We had certainly enjoyed the first three months in Kullu. In mid December Anine has completed her project and Modestas continued his own work until March.
It was difficult to adjust mylelf to the new emotional environment, as I inevitably felt lonier and lonier as time went by. Besides the children, to whom I would speak at school and Ankit's family, there were little people to communicate with.
However, ten days after Anine had left, me and Panki travelled to Delhi and a attended a conference called the training programme on counseling skills on children protection. For five days we were taught counseling and empathy and active listening and how to make an Asian PPT presentation.
Panki was my guide around Delhi for five days. He is a really warm and interesting person. He showed me the biggest electronics market in Asia. He took me to the biggest hardware market in Asia. And, finally, he told me of the biggest vegetables market in Asia, which we I haven’t had my honor to see.
Both of us found the conference interesting in one or the other way. I personally enjoyed all the ladies speakers. They were great communicators, and I have to admit, Indian women have beautiful eyes and smile. Once they are activated together, people tend to be lured into listening, subconsciously. The male speakers positioned themselves firmly into the chairs and gave us the “lecture”. I am glad that I have learned how to understand children's mind. The conference material is very applicable when dealing with the children in Kullu.
Kalyehli
Remember those thirty naughty boys living to together in Kalyehli? Well, it turned out that they liked Anine too much and I was no good substitute for her charms. Therefore I devised a new plan how to reach out for them. Firstly, by combining the forces of Hollywood and Bollywood I managed to increase their attention span. And whilst I taught them some Geography and English they secretly awaited the movie. I made lots of promises to them. A movie, a game and an opportunity to see me cooking in the kitchen... Even I loved travelling back to childhood when watching Disney animation (I must confess, I have never seen Disney movies as a child!) such as Mulan, Beauty and the Monster or Hindi movies like Salaam Bombay and Lagaan.
An interesting observation, the negative temperature change decreased their metabolism rate (?) and as the Himachali winter came, the boys slowed down – all for my pleasure! Also, in the previous post we complained the “Save the girl child” performance was called off. To our surprise we got to know that the boys have translated the play into Hindi and the resulting performance guarateed them the 2nd place prize in Shimla!
Mount Everest public school
Also known to us as the Nepali immigrant workers children school in Manali (NIWCSIM), it was closed for the winter holidays before the New Year and will never be hosted in that building again. It is looking for a new residence building in Manali. Aslo, Sonny, the main teacher, had left Himachal for her native Andhra where people eat rice and idlees.
KAB school for blind in Sarwari bazaar
Lots of changes have taken place in this institution. I had continued working with the primary section children until the end of January, when the youngest ones returned to their own homes for five weeks.
Before that I met a generous toy shoy owner who kindheartedly donated an Indian alternative for Lego toys. The children loved construckting the bricks, and their visuo-motor cortexes loved this activity as well! Actually, once the young ones were gone, we played with the elder students, as they showed great interest into expressing their inner selves. Once again big thanks to Anine who has nurtured the idea of action kinesthetic learning as opposed to the orthodox oral communication. Yet I printed out a book by Hans Ch. Andersen and read it out loud to the children. I still wonder whether they really liked my fairy tales reading time, but I did so for shure!
I have long thought of empowering the local plastic resources i.e. the bottles. I cleaned and dried (sapf oor sooki) 20 of them in various sizes and shapes. After all this laborious experience I left the children alone of putting the necessary (according to their superior hearing abilities which I lack) amounts of rice, chick peas, beans and plastic. Not surprisingly, rice had once again proved its reputation as the Universal Accoustic Matter (UAM).
On the winter mornings, I would find the teachers and their students cosily sitting around the stove. Despite the prevailing darkness where the stove stood, it was amazing to see teachers like Shakuntla , Sapna or Puja teaching their students. Trully intimate and personal sight, which I won't forget.
Nowadays, when the little ones are at home, I come to the blind school to see my old friends and record. I am constantly praised for my, here exotic, Eastern European accent.
Bharat Bharti public school
As always I start my visit to Bharat Bharti by climbing/hiking the Sultanpur and Dhalpur hills. Back home I will tell my friends that I was mounteneering in India quite a lot. This physical exircise is an insoperable part of Kullu. And besides, once at Bharat Bharti – I get a generous lunch offer.
Someitmes I recive a plate with four giagantic momos, or two sidos, or chao ming, or maybe potato chips and cookies (so much of the hiking experience...)
Nowadays I was assigned to work with the 9 graders who are really quirky. It is also much easier to establish my authority and control that gang of 30 students. And they really turn up in great numbers compared to the teenage angst symptomatic 11 graders. What we do I do with my new class?
To start with we played a variety of initiative and leadership games, trying to raise their self-confidence. It still shocks me to realize that the public education system is the true No.1 self-confidence killer. It's reversible of course. Additionally, we tried out making a theatre performance, but after two consecutive classes the final result lacked quality. Some of the children were less then eager to express their thoughts (and say those lines) most of the time.
We have also tried to attempt a few discussions about the soaring numbers of Indian students suicides and womens' rights. This time poor English skill were emegent, and once allewed to discuss it in Hindi, the students seemed eager to share their ideas. And in the end, Bharat Bharti's children are my best friends here in Kully, especially the 11 graders Diwia, Tejender and Tenzing.
I am eager to observe where will the Kullu project sets its sails to once I am gone.
