, helped us fill out our forms, and sent us back on our way. What an afternoon...
Later in the evening, we went to the Chabad house for Shabbat. Shabbat is the Jewish day of rest that begins on Friday evening and lasts until the end of Saturday. It was interesting because almost everyone, save Jessi and another guy from Washington D.C., was Israeli. There were not any Chabad people and there wasn’t even a Chabad rabbi, but it was interesting to meet all the Jewish tourists come together in a place like Nepal and celebrate Shabbat.
Last Saturday, we spent the day at one of the new children’s homes that VSN is serving. Two Israeli women whom we met at the Chabad house the previous night accompanied us to the house – one is a pediatrician and the other is a social worker. Two of the girls in our volunteer group, Ruchi and Tanya, are currently placed there. Before they got there, the place was barren and dirty. The managers at the center are nice and love the children, but their main interests for the children are making sure they receive an education and getting them enough food. Although these two are very important, they hardly paid any attention to the children’s health. Ruchi, Tanya, and the rest of the health team performed full health checks on these children, and they now receive daily care based on their health check results. They also spent a lot of time and effort decorating the place and making it seem more like a home. The walls are decorated with drawings and paintings that the children made and also with their pictures.
When we first arrived, we spent some time watching Ruchi, Tanya, and the children finish up a group painting they were working on. They then turned the radio on, and we all begin dancing to Hindi film songs. After the cassette finished, Jessi pulled out her guitar, and we sang and played music for them. We sang them some country songs as well as some children’s songs such as “Twinkle Twinkle” and “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” We all had so much fun, and the children really enjoyed listening and singing along to live music.
We had the opportunity to watch Tanya perform physiotherapy on a boy with cerebral palsy and a girl spina bifida. It was interesting to see the different exercises that they had to do. This is all so new for these children because before Ruchi and Tanya arrived, the children with disabilities in this home usually just sat in makeshift wheelchairs. With Tanya, they exercise about twice a day for about an hour or so.
We stayed at the center until about 5. Ruchi and Tanya have made such a difference in the house – the children are so lively and they are finally beginning to realize the importance of their own health.
Last Sunday, we visited Baktapur with Ryan and Andrea, two volunteers from our group. Baktapur has many squares known for their numerous temples dedicated to the many Hindu gods. Out of all the temples, however, Baktapur is most widely known for its erotic elephants temple. This temple has carvings of elephants in various suggestive positions all around the top. There is another temple that has the 24 positions of the kama sutra carved into it an all four sides of the temple... no wonder this place is a major tourist attraction. The area is also known for its woodwork and pottery.
The bus ride back to the village was THE craziest thing we’ve ever experienced! Both buses were packed beyond belief... it was rush hour and it was raining. On the second bus, Jessi lost count at 37 people, while Rachna was busy being evangelized by some meditative monk who wanted to show her his ways. One of the many memorable bus rides back to the village...
This week, we have introduced the idea of inclusion to CBR! The children at the VSN children’s home in our village do not have school because they had exams last week. We have had the chance to walk the typical children over to CBR where they read, play, and interact with the kids with disabilities at CBR. The children from the VSN home have loved going to CBR, and it serves as a reward for them. Every time we visit the home (every morning and evening) the kids go, “When can we go to CBR again?” They work so well with the kids with disabilities and even help us with modeling good behaviors for the kids and didis and translating in Nepali. It has been so exciting to see this week unfold with inclusion in Nepal!
We have also been shooting a movie with the kids for fun, they have a nepali script, and recording their singing on Garage Band, a mac program on the laptop. They are such high tech nepalis!
now, to catch you up on LAST week (we have not had internet for a while!)
Last Friday, no children came to CBR! Of course, there was no petrol for the jeep... so, we had an entire day with the teachers. We sat down with the director, didis, and teachers and did simulations and “lessons” for the teachers on how to run a special education classroom, basically. We helped them make picture schedules, and modeled their use. We also modeled ignoring and positive reinforcement, among many other behavior management techniques. The six hours we spent with the teachers were some of the most influential moments we’ve had at CBR. We are looking forward to seeing how the teachers act in the future.
Last weekend, we went and stayed a couple of nights in Thamel. We arrived on Friday afternoon after a day at CBR. We decided that we would make a trip to the US Embassy so that we could register and let them know that we were volunteering in Nepal. Right down the road from our bus stop at Ratna Park, there is a heavily guarded area with huge walls and automatic doors that has signs on it saying “United States of America.” Like normal people, we assumed that this was the actual embassy. When we approached the gates, we were told that this was actually the diplomat’s sports club. Seriously? Do they really need a freaking sports club half the size of Nepal? Who knows what it really is – this is just what we were told. Anyways, they told us to walk a ways up the road and we would reach the actual US embassy. So, we started on what ended up being a trek across Kathmandu. We kept walking, and walking... we passed the French, British, Israeli, and Japanese embassies, but we still had no sign of the American embassy. We started our little walk around 3:50 pm, and around 4:45 pm, we finally arrived at our destination. It was in the middle of nowhere, wayyyyyy outside of Kathmandu. When we walked in and asked to enter the embassy, we were told that entry hours ended at 4:30 pm. Jessi pushed and pushed until the guards finally called someone inside. When we got on the phone, we were so excited to here a man with a southern drawl say to us “Hey there kids!” The man came out, helped us fill out our forms, and sent us back on our way. What an afternoon...
Later in the evening, we went to the Chabad house for Shabbat. Shabbat is the Jewish day of rest that begins on Friday evening and lasts until the end of Saturday. It was interesting because almost everyone, save Jessi and another guy from Washington D.C., was Israeli. There were not any Chabad people and there wasn’t even a Chabad rabbi, but it was interesting to meet all the Jewish tourists come together in a place like Nepal and celebrate Shabbat.
Last Saturday, we spent the day at one of the new children’s homes that VSN is serving. Two Israeli women whom we met at the Chabad house the previous night accompanied us to the house – one is a pediatrician and the other is a social worker. Two of the girls in our volunteer group, Ruchi and Tanya, are currently placed there. Before they got there, the place was barren and dirty. The managers at the center are nice and love the children, but their main interests for the children are making sure they receive an education and getting them enough food. Although these two are very important, they hardly paid any attention to the children’s health. Ruchi, Tanya, and the rest of the health team performed full health checks on these children, and they now receive daily care based on their health check results. They also spent a lot of time and effort decorating the place and making it seem more like a home. The walls are decorated with drawings and paintings that the children made and also with their pictures.
When we first arrived, we spent some time watching Ruchi, Tanya, and the children finish up a group painting they were working on. They then turned the radio on, and we all begin dancing to Hindi film songs. After the cassette finished, Jessi pulled out her guitar, and we sang and played music for them. We sang them some country songs as well as some children’s songs such as “Twinkle Twinkle” and “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” We all had so much fun, and the children really enjoyed listening and singing along to live music.
We had the opportunity to watch Tanya perform physiotherapy on a boy with cerebral palsy and a girl spina bifida. It was interesting to see the different exercises that they had to do. This is all so new for these children because before Ruchi and Tanya arrived, the children with disabilities in this home usually just sat in makeshift wheelchairs. With Tanya, they exercise about twice a day for about an hour or so.
We stayed at the center until about 5. Ruchi and Tanya have made such a difference in the house – the children are so lively and they are finally beginning to realize the importance of their own health.
Last Sunday, we visited Baktapur with Ryan and Andrea, two volunteers from our group. Baktapur has many squares known for their numerous temples dedicated to the many Hindu gods. Out of all the temples, however, Baktapur is most widely known for its erotic elephants temple. This temple has carvings of elephants in various suggestive positions all around the top. There is another temple that has the 24 positions of the kama sutra carved into it an all four sides of the temple... no wonder this place is a major tourist attraction. The area is also known for its woodwork and pottery.
