“I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye”….
Pratham
1:43:00 PM
By
Ciara McDermott, Suas Volunteer
Nine weeks have flown past in a flurry of colours, sights and sounds and we are fast approaching the final week of placement with Pratham Delhi. With interruptions to the usual timetable for Eid, Independence Day and a farewell party, it is easy to forget how much can still be achieved in only the few remaining teaching hours. Nonetheless, the end is nigh and thoughts of home comforts have long since crept in. We look forward to comfortably cool Irish weather, comparatively bland food and reliable infrastructures. Bathtubs, clean feet, and the familiarity of our family and friends are coveted at this late stage.
There will be certain poignancy to our
joyful return home. We will be saying goodbye to the smiling faces, playful
voices and enthusiastic spirits that greet us with shouts of” Ma’am ji!” and “Sir
ji!” every morning and afternoon. It is difficult to come to terms with the
fact that when we leave the children will continue to be taught through rote
learning, they may learn incorrect turns of phrase; spellings and phonics and
perhaps much of the progress they have made in the past ten weeks will be
forgotten. There is a sense of regret that we could have done more, and some frustration
with the unchanged systems we are leaving behind.
Looking back to our first day in the
learning centres, when we struggled to remember the names of the kids, let
alone communicate with them, we have come a long way. In stark contrast to the somewhat
negative feelings we are struggling with, we feel immense pride that “our kids”
can understand almost all of what we ask of them. When a visitor arrived at our
centre last week the students could introduce themselves, their families and
their interests with ease and confidence.
There is an enormous sense of achievement
when a student can correct the grammatical errors of his or her peers and
excitement when the students ask us about our interests and our home places.
Tests have been conducted to record quantitative evidence of the improvement
made throughout the programme but they merely scratch the surface. It is the
warmth and confidence of the children that has increased every week that has
been overwhelming. Although their English levels are far from perfect, they can
adequately be comprehended by a native English speaker. The other teachers at
the centre have also been exposed to a new way of learning.
Returning home and readjusting to the
lifestyle there will pose its own challenges. As we reintegrate into society in
the west however, we will not forget the culture we have been exposed to and
the experiences we have had. We will miss the hospitality of strangers, fresh
fruit on every corner, our chai Walla, and generally, the mayhem and intensity
of what has been our home. The summer has been full of ups and downs, likes and
dislikes, successes and failures but I for one feel that we have learned far
more than we could ever have hoped to teach.
