Wow, what a difference a day makes! Before I tell you what I did, I have a funny story.
One of the Indian teachers has invited me to his wedding in Kerala, the next door State to Tamil Nadu. His parents are busy selecting a wife for him. The way this works is that the girl is chosen, my colleague returns home, checks her out, gives his approval, and then they are married. The girl must be in agreement, also. This is not a bad arrangement. He's a handsome, very nice person. She is going to be pleasantly surprised. I would love to go to his wedding. It's quite an honor to be invited.
Anyway, he came up to me today and said that he had heard that an OLD, retired teacher was coming to teach here, someone who would probably be wrinkled and look as old as Moses. When I got here, he was surprised. He didn't mention whether or not it was a pleasant surprise, but I'm going to take that comment and run with it.
But here's the GOOD news. I'm still being cranky, crotchety, direct, blunt, and generally a pain in the behind. You are NOT going to believe what I said to the Boss of the Board this morning. I hardly believe it myself, but that's the advantage to having an out-of-control mouth. It surprises me as much as it does everyone else.
I told him that all NGOs' in India should be working toward quitting India. The long term goal for every foreign country and NGO setting up shop in India should be to turn over responsibility to the Indian people themselves and let them take charge and govern their own country. India will never realize its potential until its people take charge. Was I heard? It doesn't matter. I stood up and told the truth. What's done with that truth is out of my hands.
I am in good company. Gandhi would have agreed with me a hundred times over. That little man in the dhoti with the old tin plate and spoon occupies a special place in heaven for what he tried to do to help his countrymen. Did you know that in Calcutta, while Gandhi was alive, the millions of poor people subsisted on fewer calories per day than a POW in a Nazi concentration camp? It is a little better now, but one gets the feeling that the entire population is at any give time, teetering on the edge of the blackest abyss. The slightest change in weather, economy, government, war, etc., could send millions hurtling into a black hole. It will keep me awake at night for a long time.
Anyway, I'm still here. I haven't been kicked out of India. Yet.
I wish they would quit cornering me. Do they LIKE being disparaged? Do they LIKE being told they aren't so hot? Are they masochists or something? I seem to never disappoint them. I can't seem to shut up. It's like poking a rabid dog with a stick. If you don't like the bite, don't poke.
Anyway, I'm feeling better today. I love picking on powerful people and making them uncomfortable. It makes my day. I'm BACK. Moses or not, wrinkled or not, OLD or not, I'm BACK.
One of the Indian teachers has invited me to his wedding in Kerala, the next door State to Tamil Nadu. His parents are busy selecting a wife for him. The way this works is that the girl is chosen, my colleague returns home, checks her out, gives his approval, and then they are married. The girl must be in agreement, also. This is not a bad arrangement. He's a handsome, very nice person. She is going to be pleasantly surprised. I would love to go to his wedding. It's quite an honor to be invited.
Anyway, he came up to me today and said that he had heard that an OLD, retired teacher was coming to teach here, someone who would probably be wrinkled and look as old as Moses. When I got here, he was surprised. He didn't mention whether or not it was a pleasant surprise, but I'm going to take that comment and run with it.
But here's the GOOD news. I'm still being cranky, crotchety, direct, blunt, and generally a pain in the behind. You are NOT going to believe what I said to the Boss of the Board this morning. I hardly believe it myself, but that's the advantage to having an out-of-control mouth. It surprises me as much as it does everyone else.
I told him that all NGOs' in India should be working toward quitting India. The long term goal for every foreign country and NGO setting up shop in India should be to turn over responsibility to the Indian people themselves and let them take charge and govern their own country. India will never realize its potential until its people take charge. Was I heard? It doesn't matter. I stood up and told the truth. What's done with that truth is out of my hands.
I am in good company. Gandhi would have agreed with me a hundred times over. That little man in the dhoti with the old tin plate and spoon occupies a special place in heaven for what he tried to do to help his countrymen. Did you know that in Calcutta, while Gandhi was alive, the millions of poor people subsisted on fewer calories per day than a POW in a Nazi concentration camp? It is a little better now, but one gets the feeling that the entire population is at any give time, teetering on the edge of the blackest abyss. The slightest change in weather, economy, government, war, etc., could send millions hurtling into a black hole. It will keep me awake at night for a long time.
Anyway, I'm still here. I haven't been kicked out of India. Yet.
I wish they would quit cornering me. Do they LIKE being disparaged? Do they LIKE being told they aren't so hot? Are they masochists or something? I seem to never disappoint them. I can't seem to shut up. It's like poking a rabid dog with a stick. If you don't like the bite, don't poke.
Anyway, I'm feeling better today. I love picking on powerful people and making them uncomfortable. It makes my day. I'm BACK. Moses or not, wrinkled or not, OLD or not, I'm BACK.