The bus ride back to the village was THE craziest thing we’ve ever experienced! Both buses were packed beyond belief... it was rush hour and it was raining. On the second bus, Jessi lost count at 37 people, while Rachna was busy being evangelized by some meditative monk who wanted to show her his ways. One of the many memorable bus rides back to the village...
This week, we have introduced the idea of inclusion to CBR! The children at the VSN children’s home in our village do not have school because they had exams last week. We have had the chance to walk the typical children over to CBR where they read, play, and interact with the kids with disabilities at CBR. The children from the VSN home have loved going to CBR, and it serves as a reward for them. Every time we visit the home (every morning and evening) the kids go, “When can we go to CBR again?” They work so well with the kids with disabilities and even help us with modeling good behaviors for the kids and didis and translating in Nepali. It has been so exciting to see this week unfold with inclusion in Nepal!
We have also been shooting a movie with the kids for fun, they have a nepali script, and recording their singing on Garage Band, a mac program on the laptop. They are such high tech nepalis!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Just across the rice patties!
We have had a great week of volunteering in the village and are in the city now for a night. We have made a lot of progress at the daycare center, i.e. seeing kids spontaneously say "more" in sign language and didis and teachers using their visual aids to communicate with the children, ilke picture communication systems and boards. It has been great to watch the practices in use by the Nepali teachers, not just us two American volunteers.
On Wednesday, Nepal elected its first president, so there was no school Thursday. we got to spend the whole day with the children's home in teh village, playing a huge game of football (soccer), guitar, drawing, dancing, and lots of other activities.
We had the chance to walk across teh rice patties this morning to another children's home... what a walk!! 5:30am never looked so good...
More details from the week to come later!
On Wednesday, Nepal elected its first president, so there was no school Thursday. we got to spend the whole day with the children's home in teh village, playing a huge game of football (soccer), guitar, drawing, dancing, and lots of other activities.
We had the chance to walk across teh rice patties this morning to another children's home... what a walk!! 5:30am never looked so good...
More details from the week to come later!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Micro Buses and Little Bahinis
Ratnaparkrantaparkratnapark!!!!!
So, Rachna and Jess both fell ill on our day off. We managed to make it to Kathmandu, but were not about to brave another crowded, bumpy, two-hour bus journey back to the village, so we stayed the night, woke up the next morning, and went right back to the village in time to volunteer at CBR! We are getting pretty savvy at navigating these Nepali bus junctions, you only see us, two little American girls pushing our way through the crowds, yelling “Laghenkel?!?” or “Ratna Park?” in the most American accents that they’ve ever heard. Yesterday evening, walking home from our volunteer placement we saw the bus driver who drove us on our morning journey... he yelled out his window in a mocking American accent and high voice, “Laghenkel?” Haha, we’re famous.
Yesterday was an amazing day at CBR, despite the fact that there were only three children who showed up. Rachna was not able to go because she was still a bit ill. There is still no petrol available for CBR’s jeep, but somehow a different group of kids arrives each day. There are always around 3-5 kids to show up when there is no petrol; their parents bring them on foot or motorbike. Yesterday there was a little girl with Down syndrome, the boy with obvious autism who is classified here as “deaf and hyperactive ADHD,” and an older girl with hydrocephalus. It was wonderful because Jessi got to devote all of her attention to the usually uncontrollable boy with autism! He came so far, it was so exciting.
For example, he always requests a very spicy pepper during lunch by making a hand motion to his mouth and biting noise. The child who the didis and teacher think is deaf has surprising communication abilities if you pay close attention. When a didi gave him the pepper, he found it so unusually spicy that he drank all his water in one gulp.
Jessi has been working with this child on using the “more” sign-language motion to request more of a food or activity. When we wanted more water so badly, he independently said “more” with his sign language! Jessi was floored and immediately served him an overflowing cup of water in excitement.
Later that afternoon, he got into the book cabinet, of course a place easily accessible to him, even though he usually gets physically reprimanded when he goes to pick out books. When he pulled Jessi’s hand to go to the book cabinet, Jessi realized his attempt at communication and pulled out a communication picture card that read “book.” The boy took the symbol, handed it to Jessi, and together they got books. Each time the boy finished a book he would grab for the symbol rather than just run over to the cupboard. You have no idea how exciting this was since this boy is usually seen as completely out of control and hyperactive.
After CBR, we went to the VSN children’s home down the road and played a geography game and taught some mass guitar lessons. The children on one side of the room were guessing the locations of countries on a map eagerly with Rachna while the other half of the orphanage was chanting “down down up up down up” in unison, learning strumming patterns with Jessi. We are making great strides in our service work and can’t wait for this weekend in Kathmandu! We plan to do a music program at one of the new orphanages in the city on Saturday, so we will stay overnight in Thamel, the tourist district of the city, for the weekend.
The wailing child...
Contrary to what you might think, this is not a child at CBR. Typically developing, very cute, but way too loud. Every morning around 5:15 am, the little girl, our bahini (little sister), in our house starts wailing like she’s eaten by a leopard, trampled by a cow, or any of the other likely situations that could occur in Nepal. She usually comes and bangs on our door around 5:45 am and continues to wail until her grandfather or mother comes and picks her up and takes her downstairs where she, again, continues to wail. The wailing has barely ceased when the mother comes up and knocks on our door at freaking 6:15 am to give us some chiyaa... when her mom goes back downstairs, the wailing starts up again. Please keep in mind that this is no baby... she’s 18 months old. We usually leave to go to the placement around 9:45 am, and when we return, guess what? The baby’s still wailing. We sing to her, and she’ll stop crying and start dancing. Once we start going up the stairs to our room, however, she starts crying again because she wants to come into our room. During the evening after dinner, she’ll usually come bang on our door until we let her in and come straight to Jessi’s side of the room and start chewing on her toothpaste bottle. If we try to take something away from her, she starts crying. We usually try to lure her out of the room and try singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” or the ABCs to make her stop crying. She falls asleep around 9:00 pm and we finally get some peace and quiet until the next morning around 5:15.
So, Rachna and Jess both fell ill on our day off. We managed to make it to Kathmandu, but were not about to brave another crowded, bumpy, two-hour bus journey back to the village, so we stayed the night, woke up the next morning, and went right back to the village in time to volunteer at CBR! We are getting pretty savvy at navigating these Nepali bus junctions, you only see us, two little American girls pushing our way through the crowds, yelling “Laghenkel?!?” or “Ratna Park?” in the most American accents that they’ve ever heard. Yesterday evening, walking home from our volunteer placement we saw the bus driver who drove us on our morning journey... he yelled out his window in a mocking American accent and high voice, “Laghenkel?” Haha, we’re famous.
Yesterday was an amazing day at CBR, despite the fact that there were only three children who showed up. Rachna was not able to go because she was still a bit ill. There is still no petrol available for CBR’s jeep, but somehow a different group of kids arrives each day. There are always around 3-5 kids to show up when there is no petrol; their parents bring them on foot or motorbike. Yesterday there was a little girl with Down syndrome, the boy with obvious autism who is classified here as “deaf and hyperactive ADHD,” and an older girl with hydrocephalus. It was wonderful because Jessi got to devote all of her attention to the usually uncontrollable boy with autism! He came so far, it was so exciting.
For example, he always requests a very spicy pepper during lunch by making a hand motion to his mouth and biting noise. The child who the didis and teacher think is deaf has surprising communication abilities if you pay close attention. When a didi gave him the pepper, he found it so unusually spicy that he drank all his water in one gulp.
Jessi has been working with this child on using the “more” sign-language motion to request more of a food or activity. When we wanted more water so badly, he independently said “more” with his sign language! Jessi was floored and immediately served him an overflowing cup of water in excitement.
