Just a quick update to say that while some days are much better than others, overall I'm feeling a strong sense of joy from the Lord. I think the combination of my writings of culture shock and my grandma's death may have been a little worrisome for some family members, but be assured! God is good, and He's been very present in our lives through all of this.
I've felt really dead spiritually the last couple of years, as I've started full-time work and been so busy...it's been a really hard transition in my spiritual life. It felt like I was never "feeling" things, "feeling" God's presence. I know our spiritual journey is about the ups and downs, but I (as a feeler!) was frankly VERY sick of it. So, even though the feelings here are sometimes not so good, I am DEFINITELY feeling God's presence in the midst of them, and that's a WONDERFUL feeling. :)
So, no worries! We really are getting settled in here, really making some great friends, and barely ever think "what did we get ourselves into!?". Oh yeah, and the kids are adorable.
Today: I'm going to DehraDun with two girlfriends to get some more house shopping done (woohooo), then hosting a chill evening of "Breakfast for Supper" and games/a movie. SO, have a good one, 'cause I'm planning to!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
My Grams
My dear, sweet grandma died yesterday afternoon after suffering a brain hemorrhage during the night. I, unfortunately, comprehend things most when I'm physically present, so it's still so hard for me to believe it's true. Tears are constantly streaming down my face, but my mind keeps saying "it can't be true, she'll still be there with her crazy smile and big hugs when I get home at Christmas"...but she won't be, and my heart hurts.
Outside my immediate family and Chris, grandma will always hold the place of "most impacting individual" in my life. She taught me life lessons that no one but a grandma can teach. I learned what it looks like to be hard-working AND people-oriented. I learned what it looks like to love everyone you come in contact with. I learned that if people are "attention-seekers", they must need attention...so give it to them! I learned that it's possible to forgive people who do you wrong...40 times 40. I learned that you really can get all the love you need from God, and that His love really will fill you to overflowing. And I learned that I have SO much more to learn.
I'm most sad for those of us that are left here, because we don't get to learn from her anymore. But, I'm not sad for her. I PRAISE Jesus, because she was healthy these last two weeks. She'd been suffering from crippling headaches, lethargy, forgetfulness...and the last time I was with her, I could sense discouragement slowly seeping into her soul. Her body didn't keep up with her spirit, and it was crushing her. Thank you, Lord, for giving her this last gift of a healthy body. She always said she wanted to die working, and she got to.
I'll miss you, grandma. So much. I'm sorry I couldn't be there with you when you left, but I'll see you again, and we'll giggle and hug and cuddle and be crazy like we always did. I'm glad you're not in any more pain.
Grams, these are the things I'll remember most. Thank you for being a lover of the little things...they made all the difference.
- Pressing down on your vericose veins while we held hands and talked.
- Barely touching your side and making you scream 'cause it tickled so much.
- Ice cream sandwiches and Lawrence Welk on Saturday nights.
- Trips to Sam's on the 4-wheeler
- Picking WAY too much sweet corn than we should eat, and then eating it all anyway.
- Having a fellow strawberry lover.
- Norwegian prayers
- Waves goodbye
- Sewing projects when I'd come up over the summer
- Electric kisses
- Giggling in bed
- Baby's Boat's a Silver Moon....
- Never complain, always smile
- Fresh bread baking
- Swimming in the baby pool in our bras
- Freezing things from the garden
- Searching through your huge box of mittens/hats/scarves to get all bundled up to make snow forts
- Precious Moments
- "Hey, Good Lookin' "
- Haircuts in the kitchen
- Church every Sunday, without fail
- Your "green thumb" that I definitely didn't inherit. :)
- Never being able to get you to sit down for an entire meal.
- Watering your flowers every night
- Every little kid in the WORLD loved you.
- Your response to compliments..."sickening, isn't it?!"
- Life is really good.
