Incredible India

The 2010 Commonwealth Games were hosted by India. To encourage sports fans and supporters to come to India there was a marketing campaign which said: “Come to Incredible India.”

Until now I had always just thought it was a cute little play on words, alliteration. Good job marketing guys (air high five). But now, I see, India really is incredible.

As I arrived a week ago, I was hit in the face by the frank beauty of the place, the stifling humidity and the beautiful eyes of the Indian people. And although I am more accustomed to the humidity, I am still gobsmacked by the same beauty and the same eyes.

The GVI house is located in a touristy part of town. And its beautiful. There are little fruit stands, trinket shops and tuk-tuks everywhere. Everywhere you look there is colour and unexpected beauty.

GVI works in two schools: Auxilium and SDPY. I'm at Auxilium. The teachers wear saris and the students are all in matching uniforms. The classes are full, something I see three little students squished onto the same table and bench.

During the morning and afternoon I work with children from the school, helping with homework and trying to challenge them and test their knowledge. I have noticed these children wrote learn EVERYTHING.

This little girl came to sit with me and showed me her 5 times table. I quizzed her while she squeaked out an answer. 5 x 5 is... 25. 5 x 9 is... 45. Then I wrote down an assortment of different questions, 3 x 4, 6 x 5, 2 x 7. And she couldn't do them. She only knew them in context to each other. This blew my mind, and made me realise that I'm going to have to adapt my means of teaching to help these kids.

During the day I'm working with a very special group of kids. They are from Manipur. Now, I encourage you all to go to google maps and look up where Manipur is, and then Kerala where we are now.

Quite a journey eh? These kids were rescued from child trafficking. They had been brought down here to be used as illegal child labour. They were found in some man's house here in Kochin. They have since been placed in orphanages run by nuns and priests, one of which is attached to the Auxilium school.

These children have an uncertain future, they have no "paperwork", which essentially means they have no home and no right to education. Sister Annie, the principal of Auxilium, has given us a classroom to teach them in, but without paperwork they cannot officially enrol into the school.

So, we teach them. There are 23 of them, aged from 5-13 and they are wonderful. Since their arrival they have been split roughly by age and ability. I am teaching the bottom group. In my class there are 4 boys and 2 girls and man do they keep me on my toes! I have also been assigned to access the oldest, brightest group and to work with them during maths to keep the really bright ones stimulated.

I cannot explain in words how fantastic these children are. To think, they speak roughly 5 different languages, are being taught in English, live in orphanages, have an uncertain future and yet have the widest smiles and the best sense of humour.

I have had such a great week of thinking on my toes. There is nothing worse than that look as a child's eyes glaze over as you explain what an adverb is. But I am learning, these kids learn patterns quickly. Show them the formula for an adverb: usually ends in ly, and they can spot one from a mile away. If you incentivise them with a sticker, they will write the best homework you've ever seen.

So again, I find myself, like in Peru, acting as a teacher, but really I am the student. These children are teaching me to be over prepared, and to look at things from every angle. Although I only have 6 of them they all learn in such different ways. Panpan is an avid artist. Yanshingman acts like he doesn't know but really he is the brightest of them all, he just needs a little extra encouragement.

Next week we only have two days of teaching, on Tuesday and Wednesday we are going on a trek to raise money for the school (feel free to donate, I know many of you donated to my Peru challenge, for which I am EXTREMELY GRATEFUL still, but for those of you that didn't, if you have some loose change throw it my way: www.justgiving.com/gvikerala2012fundraising ) so I have to make a bunch of homework to keep their minds active.

And Thursday is a national holiday. So I'm off to prepare some homework and wander the town. And I know, as I do, I'll keep thinking... incredible India.

Incredible India