''The thing about Mumbai is you go five yards and all of human existence is revealed. It is an incredible cavalcade of life and I love that''.
-Julian Sands
Last Saturday was a Muslim holiday so we did not have to go to school. We decided to see the coast of the Arabian Sea in Mumbai (Bombay).
We checked in to a five-star hotel, which in India costed less than $100. We ventured by taxi to the Gateway of India, an entry point built to welcome King George V and Queen Mary when they visited India in 1911.
From there, we took a (very rocky) hour-long ferry to Elephanta Island. We did some sightseeing of the ancient caves and carvings, which served as temples of worship mostly for the Hindu god, Shiva. We also met Sien, a girl from Belgium who was traveling all around India by herself!
Another popular hangout is Juhu Beach, which was very dirty (and apparently the water is toxic). Many people asked to take pictures with me (they've never seen blonde hair?). I thought it was fun at first, but by the end of the day, I jokingly told them it would cost 500 rupees. They stopped.
Mumbai is extreme, colorful. There are well-dressed millionaires and shimmery Bollywood celebrities to trash-lined streets, dark sand beaches, dirty street vendors and long stretches of blue tarp-covered slums. It's clothed in British influence, tradition and a little bit of mystery.
I have been lesson planning like crazy, and I love it. The students are getting used to me and my accent, and I think the fascination with having a white ma'am has worn off. I feel like they are slowly becoming "my kids", and this gets me incredibly excited for my own classroom.
This week I had students create a travel brochure on New Delhi. It was only supposed to be a 3-day series, but students begged their regular teacher to continue working on them. Next week's lessons are on Mumbai--piece of cake now that I've experienced that city! In science, we created food chain links, where "carnivorous" students had to find other students--small animals and plants to link chains with. A little chaotic, but so fun.
Teaching...I don't know how to describe it except for it feeds my soul. I still get nervous before teaching certain lessons. During, I feed off of student responses and engagement. After school, I am exhausted, but have an incredible teaching high, like I have climbed a thousand stairs. Lesson planning is an intricate puzzle, and there is nothing better than creating just the right way to reach my students. It's the perfect combination of arts and crafts, writing and organization.
Today, we stayed after school to watch some of Andrea's students compete in a school-wide semi-classical Indian dance competition. So cool--check it out!
-Julian Sands
Last Saturday was a Muslim holiday so we did not have to go to school. We decided to see the coast of the Arabian Sea in Mumbai (Bombay).
 |
| Gateway of India |
From there, we took a (very rocky) hour-long ferry to Elephanta Island. We did some sightseeing of the ancient caves and carvings, which served as temples of worship mostly for the Hindu god, Shiva. We also met Sien, a girl from Belgium who was traveling all around India by herself!
Another popular hangout is Juhu Beach, which was very dirty (and apparently the water is toxic). Many people asked to take pictures with me (they've never seen blonde hair?). I thought it was fun at first, but by the end of the day, I jokingly told them it would cost 500 rupees. They stopped.
 |
| Carving of Shiva, a Hindu god |
I have been lesson planning like crazy, and I love it. The students are getting used to me and my accent, and I think the fascination with having a white ma'am has worn off. I feel like they are slowly becoming "my kids", and this gets me incredibly excited for my own classroom.
 |
| New Delhi brochure |
Teaching...I don't know how to describe it except for it feeds my soul. I still get nervous before teaching certain lessons. During, I feed off of student responses and engagement. After school, I am exhausted, but have an incredible teaching high, like I have climbed a thousand stairs. Lesson planning is an intricate puzzle, and there is nothing better than creating just the right way to reach my students. It's the perfect combination of arts and crafts, writing and organization.
Today, we stayed after school to watch some of Andrea's students compete in a school-wide semi-classical Indian dance competition. So cool--check it out!
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