The Best Day Ever (in India)!!!

Summer is in full swing now and it's been a bunch of lazy days for me and Eric. As you can tell, I haven't been posting much on the blog (eventually I will catch everyone up on the past month and a half, I promise), but recently we had such a stellar day, I thought I'd write a short entry about it.

During summer vacation the kids' schedule at the orphanage relaxes considerably. There's no such thing as summer school in India, so all the kids are around the orphanage all the time. The past few weeks have been great because we get to spend a lot more time with the older kids whom we don't get to see as much during the school year because they don't attend Bensons (remember, Bensons the school only goes up to 4th grade). While the kids don't have class, they do have to work on projects around the campus for a few hours a day: cleaning, general maintenance, building things, gardening, clearing away brush and undergrowth, etc. As a reward for their hard work, once a week all the kids get to go on a field trip together.

This past week we went to GRS Fantasy Park, a small amusement park in Mysore that concentrates mostly on water rides. I have to say, our day at GRS might have been the best day we've had in India. The kids were totally pumped up for GRS (it's most of the kids' favorite field trip of the year). We've been hearing about this place for the past three months--how great it is, how much fun we were going to have, how I was going to fall into the pit with the dragon in it (one of the kids had a dream where I fell into the Dragon's Den, one of the rides). Amazingly enough, it actually delivered (except for the dream--I didn't actually fall into the dragon's lair). I've never seen the kids so happy before--all of them. Everyone was laughing, playing together, getting wet and wild. It was awesome to see the huge smiles on the kids' faces. I had so much fun splashing water in children's eyes, pantsing some of the boys (underwater to minimize embarrassment), and going down the giant water slides that I don't even mind the nasty sunburn I still have (yes, I used sunscreen). Plus, Eric and I totally dominated on the Pendulum Slide, this enormous cross between a water slide and vert-ramp that you ride on with a two-person inner tube--we went faster, higher, and harder than anyone else (it's the best ride in the whole park and there was never more than two people ahead of us in line all day, how sweet is that). But if there's one thing I will always remember from this day, it's the look of joy on one of my favorite little girl's face as she jumped up and down in the waves at the Wave Pool.

Sometimes Eric and I dream about taking all the kids to Hawaii. Only two of them (out of 34) have ever seen the ocean before. Going with the kids to GRS might be the closest we ever get to Hawaii. But if that's so, I'm ok with it. Thanks for the memories GRS!

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy:

GRS, here we come!


Soshimla's look of joy.

Under the waterfall (l to r: Giri, Zuky, Nomel, Babu, Kariyapa).


Naningkhui, Mothangwar, and Raikan get it on with the brontosaurus.


Leishipem (doesn't she look Korean?) and Ashaveine prepare for the Ferris Wheel.


Subashini and Yaomungla have headaches after the Ferris Wheel.


The sensitive man (Mothangwar).


Because I want to be in at least one picture in this post (l to r: Eric, Yangreipam, Yaomungla, Leishipem, me).


Paotam riding a cartoon version of himself.


The boys (Shonyui (top), Sosem, Varekan, Chingreisho (l to r)).


Eric letting his inner-demons out with Giri and the trash can.


A fitting end to a great day. Thanks GRS!

The Bamboozlog Strikes Again! Update #2

I'm standing at my apartment window and staring at the tops of palm trees spreading out to the horizon. This is nowhere that I ever thought I'd be. But already a month-and-a-half has passed since I came to India, a month since my last update. Sometimes I still can't believe that I'm here.


A lot of people have been pestering me to update the blog more frequently. Maybe, eventually. But so far there's been so much more fun/meaningful/important stuff to do here in Mysore than write blog entries. Not to say that updating you all isn't important, of course it is. But life has been moving along quite nicely over here, and Eric and I have finely found a routine that keeps us pleasantly busy.

Our First Visitor
In February Eric and I had our first visitor in India, Genevieve! Some of you might know her from when she was in the Edge many years ago. Since then she's moved back to her home state of New York and is working full-time in the financial industry. Anyway, she flew all the way out to Bangalore, braved the five hour taxi ride (there was traffic) all the way to Mysore and, while on the way, had her first Indian meal at... McDonald's. The closest McDonald's to Mysore is about 45 minutes outside the city, so it was our first time there. Eric and I were craving something that tasted American so we just had to go (sorry about that Gen). But better than our trip to McD's, Genevieve brought some things with her that were far more precious: peanut butter (and a large suitcase filled with various other goodies that Eric and I either forgot to bring, didn't have time to buy, or just plain missed) and crafts for the kids.

