Looking back from the end of November.

After 2 full weeks away I have time to reflect. It is the weekend and I am having a quiet two days.
I am here to teach and I am doing that, well I hope. They certainly lap it up, even the dad jokes although most of them need an explanation.
With the brothers I have been working on the theme of Identity. I had them write a piece on who they are and where they come from, their family, their talents and their aspirations. I corrected these carefully and then had them deliver these verbally to the video camera. I have now compiled this into a movie and will show it to them before we set some more goals.
They also wrote about their significant experiences and their relationships. The former were sometimes pretty traumatic. I asked them to create a mind-map of their relationships and what each means to them. These I corrected closely again and had them write a perfect copy that they could study and practice.
Now they are working on a topic related to Indian culture. We ended up with a possibility of choosing from 20 topics ranging from music, architecture, sport, clothing etc. I used the Knight poster to stimulate the topics in an Australian context. They don't have much access to information resources so I do some searching, page capture and printing for them
Other random things:
I bought a monitor and a printer to help me teach the sisters because they need to see a lot of pictures as their language is not as good as that of the brothers.
I taught the brothers to recite Tiger by William Blake and added that to the video which runs for about 30 minutes.
I have taught the brothers to play the guitar. I bought two sets of strings and restrung the two guitars that were there not being used.
I have taught them kincha slapa, Gotsen arma (Sleep child in God's arms in Dutch.) They don't say, "Papa does that," but I think it when we say it at the end of the meal when heading for bed.
I am staying at the Novitiate of the Daughters of the Church. I have the a large guest room at the front of the building off the marble foyer with an en suite. Western toilet but bucket shower (cold). Luckily the weather is very mild.
I get up for Mass every morning at 6.45 and breakfast is at 7.45. A bell rings just like in the old days of my novitiate.
I prepare lessons until I teach the sisters at 9.00 for an hour and then ride my motor bike up to the brothers for an 11.00 - 12.30 lesson. I stay there for lunch and then have a rest in Fr Baskers room until my 2.30 - 3.30 lesson with them. I then go back to the sisters and teach them for an hour until 5.00pm
The brothers do gardening and then play a game of cricket.
My meal with the sisters is at 7.45 and they feed me too much. Rice, curry, potato, rote, fish (with many tiny bones) and lots more. They are very conscious of satisfying my needs and go way beyond anything I could wish for.
I sleep in my room on a narrow, firm matrice and the mozzies are a pest. I cover myself with spray and hide in my sleeping sleeve but I think I need to get more serious with some pesticide.
I get plenty of time to write, read and internet.
Liam is arriving on Wednesday so that will change my routine somewhat although I hope to keep teaching in the morning and be with him in the afternoon and on the weekend. He will stay for a few days in Fr Baskars room.
Two weeks has gone quickly and I have taught the brothers for 7 days and the sisters for three. It is too soon to hope for a noticeable improvement but the video at the end will tell the story.

The day of the Wedding and the Night before

We are dressing and readying ourselves for the wedding. We had a lovely time last night at Vipin's home and they looked after their many Australian friends very well.
Here are some photos.

Kerela - Amazing

Good morning  all. Sunday morning (24 Nov) very early.

Greetings from this extraordinary place called Kerala. I have been here less than 24 hours but have had a most enjoyable and amazing time. And, the best is yet to come.

I left my sanctuary in Mysore at 6.00 am yesterday when two of the students drove me to the station to catch the train to Bangalore. I was booked in "common class" (people call it cattle class) which is old carriages with bench seats facing each other each side of the carriage. I sat with two others amongst the common throng. They were well dressed and very civil. A few nods and quite a number of stares which disappeared when I made eye contact and smiled.

I helped a man cut some leaves from the bars of the window and he was grateful. I had nail clippers in the top of my pack.

Every few minutes men would walk up the narrow aisles yelling in their language for the wares they were selling, coffee, tea, water, dossa, rice balls etc.

Once we got closer to Bangalore lots more people started to get on the train at each stop and things got interesting. We were crammed in, two women joined me and the person next to me on a seat designed for three sitting close together. They were joking about one of the women connecting up with this big Australian.

When I got to Bangalore station I was part of the throng. I caught an auto and then a taxi to the airport and waited until my flight at 2.00pm. Fr Tijo met me and we drove to the nearby Novitiate which is an extensive series of buildings next to a beautiful and large river, And it is empty. He had hired a car for me and we toured the local district, visiting the amazing churches (I cannot describe how intricate and detailed and beautiful and old they are.) I have some photos and will do some work on this in a later blog.) In our tour there were many shrines to Hindu gods and there was a street parade.

