nilima en el mundo

So, we got the bunny, and two hamsters too. I’m distracted as I write this cause Ladoo is hoping around the room and Im trying to keep an eye on him. When Loraine brought him to the institute, Nung, the boy who used his lunch money to buy the bunny, and suggested that I take care of it, handed it to me, bundled in a small hat, big enough to fit in one hand, comfortably in two. Read the rest of this entry »

(this is outdated, hope to get pics of animals etc soon, though maybe not till i get home) So the one thing that I’ve had a hard time with since getting here is the stray animals. Compared to India there are few, they appear healthy and happy, but that comparison doesn’t mean much, considering the state of India’s animals. Also, in India the visible human suffering is so great that it’s hard to focus much attention on animals. Read the rest of this entry »

(these are some of the best musicians — there is a strong art/music focus here, just one of the many ways it differs from traditional education)

It’s easy to quickly see two kids rough-housing and draw conclusions that their “values education” is not seeping in. Loraine is the first to admit that the kids are naughty, but not malicious, which is certainly the case.They will often talk during class, and generally push the limits, but their sincere respect for teachers and each other is also tangible. The easiest way toshow them the proper respect, but when push comes to shove our love is evident. Si explain this is that they are like a family. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve avoided writing sappy entries about how everyone in Thailand is SOO loving and SOO friendly . . . well not everyone is, but a lot of people, students here and at other schools and strangers do seem to be genuinely sweet. Recently two people have surprised me and so now I’ll write that entry. Read the rest of this entry »

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The other day we got into groups to create mini-skits that had some values in them. In my skit I was some sort of Zen master and a samurai comes looking for answers. He asks:

“If there is a heaven or hell I want to know them” (the only problem was the Samurai was played by a Brazilian just learning English, so she kept saying “if there is heaven or health I want to know.” Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, so i have lots of entries written on Yamini’s computer which i haven’t had time to use, but in the meanwhile:Today at dinner Juan asked me “who’s Cool Khan and Gulabi?” (the nicknames Yamini and i have for some students.

“Pong and the chubby kid in pink, who told you about them?” I asked, and he explained that his friend in LA (Hi!) (who is a fellow Yu) had been reading my blog, and now Juan has, and he rightly pointed out that I left out describing many of his wonderful traits and instead focussed on his pronounciation. Sorry Juan. Read the rest of this entry »

So the other night I was typing and the rest of the group watched “Whale Rider” in the main room of the institute (like a big living room, which all of our rooms look down upon). I’d already seen it, and when Yamini got back late from her violin lesson we chatted about the day. She told me hilarious stories of horse rides in the desert (I couldn’t retell them, but I was rolling with laughter). Read the rest of this entry »

      So last weekend teacher Nui, a very sweet and spiritual man, who is in charge of the boys’ hostel (115 boys in one building, who all stay in one big open room, while new dorms are being constructed) led us on a day trip to the city of Ayuddhya. Those of you familiar with India, or The Ramayana might be familiar with Ayodhya (I am reading a version of the Ramayana now, but admit that I’m finding it very difficult and hard to relate to, with all sorts of battles with demons etc. so, because I can barely make it through a few pages, I can’t write much about the Ayodhya of Rama). But, to get to the point, before Thailand was Buddhist, it was Hindua, and even many of the Buddhist statues are of Hindu gods, or else combinations. Our trip  was almost cancelled due to some reported Bird Flu in the area, but I was assured that you needed contact with live poultry, so we went ahead.This is a picture of one of the sites, information to follow —

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Today Yamini and I hiked to the little mountain and I took pictures then we went back to campus for a volleyball game with the ninth graders. When the idea was suggested I at first instinctively planned to decline. First, Yamini was teaching orchestra during that time so I could use her computer to write and study my Hindi course (weird how excited I get about that, Lekin Hindi bahut accha hei aur mujhe Hindi pad rahi hun pasand hei (but Hindi is very good and I like studying it ) –clearly my sentences are still elementary, but I’m getting better, and it makes good conversations). Read the rest of this entry »