Mom and Dad Mitchell come to visit!!!

Friday, November 21 was a beautiful sunny day. My students spent the afternoon making gingerbread cookies and reviewing what we learned about the USA. Although I was fully there with my kids, my brain was waiting in expectation for Kyle and his parents to arrive from Madurai. When they came, I ran and gave them the biggest hug!!! The sun was shining, the temperature was perfect, I was eating amazing cookies made by my 3rd and 4th graders, and now we could share our new Kodai life with our parents.

Friday, November 21 at 9pm was a mess. It started to rain.....and it didn't stop until we left Friday, November 28th. YUK. It is odd for it to rain at the end of November with that much intensity, however, when there is a cyclone over southern India...run for cover. It poured nonstop the last week of school. Our laundry never dried, the mold came back, the fire wood got wet, and that damp annoying feeling was definitely present. But praise the Lord for rain boots, rain coats, and umbrellas. Owen and Lauren experienced the bad side of Kodai. At least now they will really be able to sympathize with us when monsoon season comes back in July.

Thankfully, rain doesn't hinder relationships. We were able to share our parents with our friends allowing them to get to know all the people we've come to love here in Kodai. Oh, and they got to experience Cheese Dosai. Soooo good. Unfortunately, our last day in Kodai (the day to finish up last minute responsibilities and to pack) I woke up vomiting and found out I had E-coli and a bacterial infection. YEA!!!!

Just in case you do not know what these are....it is vital that you have a bathroom handy at all times. Lucky for me the next day we had a 3 hour drive down the mountain, a 9 hour train ride, and a 4 hour flight. Sweet! The odds were definitely against us, but the Lord healed me quickly and I was fine by the time we got off the train!!!!

As you may have heard, people have been going a little crazy in this part of the world the last few weeks. There were bombings in Mumbai, more bomb threats in Chennai, protests in Bangkok which is where we were headed, and all airports closed in Thailand. We arrived in Chennai not knowing if we would even be able to get to Thailand, but they had a flight to Singapore and then to Phuket (our final destination). Do you know where Singapore is? I do now!!! It's amazing. They have Starbucks and Subway!!!! Dad was a little stressed because our plans were totally changed and we weren't sure what was going to happen. Kyle and I were in heaven...Starbucks and Subway in one place!!!!! And they had toilet paper in the bathrooms!!!!

That is our travel story. Next up....Phuket!!!

Lynea's Grade 3/4

My class did a read-a-thon to raise money for a village school called Kombai. First Assembly sponsored the kids at $.10 per page that they read for a month.  F/A donated above and beyond what my kids ever dreamed of raising. Here's a little thanks from us to you. 

a normal update + a message from us

Our Adventure to Pillar Rock
We needed to get away for a day but during monsoons you don’t have many options. So during the 2-hour break of rain one Sunday, we took Brian’s bike and drove about 20 minutes out to the edge of part of the mountain. Pillar Rock is mostly a tourist trap, but it is very beautiful with the clouds rolling in. Kyle is so good looking we can’t go anywhere with out someone asking for his picture. I think because he’s white, so good looking, and way taller than most Indian people. It was a beautiful ride and our first bike ride together. Kyle did great. It’s hard driving on the opposite side of the road. When you get into a pickle, you automatically want to go right which can be detrimental here. However, my husband is amazing and got us home safely.
Harvest Fest.
It seems no matter where you are in the world there is still Halloween or a Halloween substitute. The elementary school had a harvest fest last Friday night for all the ES students and a local Cresh school (preschool). The ES secretary is in charge of this preschool for Dalit children. Dalit means they are not allowed to go to English schools because of their social class. Every year the 5th graders run the harvest fest booths for the Cresh school in the morning and then the teachers run it at night for our students. I dressed up as a cat and Kyle a scarecrow…a very convincing one too!! We were in charge of the apple-dunking booth. It was gross. The kids were just dunking their whole head under water. Some kids came 5 or 6 times. By the end of the night the water was just full of spit. Luckily kids don’t care about that stuff, but I couldn’t take it. The students all looked so adorable.

