3 months

I have been in India exactly 3 months today. Frieda wants volunteers to try and be here as close as 6 months as possible to really get the cultural experience and so forth. I feel like it took about a month and a half or so to get into the routine of being here and I just now feel like everything is sink in for me.

We got an awesome Valentines Day box from Amanda with so many goodies! Chocolate always goes over well!!

Teacher conferences were interesting last weekend. The parents didn’t really talk to us… and we only saw about 7 or 8? There were quite a few parents there all together and a little dramatic with some feedback from parents about certain things in regards to the school as a whole… but I am learning drama in a school can be found everywhere, all over the world! Lata offered to take over drafting the final exams for Liz and me. A HUGE weight off our shoulders, but we still have lots to do!

There is a girl’s boarding school near by called Hope Town and their basketball coach invited the boys to come for a practice so we all went last weekend. It was so fun to shoot around and do some drills! I asked the coach if he ever needed people for a scrimmage (friendly game) I could come. I’m not 100% sure if he understood what I meant but I hope so!

People call flashlights torches here. I’m starting to call it that too! When someone asks what your “good” name is… they are asking for your first name.

I have a whole new appreciation for Christian music. I just got a bunch from my long time dear friend Holly and future brother in law Andrew. I have always loved Third Day… and I’m loving newer things too!

For my masters degree in Education I have to do a research project or thesis. I would like to do something in relation to India but haven’t been able to pin down something specific yet. Here are some ideas:
-Western education in an Indian school
-Indian public schools vs private
-Girls and education opportunities in India.
-Any other ideas out there? I think Yip, Frieda’s husband, would be a good person to talk to so I will soon.

My 6th grade students wrote a story about giants, fairies and three headed monkeys and I asked them if they have read The BFG and they hadn’t even heard of it! Our library didn’t have it but I was able to read the first 5 pages on Amazon.com today. They listened for the most part… and it made me want to read the book again!

It has still been pretty cold here. Last night there was a crazy thunder and lightning storm with lots of rain. When we woke up this morning, the foothill’s of the Himalayas in the foreground of Shishya where Musoorie is had snow-capped tops!

I have decided to make my pictures more private from my time here. If you would like the link to view them, please email me and I will give it to you.

Just heard last week that two people were murdered in the village near Shishya due to a jealously issue of some sort.

A few weeks ago a train going from one place to another carrying a ton of people to only a few selected job interviews wrecked. The train was over booked and people were all over the outside and it went under a ledge and literally scrapped the people off killing like 30 or so. The newspaper even had pictures of the train just draped in people before, then the after shot of the blood. It was horrific.