My first class

I never wanted to be a teacher. An archeologist, astronaut, train driver, even engineer (yes, I know I am boring because eventually I fulfilled that 'goal') but not a teacher in my wildest dreams. When I was in school, I always looked down upon most of my teachers since they used to be the butt of all our nasty jokes. So you can very well imagine what crossed my mind when I stepped into class to teach a room full of little energized tykes.

I was their Art teacher. I mentally pictured Aamir Khan gliding into the room dressed as a clown in 'Taare Zameen Par' and capturing every kids` attention instantly. In sharp contrast, I ventured nervously and wondered how in the name of heaven was I to attract their attention. I requested them to stay quiet - Oh don't laugh, I was trying to be a paragon of virtue ! :-) Obviously they didn't even give me a glance and continued shouting, playing, beating and pinching each other. I raised my voice slightly and managed to silence 2 kids. Hopeful now, I walked around the class for 20 minutes ordering them - 'Finger on your lips' , 'Sit straight' , 'Go and sit in your place' and I was able to get the class to certain sane levels of civilization. Mission 1 accomplished. Teacher was far from fresh.

My students were aged between 8 and 14. This was a Government Tent School and the kids were fluent in Kannada and spoke sparing English. I, on the other hand spoke sparing Kannada and good English. Not a really good start, yes! With a lot of difficulty the books, pencils and colours were produced. I started drawing a cricket bat and there was sudden silence. As I was finishing, all the kids shrieked - " Bat bat bat missss !!!! " Giving them a broad smile, I told them to start drawing in their books. Instantly , all heads bent down and the bat was copied with utter concentration. Have you ever seen tiny tots copying anything? They will do it with perfection - the bat could be drawn with few strokes but even if a single stroke exceeded the calculated length, they will erase it and resume :-) It is endearing. Try and observe next time. They coloured it and clamoured for my attention thrusting their book into my face for approval. Some kids wouldn't take their book back unless I signed off with 'Very good'. Which I love doing - I even add stars and smileys !! Why not ?? ;-)

I drew a few more simple things which they obediently replicated in their notebooks and coloured it brilliantly - A dog, India Flag, Car, Pine-apple. Everytime I started , all the kids would stare at the board wide-eyed and attempt to outbeat one another by guessing what I was drawing. Competitive spirit sets in early truly. Art class is one where the kids never get bored. I don't take any credit here, I think generally all kids enjoy toying with colours. I speak from experience because I sure did !! Finally I drew a cat. All the kids chorused - " BEKKU BEKKU " !!! I heard it as " Ducku Ducku ". Staring hard at my cat , I tried to figure out why the kids were calling it a Duck. I erased the cat and re-drew. Again the same chant - "BEKKU BEKKU ". I was stumped for a minute and my friend came to my rescue by explaining that Cat in Kannada is Bekku. It was enlightening to me , not to mention embarassing ! :-)

I am only a part-time teacher but I am truly happiest when I am surrounded by these little angels who really deserve a better life. I shall write my other experiences with these kids and fellow volunteers as every single one of them deserves a mention!

You may visit this LINK to know more.

Update --- This post was later published in the official RIF blog too.

Life's like that

I confess I have stolen the title of this post from a popular column in 'Reader's Digest'. The idea is to write some "Stuff" ( My blog is called stuff and nonsense for nothing! ) and I have decided to start with the title of this blog post.

So, spurred by a few good friends and decent motivation levels, I registered for a 10km marathon in my city couple of months back. I 'practised' - in true exam style, exactly only 1 day prior to the event by walking 4 kms and jumping into the nearest auto huffing and panting. If you're wondering whether I still managed the impossible, YEAH I DID! First, Drum roll followed by Applause please!! :-) Even after I got the certificate in my hands from the organizers, I felt strangely funny (proud definitely). At the cost of sounding overly philosophical, I understood then what people mean when they say that the journey matters more than the destination.

