From the first time I saw this tree, I was in love with it. I do not know why, it was just beautiful. I later came to understand that it does not exist in America, therefore I had never seen it before. The Indian Banyon Tree, as it is named,  has an extremely long life life cycle, and it is revered as it is the national tree of India.  It offers cool shade to travelers, figs to birds,  and it is actually worshipped.  The largest tree in the world is in fact, an Indian Banyon tree.

At one point we passed a tree with string wrapped around it.  I asked my host about it and he stated that there is a yearly festival to honor the tree and the woman pray around the banyon tree for their marriages or the marriages of acquaintances or family members.  They wrap string around the tree as a gesture symbolic for the marriages they pray for.  The prayer is that the marriages last long similar to the banyon tree’s life cycle.  We could use a couple of banyon trees in America, no?

Of coure I had to get a piece if the hanging thingies (for lack of the actual name) for my bathroom collection of natural artifacts but I was hesitant (maybe I would be thrashed!). I was finally able to sneak a piece as we walked the isolated road at the ellora caves. My only witness was Mr. Shaker, our yoga instructor and friend, who was sworn to secrecy…shhhhhhhhhhh

the Indian Banyon tree with accompanying string wrapped around for marriage longevity

Mr. Shaker and I on the roof after yoga

 

Every morning at 6am, Mr Shakar would arrive at our hotel to lead us in our morning yoga instruction. Due to the early time, it was a peaceful and fitting way to begin our day. Yoga is a practice that makes you focus on yourself. It takes a long time and a lot of practice to be able to drown out the world and its issues and focus only on your breathing. When you focus on your breathing, the core of your physical existence, you actually cannot think about anything else; – therefore perfecting your breathing techniques is paramount to a successful practice.

We started out on a field owned by the hotel. When I tell you that the flies in Khamgaon think that human beings are cows also, I am not lying.  I am glad to say that I have reached a point where I can focus on my breathing and block out thoughts, however the flies made that impossible! I am not talking about occasionally buzzing in your ear, but covering your daggone body and buzzing in your ear.  Amazingly, the local people are used to this and it does not seem to bother anyone.  It bothered me.

At some point, I was able to maneuver us off of the grass and onto the roof for our morning practice.  Though there were a few pools of water, there were no flies!!! Yes!!!! For the first ten – fifteen minutes, I was elated. Lo and behold, even though we were on the second floor – they eventually found us! Oh noooooo! I began calling them my friends because they wouldn’t leave me alone no matter how much I tried. Acceptance is a key quality that I had to pay attention to in India. It helps one to stay sane. I tried accepting the flies, but I wasn’t too successful.  Anyway, yoga also lets you know which part of your body needs some work. Yoga positions are called “asanas,” each has a specific physical and mental benefit.  I found out that some sitting asanas hurt me, and that tells me that I need to work on that area so it is not an issue as I age (gracefully of course).

 

Mr. Shakar was a very calm influence for me. He was very introspective, respectful, thoughtful, and peaceful. I am so glad that he was a part of our daily adventures, without him, things at times may have been a little more difficult. My only hope is that I will remember and maintain the yoga routine that he taught us, so far since I have been home, I am giving myself a great big “D” which should probably be an “F”.  I remember, but I am not maintaining! I suppose that this is the reason people will pay money for classes and personal trainers – that forces you to do things you wouldn’t really do on your own.

  Well forget the Taj Mahal, I could have stayed right here at the Wyndham for the next week and been just as happy. My goodness, even if I had not experienced the challenging issues in the rural hotels that I stayed at during my trip, this hotel was like the gift that keeps giving. I don’t think I have ever taken pictures of a hotel until this one….

It was clearly inspired by the intricacy of Mughal architecture, yet it was modern and had all the amenities.  I have never taken a bath at a hotel before, but this one called me out personally to do just that due to the deep, antique tub – equipped with bubble bath.

The hotel itself featured hidden entry stairs to romantic rooftops, five different restaurants, a club on the lower level, a spa, fitness room, gorgeous business center, and the list goes on. The rooms were all garden entries through fort like doors, with a center court garden complete with water fountains similar to the Taj. We stayed only long enough to eat, drink, and sleep, but I stayed up as late as possible to enjoy the room….it was a welcome relief after the  long journey we had experienced, and a perfect culmination.

 

Our entire group met in Delhi, then traveled the next day to our final cultural outing in India – the Taj Mahal.  It was everything you’ve ever heard and even more for me.

