2014

November 29, 2014

Well, 12 days until takeoff. Framed backpack: packed. Books and dress clothes: packed. Guitar and stand: ready to roll. I have never been to Asia, and I certainly haven't been away from California for anywhere near 5 months.

I've also never been as excited to see something new in my entire life, so much so that time actually seems to be flying by! Within the next couple weeks, I will be moved out of my house in Pleasant Hill, all finished with classes for my undergraduate art degree at Berkeley, and on my way to the Acharya Shree Nanesh Samta schools in northern India.

Website for the school I will be teaching at. Click the image to visit their site.

In a fortunate series of events, I was invited to fly to India, travel to a set of schools and other facilities in a rural part of Rajasthan, and live there and teach until December of this year; and all of this FOR FREE. One of my very best friends in Berkeley, my fraternity and pledge brother, Kash, presented me with this opportunity I had no option but to accept.

After developing his company and passing the majority of the business to his sons, Kash's grandfather returned to northern India where he had grown up learning a specific sect of Jaine Hinduism from his spiritual leader, a man named Acharya Shree Nanesh. In Danta, the village where Nanesh was born, Kash's grandfather returned to find no healthcare, no clean water, and no education system.

I'll be at the liiiittle yellow star between Rajasthan and Haryana. Click the image to go to Google Maps.

Since then, he and his wife have spent countless dollars and visits to the once tiny village, adding schools, hospitals, and basic amenities along the way. Their mission is to spread peace, prosperity & happiness through “Education, Social Service & Spiritual Elevation” for the benefits of rural masses & young generation. The now 200,000 square meter facility with a primary school, industrial training institute (for college students), English medium secondary school and Hindi medium secondary school serves over 1,200 students who live there for the school session for, virtually, free.

I have my Anthropology of religion class until August 14th, then I fly out of San Francisco August 18th. I'll get to India 2 calendar days later, and a week after that I will be 725 miles north of Mumbai, settling in to my new home in the desert. My return ticket is dated January 15th. To be honest, I don't have much of an idea as to what will happen between those two plane rides, but I'm positive that I'll return a different person. And I promise to keep you updated with blogs and pictures. Wish me luck!

Round 2 - 8/20/2014

November 28, 2014

San Francisco to Hong Kong: fourteen hours. Hong Kong to Mumbai: six hours. Twenty hours on a plane with less than an hour between rides is enough to determine what I am made of as a man. Luckily, somehow or another we landed in Mumbai a little after midnight early this morning. India is twelve and a half hours ahead of California. My internal clock is all out of sync.

Immediately as I stepped outside the airport, I started sweating like crazy. The 90% humidity reminds you that you are in the middle of the jungle, urban as it may be. Mumbai has 20 some million people in and around its official boundaries, but luckily, most of them were sleeping as Kash drove us home over the now four year old, $270 million Bandra-Worli Sea Link bridge.

As he gave me a little tour of Worli, the neighborhood he grew up and currently lives in, it was a little bizarre to see a city so notoriously loud and busy so relatively dead. We zoomed through intersections where traffic lights were more street lamps at that time of night and if someone pulled in front of you, you could honk until they got over just enough for you to squeeze by.

Speaking of Kash's house, the guy didn't really tell us much about it when we were together in America. Sure, I knew he faced a body of water but I had no clue. What you see above is the Arabian Sea, Kash's 8'th story view making the sight that much more special. The only family that lives above the Ranka family is a governor of some Indian state, a man that gets a police convoy every time he returns home.

Kash's house. His younger uncle, his dad, and his older uncle live on the 7th, 8th, and 9th floors while his grandfather gets the 10th floor.

20 million people. What do you do with that many humans in one place? For a culture that is very much vegetarian, vegetables have to be frozen and shipped into the center of the city in ridiculous amounts. It seems like there may be between 15 and 20 licensed taxis in the entire city of San Francisco, while here it seems that there has to be one for every person. The streets, which are cleaned by the city on a fairly consistent basis, are still COVERED in trash (which was to be expected). The logistic nightmare which is Mumbai truly blows my mind. And the craziest part of the whole thing? It's rapidly growing.

