That's a Wrap!

Well our adventure has come to an end!  What a wonderful time we have all had getting to know and working with a bunch of wonderful people!!  This will be my final blog post as I'm currently writing from Toronto airport.  Apologies for the long space of time since the last post, but the internet was unreliable where we were in Guwahati and the last number of days it just wasn't cooperating.

The last couple of days in Guwahati had the participants giving presentations of their learnings with an emphasis on how to present the strategies to other teachers.  They did a great job - exactly the types of presentations we have been looking for over the last 4 weeks.  Here are some shots of our final week's participants doing some group work.

...and some original posters from our Girl's Education section...

While our participants were working, there was work going on outside the building we were in.  This series of pictures shows the human labour that's required to drill piling holes, pull the auger out of the ground and get rid of the muck.  Unfortunately, it saddened us that this was a school day and the "muck haulers" were kids that certainly should have been in school.

At the end of the week there were the requisite closing ceremonies, speeches, singing and dancing.  Too bad it was the last time we'll experience that for a while!

Then it was time to wing our way back to Delhi from Guwahati with some breathtaking views of the Himalayas.

After some last minute shopping in Delhi, we started the long, long trek home.  Fortunately in Toronto we had just enough time to enjoy a sloppy burger (that I had been dreaming about for weeks)!  It was very tasty!!

Thank you to each of you for following along with the blog whenever you had the chance.  I certainly enjoyed reflecting on the work and bringing back to consciousness the many wonderful memories that were made there and the great friendships that were begun.  Take Care!

The Wedding Crashers - part II

First of all apologies for the lack of photos, but my camera has been acting up.  I commit to sharing photos with anyone who expresses interest as Debbie has indicated that she will make copies of everything for me.

So we are becoming quite adept at crashing wedding celebrations here in India.  Last night there was another wedding ceremony at the hotel.  We again had been watching the preparations for the last couple of days in the courtyard behind the hotel.  As the day approached, we decided to wander through the area to look around before all the guests arrived.  The bride's father happened to be about and he insisted that we come down to the celebration later that evening.  Those of you who know my Mennonite sensibilities realize that I could never pass up a free supper, so we went down around seven p.m. dressed reasonably well so that we might "blend in".  Well there was no chance of actually blending in and we are now captured forever in a series of wedding photographs that in the future the family will be wondering, "Who the heck is that!?".  Anyways, the food was beyond a single human's capacity to enjoy (yes Ian, I attempted to try it all......twice!!) and as always the family and everyone we met was warm, gracious and most inviting.  A kinder and gentler people could not be found!

 

Our second week of instructional strategy sessions have begun in Guwahati with what was intended to be teachers from Mizoram and Manipur.  Unfortunately, the teachers from Manipur that were supposed to be attending the training sessions this week were arrested and placed in jail (131 of them) for expressing concern about the condition of education in their state.  Also, many teachers are currently involved in a government census (the government uses teachers to conduct the census because they are the only generally trusted professional group) so they are not able to participate in our professional development sessions.  There are six teachers from Mizoram (the second state that this training was intended for) and because the overall numbers were a bit slim the local leadership extended the invitation to additional teachers from Assam and Megalaya (who actually had their scheduled sessions last week).  All in all we have an excellent, if not eclectic and language diverse group, that we are working with this week.

There are all kinds of things happening with the teacher federations here.  There are concerns about level 5 (grade 5) being added to the mandatory primary education in the country without regard to class size or the professional development needed for the teachers to adequately teach level 5.  There are are also concerns about class sizes that would be unheard of in Canada, and of course, there are ongoing discussions / disputes about levels of compensation.  

The sessions are proceding in a way that gives us much optimism and excitement.  Both Debra and I have been encouraged by what we have seen from the leadership and the commitment of the classroom teachers here.  We can only hope that our efforts support the system of public education in India and the desire to provide high quality education for all throughout the country.  We are highly impressed by the commitment of the individuals involved both in leadership and classroom delivery of public edcuation.  Our desire is that what we offer might be enhanced and spread through the states to support child centered teaching strategies throughout the country.

The Earth Moves

No, Lynnette didn't join me here in India this week, but rather Debbie and I experienced a moderate earthquake the other evening during supper.  The news said it was 6.4 on the Richter scale (I don't know if that was enough to make any news reports where you are), but it was an interesting experience for a Saskatchewan boy!  No casualties or damage, but we were quite ready to sprint for the exits upon any sign of more action!!

