So it begins...

Hey Everybody -

Good News! I got my luggage on wednesday, so now I don't stand out because I am wearing the same clothes everyday, but because I am a foot taller than most people I meet. The last week has been great, though. Most of the orientation was primarily informative and we weren't required to do much beside soak in the information. Except for the day of teacher at the school I mentioned before. That was a humbling day. I have spent the last four years preparing to teach and so I went into the day expecting that it would be different, but that it wouldn't be that different from a US school. It wasn't a typical school day for the children either, though, because the semester just started. So there were no textbooks, no set curriculum that had begun, and most of the students were still not used to the structure of school. Basically, most of the actual lessons that we had planned on teaching did not work (or we simply decided not to even try them). We did teach the students a song or two, play a few games, and do a little teaching from an old textbook with the teacher's help. I am excited to get some more classroom experience on the trip now that I know a little more of what to expect.

Yesterday we finished our orientation in Hyderabad and flew to Mumbai where I will spend the next 5 weeks. As it turns out, myself and Jason (another guy from the US) are staying with two Indian brothers who work full time with the program here. If that wasn't sweet enough, we are all going to share the cooking responsiblities. It's going to be a learning process since pretty much everything must be made from scratch. Fortunately, they have been eager to help and very patient.

Most of my days will be spent in the slums. They are going to be pretty busy from what I understand. We will be doing a lot of work with the school that they run (I'm guessing I may end up doing quite a bit since they know I'm studying to become a teacher). We will also be involved in leading a number of church services, bible studies, and kid's clubs, as well as doing home visitations and bringing food to people. Most days go from about 9am to 7 or 8 pm. More on that later.

Things to be "thinking" about:
- humilty/willingness to learn for me
- patience for the indian brothers
- unity/deep relationships between the housemates

Kyle

PS. I've decided to include in each of these emails an Authentic Indian Experience that I have had so far. I think it's gonna be pretty funny and I hope you enjoy them. This week's was especially good.

Kyle's Authentic Indian Experience #1
In India, they have a slightly different process for using the restroom than I was used to. The typical Indian toilet consists only of a porcelain hole in the floor with a bucket of water next to it. Hence the term "squatty-potty." I'll try not to be too graphic, but the process is like this: Step 1) squat over hole, tuck pants, shorts, sari, lungi etc. behind knees. Step 2) Relieve oneself. Step 3) Wipe with left hand and water for that just brushed clean feeling. Step 4) Shake dry and wash hands. Thoroughly. This is one of the main reasons why Indians only use their right hand to eat with :)