Worli, Kash's neighborhood, and it's rapid development

Well, I have a few errands to run today. Only three days until I am off to Rajasthan, so if there are any amenities I will need up there, now is the time to get them. Right now is the tail end of the monsoon season here, and since it hasn't really rained on me yet the weather has been absolutely amazing: 70-some degrees with a super nice ocean breeze. Life is good. I will stay in touch!

Round 3 - 8/31/2014

November 27, 2014

It's official: we aren't in Kansas anymore. I certainly knew that India would be an alien experience, but I think that it is safe to say that the life I was living three weeks ago is worlds away from the life I am living right now. First of all, have you ever diarrhead on your heels?

Too much information, I know. I am not proud of myself. Flying into Udaipur from Mumbai, Peter and I immediately knew that the scene would be different. First and foremost, Udaipur is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Expecting dry, brown, sandy desert as far as the eye could see, Rajasthan surprised the hell out of me.

Click the image to see Udaipur on a map.

A former land of warriors and kings, Rajasthan is now a land of paradoxes and wonders. Once part of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, this state has everything from vast deserts with camels and forts to dense jungles filled with tigers and temples. Add a 21st century population density and consumer industry and what you get is a bedazzling sight that I can really only explain with images.

One of the many lakes nestled in and around Udaipur, a city they call the Venice of the East.

Another lake in Udaipur. In the background you will notice three separate 5 star hotels.

The Aravalis mountains, the oldest mountain range in India (yes, older than even the Himalayas), runs through Rajasthan and makes for stunning views.

Yet, the Celebration Mall has everything you could want or need from designer clothes to an Indian McDonalds.

The drive from Udaipur to Danta took about an hour and a half, and if you are one of my Trinity County people, I would compare it to Highway 36 between Red Bluff and Hayfork: the road curved around bodies of water and farming villages, and the further you got away from civilization, the more the towns started to look like Wildwood.

Well, that is if Wildwood had a mosque and literally hundreds of cows.

Eventually, a series of red brick buildings and well manicured roadside vegetation came out of nowhere and we realized that we had made it to Acharya Shree Nanesh, a real oasis amongst pretty much nothing but jungly-desert (this is the best description I have come up with so far).

Approaching the school from the Northwest.

We will call the road main street. The school is on both sides for a quarter mile or so, one side dedicated to administration and Hindi medium and the other to English medium.

With a construction rate of one new building each year, the school is absolutely state-of-the-art compared to the surrounding area.

For the first couple days here, Peter, Kash, and I wandered around getting a feel for the area and campus layout. Instead of staying in the college hostel (dormitory pretty much) with the students, we were given the principal quarters fully decked out with our own bathroom, kitchen, and swamp coolers. Apart from the toilet situation I mentioned earlier (which I am happy to report is easier to use each day), we are basically living like kings.

As far as teaching goes, the basic reason for us to be here is to create an English environment and encourage students to work on their skills. I have begun teaching everything from Gulliver's Travels to 9th graders (they don't even understand my California accent, we will see how 18th century British literature goes) to Western-style guitar to 22 year old students. We are the first white folk to have ever visited Danta, let alone stay for months. I think it might be a while until the new teacher smell wears off.

Definitely not an expert yet, but my cricket skills are improving.

The best way to get to know a group of kids is to shit-talk your way through a new sport. It's the true American way.

I feel like I have so much more to add to paint the whole picture, but at the same time still don't know how to express the craziness that is India through this medium. Keep checking in and I will try to start posting on a more consistent basis. Life is exciting, that is one thing I know for sure. Until next time.

Round 4 - 9/7/2014

November 26, 2014

I guess that I am getting used to India. As far as teaching goes, this week has been pretty darn easy. From Monday to Thursday, the school we are teaching at (Acharya Nanesh Academy) hosted a district-level volleyball tournament for students under 18 years old. The winner of the tournament got to move on to a tournament for the entire state of Rajasthan; competition was high.