Saturday, being a day off in our schedule as teachers from Mizoram and Manipur travelled here to Assam for the next session, we decided to head to Kaziranga National Park for the weekend.  The plan was to engage in a bit of an adventure by taking a jeep and elephant safari to see up close the famous Indian one horned rhino.  Little did we know that half the adventure would be simply getting to our adventure!

In short, we began an hour later than what we thought we had arranged but started down the road for our destination 6 hours away.  This was no ordinary excursion to Edmonton!   Our driver was dodging cows, dogs, goats, hand carts, bikes, motorcycles, cars, buses, trucks, construction equipment and potholes all at breakneck speed.   He got lost a time or two, asked for directions several times, took many detours all while ensuring that he used his horn generously and, of course, that made all things right.  After all, beeping your horn can solve any traffic difficulty you might encounter!

Truck transport on the road

Yes, on top of the bus are chickens!

The more usual modes of transportation

At the park we checked into the hotel (that went smoothly – although the rooms were the most “rustic” we’ve encountered so far) and then were whisked off to our jeep safari.  Well we weren’t sure what we were being taken to or if we were being taken, but it was absolutely fantastic!!  We saw many kinds of birds, several kinds of deer, huge wild buffalo, wild elephants – including a great big male “tusker”, and of course the white rhinos as close as anyone in their right mind would want to.  Then, to top off the evening our guide received a call on his cell phone that a Bengal tiger had been sighted – a very rare occurrence, even in the park.  So our jeep driver rushed over at breakneck speed – literally – and sure enough there was a Bengal tiger sunning itself in the setting sun about 500 meters away.  Quite an awesome sight!  I think the guides were every bit as excited as we were!!  Unfortunately my camera chose this inopportune time to give me difficulty, so I have no images.  Debbie has some I will share with those interested when I get back.

Wild Buffalo....

Wild Elephants....

A rhino!

 

We got back from the jeep safari badly needing supper, as we had only stopped for snacks for lunch, and were told that we had to pre-order and return after 7:30.  In the meantime however, we should book our elephant safari (which includes riding the domestic elephants to see all the above named animals – only closer) which was leaving early the next morning.  We were under the impression this had already been pre-booked for us by our fine friends in the teachers’ organization, but there appeared to be a glitch.  Well after one hour of eight guys loudly arguing and about a dozen phone calls to our contacts, we were confirmed for a 5:30 a.m. departure for our pre-booked elephant safari!

The next morning we received our 5:00 a.m. wakeup call so we could be at the elephant departure point at 5:30.  Unfortunately our driver was nowhere to be found.   I did, however walk to the lodge he was staying at, much, much more rustic than ours, have him rousted out of bed and got him to our hotel to pick up Debbie and again, at breakneck speeds, get to the departure point.  We made it there considerably late, but on time, if you know what I mean.

The elephant safari was worth every bit of challenge and money, as was the jeep safari.  Close up views of buffalo, a variety of deer and rhinos, all in the cool mist of the morning, is something I doubt I will ever have the opportunity to repeat.  It was fantastic!!

That still however leaves the adventure of our five and a half hour drive back to Guwahati and every minute of those hours involved some bone crunching and rearranging of my internal organs.

Working on rice paddies

Interestingly enough there were a variety of paving crews working on this highway that will eventually lead all the way to Thailand.   There was a continuous pour concrete crew on one section, a fairly modern asphalt crew on another section and a third more labor intensive crew on another section.  The labor intensive crew was most interesting.  Today was a hot day and these guys were working with hot asphalt and attired in their usual flip-flops (not steel -toed ones either in case someone from OH&S is reading).  One young man had the unenviable job of being bent over spreading out hot oil with a 10 inch hand trowel onto the old asphalt so the new stuff would adhere better.  Think of that for 12 hours a day.   Every now and again I wonder why are we here doing professional development with teachers so they can apply more child centered approaches that will keep their students motivated to stay in school longer.   I would like to think it is in part so as to give this young man and hundreds of thousands of other young men and women (and boys and girls like him) an opportunity to engage in a safe, satisfying experience and safe, satisfying work that would open a range of opportunities for their future.

