New Beginnings

As you can see, people of all ages provide constant traffic through the
dining room, and so we hope all will enjoy the new paint job! This little
guy's name is Joy, who since we arrived three weeks ago has become
increasingly independent and mobile.

Hello Readers! Katie and I spent the day trying out some new projects here at Nav Jeevan. We noticed when we first arrived that none of the school/hostel bathrooms are labeled with "Boys" and "Girls." Of course, clearly the school children know which is which, but for us it was very confusing. Similarly, we expect that new students, other volunteers, and visitors could be puzzled by not knowing which is which. Therefore, today, we began a painting project to label the bathroom doors. Though we only did two doors today (of 10), one for boys and one for girls, tomorrow we will begin again at the start of school, so that we have more time where the fewest children will be tempted to touch the paint.

We also began an after school medical project. Katie and I are going to give each of the children "check-ups," checking their eyes, heart, and skin, for example. Our goal is to give each child our undivided attention for 10-15 minutes, which will allow for them to have conversations with us, ask us any questions, and just practice their English! Hopefully, when we complete all of the children, we can talk to the Wardens about the children and understand if there are any areas for continued growth and improvement. For example, Mamta, one of the 5th graders, mentioned to us during her "check-up" today that though she loves school, she cannot see the chalkboard if the teachers ask her to sit in the back of the room. When she sits in the back, Mamta said the board looks like "swirling water." After checking her eyes with a Snellen Eye Chart, it seems that Mampta could be slightly near-sighted and could use some glasses, a very common childhood need! I am sure we will be able to figure something out for her to make school more accessible.

The two boys pictured here have their seats in the dining room right next to the wall
where we will paint the mural.

Aside from these activities, Katie and I have begun planning a "dining room transformation," in which we hope to repaint and decorate the dining room, which is in use almost all day. Anoup, one of the 8th grade boys has drawn us a plan for a mural he hopes to contribute to the project, as his career goal is to become an artist. We will keep you posted on our progress!

Katie and I made some CPR, choking, and first aid posters that we will hang in the newly painted dining room for all to use.

Today's Student: Anil!

Today, Katie and I would like to welcome Anil Jadhav to our blog as one of our students of the week! 

We chose Anil for a couple of reasons. Firstly, since the beginning of our stay here, Anil has been THE MOST TALKATIVE student at Nav Jeevan. He speaks English very well, and has the unique quality that he is not afraid to make mistakes when he speaks. Katie and I believe making mistakes in conversation can be a way for the children to learn, and Anil seems to enjoy when we gently explain the correct way to say something. Usually he laughs after making a mistake, but more importantly, he remembers the correct English grammar/word the next time around. Secondly, Anil displays a lot of bravery and courage. We noticed this most yesterday when he broke, or possibly just sprained, his ring and pinkie fingers on his right hand playing cricket. Bracing for the pain, Anil barely flinched when I stretched his fingers into a splint and bandaged him up. He asked many questions and was very curious about how to care for himself so his fingers straighten out again!

Anil, the one making the funny face, chose to be in front for this photo. His face is characteristic of his daily outlook on life, which always portrays his happiness.

During his interview, Anil spoke candidly and shared many things about himself with me. Fifteen year old Anil arrived in the care of Mrs. Iris Wilkinson many years ago, when he was about two years old. Beginning in Kindergarten when Nav Jeevan was opened in 2006, Anil currently attends 8^th class, English medium. His favorite class is computers because he can use the internet to look up all of his questions (of which he has many!). When asked his favorite food, Anil laughed and just said, “all.” Similarly, his best friend was “everyone.” His home is on Hingna Road, T Point Square, Nagpur with his father. However, Anil came to Nav Jeevan thirteen years ago because of his father’s drinking habit. Anil told me that his four older sisters, who are now married and living in other states, brought him to Nav Jeevan with his brother who is just a bit older. Anil’s brother, who just finished 10^th class at Nav Jeevan, now studies refrigerator and air conditioning repair at a school nearby called the Prakash Institute.

