Arun accompanied us back to Khajuraho airport after some intense negotiations with a taxi van. We said goodbye with heavy heart and made it to Delhi, where we would be spoiled at a ridiculously nice hotel. We'd spend our remaining days reflecting and debriefing about our school visits and teaching experiences, as well as doing a fair amoung of sight seeing and shopping. The cultural highlights were traveling to Agra (about 5 hours by bus) so we could visit the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort, both of which are UNESCO sites. Our tour at the Taj Mahal was at sunrise (~5:30 a.m.) to capture the best light and because it was incredibly hot (felt like 110 F). The Taj is essentially a huge tomb for the favored wife of the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, who commissioned it in 1632. Over twenty years later, it was completed....quite a fortress of white marble and splendor. Walking around the entire structure with bare feet was really cool. As were the Rhesus macaques that were right at home in the surroundings. The Agra Fort was the imperial city of the Mughal rulers, and it was nearly as impressive as the Taj Mahal. While in Agra, we also visited a shop that practiced the centuries old practice of stone art. Some of the table-top sized pieces could take nearly 20 years of effort to complete. After returning to New Delhi, we did a bus tour of the city, including a thorough tour of Humayan's Tomb (you guessed it, another UNESCO site). The tomb was completed around 1570, and was actually the structure that the Taj Mahal was later modeled after. It is characterized by high arches and a double dome and was commisioned by Humanyan's queen, Hamida Banu Begum. We also visited the America Center and met with U.S. Embassy staff, to learn more about their efforts in the country. Maya (from the Teacher Foundation, whom we met in Bangalore) was with us throughout our time in New Delhi, and Emily Lester, the India program director from IREX, was equally awesome at facilitating our discussions and ensuring that we were both intellectually engaged and incredibly comfortable. We flew out of Delhi at 2:30 a.m. on a Wednesday, and I landed back in Vermont Friday nght at 7:30 p.m. What an amazing trip!
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AuthorI traveled to India in July 2016 as a member of the Global Teachers Fellows program, along with 15 other teachers from throughout the United States. We visited schools, taught in classrooms, and learned from Indian educators. ~Shane Heath Video Links BelowClick the above image to see video of what our daily commute to school was like in an auto-rickshaw.
Click on the above images to see video of the morning assembly at Kendriya Vidyalaya, my host school in Chhatarpur
The welcoming committee at Kendriya Vidyalaya on our 4th day, when the Deputy Commisioner of Education visited the school (video).
Videos of the Balloon Car Challenge linked above.
UNESCO temples at Khajuraho (VIDEO)
Intense math lesson, as part of a physics class, Kendriya Vidyalaya (VIDEO)
A Primary school lesson at Kendriya Vidyalaya (VIDEO)
Evening shopping at Chhaturpur market (VIDEO)
Music class at Kendrihya Vidyalaya (VIDEO)
Kindergarten class at Maharishi Vidya Mandir (VIDEO)
Welcoming ceremony by students at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (VIDEO)
Closing ceremony by students at Jawahar Navodaya VIdyalaya (VIDEO)
Botany lesson at RBANMS school, Bangalore (VIDEO)
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