August 1-15, 2006

My bags did eventually arrive (neatly wrapped in cellophane and locked with plastic twists), I hired a housekeeper (who speaks rather good English and gave me a Teach Yourself Hindi book complete with 2 cassette tapes), and I am quickly finding my way around Bandra (via rickshaw and my own two feet). Today is Indian Independence Day, the celebration of the day on which India received freedom from British rule. It should have been a day full of festivities, but most Indians I talked to from the school had decided to stay home with their families in light of the recent terrorism threats. I, myself, stayed home most of the day, though I did duck out to Barrista’s on the corner to have a latte. It is about 6:30 pm, now, and I have not heard of any tragic incidents thus far. Of course, I have no TV or radio access, so perhaps I am living in my own little bubble. This weekend, I took a walk to Crosswords, an English language bookstore, and picked up a few books and was persuaded to sign up for a lifelong membership. As part of membership, I receive a free yearlong subscription to the Hindustan Times. Thus, I do know what happened yesterday. I have been appointed the leader of MS Current Events, a group that meets weekly to discuss topics which the students themselves choose; therefore, it is probably helpful to at least have access to the newspaper. I am still waiting for Internet access from home. Once I get that, I will even be able to listen to KRWG and keep up with what is happening in Las Cruces, NM.

The school has kept us busy with orientation activities, most of which took place at school; however, Friday we were taken on a scavenger hunt through Bandra. Each newbie was matched up with several experienced faculty and staff persons (One thing I love about this school is that they do not separate staff from teachers in most of the pre-school year activites) and, together, we had to complete a set of ridiculous tasks before we were told of the final meet up place for our Friday night outing. Tasks included cooking corn at an outside stall, buying tea for your rickshaw driver, trying to sell a pair of shoes to a shoe store owner, wearing clothes of an employee at a restaurant while eating their chocolate mousse, and washing someone’s rickshaw while parked at the beach. It was a riot. Fortunately for me, one of my team’s members was the superintendent’s wife and another was head of the transportation office.

Tomorrow, the students finally arrive for their first day of school and I am delighted to say that I have some inkling of what I may be teaching. I am the head of the ESL department K-12, yet I have only a sketchy view of the program as it currently exists and I am not quite sure which classes I’ll be teaching. I am also teaching a couple of drama classes. It was, however, not until yesterday that I had the opportunity to sit down with the other MS drama teacher and discuss the drama program. I have figured out that I only see my drama students once every 4 days; so, I have the first week — one lesson — planned. Apparently, a MS production is scheduled for December. I believe I am supposed to be helping out with that in some capacity.

I have settled into my flat quite nicely. The school provided basic necessities including furniture, curtains, dishes, and toilet paper (thank goodness!). Nevertheless, I am extremely please to know that my shipment has docked. I signed my name in 24 different places on official documents yesterday and hope to see my goods soon — perhaps in the next 2 or 3 weeks. I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed with my own sheets and pillow. Meanwhile, I managed to already buy a beautifully, hand-carved teak 4-panel divider and a corner shelving unit from a furniture store in downtown Mumbai.

I cat-sat a former teacher’s pet for a week. Sadly, the cat is now in America and, every once in while, I wander my flat talking in cat language. Except for missing Sombra, my own cat friend for many years, my states-side friends and family, I have adjusted to my new life here in Mumbai quite well. I’ve made fast friends with several of the new teachers and am becoming acquainted with the returning teachers. I’ve been invited to go clubbing with some of the Indian staff — I am not quite up to that as the nightlife here begins after 11pm and goes till dawn. I discovered an art supply store less than a 10 minute walk from my place, I shopped at Joseph’s Cold Storage this weekend and bought hamburger meat and boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and I even found a fitness store where I bought an exercise mat and some free weights. This town has everything — except for sour cream and IPA. My drama colleague has advised me that there is ample theater doings in Bandra and the biggest challenge will be for me to find the time to participate.

As for food…I am having no difficulty eating. One night, K, B, and I went down the street from our flats to Jashaan’s, an Indian restaurant apparently owned by a rather well-know Indian chef. We sat down and looked at the menu which listed many dishes we never heard of, so the waiter kindly suggested a meal for each of our tastes. I thoroughly enjoyed my dish, but I have no idea what the name of it was! We often return to Basilico’s which serves the best pasta and smoothies we’ve tasted in town. We tried a restaurant called Kobe Sizzler last night. Our food was served sizzling hot so that we had to wait for the steam to subside. And, as I mentioned above, my coffee addiction is easily met through the cafes scattered around town. In addition, I broke down and bought a coffee maker and brew a cup every morning. Life is good.