Rainy Day

The past two days have been tremendously rainy days. For most people, this would be a bummer. For me, it makes me really joyful and excited. I don’t know why, but I love rain. Yesterday I wanted to go running and the rain made it definite, I was going to run. Because Mike loves me he came along for the run in the downpour. It was amazing, and we were drenched in the end. We stopped avoiding the    puddles in the end because the roads were one big puddle.

The rain has pounded even harder yesterday, leaving many streets with river-like appearances. At the end of our street there was a puddle that covered the entire entrance and was almost half a foot in most places. Trees were down on multiple occasions. The worse one Anne and Andrew saw that had hit a car and smashed a hotel window. The funniest I saw was where a large tree has lost a thick branch and a bicyclist was trying to roll away a large part of it…on his bike. The lumber weighed much, much more than the bike and the rider. It was impressive to say the least. Anne and I were taking a ricksaw to a local library to get ideas and were so awed by the splashes made by all the cars. I tried to catch it on film, being only half successful. When we got home Mike was ready to hunker down for multiple days inside. I convinced him we needed to get some fruit. Walking around in the evidence of the storm was pretty crazy, people trying to cut down trees and avoid them in the roads. Electricity went on and off the rest of the evening for us, so Mike and I got candles and we ended up enjoying a candlelight card game.                                                

It is rare for it to rain during the winter here, but it is forecasted to remain until next week. Today it is hot again and has only the remnants of cloud cover, so we’ll see if that holds. People may be curious of the weather…well other than this week it is high 80s every day and sunny. I won’t broadcast it too loudly but it’s pretty awesome if not a little warm. Nothing compared to Wisconsin winter that’s for sure!

Paravati Hill

This weekend’s highlight was on Sunday when we went to Paravati Hill. It is a hill that you can see all around town and has 108 slanting steps leading up to the top. All along the trek you have beautiful views of the city. A group of boys were playing cricket on the way up. Only when we reached the top were we able to appreciate the vastness of Pune. The city never ends! We literally could not see the end of it! At the top there were multiple, integrate Hindu temples. At the entrance you always have to take off your shoes

and leave them in the front. We were nervous about people taking a special liking to our foreign shoes so we stuffed them in our bag and headed in. The coolest temple (in my humble opinion) was one with a terrace on top where we could walk around and look down on the temple and out on the city. Very cool. The weather was perfect that day, a little cooler with a great breeze. We all pretended it was a Wisconsin fall day, and we even saw some leaves falling! There was also a very random museum that we checked out that had artifacts such as weapons, chariots, sporks, and paintings. It was eclectic and from a palace that had been there in the past. After touring the other two smaller temples, we headed down to try to find a snake park. On the way down we stopped to share the famous corn (same as the carnival) that added to the autumn feel.
We ended up not finding the snake park, though we eventually found the right road. There are no street signs anywhere. If we do happen upon a random street sign it is typically in Hindi, which in our case there minas well not be a sign at all. The neighborhoods we walked

through were fun and we even spotted another camel which is always fun. We eventually wondered back home and bought some fresh figs to try—absolutely delicious! Bonus: they were only 5 Rs for 2! (that’s roughly 10 cents)
The day before (Saturday) Mike and I attempted to have a date at a new park we wanted to check out. To make a long story short, the park was closed and to get 10 minutes in we’d have to buy the gateman a coffee. This park is supposed to be free so we refused. Our picnic ended up being on a slab of cement near the river. At least we had a show of bathing water buffalo. Not quite what we imagined, but we’re getting used to a change of plans here. Sometimes you don’t even want to expect something because that means it probably won’t work that way. But Mike put it well, our date was a success because we were together and eating a picnic. True, very true.

School Update

I’d love to say the classroom is perfect and that all the kids sit quietly and are incredibly excited to see what Didi Sara has to teach that day. Unfortunately that would be a giant lie. I was telling Mike yesterday that I wish I could tell people the classroom was getting much better so I could feel successful or that change was happening. Or at least calm people’s fears that I am getting dramatized by a room full of crazed 6th graders. He responded with the interesting comment of how people probably just want to hear that I’m okay and enjoying it. So that I can assure you. I am doing well and enjoying the challenge of it. Sometimes I want to throw up my arms in despair and force them to teach themselves, but I keep coming back. I’m continually trying to think of new, different ways to make it work. I have a couple more thoughts up my sleeve for this week so we’ll see.
This picture perfectly embodies my classroom. Full of chaos and me standing in the middle, trying to figure out how the heck I am supposed to teach all these kids. Let alone have them actually LEARN anything. It’s a tough nut to crack. I made a list the other day of the things I’m learning professionally and personally. It was really encouraging to have tangible evidence that I’m growing as it is easy to think I’m just stuck in struggle mode.
If you walked into my classroom this week, you’d still be shocked and think, “What do these kids eat to make them like this!?!” You’d probably think no progress has been made. You might be right, but relationships are being built slowly and I think both parties are learning. Even if just learning how to understand American English. I’d welcome you all to my classroom and give me advice! I’m more open than ever for ideas, which I think is a good place to be in the long run. I’m new at this, and that’s just fine.