- Blue trident gum in your black leather purse
- Crazy doll in the attic
- The Polyanna Board Game and crazy men waddling down the cutting board
- You never once yelled, and I never once wanted to disobey
Thank you for the big things, too. You taught us how to love, how to deal with pain, how to forgive and truly forget, how to lean on Jesus in everything. I loved you as much as anyone could love their grandma, and my whole heart misses you right now. I hope you know how much you're loved.
Outside my immediate family and Chris, grandma will always hold the place of "most impacting individual" in my life. She taught me life lessons that no one but a grandma can teach. I learned what it looks like to be hard-working AND people-oriented. I learned what it looks like to love everyone you come in contact with. I learned that if people are "attention-seekers", they must need attention...so give it to them! I learned that it's possible to forgive people who do you wrong...40 times 40. I learned that you really can get all the love you need from God, and that His love really will fill you to overflowing. And I learned that I have SO much more to learn.
I'm most sad for those of us that are left here, because we don't get to learn from her anymore. But, I'm not sad for her. I PRAISE Jesus, because she was healthy these last two weeks. She'd been suffering from crippling headaches, lethargy, forgetfulness...and the last time I was with her, I could sense discouragement slowly seeping into her soul. Her body didn't keep up with her spirit, and it was crushing her. Thank you, Lord, for giving her this last gift of a healthy body. She always said she wanted to die working, and she got to.
I'll miss you, grandma. So much. I'm sorry I couldn't be there with you when you left, but I'll see you again, and we'll giggle and hug and cuddle and be crazy like we always did. I'm glad you're not in any more pain.
Grams, these are the things I'll remember most. Thank you for being a lover of the little things...they made all the difference.
- Pressing down on your vericose veins while we held hands and talked.
- Barely touching your side and making you scream 'cause it tickled so much.
- Ice cream sandwiches and Lawrence Welk on Saturday nights.
- Trips to Sam's on the 4-wheeler
- Picking WAY too much sweet corn than we should eat, and then eating it all anyway.
- Having a fellow strawberry lover.
- Norwegian prayers
- Waves goodbye
- Sewing projects when I'd come up over the summer
- Electric kisses
- Giggling in bed
- Baby's Boat's a Silver Moon....
- Never complain, always smile
- Fresh bread baking
- Swimming in the baby pool in our bras
- Freezing things from the garden
- Searching through your huge box of mittens/hats/scarves to get all bundled up to make snow forts
- Precious Moments
- "Hey, Good Lookin' "
- Haircuts in the kitchen
- Church every Sunday, without fail
- Your "green thumb" that I definitely didn't inherit. :)
- Never being able to get you to sit down for an entire meal.
- Watering your flowers every night
- Every little kid in the WORLD loved you.
- Your response to compliments..."sickening, isn't it?!"
- Life is really good.
- Blue trident gum in your black leather purse
- Crazy doll in the attic
- The Polyanna Board Game and crazy men waddling down the cutting board
- You never once yelled, and I never once wanted to disobey
Thank you for the big things, too. You taught us how to love, how to deal with pain, how to forgive and truly forget, how to lean on Jesus in everything. I loved you as much as anyone could love their grandma, and my whole heart misses you right now. I hope you know how much you're loved.
Friday, August 21, 2009
What Happens at Woodstock...
SHOULD really stay at Woodstock. But, since this isn't about me, I thought I'd share. :)
This last weekend was Indian Independence Day, and to celebrate the school invited a Dance Troupe to come perform at school. They did 3 performances, and then did some really neat workshops with the kids. I happened to get a very hilarious video of our two P.E. teachers participating in one of these workshops. One is Steve, our good friend, and the other is Ajay, a really good friend of Chris' aunt and uncle (and a very funny man!). Enjoy!