Best regards,
Modestas (^ ^)
It was difficult to adjust mylelf to the new emotional environment, as I inevitably felt lonier and lonier as time went by. Besides the children, to whom I would speak at school and Ankit's family, there were little people to communicate with.
However, ten days after Anine had left, me and Panki travelled to Delhi and a attended a conference called the training programme on counseling skills on children protection. For five days we were taught counseling and empathy and active listening and how to make an Asian PPT presentation.
Panki was my guide around Delhi for five days. He is a really warm and interesting person. He showed me the biggest electronics market in Asia. He took me to the biggest hardware market in Asia. And, finally, he told me of the biggest vegetables market in Asia, which we I haven’t had my honor to see.
Both of us found the conference interesting in one or the other way. I personally enjoyed all the ladies speakers. They were great communicators, and I have to admit, Indian women have beautiful eyes and smile. Once they are activated together, people tend to be lured into listening, subconsciously. The male speakers positioned themselves firmly into the chairs and gave us the “lecture”. I am glad that I have learned how to understand children's mind. The conference material is very applicable when dealing with the children in Kullu.
Kalyehli
Remember those thirty naughty boys living to together in Kalyehli? Well, it turned out that they liked Anine too much and I was no good substitute for her charms. Therefore I devised a new plan how to reach out for them. Firstly, by combining the forces of Hollywood and Bollywood I managed to increase their attention span. And whilst I taught them some Geography and English they secretly awaited the movie. I made lots of promises to them. A movie, a game and an opportunity to see me cooking in the kitchen... Even I loved travelling back to childhood when watching Disney animation (I must confess, I have never seen Disney movies as a child!) such as Mulan, Beauty and the Monster or Hindi movies like Salaam Bombay and Lagaan.
An interesting observation, the negative temperature change decreased their metabolism rate (?) and as the Himachali winter came, the boys slowed down – all for my pleasure! Also, in the previous post we complained the “Save the girl child” performance was called off. To our surprise we got to know that the boys have translated the play into Hindi and the resulting performance guarateed them the 2nd place prize in Shimla!
Mount Everest public school
Also known to us as the Nepali immigrant workers children school in Manali (NIWCSIM), it was closed for the winter holidays before the New Year and will never be hosted in that building again. It is looking for a new residence building in Manali. Aslo, Sonny, the main teacher, had left Himachal for her native Andhra where people eat rice and idlees.
KAB school for blind in Sarwari bazaar
Lots of changes have taken place in this institution. I had continued working with the primary section children until the end of January, when the youngest ones returned to their own homes for five weeks.
Before that I met a generous toy shoy owner who kindheartedly donated an Indian alternative for Lego toys. The children loved construckting the bricks, and their visuo-motor cortexes loved this activity as well! Actually, once the young ones were gone, we played with the elder students, as they showed great interest into expressing their inner selves. Once again big thanks to Anine who has nurtured the idea of action kinesthetic learning as opposed to the orthodox oral communication. Yet I printed out a book by Hans Ch. Andersen and read it out loud to the children. I still wonder whether they really liked my fairy tales reading time, but I did so for shure!
I have long thought of empowering the local plastic resources i.e. the bottles. I cleaned and dried (sapf oor sooki) 20 of them in various sizes and shapes. After all this laborious experience I left the children alone of putting the necessary (according to their superior hearing abilities which I lack) amounts of rice, chick peas, beans and plastic. Not surprisingly, rice had once again proved its reputation as the Universal Accoustic Matter (UAM).
On the winter mornings, I would find the teachers and their students cosily sitting around the stove. Despite the prevailing darkness where the stove stood, it was amazing to see teachers like Shakuntla , Sapna or Puja teaching their students. Trully intimate and personal sight, which I won't forget.
Nowadays, when the little ones are at home, I come to the blind school to see my old friends and record. I am constantly praised for my, here exotic, Eastern European accent.
Bharat Bharti public school
As always I start my visit to Bharat Bharti by climbing/hiking the Sultanpur and Dhalpur hills. Back home I will tell my friends that I was mounteneering in India quite a lot. This physical exircise is an insoperable part of Kullu. And besides, once at Bharat Bharti – I get a generous lunch offer.
Someitmes I recive a plate with four giagantic momos, or two sidos, or chao ming, or maybe potato chips and cookies (so much of the hiking experience...)
Nowadays I was assigned to work with the 9 graders who are really quirky. It is also much easier to establish my authority and control that gang of 30 students. And they really turn up in great numbers compared to the teenage angst symptomatic 11 graders. What we do I do with my new class?
To start with we played a variety of initiative and leadership games, trying to raise their self-confidence. It still shocks me to realize that the public education system is the true No.1 self-confidence killer. It's reversible of course. Additionally, we tried out making a theatre performance, but after two consecutive classes the final result lacked quality. Some of the children were less then eager to express their thoughts (and say those lines) most of the time.
We have also tried to attempt a few discussions about the soaring numbers of Indian students suicides and womens' rights. This time poor English skill were emegent, and once allewed to discuss it in Hindi, the students seemed eager to share their ideas. And in the end, Bharat Bharti's children are my best friends here in Kully, especially the 11 graders Diwia, Tejender and Tenzing.
I am eager to observe where will the Kullu project sets its sails to once I am gone.
Best regards,
Modestas (^ ^)
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