Anil attended Dream Camp last weekend with me, Katie and many of the other students. During the camp, the children considered their future goals, so I asked Anil what his goals are for the future. His response took me by surprise. After blushing, Anil said that he wants to be a husband and father, and he wants to be a wildlife photographer. When I questioned him further, he explained that he wants to understand the duties of a father and what his father has done for him. As for the photography work, Anil enjoys being outdoors in the forest and hopes to capture pandas with his camera one day, as they hold the title of his favorite animals. Anil expects to achieve his goals in a very logical and orderly way: finish graduation from Nav Jeevan; take 11^th and 12^th classes with help from Anita Auntyji (Anita is one of Mrs. Wilkinson’s daughters and is the head of the school for her mother in her elderly years); study and train for photography; find a job and family.

Most impressive of all his plans though, which I think will serve Anil very well in whatever the future holds for him, is to “do hard work.”  

India's Republic Day!

Happy Republic Day! 

The flag raising proved to be so beautiful because the staff folded beautiful yellow flower petals in the flag that fell out when Principle Vicky reeled it to the top of the pole.

This day scholar came prepared for the festivities with a comb.
He must have known there would be many photos! Haha!

Today we are celebrating the 66^th anniversary of the signing of India’s constitution on January 26, 1948. Just over 4 months after India gained its freedom from British rule, its new Prime Minister Nehru signed the constitution still in place today. This day is also used to remember the separation of British India into India, West Pakistan, and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), by an edict from the British called Partition. Though Partition caused tumultuous violence and a refugee crisis throughout the three new states, today marks 66 years of the official existence of the three states and a renewed hope for increasingly peaceful relationships among them.

This morning at Nav Jeevan, the children lined up for the special assembly according to their “House,” or color. Nav Jeevan has three houses: blue, red, and green. Katie and I joke that this reminds us of the Houses of Hogwarts in Harry Potter! Nevertheless, the purpose of having Houses at Nav Jeevan is to help the grades intermingle. The younger students in each House look to the older students for guidance and encouragement throughout the year while the older students learn to be mentors and role models. During the assembly, Principal Vicky hoisted the flag with the help of the Physical Training teacher. The children performed exercise routines they have been practicing for the past few weeks, and sang the national anthem to the beat of the drum. Three children, two from second grade and one from tenth grade, gave short speeches to the school regarding Republic Day and the importance of the day to their country’s history. One of the teachers also gave a short lecture about the history of Republic Day.

The children  performed physical exercise during the ceremony this morning.

After the serious portions of the ceremony, the celebration took a sweet turn—cookies were distributed to each of the children. Finally, in closing, all of the children and teachers marched to the backyard of the school’s playground. At Sanika’s direction (the younger grades’ English instructor), we formed two enormous circles; first through sixth grade on the outside and seventh through tenth on the inside. The inside circle of children then taught the other children some of the games and songs they learned at camp this weekend!

The assembly with the children was a wonderful time of laughter and song, celebrating, if for just a short time, our new nation of India. For, having been in India for 23 days, Katie and I have realized that India is becoming a part of us. Despite our cultural differences, we have many similarities with our new friends here at Nav Jeevan and throughout Nagpur. Ultimately though, neither our similarities nor our differences matter because we welcome each other as friends, and today as fellow members of the Indian republic, sharing our time together joyfully!

Garov (left) and Deepak (right), two of the older boys that live in Nav Jeevan's hostel, stood among the younger pupils during the games so that they could help direct them. For the teachers, staff, and Katie and me, this was one of the sweetest moments of the day. Working with the older boys is often difficult because they want to be independent, so to see them take action and enjoy helping their "brothers and sisters" warmed us all very much. We must give the credit to the Nav Jeevan family for cultivating this sense of family loyalty and accountability in the children. Without Nav Jeevan, the children would not gain these skills making family and community life much more difficult later on. 

 After the morning ceremony, the children went home for the rest of the holiday. Katie and I enjoyed some down time, resting. We also spent time with Anne Marie, a volunteer here from Germany, who will be headed home on Saturday. Reflecting together on her experience and walking through the city together, the three of us agreed that spending time together--eating new fruits, drinking coffee, discussing our work--in neither of our home countries, Germany nor the US, is a unique experience!

