The journey and the first week in India have been an amazing experience. I have experienced so many new things, that have made a great impact on my life. The journey here was a long one, being on the plane for so many hours and in Heathrow Airport for six hours was something I was not prepared for. The last time I was on a plane for that long of a period was in 2008. However, the long journey was worth it because India is beautiful and vibrant. There is so much culture and color within the city of Bangalore. From the first moments we left the airport and began the drive to Casa Cottages, there were so many sights to take in and witness. For the past week, the sights have continued as we have traveled and seen so many things. Beginning with our first dinner, we got to walk to the restaurant and see the city. Bangalore is a beautiful city, with an abundance of people.

The traffic, a glorious symphony of cars and motorcycles driving in a way that does not seem that there are not even traffic laws. It is so interesting to see the different ways that people drive. There does not seem like the roads have lines or that the cars would follow the lines if there was any. It was an amazing experience to take a rickshaw and be extremely close to the traffic. I could see the cars and motorcycles zooming by and weaving in and out of traffic. I could see the people walking in and out of traffic, something that is amazing to see as no one gets hit by the passing cars. There are no crosswalks, so people just walk when they believe traffic is dying down. It is something that is scary to do the first time, however it got easier as we continue to cross the street.

Visiting the schools was an amazing experience, they were all so different and had different views of education. It is so interesting that some of the schools have over seven thousand students, and four hundred teachers. It is also extremely different from our American education system. At DPS-East, the school that I am at for the duration of this trip, it is such a big and beautiful campus. There are so many students and teachers. As an early childhood education major, I focus on birth through third grade, meaning I get to see DPS-East’s version of Kindergarten. Kindergarten at this school is comprised of Nursery, LKG (lower Kindergarten) and UKG (upper Kindergarten). These students range from 2.5 years old to 5.5 years old. This would be considered preschool in the US. It is interesting to see the curriculum for these students, as there are no toys around the Nursery classroom, and they are beginning their journey as writers. Something that I would wish to see in the classrooms is play. A part of my philosophy as an educator is that play has a role in the classroom all the way up until third grade. It is amazing to see the students in action within the classroom, and the students show how bright they are consistently. It is amazing to see these students work within the classroom.

On Friday June 21st it was International Yoga Day, the Kindergarten had an assembly showcasing two students from each class demonstrating different poses in yoga. It was such an amazing experience to see the students doing yoga. All the students got to participate in yoga after the assembly and it was amazing to see the importance of yoga within the classroom.

Being in India is so much better than I thought it would be. I was expecting to be overwhelmed, to be touched in my mind, body, and soul- my spirit. And I have been exposed to so much more light and power than I ever thought possible. The pulse of the earth flows through this bustling oasis.

Bangalore is a techno-industrial flower that is both in full bloom and flourishing at the same time. The flow of the people, the traffic, the culture- they are all alive and thriving here. And it is exemplified most in the schools. All the different schools we have experienced are, in their own right, a shining example of the power of India. At my school, Vidyashilp Academy, there are is a prosperous population of growing intellectual students, fully tapped into the creative river of potential. We have been to one of the government schools, placed in an underdeveloped section of Bangalore, where students that don’t have the same opportunities as the students at Vidyashilp still gather to be in a socio-educational environment. The two clashing school environments, and those in between at the Delhi Public Schools and Magnolia, still have the same underlying acceptance of student potential and creativity.

I can already feel my personal experience here growing. I knew as soon as the opportunity to come here was solidified, I was going to come back changed. Though I had expectations, naturally, and I have the conditioned bias of growing up in the privileged diversity of American culture, I was as open as I could possibly be for this trip, and it’s benefitted me directly.

To parallel with my experiences trying all the different food, I am partaking in a variety of different things I don’t even have the opportunity to think of trying in America. All the little ins and outs of India culture, of Karnataka culture, Bangalore culture, even Richmond Town culture- the density of the population- the constant flow and sounds of the cars, people, animals- the trees, and how they play an important part in the physical infrastructure of the city- the constant activity- all play a part in making this place so much different than America.

