Google maps and ABC flip books

I’m only here for another week and a half. I can’t believe it. Liz says, “This has been the fastest 6 months of my life”. I agree. I feel like I have seen and done so many things in that time. I feel like a different person in a lot of ways.

Before Liz and I left on our trip the big boys house got new parents. They are a younger couple with a little baby girl named Gracie who is just a couple of months old. She is so sweet. Her eyes have changed from blue to grey since they have been here. I love holding her.

I learned that it’s normal for two working parents with a small child to send the baby away for a period of time to family (even if it’s all the way south) for them to care for it. I couldn’t even imagine. And to be honest, it doesn’t make a lot of sense here…especially at Shishya.

I’ve been busy teaching life skills to 4-8. For 6-8 I am making lessons for boys and girls in regards to body and emotional changes in adolescence. It’s been challenging and really interesting. School is a bit hectic. Deepak and mine elective has 50 boys! Community service has three parts; community service around Shishya, reading/playing with younger classes and I am in charge of making ABC flip booklets for Deepak’s slum school. It’s the closest I’ll get to going there. I’m glad I came up with this idea at least!

The weather has been a bit weird lately. It’s hot and muggy but the last few days it has been raining and thundering off and on which is kind of neat. Walking to the small boys house tonight, there were stars right above me but off to the right pushed up against the Himalaya’s foothills thunder clouds with lightning were there. They were going to start cutting the wheat, but the rain keeps pushing that back. There is news of snakes around campus. I hope I don’t run into one!

A little shout out to my friend Andrea Sears. She sent me a package with lots of goodies for me, but she also included a Ripley’s book the boys just can’t get enough of! Good send, friend!

Google maps is awesome! My roommates and me took a stroll up Alan road to my driveway in Haines. We walked by the big horse field I used to work at in junior high, and past my junior high science teachers house. You could only go as far as standing at the bottom of my driveway looking up it. But it was still SO AWESOME!

Liz and I watched Mary Poppins this week. I was smiling the whole time. I don’t think I have watched it since I was in elementary school! Seriously! Good flick.

When Liz and I were in Darjeeling I HAD to buy 7 Years in Tibet. So we found it for about 2 dollars. We watched it earlier last week and the POW camp Brad Pitt goes to in the beginning is in Dehra Dun! Weird! Great movie. The scenery in that movie is fantastic. I had only seen it once before when I was young. It’s one of my Dad’s favorite moves. Liz, me, Lara and Charlie went to Dehra Dun on Tuesday ( two school holiday's this week). I got to go to Kumar's for the last time and did some shopping too. Surreal!

I’ve had to do some last minute scrambling in regards to my ticket from Seattle to Juneau but it’s getting sorted out. Now I’m just trying to decide if I want an escort from Shishya to Delhi on the 23rd. I don’t want to inconvenience anyone on Easter! But it might be for the best?