I normally don’t see the need for a guide as I usually simply listen to someone else’s guide if I want to know something, but it was definitely a great idea to have one for the Taj (we are friends now, so I can nickname her). I loved listening to the stories about Shah Jahan and his endearing love for his primary wife (yes, he had two others) Arjumand Banu, whom he actually renamed Mumtaz Mahal, because her name meant “jewel of the palace.”  I’m sure that didn’t go well with the other two, but the fact that Mumtaz gave him 13 babies, was extremely intelligent, and protective of him surely helped.  In fact, she traveled to the battlefield with him where she died giving birth to the 13th child.

The Taj is Shah Jahan’s monument to Mumtaz. It is built on the banks of the Jumuna River, which along with the four squared gardens, makes the grounds even more beautiful.  The Red Fort was the living quarters of the royal family and can be seen from the raised platform which the Taj seemingly floats on. It is a good thing considering the fact that Shah Jahan’s son eventually deposed his father and imprisoned him in the Red Fort. This was a sort of Karma considering Shah Jahan did the same exact thing to his own father.   The son’s two acts of graciousness after his betrayal was that he allowed his father to look at the Taj from his prison home, and he allowed him to be buried next to Mumtaz when he died. How nice of him…

the view of the Taj from the red fort (place of Shah Jahan’s imprisonment)

perfect symmetry at every corner and every angle of the grounds. this is taken from the entry building.

Aside from the love stories and the beauty of the Taj and its grounds, the most striking take-away for me was the advanced scientific skills of the Mughal empire.  The architecture was in perfect symmetry. The image above (Taj framed in black) was taken about a quarter mile away in the red entrance building (wing of entrance building seen at the top), yet it looks as if it is the Taj in a picture frame.

Our tour guide eventually did what I abhor, – took us on the “help me get a kickback” merchandise stop at a marble factory. The good part is that we had a chance to watch marble artisans shape and place jewels in marble,. This taught me about the detailed craftsmanship which went into the planning and building of the Taj.  Aside from white marble, the gems used were orange carnelian (which glows with light), jasper, jade, crystal, turquoise, and sapphire.  This project was begun in 1626 A.D., and completed in 1648 A.D.  Every single inch of the monument yells “scientific and mathematical geniuses!”

I knew that the Islamic world was far more advanced than the Europeans were (Europe was just ending the 30 years war in 1648 A.D.) , but this SHOWED me that fact.  I was not reading it from a book, wow there is a huge difference.  I will never teach the Mughal empire in quite the same way again.  The master architect was Ustad ‘Isa, a renowned Islamic architect during that time period. The building was so perfect (according to our guide), that the Shah Jahan cut off Isa’s hand so that he could not create anything better. yikes

orange carnelian, jasper, jade, crystal, turquoise, and sapphire embedded into marble – this is woven throughout the Taj-the process is artisan at its best

 

Our host, Rajesh, planned a wonderful reception for us at his school, it really was overwhelming and to top everything off, he made it a surprise planned after our initial visit….we were greeted and led in by a band, had honorable turbans wrapped onto our heads, kumkums placed on our foreheads (in Hindu – red turmeric in the place of the third eye, a blessing and a greeting for guests also confused with the term tilak and bindi), shawls placed on our shoulders, and then walked into a field with at least 150 patient students seated patiently waiting for us.

We were seated at a dais in front of the students and given at least 7 bouquets of flowers each and gifts of greetings from every department in the school. The best part came when we were treated to traditional Rajasthani dances by the children…so so  beautiful.  At one point, it poured down raining and it simply could not take away the joy of the occasion, even so, two young boys came over to cover us with umbrellas.  Through the rain, the students did not move, though now seated in the mud. They cheered on their fellow peers and I could not sense one complaint in any of their spirits.  I have never in my life witnessed such respectful children, and this proved to be the case in every single school that we visited throughout our tenure in India. It does still exist (I cannot imagine the culture shock that Teachers from India experience when they come to America.) This occasion was just one of the greatest joys of my journey…it always has been, is, and remains all about the kids to me…here are some pictures of the occasion.