The beauty of a place like this existing- from the high-rise corporate buildings to the gritty, trash-ridden sub-streets- is that it is home to so many people, not because they’ve ended up here through biological happenstance, but because they have made this place their home. They have created their environment, their ecosystem. They have adapted to the terrarium that is Bangalore, and to see that, hear that, experience that- is a sublime knowledge that I can’t wait to see evolve over the next five weeks here.

Wow…what a week!  From the second I stepped off the plane in Bangalore seven days ago, I felt welcomed into this country with wide open arms and it hasn’t stopped since.  I feel valued, wanted, and for lack of a better word—famous. The very first thing I noticed about India was that everyone seemed to look the same. Same skin color, same hair color, same eye color.  On the contrary, my white, pale-skinned, blue eyes, and brown hair has almost “disrupted” the everyday norm. People stare. A lot. I am still getting used to smiling at strangers and being quick to say “hello” to show them that yes, even though I look different, I am just like them.  Curious, interested, and eager to learn about their way of life. People are amazed to hear that I am American and every time I say it, I feel more and more lucky to have a chance to share my love for my home country.

Throughout the last week, I realized that all of my preconceived ideas that I gathered from friends and family before I left, have been completely wrong.  India is a beautiful place, filled with the brightest colors, biggest hearts, and determination like I’ve never seen. I’ve seen thousand-year-old temples, enormous markets, crowded restaurants, beautiful schools, and still don’t feel like I’ve made a dent in half the things there are to do and see in Bangalore.  Just from driving through the insane traffic, I can see that every person on the street has a purpose. In a hurry, either going to school or work, and just trying to make a living as best they can. One of my favorite sights has been seeing how many people can fit on the back of a motorcycle (so far, the winner is five).  Another one of my favorites have been the cows. Some are decorated with paint and jewelry and others just roam free. Cars don’t stop to let the cows pass, they just find a way to swerve around them—one of the craziest concepts I’ve ever witnessed.

Last but not least, I have had the pleasure of getting to know the students and staff at Delhi Public Schools – East.  I am so interested in how the teachers plan lessons, connect with students, and what drove them to want to pursue education.  Even after the first day, I have found so many ways in which the United States does things differently. Instead of having one teacher teach every elementary subject, the teachers rotate in and out of one classroom based on their own specialty area.  The last three days have been strictly observation and getting to know the students. Some of my favorite interactions with the children have been, “Are there T-Rex’s in the US?”, “You’re so lucky to be American”, and being referred to as “Elena Ma’am” every time they speak to me.  I absolutely love hearing about their hobbies and their lives outside of school and in return, telling them all about mine. I am so ready to get to teach on my own on Monday and open their minds to how we do it in The States.

If there’s one thing I can take away from this week, it’s an immense appreciation for the place in which I grew up.  Since I was in kindergarten, I was in class with children of every race. I can’t go anywhere at home without seeing someone that doesn’t look exactly like me. I am thankful to have been introduced—at such a young age—to how many different types of humans make up our world and how each one has their own unique story to tell.  I am grateful to be sharing my story with other amazing humans, 8,798 miles away from home. Bring on week 2!

shifts in seasons are transitions on such grand scales.

semesters ending, vacations starting; such huge shifts.

not only am i preparing for this trip to india, i’m also preparing to move into a new apartment- while i’m out of the country. i’m packing up all of my belongings to put in storage, and when i return from this amazing trip, i’ll be living somewhere else.

it adds a perspective: the trip being bookended by being in one place and returning to another.

celebrations are in order. congratulations have been had.

this trip is an insanely amazing opportunity- and i hope my open eyes and ready soul are ready for it.

i feel they are.

i feel they are.

i’ve wanted to go to india ever since i was a little kid.

when i saw my first bollywood movie, i was instantly smitten.

i did as much research as i could on bollywood films and thought it was so much cooler than hollywood.

whenever teachers or adults would ask what i wanted to be when i was older, i told them i wanted to be a bollywood film director- and that’s still kind of true.

the magic, mysticism, and overall charm that comes from bollywood-

even their rip-roaring action comedies-

is something deeply attached to the culture they live in. a culture i cannot wait to experience firsthand.

i also loved movies and stories about india, like ghandi, which gave me a lot of perspective about the country’s culture.

when i came to mizzou, during my summer welcome, it was simply mentioned in passing that there was an education teach abroad program to india.

