I've become friends with the manager of this internet cafe, named Balbir, but we all call him "Beer". He's been showing us the ropes around town and we go to his house during down time.
This weekend was spent on a farm called Navdanya, the home base for Vandana Shiva, an environmental activist. We did some work in the fields and learned the ways of local agriculture.
As I am finally falling in to a daily routine, the transition from euphoria to reality has been sinking in. The other students on the program are also starting to think about home a little more, especially when vignettes are shared from our respective schools. The last two weeks have been a blur, it feels like we've been in India for at least a month already. It's hard to believe that school is only starting now at home. This is not to say that homesickness is becoming an issue, but the occasional fieldtrip to Domino's Pizza is nonetheless welcomed.
My IFP is also beginning to take form. Recently, I've been meeting with our assistant directors who are both anthropologists for coaching. I'm learning that candid discussions with the average bystander is just as valuable as someone who may be directly involved in education. This means that I've been talking to children who have never gone to school, as well as their parents, just as much as I've spoken with teachers and students.
The responses I receive from people who are not so involved in education tend to be more honest and less framed and cautious. It's very clear, however, that due to the history of colonization, the Self and Other frame of mind still permeates every discussion. When I speak with the locals, the color of my skin and where I'm from is certainly taken into account and so responses come with a little hesitance or incredulity. While I try to penetrate the West - East, outsider - insider, foreigner - villager mentality, I'm obligated to acknowledge these institutions if any value is to be dredged out of what people tell me.
