The neighbor kids from our building have taken a liking to me and John. All of them seem excited by the novelty of a young American couple staying in their building. They ask a lot of questions about our country and our families. Most of them speak very good English, as the municipal schools in this and other well-to-do neighborhoods teach in English. While John has been very busy at work the last few weeks, I have spent a few evenings teaching card games and hosting drawing contests. The kids have taken to ringing the doorbell just to come inside and play cards whether I play with them or not. But they are eager to include me in their games and teach me words in Hindi. In a lot of ways they are more welcoming than many of the adults in the building.
In January there was a festival called Makar Sankranti, which has something to do with astrological phenomena, something about the sun, and a planet changes houses…I don’t really know much about the origins of the festival because what everybody talks about and gets excited about are the kites. On Makar Sankranti everyone goes up to the rooftops of their buildings or to the parks, or even just to the streets, and they fly kites. My young friends invited me to spend the afternoon kite-flying with them, and it was great fun. The kite-flying here is competitive. The small paper kites are flown on very thin, sharp strings, and people from one building try to cut the strings of neighbor buildings with their own kites. When they are successful, they shout and laugh and sing. Here are a few pictures of the kids and views from our rooftop:
In January there was a festival called Makar Sankranti, which has something to do with astrological phenomena, something about the sun, and a planet changes houses…I don’t really know much about the origins of the festival because what everybody talks about and gets excited about are the kites. On Makar Sankranti everyone goes up to the rooftops of their buildings or to the parks, or even just to the streets, and they fly kites. My young friends invited me to spend the afternoon kite-flying with them, and it was great fun. The kite-flying here is competitive. The small paper kites are flown on very thin, sharp strings, and people from one building try to cut the strings of neighbor buildings with their own kites. When they are successful, they shout and laugh and sing. Here are a few pictures of the kids and views from our rooftop:
I have been volunteering for some time now with a group called Akanksha, which has introduced me to another whole group of kids age 8-10. Akanksha helps to educate “underprivileged” children. Unlike the children in my building, these kids do not learn English in their municipal schools, so Akanksha focuses on teaching English. I go to one of the 25 centers around Mumbai every morning and spend a few hours tutoring in grammar, reading and writing. Math, Values and other basic skills and knowledge are also a part of Akanksha’s curriculum, so I help in those areas too. But the best thing about it is that it provides a safe, fun place for these kids to go for a few hours in the morning or afternoon. Take a look at the organization’s website if you’re interested: http://www.akanksha.org/. I know I will have a lot to write about these kids and my experience working with them during my time here.
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