Studies show that loneliness and social isolation are associated with higher risks for health problems such as heart disease, depression, and cognitive decline…” (The National Institute on Aging)
(The only road leading into the center of Subir, south facing. Photo taken by Carlos Diaz)
It is no surprise that social isolation may cause severe impacts to mental and physical health. Being a sociable person, coming to a rural, remote, and isolated village made me feel uneasy and unmotivated. My energy felt non-existent, and my program director noted that I should go out on weekends to do something around the Dang district to avoid further social isolation. I was able to, independently, talk to various street vendors and individuals of different businesses during the day. The main challenge arose after 6pm; with no internet connection and ample amounts of energy, I found myself… bored. But this isn’t just a personal reaction or basic form of storytelling. Many at my office noticed that if I were to continue on this route, I would become miserable. This is when they introduced me to the concept of attending and coordinating a TLM. In this case, I was invited to attend one on a Saturday for further project development and professional purposes.
Knowing that I would be a part of a Teaching Learning Materials (TLM) module meeting on Saturday therefore became a great opportunity to interact with others.
But this is just a surface level analysis. In reality, the village knows how important it is to make social bonds. The TLM, in this case, was just a front.
(South corner entrance of the hotel where we held the TLM meeting. Photo taken by Carlos Diaz)
“For years people have always been in communication with each other in the village… to be alone and by yourself is considered unhealthy. There should not be anyone that feels left out. It can impact your life, cause you to be depressed, no medicines can help… and it can even result in you living a shorter life…” (my project coordinator Mahipat Bapu said to me right before the event).
(North corner of hotel, with part of the restaurant portion. Photo taken by Carlos Diaz)
Every TLM meeting was held in the first hotel resort I stayed at while my host organization was looking for my permanent accommodation for the remaining time of the Fellowship. Here, there was a room dedicated to hosting events. We would invite members of educational union groups into this space to provide an interactive teaching experience where they themselves could participate in plans created by AIF to engage with students. The idea: showcase how fun, interactive, and sustainable these workshops are in terms of teaching students valuable skills. Having the members of educational unions take part in these tasks was the most exciting part; they were able to see how these tasks could help break the ice while also teaching them valuable lessons. Even I joined in the drawing and painting portion. By this time, we had played games that built trust, memory capability, math skills, reading comprehension, and pattern recognition.
Each day I feel as if I write more notes on how to potentially innovate these LRCs. In this case, the workshop was the perfect example. Somehow, despite the language barriers and cultural differences, different people were able to enjoy each other’s company and learn through facilitated activities. In this case, I was able to keep up with the instructions in Gujarati despite not knowing the language. This has informed me more on the inclusivity of the LRCs for a UTM (Universal Teaching Method). Where many schools and teachers find it challenging to educate students who do not speak the language instructed, these modules operate in a way where it does not really matter. It will not hinder the experience of the student to have join in and have fun. If anything, these modules showcase how the district of Dang and the state of Gujarat can benefit from such a system implemented in the following school year.
(View from the top of the hill of Temple Shibahah in Subir. Photo taken by Carlos Diaz)
These workshops make learning, therefore, a fun activity instead of a chore. Connections are additionally made, people interact and are happy. After this, it does not matter as much that one goes home with no internet connection. One’s own energy has been spent well. In my case, I was even invited to a conversation session after the meeting that lasted for another 4 hours. This community building allows for everyone to keep in touch and avoid the harmful effects of extreme social isolation. It makes living in Subir, Dang, Gujarat that much more bearable and lively.
