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 :)

Indizzle

Hello All -

I made it safely to India! I've been in Hyderabad for two and a half days now and it has been great! The only complication I had while traveling was that they lost my luggage on the way from moscow to Mumbai. Actually, the plane was late leavng LA and it was a little slow getting through customs in Russia and I barely made it on the plane, so I was just happy that I made it to India even if my luggage didn't. We have orientation here all week so hopefully I will get it before I head back to Mumbai for the rest of my time.

There are about 18 interns here right now who will be working in different programs OM has here in India this summer. I have three roommates right now. One from Papau New Guinea who will be working in Bangalore for the next 2 years, one from Germany who will be working as a nurse at the health center here, and my last roommate is from LA too!

This week we will be experiencing all of the different programs OM has in Hyderabad to help us get ready for our different positions. Tomorrow we will be working in the Dalit Education Center on the campus here. It's basically an elemtary school for the Dalit children in the area. Since the school year is just starting they are letting us teach all day in the classrooms, so myself and another girl on the team will be in charge of the 3rd grade class for 6 hours tomorrow. Wednesday we will be visiting the slums in hyderabad. And Friday we will all depart for our separate fields.

I'm kind of rushed right now because I need to get ready for class tomorrow, but I wanted to give a quick update of what's going on so far. Please be thinking about my bag and that I would be immediately and actively obedient to the Father's commands.

Kyle

Sorry there are no pictures now...this computer is a little old. Hopefully next time. I've got some good ones to share :)

8 Days Away

I leave for India in 8 days and am in the getting ready process, hence this blog. I'm not sure how often I will be posting on this blog, however, because I am also going to be sending out a mass email. Most likely, I will post the same thing I write in the email, except I may be able to post pictures on this page...so if my eloquent descriptions of india don't paint a beautiful enough picture for you and you want more, I've got you covered. Anyway, that's about all I've got for now. Here's a picture of me in San Fransisco getting my visa last week.