IINTERNSHIP OVER EARLY

My last day at Diamond Jubilee was supposed to be on Friday but now that all the schools in Bombay have been closed for 7 daysa due to swine flu...my last day was today and I didn't even know it. The kids were absolutely crazy-excited about not having to come to school for the rest of the week. Anna and I walked around the school one last time and entered each of the 7th grade classrooms and the 7th graders went wild. I could tell they were sad to see us go. We walked into one class to them cheering and slowly wiped away the geometry they had been doing on the board as they screamed with joy. I know that people think that this is a pointless job, especially people here...but I couldn't think of a better way to spend this summer. I can't believe tears were welling up in my eyes as I was watching all of those kids walk away. I will miss them so much, their smiling faces have been my comfort in this strange new world. One boy I just saw outside my door as I was going to the bathroom, he wassupposed to have left with the others but he was crying and grabbed me around the waist. He begged me to stay and said that I was his favorite teacher ever. I couldn't help crying and I think I am going to write a letter to him and give it to the school to give to him. That was Sohail, my favorite kid. It was strange to end it so abruptly, but oh what a journey it has been!

A Happy, Happy Birthday

Some of my seventh graders decided to throw me a birthday party in class. I brought my Ipod and my roommates speakers and let the boys DJ. I was astonished at how they immediately huddled around it and rapped every lyric of "Crank That" and "Temperature." I guess that is globalization for ya! Some of them even brought me presents! Two boys brought me pens (apparently a good thing to recieve in India) and another girl brought me a bracelet (and Anna as well) although they were terribly ugly we modeled them anyway and know its the thought that counts. We also took the opportunity to take pictures with out smallest class! The kids also drew a birthday cake on the board and made me cut it by smudging my finger over the chalk while they sang "Happy Birthday." A good way to start a day I thought!

BARA Gandhi and Marine Drive...a last walk through the city

Anna and I ventured out yesterday to Fort in South Mumbai and then walked to Marine Drive from there. We have always seen this BIG Gandhi statue on our route when in a taxi. We have been longing to take pictures in front of it, which is difficult because we are pretty sure that they lock the gate on weekends. We finally walked by it on our way out of Kala Ghoda and were able to snap a few pictures. We then continued to walk to Marine Drive. This drive stretches down a beatiful section of the Bombay Coastline. The particular place we were is referred to as "The Queens Necklace" since it makes a U-curve around the coast.

Mani Bhavan

Yesterday Anna and I visited Gandhi's house in Mumbai. This is the house where Gandhi stayed everytime he came to Bombay. Here he began his famous "Quit India" campaign, learned the Indian art of spinning, began his most famous hunger strike, and was arrested on the famous balcony. The house is very low key, just as Gandhi would have like it. A lot of tourists don't know about it because it is not in a tourist area (actually it is pretty close to our flat). We visited for the second time to take pictures, it is a beatiful 3 floor building with a library for Gandhian research, an auditorium where children learn ancient Indian arts (like spinning, sandskrit poerty, etc.), and has the roon where Gandhi lived exactly like he left it. Enjoy!