Surviving.

Ok, sorry it's taken so long since my last update. There's something about flying all day
that messes with your sinuses and then coming to India in the middle of monsoon when everything is wet and mildewy that makes you easy prey for a sinus infection that requires you to be hospitalized for the better part of a week. So, bare with me if I'm a tad slow at updating the blog right now.

And you thought American hospital food was terrible.

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But really...

I had to get my computer configured to work on the school's network. Then I had to wait until we went to Dhera Dun to buy the proper electrics. I didn't want to use a school computer
to update my blog. Which reminds me. I have yet another new email address. They prefer if you'd use this one since it won't take up as much bandwidth as, say, a webmail account.


jamesrice@woodstock.ac.in

Use that one and I shall reply to you as speedily as possible.

Ok, so I'm sure you all want a real update and pictures and all that jazz. Well, you shan't be disappointed. Well, maybe you will. Even if I take my camera with me I tend to neglect to take pictures. Not sure why. I'm just not much of one for taking pictures. Not my style. When I do, I feel kinda like a tourist but at the same time, how can deny you, my adoring public, and not take them?

I'm trying.

Ok, seriously. It's been over a week now so I may forget some names or something else. I arrived in Delhi around 11 or later last Thursday night. I met a few new staff members while waiting in line for customs. The baggage claim took a long time. I had to wait for my backpack to show up since they checked it into storage as I boarded the plane. I was also helping out some fellow staff members, the Endos. They had three kids and 15 bags/boxes to take care of. When I finally got my bags and made it to the meeting point one of the staff members meeting us there mistook me for Mr Endo and was very concerned to see me sans family.

Once we got some bug spray (100% DEET, burns the skin) and loaded the bus with our bags we headed up to the Centaur Hotel. The hotel left a bit to be desired but it was air conditioned and served sweet lime sodas. A few of us stayed up that night chatting and discussing our apprehensiveness. I think we all finally clocked out around three in the morning. I was up bright and early around 7. Jet lag... Those of us who wanted to went out and saw Delhi. I picked up a couple of kurtas (shirts) and a pair of pyjamas. We have to wear traditional garb on Indian Independence Day. Pictures will come after that day. (soon)

I wasn't a real fan of Delhi. Like any city, it was crowded and dirty. The worst thing, though, was the driving. We took taxis to where we needed to go. Now, the thing is, that in India... there's not really any traffic laws, they're more like traffic suggestions. There are three lanes painted going one way on the road and about 6 lanes of traffic. There's a lot of honking too. Not the same kind of "get-out-of-my-way-you-jerk" honking that we typically see in the west. This is more of "I-drive-a-motor-rickshaw-and-I-don't-want-to-get-hit-by-you-as-you-pass." They say it's more of a courtesy thing. I just don't think I could ever drive over here.

From Delhi it was an eight hour train ride to Dehra Dun. I saw lots of rats at the station. Have fun Cindy when you guys visit. I chatted most of the time with Jennie and Megan. They'll be two of the new music teachers. They went to school together and are brand new teachers as well. We stopped in Dehra Dun for a bite to eat before boarding the bus to take us to school. I ended up taking some Dramamine just in case. I fell asleep but didn't miss much because the clouds had rolled in by that time. I was so out of it when I got to my apartment. I'm living in the Sun Cliff area with Jennie, Megan and Andrew (Andrzej), another new staffer. It has a stellar view (when you can see it). Anywho, I took a nap before Neeraj came over to take Andrew and I over to his place for dinner. The pasta was delightful. I, however, was just having too much thrown at me at once and Maija, Prakash's wife, had him take me home. Sleep was greatly appreciated. The next day Maija and Prakash took Andrew and myself to the bazaar to see it and pick up a few things. I got a non-functional alarm clock and a few other things.

Honestly, the rest of the week is a big blur. Lots of meetings and new people. The entire science department is new this year which should make things pretty interesting. I'm the only one new to teaching though. The school facilities are pretty good. I could desire a few things here and there but I'm not going to complain because we have an assistant to prep labs for us. Very nice.

There's also a 'bonus block' at the end of each Friday where the teachers put on programs for the kids. I had a couple in mind. The first one that popped in my head was to do a critical analysis of comic books. Initially, Kingdom Come popped in my head but there are tons of other we could look at. I'm sure Mike would have a few ideas. The other one I was thinking about was doing some campfire songs and skits. I think that one has a lot of potential.

Speaking of that. There's a large number of former scouts and guides on staff and a lot seem to be interested in helping out putting a troop together. Our head of grounds is very excited about the prospect and has offered to head things with our help. Lord knows we have plenty of resources to pull it off. The tricky part would be figuring out the Indian way of scouting. I'll keep you all updated as to how it progresses.

Yesterday we took the bus down to Dehra Dun to pick up some essentials that are not easily gotten in Mussoorie. It was a rather uneventful trip. Lots of boring shopping. There was a couple of things that really stuck with me though. The first was how we could be outside in the open and I still feel extremely claustrophobic. There's just people everywhere and you have to walk in the road to get anywhere so the cars are literally less than a foot away honking to let you know where they are. You just feel like you can't get anywhere. The other thing was two beggers we saw. Now, these were by no means the first beggers (or even the hundredth) we've seen since coming, but the thing that got me about them was their arms. Each of them had their arms broken at the humerus. Not just broken so that it looked like a gnarled branch but completely severed so that the lower arm just dangled uselessly. If it had been one I wouldn't have really given it much thought, but seeing two just got to me. Later, I spoke with Neeraj and he told me that sometimes kids are abducted from villages and their arms are broken like that so they are more pitiful beggers.

Up at school you can sometimes forget you're in India but then you see something like that in the city and remember you are in a third world country.