So, many of you are probably wondering where the heck I went. Well, to fill you in, I had some unexpected difficulties in my journey. 

On my last couple days in India, I travelled to Kota on an Indian train. What an experience! There were beds in the train, organized in typical bunk-bed fashion. Poorvi and Suhani loved jumping all over the little cabin that we were settled in, separated from the rest of the train only by a thin velcro curtain. At one point, we even met another seven year old boy who sang us Bollywood music, accompanied with shirt-twirling and body-shaking dances. 

After our trip back from Kota, I travelled to the Delhi airport by car, only to be stuck in 2 hours extra worth of traffic jams. After that, everything went smoothly until my Frankfurt flight. Unfortunately, our airplane had malfunctions in the electrical wiring, and there was smoke in the cabin. Not just once, but twice did this happen. We made two emergency landings, one in Nova Scotia and the other in Montreal. At the latter, it took us 8 hours to transfer to the new plane that they had available for us. Finally we took off to Chicago, where I spent the night and finally got off to Boise the next morning. Once in Idaho, I got varying levels of internet service, which is just one more reason why I haven’t updated the blog in a while. But now, I am finally home, sweet home, and I can take time to update my blog! I just started my Senior year in high school, which is quite a surprise.

In other words, I will be updating the blog once again in about two days to inform you all about donating to the students. I will be sending out a formal email about inviting people. If you are seriously interested in donating to the school and being added on for information, or possibly one or the other, please email me at molly.r.barnes@gmail.com

Thank you, and check back in a couple days! Thanks again!

With the older class, it is much easier to communicate. They know the most English and can kind of get what I’m saying if I use drawings and hand movements. Math is really fun with them, because they’re really enthusiastic when I come up with fun games. They get really pushy sometimes, and everyone wants to come with me and answer, and it is really overwhelming. I’ve also been teaching them how to type and use the computer. Today we did self-portraits on the Paint application to get used to using the mouse. They were pretty good for first timers! See the photos below. The problem with the computer is that they are overly pushy than they normally are! Every student wants to do it, and if they’ve already done it they want to watch and it just gets really crazy. Another thing is that it takes absolutely forever to get through one student, because I have to explain what I want them to do the best that I can. Its quite the challenge. 

The middle class, we work a lot on pronunciation. They have a really hard time with W’s (they pronounce them as V’s) and f’s, h’s and x’s. Om Prakash told me that this was due to the way that Rajasthani Hindi is pronounced. They also have a hard time sounding out small words by just seeing the letters. I think they memorize a lot of things rather than learning Phonetics. A lot of them depend on the hindi spelling of english words to sound it out. I think it is hard for these middle kids and older kids because they started school later than most kids normally do. They just learned how to read Hindi, and now they’re learning English at an age past the point where it is easy. A lot of them are behind. 

The youngest class is very cute. They are the pre-kindergarteners and kindergarteners. They started school at the right time, so hopefully they’ll be able to pick up English a lot quicker than the other kids. The problem is that the teacher, Punam, doesn’t speak English to the kids. The thing about the little ones is that if they’re forced to hear it in school everyday, they’ll pick it up in a couple weeks. But, there’s always room to grow and change. The school is such a young organization. I’ve been teaching the little ones Baa Baa Black Sheep and One, Two, Buckle My Shoe. They have no idea what the heck they’re saying, and a lot of them say the wrong word. But its okay. I always get excited by the one or two students who can actually recite the whole song with the right words. In my eyes, three students out of 15 is quite the accomplishment. And the ones who can’t say it perfectly still know it, with a couple bumps here and there, but still pretty good! 

I have two more days at school. I’m going to have such a hard time saying goodbye!

As the hospital is small and so are the buses, we could only take 15 to 20 kids at a time, making our medical camp three days long to accommodate the 60 students. I must say, I was expecting a relatively large sized bus. But no, it was, as every car in India, a very small “Ambulance” which would have maybe fit 6 people respectively. I have never seen so many kids packed to a van before. It was quite amazing. And I and another teacher had to fit in too! (See the picture below). 

We saw three doctors in total: one optometrist, one dentist and one pediatrician. One thing I would have never even thought about was the trouble of testing your eyes when you can’t read. Even when I was little, I never remember having any problem reading the letters on the Eye Chart. The kids here had an extremely hard time reading the letters, especially when they were tiny. So, we changed it to the chart where you point which way the letter is going. It was hard to explain, but the kids eventually got it. Three out of the fifteen children had problems, all requiring glasses. 

Almost all the kids had teeth problems. Ranging from 7 to 14 years old, it was either eruption with too little calcium, so the child’s teeth were having trouble coming in, or cavaties. Some were serious and had to be removed because the tooth was so bad, and others just required fillings. 

