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For those of whom that do not know
My name is Lizzie, I was born and raised in the northeast state that everyone hates to drive through and I went to Stonehill College in Massachusetts, a school that is just “20 minutes outside of Boston.” This past May (2018) I graduated with a B.A. in Early Childhood Education and Psychology.
My junior year, I studied abroad to Copenhagen, Denmark and while there I caught the illusive “travel bug” and a nerdy fascination with international education systems. It is largely because of this four-month adventure that I am here. Where is here, you ask?
For the past couple weeks, I have been a teacher at the Holy Cross School in Kerala State, India. I live in the seminary on the grounds of school in the small community of Aymanam, a town outside of the city of Kottayam. Another alum of Stonehill, Trey, and I are here, attached to the Stonehill Service Corps. The service corps itself has three separate programs, one in Brockton, MA, USA, another in the Dominican Republic, and the third, India (To learn more: https://www.stonehill.edu/offices-services/servicecorps/ ).
I will be here for approximate 10 months on an Intern visa, teaching at the school.
I typically work with the “pre-primary” students, LKG (lower kindergarten, ages 3-4), UKG (upper kindergarten, age 5), standards (grades) 1 – 3. The students stay in a singular classroom while teachers move back and forth from class to class. Each period is about forty minutes long, and I teach what they call language lab (LL) or conversational English.
The classes at the Holy Cross School are all taught in English, except for Malayalam (the regional language) and Hindi (the national language), though you do find that the younger ones experience a more bilingual classroom as they are just starting out.
The teaching, however, is really only part of the experience, the other half is having tea with teachers and students after the school day concludes, playing football (soccer) and cricket with the priests, brother and the neighborhood kids, and going to religious ceremonies of all sorts for people who have some relation to someone (this past month I went to the Hindu engagement party for a teacher’s father’s best friend’s daughter, I kid you not).
Why India? and a note on adjustment
Many people asked me why? when I told them that I was going to India for a year. At the time, I didn't really have an answer for them. The best I had was that it was going to be different than anything I had ever experienced before. And some how I still underestimated how different it could be.
Since arriving, I have come across a Bill Bryson quote that I think sums up the past month well: “I can’t think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can’t even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.”
While here I have been immersed in an environment where the letters and sounds do not resemble the alphabet that I am familiar with, traditions, values and customs different from my upbringing, and driving that is sure to keep you on your toes and reeling, so in sum I have just about returned to being about 5. Every day is filled with equal parts wonder and at times difficult transition of culture shock. I can’t say that every day is a perfect day but everyday is a good day when out on an adventure.
Granted it’s not all roses. Somethings are definitely different. Due to the conservative nature of the culture and the community, my ankles and shoulders are covered at all times and it is HOT here HOT. For those of you who know me you know that I get hot easily and will sport shorts and a tank top before most people call it “warm.” The adjustment to the climate is getting easier, but lots of water is still needed to level out the sweat!
The nice thing is that alot of the architecture, is made to accommodate, there are windows everywhere and they are all open and without screens, nothing to keep the heat in. The school itself is almost set up like a motel, hallways are outside and the doors open into the classrooms.
There are fans everywhere! The only drawback is there is not always power to get the blades turning, as the power goes out at least four times a day, usually only for a couple minutes but sometimes for longer.
There are different standards of hygiene, different standards of dress, different expectations for the genders, different drinking culture DIFFERENT… these are things Trey and I are going to have to navigate for all 10 months… are there going to be tough times yes but there will also be lots of high times… now here are some tidbits.
I did this thing…
Some students asked me to perform with them in their weekly Friday assembly:
https://youtu.be/cKoQIKKQU1I
Food glorious food!
I have tried many new foods while I have been here. LOTS of rice and chapatti (ch-pot-tea, a warp type bread) and many spicy curries (YUM) but I think what has stuck out to me the most is the fresh fruit. Blow-your-mind good fresh mango, PASSIONFRUIT, jackfruit, guava, starfruit, custard apple, and papaya. Almost all right off the tree.
First night flowers and cake
Trey, O'Shane and I
First day of School!
Impromptu fire extinguisher training
My dance partners
