PriyaSunday, May 31, 2009
Biodiversity Summer Camp
Students from schools around Dehli traveled to the IRRAD building today for a Vacation Program on Bioresources, a camp for high school students run by the DNA Club, a Department of Biotechnology program. The Sehgal Foundation hosts and helps sponsor the camp.
Experts in different fields taught students about topics such as the medicinal qualities in native plants, shrinking animal habitats, and water conservation.
Students were from both private schools and Kendriya Vidyalayas, or “central schools,” which serve the children of central government employees. Anjali, a camp mentor, told our group that this diversity is not without conflict. “Our DNA club works in 20 schools – some of them are really really expensive schools and some are government schools, and I see clashes in them,” Anjali said. “[The students from rural government schools] come to me and say ‘we are not feeling good, we are not feeling in the group, we don’t understand English.’”
The results for the State Board Exam were announced during the session and this girl from a private school in Delhi made a 94 percent, making her the only girl in the group to score above a 90.
It was great to learn more about the education system in India, and I think the students were really excited to see us. I'm sure I took about a million photos with these kids. "Please miss, one more click!"Thursday, May 28, 2009
Training on Governance in Ghagas
Women leaders from three villages around Ghagas.
These meetings help train village leaders to understand their rights to education, sanitation, mail, and many other things. Every single one of the attendees voted in the last election and were encouraged today to write their representatives to tell them about their lack of teachers in the area.
Everyone stressed that they attended these meetings to provide a better future for their children.
The meeting was held at the Ghagas Community Center also serves as a learning center.
Students can learn computer skills at the center, and many hope that one day they will be able to apply their skills in a job in IT.View from my window
Taken from the backseat on our trip from Gurgaon to the border of Haryana and Rajasthan.
I'm in India!
The SOW team with our interpreter Priya. We all went to FabIndia the day before in preparation for our trip to the villages. I really love those pants.
We're staying at the Sehgal Foundation's office guest house in Gurgaon, a "suburb" of Delhi. This is the construction going on around us.
Although there are no homes, I'm assuming most of the construction workers live in shacks around the construction sites. This man came sleepily out of a shack, rubbing his face and putting on his pants. There are many families living in empty lots around us as well.
This is the Sehgal Foundation's IRRAD building (that stands for Institute of Rural Research and Development). This is the view from the third story of our house. Its a completely green building, powered by solar energy. Below the circular structure in the foreground is their rainwater well.Our place is very nice. Three meals prepared for us daily, and our rooms cleaned once a day. We have walls all around us and a guard patrolling the place 24 hours a day. Its really like being in a palace, protected from the real world outside. Adjustment is strange.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Peace Corps
I received my nomination to the Peace Corps today! My departure date is estimated around May 2010. Now for the medical and dental examinations and lots of waiting. I'll keep everyone updated.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Wedding with Christina Carroll
After almost a year of carrying around bags and tripods for wedding photographers, I finally got to shoot my first wedding.
Third shooter = so much less pressure
Monday, May 11, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
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