But the adventure wasn’t over yet!  While driving back to Guwahati we stopped for some snacks at a roadside market.  I bought some apples and oranges along with our host who drove back with us - the General Secretary (Borah is his name - the most gracious host you could imagine) of the Assam Teachers' Organization.  He had been busy most of the day Saturday with a protest involving 7000 teachers and their concerns with having level (grade) 5 added to mandatory schooling without any attention to the number of teachers required or the professional development needed to teach the new material.  Everything at our snack stop was good until I bought a couple of small packages of peanuts from another vendor.  I asked the fellow how much it cost, 10 rupees the reply, I gave him the money, started eating the peanuts and everything was good, so I thought.  However, Borah stepped in and soon an animated discussion was occurring in Assamese that grew louder and in closer quarters as time went on.  Borah was very angry - kind of reminded me of my General Secretary when she gets wound up!   ;-).   A fight was clearly brewing here.  It appears that I was grossly overcharged for the peanuts and Borah would have none of it.  The peanuts, he later said, should have cost me a maximum of 5 rupees and they were taking advantage of me simply because I was a foreigner - "they are very bad people", he stated.  I tried to assure him that i likely had been taken advantage for sums greater than 5 rupees during my time here, but he felt strongly that it was a matter of principle and that this should not happen in his state.  Oh yes, the five rupees i was overcharged was the equivalent of about 10 cents!!  For a person like Borah, it was a matter of principle none the less!

Well we did arrive back at Guwahati in one piece, always a good thing, and feeling very much refreshed in body and spirit as we had a couple of days to breathe fresh air, look at the stars, drink in the lush vegetation (including a number of historic tea plantations – where we were able to purchase premium Assam tea for 50 cents a kilogram, yep, a KILOGRAM!!) and best of all we were able to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  Tomorrow brings a fresh group of teachers that we’re looking forward to and absolutely confident that they will be every bit as motivated, kind and eager as the previous groups. 

Amazing that in only a week left and then we will start the trek back to Canada.

Guns and Hot Water

The last couple of days have seen a number of gruff looking fellows hanging around the hotel with automatic weapons slung from their shoulders.  It appears that the leader of the opposition party in India is in town for the nomination of candidates in the next general election.  Of course, all the jeeps, guns and general entourage are for his protection and benefit.  Oh, and by the way, he is staying at our hotel!  Normally the uniforms and highly visible military muscle would be reason for considerable concern to us and our peacekeeping Canadian sensibilities.  However, we have found there is an upside to having the opposition leader and all the firearms staying at the same hotel as us.  And that, you guessed it, is HOT WATER!  Yes, oddly enough for the last couple of days whenever I'm wanting to have a shower, day or night, there is plenty of hot water!  Isn't that a coincidence!!  Sorry there are no pictures of the tough guys that I can share, I'm not quite ready to go out on that limb, but I am basking in some fine, steamy hot water - no matter what the reason!!!

The sessions with the Assam and Megalaya teachers have come to a close today and we have made many new friends.  The only downside is the realization that the chances of ever seeing most of them again is very slim.  The afternoon was filled with the requisite speeches and handing out of certificates but also filled with song, poetry and dance.  There are some amazingly talented people here!  After their songs they asked Debbie and I to sing a traditional Canadian song.  Well that didn't happen and I'm not sure they realized how fortunate they were we didn't give it an attempt!  None the less, we were both dragged into the dance, although for some reason there are only pictures of Debbie.  Isn't that odd?! 

They were also most pleased to present us with gifts of hammered brass and a handstitched silk shawl and shirt.  The detail is amazing!  They were such gracious hosts and willing participants; it really was quite a touching closing.  One participant commented, "How could we ever forget you?".  Their eagerness, commitment to what is best for their students and funloving smiling faces are things we will never forget either.  I can only hope there might be some circumstance by which our paths will cross again.

Tomorrow is an early morning as we head out the national park for some encounters (hopefully not too close!) with elephants and rhinos.  Pictures to follow!!

Teachers are Teachers Everywhere

After a busy three days of sessions, the teachers are pleased to remind us that we are all teachers and makes us family.  It really is incredible how teachers can get together from anywhere in the world and quickly feel a sense of community and commonality together.  The teachers here, like at home, are excited to learn new instructional strategies and ways to make their classrooms more inviting and enjoyable for their students.  They love to laugh and enjoy themselves as they interact together.  Sometimes the jokes and banter are in their first language and we wonder whether we might be the subject of their laughter!  That wouldn’t be surprising as I’m sure they are amused at some of our strange mannerisms.  None the less this group, as was the last, is wonderfully warm, generous and appreciative of the opportunity to interact together.

Debbie at work...



....and sharing a laugh!



The participants at work!