The opening ceremonies. Peter and I were shown off like trophy wives.

The home team! All students were of Hindi medium schools.

Although we were teaching normal classes at the college for the entirety of the tournament, we were lucky enough to catch the final matches between both the 17 year old teams and middle school teams. Like I said, competition was high: these kids demonstrated great skills in their bumps, sets, and spikes. I wouldn't have stood a chance!

The team in baby blue on the far side, Nipania, won it all. They came from Chittorgarh, a city about 50 km away from Danta.

Then Friday happened to be national Teacher's Day in India. In this country, teachers are respected as intellectual, moral, and spiritual leaders or gurus. Students all call us sir or ma'am, and in passing bend down to touch our shoes in a showing of respect. Needless to say, Friday was pretty nice!

Students organized a day of performances, skits, and activities for the teachers to take part in. We received these gifts at the end of the day.

The students gave us these bracelets too. I'm still getting used to seeing this symbol everywhere.

One of the funniest things I have noticed here is the variety of shirts these students wear. It is fairly hilarious for a student to approach you, say "good afternoon, sir", bend down to touch your toes with the utmost respect, and then smile at you while wearing these shirts.

My personal favorite. No you aren't, bro.

Apart from the challenge that exists in teaching English language learners, life has been pretty amazing and easy in the grand scheme of things. I have been waking up early, staying healthy with a fresh, vegetarian diet, and spending my free time walking around the jungly-desert, playing my guitar, and reading books I have been meaning to read for a long time now.

It is hard to stay depressed when I get these views every day.

And it's hard to imagine that we are this close to the Middle East. India is a horse of a different color, for sure.

Well, by the next time I post, it will have been close to a month since I left home. Time is both creeping by in snail-like increments and flying by in a blink, an experience that is really hard for me to explain. Reading through a book that my mom gave me for Christmas, I came across a picture of my dad that she put between two pages. The picture was from a trip to Palenque, Mexico that the two of them took in 1988. I don't have a lot of pictures of my dad, but this is certainly my favorite.

I love the twinkle of adventure in his smile.

And hope he would be proud of the adventure I currently find myself a part of.

Round 5 - 9/13/2014

November 25, 2014

I have survived a month! Well, almost but it is close enough for me. I can tell it has been a while because the 20 hour plane ride here seems like it wasn't even that bad in retrospect (and believe me, it sucked). Grades are out for my last few classes at Berkeley and my diploma should be in the mail. To be honest, I hardly feel like a student anymore even though I was sitting down to take my last final only 30 days ago. Now, I am Mr. Jackson.

At least I TRY to get the students to call me that.

In my new role as an instructor, I would put maybe 10 percent of the challenge on mental and material preparation, the other 90 percent being dedicated to going with the flow. On Monday I arrived at room 9 on time (as per my official schedule), only to be told by another teacher that she was teaching that class. Hmm, alright I'll just teach room 10 today.

On Tuesday, 15 of the 25 students showed up with 10 minutes or less of class remaining. I told them that their lack of punctuality was unacceptable, to which they smiled (not smiles of disrespect, smiles of misunderstanding) and sat down. Hmm, OK, I guess you can come in.

On Saturday, yesterday, I was supposed to teach a music lesson to around 50 students with nothing more than my guitar, a whiteboard, and a dry erase pen. As if that wasn't challenging enough, the building I had been told to use was full of students playing some sort of game show that involved team challenges and musical chairs. Hmm, I'll just return to my quarters and wait that situation out.

50% of the resources I have available to me.

The other 50% of my available resources. Seriously. And the pen runs out of ink every day.

As the urban youth of today would say, "the struggle is real". While I may not always be able to cover the material I planned for the day (or any material for that matter, the students would rather ask me about my tattoos, my girlfriend, and Justin Bieber), encouraging the students to speak in English has been paying off one way or another. I hear less and less Hindi every day.

Peter doing his best to look professorly.

