Living in Mumbai:
Here's a great blog post about life in Mumbai from a Times of India blog:
http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/everything-social/man-brilliantly-explains-why-mumbai-is-the-best-city-to-live-in/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=TOI

Crossing the Street

I've been meaning to write about the traffic and crossing the street here in Mumbai for quite awhile. During a recent professional development event (ASB Unplugged conference) , I was lucky enough to be sitting next to a good friend and colleague, Megan in a cinematic narrative workshop by Jim Sill. Great speaker and good session and I really like the approach and the opportunities for use in education. We were tasked with telling a story in a short movie using 4 shots: an establishing shot, a long shot, a medium shot, and a close up.  Great speaker and good session and I really like the approach and the opportunities for use in education.

I chose to show how to cross the street in Mumbai. A couple of notes about this:

1) The corner we're using is the one nearest our school and apartment
2) It was shot mid-morning - a very quiet time of day in the neighborhood. 
    The good news about that is that it made it a little easier to shoot without getting run over.
    The bad news is that it really doesn't show how tough it can be.
3) I had a little difficulty with the sound - the crossing clip sound was messed up so I copied some audio and replayed it ;-)
4) Thanks to Megan for her patience and great acting !

So this is my first attempt to include a little movie clip in the blog. Hopefully it will work OK.

Indian Independence Day

Happy Independence Day to all!

Indian Flag with flowers around the base

Today is the day the peoples of India celebrate their independence from Britain after many years of mostly non-violent struggle.  We enjoyed a delightful morning of celebration with our neighbors and new friends within the Kohinoor City Phase One Housing Association where we live. The compound includes about 12 apartment buildings with parking, several play areas for children, good security, etc., and a very interesting mix of upper middle class people.  

Dancing troupe posing for pictures after their performance

Nancy chatting with the dancers

Festivities began with a flag ceremony and the national anthem.  The Indian flag raising tradition differs from ours: when the flag is unfurled, flower petals that have been placed inside the carefully folded flag spill out around the flag pole area.
While we wandered around watching the kids participate in games and races, many of our neighbors came up and introduced themselves to us.  Many of both kids and adults were dressed up for the occasion and a group of the little girls came and presented a dance to much enjoyment. We also took part in group word scramble game which our building won !

Musical Chairs for the Ladies

Handing out prizes to winning artists

Nancy was almost a semi-finalist in the Ladies musical chairs game and I served as a judge for the children's drawing contest (both I think  because I was "impartial" in that I didn't know any of the kids, but perhaps also the prestige of having a "European" judge ?) We even were served a little box snack with a juice box and a savoury puff pastry.  Great way to celebrate.  We're heading out later this afternoon to explore town a little more and go out to eat in Bandra.  Happy Independence Day, India (and Happy Birthday big sister!)

Meeting the neighbors - taken by Amy Garrett from her apartment

Rakish, our driver and friend

Tim tries his first street food (roasted corn) with Rakish, our new Any Time Driver and friend.

(Last Friday we hired a driver, Rakish (emphasis on the first syllable.) Rakish worked for Tim’s predecessor in the middle school/high school library.

Rakish drives 1 hour 45 minutes for our interview. He enters our apartment, takes off his shoes, and sits at our dining room table.  I notice he has a thick tilak on his forehead and three red thread bracelets. Today is Raksha Bandhan.  It is the day a sister ties a band of red thread around the wrist of her brother.  It is an act of love.  She pledges her love for her brother and he promises to love and protect his sister. Two bracelets are intertwined with gold, one bracelet is all thread with swastika designs woven through the threads. (In the Hindu culture, the swastika is a symbol for good luck.) I ask about his bracelets. Rakish has three sisters.  They are a distance apart, so he met one sister early this morning and his sister tied all three bracelets on his wrist. I am sad and a little bit jealous. I wish I had a brother that I could say loved me and would protect me.

