Floppy chapatis.

I used to think I was decent in the kitchen. You know, I can follow a recipe and rarely catch anything on fire. 

But then I moved to India, where recipes are rare, and I found out that I've got a lot to learn about cooking from scratch. 

In hopes that I might one day settle down and marry a local guy (which isn't at all my plan), or at least impress my family and friends back home, Bhumika has taken on the task of teaching me some of her mad skills. 

She's much too encouraging of my floppy chapatis, but I'll take all the help I can get. 

THE Cooking Show

Thanks to a few master chefs (namely Hipster, Diva, and Party Pants), you can now cook up some classic Paneer Butter Masala in the comfort of your own home. 

Welcome to a snippet of my Indian life. 

Turns out, it's been raining a lot around here.

Pros:
It's a nice break from the intense heat.
Umbrellas are an additional fashion statement.
Legit needed for the farmers here.

Cons:
Some areas are starting to flood.
Mud somehow gets everywhere.
Sometimes I slip.

Funny Things.

So, I found this journal entry from November, 2010.

It's crazy (a) that I'm still in India and (b) that this list of 

"funny things" could go on and on and on. And on. 

Some things are legit hilarious, and some things are forced into the 

funny category because I'm not sure where else to put them... 

you know, things like getting peed on by a cow on the sidewalk. Oops.

Anyhow, read on. 

Tiny fingers tugging at my clothes
Babies pointing to their mouths
Asking for something to relieve
The hunger pains that seem to never end
Dirt smudged on their faces
Cuts and scrapes on their frail skin
The look in their eyes is that of desperation
Desperate for food
Desperate for Hope

I lift up my eyes to the hills. 
From where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, 
who made heaven and earth. 
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber...
The LORD will keep your going out 
and your coming in from this time forth
and forevermore. 

Read that. It's from Psalm 121.
God wrote a book, and it's all about Him.
His story. His love. His grace.
Today, I just can't get enough.

Pray with me that people from every nation, tribe,
and tongue will have access to this powerful Word.

Are you my mother?

Guess what? My own mother is in India! Can you believe it?

If you want to get the low-down on her time here, you can call her cell. haha. But I'll give you an overview.... 

She came with a team of songwriters. 

To lead two incredible songwriting conferences.

Where brothers and sisters from all over learned to write songs in their own heart languages. 

And she got to experience a lot of India along the way.... trains and rickshaws, markets and street food, fun food and crazy colors.... 

She rode an elephant... And nearly escaped a crazy one-horned-rhino attack! 

MORE TO COME....

Teaching teachers to teach.

The truth is- I've never been a real teacher.
I mean, I got an education degree.
I did student teaching and all that jazz.
But I've never been a bulletin-board-decorating, parent-conference-facilitating, standardized-test-giving teacher.
And that's okay.
Because, surprisingly, I still get to teach teachers to teach.
You know-- teacher workshops.
The fact that students learn differently is mind-blowing to some educators around here.
Simple graphic organizers like the venn diagram or or a bubble chart are innovative tools in these parts.
AND learning that it's acceptable, and even necessary, for teachers to go 'outside the book' and instill legit character qualities into the lives of their student.... now that can set a person free.
So, though I don't have much real-life-expeirence, it's exciting to see teachers grasp concepts that can help them shape the minds and hearts of the next generation.

 

NZ.

New Zealand is by far the most beautiful place I've seen in my entire life.

You're probably dying for a play-by-play of my time there, and that's coming, but let's start out with a few good ole group pictures.

 

Wel.come.

An Indian 2011.

Turns out, I lived in India for all.of.2011. And I will never be the same.

It's real hard for me to process through all I've learned and experienced this year, but I think I can come up with a list of some sort.

Hit up Oman, Malaysia, and the UAE.
Thought on my feet.
Danced with the tribes.
Learned some language.
Treated Thailand like a home-away-from-home.
Made some LEGIT friends.
Drew a little henna.
Took buses, autos, rickshaws, metros, trains, planes, and truckers like there was no tomorrow.
Trained some teachers.
Loved on some babies.
Hurt with the hurting.
Ate enough rice for a Chinese province.
Accidentally picked up on Indian English.

Will never be the same.