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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.