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.

BJ