Adventures in India: Service Through Science, Technology, Art and P.E.
Wendell Barnes | June 26, 2013 | 365 views
This is the second installment of a running journal that I am keeping during our servant leadership trip to India. This blog covers June 24-25. Click here to read my first installment.
Monday, June 24 (New Delhi)
Up bright and early for our first day of serving the students at Sulabh Public School. Breakfast buffet at the Hilton is always a great start to our day.
There was some misunderstanding about the start time, and when we arrived at the scheduled time of10:30 a.m., we found that the students had been waiting for us there since9. Apparently, the school staff had decided on their own times despite having received it from us in writing several weeks ago. They had decided to tell the parents the times were9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in the cooler part of the day, so we adjusted.
Natalie and Ava had the icebreaker exercise, and it flopped because the kids just didn't get into the activity, perhaps because they were shy. Also, 69 kids showed up rather than the expected 50! So finally we tried a dance party to get them warmed up and after introducing each Tiger by name; they did not get into the American music we selected. Finally, it was not until we used Indian music that they started dancing with enthusiasm and were warmed up.
We then divided into four groups, representing students from grades 6-9. The students came here this week on a voluntary basis, dressed in their school uniforms, and the school population is a mixture of middle class and scavenger families' children, impossible to tell apart thanks to the excellent quality of the education they are all receiving at Sulabh. The mixture of students is also a way for the scavenger families to see that there is hope and a way out of their lower class existence through education, which is provided to them free of charge.
Ava and Natalie had science fun, making mini lava lamps, showing them the Coke and Mentos chemical reactions, and making origami cranes that moved their wings. Daniel and Vraj worked in the school's computer labs with somewhat antiquated equipment, and taught the kids how to make a PowerPoint slideshow about themselves. Some were more experienced than others.
Nic, Ali and Brad played soccer, and Brad shared an animated cartoon he had made when it was time for them to cool off. Shivani, Juliann and Chandler were making bracelets for each girl and boy. Juliann created quite a stir when she added balloon animals to the mix!
Unfortunately, we also did not know that the center was planning a lunch for us until we got there, so given the late start and early dismissal, we only had two groups' rotation instead of the four planned. Obviously, the key to this week is going to be flexibility!
The lunch of traditional Indian food prepared by the staff was delightful, and we returned to the hotel exhausted from the heat and the day. Some enjoyed the pool and resting, and a few were feeling under the weather with traveler's illness, so we made an early night of it. New times for each day will be9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. due to the heat.
Tuesday, June 25
(New Delhi)
Breakfast again at the Hilton, scheduled to leave at8:15 a.m. but the bus did not arrive until8:45. We arrived at the school at9:10. The students were lined up and waiting for us, and the principal seemed a little disappointed that we were late.
Daniel and Vraj had the icebreaker exercise, and although the kids were a little more familiar with us and less shy, they were used to being in respectful lines in their school uniforms and ties and were not as anxious to act like animals, as the exercise required. Eventually, they all participated somewhat.
As it turned out we had approximately 40 more students than we had the day before, or around 110 students when we had expected 50-69! So we divided into four groups again, albeit larger groups than we had anticipated, and with many students who had not been with us the day before! Flexibility is still the key!
Daniel and Vraj tried to continue with the few who had been with us the day before, and many did complete their PowerPoint. Ava and Natalie were once again very popular with science experiments: making origami flowers from multiple sheets of paper, demonstrating invisible ink, making hair bands for the girls, and poking a long bamboo skewer all the way through a balloon without the balloon popping!
Nic, Ali and Brad enjoyed learning how to play cricket from the students, and they also played volleyball and soccer, and even encouraged some of the kids to show their musical talents singing on the microphone a la "Indian Idol." Juliann, Shivani and Chandler continued making bracelets, necklaces and balloon animals, which often popped in the heat, but they were in a cooler room today. We managed to have three rotations today with each group having a "by" time, since the athletic guys needed a time to cool off. We ended as scheduled when the parents arrived to pick up their kids at12:30 p.m.
We returned to the hotel for a short break, and some ate lunch there, showered, rested and tried to recover from stomach illness. At 3 p.m., we left on the bus to pick up Antiktia (Shivani's cousin), who then accompanied us to the Big India Mall across town, where we shopped and got tickets to see "Man of Steel" at a dine-in movie theater in the mall.
We returned to the hotel after a long but fulfilling day and everyone was encouraged to blog before they went to bed!