Before I even arrived in India, I heard about “Delhi Belly”, typically referred to as the condition which makes you sick after eating food in India. Having experienced this at least twice during my trip, it is not pleasant and is thus considered a negative, however I think there are two greater negatives about India which would be the tin hut shacks visible in far too many areas that we visited, and the extreme poverty that accompanies those homes. In Mumbai for example, they are visible upon landing at the airport, for some reason, that is where a vast majority exist.  I have been told by some of the fellows that I traveled with that there is a great book entitled “Beyond the Beautiful Forevers”, referring to what is called the slums of Mumbai.  I plan on reading it.  Why, I wondered, would a city government want visitors to their airport to see the excessive poverty upon arrival????? Does this not shame them in terms of their capacity to offer human services?   Anyway, for me, after visiting India, I now choose to call these unpleasant sites the “belly” – forget the food issues.

 

(what are called “slums”- note-I don’t care for the word, but that is what everyone refers to it as-right next to the runway in Mumbai, and a view from the airplane on ascent leaving Mumbai (all the blue dots are tin huts with blue tarp covering it for the monsoon rains)

Well, with great surprise, I witnessed the exact opposite upon arrival to Delhi. The airport looked as if it was built yesterday. I actually took pictures of some of the artwork, one of the most impressive is featured in a photo, the hands are symbolic for classical Indian dance forms that use mudras [hand gestures].  It was designed by an Indian artist named Ayush Kasliwal from Jaipur.   I was very, very impressed, the design grabs your attention and evokes questions.

the picture I took

a professional’s picture

This image, mind you, is huge and it is placed on the wall above everyone’s head visible as you descend the escalator upon arrival.  Though two hands are featured here, there are seven more that could not fit into my photo.  I have added a photo taken by someone else to give the full effect. The expressive hand gestures are called “mudras” and are usually featured in dance and yoga.  Mudras are considered a  channeling force which aids spiritual/mental well being by enhancing the flow of energies through the body.  This article gives further description of what the hand gestures symbolize if you are interested –http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2010/07/28/qa-delhi-airports-hands-sculpture/.  My mindset upon leaving the airport was,” ok, surely we will see the same things that we have witnessed in other towns and cities once we begin our ride to the hotel.”  Wrong again, paved roads with lines delineating lanes! No motor cycles, rickshaws, cows, dogs, buses, etc. on the highway! Everything clean!  No visible sign of shanty towns!  Impressive city buildings, malls, high tech metro, billboards, and as Stevie Wonder put it – “skyscrapers, and everythang!”

me and my second favorite art display in the New Delhi airport – elephants!!!!!

I thought, wow, if Delhi can do it, why not share best practices with at least Bangalore and Mumbai? I later found out from our most valuable guide and host from the Teacher’s Foundation, Indira, that Delhi was the home of the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010.  Isn’t it amazing that a government can get it together for a sports event, but not necessarily for their people????  This is the reason that Brazilians are losing it over the money being spent for the Olympics, – yet their education system and infrastructure does not get the same attention.  I hear ya loud and clear, people of Brazil.

One of our last adventures in Maharashtra was an overnight train ride to Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra. We were booked in “first class,” which was single, and four person overnight sleeper berths complete with curtains. One could either sit in the berth, or put the sheets on, close the curtain, and go to sleep. I had a window in my compartment, however it was pitch black so I could only see lighted objects. It took until the second train stop to realize that I was looking at people on the platform who were looking at me lying in a bed!

I tried sleeping however I mostly dozed here and there. I kept peeping out at the group of men across from me who were sitting up talking (the NY in me I guess.) At some point they must have left the train before Mumbai, so I assume that is the point when I dozed “off.” The next time I looked, there were women in the berth.

After arriving, we took two subway trains (huge infrastructure, very developed) to our destination in the suburbs – the Hommi Babba Science Center, a national center charged with the task of developing students and teachers in the sciences. Here we lodged in dorm type rooms which were clean and had HOT water! yeaaa! There was also a cafeteria serving ala carte and buffet style meals. I was so thrilled to be able to choose what I wanted to eat, including an Indian style salad – carrots and cucumbers, and soup!

We had a roundtable with some of the countries’ elite PhDs – specializing in project based learning styles, infusing science into farmer’s everyday processes, teacher development, etc. These professionals also write books which are purchased by schools and organizations (which they readily shared with us as gifts).

