And now we come to Kimberly’s final week of volunteer teaching in Raiwala, a small railway town nestled in the foothills of northern India. While Dennis remains for another month, she’ll be moving on to Rishikesh for her month-long training to be a yoga instructor.

SUNDAY

Taking a stroll through the village, we see some of the colorful local life that makes us glad to be in this location despite the trials and tribulations we’ve faced. It’s an old-fashioned community where in many ways the locals live very traditional lives. But modernization keeps creeping in; and one sign of it is the project of repaving the main street (which is surely not called Main Street) running through town with H-shaped interlocking bricks, giving a facelift to the old thoroughfare that is largely made of dirt (and mud and cow manure). Sometimes when you’re walking on these streets and a vehicle zooms past, you get dusted a bit. This brand-spanking new pavement should help prevent that, and of course, provide a smoother ride for those in/ on the vehicles.

At a clothing stall, we stop to browse through the coats, and find one that is perfect for Dennis to wear in cold weather. (Having traveled mostly through warmer climates thus far, our bags have not been burdened by heavy-duty outerwear.) It’s the puffy kind, so it can be scrunched up to pack compactly. And it’s only 18 dollars. So now we each have a winter coat, and we are prepared for the coming days of chill — not just around here, but even more so up in the mountains where we’ll soon be headed.

And in our favorite local market, we pick up some more of our favorite junk food — of which India has the best on the whole planet,

MONDAY – FRIDAY

Dennis is frantically trying to prepare his 11th and 12th Grade students for their upcoming final exam in English literature. Which isn’t easy, because of the lack of materials, the lack of interest in the stories on the part of the students, and the fact that the specific content to be covered keeps changing. Pictured on the board are some questions he wrote to quiz them on the story “Birth”, which is an excerpt from the novel The Citadel by A. J. Cronin.

Meanwhile, Kimberly is having a fruitful and fun last week in the trenches, and most of the other photos show some of the activities from her classes, and the comments in italics are hers.

I brought some dice to use for Preschool math. They enjoyed rolling them and then adding up the numbers

The majestic and very old tree next to the clinic (our apartment is on the second floor) at sunrise. A favorite of humans, birds and monkeys alike.

Teaching Pre-K how to play Red Light Green Light, and a variation of Duck Duck Goose. White board from lesson for 1st grade on “that/this”. Grade 3 attending science class outside.

Preschoolers writing their ABCs up to the letter T. This is all their teacher’s doing, I didn’t even know writing was part of the curriculum for 3-4 year olds. They each take a turn at the board.

This lady corralled the students on the bus I ride home, and is helping me fill my whiteboard marker. I bring my own marker to the classrooms with me, as they are short in supply and high in demand. Every teacher guards them with their life. I am not permitted to refill my own marker, as that’s part of someone’s job description and I would make a mess of it anyway.

Kindergarten students 3 to a desk (we combine 2 classes for my lessons). I teach English and sometimes Science – never know what’s going to be on the agenda until I walk in the door. There is also another teacher or two in the room at all times, loudly reminding the students to fold their hands and repeat everything I say.

Friday, Kimberly’s Final Day of Volunteering at the Junior Campus

The final drive to Jr. Campus down the dirt road to meet the bus

I’ve always had a half hour to wait for classes every morning before school starts. Here I am posing with fellow teachers and staff as we wait for the bell to ring. Pictured here, two teachers (whom I’m still in touch with); me with the teacher’s assistants/bus ma’ams (these are the ladies who bring the magic to make the school run smoothly); and the amazing preschool teacher.

Shown here are preschoolers continuing the popular activity that involves rolling the dice, writing the number on them and then drawing the dice. Posing for a photo with all of the preschoolers.

The school threw me a surprise going away party on my last day. We ate samosas which were a special treat and the teachers gave me a beautiful and useful scarf.

And the students presented me with a bunch of handmade Thank You cards and notes, some of which are funny, and all of which are touching. This kind of appreciation from the students is what reminds us, more than anything else, that whatever difficulties we may face, our efforts as volunteers are worth the trouble.

As Kimberly wraps up her final week in Raiwala and heads off to Rishikesh for her next chapter, the lessons learned—in patience, in adaptability, in community—are coming along for the ride.

Events occurred 11/24-29/2024