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Inaugural ACE Class Checks in from India
8/11/2016 5:00:00 AM | Rowing, Women's Lacrosse, Wrestling, Swimming & Diving, Athletics
DURHAM, N.C. – Five Duke student-athletes – Jake Faust (wrestling), Meagan Lew (rowing), Michael Miller (swimming & diving), Maria Sheridan (swimming & diving) and Michelle Staggers (women's lacrosse) – are in India this summer as part of the inaugural class of the Rubenstein-Bing Student-Athlete Civic Engagement (ACE) program. The program provides one-time funding for Duke and Stanford student-athletes to engage in a three-week international service project.
All five Blue Devils provided blogs on their initial experiences in India, which can be read below.
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Tradition Wins
August 10, 2016 l Michelle Staggers, Duke Women's Lacrosse
Warning #1. The gate agent at the London airport asked where I was staying in India. When I said New Delhi, he answered, “Oh! Good luck. Watch the water.” Thank you, sir. Wonderful first words of encouragement.
Warning #2. The plane pulled up to the Indira Gandhi Airport in New Delhi and suddenly everyone on the plane stopped speaking English. It was then I realized there was no going back. This was it. Game time, baby.
I met up with Sammy and Maria at the entrance, and Sunil our taxi driver drove us to our new home. My eyes were glued to the window of the taxi the entire time. Cars swerved in and out of lanes without hesitation. Apparently, staying in traffic lanes is optional in India. And honking is a language I still don't understand. I was mesmerized by the sight of hundreds of swerving, honking vehicles. Taxis are called tuk-tuks. Tuk-tuks are 3-wheeled green and yellow cars with no doors, and they run the streets.
Click here for Staggers's full blog post.
---
Beyonce Breaks Cultural Barriers
August 10, 2016 l Meagan Lew, Duke Rowing
On our second day of orientation we went to to visit the Vidya School, where we will be teaching English and playing sports with kids for the next three weeks. The Vidya School provides education from nursery to 12th grade for children from lower middle to lower class communities around Delhi. When we walked into the school we were greeted by small children, not more than 4 years old, with big smiles on their faces and saying, “Good morning, Ma'am!” I couldn't think of a more warm welcome.
After getting a tour of the school we all got to go into classrooms and meet students. Patrick, Maria, and I were sent to a 12th grade class and the teacher told us that we could spend time with them for the whole class period. We started by introducing ourselves and went around the room asking the students their names. We then asked the students about what hobbies they liked. At first the students were a little shy and didn't share much, but after a little while they warmed up to us.
Click here for Lew's full blog post.
---
Dance Like Nobody is Watching
August 9, 2016 l Maria Sheridan, Duke Women's Swimming & Diving
What do you do when a group of 5th graders asks you to speak in Hindi and dance in front of them?
I am currently working at the Vidya school, home to one thousand children outside New Delhi. This school offers hope to many of these children who live in the impoverished areas of Delhi. The cement building is surrounded by strings of barbed wire outside the playground. The school overlooks the slums of India on one side and a sanctioned dump on another. It's hard not to look outside while I am teaching and realize that many of my students go home to these tin-roof homes. During school, flies swarm around the children's shoes when they are eating, yet this doesn't bother them. These children wear a smile from ear to ear and have an itch to learn. They write paragraphs in English and run up and ask me to correct their grammar. They understand the importance of education and strive to learn more.
When I walked into a 5th grade classroom a few days ago, I didn't know what to expect. Once I entered, every kid stood up and greeted me with a, “Hello DeDe!" (DeDe is the proper Hindi term for an older woman) and then sat down. Their manners shocked me. The teacher informed us that it was their music and dance class. I asked the kids to perform for me and immediately six girls sprung up from their seats and sang a memorized song with a choreographed dance. They knew it all: the pitch, the moves and even the facial expressions. I admired their will to sing in front of a class and dance like “nobody is watching.”
Click here for Sheridan's full blog post.
---
Witnessing a New Culture
August 9, 2016 l Michael Miller, Duke Men's Swimming & Diving
I was not sure what to expect when arriving in India, but my journey here was an adventure itself (involving traveling for 45 hours and spending the night in the Newark Airport). After touching down in the New Delhi airport, I made my way to customs, where huge Hindu symbols decorated the wall. I waited in the line at customs looking at the giant hand symbols and the beautiful murals on the wall trying to decipher the meaning. Then I walked up to the desk, got my passport stamped, and made my way to the baggage claim. I watched suitcases come down the carousel awaiting mine so I could begin my journey.
Click here for Miller's full blog post.
---
A Helping Hand
August 8, 2016 l Jake Faust, Duke Men's Wrestling
My excitement for the 14-hour flight to India slowly deflated as I sat on the plane hour after hour waiting for the maintenance crew to fix a mechanical issue. Finally, after sitting on the plane for more than four hours, the pilot came over the loud speaker to announce that we would be taking off ... tomorrow. Me, and three other ACE / CCS volunteers, would be spending the night in the airport.
Two more delays and 18 hours later, we were finally in the in the air on our way to India. I had done some research and taken a few classes on India, but I was still unsure of what to expect. Many people told me that there would be noises, smells, and heat that I had never experienced before. I was frequently warned that I would experience culture shock. As excited as I was to contribute and make an impact on my trip, I honestly didn't know if I was ready to be thrown smack dab in the middle of the Indian culture and education system. I was unsure how the children would respond to a foreigner entering their school to teach and basically take over their classroom. Additionally, I was unsure how community members would respond to my presence because there are instances where volunteers are not accepted in a positive way.