In the general checkup, every single child had early vitamin A deficiency. Many had Anemia and a couple had advanced, stage two Anemia. All the children were underweight and under height. One girl had advancing Hepatitis, soon to become Jaundice. That was pretty scary. And the thing was, she is one of the kids that is always happy and excited. It was very surprising to me that she was seriously ill. These kids have to cope with things, by themselves, at such a young age. I was so fortunate to be a healthy child, with parents that care so much about me, with regular doctor’s and dentist’s appointments. What a news flash! And that was only 15 of the kids!

The pediatrician was telling me that there is a law in India that says that every child under 6 has to take pills twice annually against stomach worms. And these are the kids that can’t afford it. I just can’t imagine having to go to school, hungry, tired and sick every day. These kids are troopers.   I think my going away present to them all is going to be toothbrushes and vitamin A pills!

We’re going to the hospital again tomorrow. Today there was a strike because of conflicts in Kashmir. The police weren’t allowing vehicles on the roads from 9:00 to 11:00, so we couldn’t access the bus. And by the time the strike was over, the driver and all of the doctors either had gone home or were unavailable. Hopefully we can get through all the kids, because we don’t have Friday as an option. It is the 15th, India’s Independence Day, and most work places get the day off. Schools have a one hour celebration where the students sing songs and hoist the Flag, which we will be doing for my last day at the school. I can’t believe I only have two more days. My trip went by so fast!

However, grasshoppers and all, it was still an enjoyable “Vacation within a vacation.” I met all of Puneet’s family, including father, mother, sister, aunt, nieces, and cousins. India is the land of people. There is always someone in and out of every house, whether its inhabitants want it or not. I must say, when I go back to the US, my house will feel very big and empty without an influx of people. 

I also got to go to an Indian birthday party. Something that I find very striking: cake is served BEFORE dinner! It makes sense, seeing as then, the cliche “Save room for cake” will never, ever have to be used. And, the cake is the most important part, right? The party was of Puneet’s cousin’s daughter, who turned five. Her name is Divya and she just moved to India after living her whole life in the UK. She is having a hard time adjusting to India’s lifestyle. I can honestly say “I know how she feels!” 

Last night, I went to another birthday party. The most notable thing was that the party was of an eight year- old boy. But, as I walked into the party, there was a spider man cake sitting on the table. Most of you are probably thinking, “Oh, that makes sense, 8 year-old boy, Spiderman, alright.” But, the cake was the brightest pink you could possibly order. In fact, I even asked Sumeeti if it was actually a party for a boy. She said “People don’t give much care to the color of the cake. They just get a cake!” It was quite a party.

I just wanted to write a short hello since I haven’t been able to update the blog in a couple days. Our internet has not been working, and I am now at the office quickly using a free computer.

This weekend we are taking a trip to Paradpur, and I won’t be near a computer to update the blog. I will get straight to it when I return on Monday. I hope you all have a great weekend and are enjoying the blog!

Thanks for reading!

~Molly

Yet I could find none. But now I have, in a school named Disha. 

Today I was fortunate enough to be able to visit Disha, a school that teaches academics and basic life skills to children and young adults with disabilities.  At first, it seemed like a flash-forward to where I hope Pratham Shiksha will be in a few years: a beautiful building, the students hand made gifts displayed in the waiting area, and a gorgeous grass area in front. But, upon looking inside the classrooms, I found the difference. The students wore uniforms, yet they were messily put together. Wheelchairs were littered in front of the classroom doors, and inside, the students sat in specially made wooden desks that were similar to high chairs: The student would sit, and then the desk would be strapped in front. The desks were complete with special padded holes to put a student’s feet in. 

It was lunch time and many of the students had food set in front of them on their desks. The food was scattered around the desk, and covered the area around their mouths. Yet, these students looked to be 13 or 14. To me, this was not shocking, because I have worked with disabled children before. But I’m sure, to any person who is unaccustomed, this would be a huge surprise. 

Every classroom looked more or less the same. Same desks, same black board, but with different pictures on the walls. The students were different too. Most were excited to see me and stuck out their hands, similar to Pratham Shiksha children, yet few smiled. Their eyes were glossy and they appeared to be thinking very hard about something.

I eventually made my way to the top floor and visited the cooking and handicraft classrooms. There were the older students, most of whom were adults older than me. They were excited to meet me, one even kissed my hand. Another asked to take a picture with me and for me to sit on the floor. When I did and Om Prakash was about to take the picture, she tilted her head down and started crying, because she was very self conscious in front of the camera. But, when we stopped taking pictures, she tilted her head back up, smiled, and shook my hand again. They also showed me how to make block print paper and how to glue on sequins. 

On my way out, I realized that some people are not very intelligent. They think, “Oh, I should help these disabled children, because it is not fair. It is not fair that they are born that way. They cannot help it!” Yet, they do not think to help the poor children, even though they are in a similar situation. They can’t help being poor, and they were also born into it. Granted, there is a difference, but people do not even think about the beggars, the homeless. They only see them and think, “wow that’s disgusting.”

