Things we’ve learned so far By Amy Scharmann

Things we’ve learned so far

 

*Weekends breaks are needed. After five days of teaching, our teachers are WORN OUT. We all stay awake until at least ten o clock each night. Most nights we’re gathered around a campfire, and you can see a few kids here and there (not mentioning any names, Toni) who are nodding off. Others are winding down, having deep and not-so-deep conversations and playing games like Mafia and 20 Questions.

 

*If you let 18 kids loose in a marketplace, they’ll bring back silver rings, bracelets, scarves, earrings, socks, knick-knacks, and prayer beads. Liberty scored some pretty great socks for flip flops.

 

*The money here is still confusing to most of us. 70 rupees to the dollar. While shopping, Samantha voiced how we all feel when, wadding a large handful of rupee bills worth of change into her wallet, she said, “It feels like I have so much money. I keep spending it, but they give me back more.”

 

*Curry is a breakfast option. We’ve actually been eating really well. We have our own cooks, and everything’s been delicious. One of the group’s highlights is the curry eggs they make for breakfast. Also, almost every meal we’ve had has had some sort of flat bread, usually chapati. Many of the kids are grateful for the Nutella and peanut butter to put on top. And everyone looks forward to when Clara heats up the dinosaur oatmeal she brought from home, and we get to watch the eggs hatch.

 

*It’s ok to eat rice out of a bag. Or noodles. Each school day, the cooks send us off with little bags of one or the other. We also have back-up lunch options with American-type bread and jam, chips, and cookies. At Orange team’s village school, the YMAD teachers sit in one area of the courtyard eating, while the children sit in another area on the floor in a row. The children eat their rice and curry with their hands, then wash their own tin plates under a cold water spigot or with their water bottles.

 

Orange team’s teachers are doing great. You can find Bentley hanging around with Oakland or the girls. He is always joking around and laughing. He’s also a joy to watch read “Going on a Bear Hunt” with the kids at our school.

 

Lili has become the group’s hairdresser. She is amazing. We’ve seen every variation of braid and hairstyle on our YMAD girls. You may also be interested to know that she’s fallen in love over here. His name is Sanjeev and he’s six.

 

Owen spreads his calm energy everywhere he goes. He’s so mellow with the Indian kids and mellow in our teacher group. The Indian kids have picked up on this. They love being around him. As we were leaving the school yesterday, one sweet little boy reached up and grabbed his hand so they could walk out together. (Some of the kids’ homes are on our walking route back to the bus stop.)

 

Grace is so kind to everyone. She’s good at reaching out and helping those around her feel included. At school, she continues to be an endearing teacher for the kids. You can tell she loves them, and many race to sit by her or have her play clapping games with them.

 

Calvin’s subtle sense of humor is hilarious. We might be having a normal conversation and he’ll say the funniest and most random things that crack us up. It’s so fun having him in our group.

 

McKelle has boundless energy. The kids make her swing them over and over and over. She may look tired at the end of a teaching day, but within an hour, she’s bounced back completely. The Indian children love playing with her.

 

We’ve had a great week.