Dream Camp

Every year the Make A Difference (MAD) students from local universities in Nagpur take disadvantaged children from a variety of local schools for a weekend of summer camp, which they call “Dream Camp”. This year it was at Ramteke, an hour and a half (depending on how chaotic the traffic is!) away from Nav Jeevan. The MAD students graciously allowed us to join in their fun as chaperones.

The MAD organization is a national coalition of students that attempts to build the self-esteem and confidence of disadvantaged children. At Nav Jeevan, the MAD students come for after school activates and tutoring three times a week. This weekend of fun serves as a celebration and an incentive for the students to work hard. Frequently, it is their favorite part of the year.

We arrived at camp just before lunch on Friday morning. On the bus, the students were singing along to the radio and could barely stay in their seats. When we arrived, we were greeted by a camp nestled between high green hills covered with jungle and low farmlands that led down to a lake. Overlooking the camp was the historic temple of Ramteke, which we had visited previously. The camp had 25 tents set up in a cherry orchard, an outdoor cafeteria area, a high ropes course, and community bathrooms. It felt much like the camps Katherine and I had attended in the United States!

Our campsite

For the first lesson, the children participated in activity called “Beautiful You” where they were asked to trace an outline of their bodies on paper and list all of their good qualities and some qualities they needed to work on. For many students, it was the first time someone asked them to examine themselves as an individual. This is extremely important for the child’s development and the children walked away from the activity with bright smiles.

The children were divided into groups, which they called 'families' and given different paper hats.

The next day, we started off early at 7:00am with aerobics. Then, we took a brief nature hike to a close temple at the base of the hills. The temple was from the 15th century and as we explored, the caretaker who lived in a hut across the path came to watch us. The temple itself was a stunning example of the history of India and the dedication of the small community.
 

The temple we visited called Karpur Bawadi.

In the afternoon, the children were given a chance to share their stories in small groups, many of which had examples of extreme hardship. This activity not only allowed the children to form a stronger community to support each other, but it also illustrated the emotional support of their MAD mentors who come from more well-off families and cared immensely for the children.

After that emotional session, the students divided into their small “family” groups and gathered wood for small cooking fires. They went on a scavenger hunt for vegetables and then were challenged to make a creative dish using only one pot over their fire. The kids, boys and girls alike, loved this activity and came up with some very creative and tasty dishes!

On our final day, the children were asked to think about their dreams and write down an action plan for their achievement. The dreams of the children were diverse, some wanted to be teachers, others doctors, singers, or police officers. After, the mentors hung the dreams with the child’s photo on the back in a tree in the middle of the camp.

A student from Nav Jeevan with her dream.

Our last session was the high ropes course were the girls fearlessly (some more fearless than others!) crossed a rope high in the air. Don’t worry; a harness would catch them if they fell.

The high ropes course.

 

It was a pleasure to work with the dedicated MAD students and watch as the students were able to enjoy a weekend of fun and education. We want to thank everyone from the organization for such a kind welcome and a great experience.

Students of the Week

Today we want to feature two “Students of the Week”. These two girls have really helped us adjust to Nav Jeevan and to Nagpur. They act as translators, teaching assistants, confidants, and friends. Some of the most valuable information we’ve learned about India comes not from books, but these girls who are willing to answer all of our silly or sensitive questions with understanding and honesty.
 

The first student is called Saloni. She is fourteen years old and has lived at the hostel with her sister for nine years, more than half her life! Saloni has step parents who live far away and she enjoys seeing them when they visit on holidays.

 

Saloni

In grade eight her favorite subjects are English and science. She is particularly interested in physics and doing lab practicals. After Nav Jeevan, Saloni is thinking about becoming a teacher. She would be especially excited if she could teach dance because she loves making up her own routines with the other girls in the hostel.

 

Saloni’s favorite memory from Nav Jeevan is going to Dream Camp, where every year Nav Jeevan sends the children in the hostel to a weekend of summer camp. The children sleep in tents, have bonfires, and participate in team building exercises (and of course there will be a dance!).

