Gnanodaya School, Day 1

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Date: 23rd July 2026

Trainers: Lekhaa and Veda 

Today was the first day of Athenavate's pilot program, ATHENA: Odysseus, at Gnanodaya School. We arrived well before the start of the program, giving us the opportunity to participate in the school's morning assembly. We were introduced to the students and also got to hoist the national flag, which was a big honor. 

Then, we were led into the AV room. Now, they told us that the AV room had the worst internet in the school. We decided to plough on without wifi. Before we started the workshop, we were honored with handmade flower garlands, made by the younger students of the school. 

The session passed without much incident. We had to switch rooms a few times, but that gave us a chance to stretch our legs. 

Here are a few things we noticed... 
1. The boys and girls did not want to sit with each other. They were actually kind of frightened of each other and shy. Being in college, we had forgotten what that was like. 

2. The language barrier was evident. It was a little hard for us to translate things into Tamil. Sometimes, the school teachers had to step in to help us out. 

Ohh, here's a fun little note... the teachers were equally invested in what we taught. That was very nice to see. It was encouraging. It made us feel like what we had to say was valuable. The reinforcement was welcome. The school was really very hospitable, and we look forward to the next couple days there. 

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