Later that afternoon, he got into the book cabinet, of course a place easily accessible to him, even though he usually gets physically reprimanded when he goes to pick out books. When he pulled Jessi’s hand to go to the book cabinet, Jessi realized his attempt at communication and pulled out a communication picture card that read “book.” The boy took the symbol, handed it to Jessi, and together they got books. Each time the boy finished a book he would grab for the symbol rather than just run over to the cupboard. You have no idea how exciting this was since this boy is usually seen as completely out of control and hyperactive.
After CBR, we went to the VSN children’s home down the road and played a geography game and taught some mass guitar lessons. The children on one side of the room were guessing the locations of countries on a map eagerly with Rachna while the other half of the orphanage was chanting “down down up up down up” in unison, learning strumming patterns with Jessi. We are making great strides in our service work and can’t wait for this weekend in Kathmandu! We plan to do a music program at one of the new orphanages in the city on Saturday, so we will stay overnight in Thamel, the tourist district of the city, for the weekend.
The wailing child...
Contrary to what you might think, this is not a child at CBR. Typically developing, very cute, but way too loud. Every morning around 5:15 am, the little girl, our bahini (little sister), in our house starts wailing like she’s eaten by a leopard, trampled by a cow, or any of the other likely situations that could occur in Nepal. She usually comes and bangs on our door around 5:45 am and continues to wail until her grandfather or mother comes and picks her up and takes her downstairs where she, again, continues to wail. The wailing has barely ceased when the mother comes up and knocks on our door at freaking 6:15 am to give us some chiyaa... when her mom goes back downstairs, the wailing starts up again. Please keep in mind that this is no baby... she’s 18 months old. We usually leave to go to the placement around 9:45 am, and when we return, guess what? The baby’s still wailing. We sing to her, and she’ll stop crying and start dancing. Once we start going up the stairs to our room, however, she starts crying again because she wants to come into our room. During the evening after dinner, she’ll usually come bang on our door until we let her in and come straight to Jessi’s side of the room and start chewing on her toothpaste bottle. If we try to take something away from her, she starts crying. We usually try to lure her out of the room and try singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” or the ABCs to make her stop crying. She falls asleep around 9:00 pm and we finally get some peace and quiet until the next morning around 5:15.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Everest!
Cultural considerations of volunteering...
There are many things at our placement that are just downright awful, such as constant negative reinforcement, hitting, and lack of educational materials, but there are many other aspects that we are skeptical of or disagree with that make us wonder if their way is inappropriate or just unfamiliar because of different cultural norms.
For example, there is one young girl, about five or six years old, who is incontinent. The first day we watched her pee in her clothes three times during nap time. Every time, the teacher/didis would just change her clothes. The next day, a didi had the girl sit on a little baby potty, near the teacher’s desk and the center of activity of CBR, for long periods of time. She almost never went when she was sitting on that toilet! As volunteers, we both asked each other, “Is this called toilet training? I don’t think so!” The teacher would plop the little girl on the toilet, make a, “ssssss” sound, and expect the girl to pee! After being appalled at this seemingly degrading activity, we came home the next afternoon to see the mom in our host family making that same “ssss” sound to her 18-month-old daughter sitting on a similar blue potty. Even with the age difference, we realized that maybe that is a culturally appropriate way to toilet train children. It is so hard to cope with the fact that they do not wear diapers, especially because children with disabilities have to deal with changing their clothes all throughout the day! But, even the 18-month-old in our house does not wear a diaper.
Some other cultural differences that are difficult to keep in mind as “normal,” especially when it is our job to help take care of children, are the fact that it is completely normal in Nepal to bathe once a week, and hair and bodies are constantly oiled. Oily hair at home would look unclean and unacceptable, but here it is what is normal and even expected.
WE SAW EVEREST!
This past weekend, we spent most of our time touring and sight-seeing. We got into Thamel on Saturday, July 12th, and made our way to Pashupatinath, the holiest Hindu temple in Nepal. It is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, and it is absolutely gorgeous. Because the temple is reserved for Hindus only, Rachna and one of the other girls on the trip went in. There are huge doors made of silver and gold that lead to the main temple (inside of which no one, except for priests, is allowed), and there are many smaller buildings in the area that are available if someone wishes to pray or make an offering to the temple. Outside the temple, we all walked across a bridge to a ledge overlooking the temple... the view was gorgeous even though it was pouring down that day. One of the most interesting things about the temple is that they performed public cremations right behind the temple. None of us had seen a cremation, so it was a very new experience. We had always thought of cremations as a more private ceremony. We later learned that the river that runs behind the temple leads to the Ganges River, the holiest river for Hindus. Once the body is cremated, the ashes are spread over the river.
The next morning, we all woke up at 4 am, got on a mini bus and drove to the Kathmandu airport to take a flight to go see... EVEREST! Before we bought our tickets for the flight, we were told that the flight might not take off because of the weather. It is currently monsoon season in Nepal, so many of the flights get cancelled due to rainy weather. When we got to the airport, the sky was overcast, and many of us thought that the flight would be cancelled. We got into the airport, and they informed us that the flight was still leaving but we were all aware of the fact that not many people get a good view of the Himalayas during this season. Well, it seemed as if we had picked the perfect day... we saw every single mountain that broke above the clouds. It was the most amazing experience! To see mountains that floated above the clouds... Mt. Everest is close to 30,000 ft high, and the other mountains around it are not too far off.
There are many things at our placement that are just downright awful, such as constant negative reinforcement, hitting, and lack of educational materials, but there are many other aspects that we are skeptical of or disagree with that make us wonder if their way is inappropriate or just unfamiliar because of different cultural norms.
For example, there is one young girl, about five or six years old, who is incontinent. The first day we watched her pee in her clothes three times during nap time. Every time, the teacher/didis would just change her clothes. The next day, a didi had the girl sit on a little baby potty, near the teacher’s desk and the center of activity of CBR, for long periods of time. She almost never went when she was sitting on that toilet! As volunteers, we both asked each other, “Is this called toilet training? I don’t think so!” The teacher would plop the little girl on the toilet, make a, “ssssss” sound, and expect the girl to pee! After being appalled at this seemingly degrading activity, we came home the next afternoon to see the mom in our host family making that same “ssss” sound to her 18-month-old daughter sitting on a similar blue potty. Even with the age difference, we realized that maybe that is a culturally appropriate way to toilet train children. It is so hard to cope with the fact that they do not wear diapers, especially because children with disabilities have to deal with changing their clothes all throughout the day! But, even the 18-month-old in our house does not wear a diaper.
Some other cultural differences that are difficult to keep in mind as “normal,” especially when it is our job to help take care of children, are the fact that it is completely normal in Nepal to bathe once a week, and hair and bodies are constantly oiled. Oily hair at home would look unclean and unacceptable, but here it is what is normal and even expected.
WE SAW EVEREST!
This past weekend, we spent most of our time touring and sight-seeing. We got into Thamel on Saturday, July 12th, and made our way to Pashupatinath, the holiest Hindu temple in Nepal. It is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, and it is absolutely gorgeous. Because the temple is reserved for Hindus only, Rachna and one of the other girls on the trip went in. There are huge doors made of silver and gold that lead to the main temple (inside of which no one, except for priests, is allowed), and there are many smaller buildings in the area that are available if someone wishes to pray or make an offering to the temple. Outside the temple, we all walked across a bridge to a ledge overlooking the temple... the view was gorgeous even though it was pouring down that day. One of the most interesting things about the temple is that they performed public cremations right behind the temple. None of us had seen a cremation, so it was a very new experience. We had always thought of cremations as a more private ceremony. We later learned that the river that runs behind the temple leads to the Ganges River, the holiest river for Hindus. Once the body is cremated, the ashes are spread over the river.