I finally remembered to bring my camera to both morning meditation and dinner. From 8-9am every morning, we join the male college students in Samayak Hall to meditate on Hindi chants. The hardest part of that, for me, has been sitting cross legged on a rock hard stage for an hour straight. My legs haven't been conditioned for this kind of torture since, like, 4th grade!

An hour of morning meditation really does give the mind and soul some preparation for the day. I appreciate the opportunity, but just wish I spoke Hindi so I knew what they were talking about.

Now that I am settled in and used to my surroundings, I have really begun to enjoy the food. The vegetarian meals mostly consist of different combinations and preparations of a few basic dishes: lentils, rice, okra, and peas. The best way to go at it is using the circular bread you see below, which they call roti, as a utensil.

Spoons are for the weak- sometimes you just have to dig in!

The college mess hall. I swear, sometimes it feels like we are wild animals at the zoo, being watched as we eat! I'm sure our technique sucks.

India remains an alien and beautiful world to us, a world full of outrageous scents, killer flavors, frightening bugs, and welcoming locals. If at any point the school atmosphere gets too overwhelming, Pete and I cruise around the surrounding area. One of our favorite spots, a giant tree that we call the Tree of Life, overhangs a beautiful pond full of ducks, ibises, and lotus plants. It's a nice escape from an otherwise unpredictable existence.

Alien in form, not unlike the rest of this country.

Kash arrived last night for the first time since dropping us off three weeks ago. I can't explain how nice it is to have a legitimate conversation with someone, a conversation that goes beyond trying to figure out what the hell the other person is saying. We plan on going to Udaipur at some point today to get some supplies, and most importantly, get some Subway!!! MEAT (shh, don't tell the faculty).

I was laughing too hard to explain to him why his shirt was so funny.

Until next week!

Round 6 - 9/28/2014

November 24, 2014

It has been a couple weeks since I updated my website. This is partially because, relatively speaking, not too much has happened since I last posted, but mostly because the internet has been so unreliable between then and now. But the internet is back up and running, I am back on the grid, and I realize that I have some cool stuff to share with you all.

So let's see, two weeks ago: seems like ages ago to be honest. Kash visited us for the first time since dropping us off almost a month ago, so we headed to Udaipur for some shopping and relaxation. By shopping I mean getting Pringles, Lays, and any other food that reminds us of home. And by relaxing, I mean enjoying a cocktail or two (or six, don't judge; it was happy hour) in a five star hotel overlooking one of the city's lakes.

Going from Danta to this was a bit extreme, but who am I to complain?

After recovering from our trip, we got back into the swing of things as professors. Classes, still a challenge, are getting easier each day as we do our best to mold our lessons to the specific needs of the students. Such is life as a teacher: you must understand who you are teaching before you can expect them to understand what you are trying to teach them. For Peter and I, that meant understanding a totally foreign culture, but I think we are on our way to making everything work. Then, out of the blue, care packages from both of our parents arrived within one day of each other packed to the brim with meat products, mementos to remind us of home, and the always welcome boost that comes along with being taken care of by one's momma.

Everyday life in India is kind of overwhelming with harsh juxtapositions, even after being here for over a month. Everything from the people among us to the vegetation surrounding us has a sense of complicated beauty. The villagers, some of the hardest working people I have ever seen in my life, are also some of the happiest people I have ever seen. Adults perform backbreaking labor from sunrise to sundown for a fraction of the wages they deserve while their children joyfully frolic about as their parents work to feed them.

The obligatory Indian lady carrying stuff on her head. I know it's a cliche but I couldn't help myself.

And then there is the vegetation: India does not mess around. I have seen some of the most beautiful plants and flowers, only to approach and realize they are covered in thorns and insects that would properly ruin your day if you allowed them to bite/sting/poison/whatever those things do to you.

No. Think again before pushing aside some random bush.

And what the hell is this thing? We didn't hang around to find out.

Today we took a trip to Chittor, a city known for its beautiful fort and rich history. Built in the mid-fourteenth century, the temples, towers and walls of India's biggest fort are truly a sight to behold. Once again, I cannot stress the fact that pictures can't even begin to do the fort its due justice, but for now they will have to suffice.

