Brilliant

So how do you find India? The phrasing of the question would literally require an answer that asks me to locate the country. So India lies in the area between China, Tibet, Nepal and Pakistan with the lower portion of the country surrounded by the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. But what is meant by the question is what do I think of India and do I like it here.

It’s brilliant. I love it here.
I’m usually asked why and more often than not I just follow those two statements with my reasons:

The people- the people that I have met embraced me as part of their family. They have redefined hospitality for me and have shown me aspects of the culture I could never find out as a tourist. As for the people I don’t know I am in awe of their work ethic and sense of well being.
There is a house being built across the street from me and the entire construction crew, at least three families, lives on the work site. It’s hard to imagine, but they’ve constructed brick huts with low ceilings. The women carry at least ten bricks on their heads, wear a sari, and climb a split level stair case to deliver the materials to the men on the upper level. My mom wanted to snap some photos when she was here and they more than welcomed her over to their side of the road. They posed with bricks on their heads and smiled joyfully when my mom showed them the digital image on the camera. These people see my house and the way I live but they are content living with their living arrangements. That amazes me.
The colors of fabrics and flowers and foods-yes, I enjoy Indian food and the spices are not too much for me. I’m partial to Pushpa’s cooking though.
I like everything that’s going on around me on the city streets. I can see a man getting shaved by another man, a bull strutting down the street, a man napping in the middle of a lawn, and a friendly game of cards on another grassy area. (I don’t see as many women out on the streets but I figure they are working or at home.)

These reasons typically suffice.

Waste management, pollution, electricity, water and road conditions are the less appealing aspects of New Delhi. The limited infrastructure shocks me and marks India as a developing country. Though the city is gearing up for the Commonwealth Games in 2010, New Delhi will look nice but still fall short of meeting the standard of living that most Americans consider normal. Hopefully the government and the people will consider creating a waste management system that will preserve the beauty of the city and ward off disease and general filth. At Greenwich High School I preach about cleaning up after oneself. The litter in the classrooms and in the student center irks me tremendously. The “oh, that’s the custodians’ job” excuse does not suffice. One must clean up after him or herself. If I don’t take responsibility for cleaning up after myself and the students don’t either, the surroundings would be littered with as much rubbish as I find on the streets of Delhi. The people here tolerate it; in fact I’m not so sure they see it the way I do. The trash is often burned and I believe the plastic bags and certain other materials emit a noxious fume. Breathing in these fumes can endanger one’s health and further pollute the environment.

Though I like India, when I come home to my clean and quaint home in Gurgaon, I find that I am much more relaxed. Seeing the streets and the differences here can be exhausting.

I have a great deal more to see in New Delhi but more often than not when I come home from school I prefer to stay inside and rest. Yet time is running out and I must take in as much as I can.

Music: “Shiver” Coldplay-Parachutes

Happy Thanksgiving

Time flies. Only one month remains of my Indian adventure. Though the visa delay was meant to be, I certainly wish I had more time to experience the magic that India has revealed to me. This weekend I am traveling to Chandigarh and Kasauli. This will be the last time I leave Delhi before I travel home.
Actually this is the last weekend that I don't have to work on Saturday. We are making up some lost work days due to the traders' strike in New Delhi.

I have a free block of time this morning at work so I have decided to update the blog. Jasbir dropped me off at school and then left again to go food shopping for tonight's Thanksgiving feast. I invited the four other Fulbright Americans over for dinner. Karan, my brilliant downstairs neighbor, will also join us. The dinner will be green beans, carrots, mashed potatoes, chicken (there are no turkeys in India), dal-lentils-an Indian staple at dinner, and stuffing.

I wish all my American friends and family a Happy Thanksgiving. I am grateful that you care about me and feel fortunate to have your support.

Music: "Missing" Everything But the Girl- Amplified Heart

Photos

http://picasaweb.google.com/KSteinhorn


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Kimberly Ma'am

The students call me Ma’am and sometimes Kimberly Ma’am. I wasn’t used to it at first, but now whenever I hear ma’am I turn to see if someone is calling me. Ms. or Mrs. Steinhorn conjures up a sense of authority that I’m not entirely suited for. I’m informal with most people.
Students at Sanskriti do not switch rooms when the bell rings; instead they wait for the next teacher to arrive. That technique would work well at GHS since the hallways are incredibly congested during passing time.
I am class teacher/homeroom teacher for IXF so I spend the most time in their room. When I show up the students rise to greet me and wait until I say it’s okay to sit down. This formality demonstrates a respect and readiness for learning that I find refreshing. Most students rise when answering a question. In classrooms with ceiling fans blowing and windows open this enhances their voice projection. But it also empowers students to be more confident and assertive in responding to questions. There are about thirty students in each class and raising hands does not come naturally for them. When my mother visited she was overwhelmed when all the students called out answers and I had to establish a sense of order in the classroom. It’s this kind of enthusiasm that impresses me at Sanskriti.
Class lists are alphabetized by the students’ first names: Abimanyu, Adiraj, Aditya and so on. Only two of the five lists have repeated names: Radhika and Rishabh. A first name is intimate and unique. This slight difference made me think about the power of a name.

