Visiting Schoolsand ESL institutions in India

We have visited three elementary schools in India and a few ESL private schools. The teachers here seem to be very relaxed about who is visiting their campus. The majority of teachers as well the principals have been extremely willing to help us and give us information about their students and the programs. In Madikery, we visited a private school that has a thousand students starting from preschool to high school. Both my husband I had the opportunity to talk to the students about the American culture, and encourage them to ask questions. But the students didn't seem to want to ask questions. We asked the teachers if we could observe them when teaching English, but instead they let us talk to the students. I asked some of the students if they are allowed to ask questions, but they didn't really answer my question. I got the impression that the classes are mainly teacher directed activities. This is my experience with the older students. On the other hand, I was very happy to see that the three and four years old children in the preschool that belong to the high school were enjoying a musical presentation that the older students were performing. I thought that it was really great that younger students benefit from the older students. The music teacher let me sing a song in English with children and I was amazed that even though the children didn't know me that well they followed the directions and were happy to sing with me. It appears to me that the younger children have high selfsteem and were sure about themselves. I noticed that they didn't have that many manipulatives, but they did have a lot of books.

I paid attention to a couple of students who were standing by the main entrance with their hands in the back. They were being punished, but I do not know the reasons. We left the school and the students were still standing by the door, I felt really sad. But I know that's the way I used be punished in the old days in my elementary school.

I have observed often times in the parks or historical sites students from different ages behaving excelent and listening to the teachers directions. And all the time wearing uniforms, and I am happy and admire the number of female participation in the schools.

Riding a train in India

Wow, I am so happy riding a train in India better than the bumpy bus for sure. I was so scared about getting on the train. I was afraid I was going to be disappointed, but actually I like it much better than taking the supposedly fancy Volvo bus. Yesterday, we took the train to Kannur(Cannanore), this region for centuries the capital of Kolathiri rajas. This region was very important and continues to be important for the trading of spices. The majority of the train passengers were men, I was wondering why? I could see the a few Muslim men wearing their white garments. There was the coffee and tea salesmen. Beautiful women wearing their beautiful colorful saris, staring at wondering where am I from? Some men dared to ask me very politely Where are you from madam? or Which country are you from? I wanted to respond immediately, but unfortunately, the clouds of dark heavy smoke from the train engine prevented me for responding immediately, and often times I couldn't understand their English, not being myself a native English speaker. Most men seen to be respectful on most occasions. Sometimes they make me very uncomfortable when they stare at me. Is it because I am wearing pants? hum, I am not sure.

Riding local buses in India

It is so wonderful to see the beautiful forest and the coffee plantations when riding the local buses, but what an ordeal it is to ride in them. First, we have to be willing to be very close to each other like a sardines in a can, then we have to put up with the sneezing and coughing of the people who ride on them. Often times the people are sick they don't cover their mouth when they cough. Second, sometimes children get dizzy in the curvy roads and the kids throw up on peoples' shoes. Third, we have to be in excellent health condition since the roads are with a lot of pot holes and it gets very bumpy. We go up and down hitting our butts very bad and on the curves we have to hold on tight, that at the end of the ride, our bodies are sore and ache. When I sleep sometimes I dream about these bus rides. Yesterday, after the trip that we took to the water falls here near Madikari, I felt like throwing up myself and dizzy. I got a terrible headache from the riding the buses. Finally, the constant honking of the buses, trucks, three wheelers makes me sick, but they do it to prevent accidents.

In addition, I do, get a lot of satisfaction riding with the local people to see their beautiful children wearing their beautiful colorful clothes with so many different kind of jewelry.

Most of the time the Indian women ask me where am I from, I tell then from El Salvador, Central America. It is sad that they don't have the any idea where El Salvador is. I am sure that many women who study do know where El Salvador is.

