I walked into my 12th grade class today and my students had written the following on the board: "Happy Thanksgiving Miss Linn ! Thank you for: -Teaching us -Sharing your talent." It warmed my heart. It didn't occur to me when I planned this trip how much I would miss Thanksgiving with my family. Here at SB, the American volunteers have had a lot of conversations about the gastronomical losses: no turkey, no stuffing, and certainly no green bean casserole. At least for me, this is a kind of façade. It is far easier to discuss the food that I'm missing than to discuss the overheated kitchen, the cat's chirps (she would love some of that turkey), the smell of applecrisp, the pile of still-cold jackets, and the Simon and Garfunkel playing in the background. And ... read more

Okay, I'll admit that this entry has a cheesy and almost nonsensical title, but I didn't want to say "Raiders of the Lost Arts" because, according to Dictionary.com, raider is "a person who seizes control of a company, as by secretly buying stock and gathering proxies." (Okay, that's definition #4, but in any case, raider is not an appropriate term for the atmosphere I want to create.) So, I am justifying my title choice by pointing out that my students are both literate andartistic, sometimes even in the same class (like today, but more on that later). Sorry I haven't been writing too much, but classes have been busy, and I have been gathering materials to show all of you what's been happening. Basically, these past couple of weeks have been marked by the resurgence of ... read more

Crashes, blood, and train-chases. All makings for a good action-adventure movie, right? I'll let you decide. This movie idea (which is based off of a true story, mind you), is something I call "Hungry in Hyderabad." But it doesn't start in Hyderabad, see; it starts in the far-off town of Hampi, where there are now only four intrepid travellers (three Americans and one German). It's their last day in Hampi, and the German (who I will call "Pete"), decides to celebrate his birthday by renting a motorbike and zooming around the countryside looking at far-off ruins. While he's gone, "Bits," "Al," and "Lyn" feel a false sense of security and go about their day shopping, writing postcards, and getting over sunburn headaches from the previous day. Al is especially burnt, and the locals ask her why ... read more

Okay, friends. Now for the second installment of my holiday adventures (or, should I say, "Now to our featured presentation!"): The second morning at Hampi, we decided to go to the Hanuman Temple on Anjaneya Hill. This temple is still-functioning, and is one of about four places that claims to be the birthplace of Hanuman, a very important monkey god. Some background on Hanuman: He plays a huge role in the Ramanyana, the epic tale of Rama's (one of Vishnu's incarnations) battles against the 10-headed demon king of Sri Lanka. The tale begins with the demon king's abduction of Sita (Rama's wife). Hanuman becomes one of Rama's followers and, when Rama is unable to cross a large body of water to get to Sri Lanka, Hanuman leaps (or "flies like Superman" according to a tour guide) ... read more

So, I decided to write this blog because I had the following conversation in my head: Friend: Well, Lynn, you’ve been at Shanti Bhavan for over a week. You’ve surely fallen into a routine by now! Me: Well, gosh, I guess I have. Friend: Tell me, Lynn, what is that routine? Me: Shucks, I’m sure glad you asked. Let me tell you… An average day at SB starts around 6:30 a.m., when the youngsters have PT (like PE). Three lucky volunteers get to encourage (/plead with/chase) the children around the PT field before doing stretches. Then they are basically free to do as they will until breakfast at 7:30. I’ve been taken under the wing of the fourth and fifth grade girls, who like to play games like “langori” (a game a bit like jenga with ... read more