The Last Few Weeks

I am acutely aware that I have failed to keep this blog up to date over the past few months. I will partly blame this on a lack of access to computers (both while on my 7 week tour of North India and at Devnar as I can't work the systems in the computer lab without a computer mouse- something that the kids can't use and, therefore, don't have). On top of this, as I've become so accustomed to festivals, programmes, visits, poojas etc, I have felt less of a need to write about them. While it once might have seemed important to ramble on about the weather (45 degrees or the monsoon, for example) and how I deal with it now feels like a comparatively mundane information; something that is simply part of day-to-day life.

Excuses aside, I can't not acknowledge that my time at Devnar is nearly over and I should, therefore, write something here.

Since coming back from our 7 weeks Summer Tour last month, life at Devnar has been lazy and hectic at the same time. Mornings passed chatting with Manjula in the library and helping with the new LKG class consisting of two of the most adorable little boys in Devnar. Our official work load has reduced considerably so afternoons are now spent taking the odd English lesson and busying myself with my Community Project- an assignment needed for me to complete my OCN Global Citizenship and Volunteering qualification. Evenings have become my favourite time of day and are characterised by the monsoon rains, frequent power cuts and hours of what Lottie and I refer to as "Office Hangs"- namely sitting in the school's office, chatting to each other, Padma, Warden Sir, students and whoever else also finds themselves waiting on the red sofa bench. I will often sit downstairs with my students until late into the night, long after the wardens have gone to bed and the offices have been locked up, chatting about England, India, the future, the school and so much more. While my official role here has been 'English Teacher', living at Devnar has meant that I feel less like I am a member of staff and more like I have gained 500 or so little brothers and sisters. As such, I have been enjoying these last few weeks with them as their sister meaning more games of tag, cuddles, sneaking them sweets from outside and even midnight water fights.

I feel like it's going to be near impossible to explain how close I've become everyone here and how at home I feel in a place that was, at first, fairly alien. People who started off strangers are now close friends and, not only that, but I have spent enough time here to feel like every friendship I've made is a meaningful, reciprocated one. I don't want to be too cliche, but I really am grateful that I got this Project; it's consumed my life completely and I am devastated that my life here will be coming to an end in just a few days. Irrespective of my upset, the 18th will inevitably roll around so I plan to make sure the next few days are filled with as many giggles, jokes and hugs as the past few weeks have been. "Full enjoy!" as they say here.

Half Way Review

It's coming up to being 6 months since I left England making it (approximately) the 'half way point' in my Indian adventure. To mark this I wanted to make a little post to go over some of my general thoughts and feelings so far and whether the hopes I had six months ago have been met, so here goes:

I wanted to start by looking back at the things I was most looking forward to just before my departure that were leveling out any nerves I had about leaving. In a blog post I wrote back in August I mentioned the following things: 

Singing songs with my classes- this I have loved and will, no doubt continue to love. LKG are always up for a rendition of the alphabet, ‘bits of paper’, ‘Brother John’, ‘Johnny Johnny’ and, my personal favorite due to their Christmas spirit regardless on the month, ‘Jingle Bells’. Knowing that there are a few songs, such as the ‘Are we quiet?’ song, that Lottie and I have taught them from scratch is wonderfully satisfying especially when the little ones will wander up and start singing them to us out of the blue. While I sing less with my older classes, one of my 5^th class groups have become ever so fond of a song about Sharks that we used to sing on school residential trips back in the earlier (and later) years of secondary school.  This song also has actions which, I am proud to say, the class all know and we have a great time at the end of our lessons, clapping with our arms extended in front of us, pretending to be sharks. 

My first first-hand experience of a Hindu festivals- Festivals here are fantastic. Not only does everyone in the school come together to celebrate regardless of their religion, but the whole street genuinely begins to buzz with excitement and the sound of drums can be heard late into the night. Joining in with celebrations, big and small, makes me feel like I really am part of the community, especially when the Aunties ask me to join in with the Rangoli, making Diwali candles or stringing flowers. Unfortunately, we have been on holiday for some of the big Hindu celebrations (like Pongol), however, this makes me even more excited to be able to spend ones like Holi at the school with the kids.  

Riding Elephants- this is a tricky one to review because, while we have had the chances to ride elephants, we have turned them down. Having seen the conditions some temple elephants are kept in, and reading about the means by which many elephants are trained to accommodate tourist rides, the idea of riding one myself is no longer as appealing as it was back in the UK. I do hope, however, that I might be able to see some more, hopefully in more natural setting, while on my summer travels. 

Buying my first Sari- Not only did I massively enjoy buying my first Sari, but I have loved buying everyone I’ve bought since. Learning to tie them well enough for the Aunties not to demand that they redid it as soon as I came down for breakfast took a little while but, since being able to fix them myself they have become infinitely more comfortable while continuing to make me feel like a princess. I may have collected a few more than I need but each hold special memories for me depending on which festival or event I first wore them at. I still have my very first Sari tucked away safely in my rucksack through fear that I will somehow ruin it but I have become far less precious with the rest of them. I have also started to tailor them myself in an attempt to save money (tailoring the fall and hem as well as getting the blouse made can often cost as much as the Sari itself if the quality of the stitching is good) which means I can wear them far more often without fear that I am wasting money if they get a bit scruffy around the edges (which is inevitable with the amount I end up rolling around on the floor with the kids).