The next morning, we all woke up at 4 am, got on a mini bus and drove to the Kathmandu airport to take a flight to go see... EVEREST! Before we bought our tickets for the flight, we were told that the flight might not take off because of the weather. It is currently monsoon season in Nepal, so many of the flights get cancelled due to rainy weather. When we got to the airport, the sky was overcast, and many of us thought that the flight would be cancelled. We got into the airport, and they informed us that the flight was still leaving but we were all aware of the fact that not many people get a good view of the Himalayas during this season. Well, it seemed as if we had picked the perfect day... we saw every single mountain that broke above the clouds. It was the most amazing experience! To see mountains that floated above the clouds... Mt. Everest is close to 30,000 ft high, and the other mountains around it are not too far off.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
14 glucose buscuits later...
Our volunteering at CBR has been demanding and frustrating, but equally rewarding as the week progressed. Before we instituted positive reinforcement, these teachers simply babysat and gave attention for misbehaving. The children would get hit or simply dragged to where the adults wanted them to go... they had no opportunity to gain control of their own actions.
We have seen one student progress; he was always physically held down by the adults due to his extreme hyperactivity. We watched him get hit by the teachers, and also the other kids. These kids constantly hit each other because that is what is modeled for them! A few days ago we found that he would run after a balloon, so we started to give him the balloon when he was sitting with the group or even remotely participating. Needless to say he is now very dependent on the balloon for his behavior, but at least he has some control over his own actions! We are trying to explain to the teachers that he should be weened off slowly from receiving immediate rewards, and that it will take time; however, due to both the language barrier and the absolute unfamiliarity of positive reinforcement for children, it is difficult to really get through to the adults.
There was one girl (L) who always asked for a balloon, but always when she was misbehaving. She did not understand that the balloon was a reward for when the other child acted correctly. We went to the nearby VSN home to get some translations for "You only receive a reward if you act well." We have repeated that, making it our Nepali mantra at the daycare center, and the didis/teachers have started to catch on!
Yesterday morning, L requested a balloon as soon as we arrived. In our best Nepali, we asked, "What do you like?" and she pointed to a yellow star drawn on a piece of paper. We asked her to sit down (in Nepali), and when she did, we immediately gave her a piece of paper with a yellow star. Soon, all of the kids at the daycare were requesting yellow stars, and we only gave them to people who followed our directions. It caught on really well; we finally discovered a sustainable reward system for CBR! The teachers even began to catch on after a few hours and we caught some didis actually rewarding positive behavior with a yellow star! All we did was carry around yellow markers and draw more stars on the pieces of paper, so simple, yet it meant so much to these kids. They finally were receiving attention for being good rather than bad.
After CBR, we went to the VSN children’s home nearby and had a music night with them. We all had so much fun, teaching them American songs and learning Nepali songs. There are 31 kids in that one home, but they are all so incredible. The managers there are some of the coolest people we’ve met, college graduates from Nepal spending twenty-four hours a day as fathers to 31 children. We are having a great time, trying to make a difference at CBR, and learning a lot from the Nepalis here!
We have seen one student progress; he was always physically held down by the adults due to his extreme hyperactivity. We watched him get hit by the teachers, and also the other kids. These kids constantly hit each other because that is what is modeled for them! A few days ago we found that he would run after a balloon, so we started to give him the balloon when he was sitting with the group or even remotely participating. Needless to say he is now very dependent on the balloon for his behavior, but at least he has some control over his own actions! We are trying to explain to the teachers that he should be weened off slowly from receiving immediate rewards, and that it will take time; however, due to both the language barrier and the absolute unfamiliarity of positive reinforcement for children, it is difficult to really get through to the adults.
There was one girl (L) who always asked for a balloon, but always when she was misbehaving. She did not understand that the balloon was a reward for when the other child acted correctly. We went to the nearby VSN home to get some translations for "You only receive a reward if you act well." We have repeated that, making it our Nepali mantra at the daycare center, and the didis/teachers have started to catch on!
Yesterday morning, L requested a balloon as soon as we arrived. In our best Nepali, we asked, "What do you like?" and she pointed to a yellow star drawn on a piece of paper. We asked her to sit down (in Nepali), and when she did, we immediately gave her a piece of paper with a yellow star. Soon, all of the kids at the daycare were requesting yellow stars, and we only gave them to people who followed our directions. It caught on really well; we finally discovered a sustainable reward system for CBR! The teachers even began to catch on after a few hours and we caught some didis actually rewarding positive behavior with a yellow star! All we did was carry around yellow markers and draw more stars on the pieces of paper, so simple, yet it meant so much to these kids. They finally were receiving attention for being good rather than bad.
After CBR, we went to the VSN children’s home nearby and had a music night with them. We all had so much fun, teaching them American songs and learning Nepali songs. There are 31 kids in that one home, but they are all so incredible. The managers there are some of the coolest people we’ve met, college graduates from Nepal spending twenty-four hours a day as fathers to 31 children. We are having a great time, trying to make a difference at CBR, and learning a lot from the Nepalis here!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Five-Star Charpi
So... we got our placement! We are working in Community Based Rehabilitation Daycare Center (CBR), which is located in a village south of Kathmandu. The center cares for children with disabilities ranging from ADHD to cerebral palsy – if a child has any type of disability, physical or mental, there is no place for them in normal Nepali schools. For example, in one of the new homes where VSN is placing volunteers, there were kids with solely physical disabilities who did not go to school with the rest of the children but were instead home-schooled – they did not have any sort of intellectual disability that hindered their inability to learn. The fact that they have any disability at all keeps them from having any access to any school.
Right next to CBR is a VSN-owned children’s home with 31 children. Because CBR is not open in the morning and the evenings (because it is just a day facility for children), we will have the opportunity to work there as well. We are so excited to finally begin our volunteer work!
Our new home placement is just amazing! We left Thamel around 2:30 pm and arrived in the village at 3:15 just when it was beginning to downpour. We “schlepped” our bags all the way down muddy pathways and arrived at our house. It is just beautiful! It is a 2-story house, and our room is on the second floor. Our room is right next door to the parents’ room. The parents are both very young and are probably only 4-5 years older than us. They both speak pretty good English, which has made communication so easy. We now have a little 18-month old sister who is just precious and so gorgeous! She spent a greater part of the afternoon in our room looking at all of our stuff and dancing while Jessi played music on her guitar. The best part of the house is the charpi (or bathroom)... it has flowered tiles, a shower, and the best looking hole-in-the-ground that we both have seen in a while.
Eating
In our house is an 18 month old girl, her mom and dad, and the dad’s parents. We call the baby’s mom “didi,” older sister, and the baby’s dad is “dhai.” The dhai’s dad is ba and the dhai’s mom is amaa.
Didi cooks our food, and comes and gets us when it is ready. We sit on straw pads on the floor in the kitchen and didi stands in the kitchen and watches us while we eat, ready to refill any portion that we finish.
Today we saw the Godavari resort on an early morning walk. It was beautiful, a really nice resort but off the beaten path! It had a nice ballroom, big pool, and tons of high end lodging. It seemed deserted, since it is the off-season, and out of place in this humble village.
Later in the morning we went to CBR, our placement! There are 19 kids with various disabilities. We got a long orientation from the program director. We learned that there is nowhere to study special education in Nepal, he said people go to Europe. None of the “teachers” or “didis” (caretakers) have any actual training on teaching or working with children with disabilities, however they were all very nice women with good intentions. The teacher who teaches 3 boys with Down syndrome has a daughter with multiple disabilities who stays home.
There were a few girls who were totally typical intellectually, but had hemiplegia or other muscle impairments. They were not allowed to attend normal school regardless of the fact that they were as smart as any other Nepali child! There was a large variation in age, from five years old to twenty-one, all in the same class. Even though there were multiple teachers at the center, the group was mostly all together in one chaotic bunch.
The teachers have very low expectations of the children. They do everything for the kids, for example children with physical disabilities are carried from one room to the other when they are capable of walking with assistance, as we saw later in the day. The children are not given any positive reinforcement... most of the attention they receive occurs when they are not doing what they’re supposed to be doing.
