Seeing Stars

Greetings from India! Ms. Steckel and Mr. Yablon and Mr. Takeo, here, reporting from afar.

As we got off the bus this morning at Don Bosco Secondary School, we were met with a completely different atmosphere from the school we visited yesterday. The school was quiet but as soon as the students found out the foreigners were there, it erupted. Like before, we were split up into small groups and lead into different classrooms to attend lectures and interact with the students. At first, most of the conversations were awkward and forced. By the end of the visit we were all speaking with ease and everyone was comfortable. Unlike other schools, we were able to speak candidly about topics from political corruption in the U.S. and India to arranged marriage. In addition to the discussion, many students performed various talents including swing dancing, the macarena, the hokey pokey, singing, and hand games. All students, both Indian and American, enjoyed seeing another culture's traditions.

After the school visit we walked around a rubber plantation before taking a brief tour. We saw firsthand how latex is collected. It was amazing to see how quickly the latex poured from the tree (literally within seconds).

Next we went shopping in an authentic market in Kottayam. We first stopped at a paint shop to pick out some colours to use on our mural in the pre-K room (more on this in tomorrow's blog post). We then walked through the crowded streets and we found vendors selling Kerala stars which are intricate and colourful ceiling decorations. Some people also bought scarfs and prayer beads to add to their collection of gifts (for their parents...).

Finally we were back at the house to rest before dinner and a group meeting to review our reactions from the day. Now we're off to bed before another busy day tomorrow!

Much love,

Anna, Colin and Ben