Been here for 3 days now and the biggest
culture shock was today when i went to the school. All the children are
from underprivaleged backgrounds and are so keen to learn but the
equipment they have is so limited. The science lab had one microscope
and the computer lab had 6 very old computers. Biology involved looking
at a tapeworm in a jar! The lab was actually being used as a resting
place for sick children which shows how keen the children are to come to
school.
Their keenness to learn is also showed because
when a question is asked a everyone puts their hand up. Everyone at the
school is so polite so every time i walk into the room i get a ,'good
morning sir.' The main thing i have noticed about these children is how
happy and grateful they are for the opportunity of an education.
In fact this is what i have noticed about the
whole of India is that although some people are very poor and the
difference between rich and poor is vast, everyone seems to be happy
with what they have, which is a huge cultural difference between the UK
and India. The keenness to learn (and also the incredibly large
population) is shown by the huge class sizes as well, one class has 84
people in it!
On other fronts another thing i have had to
adapt to is the sheer amount of people and therefore traffic on the
road. Although I am becoming alot more confident now at crossing the
road and using the autorickshaws. It is difficult for me to describe
just how busy and noisy it is and it still amazes me even though i have
been here for 3 days.