Interacting With Students in Wandoor 1

An entire week spent in Wandoor, Kerala at the Girls GovernmentVocational High School (GGVHSS) with young ladies who were a delight to be around! Not having many opportunities (for some none at all) to interact with people from the west, they were thrilled to have us mostly to themselves for five full days!

Many were shy at first, (perhaps after being warned by their concerned teachers and school leaders not to bother us).  The girls belong to many different organizations on campus including the band, the 4H Club, the English Club, and more, and all of these were represented at the welcome parade held in our honor.  What I noticed most was pride in their eyes, amidst faces bright with genuine, beautiful smiles.

Each day on campus students (teachers, and PTA members) came out in droves "to meet the Americans."  The entire week in Kerala was an honor, a spectacular time, and a humbling experience!

Each of my colleagues and I spent our time in myriad ways: the following are some highlights: *individually teaching classes of 50-55
*students interacting with teachers (some of whom came to classrooms to observe and had  questions for us)
*spending time with education officials who sought our ideas and opinions on how they could improve their school,
*enjoying Indian, and specifically, Keralites' kindness and hospitality (we were fed beyond belief, and were made to understand that it was parents who catered our lunches each day!!
*participating in panel discussions around Wandoor and neighboring Nilambur, and being interviewed (and constantly photographed:) by the media
*visiting a plethora of cultural sites
*being hosted by the families of new friends we met

**In addition to the picture and link below, click on the Kerala tab to see more stunning and enlightening images

                                                   Tree-planting on campus at GGVHSS

Girl Power at 4H Ceremony

India's Most Southern State

Kerala is India’s southern-most state. An important coastline is the Arabian Sea! There are centuries worth of history at every turn.

It’s the most literate populace in all of India. In the humblest of neighborhoods or districts, there are advertisements summoning the pursuit of a university education.  

Schools abound in very tightly packed areas, as well as on sprawling campuses.  In Government and Public (Private) schools, classrooms have students sitting shoulder to shoulder in numbers as great as fifty (to one teacher).  This is the norm. 

I didn’t witness a profusion of technology in most of these instutions; they were not lucky enough to have air conditioning, and they don’t have an abundance of fancy supplies.  But what they lacked in these areas, these schools made up for ten-fold in student motivation, teacher commitment, parent involvement, and pride in their community and country!

 Approaching airport in Kerala..as promised, lush greenery and beautiful hillsides

 Anticipation swells as Air India prepares for landing

Click on the Kerala tab to view much more.

Food Issues

I must be honest...I entered India with a mini supermarket---only a few items..tuna in all its varieties, and granola bars of all persuasions!! Because in my mind, and based on all the well-meaning advice I'd been given, I would "not find much that [I ]could eat," and I'd "get sick eating too much Indian food."

Well let me tell you....I have not for a long time eaten such delicious, tantalizing, delectable cuisine!!! To-die-for! I'm hooked!  I LOVE SOUTHERN INDIAN FOOD!!

Biryani, Masala Dosa, Gulab Jamun..Fish..chicken..and on and on! Dishes too numerous to mention..I'm sold people..hook, line, and sinker:)  So I bought two cookbooks...gonna have to get my chef--for real--I have a personal chef-Don Brown-that's my husband:)--gonna have to get him to delve into some of these recipes---he cannot eat cumin, and Indian food is laced with this spice.

Take a look at some of what I was into

 Choosing our own fish.

 An evening out for Goan cuisine with Team India including Emily on the right (from IREX) and Robyn

 Here's the fish prepared.

 What's left of all the sweets

 My ultimate favorite--Biryani:)

 You need something to cool your tongue off after eating that crisp little roll (next to the stainless steel cup) on the Kevin's plate...SPICY!!

 Me-enjoying myself, "stepping" into this food trial a bit at a time.