Miley Cyrus?

The fifth grade girls (plus Bhavani and Angel Mary from 6th grade) asked me to teach them a choreographed dance for fun. I told them 'Absolutely! You girls just tell me the song and I will learn it and teach it to you.' I knew that they might pick an American pop song. What I didn't fully understand was the full arsenal that they could choose from. So (drum roll please) they picked--- Miley Cyrus, Hoe Down Throw Down.

And so begins the story of why I am teaching Miley Cyrus, Hoe Down Throw Down in rural India...

Voices of Shanti Bhavan: Shilpa

Shilpa is a composed and eloquent 12th grader. Her experiences, combined with personal resolve, have given her maturity and confidence that make her a leader among peers. I met her early during my time here at Shanti Bhavan when she asked me to help organize the autobiography she is writing. I sat with her for three hours while she told me the story of her life so far. The words were on the computer screen in front of us, yet she knew each one of them by heart. I listened to this seventeen year old recount stories amazing for me to hear from a girl her age. Shilpa's story is unique, even amazing, but her feelings and choices mirror the feelings and choices of young adults everywhere.

She spoke of bride burning*; of suicide and shame; of orphaned infant girls found in garbage heaps; of the difference between wanted and unwanted touches; of alcoholism, of difficult choices, of longing for home, anxiety and uncertainty, excitement and love, of exposure to new cultures and languages, and of other students, friends, no longer at Shanti Bhavan for various reasons.

I watched Shilpa as she thoughtfully kneaded out the twists of chance that led her on a very different path than one of her former classmates. Shilpa's age, this former female student is no longer at Shanti Bhavan and now has two children, who work with her harvesting vegetables field to field in southern India. Shilpa spoke fluidly, like she had debated and finally decided on the words in her head or even out-loud that would perfectly fit this part of the story.

Her voice clear and strong, Shilpa drew the image for me of when she first came to realize her father was illiterate. I watched her hands trace the room's air as she described teaching her father, when she was in elementary school, to sign his name in the Shanti Bhavan visitor book.

There I sat mesmorized by Shilpa and the journey her voice has taken. Her identity, formed by the choices she made, makes, and will make, straddles both the world of her family at home and her family here at Shanti Bhavan. I am dumbfounded by Shilpa. I'm also incredibly lucky to have been her listener. She is a resonating voice of Shanti Bhavan and a prime example of the loving warmth this school radiates.

"Then a woman said, 'Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.' 
And he answered: 'Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be?'" 
--- Kahil Gibran

*According to statistics 250 cases of "bride burning" in India go unreported and less than 10% of the cases see legal action. Bride burning happens as punishment for crimes such as failing to produce a son or grandson, infidelity, or generally shaming the family. In October 2006 the Domestic Violence Law of India was passed to protect the women of India. Yet in 2007, every six hours a married woman in India was beaten, burnt to death or harassed to the point of suicide. 

Treasure Hunt

Today with my 5th grade English class we did a treasure hunt as part of the projects we have been working on after reading Stevenson's Treasure Island. The students loved it! It was girls team against boys team. A race to find the buried treasure first; hidden at some secret spot on Shanti Bhavan campus. Kishore said, as I walked on the sandy road that leads around campus with the boys team: "It's like we are walking on the beach. Doesn't it really feel like we're on an island, Miss? Look, we even have palm trees and coconuts."

Before the hunt I was nervous to have a cohort of 5th graders running and yelling around campus while ISC and ICSE Board Exams were taking place for some of the high school students. However, I discussed the need for quiet and good behavior with the students before the hunt. In the end, I felt extremely proud of their ability to follow direction while still managing to have fun.

After each team found their buried treasure I learned that the students had made individualized gifts for each other. They drew pictures on cards according to particular interests or special talents. Cars and tools or lilies and sunflowers. Compasses, pencils, erasers, and other small items were given wholeheartedly. My original prompt was to hide any item. In their free time the students had taken this direction to a new level. What an outstanding example of the love the students have for each other! They have truly developed a sense of family here at Shanti Bhavan. The energy and force of this love envelops. I am so thankful that the students have allowed me into the warmth of this family.

Cultural Sensitivity

"If you can't see that your own culture has its own set of interests, emotions, and biasis, how can you expect to deal successfully with someone else's culture." --- Arthur Kleinman, Chair of Social Medicine, Harvard 

Gotta Love Biology

I have rediscovered my love for Biology here at Shanti Bhavan; and in addition, the sheer joy that comes with teaching it.

Here in India high school students take a series of exams in 10th grade and 12th grade. They are lengthly exams that will determine the next course of study. In 10th grade, certain scores in specific areas move the student into a science-track or a non-science track. In 12th grade, the exam scores, similar to the SAT II's, will significantly weigh-in on the college each student attends.

10th grade BIO pre-board scores have come in: Shashi 98%, Prem 93%, Nickhil 92%...

So excited for 10th grade! The actual Board Exams for BIO are coming up in about two weeks. Preparation is coming along excellently. Enthusiasm great. Attitude even better. More to come...

Environmental Education

I'm not sure if it's because I've been teaching long 11th grade Environmental Education classes lately, but I am recently stricken with India's natural environment.

• India is home to 2,000 species of orchid, only 10% of those found worldwide.
• Like cows, lions are sacred. The goddess Durga is said to use a lion as her special means of transportation.
• Hibiscus flowers are vibrantly abundant as summer approaches. These flowers are offered to the goddess Kali. Kali is associated with eternal energy and as the students tell me, known as the lordess of death. She is a fierce goddess. Perhaps the fiery hibiscus flower parallels her fearsome nature.
• Dhatura flowers are offered to Shiva.
• A recent article describes a tumeric-derived drug found to be useful in stroke patients or potential stroke patients according to Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. India Aryvedic Medicine has been using tumeric for centuries to treat similar conditions.   

Here at Shanti Bhavan we are almost completely self-sufficient and certainly sustainable. Complete with solar power capability for hot water and current, veggie garden and fruit orchards (mango season coming soon!) One of my new favorite vegetables is called bitter goard. It tastes like a very bitter squash and looks like a wart-ridden winter squash. The students don't like it much, but mixed with some curry it adds a wonderful counter flavor to chili spice. Also the cooks here have served it lightly fried. This makes the bitter guard taste like calamari. For a vegetarian campus, it is a special treat.

Yesterday at lunch we had a red beet salad. Tom Robbins was right --- something so complete and fulfilling about a rich, metallic, earthy red beet.

In fauna news, I am proud to say that I have figured out why each cow I see is undoubtably accompanied by a white egret. As the cows eat grass, it stirs up the insects in the grasses for the egrets to feast on. Luckily for my Environmental Education class, this relationship served nicely as an example of symbiotic commensalism.

That's all for nature news. I wonder what's for lunch today...

Pictures!