Basically, we helped out and observed today. We tried not to be invasive on our first day, because we are foreign students coming into this rural Nepali NGO-run center where the caretakers/teachers speak mostly Nepali. We hope to implement some more legitimate lesson plans, individual goals, and behavior plans to make the students’ time there more meaningful.
After school, we rode the jeep with the students to take them home. We had heard from the director of CBR that many days are lost due to transportation issues. He explained that they have a donated jeep, but it often occurs that they cannot access petrol. When we first heard that we were shocked that such a seemingly minor setback would prevent students from attending an entire day of school, but after the ride in the jeep we experienced the reality of the issue. These children live in extremely rural, remote areas that can only be accessed by steep, winding, muddy paths that can barely be called roads. It was a beautiful drive, with both roller coaster and safari-like qualities.
We were also surprised that the children with physical disabilities did not go home with their wheelchairs, but after seeing their home settings, we now realize that they are far from handicap accessible. The children’s mothers picked them up on the jeep and took them into the house via piggy-back-rides.
We took a nice walk in the evening, and were almost eaten by a truck that was painted with the sign “Road King” on the front (rightfully so). Tomorrow we go to Kathmandu for the monthly mandatory volunteer meeting for all volunteers.
Namaste!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Charpi, dinner by headlamp, leeches... village life in a nutshell
We just spent 3 days of training in the most spectacular setting, a village nested in its own valley just south of Kathmandu. Everywhere you could look you saw either rice patties or mountains. The houses were nestled in the sides of the mountains and the rice patties occupied the entire valley in the middle. Rice patties are basically little ponds of water with the rice plants growing out of them. The women in the village work out in the rice patties all day.
Our family was soooo nice. They understood our western eating capacities, i.e. the fact that we don’t eat a mountain of rice for dinner like Nepalis do. Every meal from now on is called Dhaal Bhaat, rice and lentil soup, with some other vegetable. Nepalis eat that for every meal their entire lives. For each meal they eat HUGE amounts of rice, yet they are surprisingly all very small people.
The children there were so beautiful. They were so much fun and so happy. Their lives were so simple, but they knew nothing different! The family’s kitchen consisted of the floor, a campfire, and metal plates and tools for cooking, yet they were not poor, it was just their way of life! They had everything they needed, just very different compared to our standards.
The bathrooms are called “charpi”s. They are an outhouse building with literally a hole in the ground in which you cannot place any paper. You do not use toilet paper, or if you do you have to take it with you yourself (we call the envelopes that shitvelopes). They have buckets of water in the charpis and that is how they do it.
There was no running water in the houses. There are public taps along the village where the families fill up buckets of water and bring them back to their houses. The house we stayed in had a Gatorade-like cooler/dispenser where all the family’s water came from. We used this cooler for washing dishes, our faces, our feet, laundry, and everything else. It was really nice staying there, and our family was so happy that we hardly missed our western comforts!
Our family was soooo nice. They understood our western eating capacities, i.e. the fact that we don’t eat a mountain of rice for dinner like Nepalis do. Every meal from now on is called Dhaal Bhaat, rice and lentil soup, with some other vegetable. Nepalis eat that for every meal their entire lives. For each meal they eat HUGE amounts of rice, yet they are surprisingly all very small people.
The children there were so beautiful. They were so much fun and so happy. Their lives were so simple, but they knew nothing different! The family’s kitchen consisted of the floor, a campfire, and metal plates and tools for cooking, yet they were not poor, it was just their way of life! They had everything they needed, just very different compared to our standards.
The bathrooms are called “charpi”s. They are an outhouse building with literally a hole in the ground in which you cannot place any paper. You do not use toilet paper, or if you do you have to take it with you yourself (we call the envelopes that shitvelopes). They have buckets of water in the charpis and that is how they do it.
There was no running water in the houses. There are public taps along the village where the families fill up buckets of water and bring them back to their houses. The house we stayed in had a Gatorade-like cooler/dispenser where all the family’s water came from. We used this cooler for washing dishes, our faces, our feet, laundry, and everything else. It was really nice staying there, and our family was so happy that we hardly missed our western comforts!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
shower by candlelight
Nepal is absolutely amazing! Arriving to the airport was just spectacular... gorgeous views of mountains and trees, everything is so green. The airport was very homey, rather than the modern style, it had wooden carvings and decorations all over. The customs people were so friendly, very quick, and an overall great first impression of Nepal!
We met another VSN volunteer at the airport and got taken to the hotel. Even though our manual warned us not to tip people who help us with the luggage, Rachna and Ryan, another volunteer with us, got suckered into giving twenty U.S. dollars each to people who pushed their luggage carts! That’s more money than they’d probably see in an entire month. Jessi refused to give in and gave twenty Indian rupees (that’s approximately 50 cents in American dollars). Let’s say we all are much wiser now.
The first night we went out to a huge dinner with everyone who volunteered past, present, and future with volunteers services Nepal, (VSN). It was on the top of a restaurant, really cool and gorgeous. The people were very interesting and extremely inviting. We heard about everything from fun nights out to sick nights in bed.
Yesterday morning, July 1, we started our training. The VSN office is very close to our hotel. It is spacious with western bathrooms, and the staff are really warm and approachable. We had our first Daal Bhatt, which is rice with lentil soup on top, the meal we will be having twice a day every day for the next month! It’s really not that bad. p.s., you eat it with your hands and sit on the ground. No silverware!
We had the afternoon off, so we went with a group of 8 volunteers and explored around Kathmandu. We saw “the monkey temple,” a huge Buddhist temple on the top of a mountain. We had to climb up hundreds of stairs after walking curvy dirt roads up the side of the hill. There were monkeys the whole way up, so it held its name well! At the very top were hundreds of butter candles. It was a celebration of the cleaning of the Buddhist temple, so lots of people were gathered in festive wear eating food and doing the rituals. There were spectacular prayer wheels and prayer flags everywhere you looked.
When we returned to the hotel, it was around 7, the time when the power goes out. Therefore, we showered by candlelight!
We had a really fun night going out to dinner and then hookah bar with the other volunteers. We are having so much fun with the people and seeing all of the awesome sights of Kathmandu.
Tomorrow, we leave for the training village, so we won’t be back to internet for at least 3 to four more days. Supposedly our cell phones will work, so we shall see!
Namaste!
We met another VSN volunteer at the airport and got taken to the hotel. Even though our manual warned us not to tip people who help us with the luggage, Rachna and Ryan, another volunteer with us, got suckered into giving twenty U.S. dollars each to people who pushed their luggage carts! That’s more money than they’d probably see in an entire month. Jessi refused to give in and gave twenty Indian rupees (that’s approximately 50 cents in American dollars). Let’s say we all are much wiser now.
The first night we went out to a huge dinner with everyone who volunteered past, present, and future with volunteers services Nepal, (VSN). It was on the top of a restaurant, really cool and gorgeous. The people were very interesting and extremely inviting. We heard about everything from fun nights out to sick nights in bed.
Yesterday morning, July 1, we started our training. The VSN office is very close to our hotel. It is spacious with western bathrooms, and the staff are really warm and approachable. We had our first Daal Bhatt, which is rice with lentil soup on top, the meal we will be having twice a day every day for the next month! It’s really not that bad. p.s., you eat it with your hands and sit on the ground. No silverware!
We had the afternoon off, so we went with a group of 8 volunteers and explored around Kathmandu. We saw “the monkey temple,” a huge Buddhist temple on the top of a mountain. We had to climb up hundreds of stairs after walking curvy dirt roads up the side of the hill. There were monkeys the whole way up, so it held its name well! At the very top were hundreds of butter candles. It was a celebration of the cleaning of the Buddhist temple, so lots of people were gathered in festive wear eating food and doing the rituals. There were spectacular prayer wheels and prayer flags everywhere you looked.
