Traveling Tuesdays

First a brief update on my life, and then I will explain the exciting new changes that have been taking place in class. For those of you who aren't following the weather in Jaipur (I can't imagine what could be more important than tracking a stable desert climate, but...), it has been raining for the past 2 days. Since Rajasthan is a desert, the cities are not equipped to handle rainfall. There are no sewers, there is no drainage system, and very few people own raincoats or umbrellas. The result is a massive flooding of the streets that resembles something of a minestrone soup--the water is brown from all the sand and dirt, and it floats the street's litter (which looks a little like the spinach in the soup) across the city with considerable force. Bikes and fruit stands are abandoned on the side of the road and sit in stagnant muddy pools. Yesterday I saw a man walking barefoot and shivering through the swampy streets, holding what looked liked a dish rag over his head.

Given that things are such a mess in the paved city streets, you can imagine how nervous I am about seeing the dirt roads and trash heaps of the slums -- in sneakers! Yesterday was a religious festival (I think it was the Muslim Eid Festival), and everyone was busy sacrificing goats, so naturally we did not have class. But I will report back on the conditions in Kathputli Nagar after today's lessons, wish me luck!

And finally, the good news. We just got hot water in the house. I'm not going to lie, I am smiling right now; I can't wait.

But enough about me, there are some great new changes in class. Firstly, I have implemented a suggestions box. Actually, it is technically a suggestions "bag" since I could not find any boxes. The girls wrote down questions, comments, and ideas, and I will be checking the bag every Friday to try and make sure the class is still enjoyable and helpful for them, which is of the utmost importance since attendance is voluntary.

Secondly, there is a new addition to our lessons known as "Traveling Tuesdays" where the class "goes to" two different countries. This Tuesday was the United States and Denmark, so Mette, a Danish volunteer, and I painted our flags (50 goddamned stars? Are you kidding me???) and drew maps of our countries. We also made information sheets with facts such as our country's leader, capital, family size, religion (how does one explain the Red Sox sect?), and hobbies. Even though many of you are probably embarrassed to see the McDonald's french fries in this photo, the girls loved them. However, they were horrified to find out that in the West we eat cows; you should have seen their faces, it was as if someone had just told them we grill our own mothers in A1 sauce. They were so upset that I had to assure them that I do not eat beef (white lie, forgive me!) before we could continue the lesson.

However, to be honest, the concept of "Traveling Tuesdays" was received with mixed sentiments. Some girls were elated and asked a million questions with their eyes glued to the maps, while other girls seemed to be more interested in the fries and whispering to each other. Despite this, I think it is important that we keep the tradition for the simple reason that it exposes the girls to the world beyond Rajasthan and reminds them that this earth is wonderfully large and full of possibilities. The discussions about other cultures led the girls to ask questions about 'love marriages,' marrying age, family size, divorce, and a million other things that are non-existent in their own culture. Overall it was an eye-opening lesson that inadvertently touched on many of the feminist ideas I came here to discuss--and all over some good ol' McDonalds fries!

*Note the finished walls in the background of the photo--more pictures to follow!