Genevieve's visit was a rousing success, not just for the stuff that she brought, but for the relationships she built with the kids, especially the girls. She would spend the day at Beautiful Gate (the school for children with special needs) and then come to Bensons (the school where Eric and I teach) in the afternoon and lead crafts for the kids after school. It was amazing how much more the kids opened up to Eric and I in the short week Gen was with us. We never had much trouble with the guys, but now the girls too will actually talk to us or play games with us instead of silently running away and hiding in their room (or in the case of one little girl, giving us the Vulcan Death Stare). I have become a firm believer in the power of arts and crafts. Thanks Gen! She's set a high standard for any future visitors to Casa Brain y Kidney (the nicknames the kids have given us--can you tell who is who?).

School or Orphanage?
Eric and I are thick in the middle of teaching. Final exams are at the end of the month (it's still strange to me that elementary school kids have final exams), and we're busy getting them ready to score 100% on their tests. Teaching has been fun and surprisingly easy (not that it's easy, but it kind of is). It helps that I only have eight students and Eric only has six. I've had a couple of off days where the class just went poorly, but for the most part it's been smooth sailing. I thought the kids might have problems with my accent, but they're amazingly adaptable. Before coming here I wasn't sure how I'd do teaching elementary school, but now, if I thought teaching in America would be the same as teaching at Bensons (I realize that it isn't), I'd become an elementary school teacher. Today I taught the students about Superman and Clark Kent and Peter Parker and Spiderman and the concept of "alter-egos." How cool is that? We even had a little time at the end of class for games. For some reason, my kids love "Head's Up, 7-Up" more than any other game in existence. Any time we have a spare minute they ask, "Can we play 'Head's Up, 7-Up'?" No! Hahaha. Of course, we usually do.

One thing to note about Bensons International Academy, it is both a school and an orphanage. As a school, it's open to both the kids at the orphanage and to the general public for enrollment. What that means is that students from all over Mysore and the surrounding villages attend school here. Right now, about half the kids that attend the school are from the orphanage and half from the local community. But since Bensons (the school) only goes up to 4th grade, all the kids at the orphanage older than the 4th grade go to one of the local schools in Mysore. So to sum up, not all the kids at the school are from the orphanage, and not all the kids from the orphanage go to the school. It's a little confusing.

And actually, it gets even more confusing because many of the kids in the orphanage are not necessarily orphans in the traditional sense. In some ways Bensons International Academy is neither fully a school nor an orphanage but instead functions as a kind of boarding school. Many of the children have at least one parent, but the parent is too poor to be able to take care of their kids. Other children lost their father and, when their mother remarried, were abandoned or handed off to relatives who either did not want to or were not able to take care of them. Most of the orphans have brothers and sisters living somewhere else whom they may or may not know. And of course some of the kids are completely alone in the world. Although I do not know all their stories yet, many of them are heartbreaking.

More Kids
Having cleared that up, I absolutely love the kids here, especially the ones from the orphanage. The kids here are so easy to love. Although they are well taken care of, their life here cannot be easy. All of them wake up at 5:30 in the morning and they don't go to bed until 10 at night--their schedule is packed with school, studying, chores, meals and Bible study. And of course there are no parents to love on them or give them the care and attention they really need. And yet, they are always ready to laugh or smile, they're obedient and well-behaved, they share freely and are very giving, and they take care of each other and are always helping out around the campus. They're so mature I often catch myself treating them like adults, and then I see them running around and playing tag or fighting to write their homework answers on the blackboard and I remember that they're still just little kids.

It took me a month, but I finally learned all their names. Now I'm working on learning all their nicknames. Both Eric and I have been really encouraged by how well we've been able to get to know the kids even in the short time we've been here. I feel like the kids are starting to trust us--trust that we genuinely do care for them. I was really touched when, during one of our arts and crafts sessions, a bunch of the boys started imitating the dancing I unconsciously do during class. I know my relationships with the kids still have a long way to go, but even now I find myself constantly thinking about them. Sometimes I imagine what it will be like the day Eric and I leave Mysore, and then I get sad merely thinking about it. Just the other night I couldn't fall asleep because I was fantasizing about adopting five or six of the kids and bringing them back to America with me. I stayed up for two hours wishing I could be the single dad version of the Brady Bunch--imagining what it would be like to drive them to soccer practice and music lessons, what I would cook for their meals, where we would live, what kind of house we'd need and how I would set up the rooms. I think I'm sick. But it's a good sickness. I'm glad (and extremely grateful) to be here.

