Living in India

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Day 2: First day of teaching Volunteering at Surya Bharti: An Enlightening Experience

Day 2: First day of teaching

The following morning, we loaded into the van and made our way to Surya Bharti school. We weren’t quite sure what to expect, but knew that the few YouTube videos we had seen on the NGO Children Aid channel couldn’t fully prepare us for what was to come.

As the van approached the schoolyard, we could see five even rows of blurry maroon-colored dots next to the school building. As we came closer, these dots crystallized into figures of the schoolkids wearing their maroon-colored sweater uniforms. They were chanting their morning greeting, right hands raised as they repeated the captains’ calls.

We hopped out of the van as the students finished their routine and walked up to face them. Slightly nervous, we introduced ourselves in front of the group in the Hindi words we had learned just that morning: “Mera naam Erica…” “…Mera naam Megumi,” we awkwardly fumbled as the kids stared back at us with expectant expressions. We quickly had to revert back to English, and can only hope that our sincere gratitude for their welcoming us to their school was properly conveyed.

After the kids dispersed to their various classrooms, we visited the smaller groups and re-introduced ourselves. We were then ushered into the newly-built library, where we commenced teaching for the day. We taught four grades, with students’ ages ranging from 13 to 16 years old. One thing that struck me immediately was the rapt attention with which we were greeted. I couldn’t help but contrast this respectfulness with American students, who tend to disengage in the classroom, or, in the worst case scenarios, torment substitute teachers with endless chatter and paper airplanes.

It was fun to get a glimpse of what the students were learning in class, whether they were reading stories about pet bears, or poems by Silvia Plath. We tried to plug into their curriculum in order to strike a balance for them between the familiar and the new and to establish a sense of continuity with their current lessons and exam schedules.

The most rewarding moments that first day were when the students asked questions, thirsty for knowledge of English vocabulary and pop culture. And, of course, when we sidetracked a little to listen to Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror,” with the kids singing unabashedly along. In those moments, we couldn’t help but smile cheek-to-cheek – especially when one of the alumni showed off his Michael Jackson moon walk.

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Day 1: Arrival in Bodh Gaya　Volunteering at Surya Bharti: An Enlightening Experience

Volunteering at Surya Bharti: An Enlightening Experience

Day 1: Arrival in Bodh Gaya

We had arrived. Over 24 hours after taking off from U.S. soil, we had finally made it to Bodh Gaya, the holy land where Lord Buddha was enlightened. We learned from several travelers that this was a special pilgrimage time, when there were Buddhist celebrations and ceremonies in Bodh Gaya that only occur once a year. But for us, this trip was not about making a pilgrimage to the Mahabodhi Temple or witnessing the Dalai Lama (though the significance of these events was not lost on us). To us, Bodh Gaya was where we were to finally meet the students of Surya Bharti school.

Yuki-san and several of the Surya Bharti alumni greeted us at baggage claim with cheerful smiles and kind eyes. It was a sunny, warm day despite the winter season. Our greeters’ faces were framed by this sunshine, set against a backdrop of desert-like dirt and a subtle, yet distinct smell of smoke that pervaded in every direction. It was surreal to meet the flesh-and-blood versions of the faces we had encountered several times over Skype: Yuki-san, Niraj K., Vikram, Sushant, Amane-chan. I’ll admit that it was initially difficult to put names to the right faces – blurry Skype sessions do not suffice for a general lack of knowledge of Indian names. Luckily, names and Hindi words became ever-so-slightly easier to remember over the duration of the trip.

A short car ride later, we arrived at Mahamaya Palace, Yuki-san’s family hotel and our residence for the next five days. We met Niraj Singh, one of the first Surya Bharti alumni we met on Skype over two years ago. After more cheerful introductions, we ate a hearty Indian lunch and quickly fell into a jetlag-induced sleep in our comfortable new room.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Bihar forms 14000-km long human chain against dowry, child marriage

On 21st January Sunday, 6th grade to 10th grade students from our Surya Bharti School participated in an big event to make human chain which was held all over Bihar state.

It was a campaign to support the law against Child marriage and dowry system.

The new law was settled by Bihar state government.

Although Child marriage and Dowry system were already banned by law long time ago all over India, there weren't many people following the law.

We, Surya Bharti School have been educating about preventing Child marriage from more than a decade.

Child marriage is very common in rural villages around Bodhgaya.

Usually, parents decide their daughter's marriage and her husband to be when their daughters are around 8 years old.

It is called first marriage, and the boy and the girl usually stay at their parents houses separately.

It is like an engagement.

But, in some cases, there are very young girls around 7 or 8 years old who are sent to her husband's house as a labor to help farming or households.

When a girl start having menstrual system, she would be sent to her husband's house permanently after having their second marriage ceremony.

They are about 13 to 15 years old.

In the beginning of our school since 2001, there were many girl students (around 13 years old) who suddenly quit school because of forced marriage by their parents.

I was shocked that a girl who was a brilliant student were forced to marry when she was in 6th grade.

After that, I asked our teachers to help give education about legal age of marriage to our students.

In India, the legal age of marriage for a girl is 18 years old and for a boy it is 21 years old.

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If children get education and jobs, become rich, their parents could live easily in the future.

I Recommend marriage after getting job.

(there are many cases that children got married when they were students or at a very young age. It is difficult for them to continue their education, so they give up education and become seasonal worker.)

It is very important that girls get education because they will take care of their children's homework at home after becoming mother. The more better education a girl gets, the more their children's ability to study becomes better.

If women gets education about how to care or nurse when their family member especially small child gets sick or gets injured, they can help them very much.

If a mother has knowledge about hygienic life or infectious diseases, she can save her children and family members from diseases.

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I have been telling these above things to the parents in various occasions.

And, of course, we participated in this human chain.

I'm afraid that this law can not make all the people to follow it.

The tradition can not be changed easily, without very strong actions by police.

Dowry system is also a very big issue.

It is a custom continued from ancient time, that bride family give dowry(money) to bridegroom's family at the time of marriage.

The dowry amount is cheaper when a girl is younger.

That is one of the main reasons that there are so many child marriage in rural area.

If parents want to get a daughter's husband to be rich then they have to pay much more dowry.

Parents who have many daughters have to pay dowry for each of their daughter's marriage which leads to serious economical problems.

In India, ultra sound test for foetus gender determination is banned strictly, because there are so many cases that people get abortion when they find their foetus gender are female.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar settled a law to ban Child marriage and Dowry system strictly in Bihar State in order to get rid of the bad custom.

I agree with him indeed.

I would like to spread this activity to more people with the help of teachers and the students of our school to co-operate with Bihar state government.