We cover the contract areas suggested by the school and learn that Rakish is available seven days a week.  We learn that the last family that hired Rakish called him “ATD - Any Time Driver” We learn that Rakish will keep his car here, in our apartment building parking spot, and take a one and a half hour train and bus ride here to drive us where ever we want to go.

Rakish offers to take us for a drive in his 2001 Toyota. Rakish has been driving for American School teachers for 13 years. He was the driver for one family for seven years.  When they left, they sold him the Toyota that he drives today. Rakish takes us on a drive by Tim’s campus of our school and then towards a “posh” area of Mumbai called Bandra. I understand the geography now.  Tim’s campus is located in Bandra Kurla Complex which is between Bandra and where we live, Kurla. Bandra Kurla is a planned, commercial area with new high high rise buildings for companies such as Dow Chemical, Citi Bank, and National Stock Exchange. It is on reclaimed land. The land used to be polluted low-lying land.  On our way to Tim’s school we go through a Muslim area where the skeletons of rusted cars, trucks, and SUVs line both sides of the narrow road. These vehicles are stripped and the parts are sold.  Rakish tells us the vehicles are abandoned or stolen and the area is really illegal. We see women covered from head to toe picking up wood and metal scraps to sell. We see fruit and vegetable stands selling gorgeous produce.  Rakish tells us those stands are on the main road because of Ramadan.  They will be gone after Ramadan. 

We reach the lovely area of Bandra. Bandra is an older neighborhood but is called the “queen of the suburbs.”  It is quite cosmopolitan. On our way home, as we drive back from Bandra to Kurla the people change dramatically.  In Bandra, the women are dressed very modern. As we drive towards Kurla we see women in black from head to toe.  Some women cover all but their eyes, some women are in black but their faces are open, some women wear the traditional saris but cover their heads.

We reach the area of Kurla where my elementary school is located and where we live.  We still see many women in black. Our area is more diverse, about half Hindu and half Muslim with a small community of Christians.  I am glad that our superintendent let us know that we are the first foreigners to live in this area. I have a new understanding of the importance of my sensitivity to this culture. This knowledge makes me want to cover my arms and wear longer skirts.   I am pleased that Rakish helped us introduce ourselves to Arif, the kind security guard on the ground floor of our apartment building. I’m pleased that Arif introduced us to the gate guard. I am pleased that Tim and I are becoming a part of this neighborhood and country that is welcoming us with bigger, warmer smiles as the week progresses.

Community and Social Responsibility

One of the things that our school is intentional about is being aware of, involved in, and a positive presence to our community.  Two staff members are hired to lead the school in community and social responsibility. Part of our growth and learning as individuals, both staff and students, is to be aware of how privileged we are and to be aware of those around us who are not as privileged.  In a country like India there is such an incredible range of socio-economic situations.  On Sunday we went for brunch at a Luxury hotel nearby - The Leela Mumbai. The place was incredible - huge gardens and pools, marble and gold decor everywhere, great service and delicious food.  Opulent and elegant.  
Today we visited an Indian school that ASB partners with for both community service and professional development. The school is similar to a charter school in the states - partly funded by the Indian government and run by an NGO (Non Governmental Organization). The majority of the students are from 2 extended, interrelated families (about 80% of the kids share 2 common surnames) that have been street cleaners for 5 generations.  It currently has students from PreK to 6th grade and is adding a grade per year as the first cohort of kids age.  Instruction is in English, and the teachers we met were dedicated, caring professionals, most with masters degrees, eager to interact with us and learn together.
Reflections on the experience:

• Dang these kids are cute!
• There is so much hope and potential in the world.
• Education is so important and can make such a difference in people's lives.
• Kids are kids the world over - excited and eager to learn and playful and shy.
• Teachers are teachers the world over - caring and dedicated and eager to share and wanting the best for their students.

We are planning to continue our connection with these good people over the year, with some staff development activities with the teaching staff and additional visits in both directions.