This last weekend was Indian Independence Day, and to celebrate the school invited a Dance Troupe to come perform at school. They did 3 performances, and then did some really neat workshops with the kids. I happened to get a very hilarious video of our two P.E. teachers participating in one of these workshops. One is Steve, our good friend, and the other is Ajay, a really good friend of Chris' aunt and uncle (and a very funny man!). Enjoy!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Yearn
Holy design, this place in time
that i might seek and find my God, my God
Lord i want to yearn for You
i want to burn with passion
over You and only You
Lord i want to yearn
Your joy is mine
yet why am i fine
with all my singing and bringing grain
in light of Him
oh You give life and breath
through Him You give all things
in Him we live and move
that's why i sing
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Culture Shock and TRUTH
This is going to be a heart blog...here's my heart, world! I'm going through culture shock. I think it's been hitting me for about a week now, and I've been feeling seriously confused. I've randomly been grumpy, little things that would NEVER bother me at home have been blown out of proportion, Chris and I have been fighting randomly, sarcasm that I would have laughed off previously suddenly becomes a personal attack. Today I labeled myself as officially depressed, and I thought, "Maybe I'm going through culture shock!" I walked home with my new friend Kate who said that it really hits people around 4 weeks, so I decided to look it up...and it's TRUE!
Here are the stages of culture shock:
1. Excitement
- Feel very positive about the culture
- Are overwhelmed with impressions
- Find the new culture exotic and are fascinated.
Side Note: I actually felt pretty proud of myself for "adjusting" so well the last couple of weeks! I felt like everything was a fun new challenge, the crazy smells and sounds didn't overwhelm me, I wanted to take it all in. Yeah...pride is GONE!
2. Withdrawal
- Find the behavior of the people and culture unusual and unpredictable
- Begin to dislike the culture and react negatively to the behavior
- Feels anxious
- Start to withdraw
- Begin to criticize or mock the people
I'll delve into my reactions of withdrawal later...
3. Adjustment - The individual now has a routine, feels more settled and is more comfortable in dealing with the new culture. They...
- Understand and accept the behavior of the people
- Feel less isolated
- Regain their sense of humor
4. Enthusiasm - The individual now feels at home. They...
- Enjoy being in the culture
- Functions well in the culture
- Prefer certain cultural traits of the new rather than their own
- Adopt certain behaviors from the new culture
I'd definitely say I'm in #2.
___________________________________________________________
Here's the part that's really "irking" me. I feel like I'm in this confused state, and I can't discern truth from feeling. For example...
- I'm afraid to walk by myself outside almost all the time. I've been approached or gawked at a few times by Indian men, and suddenly I have these really "real to me" fears all the time! Are these fears rational or are my emotions getting the best of me?
- I just found out about "bride burnings" that happen in India, and it has COMPLETELY changed how I see women (and men!) in India. Apparently, it's rather common for men and their families to burn brides if they aren't satisfied with the dowry that accompanies her. And suddenly I feel like I'm incompetent at everything I do...but ONLY when compared to men. GRR! I have NEVER had those feelings before.
- I'm suddenly second guessing everything I do. I feel like: I'm not a good teacher, I'm not a good friend, I'm socially awkward, the kids don't like me, my boss doesn't like me. I feel like I'm back in 7th grade!!! AHH!
- I ordered a quilt made the other day, and when it was done the original piece of cloth that had covered the bed no longer did because it had been scrunched up by the quilting. And it was a big deal. Like, I almost cried about it and Chris and I got into a fight "big deal." In my head I know it's COMPLETELY ridiculous, but my head and my emotions aren't exactly meeting up.
- I'm pretty sick of the food here, so I 'm starting to just not eat sometimes. On the up side, I'm losing some weight! But, the not eating part kind of sucks. :) (not breakfast though, breakfast ROCKS!)
- I feel confused about my feelings all the time.
- I just started crying when I heard our dogs bark over Skype (Chris is talking with his mom). Whoa.
It really helped to label what I'm feeling as "culture shock", because then at least it puts me in a "this is normal" category.
What's been helping:
- Hiking has seemed to help the most. I'm finding that when I hike, I'm not a "blonde white girl" or "dressed differently", I'm just in nature, away from strange things, and able to exert energy and sweat it out. It feels really good to have an outlet, and I'm so glad to have people that are up for hiking so often.
- Working around the house and making our house more homey has made at least one place feel good.