** Flash back to 31st May '09 **

The marathon was to start at 8 A.M. The scene at the stadium was nothing short of a carnival. There were different tracks - One for the elite and competent, One for those running for a cause (that was me), one for senior citizens and one for people running in a group and dressed in fetching costumes. At 8, we set off. I participated with 4 other colleagues cum friends. At the offset, we ran together slowly taking in the cool breeze and enjoying the new experience. Trust me, we realized that day exactly how 'far' a distance of 1 km can be !! Amongst us, I had the least stamina - I was the first to stop the momentum and begin to walk slowly. One of my friends A slowed down and ensured I took a couple of deep breaths before we took off again and caught up with the rest.

My marathon continued this way after the 2nd km. I was exhausted , breathless (ashamed to admit it, but tis a fact) and continuously cursing myself for wasting a precious Sunday morning. My friends A & V kept me company in turns walking and jogging with me till we reached 7kms. The organizers had kept people like me in mind and there were innumerable stalls with energy drinks and water all along. Not just that, all participants were given a goody bag with eatables, first-aid and some freebies. Are you now repenting not having participated ?? ;-)

When we reached the 8km milestone, my friends were totally charged ( I was nowhere close to 'charged', I was still dreaming about my warm bed and a feast ...Phew ) and decided to finish off the last leg running !! So without further ado, they vanished .. literally. I swear - One moment they were all around me and puff! They were lost in the crowd. I decided not to attempt any more running than I had to and ambled along slowly waving to the morning walkers and enthusiastic spectators. Suddenly it hit me that I didn't have my mobile and I didn't have my bag or money on me either (My friend A was sweet enough to carry it for me seeing my condition). Guess what I did! I started running searching for my buddies .. Yeah I ran and ran ( Sort of like Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump ) and never spotted them. My mind worked overtime and I decided to stand by my friend's car in case I didn't find them in the crowd. I didn't even observe the 9km milestone in all this and Viola! - I was at the finish line only to welcomed by my friend V who was looking for us at the gate. Yippee!!! My journey took a total of 1.5 hours (Not too bad for someone who walked most of the way :P ) I was thrilled to bits and I was taking home a certificate after almost 2 years :D

Thanks to my friends who took part with me. It was one of those sunny memorable marvellous days.

Oh, I cannot forget how divine that Dosa and Lime juice after the race was either :-)

Some food for thought - Don't you think this marathon has some similarities with 'life'? - Speaking in a very broad sense. I am curious to know how you would interpret it.

A long time ago..

I was 10 when I watched the movie Free Willy - Part I. It was summer vacation and my cousins and I were glued to the TV. The movie is about the growing friendship between an orca whale, Keiko and a 12 year old Jesse. For months I was fascinated with just about everything involving Free Willy - the boy, the whale, the ocean, the adventure !! I didn't miss Free Willy - Part II & III as and when they were released. Part II & III are filled with adventurous tales of rescuing Keiko from a crashed oil tanker, ocean fires and illegal whalers. Nevertheless for nearly 3 years, I always dreamt passionately that I would someday train a killer whale and rescue my "loving pet" from the blasted dangers of the world !!! ;-) You could call it an obsession I guess. I even named my imaginary whale. I don't recall when I eventually forgot Keiko but I am confident the subsequent dreams got bigger (and better) :-)

There is an ulterior motive behind all this rambling (in case you did not realize). In the first movie Free Willy, the OST - "Will you be there?" is a song very very close to my heart. The song, video, music and voice are all equally mesmerising and haunting. Every time I watch the whale soar high from the ocean and dive back in, I feel elated and can literally hear the sound of the splash. This one song gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. I don't want to post the YouTube or MP3 link here, but please do check it out.

Oh just for the sake of completing this post, the OST was composed by none other than Michael Jackson.I think everyone of us has some teeny weeny memory involving his chartbusters.

An emotional surprise

Hey, I truly feel part of blogosphere today ! Wanna know why - I've been crowned Miss World tagged.

