Travel Blog: International Field Experience in India - Delhi and Mumbai

UPDATE: Due to monsoon conditions in Mumbai, I have joined the teacher group in Wandoor in the state of Kerala.

Blog continues on the page "Travel: Part 2"

GGVHSS School, Wandoor, India

July 13, 2018

Words cannot describe the emotions we felt as we were greeted at the GGVHSS School in Wandoor. 3000 girls in grades 1-12 attend the school. A group gathered a few blocks from the school with a gorgeous banner welcoming us. Riyas dropped us off, and we paraded through town and entered the school grounds to cheering, applause, and rhythmic drumming. We were given fresh flowers, leis, and a wrap.

One of the talented young students performed a traditional dance and the drum line performed on stage. The girls were SO EXCITED to see foreigners! We shook hands all day. At times, it was difficult to walk around the school as the girls crowded around to meet us. Fsor lunch, we had an amazing assortment of home-cooked items. Many of the students in Riyas's class had made a dish at home and brought it to school so we could sample local food. Everything was "powli," which in Malayalam means super or grand. It is customary for locals to eat with their hands. Knowing that we would be used to silverware, they provided us with forks to use during lunch.

I had the great fortune of observing a 9th-grade social studies class. The girls were learning about tectonic plates and Pangaea. It was also fun to visit with the teachers in the staff workroom. They would share about their families and I would show photos of my family.

We learned that the main religions are Hindu, Muslim, and Christian and that they all get along in this area. This was evident in the way the girls interacted throughout the day and confirmed in conversations with the teachers.

We are looking forward to visiting the school on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week!

Red. Hot. Spicy. SpiceJet

July 12, 2018

The original plan was for my TGC partner, Jo Beth, and I to travel to Mumbai to spend a week with our Host Teacher Praba. Due to excessive rainfall (think monsoon times five) we were unable to go. The Consulate in Mumbai recommended to the State Department that we not travel there due to flooding. So, late Wednesday night, Patrick, IREX Coordinator, booked my flight for 6:10 a.m. the next morning.

We left the hotel at 3:45 a.m. along with two fellows traveling to their host school in Paras. Patrick had told me that he would need to travel with me because domestic airlines in India require the traveler to have the original credit card in hand when checking in for a flight. He was correct. When we arrived to check our luggage, they did indeed need to see the original credit card to verify our purchase.

Boarding began an hour ahead of our departure time as we were bused out to our plane. Both rear and front boarding were used. We were served water in paper cups prior to take off, which I later determined to be local water rather than bottled water. I'll spare you the details of that experience.

After a change of planes in Bengaluru, we boarded a turboprop and headed to Calicut. We were hopeful our luggage would arrive, and 3 of the 4 pieces did. One of Patrick's bags did not make it. The SpiceJet team is working to find it. (Update: It was delivered to Patrick late Thursday night.)

A couple of hours later, my new partner teachers, Mary Pat and Michelle arrived on a separate flight and our host teacher, Riyas, greeted us warmly, and his friend drove us to our hotel. Our first school visit to GGVHSS School will be tomorrow!

The Red Fort

July 11, 2018

Built in 1639, the Red Fort was the main residence of the emperors in the Mughal dynasty for almost 200 years. Located in Old Delhi, it was used in some capacity until 1856. The markets in the entrance are run by the same generations of families that ran them back when the Red Fort was used by the Mughal dynasty. Except it wasn't called the Red Fort at that time. The British named it that when they took over Delhi.

District Institute of Education and Training

July 11, 2018

The District Institute of Education and Training provides a two-year professional program that prepares pre-service teachers for teaching in grades 1-8. On the day of our visit, Year 1 students were learning how to teach social science, specifically the culture and traditions of India. Year 2 students were learning how to carve art pieces from Plaster of Paris. We observed the morning assembly, which was similar to what we have seen in the two school visits. Participants joined in songs and meditation techniques. They will utilize these practices when they become teachers in their own classrooms. Instructors also shared curriculum with us and showed us around the library, technology room, and art room.

Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights

July 10, 2018

This afternoon we spent time at the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights. This organization works with children who are in need of care and protection for everal different reasons. These include children who have been arrested, children waiting to be adopted, children waiting for foster homes, children that need to be reconnected with their families, and children who are found on the street and do not have families.

