Sometimes internal memories are much better....

These past few days have been interesting. With nothing to do because the children are testing, my life has become a boring blah. Although I have been slumming around on a daily basis, I have found time to do some projects that I had been meaning to finish for the Academy.
I have had time to think about future projects that I want to do and begin planning them. I shared with Uttam my plan to start an organization and in turn he told me some of his plans to expand the horizon of Parijat Academy. I thought that his idea was great, but when Promona and I began to talk about the financial planning that would be needed to carry out his project, he began to get discouraged and quickly changed his original plan. While I understood the frustration, I quickly explained to him that he can not allow financial burdens demote his dreams. Had I permitted the expenditures that I faced when deciding to come here hinder me, I would not be posting to this blog right now. Instead of becoming discouraged, I applied for a grant and made many fund raising plans just in case that didn't work out. When telling this to Uttam, it made me realize how I want to allow this opportunity to blossom into many others. I have small blueprints now, but whatever the case, because this is my dream I will not allow any burdens act as limitations. This was an eye-opener for me because too many times I have been told that things would not happen for me because of my financial, racial, or social background. But as I look over things now, I know that things are possible with faith and determination.

On Wednesday, Promona and I traveled to the state of Meghalaya for a day trip to Shillong. I believe I mentioned before that Shillong is near the place that receives more rainfall than any other place in the world. We set out early for the adventure and reached the trekker that would take us on the 2 1/2 hour journey. I was excited to take the trekker because I figured that i would be much more comfortable than I would have been on a bus. But I was MISTAKEN, I rode for 3 hours with a police officer sitting on my lap, a driver that seemed to be going in reverse, all in a car that smelled of old moth balls. All of this was just a small price to pay to see the beauty of Shillong. Once I reached the heart of the city, I had no idea what was to follow once we made it to the sights. We traveled to Shillong Peak and Elephant Falls, two of the major attractions. The taxi ride up the hills was beautiful, I didn't want to take pictures, it was peaceful....there were fields, with sheep, colorful flowers, and beautiful greenery; all in front of a misty foggy backdrop. I must say that it was a beautiful peaceful ride that even without pictures, I will never forget. Once we reached our destination, the sound of the rain and waterfalls were harmonious. I had never been to a place with large natural waterfalls before coming to Elephant Falls so this was an all new experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed my time, not only because of the sights, but the general ambiance was relaxing. Not only that, but it was also cold enough for me to wear a sweater, I hadn't felt that cool since I left Maine. I had fun and there will be pictures following this post.

Yesterday, there was a statewide bandh (strike) going on in the state of Assam so everything was shut down. Nothing was open or running, not even the public transportation. There was a protest of the radical insurgents that were being killed and placed in jail. Even if I had things to do, nothing could be done. I had never experienced a statewide strike to that extent. I have merely seen workers outside of the skyscrapers in downtown Baltimore with signs in their refusal to work. Something different...

Last night I got to watch American TV!!! I got to see some of my favorite sitcoms and laughed like I had never seen them before. It was the first time in a looonnnggg time that I had been able to just sit and veg out in front of the television. While I felt useless, I enjoyed myself. The women that weave joined me in watching the shows and laughed along with me. It reminded me so much of home, how I would sit and watch TV with my younger sister years back and even when she didn't understand the content of the show, she would laugh hysterically with me. The laughter just felt good, there is no other way of explaining it.

Uttam called a meeting with the KG and Nursery teachers and I. He wanted me to share my opinion on ways that they can enhance learning in the younger classrooms. The meeting was very fruitful and those days I spent chasing two year olds at the Childcare Center really helped me. Besides the KG teacher, the others do not have proper training in childcare or development so they aren't skilled on ways to structure the time periods for ways that are beneficial to four year old children. I was glad to share my experiences as well as the knowledge gained from my developmental psychology classes and the teachers were very receptive. Next week I will spend the day with each of the teachers to see the way things are going, I'm anxious because I do not get to work with the younger bunch of children often. Today, Uttam called a meeting with a small youth society here in Guwahati. He wishes to have a youth leadership conference, which he planned yesterday. I really want to see how this goes, and I will be sure to keep you posted!!!!