The Vijay Stambh, or Tower of Victory, a 9 story structure covered in hand carved images of Chittor's Kings and Princes, Indian gods and goddesses, and local holidays and traditions.

*Intricate hand carved images, I meant to say.

One of the many temples. I was pretty blown away.

The view from the fort, overlooking the city. No wonder they decided to build on this location. If you want to read more about the fort's history, click on the image above.

During the course of this trip, Peter and I have been actively trying to find a few animals: camels, elephants, monkeys, tigers, and cobras (the last two are more optional than the others). Up until today, we had only seen one camel, which was cool, but slightly disappointing. Not even expecting it to happen, we were able to check two more off the list at Chittor.

...and a frickin' elephant! I have lived.

I know I sound like a broken record, but India continues to amaze me. Each day I learn something new about a country I knew very little about only one month ago, whether that be the name and significance of a new god or a new word in Hindi. More importantly, I am learning a ton about myself: how I settle into a new home, how I interact with people who I have a fundamental disconnect with, and most importantly how I handle the challenges that present themselves on an everyday basis. It's all a learning experience, and for that I am incredibly grateful.

A strange, new, ancient, beautiful learning experience.

As long as I get an hour of internet here or there, I will continue to keep you all updated. Thanks so much for the support, and until next time.

Round 7 - 10/15/2014

November 23, 2014

I think that it is easy to forget how lucky we are to be able to pull out our smart phones, open an application, and have instant access to the accumulated knowledge of man. Who was that actor that played Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird? Let me Google it really quickly. How does the quadratic formula go again? Oh OK, it is b squared minus 4ac; I thought so! Being in a place where it sometimes takes weeks for the internet to return, I can relate to how generations before me dealt with simply not knowing answers to simple questions. I feel like a goddamn caveman.

That being said, my disconnection from the outside world has allowed me to appreciate the miracle that is technology. Especially when it comes to teaching, being able to use the internet as a wonderful resource has made me extremely grateful for this day and age. Facebook doesn't seem too important anymore either, which is probably a healthy change of pace.

Yep, I'm still in India. This hasn't just been a crazy dream.

Tomorrow marks the halfway point of my journey: two months down, two months to go. As I described in an earlier blog, time still seems to by flying by and creeping along in a strange feeling of inbetween-ness. For those of you who have read The Lord of the Rings, I feel like I am in the forest of Lothlórien where time seems to halt amongst the ancient trees and even more ancient elves of Middle Earth.

With the internet down, I have spent a lot more time blowing through the books I never got around to reading during my last four years in Berkeley. I have never been a fan of fantasy, but these books are pretty amazing.

Beginning this Friday, Peter and I get 15 days off for a festival called Diwali. It is the biggest and most important festival in India, and everyone seems to be excited for the coming days. Imagine the excitement of the 4th of July with fireworks exploding all around you, the spirit of Christmas with everyone giving their loved ones gifts, the optimism of New Years as the start of a fresh and fruitful year, and the theological significance of Easter as a day to remember the essence of your spirituality- all combined into five days that almost everyone in this country celebrates.

Diwali is called the "festival of lights", signifying the power of light and knowledge winning over darkness and ignorance. Fittingly, the main night of the celebration happens during the darkest night of the Hindu month Kartik, the night of the new moon. The deity most honored during Diwali is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, wife of Vishnu- Lakshmi. Legend has it that the beginning of the five day festival marks the birth of the goddess while Diwali proper celebrates the day that she chose Vishnu as her husband.

I plan on traveling first to Jaipur to meet up with Kash, and from there figuring out where we want to spend our days during this holiday celebrated by more than a billion people across Asia. Regardless of where we end up, I can tell that Diwali is going to be one of the biggest celebrations I have ever witnessed. The students can barely contain their excitement, and in fact today seemed like a ghost town on campus since many kids have already gone home.