We toured a portion of the facility where children ages 16-18 stayed if they had been arrested. These students were provided with counseling services. The psychologists tried to determine the "why" of the actions that led to their arrest, bothe the criminal reason and the social reason. While in the care of the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the children attend classes, receive medical care, and participate in counseling and art therapy.

School Visit #2 East Delhi Nigam Pratibha Co-Ed School

July 10, 2018

It was such a blessing to visit the Nigam Pratibha Co-Ed School this morning. The school services students in grades first through eighth. We had a warm welcome of blessings and fresh flower leis! The students had started their morning assembly when we arrived, performing meditation and several songs. They then went to their classrooms and we toured the school. The school's main language is Hindi with some English. You'll notice one of the pictures has a fractions lesson written in Hindi on a blackboard.

India Gate

July 9, 2018

On Monday night we ventured out to see India Gate. The colors of the Indian flag are projected on the top portion . As a war memorial, you can see the names of British and Indian soldiers etched in the arches.

School Visit #1 Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya (RPVV)

July 9, 2018

Way back in college, I participated in a two-week study tour of schools in London, England, and Cardiff, Wales. It was an incredible experience and I knew I would want to visit and learn about education in foreign schools again. Twenty-five years later, I am India visiting schools! Today we had the honor of visiting the Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya (RPVV) School in Delhi. Mamta, one of our IFE coordinators, works at the school and arranged the visit. We were greeted by a march from the student NCC, National Cadet Core. These intelligent young gentlemen wore their uniforms proudly. We then received a blessing and sprinkling of flower petals prior to attending the morning assembly where the students demonstrated their impressive yoga skills.

Special guest, Sh. Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Education, visited the school at the same time we did. It was an incredible experience to watch the Deputy Chief Minister interact with the children. He spoke to them about the importance of education, asked them questions, then had them ask him questions. The children were laughing and happy and knew that he was genuinely interested in them personally.

During our visit, we were served snacks prepared by the students. Student Prefects took us on guided tours of the building. We had a chance to visit science labs, math labs, social science classes, the computer lab, and he SMART Class, the room in which the SMART board was kept.

The science students were excited to show us their experiments, projects, and Foldscopes. They had assembled the paper Foldscopes themselves and inserted the lens piece. It made their microscopes portable. You can find the Foldscope HERE.

RPVV is a government-run school for students in grades 6-12. To qualify to attend this school, students must score at a specific level on their grade 5 exam. The students wear uniforms and eat lunch at school. They have yoga class every day and practice meditation. The students were well-mannered, polite, excited to have visitors, and were a joy to be around!

Shopping for Saris and Traffic in Delhi

July 8, 2018

Our IFE consultants, Mamta, Pooman, and Sonia took us shopping for custom made saris and pre-made kurtas. We will wear these when we meet with ILEP alumni as part of our closing activities. These ladies know where and how to shop! They helped us find beautifully coordinating outfits at reasonable prices. Several of the TGC Fellows had saries custom made from cotton fabric. The tailor came to the hotel today to measure them, and will have their saris ready in a couple of days. The material for the saris comes in one piece. The tailor cuts off one portion and sews a blouse. Then they use the other portion to make the petticoat and a drape. I chose a patterned, red, pre-made kurta and pants for our final session late next week.

The walk to go shopping was even more adventuresome than the shopping itself! Check out the video below to experience what traffic is like for pedestrians wanting to cross the street.

Traffic is a mixture of vehicles, rickshaws, bicycles, motorcycles, food carts, pedestrians, and cows.

Village Life in India

July 8, 2018

It was a deep honor to visit the village of Pachayara this morning. The members of the village welcomed us into their homes and temple. The women sang to us and gave us a blessing. The children smiled, giggled, and followed us around. We were served snacks, taught to dance, and watched as a cow was milked.

It was a humbling experience to be the first foreigners to ever visit the village. And, in this case, pictures speak louder than words.

The kids stole my heart.

Pachayara is an agricultural community.

The children were excited to see us and asked for selfies.

The village's temple

The women of the village greeted us with a welcome song and a blessing.

Cows have right-of-way on streets.