- I feel SO thankful that we have people that can act as our "family" here in India. I can think of 6 or 7 people that I could go to right now (other than Chris, of course), and just unload. They probably wouldn't love it all that much (since most of them are ALSO probably going through a form of culture shock), but if I needed to, I could...and they're going through the same thing, so they would understand.
- Ordering "western" food. :) We have penne alfredo with garlic bread on the way!
SO, I've decided to pray for a few things incessantly until God answers (which He WILL, that much doesn't change!). I'm going to pray that the Holy Spirit will show me Truth, and that I will be able to be others-focused during this self-focused time. I'll let you know how it turns out. :)
P.S. Family, you don't need to worry...we really are doing great, just transitioning. No fears!
Here are the stages of culture shock:
1. Excitement
- Feel very positive about the culture
- Are overwhelmed with impressions
- Find the new culture exotic and are fascinated.
Side Note: I actually felt pretty proud of myself for "adjusting" so well the last couple of weeks! I felt like everything was a fun new challenge, the crazy smells and sounds didn't overwhelm me, I wanted to take it all in. Yeah...pride is GONE!
2. Withdrawal
- Find the behavior of the people and culture unusual and unpredictable
- Begin to dislike the culture and react negatively to the behavior
- Feels anxious
- Start to withdraw
- Begin to criticize or mock the people
I'll delve into my reactions of withdrawal later...
3. Adjustment - The individual now has a routine, feels more settled and is more comfortable in dealing with the new culture. They...
- Understand and accept the behavior of the people
- Feel less isolated
- Regain their sense of humor
4. Enthusiasm - The individual now feels at home. They...
- Enjoy being in the culture
- Functions well in the culture
- Prefer certain cultural traits of the new rather than their own
- Adopt certain behaviors from the new culture
I'd definitely say I'm in #2.
___________________________________________________________
Here's the part that's really "irking" me. I feel like I'm in this confused state, and I can't discern truth from feeling. For example...
- I'm afraid to walk by myself outside almost all the time. I've been approached or gawked at a few times by Indian men, and suddenly I have these really "real to me" fears all the time! Are these fears rational or are my emotions getting the best of me?
- I just found out about "bride burnings" that happen in India, and it has COMPLETELY changed how I see women (and men!) in India. Apparently, it's rather common for men and their families to burn brides if they aren't satisfied with the dowry that accompanies her. And suddenly I feel like I'm incompetent at everything I do...but ONLY when compared to men. GRR! I have NEVER had those feelings before.
- I'm suddenly second guessing everything I do. I feel like: I'm not a good teacher, I'm not a good friend, I'm socially awkward, the kids don't like me, my boss doesn't like me. I feel like I'm back in 7th grade!!! AHH!
- I ordered a quilt made the other day, and when it was done the original piece of cloth that had covered the bed no longer did because it had been scrunched up by the quilting. And it was a big deal. Like, I almost cried about it and Chris and I got into a fight "big deal." In my head I know it's COMPLETELY ridiculous, but my head and my emotions aren't exactly meeting up.
- I'm pretty sick of the food here, so I 'm starting to just not eat sometimes. On the up side, I'm losing some weight! But, the not eating part kind of sucks. :) (not breakfast though, breakfast ROCKS!)
- I feel confused about my feelings all the time.
- I just started crying when I heard our dogs bark over Skype (Chris is talking with his mom). Whoa.
It really helped to label what I'm feeling as "culture shock", because then at least it puts me in a "this is normal" category.
What's been helping:
- Hiking has seemed to help the most. I'm finding that when I hike, I'm not a "blonde white girl" or "dressed differently", I'm just in nature, away from strange things, and able to exert energy and sweat it out. It feels really good to have an outlet, and I'm so glad to have people that are up for hiking so often.
- Working around the house and making our house more homey has made at least one place feel good.
- I feel SO thankful that we have people that can act as our "family" here in India. I can think of 6 or 7 people that I could go to right now (other than Chris, of course), and just unload. They probably wouldn't love it all that much (since most of them are ALSO probably going through a form of culture shock), but if I needed to, I could...and they're going through the same thing, so they would understand.