As I said, the students can barely focus on class materials due to the excitement of the holiday season in the air. To take a break from learning English and proper pronunciation, we have been going over American holidays for the past two weeks. I didn't really realize how ridiculous and strange Groundhog Day is until I tried to explain the concept to 25 confused Indian faces. Well, a groundhog is this weird, giant, rodent thing. Yes the old men in Pennsylvania talk to it. No, it doesn't really signify the end of winter one way or another. Where does it come from? I have no clue, the internet isn't working!

Life as a teacher marches forward. While every day continues to be a challenge, I am actually beginning to look forward to class each day and the opportunity it provides to try a new technique or to work through a different mode of communication. While teaching in India has surprised and frustrated me with its lack of expectations and structure, it has allowed me to explore the vast world of instructional possibilities unhindered, really giving me a good idea of what works and what doesn't work. I'll tell you this- there is no classroom in California that could provide a more difficult experience than the one I am in, even if the students only spoke Spanish. I am pretty good at Spanish!

Well, the internet has gone out and come back three times since I began this blog, It is 2:30 in the morning now and I fear if I continue my rambling, the Hindu god or goddess of technological blessing will smite me where I lay. So I leave you with a few pictures that are pretty darn cute. Six puppies were born earlier this week and they decided to take up residence on the side of our house. They are feisty little buggers and really make me miss my dog back home.

They are cute, but they are sure tough. India is hot and dry.

Sometimes I, too, wish that I could sleep all day.

I know that this round wasn't very picture heavy, but I have a feeling that after Diwali I'll be able to show everyone some slightly more exciting stuff. Thanks for following me, continue giving me feedback, and until next time.

Round 8 - 11/5/2014

November 22, 2014

Well, I promised a lot of pictures the last time I blogged. After taking a two week break from teaching classes in Danta, celebrating Diwali in Mumbai, sightseeing in New Delhi, and finding my own way around Jaipur, I certainly have a few pictures to show you all.

It all started with Peter and I being late to catch our train from Kapasan to Jaipur; luckily I've always wanted to run and jump on a moving train as it pulled away from the station, albeit not with 30 pounds of baggage. As they say- beggars can't be choosers.

We made it on to the last train car. It was reserved for ladies, but they were kind enough to let us hang out until we reached the next station.

Hey, at least we didn't have to sit on top of the train. It could have been worse.

It also gave us a chance to channel our inner-canines.

We made it safely to Jaipur to meet up with Kash and figure out our plans for Diwali, and boy did it feel great to be on vacation at long last. Being almost exactly halfway through our journey, Peter and I had been looking forward to the holiday as a milestone in our travels, a chance to relax and prepare ourselves for the final stretch. And relax we most certainly did.

The Ranka home in Jaipur. What a change in setting.

Breakfast in bed, a driver at our beck and call, and not the slightest of schedules to follow day after day? Don't mind if I do.

As Diwali approached, we decided to tag along with Kash to Mumbai to spend the holiday with his family. At $50 a plane ticket, it was hard to pass up the chance to spend one of Asia's biggest celebrations in one of Asia's biggest cities. Boy, did we make the right decision.

First of all, apparently in India it is possible to purchase pyrotechnics that require a license to handle in America, and at a fraction of the price. Everyone in the city was lighting off fireworks, and I mean EVERYONE. From seeing elderly grandfathers light the fuses of rockets and shuffle away to seeing five year-old children throwing fire crackers at each other in what appeared to be jest, I've never felt so worried about personal safety that much in my life. I felt like my mother. As I got more and more used to the explosions though, I felt more and more like a kid and we convinced Kash to take us to a fireworks stand so we could start the celebration early.

This guy sells sandwiches for 50 weeks a year, but who likes Clark Kent anyways?

He reminded me of the Native American guy who sells fireworks in Joe Dirt, but he had more to offer than snakes and sparklers.

Fifteen minutes and a couple thousand rupees later (no more than $20), we had enough fireworks to last us the week as we excitedly ran back to Kash's house to check out our loot. We even got a box of rockets called Mr. White, which seemed way too fitting to pass up. Interesting choice of branding artwork, I'm still not sure who this Mr. White is supposed to be.

