Mathru School for the Differently-Abled
Bangalore, India
Saturday 12/14/3013
This morning some of the older students shyly came to our door to meet the new mosaic teacher. I pulled out the Gecko Mirror to show them what I will teach them to make, and for a while there I wasn't sure I'd ever get the mirror back. They were simply fascinated by it, especially the glass globs. I guess they've never seen anything like those globs before. I finally gave each of them one of my business cards (which they took with awed delight, as though getting a present).
Later, Andy and I were commenting on the rarity of wood around here, which led me to wonder how expensive it is going to be to get plywood boards for my mosaic classes. That made Andy remember the large 10x10 paver tiles he'd found dumped in a corner of the yard. They would make great mossi bases. He went out to take another look and eventually came back with a handful of discarded broken ceramic tiles he'd found. "There's a whole bunch of these," Andy said, "I'll get some cleaned up for you."
I was pleased, and decided to sit out on the doorstep and make something simple and see what kind of interest there would be. Andy went off to round up some kids to help clean up all the pavers and ceramic tiles, and before I got around to grabbing my tools to sit out on my doorstep, more students came by to see the Gecko Mirror mosaic.
"Come see," I told them, "I show you how." I showed them the tile nippers and demonstrated how to break up ceramic tiles. We broke up a few ivory tiles, and I started arranging them on a paver -- it hadda be a tree, I guess -- and it was not long before they starting helping.
When Andy came back with some blue checked tile and a pink tile, we took s vote and decided blue checked leaves and pink skies would go nicely with ivory trees. Soon they were cutting up the blue tiles for the leaves and helping me find just the right piece to fill that spot. And when I decided to make some kind of grass, they picked out a pastel garden pattern tile and cut up the perfect shard shapes for grass. They busily cut up the pink tiles for the sky while I glued them in, too.
AND all four of them started mosaics of their own. I only brought two tubes of adhesive tile caulk with me, so I had to tell them we must wait until next week when I can get more adhesive before they can glue in the backgrounds of their pieces. We had a happy four hours of mosaicing, and the table inn y spare room now has one new mosaic ready to grout and four others half-finished.
Later I found out that I was teaching teachers as well as students, which is fine with me.
Andy says there are about three dozen of those pavers. If I can get a concrete or mortar adhesive suitable that can withstand the elements, we can make mosaic paving stones to sell. Muktha was delighted when she saw them this evening, and also delighted to learn that we won't need to buy many tiles st all for my classes, just a few bright colors.
Andy was busy today. Not only was he supervising a half-dozen kids getting them to round up all the junked tiles and clean them, but he helped repair a half-dozen broken windows.
It's hard to believe we've only been here three days. I am beginning to understand more than a tiny fraction of what they're saying, and I'm starting to feel like I just might reach reasonable competence before Andy leaves.
Today was our first real "fun" day here, thanks to the impromptu mosaic session and Andy's finding such good mosaic treasures. Nevertheless there are a few frustrations and irritations.
We both miss cold water to drink, and iced drinks. We don't mind sponge baths but I have to admit I'd sure love a nice long soak in a tub tonight, and Andy was so hot and sweaty after all the running around he did today that he really craved a shower. There are household and personal items we really wish we could get now instead of having to wait until next week (everything shuts down round here on Sunday).
And yes, it really is true that too much of a good thing is a bad thing. We are being served too much food here. It would be easier if we didn't like it, but it's all delicious, and three big meals a day is way too much. We are leaving food on our dishes, but that seemed to backfire tonight. We ate sparingly at dinner, so the cook, bless her heart, brought us a huge care package "in case you're hungry tonight, you didn't eat much dinner." Andy was too tender-hearted to tell her to take it away.
I think we're probably some of the only Westerners who are not wussy about the spiciness of the food. I think I must have been Indian in a previous life, because I have yet to find a single dish I don't sincerely like. But as I said, too much of a good thing….
I have made progress in that I have been able to persuade them to bring me only strong hot tea with no milk or sugar. Their masala tea is delicious but by the time you drink four of them in one day you've consumed about 500 calories. Andy really likes the tea with milk and has asked them to stop adding sugar to his tea.
Ah well. There are worse things than being served too much food, and lack of reliable internet access is one of them. It is something to deal with because it's not something that I can do much about.
This is India, I keep telling myself. When I start spending more time at the other facility I will take the MacBook with me and make good use of the reliable wi-fi there.
One of the things about not having reliable internet service is not just the lack of connection with friends and family, but the lack of news about the rest of the world when there are no televisions, radios or newspapers,
And it occurs to me, here in mostly Hindu and Muslim India. Christmas is not important, indeed pretty much doesn't even exist here. There were lots of Christmas trees in Singapore, even in Little India whee we were staying. While Christianity does not have a strong presence here, I am often reminded that this is a very religious and spiritual land. The five a.m. prayer chants and the numerous religious festivities are just a couple of the reminders.
But even here, Sunday is a holiday. Everything shuts down on Sunday, apparently. We'll see how Sundays are for internet access!
