Mash-up

Well, it has been a busy couple of weeks. My time for teaching is coming to an end, with only one week left. It has been very interesting becoming a teacher for a year. I wonder who learned more, the kids, or me?

My English lesson with Preetam

Helping in the library Lene and I keep finding childhood favorites.

The Magic School Bus

 The favorite thing for the boys to do? Play. A couple of weekends ago we had competition between the boys. It was the study groups against each other. They had a fun time racing with water, dancing on paper, and some other fun games.

 At Devender's birthday we had a fun time during dinner.

Chow Mein, dinner of champions and birthday boys.

 My free weekends are usually spent in Dehra Dun, the capital of my state. It's always interesting going to the cities in India.

Subway... delicious in any country.

 This post is kind of a mash up of a bunch of different things, but I'm leaving in 2 weeks so I'm running out of time!
India, most particularly Shishya has become my home. I know what I'm doing here, and why I'm doing here. More importantly, I love living here, living this life on a small campus with the some pretty special and amazing kids.
I am glad that I'm going home, but it's a very bittersweet feeling. But I could not be MORE blessed.

Biogas Project/The Farm Life

Shishya Campus is a self sustaining farm. I realized I had never mentioned any of this before so I thought I'd share a little more about the farm with you. 

They grow mustard seed and make it into oil, which they use for their cooking, they grow peanuts (sadly, this year's crop was much smaller than usual because the parrots came and ate most of the peanuts). They eat them or sell them in Selakui, the small village nearby.

They grow wheat which provides them with enough wheat to last the year for the rotis (a whole wheat, flatbread) which they eat every morning and evening. This provides the boys with iron and fibre and carbs. 

They also have about 8 cows and counting. They are dairy cows which provides everyone on campus with milk and they also sell it to the village. They make a yogurt out of it every Sunday for the whole campus, and occasionally paneer which is a (delicious) Indian cheese. 

Because of the cows the campus has a surplus of cow poop and pee. They had had a biogas thing beforehand but it wasn't working, so Jason and his wife Renee came as volunteers and Jason has designed a new biogas for them. 

(Dad, in case I forget to tell you, the lid is going to be made out of steel!) 

The boys all work on the farm in mornings and evenings, and except for lunch they make the food for the whole campus. 

They also have quite a few different kinds of vegetables and a mango orchard and guava orchard.

It's a beautiful (and clean and non-polluted!) place that has become home.