We started our second day in Kolkata with breakfast together in the hotel restaurant. Then we headed to Piyali Learning Center which was a long and bumpy ride.
It was incredibly interesting to look out the window and watch the scenery change from the city area we're staying in, to small crowded shops on narrow streets, to areas with open fields and tiny shacks that people live in. We drove through the village that the girls from the school live in and got a sense of the terrible amount of poverty there is here.
When we got to the school it appeared as a total oasis. We were greeted by Kelsey who sent us on a tour of the school with 3 students as our guides.
Most of the tour was spent going into the classrooms and being introduced to the students. The girls were all so sweet and had shockingly wonderful manners. Everyone was so welcoming and genuinely happy to have us there.
I had so much fun talking to the girls that I couldn't wait to go back to the school on Thursday. The ride to the school on Thursday was a lot like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, and we got to see more of India than we expected. Most of Thursday was spent observing classes and interacting with the girls which was so much fun. Some of us even got a lesson in speaking Bengali from them. We got lots of sweet notes from the girls, too.
At the end of the day, Megan and Joan led a workshop for the teachers that they really appreciated and seemed very excited to use the new strategies in their classrooms.
On the way back to the hotel, Kelsey showed us the school's guest house which is a place we could potentially stay in when we come back. It had an AMAZING view.
We've had the best time at the school so far and can't wait to continue helping. I'm so grateful to be here. Thanks so much for your continued prayers.
~~Sonia
When we got to the school it appeared as a total oasis. We were greeted by Kelsey who sent us on a tour of the school with 3 students as our guides.
I had so much fun talking to the girls that I couldn't wait to go back to the school on Thursday. The ride to the school on Thursday was a lot like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, and we got to see more of India than we expected. Most of Thursday was spent observing classes and interacting with the girls which was so much fun. Some of us even got a lesson in speaking Bengali from them. We got lots of sweet notes from the girls, too.
At the end of the day, Megan and Joan led a workshop for the teachers that they really appreciated and seemed very excited to use the new strategies in their classrooms.
On the way back to the hotel, Kelsey showed us the school's guest house which is a place we could potentially stay in when we come back. It had an AMAZING view.
~~Sonia
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