For example, teaching 10th standard is definitely the easiest and they are by far my favorite group. (Don't tell!) They are all a close group of girls who tease each other yet know when to focus. The five of them have to study very hard since this is the year they have their exams which will determine if they can go on to complete their high school education. If they do well they can continue on to 12th standard, so the girls all realize how important it is to pay attention and learn as much as possible. I like them because even though they have so much stress and pressure, they still joke around and enjoy themselves on their days off which are limited. I don't have much time to teach them since they usually come back as the kids finish eating and then have to start their homework after the younger kids are in bed. They also have school every Saturday so they only get Sunday off. I wish I had more time with them!!
On the opposite end of the spectrum, as much as I love the boys and enjoy playing with them, sometimes they, as well as the youngest girls group, can be pretty frustrating, although for different reasons.
Both groups have a tendency of hounding after me during their play time to ask me which group is going today. At first I thought it was cute that they all wanted to have it be their groups turn. I was flattered that they enjoyed the lessons and wanted to keep going. But then whenever I told them the order, some of them would get mad if I ran out of time and didn't get to finish the whole lineup. I promised that I would make it up the next day, but after a few of them kept getting angry, I decided not to tell them. That didn't work well either. Most of the kids stopped after they realized I wasnt going to answer but I still have a small but determined group of kids chasing me around asking whose turn it is!
It's not too bad though and I am happy that they all want to learn so much and that they all enjoy the lessons I plan. I like teaching them because I get to spend a lot of time with them and have gotten to know them all really well. I have even found a boy who reminds me of my brother Wyatt and one whose smile and attitude reminds me of Ricky. (Sorry Chas). The kids are all super sweet and nice and all make a huge effort to try and practice their English, although sometimes in their enthusiasm they forget the lessons and revert back to their previous English.
One boy who always does this is Kartik. I really do like him. He is pretty loud and very active and when I first met him I was actually a little worried that he might be a bit of a bully because he was bigger than the other boys. After I got to know him though I realized how nice and funny he is and how he just LOVES when you pay attention to him. His english however could use some work. For example, no matter how many times I correct him, he always refers to other boys as YOUR BOY. I keep telling him it is HE not YOUR BOY. And he finally stopped saying your boy... except now he sometimes says He Boy which sounds like a superhero or comic.
Anyway, this has been a pretty long post so I will end it for now. However, I've been getting lots of requests from my family for more pictures! Nearly every email and phone call has a reminder to upload more pictures. So: MOM THIS IS FOR YOU!
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| One of the girls, Kamali, hanging Esther Ammas sarees out to dry on the roof. She is one of the hardest girls to get a picture of! She runs away or turns away every time. |
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| This is Viji. She is the youngest of the girls and is no where near as sweet and innocent as she looks! She is one of the girls most likely to get mad at me if I cancel class or say its the boys turn! She does have her adorable moments though. |
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| I am not going to miss the lizards when I get home. This one was bigger than average and reminded me of the even bigger one i had to CAPTURE it and as I'm sure some of you already know, it was quite the experience.... hopefully one I don't have to repeat. |
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| This is Muttupandi and I. I am going to be so sad about missing him. He is definitely one of my favorites. When I first arrived, he was so shy he would run away and hide from me but he has completely warmed up to me now. Just tonight he waited until I finished eating and then followed me outside to show off his "magic trick", which is really him pulling a handkerchief out of his sleeve, and to look at the stars. I will miss him so much! |
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| This is an old picture from my first week in India. Its nice to look back on but it already seems like such a long time ago! |
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| Here is another picture from Kovalam. If anyone has a chance to visit, I highly recommend it. It's beautiful. While I was there I kept thinking that I couldn't wait to take my parents. (I'm still debating whether or not the boys can come!!) |
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