Jaipur Calling

Nursery rhymes, mosquito nets and another tikka massala

My first entry written in relative comfort. I am tired of dirty internet cafes, and have no plan to try out next door as Michelle has found both lizards and mice (not the computer type) lurking in their grim quarters. So I am writing away in my room, enjoying the refreshing air from the water cooler. I will publish this tomorrow.

Work at Pratham is going well, although I find myself physically tired often. Probably due to the nature of this week’s work – we have been visiting the slums that Pratham holds classes in (hence the earlier photographs). Seeing them was a mixed experience. They were very dirty, but then even the rich areas of the city are plagued with litter here. I saw many flies, so hygiene standards were obviously poor. But otherwise, the children were well clothed and dressed, and we were told that they bathed daily. They were not in rags and they did not look starved. This was pleasing, but the issue of child labour still remains; parents are reluctant to send their kids to school, as the family income will fall. Pratham’s only option therefore is to work with the system, running schools for just three hours a day – so that the children can still be educated, even though they must work.

The pupils were initially shy when meeting us, but soon became more responsive. My understanding of our visits was that we would sit in on the classes, and then report on the conditions back in the office; I did not, however, realise that we would be asked to contribute to them (keep reading). The pre-school teacher asked us to teach the children some rhymes, with a smile far too warm to refuse. I looked meekly at Stephan (another trainee), only to be told that he didn’t learn nursery rhymes in English (he is German). Following this revelation, all eyes turned to me. I muttered some excuse about not being able to remember any – I honestly couldn’t when put on the spot – but they insisted that I must know something (as indeed I should). Think, Sam, think. Hmm … a sheep. A black one? Oh yes – that wonderful little song Baa Baa Black Sheep. Now, for those that have had the unfortunate experience of hearing me sing, you will know that I have no natural talent in this area. Yet as the only one who knew the words, I was forced to lead the class. I sang one line, they repeated, I sang another, and so on. I was glad that the ordeal was soon over: however, upon completion, I was asked to share another rhyme. Stifling a sigh of embarrassment, I again racked my brains. I suddenly thought of Old Macdonald, and felt very chuffed with myself; surely all children know animal sounds. And indeed they did, but it soon became apparent that the animals in India make different noises to the animals in the UK. Dogs do not woof, but make a piercing screeching sound. Cows “maow” and don’t “moo”. Cats go “me-ahhhh!”, not “miaow”. I ended up foolishly trying to imitate these sounds, and failed miserably.

The monsoon has arrived in Jaipur, and so I decided to put up my mosquito net. It is self standing, and looks very impressive. It is a shame that I can no longer jump onto the bed and just crash out when I come in, but instead have to unzip the net and very carefully climb onto it. (Failure to be gentle leads to the net falling down.) It is also strange when Michelle is here and I am within the net – it is a little like talking to her from behind the bars of a prison cell. Although, I do not so much feel trapped as I do feel safe and protected; I wonder whether I will feel exposed when I return home to an uncovered bed. However, I now have a far more pressing need to be protected in the bathroom, as several days ago I fell and sprained my wrist (sympathy please). A small wall separates the main bathroom from the shower area, and I was within this shower area washing my feet. (When it rains here, your feet become unavoidably muddy – it really is quite unpleasant.) I soon noticed a great big beetle, and with my fear of anything small and moving, was not pleased at the prospect of sharing the shower area. I climbed over the wall and lent down to catch it with a bucket; however, my wet feet caused me to slip and, in a panic, I put my hand out to stop my fall. It bent backwards and was very painful. I bandaged it for two days and my hand is still slightly sore, but feeling much better now. (My showers though, annoyingly, take twice as long now for fear of a repeat incident.)

Other than that I have been keeping well, and even got to eat some meat yesterday. (A large proportion of Indians cannot eat meat for religious reasons, forcing most restaurants to be vegetarian.) Yes, I had another chicken tikka massala! So excited was I at finding my beloved dish. And yes, it was very tasty, although I should have known that it would not be as mild as in England. (Nothing here is – I once ordered what was advertised as “French fries”, only to be presented with chips ruined by spices.) So I am managing to survive in India; I am keeping healthy, I have not yet been run over (although there have been some close calls) and I can effectively bargain with rickshaw drivers. I consider this a small success.

posted by ladyinpink @ 11:27 pm