Click here for Faust's full blog post.
---
For additional information on the ACE Program, visit www.ace.duke.edu.
#GoDuke
All five Blue Devils provided blogs on their initial experiences in India, which can be read below.
---
Tradition Wins
August 10, 2016 l Michelle Staggers, Duke Women's Lacrosse
Warning #1. The gate agent at the London airport asked where I was staying in India. When I said New Delhi, he answered, “Oh! Good luck. Watch the water.” Thank you, sir. Wonderful first words of encouragement.
Warning #2. The plane pulled up to the Indira Gandhi Airport in New Delhi and suddenly everyone on the plane stopped speaking English. It was then I realized there was no going back. This was it. Game time, baby.
I met up with Sammy and Maria at the entrance, and Sunil our taxi driver drove us to our new home. My eyes were glued to the window of the taxi the entire time. Cars swerved in and out of lanes without hesitation. Apparently, staying in traffic lanes is optional in India. And honking is a language I still don't understand. I was mesmerized by the sight of hundreds of swerving, honking vehicles. Taxis are called tuk-tuks. Tuk-tuks are 3-wheeled green and yellow cars with no doors, and they run the streets.
Click here for Staggers's full blog post.
---
Beyonce Breaks Cultural Barriers
August 10, 2016 l Meagan Lew, Duke Rowing
On our second day of orientation we went to to visit the Vidya School, where we will be teaching English and playing sports with kids for the next three weeks. The Vidya School provides education from nursery to 12th grade for children from lower middle to lower class communities around Delhi. When we walked into the school we were greeted by small children, not more than 4 years old, with big smiles on their faces and saying, “Good morning, Ma'am!” I couldn't think of a more warm welcome.
After getting a tour of the school we all got to go into classrooms and meet students. Patrick, Maria, and I were sent to a 12th grade class and the teacher told us that we could spend time with them for the whole class period. We started by introducing ourselves and went around the room asking the students their names. We then asked the students about what hobbies they liked. At first the students were a little shy and didn't share much, but after a little while they warmed up to us.
Click here for Lew's full blog post.
---
Dance Like Nobody is Watching
August 9, 2016 l Maria Sheridan, Duke Women's Swimming & Diving
What do you do when a group of 5th graders asks you to speak in Hindi and dance in front of them?
I am currently working at the Vidya school, home to one thousand children outside New Delhi. This school offers hope to many of these children who live in the impoverished areas of Delhi. The cement building is surrounded by strings of barbed wire outside the playground. The school overlooks the slums of India on one side and a sanctioned dump on another. It's hard not to look outside while I am teaching and realize that many of my students go home to these tin-roof homes. During school, flies swarm around the children's shoes when they are eating, yet this doesn't bother them. These children wear a smile from ear to ear and have an itch to learn. They write paragraphs in English and run up and ask me to correct their grammar. They understand the importance of education and strive to learn more.
When I walked into a 5th grade classroom a few days ago, I didn't know what to expect. Once I entered, every kid stood up and greeted me with a, “Hello DeDe!" (DeDe is the proper Hindi term for an older woman) and then sat down. Their manners shocked me. The teacher informed us that it was their music and dance class. I asked the kids to perform for me and immediately six girls sprung up from their seats and sang a memorized song with a choreographed dance. They knew it all: the pitch, the moves and even the facial expressions. I admired their will to sing in front of a class and dance like “nobody is watching.”
Click here for Sheridan's full blog post.
---
Witnessing a New Culture
August 9, 2016 l Michael Miller, Duke Men's Swimming & Diving
I was not sure what to expect when arriving in India, but my journey here was an adventure itself (involving traveling for 45 hours and spending the night in the Newark Airport). After touching down in the New Delhi airport, I made my way to customs, where huge Hindu symbols decorated the wall. I waited in the line at customs looking at the giant hand symbols and the beautiful murals on the wall trying to decipher the meaning. Then I walked up to the desk, got my passport stamped, and made my way to the baggage claim. I watched suitcases come down the carousel awaiting mine so I could begin my journey.
Click here for Miller's full blog post.
---
A Helping Hand
August 8, 2016 l Jake Faust, Duke Men's Wrestling
My excitement for the 14-hour flight to India slowly deflated as I sat on the plane hour after hour waiting for the maintenance crew to fix a mechanical issue. Finally, after sitting on the plane for more than four hours, the pilot came over the loud speaker to announce that we would be taking off ... tomorrow. Me, and three other ACE / CCS volunteers, would be spending the night in the airport.
Two more delays and 18 hours later, we were finally in the in the air on our way to India. I had done some research and taken a few classes on India, but I was still unsure of what to expect. Many people told me that there would be noises, smells, and heat that I had never experienced before. I was frequently warned that I would experience culture shock. As excited as I was to contribute and make an impact on my trip, I honestly didn't know if I was ready to be thrown smack dab in the middle of the Indian culture and education system. I was unsure how the children would respond to a foreigner entering their school to teach and basically take over their classroom. Additionally, I was unsure how community members would respond to my presence because there are instances where volunteers are not accepted in a positive way.
Click here for Faust's full blog post.
---
For additional information on the ACE Program, visit www.ace.duke.edu.
#GoDuke
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