Making butter

Learning to dance

Learning About the History and Culture of India

July 7, 2018

After some solid rest and recovery time, we began to learn more about the history, culture, and food of India with our in-country IFE (International Field Experience) consultants, Mamta, Sonia, Rajesh, and Poonam. Our session included a welcome ceremony, an example of meditation, and learning how to do a couple of Indian dances. Find a version of one of the dance songs HERE.

India: Unity through diversity

The Indian flag symbolizes freedom. Saffron represents courage, sacrifice, and the spirit of renunciation. White symbolizes purity and truth. Green represents faith and fertility. The blue wheel in the center is a Buddhist symbol. The spokes show there is life in movement and death in stagnation. The national emblem is symbolic of the unity and diversity of the country. During the national anthem, Indians stand at attention. The song has a specific rhythm and two beats per second for 52 seconds.

There are three national festivals. Republic Day is celebrated on the 26th of January. Is the day the country was declared a republic. Independence Day is the 15th of August. It recognizes the day India because independent of Britain. The country also celebrates Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday on the 2nd of October.

There are three main gods. Brahma generates, he is the creator. Vishnu observes, he is the preserver. Shiva is the destroyer. Two of the oldest well-known epics originated in India: Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The both culminate in the path of enlightenment. Duty is important to Indians.

Three major festivals are recognized throughout India. Rakhi celebrates the love of brother and sister. Holi is the festival of colors. Participants sprinkle colors and joy. Diwali is the festival of light. It symbolizes the victory of good over evil.

Interesting facts

• Major contributions: chess, the number zero, martial arts, yoga
• India has the place with the highest rainfall in the world.
• The second largest desert is in India.
• The Bengal tiger is the national animal

Culture Includes Food

For dinner, we went to Barbeque Nation. Each table had a space for a small grill. They brought "snacks" first, and you could cook kabobs to your liking on the grill at your table. They continued to bring many more types of "snacks" until you put down the "I've Had My Fill" flag. Then, you went to the buffet to enjoy some more authentic Indian food. We finished with a celebratory cake and ice cream on a stick.

IREX coordinator Patrick receiving his welcome blessing.

Exploring the Hotel in Daylight

July 7, 2018

Back home in Chillicothe, Missouri, residents are celebrating the first annual Sliced Bread Day. While walking back through the hotel from breakfast this morning, I discovered it is also International Chocolate Day. Two of my favorite foods are celebrated on the same day!

Even though we walked through the front doors of the hotel last night, it wasn't until this morning that we realized they had GPS coordinates on the glass. We think this would be a cool clue to use in a Breakout EDU game once school starts.

We enjoyed traditional Indian foods for lunch at "2000", a conference room on the twentieth floor of the hotel. I need to find recipes for several of the foods in the images below!

Arrival in Delhi

July 7, 2018

We reached the hotel just before 4:00 am local time. Rajeesh, TLEP alumni, and our in-country coordinator met us at the airport and arranged our transportation. Traffic is busy, even in the middle of the night. Once we arrived at the hotel, we went through security and were greeted by hotel staff with ATG. The A is for Aarti, meaning welcome. The T stands for Tika. It is a paste made from sandalwood and rubbed on your forehead. The G stands for garland, which is the "shower" of petals. The same flower petals that were on the tray for a greeting of peace were in the bathroom in our hotel rooms.

The hotel room included the Bible as we would traditionally find in hotels in the United States. It also had a copy of the Bhagavad-Gita, a 700 verse Hindu scripture that is part of the Mahabharata. A Hindu epic, the Mahabharata was originally written in Sanskrit and has 200,000 verses. I read the children's version of the Mahabharata before arriving in India.

The most confusing part of checking in at the hotel was having jet-lag and trying to figure out how to turn off the lights to get some much-needed sleep. Turning them on had been no problem. You just inserted your room card into the slot by the door. Unfortunately, if you pulled the card out, ALL of the lights in the room went out. Unbeknownst to me at the time, many of the TGC fellows were having the same difficulty. Many of us considered reaching out to the group via the WhatsApp to see if anyone had figured out the problem. We felt bad admitting our inability to find the solution and didn't ask for help. Later, we discovered the control center box that allows users to turn any of the lights in the room on or off, including the large blue glow over the bed. The control box also has a built-in world clock so users can easily figure out what time it is at home. This eliminated my need to Google, "What time is it in Central Standard Time?"

