Yesterday was my tour of all the classes at Panchsheel Ashram School: Grades 1-12. 500+ students live and attend school at this facility and everything works like a charm: dinnertime, chores, study hours, play time. They are sweet children and asked me all about my life: What is your mother's name? What is your father's name? etc... Today, we are heading to Nagpur (3 hour drive) to visit our Nursing students.
I have arrived in Bahiram and am settling in to a new environment. I will take these next few days to visit Panchsheel Ashram School and Felix Convent School, but I am also hoping to have some time to reflect on all my school visits, my time in Padhar, Sarni and Shahpur as well. But I thought I would start with the amazing welcome by the staff and children of Panchsheel School. It is a joyful noise when greeted by 550 children and all the teachers with flowers, dancing, colors and smiles. Here is a glimpse of the experience.
On our busy Tuesday, after the warm welcome at St. Mark School, we drove to SHahpur to visit the Ebenezer Hostel and Hindi Medium School. We were welcomed warmly by the students and taken on a tour of their facilities, including a hostel and the school building. They have about 100 student enrolled at the Hindi Medium School, grades 6-10. Currently there are 18 boys living at the hostel. Many years ago, we funded a washing machine to the hostel - it is still in good working order and still helpful!
After our visit to Ebenezer Hindi Medium School, we stopped at the primary school in the village. We are not formally supporting them, but this was my second visit. They have 39 children, grades 1-5. They did some dances for us and we had a nice chat with the teachers.
Tuesday started with a drive to Sarni (about 90 minutes from Padhar) and then a meeting with Pastor Johnson Crusoe and family. After sharing some coffee and snacks, we were welcomed to St. Mark School and a wonderful celebration, tour of the school and gifts exchanged. A few years ago, we funded the purchase of 5 computers for the computer lab - it is still being used for the benefit of all grades.
First, my apologies. I have been so busy these last two days that I have had little time to post, to reflect, to think about what is happening around me. On Monday of this week, I did three school visits and a meeting of the education committee of Happy Valley School. In the morning, I visited the Mission Primary School and in the afternoon I went to the Mission Higher Secondary School and then the School and Rehabilitation Centre for the Blind. Although this School was established as a centre for the blind, it now houses more hearing impaired and deaf children along with those with visual impairments, physical impairments and developmental challenges. The school is a live-in facility with 122 children and employs 24 staff. Here is a look into their home/school.
What a joyful celebration at the Mission Higher Secondary School! The students shared songs and dances to welcome me and to celebrate our partnership. Here are some photos of the festivities.
This morning, I met with Mrs. Benjamin, the head teacher at the Mission Primary School and discussed their challenges and how they are doing. Then I met with children, grades 1-5.
It has been a relaxing and beautiful Sunday here in Padhar, with an early church service, an after-church nap and a nice walk to take some photos. I did some laundry in hopes that it will dry. During Monsoon season, it rains often and the air retains about 90% humidity, so it takes a while for clothes to dry. Even though it is Sunday, there were some shops open for business this afternoon: the ironing man, with friends hanging out and talking; the tailoring women sewing on their push machines; fruit and veg stalls and some other essential shops.
Tomorrow begins a busy few days of school visits, so it was nice to have a slow day.
The gate leading to the Guest House at Padhar Hospital. This is where I live for the time I’m in Padhar.
This morning, I was the Chief guest at the Investiture Ceremony and Inauguration of the new Food Hub at Happy Valley English School. The ceremony began with Welcome dances, including a special dance from Madhya Pradesh. The Investiture Ceremony was an installation of new student leaders for the school year - school captains, games captains, prefects and all class leaders. The food hub will be used to provide breakfast to students who do not eat before school. They will begin this program on Monday.
One of my favorite ways to see the country is out the window of a car (or train). Traveling through communities you see the way people live: the kids on their way to school, people working in the fields, people dressed for office jobs on the bus or a motorbike. You get a sense of the “life” of the community - how people react to each other, to their circumstances, etc. I have gathered some short “out the window” videos for you.