I'm not sure if little white girls are the target market, but I guess it worked for us.

Hmm... a weird Southeast Asian, hipster, astronaut. Cool shades though.

We weren't sure what size to get, so we got two of each. They all went "boom".

Besides the raining sparks and explosions, Diwali is a festival full of traditions and ceremonies. Hindu families in India hold what are called pujas, or prayer rituals, to honor one or more gods or goddesses depending on the occasion. We were invited to join Kash's family in this spiritual tradition, and for the special occasion we got ourselves kurtas, or traditional Asian blouses.

Oh, does it look comfortable? Cuz it freakin' is. I think I caught Peter off guard with this photo.

This is the puja we attended. Although I don't know Hindi, it was an amazing experience and I am extremely grateful that the Rankas invited us to take part in it.

As Kash headed north to Jaipur to continue with business, Pete and I decided to fly up to New Delhi to do a little touristy sightseeing by ourselves. At first we were nervous to leave Kash's side for the first time. Who would show us around? Who would be our translator? Who would make sure we weren't getting ripped off? But Kash had done a great job in preparing us to fend for ourselves, and who likes knowing how everything is supposed to work all the time anyways? It was time for a little adventure.

The first full day we were there, we jumped on a tour bus full of Indian families and headed towards Agra, the city of Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal. It was a long, hot, bumpy bus ride but worth it in the end. I've never seen a single structure so mighty and magnificent.

The Agra Fort from the outside. Can you imagine trying to scale these walls in full war regalia?

The fort from the inside. Being a prime example of Mughal architecture, the lines, arches, and curves were much different than the other forts we have visited throughout India.

For a moment it was easy to imagine ourselves somewhere in the heart of an ancient Persian city surrounded by Muslim motifs and Arabic writing.

After leaving the fort, we traveled along the Yamuna River towards the monstrous marble mausoleum that took 20 years to build in the mid-17th century. Designed by Lahauri, the Taj Mahal was built for Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. I've seen a hundred pictures of the thing but none of them did it justice.

While we generally try to avoid tourists, especially the obnoxious European and Western ones who feel the need to dress themselves in traditional Indian garb, for once we felt right at home among the thousands of people who traveled across the world… — While we generally try to avoid tourists, especially the obnoxious European and Western ones who feel the need to dress themselves in traditional Indian garb, for once we felt right at home among the thousands of people who traveled across the world to see India's biggest tourist attraction.

This would be a great shot if someone's head wasn't covering half of the main dome. Dang it, BJ.

So. Much. Marble. And all intricately hand carved and inlaid.

At first I thought this beautiful Arabic script was painted on, which would be impressive enough. But as I walked up and touched it, I realized that it is all made of inlaid black marble. WOW!

Even in the hazy pollution that blankets most of India, the views as the sun began to set were breathtaking.

Finally, after a 20 hour day shoulder to shoulder with sweaty people, we made it back to Delhi and fell fast asleep, missing our 6am ride back to Jaipur the next morning in order to get some well needed rest. It was good though, because it gave us a chance to walk around the city a little bit more and it gave me the opportunity to find some street art which I have been actively searching for our whole trip.

A few classic tags. I can't wait to come back to India and fill the streets with my own mark.

I'm not sure what this graffiti is, but for some reason I really like it.

With a few days left before we had to return to classes, vegetarian food, and our same old schedules, we joined a small tour bus headed to Jaipur where we figured we could get off at any point in town we recognized and make our way back to Kash's house. Although a bit of a sketchy idea (not really knowing the city that well), we ended up making it home safe with a few stories to laugh about later.

And now, Wednesday night, we are back at our school planning lessons and sharing our stories with the students. I was afraid that the break would fly by and it would feel like we never left Danta, but each and every day held a new and exciting experience that ended up making this Diwali a perfect mixture of relaxation, travel, tradition, and of course, fireworks. Until I write again.