The daily routine for Debbie and I has us going for breakfast at 8:00, having our driver pick us up at 9:00 a.m. and begin our session in a meeting room at a different hotel.  Tea break occurs promptly at 11:00 and our session continues until lunch which is served at 1:30.  After a 45 minute lunch (which is a significantly sized meal) we continue until 4:00 p.m. at which time another tea break occurs.  After the tea break we dismiss for the day and head back to our hotel.  Generally we then walk to a nearby coffee shop that serves a good cup of coffee, do our planning for the next day, walk back, prepare any materials for the next day and head for supper at about 7:00 p.m..  After supper we check email in the hotel lobby (no wireless) then head to our rooms, finish making any charts or other necessary materials, watch a bit of TV (a couple of channels in English) or read a novel and get ready to repeat the process the next day. 

There is some construction occurring beside the hotel where are sessions are occurring.  Among all the standing water a worker was welding in bare feet and no gloves and the guys in this picture were hauling cement hanging from a pole draped between them.  Talk about manual labor!

Originally the plan had been to travel to the nearby state of Mizoram for next week’s five day training session.  However, do some recommendations to not travel in the state at this time, it was decided that the teacher’s would instead travel to us and thus we would remain here in Assam.  What this means is that we have two free days here in Guwahati instead of a day of travel and another of planning with the Mizoram teachers.  As such we are currently making plans to go on a short elephant safari in a national park several hours from here.  The local teachers have been extremely helpful in assisting with the arrangements, making the reservations, etc.  Everything is so much more challenging when you can’t speak the language.  However, the plans are coming together so hopefully there will be pictures of Deb and I on an elephant and getting a close up view of a rhino (yes there are rhinos in northeast India).  So, stay tuned until next time!!

The Wedding Crashers

The Wedding Crashers is a bad 2005 movie that details the exploits of a couple of deadbeats who crash wedding parties for their own ulterior motives.  Well after observing the preparations for the wedding at the hotel here for the last three days, Debbie and I couldn't resist playing the part and so we crashed the wedding.  I must admit this is the second wedding I've crashed in my lifetime, but the first I've crashed on another continent!  We tried to blend in as best we could (to no avail) but none the less enjoyed the color, the sights and sounds completely.  I'm sure we stuck out like sore thumbs, but we stuck around long enough to take a few pictures and then exit rapidly. 

 

As you may know from Ian's earlier blog entry, we had the opportunity to attend the wedding of one of the local teachers' daughters.  That experience was amazing, but the preparations occurring at our hotel are absolutely over the top.  This has been the third day of setting up so we asked someone who appeared to be providing directions for the others what the cost of this wedding likely was going to be.  He estimated the cost would be about 25 million rupees or about $550,000!  Families will often begin saving money for the wedding as soon as a child is born.  Clearly this was a wedding from a family of considerable means!!

  

The bride and groom were all decked out as one might expect, but somewhere between the laser light show and the final pyrotechnics display a fire broke out (likely either due to the pyrotechnics or an overload on the electrical cables).  The fire department was called and people were running this way and that.  The estimated three or four thousand guests eventually did depart although a few hours later another three or four thousand more uninvited guests arrived just as dawn broke.  These guests were particularly noisy and black.  The crows descended to pick over the leftovers and it was Alfred Hitchcock-like in appearance.

Yesterday was the last day off before the start of the next five day training session with a new group of participants.  The teachers in the northeast requested a Monday to Friday training format so we had the luxury of a few days off this last week as we wrapped up Bhubaneswar and travelled to Guwahati.  Most of the local shops were closed so the day was spent at the coffee shop, strolling down by the river and watching the wedding preparations progress at the hotel.

We found these kids playing a pickup game of cricket down by the river.  After a couple of photos I handed out a few Canada pins I had in my pocket and pretty soon I had a crowd.  We also discovered there are some families living just behind the hotel along the river.  Their homes certainly stand in contrast to the wedding scene just a stone throws away.

On Monday morning the training sessions got started with the usual ceremonies, speeches and exchange of gifts.  This should prove to be another exciting week as we work with another group of eager teachers.

Bhubaneswar to Guwahati

After bidding Ian and Tish farewell yesterday as they travel back to Canada, Debbie and I set out for Guwahati, Assam in the northeast of the country.  India has a number of states that are actually northeast of Bangladesh and are joined to the rest of the country by a relatively narrow piece of land that is bordered by Bangladesh to the south and Bhutan to the north.

Our travel was uneventful and despite changing planes and airlines in Kolkata (Calcutta) our luggage arrived safe and sound, as we did in Guwahati.  In Guwahati we were welcomed by officials from the state teachers’ federation bearing gifts including traditional decorative hats and scarves.  From there an hour long drive through traffic got us to our hotel.   You can tell the city of Guwahati isn’t the size of Delhi or Bhubaneshwar as the traffic isn’t nearly as congested.  Our hosts confirmed this by telling us that Guwahati has a population of a mere 2.5 million. 

