I Love School

First of all, I would like to apologize for the lack of posting the last couple of days. My internet accessibility has been rather spotty and I have not had access for long enough to finish my post! So here it is.

But really, I love school. I can not describe how excited I am to spend the rest of my life working within a school. Let me back up a few steps. Today, we went to go visit a school, The Day Star School, in Manali. It was a Christian day school for grades K-10. I think it is very interesting that the private schools in India end at grade 10 instead of grade 12. We were able to tour this school and get acquainted with their facilities. I was extremely impressed with what I saw. They had a library complete with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys (among more scholarly books). We were shown the Biology, Physics, and Chemistry labs that were reminiscent of labs one would see in the United States. The school is also equipped with an indoor swimming pool and outdoor play area. The most impressive part of the school, however, was the facilities for special needs students. There was a whole room filled with learning aids available for not only special needs students in the school, but within the community as well. Just to give you an idea, the room contained a trampoline, swing ladders, and eye charts among many other learning aids. So cool.

Library!

Swimming Pool!

Kids at recess!

Study abroad trip with 10th graders in Manali!

My favorite thing about the schools was this poster hanging in one of the hallways.

I think it is a beautiful sentiment. The school is a Christian school, yet promotes being a good and honest person above all else. I really appreciated this poster and felt as though the children attending this school were being brought up to respect all different types of people. 

I was able to meet the school counselor, who is actually from Chicago. I will be interviewing him next week for my research project here in India. I hope to learn what adolescents are struggling with here in India compared to in the United States. Our classes here have helped me understand families on a more global scale than I previously had. Being culturally competent is a struggle for many people around the world and is a challenge for me as well. Sometimes I am worried that I am making a bad impression on Indians for all Americans, so I am trying very hard to be extra polite, stay on the LEFT side of the street (there are no sidewalks here), and to not talk about how much I would like to eat red meat. 

This weekend is a free weekend for us here in Manali. The majority of our group went on an overnight hike, but, if you know me, you know that is not my style. I really enjoy having a bathroom available to me. And I am going camping in August so I am saving up my stamina until then. Three of us decided to stay here at the hotel and do a little exploring on our own. Well, we ended up going to the "spa" and getting pedicures. It wasn't really a spa, which is why I put it in quotes. It was a little... unsanitary. In addition to getting a pedicure, I also got henna on my feet! IT IS SO AWESOME

MY FEET!

Well, I hope you are all having a fabulous weekend in the US, and I will blog more soon.