I took a taxi to the train station in Mumbai and it seemed like everyone was going to the train station as well.
After a night on the train I woke up and the landscape had totally changed! This is taken through the train window.
My friends picked me up from the train station in Itarsi and we drove the 90 minutes through villages. You can really see the difference in lifestyle between city life and village life. You will also notice the bumpy roads.
The overnight train adventure was a success!
Made it to the train station in a taxi and when we arrived a young porter helped me with my bag and took me to the platform, to my train car and helped me find my compartment. That process gave me a lot of anxiety - making sure I found the right spot. I tipped him quite well but he was very helpful and I was very grateful. The family sharing my compartment has been very nice and offered me some dinner. Nice folks!
Did you know? Itarsi is a city and municipality in Madhya Pradesh, India in Narmadapuram District. Itarsi is a key hub for agricultural goods and is the biggest railway junction in Madhya Pradesh. My friends Mr. Singh and Mr. Andrews picked me up and we drove to Padhar, about 90 minutes and we stopped in Shahpur for tea with Mrs. Singh.
I spent the afternoon at the Taj for high tea and then will return to the hotel to catch a taxi to the train station. My overnight train leaves at 7:30pm going to Itarsi.
At tea, a pair of British ladies sat next to me and I overheard them talking about eating lunch alone. Maybe it was my ear, but I thought they mentioned me eating solo…. Maybe I was just being sensitive… but it got me thinking about traveling alone and once being asked if I was ever scared. And really, I never am. I am careful. I don’t go out after dark. I go to familiar places. I am always polite and respectful, and I try to be accommodating to others. And I like my own company.
I don’t get bored easily. I spent all morning in the hotel room watching videos and sleeping. I think my kind of holiday would bore others, but that’s why I like traveling alone. The freedom to do less.
I think it is important when traveling with others that you each understand the others’ pace. On our holiday in Greece, my friend Molly learned I only do 1 thing, maybe 2 things per day. If I push myself and do more, I am grumpy for a long time afterwards. She would make fun of me because she would go and go all day, and I would need my rest time. But it worked out once we learned about each other.
I like the iron work railings and the scrolls in window frames.
I like the way they use bamboo for scaffolding.
I like the British colonial style mixed with some Indian lattice work.
I like the colors.
Greetings from Mumbai! I arrived last night and had a good night’s sleep in my room on the seventh floor of Hotel Godwin. The flight from Zürich on Swiss Air was very smooth and fairly empty, which led to a peaceful 8 hours. This year, because I am flying out of Delhi, I only have a day and a half in Mumbai, so the trip is a bit abbreviated. Usually I spend 2-3 days in Mumbai, giving me ample opportunities to do all the things I like to do. But I have also used this time to recover from jet lag and living in Spain, the time change is only 3 and a half hours, therefore recovery is much easier.
I did my shopping this morning, finding cute clothes for my baby grand-niece and some bits and bobs to give as gifts. I walked throughout Colaba (and logged 2 miles on my step-counter) and then found my way to the Taj Mahal Hotel for lunch. It is a mandatory trip, especially after my friends Catherine and Richard mentioned that I always take a picture of masala chai sitting at the Sea Lounge, overlooking the Gateway of India. Today it was lunch, but I did as directed. :)
It rained off and on all day and I got caught in it a bit. The only thing I forgot in the hotel room was my umbrella! But it was a good day.
Guten Morgen from Zurich! A few more observations about traveling:
I really like being driven - taxis, Ubers, private car…. I realize that it’s expensive, but I would rather put my trust in someone who knows the way than to spend the anxiety to figure it out.
Did you know the Swiss still use Francs!? Neither did I. I thought we were all on the €!
I got some good sleep last night at the hotel and I think that will help me today in my dealings with others.
Also, I am doing a scientific study on the demographic of those who cut in front of me in line. So far it is men of all cultures and all ages. More data to follow.