The next day, we visited two of the most famous sites in Mumbai – the Queen’s Necklace (the Arabian Sea shoreline), and the Gateway to Mumbai (site of the arrival of King George V and Queen Mary of England’s arrival in India in 1911). I loved walking the necklace because I could smell the sea, which is the first time I truly thought of and appreciated my Long Island. I love the ocean and began to look forward to lying out on the beach when I return home.  We also saw the Taj Hotel immediately across from the Gateway, which was the scene of terrorism approximately four years ago.  This event had devastating results and had international media coverage.  I will post my personal pictures soon, however below you will find the visuals of the sites I have mentioned.

Mumbai is an interesting city, encompassing extreme poverty and shanty towns at one end of the spectrum, and a high end financial/government/tourist districts on the other. I hope that Mumbai will continue to focus more on the former…

 

 

You wouldn’t believe that this site, which should be a world historic site, is simply not preserved in any way. It is thousands of years old and in the U.S.A, it would be visited by hundreds of thousands every year.  Even more mind boggling is the fact that it would generate much needed money for the community it resides in, – significant considering the lack of jobs for youth and the average low income for families. What is even more amazing is that the state of Maharashtra is advertising tourism, sans this site. The lake, “lonar,” was determined to have been created by a meteorite, whose strength was purportedly equal to a 6 megaton hydrogen bomb, and scientists estimate that it happened 50 thousand years ago. There are geologists who have a different opinion, – that it sits on top of a volcano and was created by an eruption, however the area is made of basaltic rock and that differs from the rocks which would form had it been a volcano eruption.

blue green color of the lake caused by algae, look closer, you can see the color is left behind as the water recedes….it is the world’s third largest natural salt water lake

the hike back up was no joke..we had to stop every few feet to rest..here is our host rajesh and mr. shaker, yoga instructor taking a break below me

 

 

me at the bottom

 

Kamalja Devi Temple at the base of the lake

the inside of the temple – desecrated in my opinion. no historic preservation at all

Anyway, we took advantage of its beauty.  Upon entry, there is a stunning water fountain.  The local people (who have no showers in their makeshift homes) take showers in the ever flowing water fountain…the fountain has been flowing for centuries, and no one knows the origin of the water (to anyone who loves historic sites, you can close your mouth now).  Once we toured the magnificent temples and took in the view at the top, we climbed down the mountain to the eerily green lake,  which was an adventure by itself.  Along the way I witnessed a beautiful waterfall strewn with clothes and debris, temples (ironically being washed by men who were hired by the government.) Once we reached the bottom beach area (for lack of a better description as a large majority of the surface was mud) the most shocking thing to see were the ancient temple columns simply lying on the sand chilling….wait until you see these pictures. by the way, the ancient well, located a few blocks away,  was the playground of the local kids – their  own personal “jungle gym,” if you will.

the local town people take their baths and wash their clothes at this historic temple. the water has flowed for centuries and the source is unknown.

 

We were also taken (by professors and historians who met us there, one even wrote a book and gave it to us…thank you to Mr. S.T. Bugdane, I pray that your work receives the attention it deserves) to a different temple, built by the same architects, in the same area.  The fact that these structures exist within close radius of each other clearly states that this was a planned community, no different from the ancient Mayan cities (which bring in tons of money for the government).  I loved the last temple we viewed because it had everyday carvings on it, like a little boy going “number 2,” and fascinating sexual positions at every corner (yes, lol).

Btw, this site has been studied and excavated by world renown archaeologists, scientists, geologists, and other professionals – including Harvard University….but it sits as a hang out for the locals…the government should be shamed.

steps down to the lake…..the easy part

 

The local newspaper man published an article about our visit and stated in marathi that we stated that the crater should be preserved…never talked to the man, but apparently they think our opinion holds more weight..how sad is that?

Upon approach, the Ajanta Caves, on the outside, are structures cut into a mountainside in a semi-circular pattern. One is intrigued and looks forward to going inside. The first thought upon entering even a few caves were, “why is this not a big deal in the global history curriculum”?  After entering a plethora of different caves, I thought, “why isn’t this one of the wonders of the world”!!?  The answer I determined was that historians choose to focus on  subjects based on their own discretion, not necessarily all that is great and amazing in its own right, thus the term “His-story.” What gets told depends on who has the forum to tell the story. Though both are Unesco World Heritage sites, the Ajanta and the Ellora caves should be amongst the architectural wonders of the world. What glorius a testament to Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. What a privilege to have been able to visit and for this I will forever remain grateful to the U.S. State Department/IREX program; Teachers for Global Classroom and our host, Mr. Rajesh Patil, educator at Sarawastha College Preparatory school in Paras, India.