 

Coincidentally, the next Dream Camp will be this weekend. Katherine and I will be spending the weekend with the students participating in their actives, and yes, sleeping in tents.

 

 

Our next “Student of the Week” is Nikita. She is sixteen years old and has lived in the hostel at Nav Jeevan for six years. In grade nine Nikita’s favorite subjects are English and biology. She enjoys English because she wants to visit America someday to see all the volunteers that have stayed at Nav Jeevan. She even says her favorite food is pizza, we think she will fit right in!

 

Nikita doing Katherine's make-up.

Nikita is the middle child in her family. She and another sister stay at Nav Jeevan while her other two sisters remain at home, either too young or too old to attend school. She would like to visit them more but her family lives 175 miles away in Raipur, which is the capital of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.

Nikita’s favorite memory from Nav Jeevan is the annual function that the school holds every year on the last day of school. The students and teachers enjoy a large celebratory meal. As a thank you, the students prepare a program full of dances and songs for the staff.

 

 

We look forward to sharing more "Students of the Week" with you through out the rest of our time at Nav Jeevan!

 

Mid Week Update

Because it was Ravi’s birthday, we decided to surprise him with a new sweater. Ravi’s English is coming along very quickly, and he said “ThankyouThankyouThankyou” and ran out of the room, delighted. The next day, Ravi proudly wore his sweater to school!

 

Ravi and Katherine

During our school hours, Katherine and I decided to make informational health posters for the students and staff of Nav Jeevan. Most of the children and some of the staff have a limited knowledge of proper responses to health emergencies. Having a basic understanding of these concepts can save lives. We will hang these posters in the cafeteria, where there is a high volume of students and staff. It is our hope that the children and staff will also deliver this information to their family and friends and together we can start to create an important knowledge base for this community.

 

Two finished posters, one on CPR and one on choking.

 

As always, we remain teaching English and reading in the library.

Our decorated library

Adventure to Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India

Happy Sunday everyone!

When asked if we would like chai and milk for breakfast Saturday, we thought they meant milk in our tea. The steamed glass of milk turned out to be an even tastier surprise after a long night! 

Katherine enjoyed the carvings in the Buddhist temples, which each featured guards for the central Buddha idols. 

At the end of week 2 with our new Nav Jeevan family, Katie and I took some time for ourselves to learn a little more about our state of Maharashtra by traveling to the small city of Aurangabad for the weekend. Aurangabad, smaller than Nagpur, is known for its proximity to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We explored the caves at Ellora and the Daulatabad Fort during our brief stay, as well learning more about the silk weaving for which the region is famous. This post will guide you through our incredible journey with photos and a brief history, but also commentary about our thoughts and conversations which always seemed to flow back to Nav Jeevan and our students there.

This Jain temple held several ultra-intricate small carvings. The caging on the front of the cave was put on by the Historical Society of Maharastra, India for protection from harm during the night.

Katie and I left Nagpur on Friday (16 January) around 8pm. Planning our overnight bus ride went very smoothly and we felt the excitement build as we boarded the bus and found our little "sleeper," a small compartment bed the two of us were to share inside the bus for the night. Kindly, the driver double checked our ticket for us to make sure we were headed the right way and made sure we got off at the proper stop. The ride on the night bus was actually pretty smooth! Katie and I even decided the occasional honking was comforting since that is what we are now accustomed to hearing from our room at the school.

The atrium of the Jain caves led to a central place of worship in the back. Much like the earlier Buddhist temples, the Jains used guard statues around main figures.

A Jain "mini-cave" preceded
the large cave as a place for preparation
for worship. This cave was carved directly
from the side of the cliff, similar
to the ones in the background.

About 11 hours later, on Saturday morning, we arrived in Aurangabad and took a quick rickshaw ride to the hostel where we decided to stay during our visit, called Shree Maya. In case you are curious, the hostel was actually more like a hotel--we had our own room, hot water all the time, a tv, and wonderful receptionists at the desk that were excellent in helping us organize the rest of our sightseeing. The best part about our room, though, was that it was very affordable at about $14 USD for 24 hours.

