Happy Belated Holi!

Holi is a Hindu Holiday that happens annually in late February or early March depending on when the full moon falls. Most commonly known as the festival of colors, it celebrates of the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring and is attached to a few legends involving the Lord Krishna.  As the festival has become more popular, Hindu’s and non-Hindu’s alike celebrate by jubilantly throwing colors in water or powder form on friends and family to recognize the end of the dark cold winter and the beginning of beautiful colors to come as the weather warms. I say this sounds like more fun than ground hogs day…

This year Holi fell on March 6^th, and we as a group were ready for our holiday off of school with our packets of vibrant colors! Stonehill Service Corps India celebrated with some of our neighbors in the comfort of our own yard. The initial honoring of the holiday is a more intimate experience in which friends place some color on the faces of the other and offer greetings of “Happy Holi”. This was followed by the exciting and playful hours of dancing to Hindi and American music while throwing powered colors, and unfortunately some water guns of colors, onto our formerly white clothing. Our celebration lasted throughout the morning and into the afternoon, However, in some parts of India, the celebration can last for days if not weeks! 

Some of us did experience the aftermath of the Holiday when teachers at school approached us saying “Oh I can see you played Holi yesterday.” There was no denying that as our scalps, faces, and other body parts were died pink and green among other colors for several days after. 

Game Day!

During sports week about three weeks ago, students of all ages hit the basketball court, representing their houses and trying to win games and points for their teams. Father Michael, the principal at St. Andre is quite the basketball player and it seems he was underwhelmed with the quality of basketball skills that the students came to play with. Therefore, this past week, he decided to put on a basketball game for all the students to watch, in order for them to get a clearer idea of what the game should look like. 

He asked Holy Cross College if their basketball team could come to play against the St. Andre teachers. Once this was arranged, his next task was to create a team. During breaks at school, many of the staff members would hit the basketball court for a quick game, or shooting practice. That way he had an idea of who was interested and who had some skill. One by one, the team got put together. Next, Father Michael turned to the members of our group to see if any of us were interested. Hadi and I (Kirsten) were very quick to join the team. 

Over the next few days, we had several practices. This included playing against some Class 12 boys (although they should have been studying for exams). It only took me one practice to realize that wearing a skirt was not conducive for basketball and after our two practices I became concerned about how we would do against a college team, but I had permission to wear shorts so it was all good.

Finally, Saturday came, the first two classes went on as usual and I told all of my students to cheer for me. Peaking out the window, I saw a large blackboard set up for the score, students had completely repainted the court, a loud speaker was set up and many benches surrounded the whole court. The St.Andre team got changed and headed out to the court where the College team was already warming up. We all put on matching polos and I only heard a few girls gasp when I walked out in shorts with all the boys.

Before the game, pictures where taken of both teams and warmups ensued. I was not feeling very confident with my skills at this point but the rest of my team was looking real good. While I was the only girl, my height seemed to really make up for this. Even though I had not been too pleased with my warm up, once the game started, I surprised myself and probably everyone else by making the first basket. For most of the game, we kept a close score with the other team but often held the lead. Our offense was great but it took us a while to figure out our defense. We often left Hadi to run back to defend the basket while we walked back to the other side. During breaks, we all drank our Glucose for some energy while music blasted and the whole school danced and sang. The best moment of the entire day was when I made a tricky basket and turned around to find both Father Michael and Father Jilson there to high five me. In the excitement, I then looked over at Sarah and Jenny to find them both giving thumbs up and smiling about the whole interaction that had just occurred. 

After about two hours, we won the game with the score of 28-19. While we all sweat and got a little burned, it was a lot of fun and a great game. It was also great to see what it was like to play against the college. The students seemed to enjoy the game and like always, we ended the event with some really great sweets and some juice. I call that a great Saturday.

A tour of the house!

For those of you interested in where we have been living the last 2 months, here is a quick tour of our home!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WES7tGvWmjs&feature=youtu.be

Kabaddi, Kabbadi, Kabbadi, Kabaddi...

            Saint Andre, the school we serve at, has just a touch of Hogwarts in it. The school splits students into four different houses: Blue, Red, Yellow and Green. Throughout the year the houses gain points for different activities and assignments, such as essays, and spelling bees. But the ultimate house competition is Sports Week.

