Some how the word got out before our arrival at Pardada Pardadi School that I knew something about computers. I must hve mentioned to Sam (the school's founder) that I had worked for Oracle. So I've been tasked with "upgrading" the computer lab, establishing the teaching cirriculum and training the new computer teacher. Currently the computer lab consists of 20 ancient desktops covered in rat poop and layers of dirt. Oh, those pesky rats have eaten through the network cables so only the teacher's computer has access to the Internet. The biggest problem, however, is the power keeps going out and all of the computers need to be re-booted. This happen 3 times in the first 15 minutes of class today. We have new batteries on order, but the will be here on "India time" - promised today but who knows when they will arrive.
Other creatures we encounter daily are the 4 lizards that live in our apartment. We were a little apprehensive the first night about sharing our apartment with them but now they are just part of the wall decor. Peacocks, the national bird of India, are also quite common. We see them in the morning in the field next door.
Yesterday was the Annual Assembly for the School and the girls put on a wonderful show with many dances and skits. The guest of honor was the British Ambassador's wife and a large donor to the school from the Xerox foundation. With great fanfare they laid a cornerstone for a new grade school which will be the 4th one built here! After a school tour and big lunch we went for a boat ride on the Ganges River. It was awe inspiring being out on this famous and holy river as the sun set slowly on the horizon! Also, believe it or not Mary and I now have our names carved in marble into our own (what we refer to as our tombstones) monument for being volunteers...things here are just too funny, or just too unbelievable!
Punting on the Ganga!
If you look closely you can see Mary's face right to the right of Sam Singh in the yellow shirt.
The other day Mary and I ventured into town on foot to have some photos printed of the girls to hang on the wall in the entryway of the school. If you saw the village you, as us, could not imagine that you could get photos printed here. As we left the print shop (shack) we heard a commotion across the road. There a group of large monkey's were chasing a another group of teenage boys. It was apparent that the boys had provoked the monkeys and some had a little fear in their eyes. Later that night at dinner, Bethany, a 22 year old American volunteer here, told about one a teacher's son who are recently died. Children's death here is a common occurence. Her 16 year old son had thrown a rock a juvenile monkey. The adult monkeys chased the boy down to the Ganges where the boy jumped in the river to escape. The river was swollen from the heavy monsoon rains and swept the boy, who did not know how to swim, away.
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