Greeting to our faithful friends and followers,

2 weeks? Has it really been 2 weeks since we left Washington? How can this be?

We so appreciate your patience in waiting for this post. The reasons for my delay in writing were many:

-Spotty Internet - The school has Internet, but only in a few locations within the school building. It is hilariously slow because of so many users and the server is often down. I have barely even talked to my mom and if you know our usual habits, you know this is significant. 

-Lack of time - We have just completed a week of intensive camp in which we were planning and leading high-energy classes, games, and activities for over 100 students from early in the morning until late at night. 

-Mental and physical exhaustion - Add in extreme heat and refer back to the "Lack of time" section.

But, more than anything, my delay came from not knowing quite where to begin. There are so many things I wish I could share with you, but I know my words will not be enough. 

I wish you could feel the humidity, how everything is juuuust a bit soggy, and your sheets are juuuust a bit damp when you collapse onto them each night. I wish you could hear the outrageous chorus of birds which greet me each morning. There is the Alarm Clock bird, the Laughing bird, and the I-Swear-That's-Just-A-Human-Doing-An-Impression-Of-A-Bird bird. I wish you could know how the first bite of every meal is an adventure, how the food is not quite too spicy to eat, but definitely spicy enough to make your nose run and make you sweat, as if you weren't sweating already... I wish you could smell the distinct (but surprisingly not repulsive) aroma of burning garbage. I wish I could explain how much my heart melts when tiny 7-year-old Kiruba runs to me at breakfast to say, "Good Morning, Miss. I had sweet dreams. Will we dance today??" I wish I could convince you how freeing it is to not be glued to a cell phone all day. I wish I could tell you how much I miss Diet Coke and chocolate and anything cold. (The only thing that's cold here is our bucket bath.) I wish I could do justice to the creativity, energy, and smiles these kids exude every day. 

And, finally, I wish I could I could make you understand how it truly doesn't feel like we've stopped moving since we stepped off the plane, but that even through any discomfort or frustration, we go to bed each night the very best kind of tired. 

Where words fall short, please know we are having an extraordinary time. And think! This is just the beginning of our adventure here!! More about the school and what we're doing soon!

We love and miss you all and we are so grateful for your unending support.

xoxo,

C&H

Random Fun fact: The children have decided that Mr. Harrison looks like the animated panda from Kung Fu Panda. The jury is still out on whether or not that's meant as a compliment. :)