Interesting story about the wedding. A coworker of mine did it similarly, he was in the US and his parents picked out three or four young women they considered suitable. He went home and interviewed them, I guess for them it was much like a job interview. He picked the one he preferred and married her. I have to suspect that such weddings stand a better chance than the hormone driven way it usually happens here.
ReplyDeleteYou might take as a good sign (I hope it is) that board members keep asking your opinion. Often that means that they are looking for information. It is definitely a bad sign when such people never listen to anyone outside their little circle. If they ignore what you say that is bad and probably means they are indulging in groupthink. On the other hand, if they really consider it that is good news.
In fact I wrote a blog on that subject, available at
http://hallillywhite.blogspot.com/2009/06/groupthink.html
Hal-thanks for reading my blog. I appreciate all of your insights and good advice. Yes, they're listening. They have to. I'm not easily ignored. Ask your wife. :)
DeleteYou give 'em HELL, Betty!!!! I agree with you 1000% that Ghandi has a very special place in Heaven....Make a game of answering their questions with the truth...it is something they are probably not used to...they expect people to tell them what they want to hear...oh boy, have they met their match. HAHAHAHA!!! diane
ReplyDeleteDiane - did you get my message to you that I left on another post? I do so appreciate your unflagging support. I KNOW you read my drivel because you comment! Where's YOUR blog. I want everyone in the world to know how artistic you are! And I'm still planning on stealing your alphabet collage when I get home. I LOVE it.
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ReplyDeleteKeep talking! Your opinion matters. My motto has always been... "If it is worth doing, it is worth doing well." If you (and others) are willing to give up your time, talents, and resources to volunteer, you should be given the resources and ability to do it well. We aren't after "good." We're after "best."
ReplyDeleteYou have probably been one of the most experienced volunteer teachers they have ever had. After reading the Rising Star web-site it occurs to me that most of the volunteer teachers who come over there are young kids right out of college. If I would have come over there right after college I would have been clueless as to what a quality education should look like. It would have been an adventure to me, more than a teaching experience. So the board is probably used to these young kids singing their praises, because they don't know any better.
Side-note...
(Teachers these days are being trained to teach in the public schools. And we know how well public schools are educating kids in America. We have a student teacher right now in our school and she is NOT being required to write her own lesson plans. She is being told to find "scripts" from other teachers and use those... Very troubling to me as an educator...We are training her in ways of "best," not her college supervisor.)
Okay back to the board... Now they have to deal with someone (YOU) who actually has experience and knows how much better it could be. They aren't sure where to go. Just keep doing your thing. Show them what "best" looks like and what it could, and should be for these precious kiddos. If they train these kids well, they could be the change that India needs.
Take care!! Sending lots of love...
Sandra, now that I think about it, I have won every single battle. I got some much needed attention directed at the school's situation. There are significant changes being contemplated because of what I wrote. Whether or not they use my renditions is irrelevant. But they are going to use something. They have seen what I tried to do and there is going to be much needed change. I don't think the Principal is going to last long unless she adapts and agrees to be trained. I have made many friends and probably some enemies, but I don't care. I will feel good about coming home. I did what I was sent to do. I appreciate your help and support along the way, Sandra. A couple of times, your replies and opinions helped me remember that I wasn't crazy.
DeleteYou've shown us a.Another reason you were led to go to India with this organization. Your impact is felt and was needed, there are no mistakes when you follow the path that's been laid out for you by a loving HF. More power to you girl, Moses or not!
DeleteIf I can add one comment on your statement that the long term goal should be handing things over to the people of the country, I think we are seeing something of that nature here in Mexico with the missionary work. I have computer access that allows me to look at missionaries who will be coming in the next few months. We are getting fewer and fewer from the US and more and more who are native Spanish speakers, mostly from other parts of Mexico. In fact we got a group of new missionaries this last week and there was not a gringo among them (there should have been one but he had visa problems and will probably arrive later.) I think the Church is moving in the direction of getting us gringos out of the way here.
ReplyDeleteHal, the Church does things right in other parts of the world. They do it quietly and with little pomp. They are extremely sensitive to the culture here, but attending Church here is just like attending Church at home, except the people are so extremely humble and express their testimonies so eloquently. ALL leadership and Church callings are Indian. The two branches function like well-oiled machines and are presided over 100 percent by the Indian people. We while folks get out of the way and we do what we're told to do by the Indian leadership. They are truly amazing. Attending Church here, though it's a two-hour drive one way through the worst traffic imaginable, is a piece of heaven and it has helped me keep some much needed perspective on my experiences in India. The Church is already "getting out of the way". They teach, train, and trust their Indian leadership. That trust is well-placed.
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