Hello from Zurich! I have finished my first leg of travel and now I am safely ensconced in a hotel room for a good nights sleep. In the morning, I will catch a taxi to the airport at 645am to make my 955am flight to Mumbai.
A few observations on this first day of travel:
I am not accustomed to waiting. I sat at the gate for less than 45 minutes and the minutes ticked by so slowly. Obviously I have been working/living at a quicker pace than is good for me. A good reminder to slow down.
Zurich is too clean. It is beautiful but much too clean for my tastes. It makes me uncomfortable- maybe I am readying myself for Mumbai, a city that is loud and colorful and not too clean and quiet.
It was fun to see Catherine and Richard at the airport . They are heading back to Scotland after their Spanish holiday.
My hotel has a BATHTUB! I immediately soaked in a warm bath tonight and hope to get another soak in tomorrow morning! Heaven! (I don’t have a bathtub in Spain.)
I am off to bed. 645am comes early!
It is Sunday, September 17th and I am completing my final packing to head to India. This is my tenth trip to India and each year, I take a similar journey; I visit the same restaurants; I shop at the same shops; I stay in the same hotel and see the same staff members. Occasionally, someone will remember me and say, “Welcome home.” It is a joy to have a home away from home.
This year I will be traveling through Zurich - with an overnight stay at a hotel in Zurich - then a flight into Mumbai. After a day of shopping and eating, I will take the train into central India to begin my stay in Padhar. While there, I will visit 5 of the schools we support with Friends of Padhar Schools and meet with teachers, administrators and students. After a 5-day stay in Padhar, I will travel to Bahiram - another small village - to visit 3 more schools. Again, I will meet with administrators, teachers and students and ensure the funding we’ve sent is being well-utilized. After all business is complete, I will take an overnight train to Delhi, spend a day and night in Delhi and then start the journey back to Alicante.
As Lao Tzu once said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” And therefore, I will begin by packing my suitcase, delivering Po to her caregiver and stepping onto a plane tomorrow.
When I take a big trip, I play a little game… can I use of all the perishable food in my fridge before I leave? Last week I did a “big shop” because my friends Richard and Catherine were visiting, so this week I’ve eaten fairly well to use up all the extras. All that is left is some salad makings, a cheese sandwich or two, some eggs and maybe a quesadilla. It’s all part of getting ready to go. A ritual of sorts.
This Summer we have been working hard to provide books and school supplies to the students of Panchsheel Ashram School and Felix Convent School. I am happy to report that together, our efforts raised $4590.00!
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR SUPER-READERS, CHARLIE AND COLIN! They each participated in a July Read-A-Thon to help provide books and school supplies for children in rural India and together, they raised $310. Charlie (left), seen here with her sister, read 10 books during the month and raised $100 and her mom raised $110 with an Instagram fundraiser. Colin (right), seen here reading to his brother, read each of the 31 days of July earning $2 per day for a total of $62! Colin’s mom donated the rest to total $100.
Our Board Member, Loreen Marshall (left), hosted a Summer Read-A-Thon program. She explains, "Our small organization works tirelessly to help fund the education of children in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra to establish partnerships that cross boundaries of culture, class, race, religion, disability, status, or wealth. We have a limited window to raise funds for the upcoming school year before the laws change which will make our efforts more difficult."
Her goal was to raise $3000 by reading at least 3000 pages (approximately 10-ish books) in 31 days. To date, she raised $3278 with donations from her friends, colleagues and co-workers. Many thanks to all who donated!
Our director, Krista Givens, hosted a Facebook fundraiser to provide books and supplies. She posted this:
"As a parent how much do you spend on school supplies per year? As a teacher, how much do you spend on school supplies for your classroom each year? At Panchsheel Ashram School, the government supports teacher salaries and other costs, but does not provide funding for books and classroom supplies. Let us combine our resources to provide students all they need to begin a new school year."
Her supporters raised $1002 for the “Give Books” project.
Many thanks to Charlie and her mom, Colin and his mom, Loreen, Krista and all those who participated and donated! $4590 will will provide our schools with all they need to begin a new school year right!
