We are finally in India! We made it here after a very long three day journey.
We have been at Parijat for exactly a week today, and so far we have been extremely successful. We have suffered a few bumps in the road and have been challenged to fit in and find our role, but the trials have only contributed to our project as a whole. We got here and learned that internet access was not as easy as we had planned. So after struggling for a few days we finally got semi-stable internet, so that we could post to our blog and talk to our families. Soon after, we woke up to an unresponsive laptop. Fortunately, we didn’t lose any documents that were too important, and we only lost some of the initial videos and pictures that we shot when we first got here. We have had to be more creative about how we execute our project because of this, and get to spend more time with Uttam and the kids in the computer lab as well.
On the participant-observer side of things, we have been adjusting to the lifestyle of the Carbi tribe very well. We have learned the customary greeting, “namascar” and a bow with hands in prayer. We have learned basic phrases in Assameese, but Uttam-- the principal of Parijat and our host dad-- wants us to speak mostly English to the students, because he knows that immersion is the best way to learn a language. We have been to the local market with the women of the family, have been helping them in their outdoor kitchen, and have gotten Mhendi (henna) on our hands. The kids are slowly becoming more comfortable with us as we slowly earn their trust as friends. We decided not to bring out our big camera for the first couple days, so as not to change their perception of us. Foreigners, especially tall girls with blonde hair, are very uncommon here and we create quite a big fuss almost everywhere we go. We were interviewed by the local news and our pictures were in two local newspapers after we participated in National Environment Day festivities. We were surprised and uncomfortable with the attention at first but quickly realized that we can use it to ours and Parijat’s advantage, it seems like people want to listen to whatever we have to say. We plan on utilizing the publicity to spread Parijat’s message and convey their needs, while also highlighting and creating a discussion about the roots of social problems in the area.
We have become very close to Uttam. He is a very eccentric and enthusiastic soul with big plans and an impressive level of motivation. We have discussed and investigated Parijat’s biggest needs with him and exchanged ideas and goals. He was very excited about our camera and photography skills. He has a lot to say but doesn’t know a lot about the technical side of things, so we are taking his ideas and helping him realize them. We both think that documentary photography and video will be a huge help to Parijat as well as the students. Instead of telling people with words-- trying to explain Parijat’s progress and need-- we can show them with video. We can show exactly what it looks like to live at Parijat, how it
operates, how eager the students are to learn, how badly they need help to continue their operations, and exactly where donations will go and the kids they will help. Basically, when paired with the internet photography and video is the best way to reach a lot of people.
That being said, the internet is expensive to them, but for only $900 we can get internet for every computer in their computer lab. So we are setting up a crowd sourcing site, and teaching the kids and Uttam how to do the same, to buy them internet. We have talked to Uttam and we all believe that internet is a valuable tool, especially in this world. With internet, they can learn as much as they want to without having to pay for books; they can continue raising money on the internet, which is much more successful than flyers; they can keep in touch with us after we leave and communicate with other kids; and they can share and expand their inspiration and creative ideas which will keep them interested in school.
Just as we had planned, art has been a fantastic way to bridge the gap, a few gaps actually. We didn’t expect such a huge communication barrier, but we used art to establish ourselves as friends and form almost instant relationships with the kids. I don’t think we would have been as successful without art on our side. We are also able to draw out things when we can’t understand each other. Art has also helped us on an anthropological level, bridging the gap between our two disciplines. We have learned a lot about the students through their art and have also learned a lot about the culture by studying the local art forms. With the help of the internet, we are bridging the physical gap between Parijat and people all over the world, including ourselves after we leave. We will teach them all the ways to share and execute their art on a computer. Art has also been a very successful way to engage the kids during the school day and even on the weekends. We taught art at the school last Sunday and only two kids came. But slowly more and more came, as they told their friends, and soon we had 40 kids. We have school Monday through Saturday and now most kids come on Sunday as well. Art has definitely been exciting for the kids, and has proven to be a good way to teach English.
We are setting up sustainable programs to ensure that we have a lasting impact on Parijat. We are teaming up with the teachers and local Sisters from a mission in Guwahati who teache at Parijat sometimes to make sure that the kids continue pursuing their education and photography. We are teaching the kids how to use cameras and the internet, basically how to do exactly what we came here to do: Take photographs, upload them to the internet as a creative outlet, make videos to spread a message, and use art to bridge the gap. Our lesson plans use art to teach English and have been fortunately successful in only the first week.