Round 9 - 11/21/2014

November 21, 2014

One month. A lot can happen in one month. The Moon rotates all the way around the Earth in one month. Yellow leaves turn to dead leaves and fall to the ground in one month. A weary traveler in India can get food poisoning three or four times in one month (trust me on that one). Yet for some reason, with only one month remaining in this journey, I don't feel like I have much time at all before I'll be packing my bags, saying goodbye to students and faculty, and jumping on a plane to return to the life I took a momentary break from in the good old US of A.

The closer it gets and the more I think about it, the more terrifying the concept of finding a place to live and securing a job in what some people would call the "real world" seems to loom. It kind of makes squatting to poop seem like a far less significant obstacle. But for now, those worries are something I leave for future Ben to deal with while I focus on surviving one adventure at a time.

With each day of instruction, the struggle of teaching gets easier. Not a lot has actually changed at the school since I got here three months ago- the whiteboard is still my best friend when it comes to communication; the students still give me blank stares as I attempt to explain the nuances of auxiliary verbs; my Hindi still sucks and consists of mostly food vocabulary and basic greetings. But I have realized that in the world of education, such is the way of life. Each year and each new batch of students brings with it the same challenges, frustrations, and sense of helplessness as the previous one. As teachers, we just get better at navigating these trials.

When teachers of our youth tell us that they put in more hours, thought, and effort than us when it comes to preparation of materials, it is easy to roll our eyes and think "ya, ya, how long is it until that friggin' bell rings". Being on the other side though, I can't help but feel extreme gratitude for all the teachers that somehow find a way to motivate their kids to achieve that hunger for learning that seems all but lost in the modern educational system. If I ever find myself in the position of a student again, this is a realization that I will never forget or overlook. Teachers deserve so much more than they are given credit for, be that in terms of respect or salary.

With all that being said, moments of breakthrough when you realize that a student will actually remember some part of a lesson after you are long gone from their life are reward enough for me, moments that are fulfilling in a way that is better experienced than explained. If all else fails, at least these students have gotten a good dose of American culture and a more developed world view as a direct effect of my efforts in this country, efforts that I do not think I have taken in vain.

And I am forever grateful for the lessons we have exchanged in our short time together.

Enough with the sentimental crap. If they realize that I am a softy, they will eat me alive. Mr. Ben has a reputation to uphold. I only have two weeks of teaching left, a mere 40 classes and then I am done. At this point, the plan is to spend my last few weeks in Mumbai with Kash finishing my Christmas shopping, shipping back the things I won't be able to carry to the airport, and soaking in my last few moments in Asia before returning to the familiar world of Western comfort. I can't wait to use utensils to eat, feel the cold air of a California winter on my face, and squeeze my big, black pup around his neck.

How could you not miss that face? Dirty nose and all.

Especially after seeing this sad excuse for a mammal every day. Peter and I call him Rattyena- a disgusting mixture of a rat and a hyena all rolled into one mangy ball of terror.

Sure, there will be a few things that I miss when I come home. First and foremost, I will miss the friendships I have developed with the students and faculty of Acharya Shree Nanesh. It will be sad not having the students bring us tea in our quarters two times a day, often times hanging out for a bit and listening to each others' music. I will miss learning about the hundreds of gods and goddesses of Hindu mythology from teachers at the college, only to be able to tell them a little about Christianity and our God's bipolar tendencies to both create and destroy within the same story. Finally, I will miss Rajasthan's unparalleled hospitality and constant motherly insistence that I have one more scoop of food, no matter how full I already am.

Mmmm, chai. Sweet, creamy, hot chai in the mornings.

And of course I will miss this goofy fella. We have shared everything for the past few months, ranging from books to laughs.

I plan on blogging one more time before we leave around Christmas. 10 posts seems like a nice, complete number to end on, and truthfully, I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel of pictures to show you all as time progresses and my schedule becomes more and more regimented (see photo of Rattyena, above). I hope that my musings continue to interest, entertain, and enlighten those who have held on for the endurance this wild ride. As always, until next time.