i had only recently (in the last couple years) found out that i wanted to be a teacher. i knew i wanted to go into film, but it wasn’t until i met a dear friend (also a teacher) that set off my passion for educating.

this will be an amazing origin story of my educational career.

the time i’ve spent before the trip has been all seeing people that wish me well on my journey.

there isn’t a single person in my life that doesn’t want me to go.

everyone that loves me and cares for me knows how important this trip is for me.

the only one who doesn’t fully grasp it is myself.

i’m still haunted by feelings of “i don’t deserve this” and “i haven’t earned this” when, in reality, i sure have.

and i know i have.

but hopefully this grand shift in perspective will help reconcile something in me that will help me be a better educator, and, ultimately, a better citizen of the world.  

let’s go.

The time has almost come. T-24 hours and I’ll be in the air for 20 hours bound for India. This will be my third trip to India in the past 6 years. In the past, I went with my friend to vacation and to visit her family. I am so excited to be heading back and now this time with a purpose.

As most of you know, I am traveling with the University of Missouri’s College of Education to teach abroad in India for 6 weeks. I will be at the Delhi Public School North in the city of Bangalore. While I am there, I will be teaching music. I am eager to discover what type of music I will be teaching. My background is only in Western music and I am hoping to be able to learn about Indian music. I cannot wait to be immersed the schools and learn about a different school system. From classroom management to student-teacher interactions and even to lunches, everything could be unfamiliar and I want to learn as much as I can to bring it back to my students in the U.S. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to teach abroad and live in a culture I have fallen in love with. I am thankful for the Delhi Public Schools North in Bangalore to allow me to learn and grow as a teacher in their school.

Although I am only home for a few weeks, I quickly became bored of the mundane routine of my life: work, Netflix, sleep, repeat. As the date June 12 crept closer and closer my excitement grew as well as anxiety. I cannot wait to change up my mundane life and be submerged in the hustle of the city of Bangalore but I am also nervous to leave behind my family, friends and the familiar. Previously when I went to India, I was there 4 weeks for each trip. Now I’m adding two more weeks there! That’s a long time to be away from everything I know. Even though attending an out-of-state college forces me to be away from my family for months on end, this time feels different. Summer is a time to be back home in the beautiful and dry Colorado. Now I am trading the cooler dry temperatures for 90% (or more) humidity levels of India. Despite the looming thoughts of my unpacked suitcase and the fear of forgetting something important, I am overall filled with excitement and joy to be going back to India. See you on the other side of the world!

As I sit in my bed and write this, I look around and think to myself how everything around me is so familiar and routine…maybe a little TOO familiar and routine. I have the same schedule every morning. Do my laundry the exact same way every time. Fill up my car with gas at the same gas station. Go to the same stores to shop…the list could go on and on. This is all about to change very very soon. Every morning I check my calendar to see how many more days until take off and it’s always one number less than before. Somehow, we are now at 1 day!  HOW CAN THIS BE?! I remember applying for this trip back in December and wishing we could just leave then!! I didn’t want to wait 6 more months. Here we are now, 1 day out, and I am filled with a range of emotions. More often than not, I am incredibly excited and eager to just get there! However, I am also sometimes filled with emotions of anxiousness and fearfulness. This is all rooted in the fact that I have never been to a country like India. I am about to be immersed in a new culture, and ultimately, a completely new way of life.

I am most excited to meet my future students and colleagues at AECS Magnolia Public School. I am going to grow and expand my current skills which I can bring back to America and use in my future classrooms. I am so ready to experience and observe everything- from the classroom setup, to the homework policies, the classroom management, relationship building, and even the food they serve for lunch! Being immersed in this new culture is going to give me a fresh outlook on education. As I think about this, it is important I reflect on why I specifically chose to take on this adventure. Since a very young age, I have had a true passion for children and helping people. While deciding on a career path, every possible option revolved around these two variables. To me, pursuing a career that educates the future perfectly combines these.  This is why I wanted to take on this Teach Abroad experience- I want to carry this passion with me to the other side of the country and share this excitement with the students of Magnolia Public School.