What I don’t understand is how one person can help one type and ignore the other.

On Monday, I discovered that my name is a holy word. When Hindus worship, they have a red and yellow piece of string tied to their wrists, called “molly” (forgive if I spelled it wrong, but it is pronounced the same as my name). They also have a paint put on their foreheads in the spot that a woman’s bindi would go, called “Rolly” (once again, forgive my spelling). And this is why no one has trouble pronouncing my name! In fact, I met another woman today named Molly. 

Sumeeti told me that if I was born in India, along with Erica (my twin sister, for those of you who do not know), our names would be Molly and Rolly. Haha!

At the School Teej festival, I had a molly tied to my wrist. I now have my very own molly!

Today, Monday, is Teej. It is a festival celebrating women. It is mostly for married women, but most women celebrate it also. We get dressed in our best clothes, wear make up and get Henna (Mehindi) on our hands. Mala and Afsana did mine. I have not taken a picture yet, but I will add one as soon as I do. There is a special pattern of sari that married women wear for Teej. It is a colorful wave pattern (see the below picture) 

It is India’s Independence day on the fifteenth. And then, on the sixteenth, is a festival that celebrates brothers and sisters. Sisters send their brothers bracelets called Rakhis and their brother’s wives Rakhis to hang from their bangles. They also send  cousins Rakhis. We already went shopping for them!

The last time that I was here, I was friends with a girl named Nandani who attended Pratham Shiksha. She did my henna on Dewali (See the picture below). I have just found news that she is married and pregnant. Yet, she is only 16. She came by yesterday to give me a friendship band and I have seen her wearing her Teej sari and all of her married attire. I can’t believe she’s younger than me! And already pregnant, too? It is so sad because she can no longer go to school, and she is so young to be pregnant. If she does not have money to sustain a child’s life, why bring one into the world? The thing is, this is not very uncommon in the lower classes. Sumeeti explained to me that these people accept a child as g0d’s gift. They cannot even sustain their own lives, let alone another human being. Yet, the poor continue to have more and more children. Mala was telling me that she has four brothers and sisters. And they all live in the same room. I can’t even imagine! 

This is the largest problem in India now. The overpopulation of the uneducated. They do not understand the problems of having many children, only that there will be more hands to make more money. Yet, this money continues to be spent on the food all the children need to eat. These illiterate parents cannot afford to send their children to school, to clothe them, to provide a decent place for them to live. They vote for the corrupt politicians because they do not know better. And just because they can’t read? I cannot even imagine an adult human being who cannot read. It is hard just to process in my mind. It is so uncommon in the US. I realize now how hard it is not to understand a language which everyone speaks and reads and is on all the signs, etc. I cannot even imagine having the only language that I can speak and understand be all over buildings and on food packages and books and not be able to read it! 

This is why Pratham Shiksha is the perfect institution. Instead of just a temporary solution such as donating to a poor person on the street, it gets down to the deep root of the problem. Now these children will learn and be literate, and will hopefully pass this on to their children. While solving their own problems by getting a decent job, they are also helping their country by cleaning up politics and getting involved with a suitable knowledge of what is going on. And, if the country is better, we are one step closer to changing the world. 

Thus, I have renamed my journey: Changing our world, one Student at a Time.

• The first picture is of Nandani, me and Mala. The second is of Laksheta (Poorvi’s best friend), Poorvi and Suhani on Teej. The last is a picture from the Pratham Shiksha’s Teej celebration. The kids are the winners of the henna competition. All of the teachers are wearing Teej Saree’s.

Then, I taught the kids more songs. We worked more on Baa Baa Black Sheep, but it was hard because there was such a difference between the students. The older children got the song right away, but the younger ones still had trouble remembering all of the verses. We ended up giving up on Baa Baa Black Sheep and we moved onto “Down by the Bay,” which is a song that I was very fond of when I was little. Its not a traditional nursery rhyme, but it is fun and the kids liked hearing me sing it. Only the older kids could sing it and remember it, but it was a lot of fun anyway. Then we moved onto “One two, Buckle my shoe,” which was the perfect song. The younger kids could say the words because the verses were short and the older kids could completely remember it (which was a good feeling for them). When I made up hand movements it was even better, because it helped the younger kids remember the whole song and they all had a really good time doing them with me. Eventually we got up to “five six, pick up sticks,” and the word “Sticks” was very hard for everyone except the teachers.

By that time, we stopped because it was already 1 and one of the children began crying because he was so hungry. It was heart breaking. 

After most of the children left, along with the crying boy (a kindergartener), some of the older kids dragged me to dance. These were Lokesh, Haseina and Afsana. There were also a couple younger children. They turned on the radio and we danced. I taught them some step dancing and they were very excited. We did a lot of spinning and twirling. Then we played with some balls and the younger children. It was very fun!

