Market Visit and Evening Snack

Went on a quick jaunt to the market last night to obtain some traditional clothing for the women to wear to teach in for the trip.  It was definitely an experience.  Upon leaving the hotel through the black wrought iron gates, it was entering a different world.  The hotel sits in an island of calm, quiet solitude and we entered into the bustling masses of thousands of people.  The markets surrounds the hotel and has everything from purses, to watermelons, to clothing, to toys strewn about on blankets on the ground and in shops along the way.  The ladies shopped in a portion called New Market I believe and found some good purchases for themselves after some hard bartering on the prices  by our guide from the hotel, Abhijeet Sherma.  Most items in the market are negotiated on price between the vendor and the buyer.  I saw very few items that were "fixed price".  A much different concept than in the States, but very similar to the markets of Saigon.  Everyone gets to leave feeling they were a winner in the transaction.     I found two shirts for a good price that I can wear to teach in, along with the 5 or 6 shirts I brought with me that I found at the thrift store before I left (thanks Meaghan and Paul).

The highlight and concluding portion of the evening shopping trip was stopping for Momos at a shop along the way.  They are available steamed or fried, and with everything from chicken to mushrooms to veggies.  I think the best way to describe them is as a won-ton like item that is stuffed with your ingredient and then steamed or fried in front of you.  A two sauce selection is available to put on your momo.  The red sauce is a very spicy definitely delicious addition to the momo and the green sauce is a mild cooling sauce that works well in combination with the red. I enjoyed that evening snack.  Best part was eating them standing up on the side and watching all of the people come out of the movie theatre as the movie let out. Great people watching while grabbing a bite to eat.  

Arrival in Kolkata

So after many hours on planes and many layovers, I have finally made it to Kolkata.  Definitely a very vibrant city and many, many people.

It took quite some time to get our bags once we got off the plane, but all have made it safely here.  Immigration was  a pretty quick check the visa and stamp the passport.  Customs was very much give the form and walk on into Kolkata.  At the airport, we had a car and driver waiting for each one of us.  Pretty cool to have my own driver and car for the 32 km trip to the hotel.  The driver had an interesting question for me when he asked, "Do you self-drive or have a driver at home?".  It took me a moment and then responded that I drove myself in my truck around town.  I also let him know I sometimes took the bus or train.  He seemed a bit surprised by my answers.  He has been driving for 20 years and grew up in Kolkata.  He lives near the airport with his wife, daughter, and mother.

Meaghan and Jo Anne this is the Ambulance with Oxygen!!!

Saw about 10 or 15 cars/trucks with flat tires, which is not surprising given the roads.  Basically, the are in about the same shape as most of the streets in New Orleans!!!  It is definitely monsoon season with lots of rain and puddles all over.  The humidity is definitely a plus (I love it), but makes it difficult to keep things dry apparently.

The hotel is definitely going to be a great place to rest for the next five weeks.  It is opulence surrounded by a less than opulent neighborhood.  For those of you wondering, yes, it is quite safe.  They even scan all the handbags and luggage before admitting anyone to the hotel.  At one time, The Oberoi Grand was a guest house for the British and it shows.  It is a Victorian style residence 200 rooms and 9 suites and is known as the Grand Duchess of Chowringhee.    You can see the pictures of my room/home for the next five weeks below.  

Dubai .... Pictures Now Posted

So we left Dulles in Washington, D.C. about two hours later than scheduled.  Everyone loaded up onto the plane and then we sat at the gate for about two hours waiting for the traffic to clear out from the storms.  The flight over wasn’t too bad and as you can see, I got some pretty cool pictures of the sunset over Washington on the way out.  I slept for about 4 hours out of the 11.5 hour flight to Dubai, read a few books and overall had a good flight.

The best part of the whole flight was the amazing diversity that I found when we got off the plane in Dubai for our 10 hour layover.  There are people from all walks of life and countries roaming around the streets and the airport.  You’ll have to ask me about the moving walkway guys sometime when you see me in person.  ;o)  Connections can be made anywhere, even from across the airport on walkways moving in two different directions.  You can find family anywhere. 

There are women in burkas, woman in western dress, men in robes, people from Asia, Europe, Africa, and beyond.  On one of the moving walkways was a woman I assumed to be from Africa who was about 6’2” at least since she was taller than the tallest guy in our group.  Surprising, many of the women who are robed (but not in burkas) are from various parts of the world.  I guess it is not that surprising really since Islam is a growing religion and has members around the world.  Dubai did not quite jive with my preconceived perceptions of what it would look like, nor with what I expected to see as I roamed around exploring.  That is one of the best and most amazing things about traveling to different places around the world.  People watching and learning about what makes a country click. 

