greetings from India.

greetings to all from India! my thoughts are racing and there is SO much I want to tell right now. I have also taken a slew of photos, but am afraid all I have to offer today are words. (I know...photos are what you want to see!)

the last 5 days have been some of the most valuable of my entire life. living inside of Utah for my entire life has provided the best blank canvas the colors of India have ever seen. and so far, the colors are bright as well as dark. I am baffled by my experiences so far. I am overjoyed to be here, but my tears are salty as I think of you all now. oh, how I miss home. my hunger for camping has been completely satiated. :)

june 3
I am writing in the dark of a 5 a.m. India morning. we walked out of the air port to see a row of Indian men holding signs. one says "The George Foundation, Shanti Bhavan." we greet him and he smiles. He seems genuinely happy to see us--surprised even. he has a great smile and is stronger than the other men we have seen so far. there have been dozens of them in the 30 minutes we have been at the airport. they stand in groups with no purpose apparent to me, although they are wearing unifroms and nametags. we walk and the air is wet. not like in South Carolina or California though. the feel of it overwhelms me and I am crying.

honking, every 3 or 4 seconds. whoever honks has the right of way, but the horns are less harsh than in the States--as if only to say "I'm here!" on the streets, nothing is straight or in grids. where there is not a building, highway, or billboard, something grows. swamps too. the city is just waking and there are few women out. the sky reminds me of home in St. George, morning light breaking through puffy gray clouds. I feel completely safe in this stranger's car until I see a misquito.

I couldn't have anticipate dthis world. if I had to go home right now, these last few hours would have been worht it. but I feel as though I never want to leave.

I know it is pretty cliche to say--bu it feels like a movie. I suppose movies are of life. so this feels like life at it's very best. the people are breathtakingly beautiful. but the ones we passed today are very poor. in the city, there seems to be no regard for cleanliness or order. and some of them are richer looking (or at least driving cars or working). but others are squatting, walking in bare feet, carrying bundles of sticks or water on their heads, and hanging out of the backs of trucks going 70 mph. stray dogs, goats, chicken, everywhere. cows, however, are on ropes.

frogs, lizards, spiders, bugs of all manner are accompanying Melissa and I in our room. our room as 2 metal freame beds with mattresses, and one without a mattress for a bench, a tin cabinet, and a desk. we also have a bathroom with running water, toilet, and shower and a nice patio in the back. I am not uncomfortable in the least.

today, june 5
I am teaching civics (social sciences) for grades 4-10. Indian civics. do I know anything about Indian civics? no. I also teaching writing classes in grades 8-12. my most exciting piece of news: I will be reading To Kill A Mockingbird again this summer, in the company of my 8th grade Indian literature class. I am thrilled. Melissa is teaching science, grammar, reading, spelling, and dance in the younger grades. I get to attend her dance class and it is SO fun. the kids are hilarious. they get the giggles so badly!

the children are so beautiful. they have bright eyes and even brighter smiles, and their energy wears us out each day. their minds are bright, too. Shanti Bhavan is no Slumdog Millionaire (from what I've heard of the film :) it is somewhere near the middle of nowhere--in rural India. we are surrounded by palm trees and plants of every kind. Shanti Bhavan means Haven of Peace--and it truly is. I feel it every time I go outside there. the peace is as thick and as wet as the air is on your skin. and Melissa and I are so glad to be here. they are keeping us very busy.

I am still adjusting to the time here--haven't slept an entire night yet. I continue to dream of home each night and have to consciously remind myself where I am each morning. the food is agreeing with us (besides the nasty malaria pill we have to take every night), and we are positive we are wasting away with rice 3 times a day.

I can't tell you what a different world this is. I couldn't have anticipated more of a whirlwind of emotions. I have so much more to say. and will find time to say it. for now, I am viewing myself in this completely different world.