where we are

I know many of our friends and family members are anxious to see our living space, but I haven't taken any pics yet because we're still getting set up. Each week we gather more and more for our apartment (so many Rupees gone!), but it doesn't yet feel like a home. I do promise to post as soon as I can.

Since we've arrived, our days have been a whirlwind of staff orientations and frantic planning. I'll write more at length about the academic life at school once I'm settled and teaching -- we are both nervous and excited to meet our students next Wednesday! -- but the rest of this post will be a rambling photo journey from the past week or so...

Many people have seen a similar view on facebook, but here's one more version of what we see from our front patio when it's clear. Technically, it shouldn't be clear yet -- monsoon runs from July-September -- but we've had very little rain (compared to normal). This weather phenomenon doesn't bode well for Indian crops, but it does offer us glimpses of the beauty surrounding us.

This next picture's a bit hard to decipher. I'm standing at the edge of our patio, peeking around the corner. Right under the eave, toward the top-right of the photo, you'll see a monkey! Now, this isn't one of those small, pesky Rhesus monkeys that steals food from humans. This is a Langur, the larger, less-domesticated species that scares Rhesus monkeys. A whole family of Langurs was stationed right outside our house, distracting us from our morning routine. We're supposed to be annoyed at monkeys on campus, but right now I'm just caught up in their beauty and grace as they roam the forests.

This next one photo gives a better idea of what Woodstock normally looks like during monsoon. We took the picture on our walk around the top of the mountain (on the "chukker," as it's called), the afternoon of our one year wedding anniversary! Though it wasn't raining, thick mists had covered the mountainside and given the forests a strange feel, much like being caught in a dream. I love trees, so I couldn't resist snapping this one.

Chris and I participated in a scavenger hunt on Thursday evening, as part of the staff orientation and team-building. The entire staff was divided into teams with teaching staff, support staff, and residential staff (about 7 total) and asked to traipse through the bazaar and explore the theme of consumption. We didn't complete all of the tasks, but here are a few pictures we took along the way...

First, another beautiful shot of the valley...

...a posed shot of us "consuming" a cheap drink: "appies" (strange name for apple juice)...

...a glimpse of some of Mussoorie's poorest people, the garbage-pickers. These families used to live on the side of the roadway, but the town pushed them off that land when roads were repaved. They resettled on the cliff just beneath the road's edge in precariously positioned structures, evidence of the class issues at play in Mussoorie. One of Woodstock's volunteer initiatives is to help bring children from these families to schools for at least half the day so they have some exposure to a more normal childhood.

...our group filming a mini-documentary (filled with fruit puns) about local produce at the bazaar...

...a cool 3Dish mural that speaks to our theme of "consumption"...

...one of our British members gesturing proudly at the English wine shop -- because that's what England's known for, right?

...a Domino's pizza -- in India! wha....?

...enjoying the delicious food at Rice Bowl, a Tibetan place (and hamming it up a bit for the camera)...

...one of many (so many) amazing signs in hilarious English. This whole building made me laugh. It used to be a "Picture Palace" (i.e., movie theater) but now has arcade games and a haunted house. This particular attraction boasts a range of sensations. My favorite: the butt poker. 

a road oft traveled

We’ve been in India just over a week, now, and it’s been an overwhelming experience in every way. There’s much to say, but with limited internet access and tons of teaching prep, I’ll limit this post to our travels from the U.S. to India.

Man, travel just wipes you out! We flew from Newark Airport around 8:30pm on a Sunday night and arrived in Delhi around 9pm on Monday. A whole day lost to travel and time zone shifts. (All of our luggage arrived – woot!) The wonderful Woodstock staff ushered us into a nearby hotel, where we crashed almost immediately. We barely had time to shut our eyes before the 4:15am wakeup call.

I can’t think of how to describe the bus trip to the Delhi train station. It was just getting light as we moved through some affluent neighborhoods that seemed vaguely right – vaguely American, but with new smells and colors and flora and fauna. And people, of course. The poverty quickly revealed itself to us, however. We saw people sleeping under overpasses on large group beds, and more stretched out along the actual roadways when we got downtown. The poor were right next to the well-off, a jarring image with every turn.

The train station was jammed with life, people moving every which way among the cars and scooters; it seemed to take nearly 30 minutes to go a mile. Our group of 30 foreigners quickly became an opportunity for stares and conspicuous cell phone pictures. It’s a strange feeling, being the center of attention – we’ll need to get used to it, but it’ll surely take some time.

Again, the contrast. Staff filled an airconditioned car with reserved seats, a luxury in comparison to the unreserved, A/C free cars stuffed with people. We had tons of legroom and full-service breakfast (complete with two tea services, bottled water, and veg/non-veg options). It’s strange to feel so privileged and taken care of, but this is the level of service Anglo teachers can come to expect over here. (More on that later, too.)

The spoils of our breakfast. We even got Coke amid the 2 tea services -- weird at 9am!

We finally made it up the mountains and to our staff house around 5pm on Tuesday, dead tired. More on our new home later this week.

on leaving america

We are leaving the U.S. As of now, it hasn't quite hit me. Despite all the reading we've done, the conversations we've had, the preparations we've made, I don't think anything can prepare us for such a big move. I hope we can get in the groove of letting go of control and trusting that everything will work out -- because I'm sure each stage of our journey will be full of challenges.

Even this first stage -- preparation -- has been tough. We just spent about 3 hours and too much money buying last-minute travel necessities, and just those trips to the mall and through commercial spaces left me worn out. I've turned into a curmudgeon, and I'm only 27!

Another recent challenge: packing our bags. We had to squeeze all our worldly possessions into two oversize duffles, two regular duffles, two carry-on suitcases, and two backpacks. That seems like a lot of room, but it isn't when you have a huge library and tons of accumulated crap. But we overcame that task and even managed to fit everything in our trusty Honda Fit!

our car, filled with our crap

Another challenge: saying goodbye to family and friends. Though I've tried to remain stoic about goodbyes, claiming that relationships won't change because of technology, I realize that's only partially true. Technology is helpful, but it can't replace face-to-face interaction. 

A final challenge: saying goodbye to the comforts of American life. This pic says it all... Family and American businesses that we love!

tim and chris getting their favorite caffeinated refreshments

More later -- love, mel