The Ambiguously Gay Duo Contemplate Adoption
(we're not actually gay, fyi)

Bamboozlement
Even before Eric and I got to India we heard that the traffic would be crazy. And for the most part, it is. Too crazy for us to even attempt to drive ourselves. So for transportation, we tend to take a lot of autos, vehicles that are a weird amalgamation of a taxi, three-wheeled motorcycle, and carriage (like tuk-tuk's in Thailand). Auto drivers are famous for ripping off tourists by either over-charging them instead of using the meter, taking an extra-long route, or using other, more illegal methods. Our first week in Mysore our friend helped us find a nice auto driver named Apu. He drove us all around Mysore and helped us find a restaurant we were looking for in an unfamiliar area, waited for us while we ate dinner and got ice cream, and then drove us back home late at night after hours. He charged us according to the meter, which is the official way of computing the fare. And he gave us his cell phone number in case we ever needed to arrange for a pick-up or in case we got stranded somewhere. Apu was a friendly and helpful dude and we thought that he'd become our unofficial driver for our stay here. That is, until the weeks passed and we noticed the fare that Apu's meter charged us was 50% higher than it should have been. Apparently, Apu had his meter illegally doctored to charge money at a faster rate than normal. Bastard! Apu, henceforth you shall be known as "A poo." Ahhh, bamboozled again.

If you'd like to call A-poo and voice your complaints, please call his cell phone by dialing 011-91-934-326-6834 (from the US). Standard international rates apply.

That's all folks. Look out for future updates, including a picture-only post, musings on our friends Ronald and Stelon, the big birthday bash, comments on the food, potential restaurant reviews, and much, much more.

One final image to say goodbye...

Why "Bamboozlog"?

A few people have emailed asking where the name "Bamboozlog" came from, so I thought I'd write a quick post to explain. If it's not self-evident, "Bamboozlog" is a contraction of the words "bamboozle" and "blog." The name was inspired by a passage from Yann Martel's novel, The Life of Pi. When Eric and I moved out here to Mysore, neither of us knew much about India at all. We didn't know about the culture, didn't know about the city we were going to live in, didn't know much about our work or living situation. To put it succinctly, we were unprepared. Monsieur Martel explains it much more eloquently than I:

I had come to [India] completely unprepared. Actually, I had a preparation of one word. When I told a friend who knew the country well of my travel plans, he said casually, "They speak a funny English in India. They like words like bamboozle." I remembered his words as my plane started its descent towards Delhi, so the word bamboozle was my one preparation for the rich, noisy, functioning madness of India. I used the word on occasion, and truth be told, it served me well. To a clerk at a train station, I said, "I didn't think the fare would be so expensive. You're not trying to bamboozle me, are you?" He smiled and chanted, "No sir! There is no bamboozlement here. I have quoted you the correct fare."

So there you have it: the genesis of the "Bamboozlog." Thanks for reading.

Bamboozled!

The Bamboozlog Has Arrived! Update #1

I'm in India! Sometimes I still can't believe it. I've only been here a week, but already this place has seeped into my bones. It's by no means a perfect country, nor is it particularly easy to live in, but there is something beautiful about the people and the countryside and the rhythm of life here. Eric and I are settling into our new apartment, into our new school, into the orphanage, and into this ancient, fascinating, and oftentimes frustrating culture. And for the most part, we are loving it.

Trouble
I knew this would be an awesome trip a few days before we left because everything started to fall apart. Two days before our departure, I got a massive case of food poisoning. It was awful--the worst stomach pain I've ever felt for as long as I can remember. That wiped out a full day of preparations for the trip, and I really needed that day. The day before we left Eric came over to help me move, store my car and motorcycle, and take care of a hundred other details (which never got finished). While I was moving my Tempurpedic mattress to Bo and Cindy's place with Abe, Abe, and Annette, it fell out of the back of my truck and promptly got run over by countless cars and trucks. It was a horrible moment. Those of you who know me know that my mattress is (was) my most prized possession and the most valuable thing I own--it's helped me overcome chronic back pain and helped alleviate my insomnia. By the time the CHP came and we got the mattress off the freeway, it was pretty much destroyed. I'm still sad, even more so because I won't be able to afford a new one when I get back. Oh well, I guess that's just the cost of the trip. There's more. The day of our departure we were already running way late when I found out that I was a victim of identity theft and someone had opened at least three credit cards in my name, at least one of which had been used to run up a fairly sizable bill. And then to top it all off, the person who was supposed to give us a ride to the airport never showed up. We had to drive ourselves and we almost didn't make it in time. All in all, it was quite a way to start our journey.

