The Patiala School for the Deaf and Blind

I volunteered at the Patiala School for the Deaf and Blind for 4 weeks. Over that time, I learned sign language to communicate with the deaf children, braille to understand what the blind children must learn, and even some speech therapy! It was a wonderful experience getting to know the students and trying to find my niche. The school has so much love and it is evident that the children are happy. I wanted to do so much more than I had time for, but I know what my project will be for the next time!

Here are some of my pictures from the school:

My first day at the school the laundry was hanging out and it made the dreary day seem more colourful

 

 To sponsor a child for a month: 1500 rupees is equal to $27 or 18,000 per year is $329.

Blind library

 

Cafeteria

My first week at the school was spent immersing myself in sign language and spending time with the deaf children. This included an introduction to speech therapy and audiology. My second day volunteering saw us heading up to the Rotary Club where they had donated hearing aids for 6 deaf children. Watching how these kids could now hear sounds was astonishing. Over the next few weeks, the speech therapist and I worked with these six to help them learn to differentiate sounds and learn to speak.

 These two boys were my favourites. Jaspal (left) didn't even know his own name (cute!) and Abdul (right) was the most mature 11 year old I've ever met - and he was abandoned on the streets!

Deaf teacher and students. The class was surprisingly quiet! I say this because in my classes they were incredibly loud, especially for being deaf and mute, they are not silent!

Speech therapy room

I spent my second week learning about braille and how the blind students learn mathematics. I used a teleframe to answer math questions, including large multiplications. I even participated in a math test, with my eyes closed, and got 14/15. One question was wrong because I couldn't feel the difference between the bar and the two dots. My sense of touch is not nearly as heightened as the students'!

Typing on the Brailler!

The teleframe

My math test: 14/15

 

At the end of the second week the students went to another school for some performances. The blind students were singing a traditional song and the deaf students performed a dance and participated in a painting competition.

Renu won the painting competition

 

Students receiving a box of crayons for participating

Driving back from the performance in an autorickshaw - with 8 people in the back and 3 in the front!!

During my third week a few more volunteers arrived and it was nice to have the company. Six of us spent time playing games with the kids, including frisbee, working on a music project, and doing arts and crafts.

George and David working on our English song

The blind students learning 'Roar' by Katy Perry. I had typed up the lyrics in braille!

 

The blind students playing a game they invented with a ball and a pot. The ball has a bell in it so that can hear where it goes and if it makes contact with the pot.

Ravi throwing the disc

 

Ieke doing pottery crafts with the blind students

Lotte making 3D cards with the deaf girls

Cat keychains, idea courtesy of Lotte!

 

We made cake for 200 students for Iekeliene's last day

Lotte and David making cats

Volunteering is fun!

Some of the best moments were on the bus where I spent a lot of time learning sign language and having hour long conversations with Manpreet, Renu, and Guarav, three deaf students who were all 16-17 years old. I formed a strong bond with these guys!

 

 

 

Last bus ride home from school - sad day!

My last day was really sad. I went around the school taking pictures of students and teachers I will never forget. I'm so thankful to have met all these wonderful people and to have been a part of the school for four weeks.This was truly an unforgettable experience. Thank you Karaminder and Renu ma'am for letting me be a part of the school for four weeks!

 These two people were incredible inspirations. The little one is only three years old and she is the youngest student at the school. Unable to communicate because she hadn't learned to sign yet, she would wander around the school with the happiest face, stealing everyone's cookies. The man on the right is a deafblind teacher who is fluent in English finger spelling and one handed signing. After meeting him, where he asked George and I questions about where we were from, etc., another blind teacher came in and they had a conversation through touch, tapping each others hand when one or the other understood the message. Laughing and smiling, the pure joy in communication was evident from their faces. I had to step out of the room because I was so overcome with emotion. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life.

The last goodbyes

Learning to Grieve and Celebrate Life

A week into my India trip, my homestay family lost their grandmother. That devastating, crushing feeling returned. I had just told my mom how she reminded me of my Grandma and how she had said I reminded her of her granddaughter. I had also just said to my mom the night before that I hadn't yet taken the time to mourn Grandad, which was the purpose of this trip.

I feel sad that I only knew her for the last week of her life. Everyone had such wonderful things to say about her. She was 86 and full of stories of her brave crossing from Pakistan during the partition in the 40s. It was a really strange coincidence that on my personal journey to mourn my grandfather, where I never got to go home and mourn with my family, my homestay family also goes through a period of grieving. I tried to give my family the space they needed, after all, I was a stranger in their home, but they were so gracious to me and welcomed me to share in their loss. It was exactly what I needed. I attended the Sikh temple with them for the final prayers and blessings. I felt like a part of the family.

This experience allowed me to take the time to pray and talk to my grandfather. To tell him how sorry I was that I didn't come home. To tell him how much I miss him. To ask him to help loosen the grip sorrow had on my heart as it was preventing me from celebrating in his life. I cried. I laughed. I prayed. I finally acknowledged that he had left this world and is again dancing with my grandma. I may never get over the loss of the most important people in my life, but at least I gave myself the space and time I needed to just be. Throughout the rest of my trip in India, I tried to be more appreciative, more aware, and more open. This way I could release the negative, sad, and angry emotions and make way for positive, celebratory, and grateful feelings. I love my grandparents and I am so thankful to have had the many years I did with them. India opened the doors for some serious self reflection, and it was exactly what I needed.

<3
Jennika

Incredible, Extraordinary, Colourful India

Five and a half weeks of new and wonderful experiences are hard to categorize into a blog. So many awesome moments in this country have made me never want to leave. Of course, I had to come back for my second semester at Dankook, but I have plans to go back to India and tour the whole country.

If you asked me to describe the country in one word, it would be colourful. The clothes, the fabrics, the accessories are all made from such colourful materials. But more, the people, the culture, the food, the music; everything about India was so colourful, so vibrant, so full of energy.

I am going to separate my posts about India by experience and not by chronological order.
   1. Learning to grieve
   2. The Patiala School for the Deaf and Blind
   3. Rishikesh and the Himalayan Yog Ashram
   4. The Wedding

I made my way to India after hearing about a volunteer program from a friend. Volunteer Vacation India is a program run by a generous philanthropic family in India who established a school for deaf and blind children, among other initiatives, and offer homestay placements for those who come to volunteer at the school. The Singh family was more than welcoming - they made me a part of their family and I participated in regular daily events with them. They went above and beyond to ensure that I was comfortable, and indeed I was. The family home is a treasure with beautiful trees and gardens located in Patiala, Punjab, in the north west of India.

My room

Super cute spiral staircase leading up to my room - I've always wanted one of these!

Kishan Baran - The 100 year old Family House

My room from the outside

Probably the biggest culture shock was the driving in India. There are no rules! You literally get a license without writing a test. You turn 18, walk in, and walk out with a license! Lane driving is non-existent and the explanation I got about the crazy driving was 'each person will save their own skin'. I saw so many things on the roads in India, including buses, trucks, cars, scooters, rickshaws, autorickshaws, bicycles, pedestrians, tractors, dogs, livestock, horse/oxen/bull drawn carts, a camel, monkeys, and an elephant. Here are some short clips that show life on the road in India!

Monkeys!

Gunji Baba is a cousin and he was very keen on making the volunteers feel welcome and ensuring they made the most of their trip. One evening he took us to see the old palace in Patiala, which has since been converted into a sports training facility.

Gunji wearing the flower I picked for him!

Palace of Mirrors that we *may* have snuck into.