Academic Technology in Delhi

One reason to visit Delhi in mid-April was professional -- to meet with staff at the American Embassy School and see their use of interactive whiteboards and other new academic technology. AES is of course a beautiful school with new buildings and a good-size integral campus, with faculty apartments in the same high-security compound, all air-conditioned, of course. And no hills to climb!
Here is a photo of Barb testing out the interactive whiteboard in a first-grade class session. We also saw an interesting India-built combination projector/computer that we will recommend for purchase at Woodstock.

But next to the school, in the neighboring block of formerly empty ground, is a shantytown.







The school staff have sponsored some community service efforts there, including the construction of the one permanent building, used as a sewing center -- and now also as an internet station for kids.





The innovative Hole in the Wall project has installed 3 computers on the outside wall of this community center.
(The Hole in the Wall project was featured in a PBS story as well.)

The kids love it, of course.




The neighborhood location of this particular project -- its close proximity to the embassy -- make it a regular stop on the itinerary of visiting U.S. government officials. By chance, when we visited, some official was due to stop by -- we didn't wait for him, but many residents were patiently waiting.

Woodstock Grade3 & 4 Retreat

Grades 3 and 4 held an overnight retreat at the Hanifl Centre, led by Barb and her colleague Louise Bamber. Christopher and Jeff helped, too.

Easter in Delhi

To the big city for Easter weekend, primarily for orthodontic reasons, to get Coleman started on his braces, with several successive trips to the orthodontist who is based in south Delhi (He comes up to Mussoorie one weekend every month.).

Some quick notes about our visit:
We tried to go to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum, but it was closed -- Good Friday is a government holiday!
We went to a big, overflowing, protestant Easter service at the Free Church next to the YWCA.
Barb did a little shopping, but not much...still didn't find a curling iron.
Jeff got to see a play.
The kids got to see a movie.
We met our Woodstock colleagues at an art show at The Habitat Centre (paintings and ceramics by a fellow Woodstock teacher), where we also ate at the All-American Diner.





The kids also got to get a Subway sandwich, and a McDonald's Maharajah (chicken) Burger.

Barb ate a beefsteak, and got to take a bath.

The kids went swimming (though the water was, strangely, icy cold).

Jeff got a sauna.

Back to New Delhi train station, and

back up to Mussoorie by 10:30 on Monday night.

Palm Sunday in Mussoorie

It is Palm Sunday at St. Paul's Church, where we held a joint service with the Hindustani Woodstock Church. Their youth choir waved palms as part of their song.









Reverends Anita and Eric Templeton led the service.





A view of the scripture reading and the altar and stained glass windows.






Mussoorie's churches join on Palm Sunday for a procession through the town, as the one Christian religious procession of the year. The procession starts from the Landour Cantonment border, at the top of Mullingar Hill. In this first picture, Rev.Templeton is acting as traffic cop during the preparations -- and riding on the scooter is Mr.John, a P.E. teacher at Woodstock!

During the preparations, a policeman came by to help guide traffic. This view looks east, toward Woodstock about 1km in the distance along Tehri/Chamba Road.



One church, the Evangelical Friends Church, serves the local hill people, who came dressed in festival finery.






Shopkeepers look on.

Barb's Birthday

Yes, we had a small celebration at home, with the Scott and Melanie and their artfully decorated cake (reminiscent of the Joseph technicolor dreamcoat theme!

April at Woodstock

At the school in April, with the blossoms blooming. The white building is the high school -- top floor for science labs, then some math classrooms, then the library floors down to ground level. Below that is the official archway entrance, through which the school's ambulance jeep is driving at the moment. The school driveway leads to "Tehri Road", which bisects the school property from Mussoorie on the west, on its way to Chamba on the east (formerly led to Tehri city 60km away, before the dam left it underwater).







Tafton House, one of the staff houses at Woodstock that is closest to the school.

For Everything You Need: Prakash's Store

Along the ring road (or "chukkar") around the top of our hill is the famous Prakash's Store, at Sister's Bazaar. It is the place to go for every thing you need!

Mr. Prakash makes cheeses, and peanut butter, and jams from seasonal fruit; and he manages to find imported products before any other retailer in town. In any case, his shop is an important stop on the walk around the hill!
A related family member runs a nice small handicrafts/dress shop nearby as well.