Church

Being a part of a community seeking God is important to Mike and I, and we have both realized this increasingly more since not being a part of one. We have not found a church, though some of the names of churches on the map are interesting: Infant Jesus, Jesus, Christ, and All Saints. We hopefully will be checking some of these out in the next week or so. It’s difficult to find out the time, location, and such, but we’re hopeful.
Our “church” has consisted of Mike and I waking up on Sundays and listening to a sermon (we just finished going through a series by Rob Bell called “Leaving Behind” that I strongly recommend), chatting about it and praying together. Anyway it has been really encouraging. The last message really spoke to us and I’m going to attempt to relate it to the masses (it is way better just listening to it yourself: Rob Bell: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst” look it up).
The series is on the Sermon on the Mount and breaking it down verse by verse. This week it was “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” He first introduced righteousness as all relationships, between others, God, the Earth, ourselves to be proper and full of peace. Bell went on to explain a couple of takes on it and ultimately what he thinks it means. One view could be that it is a verse calling us to be righteous and to achieve a certain level of goodness, of righteousness and then we are blessed. We must reach this pinnacle of success on our own to be blessed. This view does not resemble the core of the gospel or the core of grace. Another view would be that those struggling to wade through the guck of the world, the injustices, the sorrows, the conflicts…those who hunger for a shalom, or peace in the world: those are blessed. Those who are stuck in hard decisions of how to enjoy life and how to sacrifice for others to enjoy life, those are blessed. Those who want to throw up their hands in despair at the injustices around us, those who yearn for God’s truth and goodness to reign throughout the world…Those are blessed.
It was really encouraging to Mike and I to realize all the perspectives and insights into humanity we deal with day in and day out don’t have to reach a pinnacle of success. We probably will never figure out why poverty lives on, why my students probably won’t get an education past 10th grade, why we get to live in an apartment while people right next to us live in shacks, why we eat to our content while others beg, why we have money for a plane ticket while others never leave the city…it is not all right or fair and makes us cry out, “What is going on here?!” We want the world to be at peace, with all the relationships to be right: the relationship between people, the relationship with the earth, the relationship with God, the relationship within ourselves to be full of joy and goodness. We are not called to fix it all, we are called to follow Jesus and figure out what that means. We are blessed not because of who we are, or what decisions we make, or what sacrifices we make, but for the sheer struggle of hungering for righteousness to cover the world.

Saras Baug and Carnival

The name alone convinced us to go and check out this park. Saras Baug is on the southside of Pune and is a giant city park. Luckily enough the name held true, it was a beautiful, fun, clean park J. The actual park was packed with people, lots of families relaxing on the grounds. There were boys walking around selling colorful balls, roasted peanuts, cotton candy, and ear cleanings (that we decided was the worst option). The peanuts were wrapped in paper and were only 5 Rs. They were absolutely delicious and hit the spot. We all relaxed and enjoyed reading on the grass. It was a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon, but it got even better.
Next to the park was another park called Peshwe Energy Park which was a park with a long walkway through it that had little cabins set up throughout the walk. Each cabin had a different display of renewable energy; solar, wind, water and bio-mass. It almost seemed like we were on a field trip, thankfully Sara didn’t have us take notes and write a report…There were trees full of bats that soared around the park. Probably the biggest bats we’ve ever seen. There was a little pond that we all sat next to and wrote letters, read, and relaxed.
On the other side of Saras Baug we stumbled upon what looked like a mini carnival. It was just one street length long with outdoor restaurants on one side and carnival rides on the other. Most of the carnival rides weren’t motor-driven, they just had a person that would spin them around. The best one was the ferris wheel because there were two people that were climbing up into it and using their weight to spin it around. Sometimes they would swing off the edge near the end. Probably the highlight for us was the chance to try some corn roasted on coals spread with lime, salt and chili powder, all for only 10 Rs.! It was the best corn we have ever eaten and which we will probably fail in emulating back in the states…
Later that night we met up with Deep Griha volunteers at a “beer garden.” This beer garden just meant tables outside and that they sold Kingfisher (the bad beer that is sold here). Not exactly what we were looking for. Sara was still feeling a bit sick so we ended up not staying long, but it’s fun talking and getting to know other volunteers. A lot of them are from the UK and have excellent accents. Ours seems tame compared to theirs!

More Random Pictures

This is the sad, sick kitten that we found in the parking lot of our apartment complex. Mike was very emotionally attached, so to show that I had a heart I brought it upstairs and feed it corn flakes and water. It actually found it's mother up on our floor and snuggled with it until it reached the end of its short life.






There was a sign that my brothers would love at the energy park about solar cookers. It is considered a "real boon for housewives." Enough said.

Most trees here are painted like this with white and red stripes. I was told that it is in the place of flying flags to show national pride. Who knows, but it adds some character?

This is Pune University which Anne and I got to visit with Eileen and her driver. It is considered the "Oxford of India." I'm not sure I'd go that far, but there were a lot of green spaces and a couple cool buildings.

Random Notes and Pictures

We had an orange Halloween dinner--squash soup, papaya-banana smoothie, roasted squash seeds, Kit-Kats! (they taste different here though), and corn flake treats. Delicious! If you have any good ideas for recipes for us, we don't have an oven but have most vegetables around (also no cheese)...send them our way! We'd love it. Or if you have great Halloween costumes, we'd love to see them, email them to us!

The India post has served us well so far so send us mail! It makes our week when there's mail. The best bet is to send it to the school. We have gotten the letters that have been sent to us so far. They should take normal international stamps. Shalini (the principal) also says that packages come to the school just fine...so SEND AWAY!

Address (yes, you should put this all...I know it's weird to us too...):

KC Thackeray Vidya Niketan (3B)

c/o Shalini Sachdev (and Sara)

Opp Samarth Hospital

Near Daruwala Pul
Somwarpeth, Pune 411011 INDIA

We have a paper chain started for when Joanna comes and we are so excited! One of the highlights of our day is taking off a paper chain.

One of our favorite markets is in Budwar Peth, where you find lots of fruit and veggie vendors. This main is preparing banana leaves for sale. A lot of dishes are wrapped in banana leaves.

Mike is grand and bought me flowers to

brighten my day, it was classically in a wine

bottle. My favorite colors!