Kattampaty

My Rotary club here has "adopted" a rural government school nearby Coimbatore to fund, and I was lucky enough to get to see it the other day! We drove an hour to the edge of my city, where we found the school which kids come to from at least twenty different rural villages nearby. My first glimpse of it was neat lines of about fourty students sitting on the dirt assembly area, writing on clipboards. I later found out that this was the tenth grade students who were taking extra special classes to prepare them for the board exam which every student takes in 10th and 12th. It's something like our ACTs, but they are literally tested on the entire textbook for each subject and the students have to answer exactly as the book says. 10th and 12th grade students rarely have time for anything for studying; Instead of going to art class or playing with friends they have to just sit at home and memorize the textbook so they do well and can pass into eleventh or college. I think most of these kids go home and help their families work, though.

While waiting for their morning class to be over, my host took me on a tour of the school and showed me the bathrooms they renovated for girls (boys just use the open air) and a drinking water station, which provides the children with safe, drinkable water. They had a special assembly for us, during which they recited some songs, the national anthem, and salutes. It was really.. bizzare to see the discipline of students even in first grade. They all came in very straight, organized lines, moving their arms in unison. There was no noise, and no slacking of any sort as they stood still for more than a half hour- so different from Aspen where we slouch into the dome eating and talking with no sence of discipline. I gave a small speech to the 350 students, teachers, and principle and was honored enough to raise the Indian flag. As we were leaving, all the students from the front part of the school crowded around me trying to shake my hand and talk to me. Some asked my name, my age, or where I was from, while others just looked at me. It was unnerving to be treated "like Queen Elizabeth," as my host put it.

The visit really inspired me to do some service, something I have been very adamant about since day one in India. Unfortunately, I need the permission and coordination of Rotary to do that and it hasn't happened yet. So to take matters into my own hands I am visiting the school again tomorrow to distribute sweets and pencils for Christmas. I know it's nothing big, but it makes me feel happy, and it will hopefully be a nice gesture to the children.