One of the first questions the TMS girls ever asked us was, “When do we get to visit Google?” Ever since June, they’ve been anticipating this extra-special fieldtrip. Judging by their looks when they entered the Google complex, I’d say the experience was worth the wait.

After an early morning bus ride involving many snacks from home, (I think the girls thought I would starve to death on the journey and so they came prepared) “truth or dare” and singing, we arrived at Google. The girls were impressed when Suchi, energetic and welcoming as ever, ushered them to the lobby and began punching their names into a screen. They were then given printed name cards, something that raised some amusing conversations—I’m so thankful our girls are always curious and always questioning! Once in the conference room, the nerves began to set in. The session began and our usually vibrant and loud class refused to make a peep, until I gave Sravs some significant looks and she took the leap. She stood tall and explained that Google is like a book, but gives us more information. Sometimes I worry that we put too much pressure on Sravs to always be amazing, but she continues to dazzle.

The girls learned all about Google Maps and literally saw the world from a new perspective in that hour. From an aerial view of Charminar, to my favorite beach in Australia, the girls learned that we can travel the world with these tools.

While the Google team prepared some great sessions for our girls, I especially enjoyed watching their worlds expand before my eyes with each new experience on the trip. There was the time we went for a bathroom break and I literally had to pull the girls away from the automatic sinks. The elevator ride, when we exaggerated our dizziness because it was such a strange sensation. There was the foosball table (look, a new game!) At lunch, the girls went wild. In the words of A. Sushma, the ice cream was “mind blowing!” They also appreciated the chance to chat with some of the Google employees, who were enthusiastic and very encouraging.

Everyone loved the lunch, but most girls told me afterwards that their favorite part of the day was the interview session with Kodukulla Suryanarayana (Suri). I was inspired to see our girls push aside their nervousness and conduct an engaging interview session. Suri encouraged the students to always take the extra effort to grow; for example, if you like film photography, learn chemistry to better understand the process of developing photos.  Needless to say, the girls were impressed.

The ride home involved more singing and even some dancing. The girls couldn’t stop grinning, and I have to say I was right there with them—what a great adventure to share with these students!

When Emily and I stepped off the plane from Hyderabad to Tamil Nadu, a giant stone warrior goddess watching over baggage claim immediately captured my attention. Our drive from the airport to Villupuram revealed several other huge deities, such as a two-story high Hanuman. The only other time I have seen gods this big was during Ganesh Chaturthi in Hyderabad, where icons are lifted by cranes to be submerged in the lake.

I didn’t know when I saw that airport goddess that her size and power would mimic the potential of the students we would meet through Communities Rising.  Over the past two weeks, we have been conducting short TMS photography and video workshops at several schools. Our students faced a very condensed curriculum interrupted by a multitude of holidays, but still they managed to take to the concepts and cameras with amazing creativity.  These students made our stay in Tamil Nadu unforgettable.

Anilady Boys Stand Tall

At Anilady School, we taught 7^th and 8^th standards. With Philip as our trusty translator and Siva as our go-to for drawing out the best in the kids, we found a new rhythm in our teaching. The students were clever, eager and kind.  Each class had a “free-shoot” period in which we would break into small groups, venture outside and explore the beautiful school with our cameras.

What was striking about this experience was the fact that most of the students did not speak any English.  We wanted to push them to incorporate other useful skills in their photographic pursuits (such as emotional expression, English practice and teamwork), but to do so made the support of our teaching team essential. We needed more than just translators; we needed teachers who truly understood the objectives of the program. The individuals we worked with far surpassed our hopes and stand as prime examples of how programs such as TMS can overcome immense cultural and language challenges with the right help.

These classes were very gratifying for us as teachers. In spite of having a large number of students, we were able to form special relationships. I also feel that we achieved our key goal of having each student contribute his or her ideas and have hands-on time with the equipment.

Arul Prakash, a star student

One student in particular comes to mind: Arul Prakash, a Vikravandi hostel boy whose friendliness and intelligence shone through even on our first day of class. Arul is a student that any teacher would dream of having; quick to learn, dependable and sweet with just a hint of mischievousness and humor to make working with him a joy. I taught Arul how to edit on iMovie using my laptop and spent some extra one-on-one sessions with him. By the end of the stay, he could easily put together a basic stop motion animation, add text and transitions and burn his work to a DVD.

These two weeks at Communities Rising have been some of the most memorable during our time in India. Just as that first image of the stone goddess stands out in my mind, the smiles, creativity and joy in these students will stay with me forever. I certainly plan to be back!

A student makes bubbles during a clean hands video shoot