Our visit to the Ellora and Ajanta Caves was, I suppose, the most fascinating place I have ever visited. I was overwhelmed. 4000 year old carvings of Buddha in my hands. Many original paintings at Ajanta are still intact. Ajanta  actually has one question on the global history regents test in NY, so now I have seen it for myself and it is not just a place on paper…

Two entire cities chiseled into the side of mountains….

Ellora is made up of a Buddhist Temple, a Jain Temple, and a Hindu Temple. The fact that they all exist in one shared space is a show of great respect and tolerance for diverse religions. Of course I liked the Jain Temple because they had the most elephants…:).  The waterfall only falls during the monsoon season, so we picked a perfect time to visit. This was the most popular picture taking site. You can also see the other caves in the background. I took a lot of videos here versus pictures as it was so awesome.  The Ellora caves also sets the background on my home page. I am so sorry to say that the big elephants were more damaged than the picture on my home page would indicate. I hope the Indian government steps up its preservation efforts. There is a lot of water to compete with, but where there is a will-there is a way.

Ellora Caves

 

 

 

The Ajanta Caves date back to 100 B.C. and feature 29 caves carved into a mountain.  All of the caves depict Buddhist artistry, and there were so many that we actually had a contest to see who can get the closest to the amount of Buddhas chiseled into the caves (we never did get a number-gotta look that up).  We visited a large majority of the caves. Most have small temples inside along with sculpture and paintings. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  My all time favorite is located in Cave #26, commonly referred to as the “Sleeping Buddha”

a temple in one of the caves

a few temples feature on this pedestal type symbol

The most simplistic statues that I fell in love with are the elephants at Ellora (the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in me) and the sleeping Buddha at Ajanta!!!! I just have to throw that in for posterity. I felt like a child seeing something exciting, jumping up and down clapping.

 

our greeting party…

I spent a week and a half visiting many different types of schools. The very last school was a private institution named Prabhat Kids School near Akola. We were received with a wonderful procession by boys and girls; a type of dandiya dance complete with bells and half swirls, one of the many rich traditional rajasthani dances.

This school was very up to date, featuring instructional technology throughout the classrooms, a library featuring current event periodicals, a children’s art gallery, and most impressive was a parent counseling room.  Yes indeed, all schools can use that. It featured a huge wall long cartoon strip with the things parents say which tear kids down versus builds them up. Anyone in education can identify with this.

poem by a standard 5 student…….of course I liked this one best…

 

It was a religious holiday, so we were regaled with a wonderful assembly where one of the staff members talked us into participating in a dance ritual (which involved spinning around until i was so dizzy i almost fell) in front of hundreds of students. It is called “Aashadhi  Ekadashi.”  It was fun and was actually featured in the local newspaper.

We ended by being invited to plant trees in our honor.  I named mine what? Bharata…I look forward to seeing it in a few years….

the thali – means “plate” in hindi….we had so many of these that I lost count…each section is constantly refilled as you finish, so it becomes the plate that never empties…

the groom at the wedding we “felt” we were crashing, it turned out to be an honor to the couple….

the bride and groom…..

 

when you visit homes, there is always a chalk drawn welcome for you..this is a welcome drawn by our host’s wife Sunita in Khamgaon……..in Bangalore, we walked through a small area where the woman of the home does it every morning….

The Teachers for Global Classrooms program serves to help educators investigate education around the world, understand different perspectives, and take action in any area of interest.  During my journey in India, I have learned an incredible amount about the education system here, but I have learned even more about the culture.

Everyone we have visited has been extremely hospitable in ways that we Americans may not even be comfortable with, – because we are not used to it.  When invited to dine in someone’s home, the woman of the household never sits down to eat with her guests; she simply serves them the entire time. If you finish one portion of your plate, it is immediately refilled. It is an honor for the host to have a guest enjoy and finish their food.  One can become extremely full, even ill, if so polite as to accept all of the food being offered. It took a full week to finally, politely decline extra servings.  We have eaten like this for practically every lunch and dinner for the past 8 days.  I was supposed to lose weight, but I don’t think that has or will happen…..