After showering and breakfast of upma, poha, chai, and warm milk, we were ready to start the crux of our adventure. The receptionist, Jefer, planned a tour for us for the day. We asked for Jefer to organize a bus for us to go to the caves at Ellora. He assured us that there would be many people and that he would handle our arrangements and gave us a reasonable full day price. Though we were sure Jefer would accommodate us, we had no idea he was trying to say that he would hire us a private driver for the day!! So, like princesses, Katie and I were escorted to a private taxi waiting for us outside driven by our private driver, Rafi. Again, we were so happy this experience was within our PGlobal budget, and are so thankful for the generosity of our benefactors, Lee and Sally Posey.

Katie and I experienced such astonishment inside the caves! There is an incredible feeling of wonder at just how intricate and symmetrical the work was, with nearly every space covered with carvings or paint, or both. 

Katie and I took this photo in the largest
Hindu cave in Ellora. The statues shown are
depicting the marriage celebration of two Hindu gods.

First, Rafi drove us to Ellora, about 30 kilometers from Aurangabad. Katie and I enjoyed the mesa tops that surrounded us as we drove and were excited to see the car climb higher toward the 34 caves. During our time in Ellora, we learned that the caves were carved from basalt rock by Bhuddist, Jain, and Hindu religious men to be used as temples and retreats. The caves date from as early as the 5th century AD to the 11th century AD. One of the most awe inspiring thing about the caves is that they are all one piece! Everything there is carved from existing rock rather than having extra rock brought into the caves for more pieces. Though each of the three religious traditions made their caves unique, many similarities exist: each has many pillars for support, images of various gods and goddesses that always depict stories and religious lore, attention to the most intricate of details such as graceful lotus flower decorations, and of course several elephants! Katie and I began our journey through these mysterious structures at cave #34 and worked our way back to #1, seeing about 30 of the caves. Personally, my favorite caves were the Jain caves, #34 through #30, which were smaller than the other caves, but held such beautiful carving work at every turn. Katie really enjoyed the largest Hindu cave which is unique in that is has 3 entrances, each guarded by a set of carved lions, rather than just 1 which is the case with the other structures. This particular cave held such enormous carvings of the Hindu gods that towered over everyone!

The symmetry of the Buddhist caves helped
to provide their wonder. It also helped to draw
the eye towards central figures. This cave held
24 statues of the Buddha, each in specific poses.

Totally enamored with the fact that the heavy, and at times foreboding, stone could be made into something so beautiful, Katie and I decided that we should keep moving. From the Ellora caves, we returned toward Aurangabad to go to the Daulatabad fort. But first, our driver stopped at the Silk Bazaar, a nice silk manufacturers' store where we learned about several types of silk/cotton blends and weaving methods. Katie purchased a beautiful orange, red, and black patterned scarf as a souvenir. It looks great on her!

Around 2pm we arrived at the Daulatabad fort. Exiting the car, our driver said to take our water, so I quickly grabbed it and we went on our way. There is no doubt that before the trek to the fort Katie and I realized it was a bit of a walk, but what we did not realize was that 615 steps (we think this is a SEVERELY low estimate....) lead to the top of the fort, where the lookouts were posted along with a cannon affectionately termed "Fort Breaker" as its power was used to crush enemy invaders. Construction began on the fort in the mid 13th century, though pieces were added as the fort changed hands into the 18th and even 19th centuries. We were most impressed with the three walls of defense around the fort and the fact that it towers 190 meters above the surrounding plain. From the summit, Katie and I continued to ogle the incredible view and took our time looking 360 degrees around us. We decided that the fort must still be standing today due to its incredible position.

Inside the main worship chamber of the Buddhist caves, the
Buddha figure was always given the company of 12 more Buddhas
surrounding him.

Exhausted from our climb and day in the sun, Katie and I thanked Rafi, our driver, and asked for a ride back to Shree Maya. He kindly dropped us off after making sure we knew how to get to "downtown" Aurangabad (downtown is a relative term for those of us that live in small towns...in bigger cities several parts of a town could be downtown!!) to do some people watching and city walking in the evening before dinner/dark. After a rest and showers, we decided to take advantafe of the remaining sunlight and walk around where Rafi suggested. I purchased a souvenir this time, choosing a beautiful peach colored cotton shroud from a small home decor shop.

