The Germans are coming, the Germans are coming. This for quite some time had been one of the coming excitements which finally occurred this week at the school. Along with the arrival of 17 students and teachers on an exchange program from Germany, the week was planned accordingly to include the schools Annual Function, followed by a state wide volleyball tournament. Since I’ve developed a good bit of knowledge about the school and the rural surroundings, I gladly helped play the part of host to help make our European guests more comfortable. Needless to say it was a nice change of pace for me as well. Due all of the activities occurring, the weeks classes were hardly attended by students who were busy helping the school prepare for the weeks excitement. The Annual Function, serves as an opportunity for the school to show off all of the schools features. Included in this was of course the student exchange program (Germans), and having foreign teachers (me). I took part of a play, in the Hindi language, which has bought me fame among the student and local population as I was rocking a Punjabi turban (it has a specific name but I do not know it!)
As the volleyball tournament was coming closer to action, it came to my attention that the schools girls volleyball team had strongly been neglected by the coaches, who tended to focus on the boys team. Now I don’t know much about volleyball, but I know how to rotate and the basics of hitting and serving, but when you see a group of kids in need of some guidance, you help out. Along with the daughter of the principal Kanu, herself a college student, we trained the girls team for three days leading up to the tourney. Today, they had their first match, and they received a devastating blow to their egos. Hey kids you win some and you lose some. Nonetheless the experience this week with the team was yet another eye opening moment of the gender separation that still exists in the world.
Along with the Germans, we went on several field trips, learned about the village life and farming in these rural areas. I also rode a camel for the first time in my life. Can you say awesome?! Pictures coming soon! All in all, I’ve enjoyed a wonderful week at my school in India. Having a fresh group of people here to observe the school made me realize how engrained I have become in the activities of the school. The visiting teachers were surprised at my ability to navigate the schools resources to quickly find solutions to problems, considering I’d only been for two months. With only a month and a half left in India, time is flying by!
