Well I'm here. this blog is as much a memory bank for me so excuse some of the boring detail but if I don't write it down I will forget within the week! So, a good start. the plane was 80% empty and I got 3 seats to lounge on. Was met by a taxi driver at Bangalore airport with my name on an A3 sized piece of card (have always wanted that!). Taken to budget hotel, 3 hours sleep then off to Shristi to meet the staff. Everyone at school is taught in English, the teachers are all fluent. They shift seamlessly between English and the regional language Kannadar ( I know I have spelt that wrongly!). Surreal but " row, row, row the boat gently down the stream" was my first classroom experience! day 2 and I went to the campus out of the city where children from ages 2 to people in their 30's are supported during the day. Shristi offers 2 to 4 year olds without a learning disability the chance to come to a nursery school for free to enable the children with disabilities to integrate . This helps the babies with disabilities as the others are modeling 'normal' developmental activities which they then copy and there are enough wee ones without disabilities to learn from each other. If there was ever a reason for integrated schooling this is it! Shristi relies nearly entirely on donations from companies. So many pieces of furniture ( and some buildings) have written across the back of them "kindly donated by Motorola/ Aventure. Government schools are supposed to offer education to children with disabilities but like many things in India this is not monitored or enforced adequately.
Ok so the culture. well the traffic- wow- This is one polluted , traffic jammed place. There are plenty of major roads, this is a huge city, the IT capital of India and there is plenty of money in some people's hands there are just too many blood vehicles especially at rush hour. Tens of thousands of auto rickshaws, mopeds, motor bikes and taxis. Travelling anywhere is like whacky races on speed but what fun ( as long as you don't want me to drive). I have not seen an accident but every day the newspaper reports sad accidents. It doesn't frighten me. I am going for every experience whilst I am here and most of them will involve a rickshaw ride.
So far I have only met helpful, respectful men and women. There is no hassling or hustling like in Goa, my only other experience of India. people are interested in me and ask questions but it has all felt genuine and welcoming.Locals are completely used to foreigners in their city but perhaps not in the area that I am staying.