We have been at Parijat for exactly a week today, and so far we have been extremely successful. We have suffered a few bumps in the road and have been challenged to fit in and find our role, but the trials have only contributed to our project as a whole. We got here and learned that internet access was not as easy as we had planned. So after struggling for a few days we finally got semi-stable internet, so that we could post to our blog and talk to our families. Soon after, we woke up to an unresponsive laptop. Fortunately, we didn’t lose any documents that were too important, and we only lost some of the initial videos and pictures that we shot when we first got here. We have had to be more creative about how we execute our project because of this, and get to spend more time with Uttam and the kids in the computer lab as well.
On the participant-observer side of things, we have been adjusting to the lifestyle of the Carbi tribe very well. We have learned the customary greeting, “namascar” and a bow with hands in prayer. We have learned basic phrases in Assameese, but Uttam-- the principal of Parijat and our host dad-- wants us to speak mostly English to the students, because he knows that immersion is the best way to learn a language. We have been to the local market with the women of the family, have been helping them in their outdoor kitchen, and have gotten Mhendi (henna) on our hands. The kids are slowly becoming more comfortable with us as we slowly earn their trust as friends. We decided not to bring out our big camera for the first couple days, so as not to change their perception of us. Foreigners, especially tall girls with blonde hair, are very uncommon here and we create quite a big fuss almost everywhere we go. We were interviewed by the local news and our pictures were in two local newspapers after we participated in National Environment Day festivities. We were surprised and uncomfortable with the attention at first but quickly realized that we can use it to ours and Parijat’s advantage, it seems like people want to listen to whatever we have to say. We plan on utilizing the publicity to spread Parijat’s message and convey their needs, while also highlighting and creating a discussion about the roots of social problems in the area.
We have become very close to Uttam. He is a very eccentric and enthusiastic soul with big plans and an impressive level of motivation. We have discussed and investigated Parijat’s biggest needs with him and exchanged ideas and goals. He was very excited about our camera and photography skills. He has a lot to say but doesn’t know a lot about the technical side of things, so we are taking his ideas and helping him realize them. We both think that documentary photography and video will be a huge help to Parijat as well as the students. Instead of telling people with words-- trying to explain Parijat’s progress and need-- we can show them with video. We can show exactly what it looks like to live at Parijat, how it
operates, how eager the students are to learn, how badly they need help to continue their operations, and exactly where donations will go and the kids they will help. Basically, when paired with the internet photography and video is the best way to reach a lot of people.
That being said, the internet is expensive to them, but for only $900 we can get internet for every computer in their computer lab. So we are setting up a crowd sourcing site, and teaching the kids and Uttam how to do the same, to buy them internet. We have talked to Uttam and we all believe that internet is a valuable tool, especially in this world. With internet, they can learn as much as they want to without having to pay for books; they can continue raising money on the internet, which is much more successful than flyers; they can keep in touch with us after we leave and communicate with other kids; and they can share and expand their inspiration and creative ideas which will keep them interested in school.
Just as we had planned, art has been a fantastic way to bridge the gap, a few gaps actually. We didn’t expect such a huge communication barrier, but we used art to establish ourselves as friends and form almost instant relationships with the kids. I don’t think we would have been as successful without art on our side. We are also able to draw out things when we can’t understand each other. Art has also helped us on an anthropological level, bridging the gap between our two disciplines. We have learned a lot about the students through their art and have also learned a lot about the culture by studying the local art forms. With the help of the internet, we are bridging the physical gap between Parijat and people all over the world, including ourselves after we leave. We will teach them all the ways to share and execute their art on a computer. Art has also been a very successful way to engage the kids during the school day and even on the weekends. We taught art at the school last Sunday and only two kids came. But slowly more and more came, as they told their friends, and soon we had 40 kids. We have school Monday through Saturday and now most kids come on Sunday as well. Art has definitely been exciting for the kids, and has proven to be a good way to teach English.
We are setting up sustainable programs to ensure that we have a lasting impact on Parijat. We are teaming up with the teachers and local Sisters from a mission in Guwahati who teache at Parijat sometimes to make sure that the kids continue pursuing their education and photography. We are teaching the kids how to use cameras and the internet, basically how to do exactly what we came here to do: Take photographs, upload them to the internet as a creative outlet, make videos to spread a message, and use art to bridge the gap. Our lesson plans use art to teach English and have been fortunately successful in only the first week.
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