Lazy, days of Summer -School!

Education is our most important mission here at Rising Star Outreach.  In the Peery Matriculation School for Rising Stars, our principal, teachers, and volunteers are working hard to help the children achieve their potential--not  just in the basic subjects, but most especially in English.  We're working in a language that is REALLY foreign to them, just as their language Tamil, is REALLY foreign to us.  They are being taught and tutored in this very foreign language (English)--even the words of Shakespeare! They go home to their families--the children from the village, every night, and no one speaks this English that they are working so hard to become fluent in. How can you read Shakespeare when you can hardly read a basic primer that our American students might read in 1st grade? 

India does not have a national language. The official language of the Republic of India is Hindi, and its subsidiary official language is English.  India has gone through some dramatic periods with language:  trying to make Hindi the compulsory language for the country caused a near civil war:  knocking out all the local languages such as Tamil and the Urdu language where much of the beautiful poetry is found, as well as the other 22 regional languages now recognized with official status was not well accepted.  After the British left, there was also a feeling to rid the country of all things that reminded them of the hundreds of years that they were one of the great British Empire colonies.  Speaking English seemed all wrong.  In the 21st century, however, English is the language of business in a global world.  Those who will get successful jobs and be successful in the university arena, will not only speak Tamil, Hindi, Urdu or many of the other state languages, but will also speak English.  English is now a required subject in every government and non-government school.  Those who learn it best come from an English Matriculation school, where every subject is taught in English!  

Our little kindergarten children will have no problems--we know that the younger they begin to face the daunting task of learning a new language the more successful they will be.  We have several students in the older grades who are doing very well, but many who struggle to master complicated subjects in a complicated language are failing.  Our volunteers, this summer, are spending part of every day in the mango grove, where one on one, they work on the subject where a student is falling behind and do it in English. These volunteers come in all shapes and sizes--Charlie Googh is in "our age" category:  he's here with his cute granddaughter Tessa Barton, a good friend of our granddaughter Hannah.  We have the son of our driver, Mani, who just graduated from 12th standard and will be entering the university here for the summer. The director of the tutoring program (pictured with David and Ragu) is Ashley Erekson.  What a job she is doing.   It looks like the Lazy Days of Summer, but actually it is a very intense and vital part of the learning process. 

One area of near total success is the computer program.  Children, the world over, seem to understand what some of us feel so challenged by.  One of our volunteers today made the comment that the 10 year olds were learning to do spread sheets!  I put my name in to sign up for that class.

Shoes and Helpers!

We've had such a nice week--including an overdue visit from our architect and the structural engineer.  There were parts of the building that could go no further without an onsite visit and we actually had them both show up together on Friday.  Many questions were asked and suggestions made by our very fine architect, and approvals given on structural dilemmas by the engineer.  We will continue to move forward, with a bit more knowledge.  None of this, however, makes us feel like we will be ready to move volunteers into the new quarters by the middle of July--one month from today!  We keep reminding everyone, This Is India, and we move at a different pace.

The first group of volunteers left at the crack of dawn today for Delhi and Agra, before returning to their homes.  A few will return to Rising Star for another two weeks with us.  They have been an outstanding group of young people--qualified in such a variety of areas.  The coordinators made the comment that when they read their resumes they wondered why they should feel qualified to be their directors.  The coordinators are fantastic and did a wonderful job, and the volunteers worked so hard in tasks that were often menial, difficult, hot and miserable, and heart-rending, without missing a beat.  It was pure service at it's best. 

Our children, as mentioned before, are now wearing shoes and socks to school.  They look so darling and are uncomplaining, although I know that having gone barefoot all their lives these new stiff shoes and hot black socks cannot be very much fun.  The little ones invariably have them on the wrong feet.  I often see one of the older children changing the shoes around on the feet of the little ones.  Bad enough to have them on the right feet!  It feels like a new era: a city school, sophistication in our program, 21st century at Rising Star to see them in their shoes and socks. When they come home they quickly put them away for the day, and become once again little country Indian kids, with the toughest feet you can imagine.  I think I like it best that way.

From the pictures, it looks like we need to work on the zippers, next!  Also note one boy who may have lost?? his shoes.

We're Back!

Doubt there are many left out there to read this after a long absence of writing. Got a note of reminder/chastisement from Elizabeth this morning letting me know the last entry was April 23. Oh well--no excuse, except my month spent at home was probably not what anyone wanted to hear about.  Ron returned on May 16 (we were both scheduled to return), but I was delayed until May 31.  It was hard--he was miserable in the heat, no children yet returned, and concern for me. I knew it was difficult for him to be here alone, but he is the best foreman around in regards to our building projects, and he had to come back. Jenny allayed some of his concerns that I too was miserable when she said I was eating out every day at Neiman Marcus, Rothchilds, Javiers, Pascals etc. with family and friends.  It was also 70 degrees in Laguna, versus 100+ in India. However, we have been happy to be back together, and I'm just happy to be here.

The children returned on Sunday, for a return to school on Monday, June 1. We were so happy to see them back. They have returned with a variety of illnesses, wounds, and a few young children with a lot of tears. (How we are missing Dr. Karl Kirby and "nurse" Vickie Gibb.)  Life in the colonies may be fraught with conditions that are less than ideal, but mom or dad, or a loving grandparent or aunt or uncle, are hard to leave.  The children are very brave, as are the parents who seem so stoic, but are often seen out in the mango grove after leaving their child, sobbing all alone. It's touching, to say the least.  I will write more about the children next week and include a picture of them with their new black shoes and socks, which are now a requirement as part of the uniform. They look sharp!

The volunteers also arrived.  We have 14 here--4 men and 10 women.  They are darling, and working hard in this incredible heat.  The program, as designed by Amy Antonelli, and now being implemented by five coordinators is running so smoothly.  We feel lucky to be a part of the action with them.  More to come on this outstanding group of young people.

Today was an exciting day for the building process.  With an early morning puja and a huge increase in the numbers of workers, they began the around the clock task of pouring the 2nd story of the school floor.  It's so incredible to watch--like toys I remember where you wind them and everything begins to move.  The concrete is mixed on the ground--1 bag cement, 3 buckets of gravel and 2 of sand--in the big mixer.  A large bucket goes up and down which receives the newly mixed concrete and rises up to the top where the mixture is put into the dishes the women carry on their heads to be dumped at the appropriate spot. It's round and round--for 24 hours or more it will continue until the entire floor is poured.  They are all walking on tied rebar so they watch carefully not to fall as they carry their heavy loads.  The contractor told me there were about 80 people working on that job.  There are still others working on the guest hostel and the dining/kitchen block.  Progress is being made. 

Our new Reverse Osmosis  (RO) Plant is nearly completed, and the equipment will arrive this next week.  The  plant sits between the two hostels on a concrete platform that houses the pumps for the water tanks.  A small structure has been completed for the RO.  It got painted a couple of days ago--like everything in India, the yellows don't quite match but they are close.  We will be so happy to have clean water, and be able to do away with these big plastic bottles that clutter us up everywhere.  We did get a lot of painting done in the hallways and rooms, with some vivid new Indian colors on the walls!

More soon--hope somebody is still out there checking to see if the Hansons are still "Walking in the Sand."

Pictures:  1) Making concrete, 2) Parade of workers (mostly women) carrying concrete to dump, 3) Getting ready, 4) Guest hostel-entrance, 5) Dining block, 6) New RO plant between hostels