Atop the conical hill in the distance is the summit of the Daulatabad Fort to which Katie and I climbed!

At the top of the fort, we experienced a triumphant feeling having climbed all the steps.

Dinner time was next for us, so we found some restaurants near Shree Maya! All of the restaurants looked pretty full of people, so we chose one on the end that advertised "South Indian food" on their banner. Luckily for us dessert lovers, this place only sold sweets!!! So, in true Katie and Katherine style, we ordered chai and dessert :). For both of us it cost about 80 cents. We then went to another restaurant just down the street and enjoyed dosas for dinner! We had our camera out to take a photo but were so hungry by the time they arrived that we forgot to take a photo before both of us consumed the whole meal!! Nevertheless, dosas are delicious thin crispy pancake like dough that has potatoes and spices inside. Dipping sauces poured on top make this dinner quite versatile as you can pair almost anything with it. Katie and I chose masala and coconut sauces.

The beautiful view from the top of Daulatabad made all the sweating we did climbing worthwhile.

This spire is the only part of the fort made
from red sand stone like the Delhi fort rather
than the gray stone of the rest of the fort.

The return bus ride home after such a short visit felt a little surreal. Waiting for our bus, we were sitting with some gentlemen, one an Indian engineering student and the other a musician from Spain backpacking through India. What interesting conversation we had to top off our journey! Each of these guys had great, interesting stories--the student about the Indian caste system and its effects on his life, and the musician about his passion for international music and little known instruments. Mid conversation our bus arrived. We left Sunday morning at midnight and were back at school by 9:30am. Realizing that our third week of school at Nav Jeevan was about to begin hit us sort of hard! What Katie and I realized though, reflecting on our adventure to Aurangabad, is that we are both committed to making positive impacts on our Nav Jeevan community while we are here.

Katie enjoyed the picturesque view from under the crumbling arches
that signaled the entrance to the fort after crossing its three protective
walls.

Kids and Kites: Our first holiday in India

HAPPY MAKAR SANKRANTI!

Today, in India we are celebrating the holiday of Makar Sankranti. This is a festival celebrated all over India, although each district has a unique way of celebrating. Here in the district of Maharashtra, it means spending time with your family, kite competitions, and sweets (called ladoos).

Since it was a special holiday, the girls dressed Katherine in a traditional sari. She looked beautiful and received many compliments when we went to town!

 



Katherine in a sari.

Katherine and some of her helpers.

 

We bought two kites for the children of Nav Jeevan to share. Little did we know that Makar Sankranti is a kite competition! The children fly kites, attempting to cut the strings of their opponents. Then, the kids run for the loose kite. Needless to say, with a team of 50 students and a neighborhood full of kids, we ended up with a ton of kites.

 

Kids attaching string to one of the kites we bought, which features Bollywood celebrities.

Team work makes the dream work! Kites seem to be fun for all ages.

Flying kites is serious business for some students.

It always takes a few children to get the kite up in the air.

It was a perfect day for kites - no clouds, 80 degrees, and just the right amount of wind.

 

At the end of the day, a family that lives by Nav Jeevan invited us to come to their home for conversation (and ultimately sweets). They were very generous and explained to us that Makar Sankranti is also a celebration of the new year and new beginnings.

 

Katherine and I after our visit with the family. We are holding berries they gave us, which are a favorite of the children and can be found growing all over Godni.

A photo of the family that invited us into their home.

 

Katherine and I look forward to our new beginnings here in India and wish everyone in the United States a Happy Makar Sankranti as well!

 

Popcorn, Peanuts, Parades!

We think photos will be an excellent way to view the experience of today--a day in which, after school, the children received a welcome donation of popcorn and peanuts, and a day in which Katie and I were brought into the fold of a huge parade in Nagpur. Hugs from Nav Jeevan, Katherine and Katie

A beautiful sunset brought a beautiful end to a great day!