Hello, My Faithful Readers
April
3, 2017
Volume 1, Number 5
As promised I will continue with PART 2 of my recent
trip to India and also to continue sharing my experiences here in Tbilisi,
Georgia!
First, India
At some point during the camp we were invited to a
Community Fair that was going to benefit a local school (sorry I don’t know the
name of the adopted school). The Aamby International School (we were using
their facilities) was to give the proceeds to buy computers for the adopted
school.
What I do know is that the adopted school was
created for the children of women who are prostitutes (aka, sex workers) in
India. I have no idea of the enrollment or any other details; however, I was
amazed that there are so many children in this category that there is a need
and that group can occupy an entire school. I was so pleased that the Aamby School
took this on to try and help them out.
I bought an
umbrella that was hand painted by the students in the adopted school. I was a
little concerned that the colors would run on me once I used the umbrella in
the rain; but, they used some special treatment and the colors are now embedded
into the plastic and I can use it safely. It looks like a modern art painting
and I will have a wonderful memory every time I used it.
While I was in India; I made an appointment to get
an Ayurvedic Message; however, the woman who was to give the massage ended up
being called out of town so my appointment was cancelled. I was so
disappointed; but then, I waited almost to the end of my stay in India so I had
no fall back. It would have been a wonderful experience and doing it in India
would have just been the topping on the cake. Oh well, Maybe next time.
The celebration of HOLI was happening in India while
the camp was in progress. I’ve attached a photo of me in LIVING color J. It is the festival of color and also the
festival of love (see link below). I had two opportunities to get crazy with
color and fun. The first was with the students and staff while we were on the
campus of the Aamby School. The bags of
different colors were thrown so that we were covered in colors. Then, the water
was turned on and – wham, we had color and some of it turned to paste. The
students was running around and slipping and sliding in the grass and mud that
resulted from the water.
The second adventure was in Mumbai, as we all spent
a day or so in Mumbai as we were waiting for your flights back to our next
destination. We were on Juhu Beach which is surrounded by the Arabian Sea. It
was a glorious day with brilliant sun, sand and so many people. Once again, the
HOLI colors were flying and once again we were engulfed in color. This time;
however, we didn’t go into the water so it was basically just a bunch of grown
up kids (me and friends) walking around in colors of red, green, blue and
orange. We were a sight to behold.
Once the local residents realized that they had
foreigners on the beach with them they surrounded us and celebrated with us.
The police also arrived; I think just to insure we didn’t run into any trouble.
I was told, not sure how true it is, but that the
Arabian Sea is polluted; but, the locals still swim in it. I didn’t even go
near the water line as I was concerned that somehow I would have ended up in
the water and I didn’t want that. Overall what a couple of days celebrating
HOLI with the folks that I just worked with at the LEAP camp.
One more thing before I leave India and talk about
Georgia – In Mumbai we stayed at a fabulous hotel. It was about one city block
away from the beach. It was hard to believe that I was in India as the hotel
could have been in any city in the USA or the world, for that matter. At the
hotel, it was the first time I had a shower in almost a month. At the camp I
had bucket showers; but at the hotel I could stand under the water for as long
as I wanted and not worry about the hot water stopping or just the water
stopping at all. It was really lovely.
We didn’t eat at the hotel; as our Director knew the
city very well so we went to local restaurants. In the evening we went to a
night club in Mumbai. What an experience that was. At times I felt like I was
in NYC. We parties and ate just about everything on the menu – all the while we
were passing the time until our travel to the airport for 4:00am flights.
So, let’s talk about Georgia:
Returning to Tbilisi is always welcomed. It did take
me a few days to get myself back to normal (whatever that is) J.
Whenever I travel I usually plan for what is next and this trip was no
exception. So, when I get home from my travels I end up having pages and pages
of notes that I need to review and start to unravel what to do about them.
One of the things that I’ve been kicking around now
for quite some time is the possibility of creating a “Non-Traditional Education
Course.” So, what does that mean…it means teaching English but without the
standard A-B-C-D learning and the grammar. Honestly, I hate grammar (but maybe
you know that with my writing). I want to teach or talk about all the life
skills that don’t get address during the school day…some examples are planning
and goal setting; telling the difference between fact and opinion; why do we
believe advertising will change our lives…I could go on with topics; but, this
type of learning can absolutely be coupled with learning English.
So, since I’ve been back I have been working to get
this off the ground and I think I may have connected with an organization here
in Tbilisi that will let me “test drive” my new program. Stay tuned for more
details.