Frankfurt, Germany

July 6, 2018

Yesterday, I signed off my blog post abruptly due to a fire alarm at the Newark airport. It turned out to be a false alarm. After a few minutes of loud alarms wailing, everything quieted and things went back to normal. A few hours later, TGC fellow Mary Patricia and I boarded the plane to head to Frankfurt. Within the first hour of our flight, there was a medical emergency on board the plane. Mary Patricia experienced it first-hand from her seating section. I learned about it when a flight attendant announced it over the intercom, searching for a potential doctor or paramedic on board. The flight continued, and later they let us know the passenger had become a patient under the care of a fellow passenger who was a doctor. I believe everything turned out okay for those involved.

-------

I LOVE window seats when flying and was blessed with them on my first two flights to Delhi. You gain a whole new appreciation for nature when you fly over and see the farms, mountains, and ocean from above. The clouds were extraordinarily beautiful. As we got close to landing in Frankfurt, we could see wind turbines churning away. Many of the roofs on the buildings had more of a red color than I am used to seeing when flying domestically in the United States. The fields were brown in hue and had distinct parallel lines.

Another one of my joys of flying is investigating the stores in airports to discover the types of foods that aren't offered in my region of the United States. I found Mezzo-Mix, an orange and cola soda, and chocolate caramel Mentos. We definitely need these Mentos options in the US!

Packing, Travel and Guiding Question

July 5, 2018

Today's the day, I am India-bound! A 3:00 am alarm was necessary to catch the first of three flights. I'm currently at the airport in Newark, New Jersey, on a seven-hour layover before my next flight to Frankfurt, Germany. Our team of twelve TGC Fellows from across the United States and one representative from IREX will rendezvous there and venture on to Delhi together with a scheduled early morning arrival on Saturday.

I was able to check my large suitcase full of gifts for teachers in India that I will co-teach with and observe. The TGC cohort I am traveling with has been brainstorming ideas of things to take that would represent our local communities and the United States. As I indicated in my last blog post, students in the CMS Global Club helped make bookmarks. After I learned that some of the classes in India might have 100 students per class, I supplemented those student-made bookmarks with an extra 600 bookmarks showcasing symbols of the United States. Since kids worldwide love candy, I packed several hundred Smarties and Dum Dum suckers as well.

My favorite food is chocolate, and I wanted to take various Missouri-made chocolates with me as gifts for teachers. It will be around 100 degrees each day that we are in India and I am afraid chocolates would melt as I traveled from the hotel to the schools. I decided to pack various non-chocolate candies made in the United States. I have everything from Jelly Bellies and lemon drops to gummy bears and Necco Wafers. I tried to get a variety of candies so the teachers would each have something different, and could try each other's candy if they wished. I also have a beautiful soft pastels art piece that my mother made that I am taking as a gift for our host teacher in Mumbai who has developed our itinerary.

I also packed Chillicothe Hornet pens and Post It notes, as the story behind the invention of the sticky notes has been a favorite of mine to share with students. I found small US-made flags at Target and am taking those for teachers. The amazing staff in the Chillicothe School District helped me compile a collection of hornet-themed shirts, lanyards, and bracelets to take as well. All of these are in my large checked bag that is scheduled to arrive in Delhi. I do hope it arrives intact!

Our itineraries for both Delhi and Mumbai were finalized in just the last couple of days. It looks like we will have the opportunity to visit seven to eight different schools. There are wonderful cultural sites and experiences built into our itineraries, including sunrise at the Taj Mahal, a visit to the Arabian Sea, viewing theater performances, and visiting art galleries.

As part of our preparation for travel, each TGC Fellow identified a guiding question as to their focus while visiting schools. These questions were shared with our contacts in Delhi and Mumbai ahead of time so we can have conversations about our specific interest areas. My guiding question is, "How does gender affect one's educational experiences and self-concept?" I'd like to learn more about educational opportunities specifically for girls, and why girls in India have statistically lower literacy rates than boys. Our host teacher in Mumbai works at a girls' college so it will be good to hear her perspective on girls in education, especially higher education.

Bonus: The fire alarm at the international terminal at the Newark Airport has been going off for several minutes now. The announcement indicates they are investigating. Signing off in case I have to evacuate due to a fire...