We also crashed a wedding – in my mind – but not within the culture of India, because everyone is invited – and I mean everyone! It was a friend of our host, Rajesh, and they gave us a tour of the cooking facilities (2 preparation areas maned by numerous cooks – friends and family), and the eating hall (think large school cafeteria sized).  It was unreal, you know that in the U.S., we would have been checking the guest list and going off if someone came that was not invited!   Earlier in the week we were walking down the street and happened upon a wedding party partying down the street, complete with lights, band, groom on a horse – the whole nine. My travel partner Cindy was asked to dance along with the woman, and she did so with joy. Everyone was elated, and the groom looked down at me smiling and nodding his sincere appreciation and thanks.

In the U.S.A., we tend to judge people based on their income, well in this part of India, I can truly say that income is not a factor in the character of the people – they just simply live, work hard, and give without reservation. That, in my opinion, is a character trait that makes people rich…

As I left my laptop in Frankfurt, I have been unable to post alot, but I just wanted to check in to say that I have never been so honored in the way that the town of Paras and Khamgaon has honored me. Yesterday, we were welcomed to my host’s school with a band greeting us at the gate, the entire school seated on the ground in the field just beyond, flowers, a turbin wrapped onto our heads, -unbelievable.  We were given at least 8 packages of flowers each and many many gifts….it was unreal. I have never been a celebrity before, I can see one going either way: develop a big head, or run for privacy. I suppose a rational mind would find balance with grace.

After being seated, the students danced traditional dances for us like we were queens or something – they were so awesome. As an update, I have since posted pictures of this under “Saraswati Junior College Welcome – Fit for a Queen.”

Today, we visited an Urdu Middle School (muslim) and presented to the students.  I showed a video of my kids at school which they loved. When we left, I was inundated with kids begging me to sign their notebooks. The Teachers had to intervene but I didn’t want to disappoint them.  I hope that my friends and family will help me to send simple things to these schools, like pens and pencils – it would be invaluable.

We ended by visiting the Mahatma Ghandi National School. It was fabulous. The students learn sculpture and must create a sculpture before graduating. The school even has its own museum featuring fabulous art created by former and present students.  We read letters from Ghandi himself, and danced like crazy with the young ladies that performed for us, – the hip action is so awesome. One young lady is extremely talented and I gave her a Radio City Music Hall postcard – I hope she uses her talent to propel her to any heights her heart desires.  I am so blessed. Gotta jump off this pay to use the internet computer, and I will check back soon.

the government school’s student morning ritual, singing the national anthem amongst other things…

 

Fatima presenting me with a gift for visiting..

 

Yesterday, we visited  Bangalore government schools- primary and high school. The children were lined up in the courtyard in anticipation of our visit and the band led us in..so awesome. They are so well behaved, and attentive, yet lacking even one computer. My heart, my heart.  There are many expected changes with the advent of the Right to Education Act of 2009 which guarentees an education for all, 30 students in a class (versus the current 50-60), and structured curriculum amongst other things, however I sense “no child left behind.”

Basically the differences are what I would have thought, there were many more resources at the private school than there were at the government school. One thing remained consistent in all schools, – the students were exemplary in behavior, worked hard in all classes, and were extremely respectful. If I could have 25% of the politeness and respect, I would be happy!!!! I have posted a picture here of a beautiful young lady named Fatima (at the government medium school) who presented me with a card as a gift, hand drawn by students. I will always treasure it.

There is alot of rote learning in many schools in India, but organizations like Teacher Foundation are training Teachers to become more creative in their teaching approaches. The Teacher Foundation was our host in Bangalore, and the private school we visited was the recipient of their expertise in innovative teaching methodologies. The private school had a library including a librarian, a Teacher’s resource room, computers, a curriculum specialist, and demonstrated differentiation in their teaching methodologies. The private school teaches english and parents pay $500 rupees a month (which is alot of money here) each.  The government school had more space for student physical fitness/assemblies, however they had few if any of the forementioned resources, and rote learning was prevalent.

private

 

 

In one government school named Taroda, I did witness a very innovative math class. The Math Teacher actually developed his own multiplication system and had even been featured on the local news.  In this school, the children sit on the floor, but they are studious, serious, and work hard.  The Teacher’s

reason for staying with his school was simple – these were the children of his community, and they needed him the most. He is my hero. Amen

 

 

  a blackboard wall chart detailing all of the Teacher’s credentials 

 

 

 

the first electricity grid in India, built by Thomas Edison himself! It was built to power the catholic church for the British military and dignitaries stationed in Bangalore, located right across the street

 

Today was fabulous, we went on a walking tour of Bangalore with an engineer turned historian. He, like many he described, wanted only to come to America to study engineering. After living in the states, he decided he wanted to come home and eventually saw the opportunity to teach people the history of his home city.