My First Stuffed Chicken
As some of you may know, before moving to India I could cook pancakes and eggs. Oh and I could make a mean salad. Sadly, that was as far as my talent went. However, I am proud to say that I have broadened my horizons since being in India. I cooked my first chicken…(Mom I was actually able to find the hole this time!!! But all the guts were still in there and I had to pull them out. Gross!). I spiced it and filled it with apple-onion stuffing. It was so good!!! Sorry I’m bragging but I was so proud.

Mapping and the Earth
During the month of October my class was studying maps and the Earth (rocks and the layers of the Earth). To bring the unit to a close, we had a treasure hunt. I had the students in 6 groups running all over the ES campus. There were 10 stops. At each stop they had to complete a task with their group and then figure out the clue to get to the next stop. One of the tasks was using the library search to find out how many books we had by Eric Carl. The hardest part was figuring out how to spell Carl. Carol. Carul. Karel. Carel. They were so pooped by the end of the Hunt. They had been running up and down and around! But they all finished. I was very proud of them and they had a blast. Luckily I have an athletic husband who was willing to chase them all around the campus taking videos and pictures for you to see.

Monsoons = Mold. Lots of it!! If I say anything else I’ll get bitter so I’ll leave it at that. Just know that we had a rough 2 weeks in the middle of the season. 

A Friend Needs Help

I have a friend names Rajama. She is a grandma supporting her 3 sons, 2 daughter in laws, and 6 grandkids. She is also putting two of her granddaughters through college to be teachers, which costs WAY more than what Rajama makes from being an ayah (a maid).  She works for Heather and Brian Nelsen (my principal).  Between the Nelsens and Rajama, they have been able to pay off one school bill but still owe $5,000 ($1,000 by December) for the other granddaughter to finish school.  To make extra money, Rajama makes homemade amazing peanut butter and sells it to the teachers for 200 rupees ($5).  She only makes 40 rupees ($1) off each jar of peanut butter. In the past she has had to rent a grinder from a neighbor.  But, that one is broken so recently she has been grinding the peanuts by hand.  If she had her own grinder, she would be able to make more money off of each jar because she wouldn't have to pay rent to her neighbor.  And, it would give her a better chance of paying the $1,000 by December 23rd.  

Rajama has been bound by her low social class her whole life.  That social class binds her children and her grandchildren.  However, if her granddaughters can continue to go to school, this could break her entire family and future generations out of this low social class.  The girls will be able to get good jobs teaching and be able to support their families allowing Rajama to retire.  

I have already shared this with a few of you and together we have the peanut grinder covered. Heather found one for 5,000 rupees ($125).  However, Rajama still owes $1,000 by December 23rd. She only makes $50 a month.  Our math skills will tell us that this is impossible for her to do it on her own.  If you would like to pitch in (even $5 will help!!!) Please write a check to Carol Harrill and send it to : 1531 Parker Drive, Mayfield, OH 44124.  (Sorry we don't know how to give tax credit). My mom will put it in our account which we can access from here.  Thank you!!!!!

We love you all so much....and Thank You for the comments!!!! We love them, I know we don't respond but we read every single one. After we post, we check multiple times for the next few days seeing who commented.  Keep it up, it keeps us going at times!!!

Life on a mountain in India

Well, we celebrated our 5 month anniversary yesterday!!  We celebrated by looking at video clips and pictures of our wedding, reminiscing about our long and storied marriage.  Ok, maybe not long, but we do have a few stories so far.  Speaking of stories, it's fun to have people over to the house and hear about their life journey.  The other day we had some people over to celebrate the life of our friend Chrissy (it was her birthday).  Though the rain put a damper on our bonfire, it didn't mess with the great food and conversations we had under our roof.  Speaking of roofs, we're so thankful for our house.  Lots of people around here don't have much of one and we're really blessed to have a great one.  Hopefully it can be a place of peace and refuge and acceptance for anyone who needs it.