Family
Fortunately the plane ride was uneventful and actually passed fairly quickly (props to British Airway). And when we finally got to Mysore after landing in Bangalore and taking a three hour taxi ride, we were met my John Locklear, his wife Sunita, and their two twin boys, Harley and Hayden. The Locklear's have been a kind of surrogate family for us since we got here, setting up our apartment, helping us buy things and navigate the city, giving us advice, and feeding us. Basically, they're the reason we're still alive. They actually run a school for special needs children here in Mysore called Beautiful Gate (their son Hayden has special needs). They're an awesome family and I'm sure I'll write a lot more about them in the future. The other family we've been adopted into is the Peters family. Dr. Peters and his wife founded the Benson Academy (the school where Eric and I work) and the orphanage. They've actually started schools, orphanages and churches all across India. Steven, the youngest son, has been our contact here in India. He's the director of the Benson Academy, and he's starting the Benson school in Irvine as well. Steven's older brother Sam is in charge of all the construction at the school and orphanage (they still have 10 acres of land to develop), and he's been really helpful in getting us settled in to life in the school and orphanage. And Sunita Locklear is their sister. All things considered, they are a pretty amazing family.

School
Eric and I are just starting to settle into our role as teachers. Eric teaches 3rd grade math, and I teach 4th grade science and social studies (we might end up switching around a little bit though). This past week the students have been taking exams so all we've had to do so far is help them review. We'll be teaching classes for real starting in a few days. It's been pretty fun so far though. The Benson Academy is only four years old, so there aren't that many students yet (only 6-8 per class). Right now, the school only goes from pre-kindergarten up to the 4th grade--every year they'll be adding another grade until it goes to the 10th grade (in India, high school ends after the 10th grade). The campus is amazing. Seriously, it's like paradise. There are palm trees and fruit trees everywhere. The weather has been perfect, cool in the mornings and evenings, sunny and warm in the afternoon, a nice breeze blowing throughout the day (it's actually nicer than So Cal). And because the school and orphanage share the same campus, there are pets everywhere--bird cages, a duck pond, chickens (both normal and extra-hairy) and roosters, German shepherds and a wiener dog, rabbits, guinea pigs, turkeys, and guinea fowl. It's quite the menagerie.

Kids
The kids, both the students and the children at the orphanage, have been the best part of our time here. I'll write a lot more about the kids in the future, but for now some general impressions: The kids here are remarkably well-behaved. They're polite, they smile a lot, and they call us "sir." The children at the orphanage especially are a joy to be around. They all take care of each other, the older ones watching out for the younger ones. Something that surprised us is a lot of the kids look very East Asian. Most of the kids from the orphanage come from a state in India that is very close to Nepal, China, Thailand, and Burma. It was very unexpected to see so many faces that looked like my own (just a lot darker). Overall, the kids are very cute. In fact, Eric and I have discovered the cutest little girl in all of India, maybe even the entire world. Her name is Sahana, and she's in pre-kindergarten. She's small enough to fit in one of our backpacks, so we're thinking of bringing her back with us when we return. She is ridiculously cute. We're looking forward to spending a lot of time with the children, especially the ones from the orphanage. However, many of the kids at the orphanage are very shy and reserved, so we know it's going to take a while to build good relationships. Still, the children seem to like us and we already, secretly have some favorites.

Home
Eric and I live in a rather large 2-bedroom apartment in a gated community on the outskirts of the city. We've spent our evenings and weekends thus far exploring the city and buying stuff for our apartment. It's already starting to feel like home. Though the electricity randomly goes out, we don't have a TV or internet access to entertain us, and we live kind of far from the city center, we are settling in quite nicely. We end up spending our free time at home reading, listening to music, and talking about all kinds of random things. It's a good life so far. And we have plenty of room at our place, so please, come and visit! Mysore is only a 24-hour journey away from California. You'll love it here, I guarantee it.

And to convince you a little more, check out this video of the 1st through 4th graders doing a dance at the school's Annual Day:



Bamboozlement
I thought I'd end all my updates with a brief story where Eric and/or I get bamboozled by the local population. We were told many times by many different people before we came to India that the locals would try to pull a fast one on us because we're foreigners. We've been on our guard ever since. Still, even the most vigilant defender slips up every now and then. Ever since we arrived in India, Eric and I have been looking without much luck to buy some hair clippers so we can cut our own hair. The other day, after a long and arduous search, we finally found a tiny, out-of-the-way store that carried a small selection of electric clippers. It was like finding the Holy Grail--a lifelong quest that drew to a satisfying and successful conclusion. The clippers we chose were heavy and substantial and came with all the attachments. We made the shopkeeper plug the clippers in and demonstrate that they worked. We even managed to bargain down the price from 650 rupees to 500 rupees. Riding home in the auto, we were filled with a sense of pride and accomplishment. Of course, as soon as we got home and tried to use the hair clippers they broke after two minutes. Ahhh, bamboozled!

Hope you enjoyed this first update. Much more to come!