Good-bye India

Endings are just another way of saying a new beginning awaits. And yet, I think it is important to take the time at an ending to reflect and appreciate what a specific time period in my life has brought. Five years in India comes to a close today (well technically tomorrow morning EARLY...those night flights out of Delhi) and I know that I have changed because of my time here.

Traditional meal out with the department
David, Tom, Liz, me, Laura and Scott

To start with I have had the opportunity to work with a department of individuals dedicated to improving their own teaching practices, always considering what they believe to best for students in the long run despite what at times was significant parent push back. Having colleagues who were always bringing up new ideas to think about, who constantly questioned their practice and were thinking about what else we could do to improve pushed me to grow in my own teaching practice. I can honestly say that I'm a better teacher for that. Keir, Dave, Dan, David, Scott, Liz, Laura, Tiffany and Tom - thanks for the constant collaboration and encouragement. You have not only impacted me, but also every student I will teach from here on out.

Vising the Museum of Math with Dave, Liz, Laura and Keir 

India herself has offered me amazing opportunities for travel, discovery and exploration. I can't even list all of the things I've seen. The small snapshots that will forever be a part of my mental image of this country with all its color, noise, crowds and uniqueness. I thought it might be fun to do a roll call of my favorite trip (so hard to pick) from each year I was here.

• 2011: Watching the border closing ceremony outside of Amritsar
• 2012: Walking across the Ganges in Rishikesh
• 2013: Visiting the world's oldest zero (but also the camel fair in Pushkar)
• 2014: Taking a boat ride on the Ganges in Varanasi
• 2015: Checking out the living root bridges in Meghalya with my mom
• 2016: Heading to Kaziranga National Park to se the one horn rhinos

Holy cow in Jaipur

And yet, the trips are not what it is all about, even if I did seem to travel almost every month I was here. It is more about the small experiences that all combined together for my understanding of what New Delhi and India are. What are the snapshots that combined together make the rich, diverse culture that has in some ways infused my being? And so another list from each year.

• 2011: Learning that I love just about any paneer dish, daal and Kashmiri kawa 
• 2012: Appreciating the wide color range that saris come in as well as the unexpected experience of taking my volleyball to a local school for a match where we welcomed like royalty
• 2013: Developing some true habits here, including walking in the biodiversity park, using the same taxi and tuktuk drivers, and wondering about peoples' stories as I pass them.
• 2014: Having a consultation with a Tibetan doctor whose recommendation that I need to "calm my monkey mind" has stayed with me along with being impressed by a friend's artistry in Indian dance.
• 2015: Continuing to be amazed by the cows in the road and wondering what the real story is.
• 2016: Taking advantage of some of the amazing people that AES brings in to interact with our students including the monks who made a sand mandala and then later His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Photo credit: Tim Steadman

I can't quite believe how much I've been exposed to while here. I might be leaving India, but India will never truly leave me.