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.

BJ