In about 30 hours, I will be saying goodbye to my familiar life- my family, friends, everyday routine- EVERYTHING!- and hello to a completely new culture and way of life. My shoulders and knees will be saying goodbye to sunlight for the next 7 weeks…and I’ll be saying hello to the best 7 weeks of my life. I am beyond grateful that I have the opportunity to be a part of this experience. I am confident that all of my experiences, learnings, mistakes, successes, and adventures will better me as an educator, and because of that, I could not be more excited! LET’S DO THIS!!!

As the time draws nearer to the time where we will be in India, I grow in my excitement and anticipation of this experience. I am excited to be immersed in a new culture, and am preparing to learn a few phrases in a new language. It is extremely exciting to me that I will get to spend six weeks in India. I have traveled abroad before, but only for a few weeks. Being able to spend an extended time, even if only six weeks, in India I believe that I will be able to really experience the cultural aspects of India. It is important to me that I am able to immerse myself in this new culture.

I am more excited to experience a new school system and interact with the students and teachers at DPS-East. I believe that there is so much I can learn from being in the classroom, that I can take back and implement into my student teaching and future classroom. As an educator I believe that it is important to experience different cultures and school environments, so that you can learn about how you believe education should be presented for your students or the educational environment you want to teach in. As an early childhood education major, there are so many things we learn about in our classroom that are not seen in the American classroom. I am excited to see if they are utilized in the classrooms in India. I am excited to see the students on their first days of school in preschool and in their kindergarten years. Something that is extremely important to me is being able to see students experience their first days of school and seeing how different students interact with their first days. I am super excited to be in the schools in India and can not wait to interact with students and teachers.

In the preparations for my trip, it is all becoming real. It is real that I am going to India in four days, and it is real that I will need to have everything packed in the next four days. As a person in general, I am a procrastinator and this is no different. I was so excited when I first received the notice that I was going to India, that I was ready to begin my packing list and begin shopping for my trip. I had an idea of what my personal style for India would be, but as the trip draws nearer, I am excited to purchase clothes there. I am ready to be immersed in every aspect of culture from food to clothing. This will be an experience I will always cherish for the rest of my life. It is extremely important to me that I keep an open mind while in India, and I believe that there is so much to learn from this cultural experience. As I procrastinate in my packing, I grow excited that in just a few days I will be in a new country that I have never been to before.

Never in my life would I have ever thought that I would study abroad, let alone in a country 8,785 miles away from home. In a short five days, I will be leaving to set off to Bangalore, the 3rd largest city in India. Going out of the country for the first time will be an indescribable experience and I could not be happier that India is the first out of country experience that I will have under my belt. Ever since I found out that I was actually going on this trip, I have been reading about the culture, politics, and traveler blogs trying to anticipate what it might be like when I get there. I have been reading and learning about this country so much that my Google search bar always predicts that I am searching something about India. You can even ask my family, I have talked about India several times a day ever since I found out (they are definitely tired of hearing about it). In addition to this, I have been gathering up everything from clothes to power converters. Although I have been preparing for such a long time, it did not hit me until now that I will actually be in India exactly a week from now.

Before getting to India, I think it is important to lay out exactly why I chose this specific learning experience and why I am so ready for it. Ever since I was a kid, I knew that teaching was what I wanted to do. I grew up loving to teach kids new things, play with kids, and be someone they can count on. Because of this, I feel such a strong desire to be the kind of educator that can be there for all kinds of students. My goal as a future educator is that every student has the support they need to realize their potential and find their love for learning. I want to show students that no matter who they are and what barriers they might face, each and every one of them have potential and are capable of great things even if they might not think it. I want to be able to make a difference in the lives of all my students and bring out the best in each and every one of them. I realized that the first step in knowing how to support my future students is to understand where they come from and learn the practices that other educators have to support their students. What better way to gain an entirely different perspective from educators than by going yourself to learn from an educator in a different country? Learning the educational practices and skills from the teachers in India, that allows them to find and bring out the light in each of their students, is exactly something that I wanted to do before I have my own classroom.

Ultimately, I am excited to finally get to India, and get the chance to learn from the entirety of the experience, so that I may grow as an educator for my future students. I cannot wait to see the beautiful textiles, eat the delicious curry filled food, and experience the culture in action. I feel nervous, happy, and excited all at the same time, but I cannot wait to finally arrive in Bangalore. I truly feel blessed and thankful for this opportunity of a lifetime. Here’s to a new adventure full of eye-opening experiences that will broaden my horizons personally and professionally.