Bangalore, India
Saturday 12/14/3013
This morning some of the older students shyly came to our door to meet the new mosaic teacher. I pulled out the Gecko Mirror to show them what I will teach them to make, and for a while there I wasn't sure I'd ever get the mirror back. They were simply fascinated by it, especially the glass globs. I guess they've never seen anything like those globs before. I finally gave each of them one of my business cards (which they took with awed delight, as though getting a present).
Later, Andy and I were commenting on the rarity of wood around here, which led me to wonder how expensive it is going to be to get plywood boards for my mosaic classes. That made Andy remember the large 10x10 paver tiles he'd found dumped in a corner of the yard. They would make great mossi bases. He went out to take another look and eventually came back with a handful of discarded broken ceramic tiles he'd found. "There's a whole bunch of these," Andy said, "I'll get some cleaned up for you."
I was pleased, and decided to sit out on the doorstep and make something simple and see what kind of interest there would be. Andy went off to round up some kids to help clean up all the pavers and ceramic tiles, and before I got around to grabbing my tools to sit out on my doorstep, more students came by to see the Gecko Mirror mosaic.
"Come see," I told them, "I show you how." I showed them the tile nippers and demonstrated how to break up ceramic tiles. We broke up a few ivory tiles, and I started arranging them on a paver -- it hadda be a tree, I guess -- and it was not long before they starting helping.
When Andy came back with some blue checked tile and a pink tile, we took s vote and decided blue checked leaves and pink skies would go nicely with ivory trees. Soon they were cutting up the blue tiles for the leaves and helping me find just the right piece to fill that spot. And when I decided to make some kind of grass, they picked out a pastel garden pattern tile and cut up the perfect shard shapes for grass. They busily cut up the pink tiles for the sky while I glued them in, too.
AND all four of them started mosaics of their own. I only brought two tubes of adhesive tile caulk with me, so I had to tell them we must wait until next week when I can get more adhesive before they can glue in the backgrounds of their pieces. We had a happy four hours of mosaicing, and the table inn y spare room now has one new mosaic ready to grout and four others half-finished.
Later I found out that I was teaching teachers as well as students, which is fine with me.
Andy says there are about three dozen of those pavers. If I can get a concrete or mortar adhesive suitable that can withstand the elements, we can make mosaic paving stones to sell. Muktha was delighted when she saw them this evening, and also delighted to learn that we won't need to buy many tiles st all for my classes, just a few bright colors.
Andy was busy today. Not only was he supervising a half-dozen kids getting them to round up all the junked tiles and clean them, but he helped repair a half-dozen broken windows.
It's hard to believe we've only been here three days. I am beginning to understand more than a tiny fraction of what they're saying, and I'm starting to feel like I just might reach reasonable competence before Andy leaves.
Today was our first real "fun" day here, thanks to the impromptu mosaic session and Andy's finding such good mosaic treasures. Nevertheless there are a few frustrations and irritations.
We both miss cold water to drink, and iced drinks. We don't mind sponge baths but I have to admit I'd sure love a nice long soak in a tub tonight, and Andy was so hot and sweaty after all the running around he did today that he really craved a shower. There are household and personal items we really wish we could get now instead of having to wait until next week (everything shuts down round here on Sunday).
And yes, it really is true that too much of a good thing is a bad thing. We are being served too much food here. It would be easier if we didn't like it, but it's all delicious, and three big meals a day is way too much. We are leaving food on our dishes, but that seemed to backfire tonight. We ate sparingly at dinner, so the cook, bless her heart, brought us a huge care package "in case you're hungry tonight, you didn't eat much dinner." Andy was too tender-hearted to tell her to take it away.
I think we're probably some of the only Westerners who are not wussy about the spiciness of the food. I think I must have been Indian in a previous life, because I have yet to find a single dish I don't sincerely like. But as I said, too much of a good thing….
I have made progress in that I have been able to persuade them to bring me only strong hot tea with no milk or sugar. Their masala tea is delicious but by the time you drink four of them in one day you've consumed about 500 calories. Andy really likes the tea with milk and has asked them to stop adding sugar to his tea.
Ah well. There are worse things than being served too much food, and lack of reliable internet access is one of them. It is something to deal with because it's not something that I can do much about.
This is India, I keep telling myself. When I start spending more time at the other facility I will take the MacBook with me and make good use of the reliable wi-fi there.
One of the things about not having reliable internet service is not just the lack of connection with friends and family, but the lack of news about the rest of the world when there are no televisions, radios or newspapers,
And it occurs to me, here in mostly Hindu and Muslim India. Christmas is not important, indeed pretty much doesn't even exist here. There were lots of Christmas trees in Singapore, even in Little India whee we were staying. While Christianity does not have a strong presence here, I am often reminded that this is a very religious and spiritual land. The five a.m. prayer chants and the numerous religious festivities are just a couple of the reminders.
But even here, Sunday is a holiday. Everything shuts down on Sunday, apparently. We'll see how Sundays are for internet access!
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