A new one! Classes are about to begin!

Note: I don’t have internet access too often so these are written on my lappy then put online so they are a little bit long and all kind of stuff. Unlike when you post regularly one section at a time these are all in one bunch so the top is actually several days ago and the bottom is the latest issue…


Well I’ve always wanted to know what it would be like to be an administrative assistant and now I am getting that experience. Before the school starts there is (I almost said “much paperwork to do” I need to read some good English literature and help my grammar recover.) a lot of paperwork to plug into a computer. It’s easy though and it’s wonderful to be able to help out.

I also just met one of the teachers who has taught here for only 5 months. He is a great guy and what’s more he is a he! Hahha! Majority of the teachers are women so it’s nice to have another guy around. He seems great and hopefully I can convince him to go on some weekend excursions to random places like the source of the Ganga or something sweet like that.

I walked down to the river yesterday and it was so beautiful down there. I thought I must be in New Zealand or something like that because it was wonderful! There were also several large rocks sticking out from the sand on the beach and the rice fields too. It almost makes me wish I had brought my 5.10s (to those of you not versed in the outdoor world, “rock climbing shoes” and yes there is such a thing) (Corwin if you are reading this hit VE for me!). Anyway all that is to say it was a wonderful refreshing walk. I am so excited to be here! Yay! There is so much wonderful work to be done with students and all kinds of people. I feel so blessed today!

I am writing this not by candle light since the power is no more for this fine evening. Well for a little while at least. ….that and my laptop does give off a certain blue glow (insert Zoolander quote here).

Thank you all for reading and I hope there will be more to add soon. More good stuff that is!


Day number 14! That means two weeks. Well my fly kill count is up to 21 as of this morning so I’m feeling good.

Oh man it is such a blessing to be here in this country and especially in this region. There is so much happening. One crazy thing is that there are tons of youth just pumped for the work here.

Wow! I just walked up an absolutely beautiful mountain trail to meet some wonderful families in a great little farming village. It’s so cool around here like within an hours hike in many directions you can get up to little villages where everything looks like it’s from a postcard or at least a National Geographic. And it’s not like they are simple dumb country bumpkins but that they are hard working wonderful people. And yes, many of them have cell phones. But seriously up there on the way it looked like I was in Dr. Seuss Land with these fabulous greens on the little step rice field and these crazy gnarly trees.

But the best part is up there we were able to lift up some family (The Family) members and just eat and talk and have a good Indian fun time. Also I brought a Frisbee up there and so I busted it out and played with a few kids for a while. They were really good. I taught them how to catch with one hand and they could do it. I couldn’t do that till I was like at least 13 and some of these kids were like 7. Hahha it was wonderful!

It’s hard though to hear about the schools in these areas where the teacher doesn’t show up so they will send in a bad report of her and get her transferred to a town in the valley with more amenities. Ugh! Well maybe someday the organizations here can change that.

It was a tough place though and from the wife of one family we heard about her husband who has been falling back into alcohol abuse and the like. Please lift this woman up in your time with the Big man.

(Next day…)
Today I was able to tutor a few kids in some math. It was so wonderful to be able to help them. The kids at this school will certainly be leaders in this area and all over the nation when they finish school. Wow I love kids and helping them learn. It’s a total adrenalin rush…is that weird? Anyway it was great there was one kid who was really struggling with integers and so I showed him this fabulous method I learned last year with colored tokens! I think he got it! Only tomorrow and time will tell.

School starts in 4 days! Oh man I’m excited.

Your friend (well I hope we are still friends) Andrew Lee