The School

I think I need to give an account as to the environment that which I am studying in India. Like everything in India it’s an organized chaos and within that chaos somehow, someway things happen and get done. I’m only registered for technically two courses (I’m lumping nearly 12 hours of Hindi as one class), but since I am here I might as well listen in on all the other classes.

The school is a converted two-bedroom house. It’s small in fact there are only two students this semester. In short the school is small super small. So small that if the roommate and I throw a party the entire school comes! This has not always been this school’s case. At one time this school had upwards of a thousand students. Sadly, 9/11 happened and the school’s attendance dropped.  

This used to be in many ways a large export and import of foreign students. If you were an American student they would bring you here to finish any number of subjects here. Also if you were an Indian student you could start here and they would ship to places like Kentucky University or Alabama State. However, after our immigrant laws received stricter rules in America they were unable to export students, and became experts and importing them.

The reason that they now are so small is that they can better attend to the students needs, and let me tell you they really do go beyond the call of duty on that one. Never in my life have I been asked if I’m okay in so little time. They even have provided me with a maid. I’ve never the opportunity to experience a maid except for those rare occasion I have stayed in a hotel for more than one day, and even that type of made isn’t as good as this one.

The food is either delivered here at the apartment, or directly to school. Breakfast is the only time that we are on our own, and I swear if I asked for pickled eggs to eat for breakfast they would do everything in their power to obtain the odd request.

The apartment is in the center of pretty much an Americanized section of the old British settlement known as Frazer Town. Within walking distance I the place I can go to are including but excluded to Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonalds, and Subway. The placement of the school is less than five minuets walking distance as well. In short this place is the Bee’s Knees.

Also are planned upcoming field trips to experience culture, and they are trying to find a wedding to take us to! There is a great deal more here than just book learnin’

The first thing to note about the actual learning part  is the class schedule. In the very lecture fashion that Naropa taught me how to learn, they implore the one-day method here. The one-day method is that it is one class per day for three hours. At the end of the semester you have amassed the correct amount of credit hours for your class. However, since I’m taking four structured increments of Hindi, that class is 2 hours everyday. Thus, one class lasts only approximately three weeks.  

Moving that quickly through something my brain doesn’t take well to in the first place is absolutely daunting. In other words I have done a complete semester of a foreign language in less than a month, and on top of that I am required to be proficient enough to pass a final exam. So, imagine a class you have taken, or taking now cram all of that in Three weeks and bang you have what I have done in Hindi. Every time my teacher (who is amazing) mentions a test she looks at me and says, “Don’t worry it’s not that big of deal you’ll do fine.” The past few quizzes she was right and I’ve done fine, but it still scares me every time.

They also tell us that we have done really well in Hindi. In that amount of time I can read a little, speak less, and construct sentences. Nothing too big, just thing like: The cat went up the tree and I have a lot of pens and put that book on the table. In fact they say we are doing better that most of the native peoples.

The native language is another story. Almost everyone who lives here speaks 5 to 6 languages. That is because in India there are 418 known languages. 11 of those languages are extinct. Meaning that if you go anywhere you better know how to talk to those people. For example I went on a small trip I shall write about soon, and they didn’t know much English. I tried Hindi and that was a wrong choice too. They really only understood Talimanu. I get frustrated sometimes at the language barrier, but I constantly remind myself it’s me not them. Like I said before India is an organized chaos that still manages to get done what needs to be done.

So, after Hindi on Mondays and Fridays I have my literature class that was supposed to be a mythology class. In what I can only describe as an insight into Indian ways of life and a better fit for a class at Ashland has this happy accident has turned out for the best. At first I was a little upset at this miscommunication, but the head administrator assured me just tell her what you want to read and you will be able to adjust your course accordingly. I was told on the second day here that I would receive an electronic copy to send home to make sure that all was kosher with the class structure. I have seen a handwritten outline, however, I have yet to receive the promised document. They are working on it.

I pretty sure as of right now the teacher isn’t sure what we are going to be reading. Dr. Aune wants to know what we will be reading. I haven’t the heart to tell him I don’t know and I’m 95% sure they don’t know either. Well, that is except for the Ghandiji book we will be reading, and I’m betting that is a required reading for everyone that passes the gates to the school. There is a loose idea and as things come up we will go in that direction. Thus far we have met three times and have only covered the early stuff that only exists in Sanskrit. When I asked if I could read some of it she said she’d look, but doubts that there is very little of it directly translated into an English form. There are excerpts she says and she is on it, but I probably wont see it for some time. Patients in India is not a virtue, it is a requirement.

She says that we are going to look at how the occupations of the various groups of India have shaped their thinking and their writing. Once this class takes off it should be really, really good, and fit right into the slot that Ashland has. It’s just obtaining the correct paper work to make it legal.

The other days of the week I participate in only what can be described as a whirlwind of information. There are three classes that I sit in on. Indian religions, civilization, and culture these three classes are taught by the same woman. After being in these classes she teaches it just like it really is here, all there together. A mass of information is poured into the brain over a period of three hours. Some days I check the room before I leave class just to make sure I still have my brain, and that it isn’t lying there on the floor.

One particular day she was speaking on the caste system, which is still very prevalent today. Being she is a Christian and a liberated woman it was still surprising when she uttered these words.

“I try not to adhere to the caste system I allow my maids into the house and the kitchen, but they could never sit and eat with me.”

I think I need to learn to keep my surprised face hidden, because I’m most sure she saw it all over my face. For she then asked me, “Well Jason, would you let a bum in rags eat with you?”

My response of yes I would wasn’t taken very well, and in fact that was the end of that class period. The insight to this is that even though she is highly progressive, the idea of the caste system is so deeply ingrained that it in a limited way is still in use.

Today I met with a Professor from America that is from Bangalore and he told me an interesting old proverb: The tears of a strange are not my worry. While the nature of this place is very peaceful it still contains 4000 years of hang-ups. The greatest insight is to see the affect the Christian Missionaries have had on India, and that the presence is still being felt. Moreover the need for current missionaries is still a demand.

A point made to day and I will end with this thought. What is the use of the Vedas? Yeah, they have been around for 4000 years, but they really haven’t done much for our civilization have they?