In the Church of St Thomas, Kerala. Amazing and beautiful

We went out to tea in a swanky restaurant and it cost Rs.1,500. ($30). Amazing. 4 things are cheap: food, clothes, accommodation and travel. 

Then we had a tropical storm and the power went out. I had a good sleep for most of the night and now it is 6.00am and I am getting this done while there is power and internet.

Gerard

Some Photos

Teaching in Mysore 1

I have internet and phone. At last! It has only been a few days but I feel like I am cut off from the world, my world, your world.

I am situated in an idilic setting south of Mysore. Once you go towards the city it becomes bedlam but here in our secluded little hide away things are tidy and clean.

I am living as part of the MSC postulant community. There are three priest and 15 students ranging from 18 to 30.

Four of them are finishing their second year and will be moving on to Uni study in Bangalore in April. The rest are called Aspirants because they aspire to be MSC and are in their early stage.

My journey to get here was disjointed, tedious and tiresome. I stayed in my seat for most of the trip to Bangkok as I was in a window seat with a couple between me and the aisle so I watched 4 forgettable movies, drifting off to sleep occasionally.

I had to run to get from Arrivals to C8 departure gate as there was only 20 minutes between. They were waiting for me.

The trip to Bangalore for me was really strange. By then I had put my watch back 5 1/2 hours to get me onto Bangalore time and I seemed as if my day would never end.

The priests collected me from the airport at 12.30am. One of them approached me initially but I didn't see the sign with my name on it so I motioned him away. 20 minutes later they got up the courage to come and approach me again and showed me the sign. It was a joyous reunion. We laughed at the misunderstanding.

I slept fitfully and then had an enjoyable day. I walked to the local shopping centre to buy a phone and a few other things.

The next morning (Monday) I was supposed to be driven to the station but there were no vehicles available so they called me a taxi which did not come So we took an "auto" which was a hairy ride. Michelle and Liam know what I mean.

The train ride was an air conditioned 2 hour joy and Fr Immanuel was there to meet me. Fr Gerald greeted me with the students all over me when I arrived. They love me and are so happy I am here.

Fr Baskar is away so I am using his room. It has a shower (bucket with warm water in the evening) and a toilet. They do everything for me. My dirty clothes disappeared yesterday and came back washed and ironed.

The food is India but very nice. They get me special things. Today I had lady fingers grown in their garden and an apple smoothy.

Next week when I come back from Cochin I will be staying with the sisters of the Church up the road and will travel by motor bike. That will be different.

My plans for Kerala are in place. I catch a train on Saturday at 6.45am back to Bangalore. I catch an airport bus then fly to Kochi where I will be collected by Fr Tijo. I will stay at the Novitiate Saturday night and then find the Hotel Sunday. On Tuesday I fly back to Bangalore and then a bus to Mysore from the airport.

It seems a round about way but it saves a long, overnight bus trip.

My teaching is going very well. There are other people here to provide the teaching of grammar and such. My job is to promote spoken English. Some are very good and need only a small amount of teaching and coaching. Them I am pushing (listen to me after 2 days) to use more complex ideas. Others, particularly the Tamil students, need a lot of help. I sit in prayers with them and wince at some of the pronunciations. Then I remember they are speaking in a foreign tongue and I resolve to keep teaching them.

With the exception of the weekend, I will stay here till just before Christmas and then start heading west.

(Br) Gerard

Melbourne to Bangalore to Mysore

Early this morning I landed in Bangalore after a long trip via Bangkok. I spent the morning arranging communication. I have a new phone with an Indian SIM. The MSC have looked after me again. I travel by train to Mysore tomorrow and begin teaching on Tuesday.
Pictures will follow.

A week to go and I am nearly ready. I have arranged my transport to India and am being picked up when I get to Bangalore. I have a train booked to Mysore on Monday and am being met there.
I have also arranged to attend a wedding of some friends from Hamilton in Cochin the following Monday.
I have completed my i-to-i TEFL course which qualifies me to teach English overseas.
I have even prepared the first three lessons, which are designed to analyse the level of english skills of reading, writing and speaking of the students. I have an assessment sheet for each of them and name tags for them to wear until I get to know their names.
Having all the India pieces in place, I am now spending the last week getting things ready at school. Correcting student work, writing their reports and preparing lessons for when I am away have consumes much of my time. In addition, I have a class sitting for the Religion and Society Unit 3 & 4 Exam on Monday, after I have left. I will review their essays and exam technique during the week and then I have a picture of myself to put in the window near the door to the exam. It has my three main reminders on it. It also says that I won't wish them lucy. I believe in the saying, "the harder I work, the luckier I get."
Next Blog will be from India.