Oh, I forgot... my ISU email goes defunct in November and I don't use my yahoo account anymore. So, since I haven't gotten an email address from Woodstock yet, if you need to contact me via email use this one (it should be more permanent too):
James.Rice@RiceEngineering.com
Overseeing chemical processes for the Indian branch of Rice Engineering.
Thanks Uncle Steve.
03 June, 2008
List
Cindy thought it would be nice if I made a list of all the stuff that I still need to get so that if by some chance it might magically appear. So, here goes:
- Fleece- Apparently good fleece is hard to come by in India and it will be greatly appreciated since the only heat in the winter is a wood burning stove or space heaters.
- Headlamp- Flashlight that straps to your head. Said to be great to have.
- Long Underwear- Cindy suggested Underarmor brand. It keeps you warm and helps wick away moisture.
- Scarf- One is supposed to be in the works. A fluffy sheep as payment.
- Sheets- The bed kind. Fit for a king.
- Electric Blanket- So I don't have to jump into a cold bed on frigid winter nights (with fuse)
- Moccasins- Mostly for lounging and keeping the feet warm. However, a nice pair with soles would be good so that I don't wear them out like I have with previous pairs when going on hikes outside. Sized 10, 10.5
- Backpacking Stove- I've been meaning to email the school about this one. I have a sterno stove but I'm not sure how readily available sterno is over there. Ideally I would get a single burner propane stove but need to ask if that size propane tank (with the right fittings) would be available. What we need is a store that sells propane and propane related accessories.
- Computer Bag- For toting my swag new laptop around (and probably lots of papers too).
- T-shirts- Plain, white. Like how I like my bread (not really).
- Socks- The regular kind for daily school use (dark) and thick, warm wooly ones for winter time.
- Down Vest
- Comic Books- A (not so) secret love of mine. The Marvel Essentials are pretty swag.
- DVDs- Because there's not a lot to do in Mussoorie they say and having some favorites (like SCRUBS or the pre-Special Edition Star Wars original trilogy) would be nice for days when you need it to feel like home.
I'm not in India yet
That's probably what most people ask me. "How's India?" I leave mid-July.
There, now that's settled...
So yes, I am moving to India to begin a job as a chemistry teacher at Woodstock School in Mussoorie, India. It's nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas. So warm, wet summers and cold cold winters.
The school's website: www.woodstock.ac.in
Why India? I've woken up every morning since February asking myself that same question. Honestly, if you had told me I would be taking a job there I would have laughed at you. Ever since scout summer camp when I got to meet foreign scouts and learn about them I've wanted to see the world. Going to South Africa in winter 2007 really got me wanting to go out and do it. So I found an international job fair via the University of Northern Iowa and Woodstock invited me to interview with them. I thought, "If nothing else, it will be good practice for an interview." Well, I talked with them and got looking at their website and really started liking the school. By the end of the job fair I had two offers and fifteen minutes to make a decision. I found a quiet bench and sat down comparing the two schools. I chatted briefly with a principal from Kenya whom I had interviewed with and who had befriended me and decided that Woodstock was going to be the place for me to be.
So, I'm off to India in little over a month and a half. I'm excited, scared, and everything else. I just know that this is the opportunity of a lifetime and that if I passed this up then I would be kicking myself for the rest of my life. Now is the time for me to be doing things like this. The toughest part will be having to leave everyone behind. My friends and family (especially two nieces I don't get to see nearly enough) will be half a world away. That's really the reason for this blog. So that everyone may keep up with me and (as Cindy, my stepmother, puts it) live
vicariously through me.
What I'm looking forward to the most (besides having my own classroom) is the slower pace of life. in their new staff handbook, the school says that things go at a slower pace than what we may be used to but things do get done. I think time to just catch my breath and do some things I've been wanting to do will be phenomenal. I've been wanting to do some more camping and that seems like a very reasonable option there. The chance to do something with scouts (especially foreign scouts) or something similar would be great too. I would love to lead a campfire of skits and songs (maybe I'll finally learn how to play that guitar Becky gave me the last time I graduated). The chance to make some more stuffed animals would be nice or even to create a comic like I've wanted to since I was a little kid. I'm not sure if there would be someplace to play it but I'd like to learn bocce.
Of course the really great part will be being immersed in a new culture. Not only the Indian culture but the cultures that students from all over the world. It will be amazing to say the least and I really just cannot wait.
There, now that's settled...
So yes, I am moving to India to begin a job as a chemistry teacher at Woodstock School in Mussoorie, India. It's nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas. So warm, wet summers and cold cold winters.
The school's website: www.woodstock.ac.in
Why India? I've woken up every morning since February asking myself that same question. Honestly, if you had told me I would be taking a job there I would have laughed at you. Ever since scout summer camp when I got to meet foreign scouts and learn about them I've wanted to see the world. Going to South Africa in winter 2007 really got me wanting to go out and do it. So I found an international job fair via the University of Northern Iowa and Woodstock invited me to interview with them. I thought, "If nothing else, it will be good practice for an interview." Well, I talked with them and got looking at their website and really started liking the school. By the end of the job fair I had two offers and fifteen minutes to make a decision. I found a quiet bench and sat down comparing the two schools. I chatted briefly with a principal from Kenya whom I had interviewed with and who had befriended me and decided that Woodstock was going to be the place for me to be.
So, I'm off to India in little over a month and a half. I'm excited, scared, and everything else. I just know that this is the opportunity of a lifetime and that if I passed this up then I would be kicking myself for the rest of my life. Now is the time for me to be doing things like this. The toughest part will be having to leave everyone behind. My friends and family (especially two nieces I don't get to see nearly enough) will be half a world away. That's really the reason for this blog. So that everyone may keep up with me and (as Cindy, my stepmother, puts it) live
vicariously through me.
What I'm looking forward to the most (besides having my own classroom) is the slower pace of life. in their new staff handbook, the school says that things go at a slower pace than what we may be used to but things do get done. I think time to just catch my breath and do some things I've been wanting to do will be phenomenal. I've been wanting to do some more camping and that seems like a very reasonable option there. The chance to do something with scouts (especially foreign scouts) or something similar would be great too. I would love to lead a campfire of skits and songs (maybe I'll finally learn how to play that guitar Becky gave me the last time I graduated). The chance to make some more stuffed animals would be nice or even to create a comic like I've wanted to since I was a little kid. I'm not sure if there would be someplace to play it but I'd like to learn bocce.
Of course the really great part will be being immersed in a new culture. Not only the Indian culture but the cultures that students from all over the world. It will be amazing to say the least and I really just cannot wait.
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