It’s crazy to think that when I found out I was going on this trip, it was four months away, and now it’s almost here. I remember thinking “I have so much time to prepare for this trip and get everything I need.” and now all I can think is “Where has all my time gone?” I have so many different emotions as I prepare for this trip. I’m excited, nervous and anxious all at the same time. I don’t know how one can be fully prepared to go and experience the education system in another country. I have read so many different articles and seen many different pictures, but at the end of the day I feel that it’s something I have to go experience for myself. That’s why I’m on the edge of my sit ready to go. There are so many things that I have heard from other people about India, after hearing all those things, I’m ready to go and start my own journey. When I sit back and think about going to Vidyashilp Academy, I get butterflies in my stomach. I’m ecstatic thinking about all the relationships that I’m going to create, with the staff students, and teachers and how much we will learn from one another. This is a one in a life time experience and I can’t wait to see how much I grow and learn in the 6 weeks I am there.

When telling people I’m going on this trip so many people ask “Why India?” Well the answer is I don’t really know, yet. Since Freshman year of college, I had an interest in going on this trip. There was something about this trip that just excited me and made me want to sign up, so that’s what I did. This trip really excites me because of the unknown and the challenges it will bring. After finding out I was going on this trip, I knew I had a lot to learn. I mean I knew nothing about India, so that was where google came in handy. I did a lot of research about India, the culture, the food and the common practices there. That being said I can’t wait to get there and experience it all myself rather than just reading it on paper. With all the excitement comes some nerves too. I am a little nervous about the language barrier, because I want to be the most help I can be in the classroom, without there being any confusion. That will all come together with patience and understanding. I can’t wait to take the knowledge that I have learned at the University of Missouri and apply it in a classroom in India. I know this trip might be tiring and overwhelming at first, but that will all be worth it with the knowledge that I will bring into my future classroom one day. I know this trip with help me grow tremendously as a future educator. So heres to filling my belly with curry and learning to wear a saree!

I never thought I’d be saying, “I’m leaving to spend the summer in India in less than two weeks”.  I have always had a passion for traveling, but sincerely did not think India would get a pin on my map of the places I’ve been fortunate enough to go.  To say I am excited would be an understatement. I have been planning to go on this program for two years now and I cannot believe it’s almost time. Ever since I committed to the trip, I have been getting the same questions from friends and family, “Why are you going to India?”, “Do you like curry?”, and “Is it going to be like Slumdog Millionaire?”.  These questions, however arrogant and naive they may be, have only pushed me to want to go even more. I pride myself in being different and wanting to travel somewhere not many people do. I cannot wait to immerse myself in a new culture and learn from the people just as equally as they learn from me. As overwhelming and nerve-racking a trip like this is, I feel more than ready.  With my million packs of wipes, 100 SPF sunscreen, and clothes that show absolutely no skin, I am confident that this experience will be the best of my life.

In the midst of all the excitement and unfamiliarity of traveling somewhere new, I keep forgetting that I will be gaining an enormous amount of classroom experience.  I have wanted to be an elementary teacher since I was 10 years old. By combining my love for education and my passion for travel, I knew a teach-abroad program would be in my future someday.  I am overwhelmed with eagerness and very antsy to get started. I cannot wait to observe how an Indian classroom is run and how it relates and differs from the typical American one. I am looking forward to making a strong relationship with my host teacher so that we feel comfortable sharing ideas, lessons, and techniques that work best for the students.  I am also interested in seeing the daily routines of my placement school, Delhi Public Schools – East, and how it correlates to the American schedule. From morning meetings, to lunch, specials (music, P.E., art, etc.), and everything in between. As a future teacher who hasn’t begun her career, I am always on the hunt for ways to better myself and learn from others.  After having the chance to work with two American teachers over the last year, I am overjoyed to learn from a third who may have an entirely different perspective on education and what it means to be a teacher.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have this experience as a “trial run” before I begin my senior year student teaching.  I am excited to be fearless with trying new things and showing my host school how proud I am to have had an American education.  When asked why I wanted to become a teacher, my answer is always “to make a difference”. That means in the lives of students everywhere — no matter the location.  Teaching the future of our world has no limit and I’m ready to take on this challenge!