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!!