- Ordering "western" food. :) We have penne alfredo with garlic bread on the way!
SO, I've decided to pray for a few things incessantly until God answers (which He WILL, that much doesn't change!). I'm going to pray that the Holy Spirit will show me Truth, and that I will be able to be others-focused during this self-focused time. I'll let you know how it turns out. :)
P.S. Family, you don't need to worry...we really are doing great, just transitioning. No fears!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Today I...
walked pver 30 kilometers. FYI, that's about 20 miles! Since we were busy with Independence Day yesterday we decided to do a hike today. And even though we missed church, there were multiple times that I felt so worshipful because of getting to experience nature! It was really neat.
We ended up going to Thatyur again (we went a different way this time, and I liked it a lot more!), and Chris felt well enough to come this time! It was so much more fun having him there, yay! Here are some fun pics...
Just a cool looking "house" along the way.
Clothes drying.
Chris waving hi at the "scenic overlook"
2 big birds...they were REALLY big!
This is one of my favorites...this kid was waving and yelling hi at us...but all we
could see was the silhouette. So cool!
A random pot. Kinda cool...
Say Cheese!
Rice patties on the way down.
What a cutie. :)
Steve and Dave with their mouths full.
These boys were fascinated with the LCD screen on our cameras, so I took a picture of them so they could see themselves on the screen.
Yeah, nasty. There were TONS of leeches on this hike (first time we really saw some, it was gross!), and Steve ended up not catching one before it latched on. It looks a lot worse than it actually was, but he definitely drew a crowd at the restaurant when he was cleaning it off! I've decided that I do NOT like leeches.
Now, the more in shape people have always hiked up after going down...first down to Rajpur (I stayed in town and shopped, taxi up), then to Thatyur last weekend (some of us got a taxi up). I decided that today was the day...and I hiked back up too. It was 9 miles down and 9 miles back...adding in the distance traveled to school for supper, and I made my goal of 30 kilometers in one day. YAY! Next stop...Cross Country!
We ended up going to Thatyur again (we went a different way this time, and I liked it a lot more!), and Chris felt well enough to come this time! It was so much more fun having him there, yay! Here are some fun pics...
We're on our way!
Just a cool looking "house" along the way.
Clothes drying.
Chris waving hi at the "scenic overlook"
Beautiful!
2 big birds...they were REALLY big!
This is one of my favorites...this kid was waving and yelling hi at us...but all we
could see was the silhouette. So cool!
A random pot. Kinda cool...
Say Cheese!
Rice patties on the way down.
Me and Cookie in a restaurant in Thatyur.
What a cutie. :)
Steve and Dave with their mouths full.
These boys were fascinated with the LCD screen on our cameras, so I took a picture of them so they could see themselves on the screen.
Yeah, nasty. There were TONS of leeches on this hike (first time we really saw some, it was gross!), and Steve ended up not catching one before it latched on. It looks a lot worse than it actually was, but he definitely drew a crowd at the restaurant when he was cleaning it off! I've decided that I do NOT like leeches.
Now, the more in shape people have always hiked up after going down...first down to Rajpur (I stayed in town and shopped, taxi up), then to Thatyur last weekend (some of us got a taxi up). I decided that today was the day...and I hiked back up too. It was 9 miles down and 9 miles back...adding in the distance traveled to school for supper, and I made my goal of 30 kilometers in one day. YAY! Next stop...Cross Country!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Happy Birthday India!
Today was Indian Independence Day, and what a celebration! Since we've been here, I've been trying to learn about the history of India...here's a little lesson! India was occupied by Britain for over 2 centuries, which was a pretty dark time for the country. Caste systems were VERY prevalent, and there was tons of corruption within the leaders of the country. LOTS of violence and war...until Gandhi! Gandhi led a peaceful revolt within the country over a period of many years, and eventually won India it's freedom from Britain. (that's the gyst, anyway!). Today we celebrated India's freedom at Woodstock!
