February is the month for having picnics and special game days at the local schools, so my Bengali co-teachers suggested we do one for our little Morningstar School as well, even though we've only been holding classes for just over two months.
I let them take the lead in the planning, while I kept wondering in my head---will this really work? After all, our 'school' is an open air school. We have no building, no place of our own. We are located right near the roadside slum. Won't we attract an unmanageable crowd?
But we forged ahead and planned the games---
1. Pass the pillow (music plays as the pillow is passed. When it stop, whoever has the pillow is out).
2. ball toss
3. race
4. chicken-fight (one legged, try to knock each other off balance).
5. Hari banga (blindfolded, try to hit and break the clay water pot).
I tried my hand at 'Hari Bhanga' but ended up hitting the ground at least 3 ft away from the pot and gave everyone a good laugh.
My co-teacher Mira, on the other hand, went straight for the pot and broke it first try (I still think she was peeking--or maybe I'm just a sore loser?).
I also wanted to show appreciation to the parents for sending their children to the classes, so they each received a bar of soap. Where I come from we can't imagine soap being such a treasure but when I pulled out my little bars of Lux soap I was mobbed ---hands coming at me from every direction. My co-teachers chastised me later for not letting them do it by calling forth each student name by name. One of many lessons learned that day! (We've started our list of things we'll do differently next time).
I fell into bed exhausted that night but it was all worth it. Joy and laughter on these children's faces---priceless.
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