Prologue

6.4.2010

Aavo Padharo!

It's official! My flight to India's been confirmed!

June 11, 2010
Depart - 9:40pm (New York, NY)
Arrive - 11:30am (Frankfurt, Germany)
Depart - 1:30pm (Frankfurt, Germany)
Arrive - 1:00am (Mumbai, India)

Total Trip Duration: 17hr 50min

I normally don't do a lot of thinking in the shower, but for some reason this morning, I thought about what my first class would be like, trying to imagine how it's going to feel having 80 pairs of eyes focused intently on me while I try (most likely unsuccessfully) to deliver my first lesson plan. I confess, I had a slight panic attack.

It's going to be that experience and many, many others that I want to be able to share with all of you while I'm abroad. I want you all to be as much a part of my year-long journey as possible by reading stories, flipping through pictures, and watching occasional (maybe embarrassing) videos. I want you to know not only about my joys and successes, but also about my struggles and disappointments because a good friend told me that, to him, getting to know someone is like seeing them past all the layers of armor that we all naturally wear. I promise to be as honest and open about my experiences in Kadod and throughout Asia, so at times, I hope you can feel like you're traveling with me!

I want to thank all of you for all the support you've been giving me over the past few months as I've been preparing for this fellowship. Even though I anticipate a lot of challenges when I hit the ground, I know that through your thoughts, prayers, and encouragements, I'll have at least a few extra shoulders to lean on every day. Well, that's it for this first entry! Next time, I'll probably be writing from my small house on school grounds, so expect some pictures and hopefully some not-so-stressful travel stories!

Pachi maliye!
Eric