Our final day in Kerala was a bittersweet one. I am so sad to leave, but so extremely grateful to have had this incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience exactly where I had it; one week went by so fast, yet it feels like months have passed. Fortunately, our school was open despite the periodic heavy rains, and we were able to have a proper good bye with all those who have made our time in Wandoor so very special. Our day began with a meeting with the local Lions International Club, a philanthropic organization whose leaders were very eager to meet with us, and offered to supply the school with a subscription of 6 Indian Express newspapers written in English to support English language learning in the school in exchange for 10 minutes of our time. We were an educational bargaining chip! LOL They made a banner recognizing us, we said a few words, and the local news came to capture the moment. It was more of a ceremonious meeting if anything, but the exchange was meaningful enough to the Lions Club leaders that they decided to bump up the subscription to 15! We were to spend the remainder of the morning observing classes, and to meet the demand of the student body, we were told we were going to visit every class. And by every class, we were to personally greet 3,000 students in two hours! It was exhausting and overwhelming, but the smiles on the students’ faces as we walked into each classroom kept us going. I kept the Disney World employee mentality my superintendent talked to my high school staff about years ago, inspiring us to always show our best face in moments that seem mundane to us but are significant for others. Recognizing that for many of these students, this was a very important moment in their lives, I stayed energetic, attentive, and joyful as I walked into each room, talking to students and answering their questions and asking questions, gaining so much more from all of them than I could ever offer back in return. After our marathon tour of the school and all its beautiful students, we were served another incredible homemade lunch, personally made by the students and their Moms, so delicious and loaded with so much kindness. After our lunch, we were escorted to the library for our final event, which began with a panel discussion on gender equality. The questions and curiosity of these amazing, courageous young women led to an open and honest dialogue; from infanticide, to social gender roles, to safety, to property ownership, to the pay gap, and so much more, the discussion was shocking, moving, and loaded with mutual learning. After the discussion, we were again recognized, given a plaque with inscriptions and our picture, just way too kind! We concluded with a dance party, of both Western and Indian music, dancing in a room filled with Muslim, Hindu, and Christian girls and their teachers, jumping in unity with so much joy, evidence that harmony is possible in our beautifully diverse world. Once the party was over, and we were able to recognize Riyas and the teachers for their incredible work with us and all their students, a swarm of students surrounded me with more questions; the potential of these extremely smart, hard-working, thoughtful, confident, beautiful, and kind young ladies is beyond what my words can express. They are truly angels, and I love them and their amazing teachers with all my heart! And, of course we could not leave with out more food! We were given our final feast from the students, filled with the same love, given handmade self-portraits and rings, and of course requests for lots and lots of selfies before saying a very difficult goodbye. From there, we were greeted at our hotel by another philanthropic group, who have built houses for the needy in Kerala, who also wanted to recognize us with plaques! I’ve just been overloaded with so much kindness of which I am not worthy; I’m trying hard to process it all and understand why we are held to such high regards. I am very human, most certainly far from perfect, not deserving of all the recognition I’ve been given over this past week. I am truly honored to have been in the presence of individuals filled with so much goodness, and hope I was able to convey that honor to them. We ended our night at Riyas’ house, where another amazing meal was prepared for us, with the love of his whole family surrounding us with warm, humble smiles. The next morning, we were invited to a local college for another panel discussion on gender equality, also an amazing exchange although many of students seemed timid, and despite being co-ed, only female students were in attendance. The president of the college came to ask a few thought-provoking questions, and gave us a book by Arundhati Roy, An Ordinary Guide to Empire, as a thank you for coming to his college. Just too kind! Ruxana’s son sat through our final session and drove two of us to the airport, honestly answering all of my final questions on all things Kerala on the way; he’s just an outstanding human being, a reflection of his Mother who was a remarkably loving, giving, and supportive friend to me in my time here. Riyas drove another fellow, meeting us at the airport to say goodbye with his buddy, Yasir, along for the ride. Riyas’ diligent efforts, patience, sincere kindness, and pure joy, qualities he shares with every single student, teacher, and person he encounters, were pivotal to making this experience every bit of amazing; if I take anything from this experience, it is to be more like him. “Thank you” just doesn’t cut my gratitude for all he has done for me and my admiration for the incredible person he chooses to be. I feel blessed beyond measure for so much here in India, and make my way back to Delhi feeling so extremely blessed for all the love, kindness, and genuine care given to us by the people of Kerala. If only the whole world could see just how incredible it is in the sweet little town of Wandoor, tucked in the beautiful state of Kerala, placed at the bottom of the ginormous country of India, we’d all be better people. I’m writing this post in the Kozhikode (Calicut) airport alongside my fellows, with the addition of two more who spent their time in Kozhikode who we’ve been looking forward to catching up with! So far, it’s been another unique airport experience, including a flight delay, but there are no complaints here; I’m in good company! I am so grateful to have had two exceptional teachers with me throughout my journey in Wandoor, as the Lion Club leaders called us, “The 3 Ms!” Their intellect, passion for all students, ability to communicate, positive attitude, honesty, energy, unique backgrounds, and above all else, their companionship, were essential in this experience. We were a team; I’m not sure how this would have been without them! From Kozhikode, we will be flying into Mumbai and then back to Delhi to meet with all the TGC fellows to debrief on our experiences, and then will be heading to Agra to see the Taj Mahal! None of this seems real. God has blessed me very much! If you are reading this post and are in disbelief, I don’t blame you; it truly feels like a dream, much of it I’m struggling to understand. More reflections to come!
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Mary Patricia PavicicAurora High School Science Teacher and IREX Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellow 2017-2018. ArchivesNo Archives Categories |