My Trip: February 2008

This time around Becky, Phil, and I are all at the same placement. We work at an education/nutrition/daycare center called Mobile Creches, which was specifically created for the children of construction workers. As I mentioned before there is a ton of development in New Delhi, and around the various construction sites are tents where the workers live with their families. In addition to keeping the kids off the streets, their main purpose is to nurture and give them the basic care they lack in their daily lives.

At the center we're working with two groups: the 3-6 year olds and the 7-14 year olds. Each day two of us start out with the younger kids and eventually join the other in the "library" with the older ones (this rotation only begins after our 10 minute greeting of namaste's and high-fives). The little ones are absolutely adorable and always make us smile no matter how sick or cold we are. With them, we'll usually do some basic educational stuff using blocks and mini chalkboards. Once they inevitably get bored and begin to cause trouble, it becomes our challenge to keep them organized, productive, and behaved.

Although they're only in the next room over, working with the older kids is a much different experience. The fact that they are different ages and at different skill levels can be both beneficial and difficult. We try to come prepared with an activity but we never really know who will show up or what Simee, the authoritative figure, wants to accomplish. In general, we work on reading and writing in English, and more recently, conversation skills. Thankfully, I think we've been able to form a great dynamic with the kids of when it's time to either work or joke around. At first it was a bit hard to figure out our role at the center, which was frustrating. Now that we've established relationships and goals, we go in everyday with more confidence and awareness.

I would like to take this paragraph to elaborate a bit on the woman I mentioned named Simee. Simee is the tiny Indian woman (we were not aware of how tiny she was until recently when she finally stood up), who rules the 7-14 year olds with an iron fist. Each morning we find her sitting in lotus position, armed with her cell phone in her left hand, a bindi between her eyebrows, and a scowl that could never be properly imitated. Her mood is like a rollercoaster complete with sharp turns and double loops. At first we didn't understand her at all; she sat quietly for a good portion of class and would then randomly yell in Hindi at the top of her lungs. Not only did this put us on edge, but to be honest, I was a bit scared for the children. It's our third week and we finally get what Simee is all about. She's warmed up to us and we can easily catch her smiling, singing, or laughing (usually at us but beggars can't be choosers!). Not only that, but last weekend she invited us to her home for tea and we had a dance party with some of her family. She's going to miss us.

It's very difficult for me not to compare my placement here with my program in Costa Rica. The biggest, or most unsettling difference between the two is the way people go about discipline here. Just like the grand olden days, hitting a child is acceptable as a form of punishment. Not only that, but we've found that females in the class are at times given the authority to hit another child that's been misbehaving. Obviously this makes us sad and uncomfortable but it's a cultural difference that we have no place intervening with.

Overall, my placement has been a wonderful experience and the thought of leaving the kids in a week and a half is already making me sad.