Food and Temples

The food in India is the best healthy food that one can have on earth if you would like to be in good shape especially for vegetarian people. When walking on the streets, the smell of spices and chilles makes you cough, but at the same time is so pleseant. They tend to cook most of the food with coconut oil. Once in the restaurants, the smell of the different curries makes me sneeze, and when I taste the food, I can feel dizzy and sweaty and sometimes I get a headache. I don't know if it is because of my post menapause, but it is a feeling of being slightly drunk, and yet of feeling good as well. I love the smell of anise, asafran, and all kinds of very mistical herbs. When I asked the waitresses, I do not understand the names because they speak English in heavy Indian accents. When I told them wow it is so delicious, they just laugh wondering what am I saying probably.

Temples
It is so sad for me to see these amazing structures that represent the exploitation and suffering of the Indian people and more so now. It was amazing to see this humungus concrete temple which was built in the 11 century and to think of the people who built it and their lives.

India !!!!!!

It is with great sadness that I am writing my first impression of India. After we have traveled for more than 12 hours from Pataya a city by the beach in Thailand. We got to the airport and got on plane. we arrived in Calcutta after two and half hours. We had to wait 6 hours for our plane to go to Bangalore. Seince we didn't want to wait at the airport we hired a three wheeled taxi to take us to see downtown Calcutta. We hadn't gone even half a mile when we started to see the shacks and shantis that people live in. The city is covered in dust and dark smoke, I immediately felt sick and started to cough. I got a headache. I wanted to come back to the airport, but I wanted to see more. I couldn't continue looking at the terrible situation especially a few rivers that were filthy covered with garbage thousands of plastic bags floating on the river. Such a scene made me cry, the dust was blowing since there was some construction going on along the river. After 5 miles my husband told the motor tricycle driver to turn back to airport. I was crying from combination of dust in my eyes and the terrible pollution. The smoke from the motor bikes, three wheeled taxis, and the buses and trucks was horrendous. We got stuck in traffic it was a terrible jam, we couldn't move nowhere. The honking of all the autos, old buses, old trucks, tractors motor bikes and three wheeled taxis made me crazy. I wanted to jump from our three wheeled bike, my head was pulsing, I couldn't bear the terrible noise of the traffic.

How can I enjoy my trip seeing human beings living in this conditions. I know that most Indians are religious, but I was thinking where is God, why is he permitting his children to live in such poverty and dying everyday. I just read an article by UNICEF that found out that ONE MILLION CHILDREN DIE A YEAR in India.
After two hours we arrived in Bangalore where we had already had a reservation to stay in a very simple guest house.

Visit to Thai School

Yesterday we rented a motor scooter and we rode down to the west side of the island of Ko Chang. On the way we found an elementary school in rural area and a day care center. We went to talk to the children and their teacher of the after school program, we assume. She was young and very friendly and she answered some of my questions. We communicated using gestures. I found out that the children were all different ages from three to twelve years old. I was amazed to see how the children were relating to each other and playing so nice. The children seemed to be happy although they didn't have manipulative or other toys. I noticed that there was only one teacher to attend to about 25 children.
What also caught my attention was the library and to see that there was no supervison. I was shocked to see a pile of books discarded on the floor and not being taken care of. I was surprised to see that the children were watching television and there was no librarian there or any adult supervising in the library.

What a flight

After flying and making a connection at two different airports within 25 hours, finally my husband, my son and I arrived in Bangkok it was 12:00 a.m. We hired a taxi to Pattaya where my brother in-law had already rented a nice clean room for $18.00 per day. The next day we rested and we went for a walk to look at the night life since I was very curious about it. I was amazed to see a good number of European men and I don't have doubts there were some American men holding hands with their young pretty looking Thai prostitutes. One might think that these young sexy prostitues might be their own daughters or their grandaughters. Pattaya's night life is an amazing sight to see especially with this big sex industry. Walking in Pattaya at night is a scene that I never have seen in any other country that I have traveled in before; beautiful young girls showing there beautiful lingery inviting men to come to the strip shows at night.
I have been thinking as an early childhood development teacher what life would be if these young girls had a good education.