Not many rules...the only rule was that everyone had to wear "formal dress". For most of us that meant formal Indian dress, but some students chose to wear their own country's "costumes". (Today was also South Korea's Independence Day, and there are LOTS of South Koreans at Woodstock!)
And, here are all the pics! Hope you enjoy.
Chris and our neighbor Greg ended up having the same outfit. Indian thugs.
The campus decorated in strings of real flowers and greenery. It was beautiful!
Sand art outside the auditorium.
This is some famous actor, who graced Woodstock with his presence. :)
The Indian choir/instrumentalists performed some Indian pieces.
All the Korean kids did a performance to celebrate their Independence
Aloke Maiti is the Indian Music teacher at school.
The girls in our outfits!
They put on a high school dance to keep the high schoolers busy with the elementary and middle schoolers ate. It was a BLAST! We had so much fun, and our saris didn't even fall off!
Our friend Adityah was hoisted...it was a GREAT dance.
The quad was totally decorated, and SO cool.
They use barrels filled with dried clay called Tandoors to bake bread type things.
Good food!
The monkeys were jealous of the fun we were having.
One of my cute kiddies.
More of the cuties.
______________________________________________________
After the celebration we hung out, took a nap, cleaned the house, and then had a brunch/supper. We provided the pancake mix, eggs, potatoes, and other people brought onions, cheese, silverware...and we had a GREAT TIME! Best thing...I don't think I made any of the supper. Greg made the eggs, Chris made the pancakes, and Dave made the hashbrowns. Mmmm...
Not many rules...the only rule was that everyone had to wear "formal dress". For most of us that meant formal Indian dress, but some students chose to wear their own country's "costumes". (Today was also South Korea's Independence Day, and there are LOTS of South Koreans at Woodstock!)
And, here are all the pics! Hope you enjoy.
A little blurry, but you get the idea. All us girls felt BEAUTIFUL!
Chris and our neighbor Greg ended up having the same outfit. Indian thugs.
The campus decorated in strings of real flowers and greenery. It was beautiful!
Sand art outside the auditorium.
This is some famous actor, who graced Woodstock with his presence. :)
The Indian choir/instrumentalists performed some Indian pieces.
All the Korean kids did a performance to celebrate their Independence
Aloke Maiti is the Indian Music teacher at school.
The girls in our outfits!
They put on a high school dance to keep the high schoolers busy with the elementary and middle schoolers ate. It was a BLAST! We had so much fun, and our saris didn't even fall off! 
Cute Indian couple :)
Our friend Adityah was hoisted...it was a GREAT dance.
The quad was totally decorated, and SO cool.
They use barrels filled with dried clay called Tandoors to bake bread type things.
Good food!
The monkeys were jealous of the fun we were having.
One of my cute kiddies.
More of the cuties.
______________________________________________________
After the celebration we hung out, took a nap, cleaned the house, and then had a brunch/supper. We provided the pancake mix, eggs, potatoes, and other people brought onions, cheese, silverware...and we had a GREAT TIME! Best thing...I don't think I made any of the supper. Greg made the eggs, Chris made the pancakes, and Dave made the hashbrowns. Mmmm...
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Real Life Here
I feel like I've gained a good understanding this week of what our lives are going to look like here: CRAZY. Because this is a boarding school, we become everything to these kids. Teacher, coach, mentor, friend, parent, aunt, sister, grandma...literally everything. And because there are a limited number of staff members with no real source of community to draw on for the "extras", people get recruited to do just about anything. For example...
- We have a friend who was hired as a dorm parent. However, today he interviewed (and I think got!) a job as the school counselor. And, he teaches drama class.
- Another friend came as dorm parent, and was soon asked to teach a class on Religion. Never taken an education class in her life!
- A man came to school with us this year as a volunteer, and three days after he arrived was asked to step in as "Head of High School" (which is the principal.) Hmm...
- I'm currently an elementary/middle school music teacher, varsity cross country coach, Model United Nations advisor, and Friendship Club coordinator. Can we say COMPLETELY unrelated?!
