Hello all- Nicole here with the two week report!  In some ways it feels like I’ve been here much longer than 14 days and in others I still feel incredibly new and disoriented.  We spent Monday and Tuesday of this last week finalizing schedules with the remaining schools and had a few more introductory classes on Thursday and Friday: Shivani started herclass at Audiah Memorial High School and Nelle and I started our classes at Sitaphalmandi.  Despite a little bit of initial confusion for all of us, the class I taught at Sithphalmandi was wonderful.  The students are really willing to be creative and share their ideas and seem super excited about TMS (it’s the first year for us at this school!)  Plus, our teaching assistants are incredibly supportive.

We had our second week of classes at Railway where we’re beginning to cover storytelling and camera usage with more depth.  A lesson about the story elements of conflict and resolution led to a discussion and creative exercise surrounding issues the students see impacting their communities.  The students drew pictures showing water shortages, pollution, gender discrimination, poverty, child labor, and poverty and for homework were asked to draw what they thought the “resolutions” to those issues could be (so more on those Thursday!)  I’m really impressed with what critical thinkers the students are and can tell that I’ll be learning as much about Hyderabad from them as they do about digital storytelling from me.

Railway girls on a photo scavenger hunt

On a non work-related note I was lucky enough attend a feminist collective meeting last night and a film screening hosted by a local LGBT organization this afternoon.  I was so thrilled to meet such wonderful folks at both events, but more so just incredibly excited to feel like I was joining a community that’s creating such a palpable progressive momentum in what is already such a beautiful, diverse and energetic city.

hyderabad for feminism

a lovely dinner party with some rad new friends