Surveying and sweet things with my spicey curry!

Today, like the past other few days has gone really quickly. It’s pretty crazy what a routine can do!  I’ve been prepping a solar cooker lesson today which I will deliver tomorrow. Since my last update I have given another two lessons and we have had the big Vigyan Ashram day! 

Food Lab students selling their produce to visiting school pupils

Saturday was admittedly pretty crazy and I was very impressed with how much all the staff and pupils had pulled everything together.  Everyone was dressed in their finest saris for the open day that hosted around 1500 people-many of those school children.   The new (not quite finished yet) building was set up with chairs and stalls.  The stalls exhibited some of the pupils work in previous years and also sold some produce they have been making in food lab. Obviously we supported the students in this and almost cleared them out of biscuits and toffee! 

We were hoping to interview a few students who studied here last year yet were only able to interview one due to being pulled away all the time.  The guy we interviewed was not a typical ex student! He had previously applied to NASA and had reportedly cheated in his exam so the media turned on him big style and all his funding for uni was dropped.  Vigyan Ashram took him in an obviously he performed very well. Now he is awaiting confirmation of his funding to an American university. It was such an interesting story but a shame that we didn’t get any others to compare it against.  It was funny though as when were chatting with him we constantly had a group of about 50 school pupils around us-I think they must have thought we were an exhibition!

We also planted some trees and got our photos taken for some publicity thing, Then in the afternoon we showed round a group of Americans who were over for a few months learning hindi. It was lovely to show off the campus and the students work to them.

Gora planting trees for publicity stunt!

Since then its all quietend down a bit. I gave a lesson on Monday on ‘Maps and Plane Table surveying’ which I think most of the students got so I was really pleased. I was also impressed with myself for teaching a lesson on something that until a few days ago I had no idea what it was!  I sat in on the practical and was a little disapointed with the lack of structure around it. Its difficult as they only have one set of equipment so the majority of the students didnt have anything to do. Then the teacher set everything up for them anyway so they didnt have to really think.  I tried suggesting things to him but he wasnt taking any of it in which was a shame.  Ive recorded my experience and hope to talk it through with him and a translator soon. I also need to try a bit of research and see if I can source another plane table from anywhere!

The level of understanding between the students is so varied that it suprises me every lesson. There are some students that get most things than some who cant even do 2x4.  We are going to suggest to the school that with the introduction of theory lessons they may need to think about grading classes so that people dont get left behind or get bored. 

The students setting up the plane table

The students using the alidade to spot a distance

That evening we went to a teachers home for dinner. It was so lovely, we had so much food including rice patty things, this coriander and coconut chutney and a sweetened bottlewort which is like a HUGE marrow.  Her neighbours were in helping cook so we ‘chatted’ with them and showed our photos and things. I think they were surprised to see a photo of my mum and dad in shorts and not long trousers and saris!





Me having dinner at Ranjid & Palavi's home-not all the food is laid out yet!



Then on Wednesday I gave a lesson on ‘Dumpy Level Surveying’. Again I was really pleased with how this went as most of the students showed to have a good understanding at the end of the lesson. I was also extremely pleased when the teacher came today to ask me for print outs of it so he could carry out the practical.  This proved to me the value of what we are doing, as material is needed to help with practicals. I was very pleased!

We had planned on heading to Pune this Saturday (our day off) but I think we r going to hold off till next week when other EWB volunteers will be there too. This sat we are hopefully going to visit one of the teacher’s villages which is about 8km away. Also we think we may have been invited round for dinner on Saturday at another teacher’s house but we are not sure.

Just an update on the food situation. I had spicey wheat stuff and crisps this morning for breakfast. It was tasty but it was definitely random! Then a few days ago for lunch we had a thick daal, spicey rice, red curry, chapatti, sweet wheat stuff and crisps! I almost exploded I was that full! We have also had a couple of these jelly sweet things with our curry. They are a bit odd but make for a very interesting combination!