I guess I'm going to struggle with balance (ooh, big surprise for those of you who know me!). Interestingly enough, though, I'm not necessarily jumping into these commitments...most of the time commitments we'll have are things required of us. Hopefully we'll settle into a good schedule pretty soon, but right now I feel torn all the time.
When do I carve out time to spend with just Chris? How do I cultivate the new relationships I'm making here? When in the WORLD do I find time to communicate and invest in my relationships at home?!
And then there's the fact that we're living in India, and all I want to do is EXPERIENCE EVERYTHING! I want to go hiking every weekend...I want to learn photography so I can take sweet pictures...I want to travel like crazy...I want to experience God fully in this crazy diverse religious environment...I want to delve into the relationships here and make the most of our time. So many things, and so little time!
My consoling thought is, "If I ever actually achieved balance, I'd be really bored!" It's like the ever-elusive "To-Do List"...what would happen if we actually got it all done?!
*I'm looking for some bible verses that will stretch and challenge my faith...suggestions? What's spoken to your hearts lately?
**I might get to go to Bangkok for an external MUN Conference! Pretty sweet...
- We have a friend who was hired as a dorm parent. However, today he interviewed (and I think got!) a job as the school counselor. And, he teaches drama class.
- Another friend came as dorm parent, and was soon asked to teach a class on Religion. Never taken an education class in her life!
- A man came to school with us this year as a volunteer, and three days after he arrived was asked to step in as "Head of High School" (which is the principal.) Hmm...
- I'm currently an elementary/middle school music teacher, varsity cross country coach, Model United Nations advisor, and Friendship Club coordinator. Can we say COMPLETELY unrelated?!
I guess I'm going to struggle with balance (ooh, big surprise for those of you who know me!). Interestingly enough, though, I'm not necessarily jumping into these commitments...most of the time commitments we'll have are things required of us. Hopefully we'll settle into a good schedule pretty soon, but right now I feel torn all the time.
When do I carve out time to spend with just Chris? How do I cultivate the new relationships I'm making here? When in the WORLD do I find time to communicate and invest in my relationships at home?!
And then there's the fact that we're living in India, and all I want to do is EXPERIENCE EVERYTHING! I want to go hiking every weekend...I want to learn photography so I can take sweet pictures...I want to travel like crazy...I want to experience God fully in this crazy diverse religious environment...I want to delve into the relationships here and make the most of our time. So many things, and so little time!
My consoling thought is, "If I ever actually achieved balance, I'd be really bored!" It's like the ever-elusive "To-Do List"...what would happen if we actually got it all done?!
*I'm looking for some bible verses that will stretch and challenge my faith...suggestions? What's spoken to your hearts lately?
**I might get to go to Bangkok for an external MUN Conference! Pretty sweet...
Monday, August 10, 2009
She's FAMOUS!
SO, I am the PROUD friend of Mrs. Katie Suddarth...who's now FAMOUS! She's got a whole article written about her music therapy brilliance...check it out here. :)
Sunday, August 09, 2009
The Happy Hikers Club...new members welcome!
It's official...the Happy Hikers Club of Woodstock School has been formed. Now, I want to clarify...this is a NON-exclusive club, and we're always looking for more happy hikers to join...but there seem to be a few members that are extra happy to hike, and always up for a Saturday trek. This last Saturday, we went to Tatur!
To preface this post, you should know...this was apparently a pretty hefty hike for the 3rd week in. (there are some in the group that are marathoners/triathaloners...you don't count). I was talking with someone that's been here for a while, and I had to convince them that, "Yes, we did actually go all the way to Tatur". She thought I was confused, or that we'd only made it to a town we thought was Tatur, that we couldn't really have gotten all the way there. Sweet, huh?!
This last Saturday's Happy Hikers included: Cookie, Dave, Steve, Matt, and myself. Good group, lots of singing and joking and load of tripping/falling to be had by all.
Here's the beginning of the trail. Little did we know, this is the "long way to go."
