The Last Lake Como Art Show...

The Lake Como Art Show was indeed a success! There was a great turn out-- many families even brought siblings and relatives. The students were delighted to see their art displayed, and humble about their fabulous craftsmanship, creativity, and hard work.

I have  been at Lake Como only six months, yet I am very sad that this school, after 60 years, will soon cease to exist. Lake Como had a great history, and I am proud that I was able to be part of it. Moreover, I feel beyond honored that I was able to host the last ever art show at such an amazing school!

We’re not in Atlanta any more

I moved from Grant Park in Atlanta Georgia, to Winter Park in Orlando Florida. The transition was sudden but the timing was perfect. My fiancé and I both found jobs at the same time in the same city. My new art teaching job is at a school called Lake Como Elementary. It’s a pre-k to 5^th grade program. There are only 250 students at the whole school- this is compared to 800 at my old school. The class sizes are super small-17 is the average. The school day is about 2 hours shorter than where I came from, so I’ve gotten to “sleep in” (5:30am alarm was changed to 6:00am) It’s an outdoor school as well. The administration is very accommodating and all the staff is super friendly. If you thought Georgians had southern hospitality, the Floridians are shouldn’t be overlooked!

And I inherited some super cool art supplies from the previous teachers (including Legos, a circle cutter, and a smart board). All in all I’d say this might just be my dream school.

Here are some pictures of my new classroom!

 My Wall of Standards and Student Objectives

 Table Layout

 Above my tables are Angry Birds, which mark the table colors

  Above my tables are Angry Birds, which mark the table colors

  Above my tables are Angry Birds, which mark the table colors

  This is how I keep my grade level projects organized

My cute little trailer from the outside!

Today marks Week 3 of India

It’s been three weeks. I couldn’t be happier; I feel like this is where I belong right now. Of course I miss everybody in the states, but I have dreamed of coming back here for so long and everything just feels like it is in the right place for me at this time in my life.

This week are new group of volunteers are coming and I will be in charge of which classes they will help out in at the Peery Matriculation School. I am so excited for this. The kids at RSO take their education very seriously and having American volunteers greatly improves their English language skills.

Also, I love my roommates and other long-term volunteers. I didn’t know what to expect coming here and living with people didn’t know for 3 consecutive months, but they are so awesome and we get along just famously. Singing high school punk rock, making pancakes, and making up jokes that one would only understand if the spent a prolonged time in India (India Pinterest, Shankar lost the car-so now he’s just Shan, and internet is the main ingredient of pancakes…)

I cannot wait to embark on many more Indian adventures and soon step foot in Australia!

My first week

It has been almost one week, and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. Being back here makes me feel like life has meaning, like I am accomplishing something, like I am part of something that is bigger than myself. School starts next Monday, and we have been preparing for the kids to arrive. I have mostly been learning about the curriculum, since the school is planning to implement some new software programs. However, in my free time i enjoy walking around the village, swinging on a wooden swing, climbing mango trees, and playing in butterfly fields.

Well...well...well

These are the wells on the campus. It is where were get water to bathe and to drink.

Arriving in India

After one delay, two layovers, three connecting flights and about 48 hours... I finally made it to India! I was a journey just to get here... I got stuck in the Bangalore airport. And then the Indian TSA pulled me aside because my suite case was suspicious. It was because was carrying a gallon of glue and 5 containers of powder tempera. I was super nervous; they canceled my ticket and took me downstairs to search my belongings. When I opened my bag, and they inspected everything, and saw that it was all non-toxic I kind of had to chuckle to myself. I mean, I can totally see how a gallon of Elmer’s and powder paint would look suspicion on an x-ray…like bomb-building supplies or something. Luckily everything worked out and I was able to catch my flight to Chennai 5 minutes before the plane left. When I got to RSO, I immediately went to Mamallapuram with the other long-term volunteers. They are really cool and I look forward to spending the next 3 months with them. I am also looking forward to the kids arriving! I can’t wait to do art with them. Here are some photos from the past two days.