He shared that Bengalore was originally a military town for Great Britain dignitaries, and showed us the very few mansions that are still left.  Still left? Yes, because unfortunately, in India, history is not preserved. India does not have a real focus on historical preservation though they do have a government department known as archaeological survey of india which is responsible for monument preservation…..not quite sure how busy they are.   To quote our guide…”India burns its dead” and they move on…how sad!  Included among the military inhabitants was Winston Churchill; we went to his church along the way..there are many christian churches which were built for the British inhabitants.  The very first electricity plant was built here to provide power for the church, and yes it was built by Thomas Edison’s company.

We went to a 1000 year old Hindu temple,  saw a cow in the neighborhood that just gave birth to two calves (they live in the courtyards or front of people’s homes), and walked in a regular neighborhood where people draw chalk designs in front of their homes every morning among other things. When we returned, we had two presentations – one about pre-school education, and one about Indian music.  Bear with me though, because I am having challenges uploading the plethora of pictures to the hotel computer.. Will figure it out…off to a rajasthani dinner now…..in the words of the hill billies….ya’ll come back now..

McDonald’s – of course, btw, they have a potato burger which is healthy, tastes ok, and should be sold here as well in addition to

 

the fatty chicken and hamburgers

 

posing

 

this cow was in the neighborhood and had just given birth…the cows are as much a part of the neighborhood as the people, in fact many live in the home’s courtyard

 

Wearing Jasmine in your hair is normal here, and it smells sooooooo good!

a temple in the street for anyone to worship, I think this one is ganesh-the elephant head

 

 

 

 

I don’t have alot of time because it is 6:28am, and we are about to take a historic walking tour of Bengalore. But to recap, I missed my flight – yes, can you believe that one…, and I spent two days traveling to make it here before the meeting on Tuesday (left Sunday) – but I made it!!!! My group was very pleased to see me. There is also one other New Yorker who didn’t make her flight and she arrived far after I did…hope we haven’t established a reputation..lol

 

I got one and a half hour of sleep, and we had a meeting with an educational and political dignitary from India who left us with this – India is a nation of diversity and unity. I will go into that later. We also had an educational overview from the Teachers Foundation of India, who taught us about the very complex educational system. We were all jet lagged and tired, so we will continue tomorrow

 

U.N. Consulate speaking to our group – she gives the education visas!

 

our group picture with Dr. Singh, history of India presenter

after our walking tour. We were also graced with the U.S. Consulate for India (the person who gives the visas to the people of India among other things). Gotta run, but I will give more details later. Attached is our group photo with Dr. Singh, to my left is a fellow NYC DOE Teacher from Brooklyn, second from the right (in the back row) is my travel partner to the next city, Khamgaon

 

 

Rajesh, our host, greeting us at the airport in Nagpur

I have finally merged all the various itineraries considering there are five legs to my journey. Many cultural/historical sites I will visit were highlighted under the post “My Host, Rajesh,” but there is much more that will take place on the first leg in Bangalore.  The first two days will be filled with meetings introducing us to the history and culture of India, and the education system in India. Prestigious guest speakers from the Indian government, the Teacher Foundation, and even the Consulate General from the U.S. Embassy will honor us with their presence.  We will have an interactive guided historical walk, which will immerse us into the his background of Bangalore, a panel discussion with local educators, and then we will visit two schools – a government private school, and a affordable private school.

Second leg will be with our host Teachers and we all break up into pairs of two. In addition to the cultural sites mentioned previously, we will be presenting information about America to our host’s students, and addressing educators about the American school system.

Our host Teacher has graciously planned an overnight train trip to Mumbai (which is our third leg), where we will visit the prestigious Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE). HBCSE is a national center dedicated to promoting excellence in science and math – this is what the American education system calls STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).  Although I am not a science or math person at all, this will be good for me to expand my knowledge of this content area (which I usually avoid like the plague!).  All jokes aside, this is America’s focus because we do not have enough college graduates in this area. In fact, many of our professionals come from countries such as India – maybe this spot has a lot to do with that…hmmm

We go to Delhi next and meet up with the entire cohort to debrief and share our experiences. Then we go to the Taj Mahal in Agra, considered one of the eight wonders of the world.  I’m grateful, I’m blessed, and I expect to be greatly enlightened…..feel free to join me…