Indian puddings- Indian sweets and puddings have exceeded my expectations. I knew I had a sweet tooth but I didn’t think I would be able to eat  jalebi until my teeth ached- but I can. I get stupidly excited when a donor brings some kind of sweet; gulab jamun, ladoo, or some sort of kheer to the school for dinner and lassis have now become my drink of choice while traveling. I am also starting to get my head around kulfi, something I’d never tried in the UK and is great but ridiculously rich here.  

My first ride in a tuk tuk.- I did actually enjoy my first Auto ride immensely- and many more after it. They seem so convenient that I feel I will miss them when back in England! My parents would be horrified to hear that Auto races are definitely a thing when there are too many in our party to squeeze into one. This often means driving even faster and even more recklessly than usual and, occasionally, with the addition of Tollywood tracks blasting out of the in-built speakers of a particularly enthusiastic Auto driver.  However, in recent months, we have been trying to cut down on using them because they are simply too expensive- especially as many drivers see that we are not Indian and try and take advantage of us. Initially, many drivers would try and charge us over 150 rupees for a journey we knew should cost no more than 30 rupees and many of them don’t seem to be able to comprehend that we have now been here for some time and know how much our regular routes should cost. The assumption that we are rich also leads to many Auto divers being very persistent even when we have turned down the offer of a ride. On one occasion we were walking 200 of our students up Mayurimarg to get on a school bus that was parked on the main road when, ignoring the line of students we were holding hands with that snaked up the street, one driver was adamant that we should take an Auto and drove along side us for a good few minutes before giving up and heading off. They often don't seem to understand that we don't mind walking sometimes. We have now got our head around the buses for most of our trips though it does seem to be considerably easier to get a bus to wherever we want to go than it is to get one back. This is primarily because, often, buses don’t stop at bus stops, rather they just pause in a traffic jam near enough where you were planning to go so it’s best to just jump off when you can. This, however, means that I have no idea where to be catching the buses home from and is something I do need to work on…    

Being able to have a conversation with someone in Telugu.- I’m not going to lie- my Telugu is still not great. The problem with trying to learn Telugu here is that the school is English Medium meaning all of the classes are taught in English above a certain grade, this, by extension means that a lot of the students want to practice their English with us rather than dedicating too much time to helping us  with our Telugu. A few will even be confused when we ask for help and say “Why Mam? Telugu is useless to you when you go back to England…” but I still do like to spend the odd evening scribbling down useful translations into a notebook. Even being able to have a short, broken chat with the Aunties or younger students is brilliant, though, even if they often have to include a number of exaggerated actions and tones- they really appreciate the effort we put in even if it’s the conversation is just about whether or not I have eaten enough for dinner (the answer always being ‘yes, yes I have had more than enough’). 

And lastly I mentioned; ‘spending time with and getting to know my lovely partner’.- In the last 5/6 months, I have learnt that it’s very easy to get to know someone when you work and live with them every single day. At one point, during the run up to Christmas, Lottie and I calculated that we hadn’t spend any period longer than six hours apart since our arrival here which, when thinking about how much time I spend with even my family back in England, is maddening. This considered, it isn’t surprising that our ‘arranged marriage’ (as we sometimes describe it) can get on both of our nerves immensely at times especially when we are polar opposites in many respects. Despite this however, it has been great to have someone to share the last 6 months with; to laugh about stupid things, to dress up with, to motivate me and remind me to relax, to take photos with, collect quotes, and relax with. However much there are some habits of hers I will never understand, I do really appreciate having Lottie around.

There are some other changes I have noticed over the last 6 months; perhaps most significantly that I no longer feel like I live in a school. Now, I feel like my home is Devnar and, secondarily to that, it just happens to hold lessons during the day time. The kids are my students but they are also my little brothers and sisters who can be complete pains but I love to bits. I miss them when they go back to their villages for a week or two or when we go traveling and I can gossip and giggle with them just as I would with friends back home.

The surroundings feel more comfortable and natural than I ever imagined they could do when I first got here. Back then, the second floor was just the floor our little room was located along with the computer room, LKG classroom, printing room, library and hall, but now it it’s a playground for me and the kids, and where I am at ease roaming around late at night when I can’t sleep. Our little room becomes more and more homely every day as we add photos, pictures drawn by the kids, and souvenirs to the walls on a daily basis and we keep the door open more and more often to welcome little visitors who want to come in and play to distract us from our work. We even have a bag of Duplo Lego (thanks Mum and Dad for sending that) for Sai Sethwick and Nikhil to play with on their post breakfast visits. I don’t know whether it good that I am, but I have got to a point where I can wander around the school in my hideous Indian nighty and not mind who I bump into. It might sound stupid, but that is a level of familiarity with the school and all the people in it that I wasn’t sure was going to happen when I first pulled up into the gates, yet, here we are!

While reaching this half way point does feel like an achievement of sorts, it's also really scary. The days seem to be passing at a ridiculously fast pace and, at the moment, I don't feel like I will ever be completely ready to leave Devnar- especially not in 6 months...

But, to conclude, I still don’t think I could have asked for a better country or project to be spending a year at and, to be horribly cliché, am still having the time of my life- here’s hoping the second half of my year is equally fantastic!