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.

 

September Snippets.

It's pretty obvious that I've been a blog slacker, so I'm going to try to get back on board and post some little snippets of life here and random happenings. 

Here are a few fun facts about September. 

I went on a boat ride the other day and it was wonderful. 

I got to work with a group that does anti-trafficking dramas & learned so much. 

It's pretty normal to smash cake on everyone's face at a birthday party, so I couldn't resist. 

Spent some sweet time in the Word.

Got to see this scooter. So good. 

Umm... and I got peed on by a cow. Is that normal? No. Did it happen? Yes. 

ANNDD I got to help welcome this sweet baby into the world. Maddy's niece. 

And so much more-- come on over and check out life here. You'll never be the same. 

Weird things I do now.

I realize that I've been pretty weird my entire life, but I was reflecting a little today on how I've become even.more.weird. 

I...

- only paint the nails on my left hand... because I eat with the right. 

- see elephants and monkeys often... and get excited every time. 

- ride side-saddle on the back of motorbikes and scooties.... and somehow manage to maintain balance.  

- use excessive hand motions and sound effects in every conversation. Language barrier. 

- feel self-conscious if I don't have a scarf draped across my shoulders. 

- make 'cowboy coffee' every morning by boiling the ole grinds with the water over the gas stove. 

- put things in the sun to heat/re-heat. Like this homemade syrup...

- say 'cheers' all the time... while having tea with village leaders, coffee with friends, or water at the bus stop. Cheers!

- carry an umbrella for rain AND shine. Everybody's doing it. 

    

My today.

Today, I...

Got up... naturally... and set out on my sweet little balcony. 

Made some oats and coffee. 

Jumped in this auto and headed to a trafficking shelter. 

Talked about how we were created uniquely, made picture frames, and... 

Had a legit photo-shoot!

Then, hopped in this auto to go to a baby celebration (like a baby shower, but after the birth).

 a) she's adorable  b) her parents are so hospitable/hilarious...

c) they fed us lunch

Rode this bus to my neighborhood, and...

Walked home "under my umbrella" (with the song in my head, of course).

Stared at my bed for a minute... dreaming... 

Then got over myself and made a cup of coffee... complete with sugar, 'milk,' and cinnamon.  

Went to the office in this little rickshaw (thank you small man who biked me to work). 

Wrote some official-looking letters and had a throw-down with my to-do list. 

Found this guy to take me back to the shelter.

(please notice that my knees are smashed against the bar... thank you Wilson family) 

Had snacks and heard laughter roar as we... 

Watched 3 Idiots!

Didn't get ripped-off too bad by this auto driver on my way home. 

Took this janky elevator up to the 5th floor.  

Propped my feet up, responded to a few messages, and fed my addiction to Pinterest.   

Daily Dabbles.

Life here is becoming so normal to me that sometimes I forget to share the little things... so, here are a few little normal things. 

This is the view from my balcony. Oh, I love mornings out there. 

I work with an NGO as an Education Strategist... and this is how I get to work in the morning:

 This is my office. Sure, I've got a desk, but I like to spread out my little work station on the rug. 

This is one of the village schools I'm working with. Teacher training, ESL camps, and even health camps are on the horizon. 

The ole pizzeria is quaint... and my friends here are BALLER. 

Sometimes I have a "Shoot... I really do live in India" moment... like when I walked by this little guy.