I went to Bajipura HS with Drew and Megan.

I received a formal introduction to the students at their assembly.

Drew and Meg are wonderful educators.

They are patient and caring.

I went to class with Drew, where he read a Christmas storybook.

I had the chance to see the Bajipura Library project. It was shocking to understand that bats live under the shields on the wall. Also, that old exams are still lurking in the old storage space. The cabinets were full of unorganized story and education books. The kids do not understand catalog yet. Slowly they will introduce how to organize and maintain the bookshelves. They have a few students selected as the library monitors. They have a check out system. The kids truly enjoy reading the books and looking at photos.

I had the chance to meet the principal, who knew of my village. (My village only has about 20 houses passed on for generations. In Gujarat, India, you are first identified by your surname, next your hometown village, and next your father’s name, hence your father’s name is always your middle name, unless your female. Females are born with their father’s name as their middle name, and when they marry they take their husbands first name as their middle name. Ok, if I have confused you, I can explain further. )

Meg, Drew, and I went to the initiation of the SCOPE program by the Gujarat state government in the main lecture hall. This is an English certification program in connection to Cambridge Uni (uk). With this certificate you can obtain a visa, get a job, etc. The government was present to introduce it to the students and faculty. The school announced that teachers from America were at the school to better education. It was moving to hear Nanubhai and its recognition. The officials lit a diya and took blessings. This type of auspicious prayer is normally performed at the beginning of any new journey.

I also had the opportunity to visit a few classes. The kids are so energetic.

I went to the practice for an upcoming performance for Megan's spoken English class. They were doing a mock of who wants to be a millionaire. The kids spoke in English!!!!!!! They were so happy and they wrote their own script!

Today was no ordinary day at Bajipura HS. It was an early release day, so I took a rickshaw from Bajipura to Madhi. I jumped into a rickshaw with 14 other people..... Very cool experience!! I had to keep an eye out by memory to make sure I got dropped off in Madhi. It was about 20 minutes away. When it appeared I asked to get off. I gave the driver 5 rupees. The rickshaw moved very slowly along the route. I was sitting inside with 4 other small ladies. Wow. Getting onto the MTA subway at rush hour is nothing if you can sit down inside a rickshaw with 14 people.

At Madhi HS I joined Kirsten and Lyndi with their classes. I got to watch them judge an English speech competition which was pretty intense. It is hard to judge speeches altogether. I think Kirsten and Lyndi did a fair job. The speeches were about famous people like Gandhi. It was impressive to see English spoken at this Gujarati Medium school. The principal gave a moving speech to the students in Gujarati. He gave an example to the students: You were born into your family. At home, naturally you learned Gujarati. Nobody sat down to teach you. You naturally acquired the skills you needed to speak, and once you entered school you were able to learn to read and write it. He said English is very similar. You need to listen. Listening is the key to understanding and learning English. He said when you have the chance listen to the news in English instead of Gujarati. Read in English instead of Gujarati, etc. He went on to say that by listening, you will build curiosity to understand the language. I was impressed by his speech. It’s true. I took two years of Spanish, and I never associated it with reality, like listening to news, movies, etc. I never grasped it.