A welcome from old friends!

Traditional hat and scarf

Our hotel sits on the edge of the Brahmaputra River that has its’ headwaters in China, flows through Assam and Bangladesh finally exiting into the Bay of Bengal through a wide flat delta zone.  China is planning to create a dam on the Brahmaputra for power purposes which has Assam quite concerned as the river serves as both a significant water source as well as a transportation thoroughfare.

View from the rooms

A wedding is to occur tomorrow in the open area behind the hotel and there have been dozens of workers setting up yesterday and today.  It is interesting watching some major construction occur without the benefit of power tools.  Hand saws, awls, chisels, hammers and nails are the order of the day.  We have also seen porters lugging hundreds of chairs, couches, carpets, propane tanks for the food vendors, cooking equipment and food.  What a difference a skill saw and a half ton truck would make to their labor!

Progress so far - stay tuned!!

Today we went to the location of the training to assess the setup and do some planning.   After that we were treated to a tour of the local sights, a cultural museum and of course lunch.  We rounded out the day by finding an outlet of Ian’s favorite coffee shop.  Guwahati is a clean, beautiful city stretched along the banks of the river and nestled in between the lush high hills.  The city is a university community and there are lots of young people about.  There appears to be greater prosperity in general as evidenced by many newer cars and large, new retail buildings.  There also seems to be a greater number of parks in the city and it is nice to enjoy some greenery and quiet space.   This is appreciated as the next two weeks of sessions will be spent here.  

Farewell for now….

Our All Day Two Hour Meeting

Today was our day to see the commissioner of education (similar to deputy minister) and to go to Pipli to select our gift from the local teachers’ association.  We were promptly downstairs at 10:15 waiting for our driver.  After a good while of waiting, we decided to call to see where he was.  Turns out we were now being picked up at 12:15, as the meeting had been moved later.

At 12:30 two cars arrived and we were off to the All Utkal Primary Teachers’ Federation office.  We met Ram Pal Singh there and had tea.  While we were having tea, they told us that the ministry of education was planning to paint all 70,000 elementry schools in the state the same colour scheme, so they could easily be identified.  They had a binder of pictures with different colour schemes and asked Deborah to pick the scheme they should suggest to the minster – no pressure!  Deb tried to pass the ball back to them and in the end I think she and Murray chose the colours.  So, next time you are driving the Orissa countryside, looks for the schools coloured by Murray and Deb!

At 1:00ish we headed for the ministry of education building.  We had to check in first and receive passes to see her.  We then had to take a ministry sanctioned car to the building where she worked.  We then got to sit in a small waiting room and finally got to see her.  We had an excellent meeting.  This was an important meeting to help raise the status of the teachers in the state and we were glad to do our part to help our colleagues.  She talked to us about the initiatives the state was engaged in such as repainting all schools, ensuring that teaching and learning materials are available and the 20 days a year teachers are given for professional development.  I think we may want to bring her to Saskatchewan!  She seemed to be a very action oriented person.  She was certainly very articulate.  Here we are in her office:

Following the meeting we headed back to our hotel for lunch (it was now about 3:00).  After lunch (it was now about 4:00) our host Kumlau took us to Pipli to pick up our gifts.  We stopped at his house on the way.  The house is under extensive renovations and is beautiful.  It has three or four storeys and houses his family and that of his four brothers.  About 50 people live there.  We met about 15 of them today.  Somehow our driver from yesterday got his wires crossed and took us straight out of town.  We were to actually spend the day with Kumlau and be received by his family.  He had the entire day planned out and it didn’t get to happen.  Both he and we were very disappointed.  He is an incredibly gracious man and worked very hard to ensure we were well taken care of.  Here is a shot of the house and some of the ladies of the family:

After a brief visit with Kumlau’s family we headed to Pipli to pick up our gifts.  We then dropped Kumlau off at his office and ended our brief visit to the commissioner and a trip to Pipli at 7:00 p.m.  It was all fascinating and fun and just another day in India!

After that, we found Tish and she, Deb and I went off to a department store so they could shop (they were having a sale) and buy an extra bag to take home.  When we got back we had our last supper together as a team of four.  Murray and Deb will be going on to Assam and Tish and I begin the journey home tomorrow.

