Lisa Baum
from UK
from UK
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14.12.07
I've been at First Light just over a week now, and what
a fascinating week it's been. When I arrived in
Shantiniketan I was thrilled - it's a really sweet, quiet
little university town, all bamboo huts and palm trees,
with a relaxed atmosphere. After a crazy two months of
travelling around India it was a nice escape to arrive
somewhere quiet and relaxed. During my first weekend
we went to visit one of Bishnu's friends, a wildlife
photographer, at his house nearby. I had a go at fishing
on his lake, but it's a good job others were fishing too,
or we would have gone hungry as I didn't catch
anything! It was a really nice weekend, and a lovely
chance to get to know Bishnu and the other volunteers
Cat and Miryam.
Monday was my first day at school, which is always
nerve-wracking for teachers as well as students, so
having the others there was a great comfort and they
introduced me to the delights of Bingo! All the kids
enjoy a good game of Bingo at the beginning of school,
which is a nice way to start the lesson and good
practice of basic vocab for them. They are all so happy
to be at school (not like any school I've ever been to),
because the lessons are fun, and they get to play and
sing. Some of them are so tiny that I doubt they really
understand that they are at school, but they're still
having a good time learning the alphabet and counting.
The older kids are learning more complicated things,
and it's always fun to try and make a game out of
whatever we're learning. Some of them are extremely
bright, and it's hard to believe that they have only been
learning English for 6 months.
This week I am teaching on my own, and looking
forward to revising everything we learnt last week, and
adding some new skills to our repertoire.
28.12.07
What a change in Shantiniketan this week! The Mela
came to town, and with it 150,000 people descended
upon this otherwise quiet little place. It was so much
fun, and I went several times during the day to have a
look at all the beautiful handicrafts, and listen to the
music.
At school we had a busy week too. We revised
everything that we had learnt last week as well as
learning some new things like how to tell the time. We
also learnt a new song 'Daisy, Daisy' which is a
personal favourite of mine from my childhood, and I
think the children liked it too.
Today was my last day, and due to traffic we turned up
at school a little late. To my surprise (and a thrilling
surprise it was) when we arrived the children had
already arranged themselves into neat rows and were
playing Bingo. I have never had the opportunity to
teach such willing students!
It was a sad day as well because I'm leaving
Shantiniketan, and I'll miss the quiet rural life and of
course all the children who I've got to know so well.
I've been at First Light just over a week now, and what
a fascinating week it's been. When I arrived in
Shantiniketan I was thrilled - it's a really sweet, quiet
little university town, all bamboo huts and palm trees,
with a relaxed atmosphere. After a crazy two months of
travelling around India it was a nice escape to arrive
somewhere quiet and relaxed. During my first weekend
we went to visit one of Bishnu's friends, a wildlife
photographer, at his house nearby. I had a go at fishing
on his lake, but it's a good job others were fishing too,
or we would have gone hungry as I didn't catch
anything! It was a really nice weekend, and a lovely
chance to get to know Bishnu and the other volunteers
Cat and Miryam.
Monday was my first day at school, which is always
nerve-wracking for teachers as well as students, so
having the others there was a great comfort and they
introduced me to the delights of Bingo! All the kids
enjoy a good game of Bingo at the beginning of school,
which is a nice way to start the lesson and good
practice of basic vocab for them. They are all so happy
to be at school (not like any school I've ever been to),
because the lessons are fun, and they get to play and
sing. Some of them are so tiny that I doubt they really
understand that they are at school, but they're still
having a good time learning the alphabet and counting.
The older kids are learning more complicated things,
and it's always fun to try and make a game out of
whatever we're learning. Some of them are extremely
bright, and it's hard to believe that they have only been
learning English for 6 months.
This week I am teaching on my own, and looking
forward to revising everything we learnt last week, and
adding some new skills to our repertoire.
28.12.07
What a change in Shantiniketan this week! The Mela
came to town, and with it 150,000 people descended
upon this otherwise quiet little place. It was so much
fun, and I went several times during the day to have a
look at all the beautiful handicrafts, and listen to the
music.
At school we had a busy week too. We revised
everything that we had learnt last week as well as
learning some new things like how to tell the time. We
also learnt a new song 'Daisy, Daisy' which is a
personal favourite of mine from my childhood, and I
think the children liked it too.
Today was my last day, and due to traffic we turned up
at school a little late. To my surprise (and a thrilling
surprise it was) when we arrived the children had
already arranged themselves into neat rows and were
playing Bingo. I have never had the opportunity to
teach such willing students!
It was a sad day as well because I'm leaving
Shantiniketan, and I'll miss the quiet rural life and of
course all the children who I've got to know so well.