Preparations for Travel

June 4, 2018

WhatsApp and our TGC Facebook group have proven to be great communication tools as our cohort of 13 teachers stay in contact to prepare for our international field experience in India in July. Many of us were able to meet in February during the Global Education Symposium in Washington, D.C., and a few teachers will be joining us from the 2016-2017 cohort due to delayed travel. It is a wonderfully supportive group, frequently sharing tips for travel, immunizations, packing, and gift ideas for the teachers and students we will be working with during our time in India.

I am a "just in case" type of person so I received many of the immunizations recommended by the CDC for travel to India. The Japanese encephalitis immunization is a series of two shots, usually given 28 days apart, but I needed to use the one week apart option due to scheduling issues. I opted for the live typhoid oral vaccine with the five-year coverage and reduced side effects. It has an interesting dosing schedule of one pill on an empty stomach every other day for a week. It had also been over five years since I had received a tetanus booster so it was time for another round.

The nurse that I visited with at Passport Health for immunizations recommended that I take medication for the prevention of malaria and traveler's diarrhea. Those are two things I would prefer not to experience so I took advantage of those options. I have Travelan for digestive track protection, DiaResQ in case something does happen, and Atovaq/Proguanil for the prevention of malaria. She also suggested I take hand sanitizer wipes to clean any bottled water or soda cans prior to drinking them, and extra toothbrushes in case I accidentally use tap water to rinse my toothbrush instead of bottled water. She said that if that happens I should just throw away the toothbrush and grab a new one.

Global Education Symposium in Washington, D.C.

February 2018

After visiting virtually with the 2017-2018 Teachers for Global Classrooms (TGC) Cohort during the online course, it was exciting to meet everyone in person during the Global Education Symposium in Washington, D.C. in February 2018. My administrator, Steve Haley, traveled with me and attended the Symposium.

We flew out on a Thursday morning and had a chance to do some sightseeing in the afternoon before the Welcome Reception. I joined eleven of the TGC Fellows for a tour of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture. We only had a couple of hours at the museum and I definitely need to go back and explore further.

During the symposium, we were honored to hear Ambassador Galt and Dr. Hakim Williams speak. Ambassador Galt is the Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. She was most recently the Ambassador of the United States of America to Mongolia. Dr. Williams is an Assistant Professor of Africana Studies and the Director of Peace & Justice Studies at Gettysburg College. We had enjoyed having him as a guest presenter during the online course in the fall.

During the Symposium, we also participated in breakout sessions with a panel of TGC alumni, educators and IREX staff affiliated with our international field experience countries, and representatives from the U.S. Department of State. A Global Education Resource Fair gave us a chance to visit with globally-minded education organizations and think about ideal connections for our individual classrooms.

Friday night, 37 fellows and administrators enjoyed the Lunar New Year by dining together at Da Hong Pao. It was a fun experience and we were thankful that one of our fellows, Seth, had planned ahead and made reservations for our large group.

One of the neatest things about the Symposium was the chance to visit with a diverse representation of educators from rural, suburban, and urban school districts from thirty states. Learning about the similarities and differences in the education systems across our country helps us to better understand and appreciate the diverse education systems around the world.

When it was time to leave on Saturday, we discovered our flight had been delayed by half an hour. Upon check-in at the airport, we were graciously asked if we would like to switch to another flight that was leaving at the same time but did not have a layover. We accepted and were able to arrive home ahead of schedule, even with the plane needing to be de-iced before takeoff. With the multiple flight delays due to winter weather, our flight was only about a third full. I had an entire row to myself to stretch out and start to read Deeper Learning: Beyond 21st Century Skills, a book given to us at the symposium.

The TGC Fellowship has been an amazing learning adventure so far. I am excited to continue on this journey!

Contemplation Court at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture

Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights

July 10, 2018

This afternoon we spent time at the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights. This organization works with children who are in need of care and protection for several different reasons. These include children who have been arrested, children waiting to be adopted, children waiting for foster homes, children that need to be reconnected with their families, and children who are found on the street and do not have families. We toured a portion of the facility where children ages 16-18 stayed if they had been arrested. These students were provided with counseling services. The psychologists tried to determine the "why" of the actions that led to their arrest, both the criminal reason and the social reason. While in the care of the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the children attend classes, receive medical care, and participate in counseling and art therapy.