When we returned to the hotel, it was around 7, the time when the power goes out. Therefore, we showered by candlelight!
We had a really fun night going out to dinner and then hookah bar with the other volunteers. We are having so much fun with the people and seeing all of the awesome sights of Kathmandu.
Tomorrow, we leave for the training village, so we won’t be back to internet for at least 3 to four more days. Supposedly our cell phones will work, so we shall see!
Namaste!
leaving india
India Blog 4
here are some funny litttle things from India:
· Honk OK please - a sign on many trucks
· “I love you India?” ~A woman, first time meeting Jessi on the street by Ba’s house, attempting to ask Jessi if she liked India.
· Ba trying to understand Jessi’s sunburn, “It will go away when she goes into the cold, right?” HAHA
· Shopping bopping
· Taking pictures - very funny hand motion
here are some funny litttle things from India:
· Honk OK please - a sign on many trucks
· “I love you India?” ~A woman, first time meeting Jessi on the street by Ba’s house, attempting to ask Jessi if she liked India.
· Ba trying to understand Jessi’s sunburn, “It will go away when she goes into the cold, right?” HAHA
· Shopping bopping
· Taking pictures - very funny hand motion
Saturday, June 28, 2008
surgery in india
Today we got to go to a bunch of indian hospitals.... we got to be IN with surgery, see the end of historectomy, and see the entire laproscoping falopian tube tying surgery! Very unexpected but SO cool. More to come soon with a better blog and explanation of experiences.
Indian healthcare was very interesting to see, especially SO up close!
Indian healthcare was very interesting to see, especially SO up close!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Scooters!
One of the most fun things about India is the fact that EVERYONE rides scooters. There are more scooters than there are cars! Because we aren't from India, however, my grandmother seemed to think that we would probably die while on a scooter... therefore, we were never allowed to ride one. Today, however, my sister (Radhika) and I (Rachna) managed to convince her to let us ride a scooter... so. much. fun!!! It's one thing riding a rickshaw... you get to see and experience everything from within a tin-like car, but you don't really get to see everything out in the open. On a scooter, however, India is a whole different experience. First of all, no one here wears helmets, so its rather dangerous. Second of all, people don't have any concept of what a driving lane is... there are always people passing each other, constantly honking, screaming... its total chaos. Therefore, scooters are always swerving in and out of the way to dodge cars and other scooters. But, like I said, it was a lot of fun, and I'm pretty sure that the rest of India had fun watching two American girls try to ride on a scooter... I fell of almost every time I tried to get on or off the thing.
Tomorrow, we are going to Ahmedabad to stay at my mom's friend's house, and we leave for Nepal on June 30th! Jess and I are both very excited, and we'll make sure to keep in touch!
Tomorrow, we are going to Ahmedabad to stay at my mom's friend's house, and we leave for Nepal on June 30th! Jess and I are both very excited, and we'll make sure to keep in touch!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
more pictures
Here are pics of us in Punjabis, at the temple, school, and zoo!
http://s295.photobucket.com/albums/mm133/RachnaJess/India%202/
http://s295.photobucket.com/albums/mm133/RachnaJess/India%202/
We're turning into mangos....
Jessi had never had a real, whole mango before. Mango sorbet, of course, but not the real fruit. Here, we are having mangos for breakfast, and every other possible time of the day. They’re great! Especially since Rachna’s family owns parts of different mango farms. Today, we took a ride out to more rural areas.
First, we picked up Rachna’s aunt and uncle (Mami and Mama in Gujarati language) and then drove out to a beautiful Hindu temple. This was a temple of Shiva, one of the Hindu gods. After the heat of touring and then cooling off with some ice cream, we drove out even more into the “country” to see the mango farm. It was a nice break from the traffic, honking, and dust of the city, but it was still very hot. The farm area was very peaceful, and we got to see some mangos still on the trees! It is nearing the end of mango season, so they are almost all picked.
Later, we stopped at a village where Mami and Mama have a second home. Rachna’s great grandfather and other family members also used to all live in this village. The people were very nice. After that, we drove back to Mami and Mama’s house and had a large lunch. There we saw their cousins and one cousin had a little baby, Adi. After lunch, we returned home.
We have continued to enjoy playing games with the children who live behind the house, Sejal and Mehul. Jessi has been teaching handclap games to Sejal, and Rachna and the kids come up with silly names for us. We went shopping in the late afternoon, and then came home, took the kids to the park and went to the cybercafe. At the park, we had a huge game of leapfrog. We had all these kids lining up and playing, Gujarati, Enlgish, it didn’t matter. We also learned some of their games while taking turns at the cybercafe!
Tonight, we ordered pizza (just like American), tried on our Punjabis (Indian traditional clothing) and watched Hindi TV.
First, we picked up Rachna’s aunt and uncle (Mami and Mama in Gujarati language) and then drove out to a beautiful Hindu temple. This was a temple of Shiva, one of the Hindu gods. After the heat of touring and then cooling off with some ice cream, we drove out even more into the “country” to see the mango farm. It was a nice break from the traffic, honking, and dust of the city, but it was still very hot. The farm area was very peaceful, and we got to see some mangos still on the trees! It is nearing the end of mango season, so they are almost all picked.
Later, we stopped at a village where Mami and Mama have a second home. Rachna’s great grandfather and other family members also used to all live in this village. The people were very nice. After that, we drove back to Mami and Mama’s house and had a large lunch. There we saw their cousins and one cousin had a little baby, Adi. After lunch, we returned home.
We have continued to enjoy playing games with the children who live behind the house, Sejal and Mehul. Jessi has been teaching handclap games to Sejal, and Rachna and the kids come up with silly names for us. We went shopping in the late afternoon, and then came home, took the kids to the park and went to the cybercafe. At the park, we had a huge game of leapfrog. We had all these kids lining up and playing, Gujarati, Enlgish, it didn’t matter. We also learned some of their games while taking turns at the cybercafe!
Tonight, we ordered pizza (just like American), tried on our Punjabis (Indian traditional clothing) and watched Hindi TV.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
More from Vadodara...
Monday, June 23rd
This morning we had to wake up and be ready by 9:30am because Rachna’s uncle was scheduled to pick us up to see his son’s school. Around 10:15am (India Standard Time or IST, hehe) we pulled out on a rickshaw. We had through the zoo to get to the school. It was nice having a break from all of the traffic, scooters, rickshaws, cows, honking, etc. The entrance of the school was immaculate, complete with basketball hoops and a playground. Through the gorgeous grounds was a building that we learned was not actually a “school” in our terms. The facility was a recreational center.
When we arrived, Rachna’s uncle introduced us to the teacher in the classroom (she spoke English). There was one classroom of kids aged 6-25. They are supposed to serve 6-16 years old, however since there is no place for adults with disabilities to go, they do not send them away after 16 years of age. There was one teacher and 3 classroom aids. There were around thirty kids with disabilities in the class, and that was the only class in this building at the time. Basically, it was a segregated facility that for three hours a day, provided children with disabilities with programming, not academic learning. We observed their yoga session. We learned that they also do music, arts and crafts, and other activities.
Many of these kids were actually high functioning. Most greeted us appropriately, and almost all provided eye contact. Almost every kid followed the yoga directions exactly and was attentive. We were extremely surprised that such high functioning kids would be in such a segregated environment! These children were obedient, socially appropriate, and attentive, yet the most they get in any form of schooling is three hours a day of recreation with peers with disabilities.
In talking to the teacher, she explained the “school” as a “Social Welfare Project,” not a government or public run school. We also learned that the teacher only went to school/university for one year to become a special education teacher. When Jessi asked, “Do you see a lot of children with autism?” the teacher pointed to one boy in the class and then explained that there is a whole “school” just for children with autism.
Rachna’s uncle was SO nice in taking us to the school, then stayed with us and walked us around the whole zoo. We saw a lot of different animals, even the exotic “American Duck.”
