Godhni!

The children pictured are in 3rd class Hindi medium. 

School began again for the week today, so Katie and I were back in the library. We ran in to such a great problem: we are not sure how we are going to fit all of the books donated by Center Point School, a high school nearby, on the shelves! I am sure though, that once we finished organizing them, the books will fit. Today, we read several books to the children, but the favorites among all ages (including Katie!) were The Cat in the Hat and The Eye Book. The children love the silliness and we get a lot of giggles! We also helped other classes whose teachers took some time off, teaching English comprehension and science (acids, bases, and salts).  

Katie loves cows! She always tries to talk to them.

After school, we hit the books, studying for our Alma College Model United Nations (MUN) class. Though Katie and I are here in India, both of us still are participating in Alma MUN. Then we decided to take a break and walk to the post office in our neighborhood, Godhni. After discussing some landmarks to make sure we didn't get lost we started on our way. We made it to the post office 3 minutes after 5pm and they would not take our letters since their hours are from 9am-5pm! So, we decided, let's go on a little tour of Godhni. We walked to the main crossroad where there is a small Hindu temple and a statue, then continued down the street a few more feet to the edge of the city of Nagpur where we could begin to see lots of farmland. A kind gentleman plowing his field with two roped oxen noticed us taking a photo of his field and stopped to pose for us. He invited us to pet his oxen also! 

A child rides his bike next to a cow through the small streets of Godhni. He is carrying some wood on the back of his bike.

Katie and I decided to turn around then. Meandering back we were able to glimpse the afternoon rests of many Maharashtrans (Maharashtra is our current state) sitting on their stoop  or strolling enjoying the last of the sun. There were people of all ages, many of which nodded or said hello, all in colorful, traditional Indian clothing. Children rode bikes in the streets, cows nibbled on stray patches of grass, and puppies careened into walls following their noses!

This is the main road in our neighborhood. It is called Godhni Road. As you can see, it is lined with homes, stores, people, and animals. Katie and I are thankful there is not too much traffic so it is easy to walk! We are also grateful that the city bus is available here too. 

A man enjoys an evening walk in Godhni not far from Nav Jeevan.

The water tower 

Getting close to the school since we both needed to finish our homework, we walked past the water tower in Godni. The locals who live near the tower and maintain its small plot of land offered us a wonderful view of the city taking us to the balcony of the tower. Instantly looking out at our new city, our breath was taken away at its beauty and uniqueness. We hope you enjoy the photos as much as we do, though we promise it looks better in person. 

From the tower balcony, we were able to see the steeple of the nearby temple, many other neighborhoods, and a far of coal burning electricity plant that serves the city of Nagpur.

The large gray building just to the right of center in the above photo is Nav Jeevan! The roof of Nav Jeevan holds a rooftop garden which I am sure we will feature here someday. The front is facing left of the picture. The two towers hold classrooms and the children's bedrooms.

Over my shoulder you can see the main part of Nagpur. It takes about a 10 minute rickshaw ride from Godhni Road to reach it. To walk to Godhni Road from Nav Jeevan is about .5 miles.