For the rest of the day, I went sight seeing to places that I’ve never been in Jaipur. I visited Jantar Mantar, which is a bunch of astrological equipment that tells time and the positioning of the heavenly bodies. There is also one big device that is called “Stairway to the Stars,” and It is a huge stair case that creates a sundial.

I also visited Hawa Mahal (Hawa = wind, Mahal = palace), which is a large palace that one of the princes constructed. It is a large screen overlooking the city which acts as a wind tunnel almost, and you get a huge amount of wind, which is so relieving. It acted also as a place for ladies to go and overlook the city’s processions. At the time it was built, ladies could not show themselves in public, so thus it acted as a screen so they were not seen. There are pictures of me in Hawa Mahal and overlooking the city below.

After those two, I visited two temples. One was in the mountains and was for the g0d Hanuman and the other was in the city and for the g0d Krishna. The latter had a ton of monkeys, which were rather terrifying.

Here are the pictures:

My trip has opened my eyes to a bigger world, rather than the small bubble I usually live in. In fact, I have opened the eyes of everyone I have come in contact with. As I learn about India, they learn about the US. One of the first things that we are taught in life is to color in the lines. Do not stray from the line, do not stray from your path, do not stray from your parents, etc. Day to day, we wake up, shower, do our work, eat, go to bed. In our habits and rhythms, we don’t move around. All we think about is waking up, showering, working, eating and sleeping. While I’m in school, stressing out, I rarely look outside those lines. Whether they are physical or metaphorical, my lines block me from being able to expand my thinking.

My trip has allowed me to break those barriers. My mind has taken in knowledge of other places, other traditions, another culture, and other ways of life. And now, I can spread my knowledge to people who don’t know about this other culture. By this, we all become a little bit more tolerant of one another, creating an understanding that can hopefully help us get along better in the world. Because in today’s times, especially in the US where diversity is such a big factor, we don’t have time to not get along.

Here are some of the things I have noticed that distinguish India from the US:

In India:

- There are so many colors, you are almost overwhelmed by them all

- They learn the UK English. Some notable differences: Z is pronounced as “Zed” rather than “Zee,” Math is called “Maths” rather than simply “Math”

- Their schooling system is completely different: the competition is huge, the only decent schools are private ones, schools end relatively early (around 1 or 2), their summers are in May and June rather than June, July and August, and they begin specializing in a subject before college.

- The traffic here is terrible (see below post from last trip)

- The government here is democratic, but very corrupt. The high ministers don’t care that much about the people and they don’t keep up monuments, sewer systems, or public schools. Two days ago, it had rained very hard and the entire roads were flooded in some spots because there were no good drainage systems.

- There is so much more poverty here. I think in the US, there is still a considerable amount of poverty (i.e., homeless, etc.) but the government hides them by providing shelters and other things. Here, the poor live in tents on vacant lots or on the side of the street. Its pretty shocking at first, but then you get used to it.

- I always feel like I say thank you too much, because people don’t say thank you very much. Maybe they do and I just can’t understand.

And there are so many more. The thing is, it is hard to compare the two, even though you can come up with many similarities and differences. The history here is so much different than the US. But as my trip goes on, I realize that the US is actually different than everyone else. We are the only country that has so much diversity, and we are the country of immigrants: there are very little Native Americans left. Our country is so young, we have relatively few traditions compared to other places around the world. Here everything has a traditional meaning, and I think Indian people must feel like they belong and know where they come from. I think American’s have a harder time with this point just because its hard to decide who you really are, where you come from, what your traditions are, etc. At least I feel that way. 

Every day here, I feel like I see more and more. I do physically see more things, but as I begin to understand more Hindi, I unlock a world which was formerly just gibberish to me. Now I can sometimes understand what people are saying to me, and this helps me understand who they are and what they do. 
This is my deep blog for the night. To tell you a small bit about my day, I went to the school late on account of jet lag. I met the new principal, and taught the youngest children “Baa Baa Black Sheep.” They didn’t really understand that “have you any wool” was only in the first verse. Then I  went shopping for presents and then went to Chokhi Dhani, which means “Good Village” in English. It is a remake of a traditional Indian village, similar to something like a Renaissance Faire, where the people dress traditionally and there are games and dance shows and traditional foods, etc. It was very interesting to see these traditional things, which has partially spurred my writing above. The houses were originally made of cow dung (the houses in Chokhi Dhani were only made to LOOK like they were made of cow dung), there were man operated ferris wheels (I rode one, it was very fun), camel and elephant rides, many different types of dances, traditional handicrafts, and a traditional dinner. It was very enjoyable. I love learning about old history and the way people used to live in simpler times. 

Here are the pictures of the day (all from Chokhi Dhani):