Back home

Thursday, October 27, 2011
And after a series of short and long flights, we returned to Argentina, fortunately safe and…as Aurelia says: ”wiser”.
Special thanks to all of you, Indian people, for your warm welcome! And special thanks to Fulbright for letting us meet these amazing people and exchange our cultures, our work and our experience within the frame of the DAT program!

Last day in Chennai

Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Wearing a new green kurta, I visited Sudha´s in-laws, a wonderful family! This morning was devoted to shopping, with thousands of items to buy. After meeting Sudha´s parents we departed from Chennai at 6.30 leaving behind one of so many  great friends who have  made possible our Indian dream.
Fireworks were burstings for the second day of the festival so imagine the view from the plane when leaving Chennai and reaching Delhi 3 hours later.

Around Chennai with Sudha and Sashi

Tuesday, October 25, 2011
With Sudha and Sashi we had a tour around Chennai by the Indian Ocean, it was raining heavily but being soaked to the bones did not prevent us from admiring the marvelous temples carved in the stones next to  the sea or feeling the thrill of huge crocodiles and snakes in a wild reservation.
Today is the first day of “Diwali” which is also called the festival of lights and is one of the most important celebrations for Hindus, it symbolizes the victory of good over evil and is celebrated by lightening lights in the evening and wearing new clothes and eating lots of food. During this festival people burst crackers and fireworks. At night we enjoyed the spectacular view of lights from the apartment of Sudha´s niece.

A new dimension to language teaching

Monday, October 24, 2011
Today is Chennai´s “D” day, the day of our presentation. We got to Sudha´s school, PSBB, KKN. After a meeting with a principal of the school, we were introduced to the school community through the school radio. Following this presentation, we were invited to observe a Language class. It was about the analysis of a poem. It was amazing to see how well all the students behaved and the teacher´s mastery to conduct the class. They were eager to participate and performed a short play for us. As part of the show one of the girls, painted Aurelia´s hand in a very creative way using a product called henna, a kind of ink  which can last for several days.
Next, we attended a Geography class on Argentina, where we interacted with the students who were eager to participate and ask questions about our country, it was a very nice experience to be talking and explaining  about personal experience.



This midday “A New Dimension to Language Teaching” was presented and we  were introduced as resource teachers, we spoke about our activities in the States and after that we had our great performance as course tutors on webquests, which was coordinated in an  outstanding way!






It was amazing to see how all teachers paid attention and participated in the workshop. 
Later that night we visited Sashi, another former DAT member, and her family where we learned a lot about their wedding customs and ceremonies.

Hello Chennai

Sunday, October 23, 2011
After a three-hour flight, Chennai was our next destination, a storm was over the airport but meeting our Indian friend Sudha, changed completely the atmosphere.
We had lunch at Sudha´s home, every time we meet her, we learn something new about this enigmatic community. Her house, as a typical Indian home, has a special place for praying with all the images and symbols of their deities and the usual items to worship them. She had prepared the most delicious but not spicy Indian food specially for us. This afternoon we made the necessary arrangements for tomorrow´s presentation.
Our hotel in Chennai, the Parks hotel, was an incredible display of luxury and good flavors. There we organized final details and enjoyed our stay in this elegant place. 

Around Delhi

Saturday, October 22, 2011
This morning we started with a tour around the capital of India, Delhi is a city of extreme wealth as well as poverty, outstanding natural beauty and polluted urban sprawls, modern centres and medieval bazaars. At first the sense of chaos may impress you but soon you find a place rich with history, culture and overwhelming colours. The links mentioned below are some of the places we visited and enjoyed their incredible beauty:
India Gate, Bahai Temple, Humayun's Tomb, Parliment House, Qutab Minar
This is also a good site to enjoy the fantastic places you can visit in Delhi.
http://delhitourism.nic.in/delhitourism/tourist_place/akshardham_temple.jsp

At the market

Friday, October 21, 2011


Mikko left very early in the morning, we had not organized anything for the day except for the preparation of our  presentation in Chennai. After a long working session we decided  to have a break and have a walk round the hotel corner just to experience Delhi´s environment, to see the street markets and to feel the adrenaline rising to the top when crossing the overcrowded streets. Suddenly we saw a big truck surrounded by a cloud of smoke coming along the narrow street full of people, traders and whatever you may imagine. To our surprise, we realized that we were being sprayed with some kind of pesticide to kill mosquitoes and other insects. After this unexpected purification, thick tears where running down our red eyes, it was time to rush back to the hotel and relax.

Towards Taj Mahal

Thursday, October 20, 2011
Today we left Delhi to drive almost 300 kilometers and visit the Taj Mahal in Agra, the most impressive building in the world. The road to Agra was full of colorful images that surprised us at every moment.
On the way to Taj Mahal our first stop was Emperor Akbar's Mausoleum, Akbar, the third Mughal emperor, commenced its construction in around 1600. The buildings are constructed mainly from a deep red sandstone, enriched with features in white marble. Decorated inlaid panels of these materials and a black slate adorn the tomb and the main gatehouse. Panel designs are geometric, floral and calligraphic.