I’ve also applied to other organizations that allow
people (me) to teach and travel (which is “The Dream”) for me. It does take a
lot of time to complete these applications; finding people to give you
references and just generally gather information that will make me marketable
as well as updating (always) my resume.
The cable car that transports people to Turtle Lake
has finally been completed. It is on my
list; but have not been able to get to it yet. More later.
I’ve spent time catching up with friends and also
getting my apartment back in-order and getting ready for what is next. I
planned a trip To Morocco in August; so doing research to supplement what I
already know.
I am still volunteering at the Infant House (I have
written about this in previous blogs). I also joined ETAG (English Teachers Association
of Georgia) which is an organization that supports teaching in Georgia. I
belonged back in 2015; but I dropped off their grid when I was finishing up the
Peace Corps and establishing myself in residence here in Tbilisi.
So, not real exciting stuff – Huh, Sports Fans J…but,
it is real life here. I do take some time out to watch TV and have loved
catching up with HOMELAND and The AMERICANS…both, really good TV programs.
Also, I am still a jigsaw puzzle junkie…and so glad to have my puzzle table
back again.
One final item – I bought some tickets to the Big
Band Concert that will take place on April 30th. Now, I must tell
you finding places in Tbilisi is often aligned with an exercise program. So
often, there are no street signs or numbers. If you know where you are going,
then its fine – but, mostly I walked around in circles until someone showed me
the alley way, hidden behind a construction site, to find the box office. So
often, I want to give up in these situations – but, I didn’t and I did get the
tickets and so you will hear about it in the next blog.
So, back to India!
One of the day trips was to Pune, about 90 minutes
from our camp site; however, because of the traffic it took almost 3 hours…Thank
goodness the bus was Air Conditioned – but, it was awful inching along with the
feeling that you were in a bumper car situation. Pune is an up and coming
location for technology. Lots of US companies use this location for the “call
centers”. We visited the “Saturday Fort” in Pune; which is called that because
the work was started on a Saturday to build the fort.
We went to McDonalds – Yes, you read that correct.
The students just love McDonalds – so, that was an agenda item for our trip. We
also did some shopping in one of their outdoor malls. With the additional
travel time due to traffic; well we didn’t get to see much else; but, it was an
interesting day.
In addition, we spent the day at an amusement park.
I was not really happy about this and so wanted to get out of it; but, I am so
glad that I went. It was a terrific day. I didn’t go on many rides; but, so
often I felt like I was in DisneyWorld.
The seven dwarfs were there, a parade; and a water section that people
(not me) used as a dance floor. I just didn’t want to go home wet on the bus
ride. The students ran around like folks
let out of prison J…..it was exhausting but awesome.
So, I’d like to share a little more about the
classroom behavior for Afghanistan Students. First of all; whenever they are
called on to speak they stand up to answer. They don’t sit in their seats like
Georgian Students do. I just love that custom. I believe that Oratory should be
given while standing….I so encouraged this.
Whenever a student speaks; before they speak that
always say “In the Name of Allah”. Also, the call to prayer was an important
part of our day. There was a prayer schedule and locations were designated so
the students would know what direction to face when praying. The washing of the
hands and feet prior to prayer was an adventure. The bathrooms were soaked with
water as students used the sinks to prepare themselves. This was new to me and
welcomed.
Interesting aspect of India at the Airport was
discovered in a most unusual way. One of the teachers and I traveled to the
airport for our trip home. Now, I am old school and always carry paper copies
of my schedule. I am glad I did as you
cannot enter the airport without proof that you are booked on a flight. We
stood in line with our luggage while an officer checked our documentation
before we could even get into the airport. My friend only had her information
on her phone but since there was no wifi outside the airport she could not
access her information and the officer would not let her into the airport.
I did take her documents into the airport and after
about an hour found the right person to be able to provide documentation so
that my friend could enter the airport. It was a little tense; but it got done.
Also, there are lines through security that are for
women ONLY. The reason is that there are curtains placed around a cubical so
that when the officer searches you are not out in the open for everyone to see
you being searched.
I know I’ve left out so much of what happened in
India; but I will add into future blogs information that I think you might be
interested in. All-in-all; it was an amazing trip. I hope I am invited back;
but, we shall see. The next program is in September.
I am ready for what is next although I am not at all
sure what that is. Stay Tuned!
All the best, My Faithful Readers
Catherine Lawrence – 4/3/17
Taj Mahal, Agra, India - November 2006
