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Published: April 3rd 2011
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Actually, that should read Lions, Snakes and Crocodiles but when it comes to life threatening creatures who needs to be picky? This was the list of creatures that I was told to look out for if I went swimming or walking around Nayyar Dam. So, no swimming then. Especially as I would have to go in fully clothed (no naked flesh allowed) which might hamper my escape somewhat.
Which is a shame because the area is achingly beautiful. Set up in the mountains 40km north of Trivandrum there is a large man made lake (caused by the said dam) from whose edges grows forest clad mountains
To get to Neyyar Dam I had to embrace the Indian bus system. Actually not too bad at all (in comparison to the rest of Asia, stagecoach it isn’t!) as long as you get a seat. The first bus I got on I sat down on any old seat, but then the bus driver stopped the bus and came and brought me down to the front seat. Still have no idea why - maybe it was for my protection? Saved being stared at as much though, so not all bad. The bus drops me at
the Dam and left me standing in a little rural place wondering what the… Luckily everyone knows everyone and as soon as I say ‘Wilson’ someone points up the hill. Nothing I love more than a steep hill in 32degrees with my backpack on. Oh wait, yes there is, it’s the back of the truck who gives me a lift up to the house. Bonus!
Sadly, it wasn’t the best time to come to this particular project as the wife of the manager is very sick and volunteers live in the house. I’m pretty sure it’s cancer - but there is some impressive denial going on as treatment seems to consist of people standing around her bed, chanting, praying (very loudly) and clapping. The woman is clearly in a lot of pain and I’m sure she’d be far better off with morphine than chanting, but who am I to say?
Bearing in mind that the manager is very busy, what with all the chanting, my experience of the project is probably slightly skewed. My opinion is that it is pretty crap. I went under the assumption that they have quite a few projects, especially ones for women who have
escaped abusive families but when I arrived I was told to go with the other volunteer (who was more irritating than wire wool underwear) to the school and teach English.
The school is a good idea, but it has failed somewhat in the execution. The teachers are locals who have been sent to a local teacher training college to get a basic qualification. They seem to have neither the methods, the knowledge or the desire to teach. When they turn up in the mornings (if they turn up at all - one day when I got there there was only us two and one other teacher for 5 classes) they randomly pick the class they want to take and seem to teach at random; using a method of repetition and the cane. So the children just learn sentences off by heart to avoid being hit. There is not continuity in what they learn because their teacher changes almost daily and the idea of a lesson plan or curriculum is laughable.
The children are aged between 5 And 12 and come from the surrounding villages from families that are too poor to pay for any other schools. Most of the children
will leave the school at about 11 or 12 and that will be it for their education. So far, most of the English they know are the stock questions of ‘what is your name?’ and ‘how are you?’ to which the answer is
always ’I am fine’. I spent one day trying to teach them some other emotions. Such as I am Sad or Happy. In the end the closest we got was ’I am fine happy’ or ’I am fine hungry’. Humm…
This was still nowhere near as frustrating as the day we did days of the week. There is no concept of tense to these kids - so you try explaining today, tomorrow and yesterday to someone who doesn’t understand what any of those words mean. Hours of my life have been lost in conversations much like:
‘So, today is Wednesday, yes? So, tomorrow will be…. Thursday. Yes?’ Cue lots and lots of nodding heads and big smiles.
‘So, imagine today is Monday’ at which point they all start looking confusedly at each other.
‘but, teacher, you said today was Wednesday’
‘Yes, but lets pretend today is Monday’ At which point they all just look at me like I’m crazy.
‘Ok, so today is Monday’.
‘You said it was Wednesday’
‘Well now it’s Monday. So, if today is Monday, what day is tomorrow?’
‘Thursday!’
‘No… Ok, tomorrow is Thursday only when today is Wednesday’
‘So it is Wednesday?’
Help!!!
The kids are gorgeous though, and most of them are very sweet. Though some of them are, frankly, bossy little pains in the rear. So some things are the same world around. One of their favourite things to do is sing songs like ’Heads, Shoulders Knees and Toes.’ They know all the words. But ask them to point to their ears and they will proudly point to their eyes, or their mouth or even their feet. Like a class of Mr Potato Heads. Or another classic is ‘If you’re happy and you know it’. After the three hundredth verse I was not happy and I knew it.
On the second week the wife took a turn for the worse so I packed my bag (for the time being sans zee German) and headed off to the nearby town of Kovalam to await my parents.
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