Steve got the nickname "Shorty" on this trip, because he nearly killed himself finding every shortcut on the ENTIRE hike.
Dave, in one of his "ponderous" moments. He tends to have a lot of those on our hikes.
One of the many different scenes we saw on the hike. This felt like we could have been in Minnesota or Colorado...the air was SO clean and fresh!
The first village we came to. Cute, huh?!
Just hanging out on the hillside.
Just a cool old dude walking along.
This dog's leash is a vine...pretty creative, huh?!
We tend to see and be attracted to schools on our hikes, and this one was no exception. 
The cute kiddies...we had the teacher's permission to take pictures this time.
Shoes lines up.
Another scene from our hike: we call this Dr. Seuss' playground.
We stopped at a temple to eat a snack, and saw some moving "bushes". Turns out to be people carrying bushes...who knew!
We shared our path nicely.
A beautiful view of Tatur.
This was my favorite part. We got into the "suburbs" of Tatur right when school was being let out, so we ended up walking into town with all the school kids. It started out with a few kids giggling when we'd say hi, and ended up being a PARADE (seriously, it was ridiculous!) of students of ALL AGES bringing us into town. Apparently, they don't see white people very often. :) Dave tended to be an attraction, probably because of his goofy grin and height. I have a fun video, I'll try to post it when I have more time. :)
See? They like Dave!
To preface this post, you should know...this was apparently a pretty hefty hike for the 3rd week in. (there are some in the group that are marathoners/triathaloners...you don't count). I was talking with someone that's been here for a while, and I had to convince them that, "Yes, we did actually go all the way to Tatur". She thought I was confused, or that we'd only made it to a town we thought was Tatur, that we couldn't really have gotten all the way there. Sweet, huh?!
This last Saturday's Happy Hikers included: Cookie, Dave, Steve, Matt, and myself. Good group, lots of singing and joking and load of tripping/falling to be had by all.
Here's the beginning of the trail. Little did we know, this is the "long way to go."
Steve got the nickname "Shorty" on this trip, because he nearly killed himself finding every shortcut on the ENTIRE hike.
Dave, in one of his "ponderous" moments. He tends to have a lot of those on our hikes.
One of the many different scenes we saw on the hike. This felt like we could have been in Minnesota or Colorado...the air was SO clean and fresh!
The first village we came to. Cute, huh?!
Just hanging out on the hillside.
Just a cool old dude walking along.
This dog's leash is a vine...pretty creative, huh?!
We tend to see and be attracted to schools on our hikes, and this one was no exception. This way to school!
The cute kiddies...we had the teacher's permission to take pictures this time.
Shoes lines up.
Another scene from our hike: we call this Dr. Seuss' playground.
We stopped at a temple to eat a snack, and saw some moving "bushes". Turns out to be people carrying bushes...who knew!
We shared our path nicely.
A beautiful view of Tatur.
This was my favorite part. We got into the "suburbs" of Tatur right when school was being let out, so we ended up walking into town with all the school kids. It started out with a few kids giggling when we'd say hi, and ended up being a PARADE (seriously, it was ridiculous!) of students of ALL AGES bringing us into town. Apparently, they don't see white people very often. :) Dave tended to be an attraction, probably because of his goofy grin and height. I have a fun video, I'll try to post it when I have more time. :)
See? They like Dave!Cookie, Dave and I opted to take a jeep back up the mountain, since it had taken much longer than we expected to get down, and since it would be nearly ENTIRELY up-mountain to go back up! Luckily for us, this was the smarter decision. Steve and Matt ended up having quite a trek home...complete with monsoon downpours, huge leeches, charging bulls, lots of wrong turns and locals taking pity on them. They finally drug themselves into town around 10:15 PM that night...I was in the shower by 3:30. :) (read Steve's rendition...it's quite entertaining! 7-parts to it, make sure you've got time to spare!)
The rest of the weekend was great...hung with hubby, went into town, had some quality time with Laura and went to a birthday party for Adityah. It was a GREAT weekend, and I'm ready to start our first OFFICIAL FULL week of school!
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