Dubai is definitely very warm.  When we arrived, it was around 110 degrees Fahrenheit and about 4:30 in the afternoon.  Interesting note about the escalators here…they don’t start moving until you step on them.  Great way to save energy and reduce operating costs.  Also saw a few other neat signs and things around town as you can see from the pictures.  I definitely would be interested in stopping for a while on the way back and checking things out.

We decided to get out of the airport (of course) and explore the city using the local Metro Rail System (RTA).  I purchased a Gold Class ticket and jumped on board the train.  From here, I saw the tallest building in the world, the mall, some amazing architecture and many, many people from all over the world.  Guess it makes sense since Dubai is a business and financial capital and has plenty of money to fund various projects.  

The LAGalaxy made it to Dubai

Roger would be in here for hours I'm sure.

Women go Up and Men Go Down

Simply entitled "Together"

Burj Khalifa - Video tomorrow of the fountains

Surfboards even make it to Dubai!

Departure Stage 1 - Leaving LA

So after a very late night and early morning of saying goodbye to loved ones, I'm sitting on the United plane waiting for take-off.  The adventure begins momentarily.  I'm excited yet sad to be leaving home for so long.  Two more days until India!!  I've never been and can't wait to experience it for myself.  I've read a lot about the people, the places, and the culture, but there is nothing like first hand experiences.  It is a land full of history, turmoil, triumphs, and change.  Ready to fly away!!

Write-up in the OVHS newsletter about the trip

http://ovhs.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/newslettermay13.pdf

An interesting situation

Change is coming?

An interesting article about the changes affecting India and the rise of the middle class.  

Less than 1 Week

So, I have less than one week before I begin my adventures in India.  I am very excited about working with fellow teachers and sharing ideas and strategies as well as stories.  As I count down to departure time, I realize I am going to miss spending the summer with friends and family, but I know it is going to be worth it to have the experience of a lifetime.

Packing List so far (let me know if you think I forgot anything):

• Yearbook
• Photobook
• 5 t-shirts
• 2 shorts
• 5 boxers
• 5 ties
• 2 slacks (linen)
• 1 pair of jeans
• dinner jacket
• 5 socks
• School supply gifts
• Biology books/supplies
• loafer shoes
• 3 white short sleeve button shirts
• postcards
• visa
• passport
• chalk
• a few items to pass out as souvenirs
• camera and lenses
• laptop

I figure I can get a lightweight jacket and an umbrella when I get there (or maybe find one cheap at the thrift store this weekend). I think I have one somewhere, but finding it may be another matter.  

Reflecting

So as I sat at graduation this afternoon, I wondered what it will be like in India this summer.  Will they also talk about character and believing in yourself?  Who is the support structure for the students in India?  At Ocean View we have some of the richest kids in the OC and some of the poorest.  Often for all the students teachers are the support when parents can't be there.  I think that is true all over, but I wonder.  Musings on another year gone by and another batch of seniors let loose in the world.  How different is that world from that of graduates in India?  Looking forward to finding out. I think that there is much in common and much we can learn from each other.

Award Letter

The award letter arrives...

Visa Arrives!!

On 22 May, I received my Visa!!!
It only took about 8 copies of the application, 10 passport photos, a whole tree of paper, lots of writing,
charged twice for it by the outsourcing company, and a few other minor hiccups along the way.

Selection and Notification

So it began a few months before 28 March, 2013, but the 28th is when I received the email stating....
"Congratulations on your selection for the 2013 India Summer Teacher Program!"  That put an end to wondering if I was accepted or if I had to make other plans for the summer.  I am 1 of 10 very lucky teachers in the United States accepted into the program this year.

And so, I began to plan for what I expect will be one of the most exciting and challenging events of my life.  In a program sponsored by the US State Department and the American Councils for International Education and Fulbright, I will be working with an Indian counterpart for five weeks teaching in Kolkata, India.

I will be teaching at the Loreto Day School, Sealdah on A.J. C. Bose Road.  I will be teaching classes 6, 7, 8, and 9, so it will be a bit of a change working with the younger students.  I hope it is not like my "wonderful" times teaching middle school in Cerritos a few years ago.  I survived, but man teachers of middle school deserve hazardous duty pay!!!

I will be teaching some topics that I have not covered in a long while, but looks like it will be fun.  Everything from magnetism to organ systems of the toad and man, to animal and plant circulation.  I am looking forward to sharing some strategies and techniques with my counterpart and learning some new ideas and methods for involving the students in their own education.