Now for the fun news – Murray has decided to continue the blog during his time in Assam!  So, please stay tuned for more great stories and photos from India over the next two weeks!

Thanks to all of you for reading and sharing in my part of the adventure.  I have lots of stories and photos that couldn’t fit in the blog to share.  See you all soon!

Sun Gods, Surf and Shopping

Today was Republic Day in India, so we decided to head out of town to lay low and stay away from the parades.  As I was going down for breakfast, I could hear yelling.  When I got to the lobby the entire staff was outside lined up in military fashion (they had even spray painted lines in the parking lot, so everyone was lined up in military precision) and they had a military looking official barking orders for the raising of the flag.  As soon as the flag was raised the staff came running in and got back to work!  I commented on our server’s India flag sticker on his vest and within moments we were all given an Indian flag pin to wear for the day.

We hired a driver to take us to the sun temple at Konark, Puri, Raghurajpur and Pipli.  He is young and likes to drive fast.  The drive to Konark was fast and heart stopping.  They drive on the highways like they do in town – pass whenever you can, beep often and don’t worry about oncoming traffic so long as you have about one second to swing back into your lane.  The drive wasn’t too bad if you didn’t look out the front window!

It was nice to get out of the city and drive through the countryside.  We say rice paddies, banana trees, palm trees, water buffalo, small villages with people living in houses with thatched roofs, roadside goat butchers, a million little shops and people everywhere.  We drove over 100 km today and I don’t think there was ever a 100 metre stretch where there wasn’t another person on the road.

When we arrived at Konark our driver found us a guide and we were off.  The temple was built in 1250 and took 12 000 craftsmen 12 years.  It is made out of three different kinds of stone.  In 1906 the temple was filled with sand to keep it from collapsing.  There are 700 year old iron beams holding up some parts of the temple.  The temple faces east and the rising sun shines through one temple to the doors of the main temple.  It’s amazing how accurately they placed everything.  The base of the main temple is a huge chariot with 12 wheels (think time) pulled by 7 horses (think days of the week).  Each wheel is a sun dial and our guide accurately told us what time it was to the minute using one of the wheels.  There are bumps around the edge of the wheel for each minute, just like a watch face.  Amazing.  The architecture was quite stimulating.  Here are some photos:

It was very hot during our time at the sun temple (who knew?) and the sun gods laid a good burn on all of us.  Murray was prudent enough to wear a hat.  I burned my entire head, neck and arms.  At least I’m not a translucent blue anymore!  Murray and Tish took the opportunity to belly up to a coconut bar for a drink and some fresh coconut to eat.

After Konark, we drove to Puri, which is a resort village on the Bay of Bengal.  Because it is Republic Day, there were people all along the treed areas of the coast having picnics with family.  At Puri we went to the beach and stuck our feet in the Bay of Bengal.  The water was beautiful – clear and warm!  We walked the beach for a while and just enjoyed the sun, the waves and all the very friendly people along the beach.  There were people selling all sorts of goodies, camel rides, and these great lifeguards:

After lunch in Puri (which was awesome) we headed to a little artist village called Raghurajpur that Tish wanted to visit.  Well, village it was.  The road into the village was barely one lane with a steep drop into a river below.  Our vehicle just fit.  Once there we were met by the locals who took us into a house.  The fellow we met said he was a teacher and master artist and was teaching the students how to do palm leaf etchings and paintings.  We had the opportunity to watch one young man do the cutting into the palm leaf.  After that, it was off to the sales room and the very well rehearsed pitch began.  They began by showing us a 500 year old (really, I’m sure of it) example of palm leaf etching, followed by a demonstration of the process, followed by example after example being pulled from trunks.  We looked at many of them and finally Tish bought a palm leaf etching and I bought a painting in tribal style that is painted on silk.  When we went back downstairs, other little shops suddenly opened and it was then I realized we should have shopped around a bit.  The stuff we got is excellent quality and it was a great adventure.  Coming out of the village we met a big truck that had to back up to let us pass and then we drove through a market not designed for a vehicle our size and the thousands of people there.  It was pretty cozy squeezing through the street!

We ended our day in Pipli, another artisan village.  The Pipli are known for their needle work, palm leaf etching and painting and silver filigree.  Our gift from the workshop is going to be something we would like from Pipli.  We scouted the place out and all found something to buy when we return tomorrow.

We then raced (literally) back to the city and returned to our hotel.  We had a great day!

Tomorrow, we meet with the commissioner of education, go to Pipli to purchase our gifts and we’re still tossing ideas around for the remainder of the afternoon.

Last post tomorrow!