Sports Day and Saris

Last weekend marked the annual school Sport's Day. This was mentioned to us a few weeks ago, and I had just presumed that this would involve the usual sprint, relay, egg and spoon races etc. The reality was so much better.

The whole event kicked off with the students running around the track, in formation, to the drill of a whistle. This was followed by an 'en masse' gymnastics routine, before the competitive events began. With events ranging from eating a banana as fast as possible, to burying faces in dishes of flour in search of coins, to blowing up a balloon until it pops. Instead of an egg and spoon race, there was a lemon and spoon race; consumption of eggs goes against the religious beliefs of many of the local people.

The cycling race and obstacle relay were highly contested events, drowned out by chants of "SPS" (Srirajni Primary School). Health and safety was thrown out of the window as the ten cyclists lined up together on the track and then proceeded around the course, narrowly avoided missing the children who had been selected as martials for the event.

I was introduced to the traditional Indian game of kabaddi (a team game involving wrestling/tag and continual chanting of "kabaddi kabaddi kabaddi kabaddi") and was compelled to join in with the teachers vs students game of musical chairs . I managed to rake in a bronze medal position which I was very pleased with; running around in a sari is no easy task!

Sports Day, as an important school function, involved us having to wear saris for the first time. In their endless array of patterns and colours, I am sure that I will be returning home with a small wardrobe of them. However, NO ONE tells you how difficult they are to tie: a blur of folds, pleats, pins and tucks. Definitely a skill that I'm going to have to master. Thankfully, day-to-day wear here consists of the traditional Salwar Kameez (baggy trousers, tunic and scarf), so 7:30am sari tying is not something I have to worry about. I have over month now to hone my sari skills before the next big occasion, DIWALI.

Katie looking cute

RAT ATTACK

We have a rat problem. Welcome to the less glamorous reality of living in India.

I have an irrational (and fairly extreme) fear of rats, so when a brown, rodent-shaped creature suddenly appeared at the top of the staircase whilst we were watching TV, you can probably imagine my hysterical reaction. It scampered down the stairs and disappeared - I sent Katie to thoroughly investigate and she found nothing.

We tried to forget about it, until we were woken in the night by the sound of clattering plates and pans; clearly, our rodent friend had decided to investigate the contents of last night's dinner (we do not have any washing up facilities in our rooms so we have to wait until morning for our dishes to be cleared by the staff).

Having informed the staff of our less-than-welcome visitor, a trap was set.

Entering the room the next day weirdly felt a bit like Christmas, as we came to see whether we had caught the rat or not. The result was as follows: Visiting Teachers 1, Rat 0. It was later taken away to the outskirts of town and released (it woud be too disorientated to return). The strongly Hindu and Jain local population is largely vegetarian/vegan, with a strong respect for animals; hence why the rat was not killed.

We have since had another little friend pop by, so measures are being taken to rat-proof our living quarters. We no have a sealed cupboard for dirty plates and there are plans to seal the loose trapdoor at the top of the staircase (from which they are entering).

By the end of this year, I am sure that I will be over my phobia - immersion therapy is definitely helping. As someone mentioned to me, if we have already seen two rats in our short time here, imagine how many more there are that we can't see. And on that note...

Life at Srirajini

A Gap Year in India. Hearing these words often brings to mind images of backpacking along tourist trails, selfies with the Taj Mahal and partying in Goa.Whilst I may well do all of these things, I am mainly here to work. I am  a volunteer teacher at Srirajini Primary School, Dhrangadhra.

My 'teacher' name

Established over 30 years ago by my host Ba, the school resides in a corner of the palace grounds. Students from the ages of three to thirteen attend from a wide range of different backgrounds (scholarships are widely available), learning the skills they need to equip them for a bright future. Srirajini is a largely English-medium school and, unlike many Indian schools, strong emphasis is placed upon core values such as gender equality and an intolerance of the prejudiced social caste system. It is clearly a very special place.

So far, my role involves teaching students from the Fifth to Eighth Standards (roughly nine to thirteen years old) a range of different subjects, including English, Civics, Physics, Biology and Computing, as well as running Art & Craft projects. The day starts at 8:30am and finishes at 1:40pm, so as to avoid the heat of the afternoon. Whilst a 1:40pm finish may seem like I'm getting off likely, this does not include the 2-3 hours of lesson prep that I then have to do for the next day. Having just left school, with limited life experience and no teaching qualifications, I have well and truly thrown myself in at the deep end. Despite these many challenges (a large one being merely that of trying to keep the class quiet *), I can already tell that this is going to be a very rewarding experience. I have been given an incredible opportunity and intend to seize it with both hands.

The weekly timetable

*Note: I am sorry to every teacher that I ever misbehaved for

I've arrived!

First blog post.

Arrived at my new home in Dhrangadhra nearly a week ago, now (although it already feels like I've been here much longer!). Our host, referred to as Ba, is married to the youngest son of the former Maharaja (ruler) of Dhrangadhra; we are staying in the old royal palace of the Dhrangadhra Princely State.This setting is incredible! Over 200 years old, it is decorated with countless antiques and stone carvings from the time of the royals. My living quarters open out into the courtyard, shown in the photo, which is filled with trees and an array of wildlife. This courtyard, the old women's quarters of the palace, is where I live and work.

A stone carving of a Hindu God.
The courtyard temple is the founding
site of Dhrangadhra. 

A Ringneck Parrakeet

Northern palm squirrel