My Last Week

All the girl volunteers with Frieda and her granddaughter went on a picnic last Thursday when we had a holiday from school. Everyone cooked all morning and we had such a feast! We drove past Selaqui right up against the Himalaya foothills to a pretty forested area with shade. It was really nice! That night we went to Deepak’s new house with leftovers and met the British woman who built the house. We all had a really nice time!

I regret more than anything not being here for Easter. Ratan said something in devotions the other day when I said something about this thing they could do for Easter in regards to my stations of the cross stuff and he said with a sad smile, “ But mam, you won’t be here.” I am going to miss so much that day! I almost started crying right then and there. On my walk home after, I did let tears come in the dark. I hope I don't beat myself up too much thinking I COULD have stretched a day or two longer in India.

On Good Friday, the day Jesus died for us, the boys presented our stations of the cross to everyone. When I told Ratan I had to fly out on Easter because of visa stuff, he said “Mam, just tell them it rained.” Oh if only that would work. The Good Friday service was awesome. The worship at Shishya doesn't compare to anything else.

Two boys in my project class with Nibha were fighting the other day. I had them stay after dismissal and made them apologize to each other and then shake hands. One boy tugged on his ears and said sorry. I saw that as well earlier that day. Maybe that’s what some do to say sorry?

The moon rising one day this week was awesome. There was clear sky above with stars with thunderclouds surrounding the valley. You could see lightning right to the side and below the moon as it rose so bright and big above the clouds. It looked incredible!

Swaliya, one of my 7th class students invited the teachers and me for food one last time so we took the crazy school bus in! It was fun! We stopped by Sabiya’s to say goodbye one last time and insisted we stay for tea… and she gave us henna too. People just beg you to stay longer and come back! I thought I could pull off seeing her one last time after that but it didn’t work out. Ruth and Kiran had Liz and I over for dinner and we had Chicken curry. It was great to just relax with them and talk. They are amazing people. Linds and Sonu also had us over for dinner and had great conversation as well.

My last day of school was Thursday. I came into the school on a whirlwind in November and I’m leaving on one. They called a special assembly with the whole school and thanked me. I got a school magazine and a big round of applause. I feel so appreciated here. I feel like it’s the most I have ever been. My kids finished the ABC flip books for Deepak’s slum school. I hope it works out good! On Thursday night Kiran and Ruth had Liz and I over for dinner. It was really nice to just talk with them in a different way. More relaxed with good conversation with chicken curry and chai was nice :)

So it’s wheat harvesting time. The boys wake up early before school and work the fields then again in the afternoon from 4-7. Shishya has 10 fields to harvest! I got out there today and carried some wheat piles to be threshed. In the midst of all that I lost my Alaska ring. Two days before I leave I lose it! It’s okay. It was a good place to lose it I guess. My India footprint!

The day before I left I had to finish up some last minute lesson plans. Frieda took all the volunteers for ice cream and we went into the jungle and ate them! We drove a little loop around back to Shishya. It was like a Sunday drive… on Friday. Beautiful. Before we jumped back in the car, everyone prayed for me. Needless to say, I cried. Tears of sadness… but of joy too. So many people impacted my life over the last 5 months. My last, and final post will be more about that.

Friday night there was a going away party for me at the small boys house. Some older boys that I taught came and joined us. Some boys thanked me for things (even got some sweet hand made cards) and Ruth and Kiran said a few sincere heartfelt words. I tried so hard to keep the tears in but couldn’t. It was so moving. I felt so appreciated by so many people. I kept stealing glances from Ratan, and the expression on his face was hard to read. I just wanted to run across the room and give him a big hug.

Vijay took the bus with me with my big bag and Liz's too to Delhi. It was nice to have someone with me. Delhi was a lot hotter than Dehra Dun. When Vijay hugged me by at the airport, I choked up because he was my last Shishya contact. He, along with lots of other people, asked if I'll be back some day. I said I hope to sometime in the future. I said most volunteers probably feel that way... but I don't want to say that then not come. Vijay admired that, and said that since I said that.... I'll for sure be back.

For 2 whole days I will be traveling by bus, plane and ferry to get home.
I still can't believe I left.
Why did 5 months have to go so fast?

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?

Story time!

