Reflection on the end of the first 'official' day

Monday, 23 November 2015

The end of the first day - what a blast!

This morning I woke up early due to the hum of the city. It seems that everyone is busiest at the darkest hours. In the daylight, people seem to move slower than they do in the evening. That is not to say that people are lazy during the day, it is just that they are comparably less active. 

This morning, Emily and I had a relaxed approach to our activities. We both read books and thought about what we were going to do that day. I started reading the Bhagavad Gita, which is a very philosophical and detailed text. It is so interesting to read an ancient comment on the battle between what we have the potential to be and what we really are. I also read some great short stories, from authors such ad Graheme Greene and Margaret Atwood. I want to write something substantial as a result of my time in India, and I feel that these authors can guide me in my expression of these important ideas. 

My first lesson today went surprisingly well. We went around in a circle, introducing names, future aspirations and favourite animals. I felt that this was a good start to try and remove any awkwardness. We then did some drawings of some of the favourite animals that the students had. I have a student in my class named Monika, who keeps on asking me to never forget her. I suppose that I am keeping my promise by writing about her now. One thing that Emily and I have talked about, is the fact that all of these girls have the exact same capacity to do all of the things that people in Australia their age could do. However, one side has been enriched with options and opportunities, whilst the other is limited by circumstances that are out of their control. 

One of the most interesting things about India is the wide variety of languages that exists. There is not just Hindi, but many other tribal versions of Hindi, and other languages. For example, the people of Mumbai speak an entirely different tongue from those in Jodhpur. It reminds me of the incredible number of indigenous languages that existed before European colonisation. This means that many of the girls are trying to keep up with three languages at a time, their tribal language, Hindi, and of course, English. This must be so challenging for an eleven year old to process. 

I had a really lovely interaction with a young woman who works at Veerni. She aspires to become a teacher, and she is so eager to practise her English with me. Similarly, I am gradually catching snippets of Hindi from her. I would love to become much more fluent soon, it is definitely a priority at the moment. 

We almost hit a cow today in the jeep. To be honest, it was actually quite scary, but not for the reasons that you might think. In India, it is illegal to hit a cow as they are sacred. This means that you can be charge with the offence of hitting a cow. If you didn't already know, (I didn’t) Jodhpur is actually a military city Only ten years ago, when the Indian army lined the border between India and Pakistan, Jodhpur was the military base for India. That is why there is such a long aeroplane strip at Jodhpur airport, and it also explains the large amount of security personnel at the airport when we first arrived. 

       

Tomorrow, we are going to purchase books for the school Jacqueline is taking us on our first trip shopping in India! It will be great to experience some of the markets and see India from a very new perspective. We are really looking forward to the trip to the bazaar. 

Jacqueline told us today that many of the states in India are progressing at independent rates. This means that places like Kerala are quite progressive in terms of female independence and respect. This is apparently as a direct result of the early influences of Christian missions (particularly Catholic) on the education of young women. However, states like Rajasthan are quite behind in their development, because they are situated in an isolated desert region. India is home to one third of the poorest people in the world, and may of them live in states such as Rajasthan and also  West Bengal in the north. There is just so much information to absorb at the moment. I am like a sea anemone, trying to latch onto so many experiences at once. Fingers crossed - I hope that I can.