Meryl Streep

I've been meaning to post this picture for awhile. Did you ever wonder what Meryl Steep does in her spare time? Now you know.

Morning Assembly

Morning assembly lasts somewhere between 25 and 45 minutes. Students stand at attention for much of the time at all grade levels. Students say morning prayers and even sing the national anthem daily. Their lines must be straight and teachers spend a surprising amount of time making sure morning assembly is properly done. The reason so much emphasis is placed on things like 'standing in a straight line' is that Indian culture dictates that good personal discipline leads to academic and personal success. The morning assembly is a demonstration of personal discipline.

Students wear white uniforms on Wednesday and blue and white the other days. On a cool day, the low is 85 and the high is in the low 90's. On hot days, the temperature hits the upper 90's. It is usually right around 90 degrees in the morning. Most of the time students are in the shade, but no special compensation is made if they are standing in the direct sun.

How to Make Photocopies in India

This is a special posting for my Hazel Park colleagues, who are struggling to manage with only one photocopier in a building for almost 1,000 students.

I compose a test and want to copy it. First, I have to print it out, which requires a trip to the computer lab where the printer is kept. No paper is kept in the printer, and the computer teacher has to be tracked down to get a couple sheets. After printing, I take the original to the department head, who is a teacher and is often unavailable. She has to accompany me to the exam room, where the paper is kept. She gets out the ledger where the paper consumption is recorded. She writes down 70 sheets for a test while I count the blank copy papers. Next, I have to take the original and the paper to the vice-principal, who is also a busy person. He has to approve and initial the paper. Then, I find one of the office staff because teachers do not use the copier. The staff member will make the copies and bring them to my room within an hour or so.  This process takes, on average, three days to complete. It requires at least 30 minutes with all the time spent finding people. Also, tests should be reused and everything is double sided. Students write answers on a separate paper. Most teachers don't make copies. They dictate  questions orally and students write the _questions_ and the answers. Basically, teachers do not copy anything during the normal course of teaching. All notes are written on chalk boards and many things are dictated. Students have extremely high stamina for writing. Whew!

P.S. Exams are all copied. The exam is written over a week ahead and sent out for copying.

Modern Machines

Idly (pronounced like Freud's "Id" with an -ly on the end) and dosa (pronounced doe-sah) are the two staple 'breads' here. Most people are familiar with Indian Naan and roti, which is available but not traditional in the south. Both idly and dosa are made with the same batter of rice and dal (lentils, peas or beans). Idly and dosa are high in protein and carbs. They require grinding the rice and dal into a paste with water. The grandparents were doing this by hand while raising their children, but now a machine does the hard work. Here is the equipment for making the batter.

The old way -- stone tools now stored on a shelf.

The new way -- put the grains in with water and presto!

Close up of the grinder.

Holiday Decorations

We had a delightful tea at the home of our German teacher, Mrs. Radha. At this holiday time, statues of Gods are displayed and guests are welcomed with treats and treasures.

Our host with her daughter who captivated May by entertaining her in her bedroom and then taking her shopping!

The Gods are in order with the most important on the top.

The top Gods.

The middle tier

The lowly Gods, including the kitchen and household Gods.

Greens

Most of the time, we eat at home. Children do not have flexible palates, and we can make the “chicken or fish, noodles or rice and familiar vegetable” meal that they will eat. I am not a skilled cook, and I do not recognize most of the vegetables in the market. This leads to a monotonous diet. However, Carl gets five gold stars for making sauces with amazing spices. I miss salads, though. We can get Baskin Robbins just like home at the nearby mall. The Subway is not exactly like home, but close enough. 

When we are riding the commuter train home from school, vendors are often selling their wares from car to car. Last week, I saw a woman waving a fistful of nice looking greens. I asked the woman seated next to me what they were. She said leeks. I am sure they are not leeks, but smile and nod anyway. She added that the stems are removed and the leaves boiled in a small amount of water. Like spinach! I bought a bunch for about a quarter.

To prepare foods, we clean them as best we can. A practical training session by Fulbright included a useful bit about food preparation. Potassium permanganate (KMnO4) can be used to kill germs and other nasty things on fresh food. We add a single crystal of KMnO4 to a pan of water. It dissolves and turns the water pink. The veggies are submerged for 5 minutes and rinsed in clean water. Presto! After that, I peel what can be peeled (apples, mangos, carrots) and cook everything else (potatoes, carrots, my new mystery greens). So far so good. The mangos are out of season, but I buy them anyhow. The bananas and papaya are great. Pomegranate is readily available and tasty too. 

We had mystery greens again this week. I got two bunches from the same woman on the train. 

Photos of Aven and May

Did I mention that she likes pink?

Ignoring having a photo taken

Chalk Drawings

 People frequently make lovely designs on the sidewalk or street outside their front doors. They do this to bring favorable luck and to ward off undesired forces. The chalk drawings are walked on and disappear as the day goes by. They are sometimes refreshed in the evening. Most are simply with white chalk, but some use colored chalk or colored powder sprinkled into the design. Here is a sampling.

The kids' feet in their school uniform shoes

Hospital Visit

The kids and I walked into the hospital with Stephen, who was visiting and came down with a fever of 103 and digestive ‘issues’ just two days before departure. I did not want him on the plane if he had dengue fever or malaria – which could get frighteningly worse during the trip. We were in search of blood tests.

The nurse asked for the nature of the problem. She listened and then directed us to office number 2. The nurse came in and took vitals. Oddly, no one had yet asked him to fill out any forms. A hospital without forms? The stickers on the wall were for human rabies vaccines.

The doctor came in within five minutes and asked for Stephen’s name. “Mr. Stephen” was all she wrote on the paper. She listened carefully to the story and ordered the tests he wanted and suggested a test for “rat fever” – which was a new one to both of us. We were then shown to the lab, which was actually a lab. On the counters were half-filled bottles of solutions, a centrifuge and various pieces of glassware. The room had a computer desk and one chair for the patient. Most interesting were the eight jars on the top shelf with small human fetuses in preservative. The jars were of various sizes and they looked like they had a layer of wax to seal the tops. The specimens were probably around eight inches long, but they were curled in the expected fetal position. Not something you see every day. I would have taken a picture, but I did not want to be macabre. In retrospect, given that displaying them was acceptable, a photo would probably have been OK. The man at the computer said the tests would cost 1,500 rupees ($33) and wanted to make sure he still wanted them. Yes, absolutely.

After the blood draw, we were asked to wait 30 minutes. We were directed back to the waiting area. The cashier counter was in the waiting area, and a man collected the testing fees but did not ask for Stephen’s name. Then, we waited. Did I mention that the hospital did not have air conditioning? The kids mentioned this a number of times during the wait. The tests came back 30 minutes later – all negative. We were asked to go to the doctor’s office again. Her diagnosis was Montezuma’s revenge – though that was not the term she used. She added five drug names to the same paper where she had written “Mr. Stephen” and the order for the tests. She explained each medicine and wrote the dosages and durations. Then, she handed Stephen the paper and we were free to go. This means that the hospital did not have any record of Stephen’s name anymore. He paid for the office visit, 100 rupees ($2.20), and walked to the pharmacy counter. The drugs were under $10. In case you were counting, the total cost (including immediate consultation with the doctor, blood testing, antibiotic and anti-protozoan, Tylenol and pro-biotics to mitigate the effect of the antibiotic) was under $45 USD. Not to mention the value of a great story. Stephen is now back in the US and is completely recovered.

Favorite sign: “Leprosy is completely curable.” This was a public service poster.