Limbo

So this is it: my last post from from the United States! I've been at Stony Point retreat center in New York with all the other Young Adult Volunteers, learning about the intersections of gender and race, globalization, how my new insurance works and what to do if there is an uprising in my country (there won't be, don't worry). I also got to hang out with a lot of cool YAVs and YAV alums, and practice building community. One of the greatest things about this program is the support system it fosters in all the volunteers. I met a lot of great people, and I'm sad that I'm saying goodbye to them for a year, but I'm excited to see what they do in their sites! Last night, we all exchanged homemade bookmarks so that we all have prayer partners.

Stony Point's Labyrinth

I'm feeling much more prepared for India now and I'm feeling very excited! The daily worship here pumped everyone up and we're all ready to touch down in our countries! Of course, all of us have at least 12 hours of travel time, plus waiting for our flights to take off, so this is apparently a lesson in being still. It's tough! However, I think we all need the time to sit and listen for God's still, silent voice. I know that when I get to Kerala I'm going to get one heck of a culture shock and my head will be reeling for a while; it's nice to have some quiet time.

One of the facilitators this weekend asked me what the first thing I was looking forward to in India, and I said the smells. I have heard that the Indian air is filled with spices, and that it is one of the most amazing olfactory experiences one can have. So, in about 24 hours I will know whether or not this is true. Either way, I'll let y'all know!

One month closer...

It is now a little less than a month until I leave for New York, then Kerala. I have been very busy this past month with Camp Halfblood (http://web.mac.com/camphalfblood/Camphalf-blood.com/About_us.html) and a youth mission trip to the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in New Mexico (which was awesome, by the way). I am more than halfway through my fundraising (thank God!) and am working on getting my passport and other materials in order.

I received an email from Ariel Givens, who is at Bishop Moore College now, with advice about what to bring, what kind of lodging and food I will find and other important things. She mentioned that the hostel where I will be staying has only dialup internet connection, and only from 9:30pm until 6am. Needless to say, I won't be on the internet very much while in India. So, while in Ireland I was able to keep up to date with goings on in the U.S. (especially all the election drama!) I will have to get used to getting all my information late. I will update this blog definitely every month and hopefully every other week, along with all the cool pictures I know I'll be taking!

This week I'll be packing up clothes and other items for my trip because I have yet ANOTHER 2 weeks of camp before the summer is over, and I won't have a lot of time afterwards to pack. I'm meeting my sister in Dallas for a night when she flies back from China, before she heads back to Indiana the next day. This summer has gone by so fast, it's hard to believe that at this time next year I'll be packing up to leave India!

Site Assignment and My Growing Excitement

Yesterday, I received an email from the Reverend Thomas John (my site coordinator in Kerala) with information on my site assignment. I have been placed at Bishop Moore College in the city of Mavelikkara. I will teach spoken English to the college students and to the primary school students who share the Bishop Moore campus, working on the college newspaper (and I thought I was done with journalism), and giving English lessons to the neighboring Dalit (untouchable) community. There are also opportunities to work with the community counseling center and with the local Church of South India congregations. The Young Adult Volunteer who is currently serving at Bishop Moore College is Ariel Givens; you can read her blog here.

The first thing I did after reading the site description was to Wikipedia Mavelikara and Bishop Moore College. Mavelikkara is in the district of Alapuzha, which is called the "Venice of the East" because of all the canals. The city has a population of about 28,000 with 10% of the population under 10 years of age. I couldn't find much information about the local fauna, which I was hoping would include elephants, monkeys and sloth bears. All of these animals--plus tigers which I would like seeing in a zoo but not up close--are native to the Kerala area. Today I'm going to be searching in the Austin Public Library for some books about Kerala (history and culture) so that I won't be totally ignorant when I arrive (like I was in Northern Ireland).

This week I have a small break from Camp Halfblood, so I can pour all my energy into preparing for my YAV year; sitting down and working in air conditioning feels so nice. I'm still getting congratulations cards and contributions to my fund--I've reached the $3,000 mark! Thanks to everyone who has contributed.