Pune - School Visits 2 and 3

It's raining today, the first persistent rain we have seen this entire trip.  We've not really experienced the monsoon weather we were cautioned about, but the evidence of lots of rain is all around.  It might surprise you to know how green this country is.

Today we were on our village trip.  One group traveled to Sone Sangvi and the rest of us to Nimgaon Bhogi.  Both are very small, rural villages that are dependent primarily on agriculture for their survival.  But thanks to efforts by groups like Ashta No Kai, led by the incredible Armene Modi, many village women are now improving their families financial outlook.  These woman are forming dairy cooperatives and savings clubs, in the process adding thousands of rupees to their monthly income.

As for the school, we were treated to an amazing entrance celebration!  The school at Nimgaon has up to grade 10, with a total of about 200 students.  They greater us with a traditional blessing, a handful of sugar crystals and the tossing of flower petals!  All the time they were clapping to a rhythm beat out on a drum.

An all school assembly, followed by some grade level races set the tone of a day to celebrate two different cultures meeting and growing to know each other.  Later, in pairs, we spent about a half hour with a class, sharing gifts of writing tablets, pencils, treats, and a short lesson from their American guests.  It is VERY interesting interacting with children who do not speak your language (and no interpreters!).  But be assured that we all had a blast!

All in all, this day in the village has been the highlight of the trip so far.  India has a major issue in the migration of people from small villages to already overcrowded cities.  To this point it does not seem as though the government has shown significant interest in addressing the needs of the small villages, failing to see that helping the villages might also help the major cities.  But we got a first hand look at how many are being given a hand at helping themselves, and it is very inspiring.  And the hospitality shown to us by people who are living on barely 5% of what we earn was more than humbling.

More coming.  I have much to share about our visit to the Blind School, our weekend with our Host Families, and our upcoming shift to Delhi for the final leg of our adventure.

Namaste!