            The week before last we experienced the rivalries between students and teachers as the whole school participated in a variety of games and sports against each other. Many of the games were ones familiar to us, basketball (definitely not India’s sport, although they made a solid attempt-or at least the boys did), volleyball, football/soccer, arm wrestling, pole vaulting, relay races.

            And then there were games like Kabaddi. A slightly violent and very entertaining game where there are two teams of seven facing off. Each team stands on one side of a rectangular court. To be honest, my understanding of this game is still a little shaky, but I’ll do my best to explain what I know.

            The teams of seven line up on opposite ends of the rectangle. One team at a time sends a member across the centerline and towards the opposing team. This is called a raid, and the team member sent is called the raider.  Once the raider who is sent crosses the centerline he/she must begin chanting “Kabaddi, Kabaddi, Kabaddi…” without any break. Their goal is to run across the centerline, begin chanting this and then tag a member of the other team all before having to take a breath and break the constant chant of Kabaddi. Meanwhile the team on defense is trying to avoid being tagged while simultaneously trying to trap the raider.

            The defensive team traps a raider by tackling them and keeping them on their side of the court until the raider runs out of breath and has to stop chanting Kabaddi. If the raider were to succeed and tag an opposing team member and safely make it back to their side then there team would get a point. On the other hand, if the raider fails and is captured/tackled, then they are out.

            The teams alternate sending raiders out and at some point it seemed as if more members who had been tackled were able to rejoin their team. I’m unsure why or how but it appeared as if the team sizes were in constant flux. (Scroll down to find a video of Kabaddi and get an idea of what it's really like!)

            For the better part of the week we spent everyday outside, watching team after team compete in different sports. Teachers cheering and speculating about which house was ahead and which one was far behind. After dozens of games, the closing ceremony was held down on the football/soccer field. There was a speech, a dance, another speech and eventually Father Michael announced the winning house: the Blue House! (Which, unfortunately for me is not my house). Kirsten, Michael and Hadi all belong to the Blue House, Sarah to the Yellow, Jess to the Red and Me to the Green. Blue won overall, followed by Red, then Yellow and then little old Green. Perhaps my extreme lack of any sports ability somehow crept in and ruined their chances. But regardless of our loss, we still all got some candy for our hard work.             

            Thank goodness for candy, the ultimate bribe.

            Now that Sports Week is over, it’s back to classes for us. Exams are just around the corner. It’s funny how quickly life has swapped roles for us, from students to teachers.

            Stay tuned to hear more about our adventures!

         

            

A Performance to Remember By Sir. Michael

There is nothing quite like a program at St. Andre…and I should know since I have been to a few in my day. Of course the major holidays are celebrated like Independence Day, Parent’s Day, Teacher’s Day, Children’s Day and Christmas but we also often get the opportunity to celebrate holidays that are special to our school. January 31st is one such day that we get to celebrate with students and staff alike showing off their talents to honor our principal Fr. Michael’s birthday!

At the beginning of this past week we were informed that the program for Fr. Michael would be on Saturday, which would include amongst other things a “special item” presented by the foreign teachers. More on that later.

Fr. Michael turned the ripe old age of, wait for it, 28. That’s right, our devoted principal is only four or five years older than all of us and the principal of a school, talk about ambitious. On top of his professional achievements, Fr. Michael is also an accomplished musician and athlete, often displaying his skills at school whether it is performing in programs himself or playing various sports with the students during breaks or in organized student vs. staff matches. He is also completely invested in the school and its students as well as staff. He is organized, prompt, kind and has high hopes for St. Andre. You pretty much couldn’t ask for a better role model and leader for our school.

To celebrate his birthday various items were presented during the program. The junior section presented both a Kokborok dance as well as a fashion show. From the senior section we had both Kokborok and Hindi dances, a prayer dance, and of course a dance choreographed to non other than Tony Orlando’s classic “Knock Three Times.” Class twelve sang birthday songs and Remi and Riya of class twelve and ten respectively acted as our masters of ceremonies for the event. Speeches from Fr. Jilson, Sudhamoy Debbarma (Class X), Sir Probhunando, Sr. Clare and of course Fr. Michael rounded out the events of the day.