Speaking of refuge (this email is all about tying everything together by saying "speaking of"), I (Kyle) have been creating a vegetable refuge in our backyard known to most as a garden.  I've found that I actually miss manual labor, and it has given me joy to get out and get sweaty and dirty, making manly grunts every so ofte

n.  A lot of my work involves being in an office, and if you know me, you probably know that this kind of thing won't satisfy for the rest of life.  But for now, it's serving its purpose.  Anyway, back to the garden.  Our maid, Selvie, saw me working in the backyard, and she started scolding me, claiming the work was too hard for me and that she would call a gardener to come and do it.  I know she's just trying to protect me, but I tried to explain that I like it and that it feels good to get dirty.  She didn't underst

and.  To her a white person shouldn't 

be doing manual labor like that.  I also get weird looks from the neighboring workers who work at the small motel behind our house.  They stare at m

e, and I smile.  I'm not an 

expert at Indian culture, but I think it could be a couple things.  For one, the caste system is still in place, though not officially.  You're born into a certain caste and you're expected to do certain jobs and not do certain jobs.  I hope my perspective doesn't offend anyone, but I just don't see anyone being able to make a good case that this system isn't still here (though I admit to still knowing very little).  As a westerner coming here, I'm seen as a job opportunity for someone who does certain jobs, like gardening.  So when I get out in the backyard and work, it's not only a strange sight, but job-threatening as well.  Hmmm...It's a hard thing, trying to promote equality by your lifestyle (having no problem getting dirty or helping the maid do the dishes), and also support gardeners who need all the money they can get for their family.  So, in that social context, I decide to get my shovel and bucket and walk the street picking up fresh horse and cow manure for my garden (I eventually met this guy on the street who offered to deliver some nice soil/fertilizer to my house for a good price).  People were staring at me so hard, and I just tried to smile everything off.  I had a few people take a picture of me with their camera phones.  So I smiled.  At least they have a picture of a smiling white guy picking up cow manure instead of a scowling one.  One of the many things that I learned from my Dad is that it's always better to smile.

Speaking of smiling for random peoples' pictures, Lynea and I had just finished our tandem bike ride around the lake (more on that later), when these guys walked up beh

ind me, stood there waiting patiently for us to finish our conversation and then asked if they could have their picture with me.  I asked if it was because I was white, and he said yes.  I obliged, and now I'm forever in some random person's photo album, probably known as the tall, skinny, white guy they met in Kodaikanal.  Lots of westerners are bitter about all the attention they draw from the locals: the pictures, the stares, the laughs and shouts as we walk by.  I've tried to embrace it, just smiling my best smile and saying hi, answering their questions (sometimes in the gibberish language I make up as I go...this always confuses them and one guy even asked if I was from france, to which I replied in my own language that he and I both didn't understand).

Oh yes, the bike ride.  The school had a long weekend last week (wednesday to sunday), but we still had some weekend chaperoning responsibilities like the "around the lake bike ride."  Let me first say that riding a bike in India is life-threatening.  Secondly, the rental bikes aren't guaranteed to work when you need them to.  Lastly, the only bike they had left for us was a tandem bike.  It's kinda like driving a 15 passenger van when you're used to a Ford Fiesta.  Great fun!!  Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt.

And now for my better half...

Well that's a hard act to follow!!! But I'll try to keep your attention just as much.  I have come to realize that I LOVE teaching and LOVE LOVE LOVE my kids....and I tell them that every day!  Currently we are doing a read-a-thon fundraiser for a nearby village school called Kombai.  Kombai has 105 students, 55 of whom are boarding kids. They have no bathrooms, no clean water, no cafeteria/auditorium/room big enough for them all to meet, small classrooms with tiny hand held slates to learn from, and to top it all off, the boarding kids sleep on the ground in the grade 1/2 room.  Our elementary school has done some outreaches there in the past and our 5th graders decided they wanted to get clean water, bathrooms, a covered court and a playground for the children at Kombai. SO.....we are doing a read-a-thon for the month of October raising money for this school.  My students are doing amazing in their reading!! One of my students had read 1,054 pages over long weekend!! She's 8 years old!!  My students are motivated youngster who really want to help.  My class is being sponsored by my church back home, but if you still would like to donate, let me know!!!  

Speaking of long weekend, I p

ainted again!! This time I tackled the bedroom (see picture). It was fun, although my maid was here that day and kept trying to tell me not to stand on the dresser because I might fall.  Thank God she didn't see Kyle standing on two chairs stacked on top of a table.  She would have had a heart attack.  Now we have a nice picture to look at when we wake up each morning. 

Please leave comments if you have any because we love reading them!!