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.
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| 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!
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| 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!