Then came what was dubbed in the program script as the, “memorable moment” of the day, a glorious presentation by the foreign teachers. If you have seen our Instagram account you may have caught a clip of our performance (full video provided below). After a grueling decision-making process we arrived at the decision to perform the smash hit “Cups” along with the cup routine that goes along with it, made famous by Anna Kendrick in Pitch Perfect.

We secured the perfect cups, rehearsed and worked out the music and details during the week leading up to our big performance. After a disastrous morning run through for Mukta we had done all that we could to make the performance perfect. Ok, so perfect is a bit of a stretch but people seemed generally impressed and pleased with our performance, Fr. Michael even asked us to repeat our performance later in the year at the Parent’s Day program.

We that program behind us we have crossed the first big hurdle, though many more programs lie ahead so be on the lookout for more updates about our inevitable stardom!

Getting psyched for the performance  

A Happy Birthday to Father Michael

Our version of “Cups”!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a__aY_gNDHE

Meet Our Community:

 Jenny Bradley

For as long as I can remember there are two things I’ve wanted most in life: to teach and to travel. I used to imagine myself all over the world. Stonehill College gave me the opportunity to study aboard in Florence, Italy. They also gave me the opportunity to spend many of my days inside all sorts of classrooms working with kids. Finally they gave me the ultimate opportunity: a chance to do both at once. This year I get to make a home in a completely new world and also teach. To combine both my passions in this way has always been a dream of mine.

            My name is Jenny Bradley. I grew up in Springfield, VT with my parents and twin sisters. All my life my parents have supported my sisters and I in all our endeavors. And while I know my mom would rather I was a bit closer to home, she’s supportive all the same. I know this year is going to be one full of adventure and challenges and while some of those challenges (like suffering through the heat) scare me, I’m excited for them all the same. 

                                                                             Michael Stanton

                                                

My name is Michael Stanton and I am a second year Stonehill Service Corps-India member. I graduated in May 2013 from Stonehill with a BA in International Studies and Mediated Communication.

Much of my time at Stonehill focused around community service with various organizations in and around Brockton including My Brother’s Keeper, the Cape Verdean Association of Brockton, Battles Farm Village and the Farm at Stonehill amongst others.

In addition to my service and nonprofit work I also had the opportunity to study abroad through the School for International Training’s Post Genocide Restoration and Peacebuilding program in Rwanda. During this semester I was able to immerse myself into the Rwandan culture, learn a new language, see amazing and at times horrifying sights and complete independent research on the transformation of the Rwandan media since the 1994 genocide. This work in Rwanda was driven by my interest in peace and conflict studies and my work with the Africa Service Project at Stonehill.

This past year I split my time working as a teacher at Holy Cross School, Agartala as well as St. Andre School. In addition to my work as a teacher I also had the opportunity to travel around the country and surrounding region, I formed incredible relationships with people who I consider my family and I found a culture that I truly enjoyed being a part of. At the end of the year I felt as though my service was not complete and I could not resist the opportunity to return to Agartala for a second year.

I look forward to the next year with my new community members and again experiencing all that India has to offer!

Kirsten Arvidson

                                              

My name is Kirsten Arvidson. I grew up in Andover MA with my two sisters and fantastic parents. I came to Stonehill College 5 years ago excited to learn, meet new and great people and get involved in whatever I could. At Stonehill, some of my most proud experiences were playing on the Women’s Varsity Volleyball team and joining the Peer Mentor team for 3 wonderful summers. I was blessed to be able to go abroad to Cape Town, South Africa for the spring of my junior year and got to have many great adventures there.  I graduated this past May after studying Elementary Education and Philosophy.

Many things in my life have led me to this opportunity. I grew up around parents who enforced the idea to serve your community as best you can. They also fed into my curiosity about the world by giving me the opportunity to travel, and than by going to Cape Town I got to try it out on my own. Finally, with a program that allows me to teach, I can continue to do what I love but in a completely new environment.