Tuesday, November 14th is celebrated as Children’s Day in India. This date is used because it was Pundit Nehru’s birth date and he was particularly fond of children. Our school celebrated with a show for the students. Sanskriti has an outdoor amphitheatre and the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 11th graders filled the slate stairs to see what talents their teachers had for them. The 10th and 12th graders actually had to study for exams. The first number was a dance; the next act involved the students who had to “feed the baby.” After the partners met one person sat in a chair and had his or her hands tied behind his or her back. The other person was then blindfolded and he or she had to feed the contents of an ice cream cup to the student sitting down. Everyone had a good laugh over that. One of my students, Vanshika, was called on stage. When she was told what she had to do her face was marked with an expression that read, why do I have to do this? How did I get picked?
Another dance involved about six teachers who dressed up as tigers. After that dance came a skit that involved this famous Hindi movie star visiting Sanskriti. (“Lage Raho Munnabhai” Sanjay Dutl) I came out for the staff room scene and when Abha introduced me to him as the American exchange teacher I played the loud stereotype. I said, Hey Man, what’s up? High Five! I heard you’re pretty cool. That’s awesome… and so on. I definitely got a rouse out of the student body. It was fun. The presentation ended with some singing and the students were dancing in their seats and singing along. It was fantastic. Later in the day each student was given a KitKat candy bar.
I brought in a special Indian sweet called ladoos. The sweet is a small ball of sugar and another ingredient I’m not sure about. I haven’t had anything like it before and it was unbelievably sweet. The kids loved them. It was fun to celebrate the students all day. You might guess that no teaching was done that day. :)

My mom’s visit just ended. She had a great time and made the most of everyday. We laughed heartily and said “no problem” in response to many situations. Jasbir makes this hand gesture and says no problem to things that might create a challenge. For some reason I can’t think of one right now but I know that every time he says no problem, especially now, I’ll think of my mom and have a quiet giggle for her.
I’m fortunate that my mom ventured across the world to India. When I told her I was applying for this grant, she naturally asked where I wanted to go.
India is my first choice.
Oh please, anywhere but India.
That comment was made in October of last year when I submitted my application. A year later my mother has come and gone to a country she originally was afraid to visit.

There are dangers everywhere in life. And health concerns made my mother nervous. (Your health is your wealth, my mom often says.)
Terrorism and bombings also worried her. Rightly so.
After seeing my living conditions and the school and meeting the community of people I associate with, my mother’s view of India shifted drastically.

Even now I can’t recall what I thought I would see when I came to India. My goal was to keep an open mind. Different doesn’t mean one thing is better than the other. Perhaps I should just say that India is unlike any place I have ever visited.

Music: “I don’t need no doctor” Ray Charles

Lamplighter

Lighting the lamp begins the ceremony. For Sanskriti's Annual Day I was asked to be one of the lamplighters on Saturday night. I bought a new saree for the occasion and a half an armful of bangles to match it. I felt like a true Indian. I wore a matching bindi and I had my mom take a few pictures of me.
I told Sree all about Annual Day that morning and she asked me to have a photo taken of me lighting the lamp. I asked the student and teacher who were stationed by the lamp to hold my camera so when I was lighting the lamp they could catch me on film.
The compares, also known as emcees, announced that the principal and chief guest would now come to light the lamp. They said nothing about anyone else lighting it. I decided not to leave my seat. I wasn't announced and I thought it would be rude to join the principal and the chief guest, who happened to be New Delhi's commissioner of education.
My mom encouraged me to go but I was stuck in my seat in the audience for the rest of the night. What about your camera? It's fine; I'll get it later.
Later in the evening a student returned the camera to me.

Sunday morning mom and I headed out the Agra to see the Taj Mahal. I pulled out my camera and prepared to capture any scenes on the street that were interesting. When I flipped through the previous photos I saw four pictures of my colleagues backstage. How sweet! I thought. My colleagues took these great photos of themselves for me. I loved it.

This Monday morning I told Smita how pleased I was with the photos. She said she had no idea it was my camera and all of the ladies backstage thought it was the school's camera. They were listening to the speeches and having a student take these great pictures. Too funny.
When I told the other ladies in the photos that I thought they took the pictures for me, they laughed too.

I guess when I look at this little anecdote I think about how I am one among many. Though I donned the finest garb for the evening I didn't even light the lamp. And the pictures I thought were taken just for me weren't. But I'm so glad I have the memory I do of that fantastic Annual Day evening.

Yoga! Pizza!

I have been craving pizza for the past week. Yesterday I stopped at a place called "Pizza Corner" and ordered a medium pie. I ate all of it except for the one piece I gave to Jasbir. The cheese and sauce made me happy. Indian food is fantastic but that is all I eat. This pizza satisfied me for awhile and now I know where to go to get some more.

Yesterday I went to my first yoga class in India. It was held in a private home near where I live. There were about 24 people in the class and it felt great to practice with others. I know I'll be going back for more classes.

School has been a bit fragmented due to "Annual Day." It's really annual week and the productions that the students put on are incredible. Actually right now during school "The Ramayan" is being performed for the 6th, 9th, and 11th grade students. The Ramayan is an ancient story of noble Ram and his wife Sita. Children learn the epic from their parents and grandparents and many festivals in India revolve around The Ramayan. There are other dances and plays and songs in the production also. Students have been called out of classes to practice and not much school work is getting done. This past Wednesday school was closed for the students due to the Annual Day. School was supposed to be closed Monday for a traders' strike, but we came in to oversee more practices for Annual Day. The traders' strike created complete havoc in Delhi on Wednesday. Shops were closed and some violence developed in parts of the city. I avoided the city that day and instead went to a bird sanctuary south of Gurgaon. I didn't see many birds but it was nice to be outside in the wilderness.

Finding yoga and pizza makes this place feel more like home. I am quite content here.