After the zoo, we went to the Vadodara Historic Museum and Picture Gallery. It was very eclectic in its displays, as there were artifacts and objects from all over the world. One of our favorite exhibits was the musical instruments. There were some really neat, exotic, and ancient instruments. One looked like a banjo combined with a harp! In the basement was a gigantic, 72-feet long blue whale skeleton!
We arrived home to Ba’s house to play with Sejal and Mehul and then go shopping. All of us bought Punjabis (Indian traditional clothing). After a lot of shopping, we came home and took Mehul and Sejal to the park (which is conveniently across the street from the internet café).
Tuesday, June 24th
We woke up today because we were to be ready at 8 o’clock sharp. Rachna’s uncle and aunt met us at the house around 8:30 (again, IST) to take us to a well-known Indian temple at Pavagadh. The drive was about an hour and a half and took us halfway up a mountain were we got out of the car. We took a gondola up the mountain and then hiked up to the peak. Rachna, with her bad knee, was tough, and Ba, with her 69 years, was a freaking beast. On our way up, we saw many small shops, all selling bangris (Indian bracelets), prayers cloths, prayer videos and cassettes, and also some very American-looking toys. It was interesting to see that the place was very touristy but not a very touristy place for Americans. Instead, the place was filled with Indians from all over, and we didn’t see any non-Indians (except for Jess, of course).
Once we made it up the mountain, we took our shoes off before entering the temple, climbed up the stairs barefoot, and entered the temple. We received blessings from the maharaj (Indian priest). He said a prayer as each of us walked up to him and the statue of the gods, gave us phool (flowers) and prasad (holy food) that had been used in prayer, and used his thumb to place a red mark on all of our foreheads (which represents the third eye through which Hindus believe you can see into your own soul). We each gave a small donation to the temple and then left. We climbed down the mountain some of the way and then took the gondola down back to our car. We had a small meal at the restaurant in the hotel that was near by and then drove home.
This morning we had to wake up and be ready by 9:30am because Rachna’s uncle was scheduled to pick us up to see his son’s school. Around 10:15am (India Standard Time or IST, hehe) we pulled out on a rickshaw. We had through the zoo to get to the school. It was nice having a break from all of the traffic, scooters, rickshaws, cows, honking, etc. The entrance of the school was immaculate, complete with basketball hoops and a playground. Through the gorgeous grounds was a building that we learned was not actually a “school” in our terms. The facility was a recreational center.
When we arrived, Rachna’s uncle introduced us to the teacher in the classroom (she spoke English). There was one classroom of kids aged 6-25. They are supposed to serve 6-16 years old, however since there is no place for adults with disabilities to go, they do not send them away after 16 years of age. There was one teacher and 3 classroom aids. There were around thirty kids with disabilities in the class, and that was the only class in this building at the time. Basically, it was a segregated facility that for three hours a day, provided children with disabilities with programming, not academic learning. We observed their yoga session. We learned that they also do music, arts and crafts, and other activities.
Many of these kids were actually high functioning. Most greeted us appropriately, and almost all provided eye contact. Almost every kid followed the yoga directions exactly and was attentive. We were extremely surprised that such high functioning kids would be in such a segregated environment! These children were obedient, socially appropriate, and attentive, yet the most they get in any form of schooling is three hours a day of recreation with peers with disabilities.
In talking to the teacher, she explained the “school” as a “Social Welfare Project,” not a government or public run school. We also learned that the teacher only went to school/university for one year to become a special education teacher. When Jessi asked, “Do you see a lot of children with autism?” the teacher pointed to one boy in the class and then explained that there is a whole “school” just for children with autism.
Rachna’s uncle was SO nice in taking us to the school, then stayed with us and walked us around the whole zoo. We saw a lot of different animals, even the exotic “American Duck.”
After the zoo, we went to the Vadodara Historic Museum and Picture Gallery. It was very eclectic in its displays, as there were artifacts and objects from all over the world. One of our favorite exhibits was the musical instruments. There were some really neat, exotic, and ancient instruments. One looked like a banjo combined with a harp! In the basement was a gigantic, 72-feet long blue whale skeleton!
We arrived home to Ba’s house to play with Sejal and Mehul and then go shopping. All of us bought Punjabis (Indian traditional clothing). After a lot of shopping, we came home and took Mehul and Sejal to the park (which is conveniently across the street from the internet café).
Tuesday, June 24th
We woke up today because we were to be ready at 8 o’clock sharp. Rachna’s uncle and aunt met us at the house around 8:30 (again, IST) to take us to a well-known Indian temple at Pavagadh. The drive was about an hour and a half and took us halfway up a mountain were we got out of the car. We took a gondola up the mountain and then hiked up to the peak. Rachna, with her bad knee, was tough, and Ba, with her 69 years, was a freaking beast. On our way up, we saw many small shops, all selling bangris (Indian bracelets), prayers cloths, prayer videos and cassettes, and also some very American-looking toys. It was interesting to see that the place was very touristy but not a very touristy place for Americans. Instead, the place was filled with Indians from all over, and we didn’t see any non-Indians (except for Jess, of course).
Once we made it up the mountain, we took our shoes off before entering the temple, climbed up the stairs barefoot, and entered the temple. We received blessings from the maharaj (Indian priest). He said a prayer as each of us walked up to him and the statue of the gods, gave us phool (flowers) and prasad (holy food) that had been used in prayer, and used his thumb to place a red mark on all of our foreheads (which represents the third eye through which Hindus believe you can see into your own soul). We each gave a small donation to the temple and then left. We climbed down the mountain some of the way and then took the gondola down back to our car. We had a small meal at the restaurant in the hotel that was near by and then drove home.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Hi from a cybercafe across from the park in Vadodara, India! Where Ba, Rachna's grandmother lives. We have been keeping our blog but hve not had internet to put it up, so here it is for the last few days!
Vadodara Day 1
On the day that we arrived (June 19th), my uncle, aunt, grandmother, and my mom’s friend came to pick us up from the airport around 7:00 am when our flight landed. We slept. We went on a walk to a neighborhood park/garden, sat and talked a little in the evening. Rachna’s grandmother feeds us very well and often! Then, a bunch of family members came over to visit in the evening.
Vadodara Day 2
This morning, we woke up pretty early. Jess was the last one to arise and it was only 7:15! We did “Slim and Six” workout in the early morning heat, but it felt good to move and stretch. Then, we walked around the near-main street a little.
After showering, Jess went outside to read for a bit in the garden, and after about a page, a very large animal sprinted across the garden and over the fence. She let it go, thinking a very big dog got spooked and was just running around. A second later, another huge animal came by, and this time I saw it coming... it was a GIANT monkey!!!!!
Later, we went shopping... lots of pretty fabrics. They pick out fabrics to get the outfits hand-made. Shopping is very personalized.
There are cows on the streets everywhere! Cyclists, motorcycles, rickshaws (tiny taxi-like rides), pedestrian, and cows share the streets equally with few rules about lanes or traffic. It is crazy how everyone magically seems to stay accident free with all of the close calls we witness every time we’re on the roads. People here know what they’re doing.
Saturday, June 21
Everyone woke up this morning around 7:00, and we ate our daily dish of mangoes and a cup of chai. After we had all showered and dressed, we got ready to head to the mall to meet with Rachna’s cousin, Jaimin. Jaimin just received his commercial pilot’s license and is currently flying for King Fisher airlines and also interviewing for pilot’s positions in other airlines. We met him at Vadodara Central, one of the many new malls that just opened in Vadodara. At the mall, Rachna bought an international cell phone that she will use while in Kathmandu. Jess bought a headband to control those crazy curls that seem to go wild in this unbearable humidity! It was interesting to see a mall that carried both Indian and American clothes, but the thing that caught us off guard the most was to see so many American items (clothes, makeup, perfume, and even food) in the middle of an Indian city!
