Sometimes it's hard to write down how I feel because my emotions change so frequently. I know that how I feel right now may be the polar opposite within the hour. From the time my day starts at seven every morning, until I close my eyes around ten at night, I've experienced so many emotions that I wonder if I could ever sleep enough to ride myself of exhaustion. What choice do I have but to get up and do it all over again? Better yet, would I even choose anything else? Naww.
I down a cup of chai and then I'm off to catch a tuk-tuk. If I wasn't already awake I soon will be from the completely unnecessary, ever persistent, honking on the pot-hole ridden roads to school. SSN school is an informal building tucked away down a dirt path just outside Jaipur. The students swarm through the gate, eager to spend the next three hours copying down vocabulary words, which are accompanied by my lovely drawings of course. My airplane probably wouldn't stay in flight for long and my camel could easily be mistaken for a longneck dinosaur with a hunchback. But, nevertheless they are happy to copy anything we place on the board. We have to be extremely careful not to mention C-O-L-O-R, because a frenzy will undoubtedly break out. I'm often screamed at in Hindi for not having the appropriate shade of green or purple their little hearts desire. I feel for them though, growing up with Crayola's macaroni orange and azul blue. We do our very best to satisfy them with what we have though. They're grateful for all the attention we have to offer, and many of them truly are intelligent. Which is exactly what breaks my heart.
I was so fortunate, and often took for granted my education in the States. I had teachers who fluently spoke my language, I had at least one text book for every subject, and all the crayons and colored pencils I would ever need. I was often challenged and encouraged to perform well, even when I neglected to present my very best effort. I was often lazy and mindless toward my assignments. However, I was still able to thrive and prosper in my environment because of the value placed on education from both my parents. I was spoiled really, and extremely lucky. I was always taught that school was a privilege denied to many; formal, structured education that is. But until now I hadn't known personally who those "many" were.
I down a cup of chai and then I'm off to catch a tuk-tuk. If I wasn't already awake I soon will be from the completely unnecessary, ever persistent, honking on the pot-hole ridden roads to school. SSN school is an informal building tucked away down a dirt path just outside Jaipur. The students swarm through the gate, eager to spend the next three hours copying down vocabulary words, which are accompanied by my lovely drawings of course. My airplane probably wouldn't stay in flight for long and my camel could easily be mistaken for a longneck dinosaur with a hunchback. But, nevertheless they are happy to copy anything we place on the board. We have to be extremely careful not to mention C-O-L-O-R, because a frenzy will undoubtedly break out. I'm often screamed at in Hindi for not having the appropriate shade of green or purple their little hearts desire. I feel for them though, growing up with Crayola's macaroni orange and azul blue. We do our very best to satisfy them with what we have though. They're grateful for all the attention we have to offer, and many of them truly are intelligent. Which is exactly what breaks my heart.
I was so fortunate, and often took for granted my education in the States. I had teachers who fluently spoke my language, I had at least one text book for every subject, and all the crayons and colored pencils I would ever need. I was often challenged and encouraged to perform well, even when I neglected to present my very best effort. I was often lazy and mindless toward my assignments. However, I was still able to thrive and prosper in my environment because of the value placed on education from both my parents. I was spoiled really, and extremely lucky. I was always taught that school was a privilege denied to many; formal, structured education that is. But until now I hadn't known personally who those "many" were.
No comments:
Post a Comment