Then  we continued our way to our obvious destination :  the Taj Mahal, which  is regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world, and some Western historians have noted that its architectural beauty has never been surpassed. The Taj is the most beautiful monument built by the Mughals, the Muslim rulers of India. Taj Mahal is built entirely of white marble by the Jamuna river. Its stunning architectural beauty is beyond adequate description. Taj Mahal was built by a Muslim, Emperor Shah Jahan (died 1666 AD) in the memory of his dear wife and queen Mumtaz Mahal at Agra, India. It is an "elegy in marble" or some say an expression of a "dream." Taj Mahal (meaning Crown Palace) is a Mausoleum that houses the grave of queen Mumtaz Mahal at the lower chamber. The grave of Shah Jahan was added to it later.
Taj Mahal was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers. It was completed in 1648. The Taj stands on a raised, square platform (186 x 186 feet) with its four corners truncated, forming an unequal octagon.
Its central dome is fifty-eight feet in diameter and rises to a height of 213 feet. It is flanked by four subsidiary domed chambers. The four graceful, slender minarets are 162.5 feet each. The entire mausoleum (inside as well as outside) is decorated with inlaid design of flowers and calligraphy using precious gems such as agate and jasper.
Agra is most famous for inlay work, drawing inspiration from the Taj Mahal. The craftsmen of Agra carry on the tradition of inlay work, striving to match the perfection of the Taj. The designs are mostly in foliage or floral, intertwined with geometrical patterns. Though real precious stones were used at one point of time, today semi-precious or fine colored stones are used.

Last day in Lucknow

Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Today was our last day in Lucknow. We left the hotel and had our farewell lunch at Tata Motors guest house. Bob, one of the resource teachers at the conference, was also there. He is still in India because he is writing a book to be published by Sunita Gandhi.
This afternoon, on the way to the airport, we stopped to see Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal. It is a marvelous park completely covered by marble and was built by Mayawati who is the Chief Minister  of Uttar Pradesh, India.  She is now India's richest Chief Minister. The rise in her personal wealth and that of her party is described by critics as indicators of corruption. Acts such as pulling down a stadium to build a monument to leaders of her party, including herself, are seen as whimsical and arbitrary. Mayawati erected number of statues of Buddhist and Dalit icons, she claims that the expenditure on statues and symbols of Dalit icons was required because the past governments did not show respect towards them.
 
That night we said goodbye to our generous and unforgettable host Lakshmi and flew to Delhi where Mikko, who had arrived earlier, was waiting for us.
We had a short night tour of Delhi just to see the Indian Gate. We spend the night at Clark Hights, our hotel in the Capital of India.

Visiting Tata Motors

Tuesday, October 18, 2011
This morning we set off for Tata Motors in Lucknow which is one of the youngest production facilities among all the Tata Motors locations. This plant is  specialised in the designing and manufacturing of a range of modern buses and other commercial vehicles.
We were kindly received by Mr. Gandhi, who is a managing director of the company, and his staff, we had a tour of the main areas of the factory to see how vehicles are produced along a production line, from steel bars to the finished product.



As part of the visit we were taken to a school village and workshops sponsored by the company. We interacted with young kids and got a  very picturesque image of the rural Indian area surrounding Lucknow.

Personal presentation

Monday, October 17, 2011
We started the day with a visit to another branch of CMS in the centre of Lucknow. Gayatri, from Fulbright in India, came with us to give a short introduction of the programs and we gave a brief account of  our experience and about main changes in education in Argentina.
But suddenly we were urged to leave because our presentation was scheduled at midday and we needed time to get to the auditorium where the conference was taking place. Fortunately two helpers Tanushree Dey, a facebook fan, and another kind lady were waiting for me and everything was perfect. In exactly one hour, the time that I had been previously assigned, I was able to develop my topic: “The Role of technology in the Language classroom in American Public Schools and Developing Countries, in particular Argentina.”                    


My partners from Argentina and Finland were presenting their projects in parallel sessions at the same time.
Once everything was over we had a meeting with Dr Sunita Gandhi, one of the main organizers of the event, she presented us with a hand-made shawl and invited us to come back the following year for the next Ed Roundtable in Lucknow.
It was a busy but comforting  day, this night we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant by the hotel and we enjoyed some beer at the hotel´s pub.

Our first panel intervention

Sunday, October 16, 2011















Today was our first intervention in a panel session called  “A broader and bolder education” where representatives from India, Singapore, UK, USA, Finland and we from Argentina, were able to express our experience about our own educational system and government policies.
I referred to present programs of “inclusion” in Argentina such as special education for students with disabilities, programs  for students who have left schools without getting a degree, special plans for those students who temporarily are unable to attend school due to health problems or because they have the necessity to help their parents who are unemployed, plans for students who live in the countryside, and special programs for adults to attend secondary school.
 