India beat Sri Lanka in the final game for the World Cup Cricket! Everyone got to stay up and watch the game on the big screen on campus (it was about a 12 hour game that ended around midnight!) I turned in early but I heard fireworks going off and things. The boys are nothing but cricket cricket cricket lately!

Charlie read in a newspaper somewhere that motorbike riders have to wear helmets now but Sikhs don’t have to because of the turban they have to wear. Of course!

In the newspapers here there are personal classifieds for people seeking spouses... or letting people know they are available. It’s pretty incredible. I’m bringing a newspaper home specifically for that reason for people to read! It’s amazing how people still marry into certain castes only. Sometimes, if a woman doesn’t want to marry a man … he’ll just kill her. The newspapers are so graphic here. There is no respect for people whose brains are spread out all over the pavement.

The boys go to school tomorrow. When Liz and I got back we went straight to wrapping textbooks. I’m pretty sure I can do it in my sleep now!

I got to put the boys to bed the other night while Kiran and Ruth went to a wedding. The boys were really riled up and I had to scold a few. I wasn’t their best friend the next day but today was better. Devotions went really well as we are going through the Stations of the Cross. After dinner I stuck around which was fun.

My dad is a great storyteller. He has always told good stories from his childhood, and after the boys were playing with a toad outside after dinner, I couldn’t help but tell the story about how my dad used to send frogs up with helium balloons. One story after a next the boys wanted to hear. They would say “ about animals” or “about mountains” or “about snow” or "travel adventure". “One more story, mam” I was having so much fun! I think the boys could tell!

Frieda encourages all the teachers this week to READ to their students. She read a few pages from Heather Lende's second book “Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs” ( her blog) that I gave her for her birthday a month ago. She read a few pages about when Heather was smoking fish and hunting to the teachers. I got to share a little bit about my home town to the teachers which was really fun :) Frieda told all the teachers from reading Heather's books, she wants to come to Alaska more than ever! She feels like she is learning a lot about where I am from. She said that the way the mountains are described, it is exactly what the bible talks about! I’m hoping for our community service elective our older kids can go read to the younger ones. I think it would be a good buddy system!

Last Sunday I went to Dehra Dun with Lindsey and Sonu to Vineyard Church. It was really nice and I’m glad I went. I felt like in the sermon God really spoke to me. It was really neat. It was the longest I had been away from Liz since I got to India, which felt weird! When I was telling stories to the boys I said one about ice-skating when I was really young and when my sister fell through the ice. Ratan said, “And Liz mam was there”. I had to remind him I just met Liz in November when I came here!

As a staff group we were all supposed to go on a picnic today a little ways away from Shishya but we had too much work today so we all just sat in front of school and shared food. Delicious!

I'll just be teaching life skills the remainder of the time I'm here to grades 4-8 and helping with the community service elective with Deepak. I won't have Saturday school anymore and I only have 10 school days left. Incredible!

Spring Break INDIA

Grass huts, yoga, rafting the Ganges, night trains, awkward men, Holi, Taj Mahal, burning bodies in Varanasi, bouncy/spectacular jeep rides, delicious food, tea gardens, awesome shopping, meeting amazing people from all over the world, cozy/artsy coffee shops, colorful birds and amazing animals, pretty sure saw one of the 3rd tallest mountains in the world on a plane (where the pilot updated the passengers every 15 minutes during the India/Pakistan cricket game) and being in Delhi when India beat Pakistan in the semi-finals World Cup Cricket game!

Check out Liz's more detailed blog post about our trip here.

March 17 Bus to Rishikesh
March 20 Taxi to Haridwar where we got a train to Delhi
March 21 Train to Taj Mahal then Varanasi
March 24 Train to Darjeeling area and took a jeep up. Amazing.
March 30 Flight from Darjeeling area to Delhi. Night train to Dehra Dun
March 31 Taxi early AM to Shishya

Check out the trip photo album here.



When we got back the boys were swimming in the pool here at Shishya. It’s much hotter now. The wheat has turned golden and so many more beautiful plants are in bloom. The students come back to school on the 6th. I won’t be teaching English anymore but helping with the school project on the different states of India, teaching Life Skills, and leading the community service elective with Deepak up until I leave Shishya on the 23rd! The big final World Cup Cricket game is tomorrow with India and Sri Lanka. Everyone on campus is getting together for a big cook out to watch the game!

Life is amazing.