First of all, apologies for my recent absence. I've been trying to recover from a virus that my doctor determined was cause by being bitten from a critter very common in West Bengal...the travel bug. It probably happened when I escaped to the beaches of Puri three weeks ago and it only got worse when, the next week, I visited the temples of Bishnupur. I've been told that fresh, mountain air might cure me so now I'm off to Himachal Pradesh for the next 10 days. But have no fear, this is not a lethal disease. It merely makes it very difficult to sit in front of the computer, sorting through hundreds of photos, deciding which adventures to share, especially when what little energy I do have has to go into lesson planning for the 500 students I see every week...and into planning my next trip :-)I promise to blog about my trips soon but for now, I'd like to share the highlight of my week, Teachers' Day. Celebrated on September 5 in honor of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishna, an educator and the second president of India, it's a day for students to honor and show thanks for their teachers. At my school, we had a special assembly in the morning where different student groups sang songs and performed dances and where the 12th grade students, dressed in sarees and suits as opposed to their normal blue and white uniforms, were given the responsibility to teach the younger students for the day.
When the assembly was over, I went to the staff lounge with the rest of the teachers and was soon greeted by student after student bearing cards, flowers and pens.
Some of the students touched my feet out which I found very endearing but, not having experienced that before, wasn't sure how to respond. While I observed other teachers touching the childrens' heads, whenever I tried to do so, I could never get the timing right; I would either inadvertently "bless" them with way too much force or I would miss them completely. Ah the joys of learning the social etiquette of a new culture! I'm sure by the end of my time here, though, I'll find the blessed sweet spot.
After the parade of gifts, I went to one of my 8th grade classes for a special program they put together for all of their teachers. They had singing, a skit, a harmonium and guitar performance, a dance performance, and of course, food.
After that, there was more food in the staff lounge: luchi (a fried bread also known as puri), a spicy potato dish, and mishti (sweets). The afternoon was taken up with a cricket match between the 12th grade and a team made up of both 11th graders and teachers. 
I watched the game with a group of my students and we had so much fun! I taught them a song I learned in Campfire (Wadaliacha) they taught me the first words of the Indian national anthem (Jana gana mana adhinayaka jaya he was all I could manage), we told each other jokes, and basically paid no attention whatsoever to the game. Well, until the ball came flying toward us, that is. Then we looked up for a couple of seconds before going back to chatting. While I would have liked to cheer on my friends on the field, I was so glad to finally get to talk to my students on a more personal level. It was a great end to a great Teachers' Day.
Some of the students touched my feet out which I found very endearing but, not having experienced that before, wasn't sure how to respond. While I observed other teachers touching the childrens' heads, whenever I tried to do so, I could never get the timing right; I would either inadvertently "bless" them with way too much force or I would miss them completely. Ah the joys of learning the social etiquette of a new culture! I'm sure by the end of my time here, though, I'll find the blessed sweet spot.After the parade of gifts, I went to one of my 8th grade classes for a special program they put together for all of their teachers. They had singing, a skit, a harmonium and guitar performance, a dance performance, and of course, food.
After that, there was more food in the staff lounge: luchi (a fried bread also known as puri), a spicy potato dish, and mishti (sweets). The afternoon was taken up with a cricket match between the 12th grade and a team made up of both 11th graders and teachers. 
I watched the game with a group of my students and we had so much fun! I taught them a song I learned in Campfire (Wadaliacha) they taught me the first words of the Indian national anthem (Jana gana mana adhinayaka jaya he was all I could manage), we told each other jokes, and basically paid no attention whatsoever to the game. Well, until the ball came flying toward us, that is. Then we looked up for a couple of seconds before going back to chatting. While I would have liked to cheer on my friends on the field, I was so glad to finally get to talk to my students on a more personal level. It was a great end to a great Teachers' Day.