This night there was a welcome reception for all the resource teachers at one of the CMS. There we were received with a traditional ceremony of forehead painting. Once in India  you cannot leave without a stamp on your forehead called “bindi” that reads “Been to India.”
The bindi from the Sanskrit word 'bindu' or a drop, is perhaps the most visually fascinating of all forms of body decoration. Hindus attach great importance to this ornamental mark on the forehead between the two eyebrows, a spot considered a major nerve point in human body since ancient times, a big eye-catching round mark made on the forehead as adornment.
In southern India, girls choose to wear a bindi, while in other parts of India it is the prerogative of the married woman.  The following is a good site to learn about bindis and their meaning: http://hinduism.about.com/od/bindis/a/bindi.htm
We enjoyed the freshness and innocence of children performing for us, repeating with a special grace  “Thank youuuuu” 
Then pizza, yes...  pizza and some shopping.

Second day of the conference

Saturday, October 15, 2011
The second day of the conference started with prayers and songs as usual, according to the program today we were supposed to have our first public intervention but due to some changes it was postponed for tomorrow.
This evening our driver took us to visit Bara Imambara or Bhulbhulayah which is one of the most popular attractions in Lucknow city. This splendid architectural masterpiece was built in 1784. It has a great historical significance and is now treated as a place of worship by the Muslims.

 

 The driver parked the car and it was all an experience to be able to cross the street without being crashed in the attempt. The place was overcrowded and everybody  seemed to be delighted by our presence, they wanted to take pictures of us and with us, strange… but real!
After that, some shopping at the Chikan Emporium to buy some kurtas for us and our families.  The chikan work of Lucknow is perhaps one of the most popular embroidery works in India. It has a certain grace and elegance, which ensures that it never goes out of style. The word “chikan” literally means embroidery. It is said to have been originally introduced by Nur Jahan, the beautiful wife of the Mughal emperor, Jahangir. It has evolved and attained its glory and perfection precisely in Lucknow where its supremacy remained unchallenged. This is a good site to have a glimpse of the marvelous Indian handcrafts in general including hand-made embroidery: http://handicraft.indiamart.com/process/weaving/

5th day of International Ed Leadership Roundtable

Friday, October 14, 2011
Today, the 5th International Ed Leadership Roundtable: “Metamorphosis in Education”,  started very early. After a prayer and songs, Susmita Basu, headmistress of the CMS where the conference was taking place, addressed the audience. Following the lightening of the lamp and the introduction of resource persons, there was a series of lectures. After lunch-break there was a photo session of all the delegates on the stairs behind the auditorium followed by a press conference.



That night Vivanta by Taj was our new residence, a very sophisticated hotel where we had dinner with Lakshmi´s family.

Busy first day

Thursday, October 13, 2011
Today was my birthday and the first day of a busy agenda, after 9 a driver took us to one of  City Montessory Schools to attend the last day of the Pre-primary Principals conference.
Again the traffic was shocking. It was the first opportunity we had to see the city  in the daylight. In India there are 1160 million inhabitants and Lucknow is one of the biggest cities as well as  Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai.   
At the conference the phrase “Jai Jagat” (Victory be to the world) was permanently used. We were announced as special guests from Argentina, later we were interviewed by a local TV channel about our visit to India and our conference presentations.




That night at Tata Motors guest house, we had a birthday celebration with chocolate birthday cake, during the meeting I showed my hosts a PPT that my family had prepared for my birthday and they were delighted to see that some phrases were written in Hindi. That night Anaclara, my daughter, and Meena had a talk on Skype and she wrote a message for her, in Hindi, of course!
Mikko, another DAT partner, arrived from Finland later that night.

First contact

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Our arrival in Lucknow, which is eight and a half hours ahead of Buenos Aires, was the starting point of a series of emotive and amazing events in India. Lakshmi and her husband were there to welcome us very warmly. We walked down a red carpet with a collar made of fresh flowers and after exchanging some short comments we were taken to Tata Motors guest house. Our first contact with the Indian traffic was our second great challenge, driving on the left, lots of cars, lots of bicycles, lots of people in the street and even the cows walking in the street  was such an unforgettable experience!
At home, some people working at the house and Lakshmi´s friend from Pune, Madam Meena, were waiting for us.

Doha-Delhi-Lucknow

Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Considering the time difference between Argentina and Doha, we definitely spent the whole day in the air, after Doha a four-hour flight to Delhi where we spent 12 hours waiting for our next flight to Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh only 500 kilometres to the East. Delhi airport is extremely big with quiet places to rest after long trips. Here we had our first Indian challenge, what to eat and not to eat in order to survive in the attempt.

Towards India

Monday, October 10, 2011
This new experience started today at 11 p.m. when we departed with Aurelia, my DAT partner  from Argentina to a far away and magic country in Asia. India was waiting for us and we were full of expectations. Our first flight was from Buenos Aires to Sao Paulo, one hour waiting on the plane, then 14 hours more to Doha in Qatar, so there was enough time to socialize with people from Cordoba and Rosario who were on this flight to the Middle East.