Sarah Dillon

                                                        

I’m Sarah Dillon and I was a Psychology major, Business Administration minor at Stonehill before I graduated in May 2014. And no, being a psychology major does not mean that I can read your mind. This is what I have come to find in my short time here that Indians believe. Coming to Stonehill as a Freshman, I decided upon an Elementary Education and Math double major. I remember taking college tours and hearing the tour guides say that it is normal to change your major 1..2..3…4 times before you graduate while I stood there thinking “no way I know what I want to do”. Well, I clearly did not graduate with either of those majors. However, four years later, I found myself in that original mindset as I chose to commit to a year of service teaching in India.

During my time at Stonehill, I dabbled in a few clubs and activities such as Frisbee, ski club, and ended with being Treasurer of Active Minds. But really I spent most of my free time hanging out with all the awesome people I met at Stonehill and working off campus. My Junior year I studied abroad in Stellenbosch South Africa participating in a community immersion program. I taught life skills at the primary school just a short 15 minute train ride away and learned about the needs of their small community vastly different from the college town I lived in. Between my small encounter with community development work there, and working with many inspiring organizations during the two H.O.P.E trips I went on, a year of service seemed like the best fit for a post grad student with no immediate pull towards a specific job or graduate school program. That coupled with my love to travel any and everywhere has steered me here to beautiful Agartala India.

                  I’m very excited we get to share with any and all of the people who read our blog what life is like for us here, so far away from home!

Hadi El Rabbat

                                                 

My name is Hadi El Rabbat, I am originally from Egypt, but I was born and raised in Germany and finished my High School degree in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. I graduated from Stonehill College Spring 2014 with a bachelor in International Studies and a double minor in Conflict Resolution/Peacebuilding and Business. I love travelling and learning about different cultures and traditions, so I spent my junior year studying abroad. During the Fall I studied Health and Community in India, China and South Africa comparing the different health systems and views of various cultures. The spring semester I studied Tibetan and Himalayan Cultures in Nepal and conducted a research project on Gross National Happiness in Bhutan.

Studying abroad, meeting people, sharing different views and ideas, changed my perspectives over myself and the world around me entirely, and has left me with a travel addiction. Travelling also brought me a few steps closer to what I possibly want to do for a career, which is working with service and self-sustainable based organizations. I am currently writing this bio in Argatala India, where I am teaching with the Stonehill Service Corps at a primarily tribal school. Teaching here is a new challenge, but extremely rewarding and there is very much to learn.

Jessica Lantos

                                       

                  I graduated from Stonehill College in May have 2014 with an Environmental Science, BS a Psychology, BA. My passion for environmental and social justice extended beyond the classroom and you could often find me organizing and participating in events such as Waterfest, Sustainability Fairs, and other similar events. In my free time, I liked to get my namaste on at Open Doors Power Yoga studio, as well as join the swim club at the Brockton YMCA.

                  I was a member of the Mindful Living Community sophomore year on, which landed me living in the senior courts for three years. While considering myself a very individualistic person, this experience both taught me how to be a member of a community and sparked my interest in volunteer work. My favorite service work during my time at Stonehill was volunteering at the farm on campus (shout out to Bridget Meigs!!). I also loved volunteering at the Taunton Boys and Girls Club as an assistant swim coach, My Brother’s Keeper, and The Children Museum. I was fortunate enough to participate in both West Virginia and Nicaragua H.O.P.E. alternative spring break volunteer trips which were a catalyst for applying to the India program.

                  Post-graduation was an unusual period of limbo in which I was waiting for my departure to India in January. However, I fell in love with my new full time job at Mei Mei Street Kitchen in Boston. This sibling run food truck and restaurant is outstanding in its commitment to using local food and humanely raised meat. They also embrace sustainability practices such as using compostable materials and recycling extensively. I have never worked for a company that I cared so much about and whose morals and values were in line with mine. Did I mention they treat their employees like gold? They gave me the opportunity to take two weeks off very last minute to join a through-hiker in the White Mountains on the Appalachian Trail.

                  Now I find myself in India where I hope to use my environmental background while teaching students at St. Andre school in Agartala, as well as in any other community development projects that I will seek out.

We will be trying to post every two weeks! Please follow us on our year long adventure In india!