After leaving the mall, we picked up one of Ba’s friends and went to the restaurant at the Hotel Suriya. It was very nice inside, and the greatest perk was that it was air-conditioned! At the restaurant, we had a delicious Punjabi meal which only cost 750 rupees (or about $16 dollars) for the five of us!
We went to Ba’s friends house afterwards to sit down and talk for about an hour. After we left, we went to a shopping center where Jess and Radhika bought Indian-style hobo bags. We also went and looked around in some of the nearby clothing stores. We then left and came home. Around 8 pm, we finally got access to the Internet at one of Ba’s neighbors houses. It was a relief to finally be able to check our e-mail and contact our friends! Other than that, we spent the rest of our time reading, eating, and watching TV – a very chill and relaxing evening.
Sunday, June 22
This morning, after breakfast at 7:30am, we went to the park with the children who live behind the house (Sajol and Mahul). We planned to run/workout and then play on the playround, but after three laps of the track we had to stop. We wanted to keep running, it felt good, but it was just WAY too hot. We played tag with the kids and then played on the playground for a while. We came back to the house and the kids showed me their school work. They did lots of cool drawings, and English numbers and letters. Sejal, the eleven-year-old girl counted to 100 in English!
The children’s mom works in Ba (grandma’s) house, and they live on the property right behind Ba’s own house. We then played music with them and sang. We started off with the ABC’s and some other things with silly hand motions they could follow. Then, we remembered that Sejal was learning animal names in her English book, so we sang the longest version of “Old Mac Donald Had a Farm” that we have ever sang. She came up with some very interesting animals, i.e. sparrow, crow, frog, etc. We had a lot of fun singing.
In the afternoon, the dressmaker came. Rachna and her family get all of their clothes (mostly Indian traditional wear) handmade by fabric they select on their own. The dressmaker comes to the house and measures them and then constructs beautiful clothing made especially for them!
After that, we went to a cousin’s neighborhood. There, we sat with the family, and played cricket in the street with all of the boys from the neighborhood! It was the first time we had ever played cricket. There was also a boy there with Down syndrome, and we are going tomorrow to see his school! Apparently, he goes to an inclusive public school, very cool. We are excited to see it, and will tell about it in our blog tomorrow! Goodnight!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Hi from India!
Hello!
As we said earlier, we had a great flight and great food greeted us.
I was pretty nervous before the plane ride about how different the culture would be. I was drastically a minority on the plane, maybe six other white people, but it's really great here I don't feel that different!
There are many subtleties of the culture that I am already getting used to, but are nonetheless different! I will share some: one, many people, on the plane and in the airport, do not use deodorant. The airplane's smell reflected that slightly. Then, the airport, some parts were air conditioned, others were not. Coming out of the airport was CRAZY! Cars ran right up next to pedestrians pulling luggage, and in the first moment we stepped out of the airport we saw a girl almost get run over, her bags got hit by a car. It took us a little bit to find Rachna's family, but her cousin came and found us.
They were SO hospitable to us, bringing all of our luggage for us and cooking us a whole meal at 11:30 in the night!! Her cousins stayed up, chatted, and played cards with us rather than going to sleep.
A little first funny culture-story, well a few of them:
When I first got in the car to go to her cousin's house, I freaked when her cousin's hands weren't on the steering wheel! I whispered to Radhika (Rachna's sister), "Oh my gosh, he's not holding the wheel" only to realize that that was the PASSENGER side of the car, haha.
Another moment was after customs, there was a "lush" bathroom, and I went in the first stall i saw and there was a toilet with a fancy hole in the ground and a shower hose to clean yourself. I sucked it up and squattted and did my business. Afterwards, I found out that all of the other stalls were regular.. rachna and her sister didn't even use that kind!
So, I am adjusting little by little. I liked the Indian food so far.
We're off to the airport to fly to Rachna's grandmother's area!
As we said earlier, we had a great flight and great food greeted us.
I was pretty nervous before the plane ride about how different the culture would be. I was drastically a minority on the plane, maybe six other white people, but it's really great here I don't feel that different!
There are many subtleties of the culture that I am already getting used to, but are nonetheless different! I will share some: one, many people, on the plane and in the airport, do not use deodorant. The airplane's smell reflected that slightly. Then, the airport, some parts were air conditioned, others were not. Coming out of the airport was CRAZY! Cars ran right up next to pedestrians pulling luggage, and in the first moment we stepped out of the airport we saw a girl almost get run over, her bags got hit by a car. It took us a little bit to find Rachna's family, but her cousin came and found us.
They were SO hospitable to us, bringing all of our luggage for us and cooking us a whole meal at 11:30 in the night!! Her cousins stayed up, chatted, and played cards with us rather than going to sleep.
A little first funny culture-story, well a few of them:
When I first got in the car to go to her cousin's house, I freaked when her cousin's hands weren't on the steering wheel! I whispered to Radhika (Rachna's sister), "Oh my gosh, he's not holding the wheel" only to realize that that was the PASSENGER side of the car, haha.
Another moment was after customs, there was a "lush" bathroom, and I went in the first stall i saw and there was a toilet with a fancy hole in the ground and a shower hose to clean yourself. I sucked it up and squattted and did my business. Afterwards, I found out that all of the other stalls were regular.. rachna and her sister didn't even use that kind!
So, I am adjusting little by little. I liked the Indian food so far.
We're off to the airport to fly to Rachna's grandmother's area!
Rachna -- We're in Mumbai, India!
Hey everybody! We finally reached India safe and sound after a long ordeal yesterday and an even longer flight today. The flight went smoothly, and we got a lot of sleep and watched many, many movies. Right now, we are at my cousin's house just resting up and playing cards before we take off at 5:50 am (India time) to go to Vadodara to meet up with my grandmother. We had a wonderful dinner here that consisted of 2 types of Indian bread (puri and roti), a potato dish, a dish consisted of Indian cheese, and pureed mango. It was delicious, and our stay here (although it will only be for a few hours) has been wonderful. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to stop by and see my family since I haven't seen them for many years -- they've been so hospitable!
Alright! Well, we're off and on our way to Vadodara, India. We'll blog from there... stay tuned!
~Rachna
Alright! Well, we're off and on our way to Vadodara, India. We'll blog from there... stay tuned!
~Rachna
Monday, June 16, 2008
Bad Weather
As Jess said, bad weather prevented us from leaving today, so we will be embarking on our journey tomorrow! Hopefully, we'll be at my grandmother's house by evening on June 18th (morning of the 19th in India). We'll keep updating the blog, so keep checking!
Major flight delays
So, both of us got indefinitely delayed into Newark, and so are staying in Cleveland (Jessi)/Atlanta (Rachna) until tomorrow when we will leave in the MORNING this time to Newark to try catching the 8:20pm flight tomorrow night from Newark to Bombay. Who would have thought that 4 hours in between wasn't enough safety room. There were lots of storms in the Newark/New York area, and many flights were delayed and lots canceled too. Just all part of the travel experience...
So, we will delay our India trip by a day. Goodnight for now, and we will (hopefully) be blogging from India by Wednesday night or Thursday morning!
So, we will delay our India trip by a day. Goodnight for now, and we will (hopefully) be blogging from India by Wednesday night or Thursday morning!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
We are leaving tomorrow!!!
We are leaving tomorrow (June 16) for India! We depart Newark at 8:20 pm tomorrow and arrive in Bombay on Tuesday evening June 17 (India time).
The time in Vadodara, the city where we will be staying where Rachna's grandmother lives, is 9 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Eastern Standard Time.
We will be bringing Jessi's computer, so you can e-mail us and see our blogs that we plan to update at least once a week!
The time in Vadodara, the city where we will be staying where Rachna's grandmother lives, is 9 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Eastern Standard Time.
We will be bringing Jessi's computer, so you can e-mail us and see our blogs that we plan to update at least once a week!
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