A big thank you to Reflections. You made my day :-)

So let me plunge headlong and divulge 10 things that drain me emotionally. I had to think hard because I am such a thick skinned buffalo these days that things seldom bother me. For all you know, people like me might be listed as an 'emotional drainer' on some blogs (tee hee hee).

So here goes nothing (in no particular order) --

# Sitting idle. I do not know the meaning of the word "Relax". A holiday well-spent in my opinion is one thats choc-a- bloc with activity. An evening with no electricity and horrible rains outside (happens all the time in Bangalore) will see me truly downcast.

# I am slightly nervous to admit this, but off late phone calls from people make me jittery. If I feel I cannot talk, although I am not doing anything useful (and the person is someone who loves to talk), I simply won't pick up the call. I am certain that phones are for my convenience. Oh, I am also perfectly OK when people don't answer my calls. 'Phone-phobia' :-P

# Shopping - I'm not a hard-core shopaholic. I enjoy buying clothes when I really need them. Otherwise it simply makes me brain dead. One look at the queue in front of the trial rooms is enough to make me dizzy and run a mile from the mall.

# Meticulous planning is not my cup of tea. I am the impulsive kinds who loves to pick up a bag and leave impromptu. Its fun!

# Depriving kids of their childhood. I teach in a Govt. school and when I see those young girls married off at 13-14, taking care of siblings, keeping house etc.. It moves me to tears. What would those kids look back on and recall when they are 30 somethings?

 

# Lack of conversation. I am a chatterbox who loves to talk and I can make friends at the drop of a hat (usually). I always manage to find some common ground. Also I love people who are honest and laugh a lot. So when I run into people who are reticent and stay that way, I am puzzled yet I don't give up easily!

# Karan Johar/Yash Raj productions make me want to wail loudly .. especially if I happen to part with my hard-earned money and catch it in the multiplexes. Honestly, I wonder how the audience stomachs the rona-dhona and pyaar mohabbat dished out year after year. Its not even old wine in a new bottle. Its the same stale wine in the same stinking bottle.

# This one's a bit of a bother for everyone I know - The horrendous Bangalore traffic. Ensures that you always leave your house early and anxious only to return late frazzled , furious and demented !

Now comes the best part. I would like to request the following people to take up this tag --

Appu ( The incurable romantic :-) )

Shades of Grey ( Only to know how a Jungle girl thinks ! )

Swaram ( My new blog-pal )

All my friends visiting my page are also welcome to take this tag. In case you do not have a blogspot account, you can leave your points behind in my comment box. I would love to read it :-)

The Swedish connection

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Isn't this picture perfect? It isn't an illusion.

Let me introduce you to my best friend and colleague, Frank along with his wife Beate and 3 1/2 year old and very adorable son Jakob. If I were to make a list of things I gained in my workplace, our friendship would be something that immediately comes to my mind. Though we no longer work together, we make it a point to stay in touch and share our life stories. I am the first to see his latest Skiing trip photos and he was the first to know the day I managed to swim without fear :-)

When I joined ***** (my workplace), I underwent a series of trainings on how to interact with colleagues from other nationalities (the do's and dont's - Intercultural training it is called). My experience tells me that being yourself is the best way to interact with any human, no even an alien. (Go watch the movie 'Wall-E' if you don't believe me) We have no common ground but we can talk for hours, discuss viewpoints, share experiences.. Its a great feeling to connect so well with someone so different. I can count on him to provide his rock-solid support always. I simply can't wait to meet him again , hopefully with his family this time and show them all my favourite places in Bangalore! I'm sure I would even be brave enough to go pub-hopping in Bangalore with Frank as my escort :D

One of my close friends (Inava) said - Some friendships transcend a lifetime. This phrase would aptly describe our friendship. In addition - Friendships like ours also transcend all barriers! I know this post is sounding like an essay on 'My friend Frank', but that's what I intended it to be ;-)