still much to be thankful for!

Some of you that have kept up with my facebook posts know I was horribly ill this week, but there is still much to be thankful for!!

 - I am thankful my school is computer based so I could chat with my kids and answer questions if needed.
- My Lesson plans were all electronic too - no need for printed copies - and kids could turn stuff into me
    electronically.
 - I have a great teaching partner and he told the school I'd be absent and helped some of my low babies in
    one of my classes
 - the doctor at school sent a prescription home with a neighbor and she had her maid call it in and have
    it delivered.
 - at one point I had lost 7 pounds!  now it is more like 5, but still :)
 - I am thankful Indians deliver anything!
 - I am thankful for friends that called to check on me.
 - Thankful for my maid who cooked me food and took care of me.
 - thankful I work for a school that allows us to leave if we aren't teaching.  My last class tomorrow ends
    at 1:30 so I can come home.   I could also go in late if needed.
 - thankful I have some "babysitters"  who went with me places to make sure I didn't pass out :)
- thankful this is a short week also!!


I was expecting this week to be fairly easy - we had Professional Development on Monday so only 4 days with the kids :)

Wednesday was a rough day because I received several negative parent emails.  I was bummed, but a friend reminded me of all the parents who do appreciate me and think I am doing the best for my kids.  It was good to hear.  I worked really hard on math stuff Wednesday night and was planning to be super teacher on Thursday and Friday :)

I woke up Thursday and went for a walk at 5:20 am like normal.  I started to feel queasy half way through.  By the time I got to my flat I ran to the bathroom and was so sick. For two hours I was violently ill- I couldn't even get to my computer to send lesson plans etc.  I was texting a co-worker two words at a time in between getting sick trying to get things settled for being absent. 

Jessie is my maid - I haven't laid eyes on her since the day I hired her (she leaves at three every day to work at another house).  She came in to find me curled up on the bathroom floor :)  She got me into bed, got me a puke bucket, cleaned up my bathroom and made me tea.  Have I mentioned she is a saint????  I spent all day Thursday and Friday sick as a dog!  I couldn't stay awake for more than an hour at a time.  Just the thought of taking a sip of water made me gag.  By Thursday night I was so dehydrated the doctor said if I didn't get some fluids in the next few hours I'd have to go to the hospital.  Spending the night in an Indian hospital did not sound like fun!!  so I asked for anti - nausea meds.  My friend Madeline called a chemist and had the meds delivered.  I took one and threw up less than a minute later!!!  That was the last time I threw up so I guess it worked - sort of....

I spent Saturday sleeping - literally could not stay awake.  Would get up to eat a cracker then have to take a nap!!!  I asked Molly and Amanda to walk with me to Pali to get some yogurt so I could get out of the house for a few minutes.  Those 15 minutes wore me out!!!!


Sunday was a little better - I could stay awake for a couple hours at a time - long enough to watch some Christmas movies :)  My math teaching partner and i needed to do some school work and I thought this would be a good test run to see if I would be strong enough to go to school Monday.  I go to school every day, you think it wouldn't be a big deal but today it was!
- I had to walk down the stairs to meet my coworker.
- We had to stand still a few minutes to find an empty rickshaw - i thought I was going to faint.
- Once we got to school I had to walk up three flights of stairs to my class room
- He did all the lifting and moving around. I just sat in a chair and did inventory and rearranged  
    bookshelves.     I had to rest every 15 mintues or so.  It was exhausting!  I managed to walk
    down the hallway to the bathroom without collapsing.  but it was close so I decided it was
     time to go home.
 - this involved the walk down the three flights of stairs.
 - ricks don't come up to the school so we had to walk a few blocks to a busy street
 - the rickshaw ride was a little sketchy so I was a little queasy
- got home and had to walk up four floors to my flat.

Now I do all this without blinking every day, but today - it was a stretch.  I was exhausted and nauseated.
but I did it!!  and am confident that I can teach two classes tomorrow!

I am super hopeful I will be able to enjoy thanksgiving dinner Wednesday night!!

Slums are my Favorite Part of Mumai

Running has been a really big challenge here and I am in no way going to be properly trained for the Mumbai marathon in January.  Since running the actual mileage I am supposed to is not feasible, the best plan I can come up with is to walk alot and on Saturdays I walk 3-4 hours continuously.  That's how long I will have to be on my feet for the race so I am hoping that "training" will help some.

So on Saturdays I usually walk to Juhu beach which takes me an hour or so to get there, then I walk/run on the beach and walk home.  Today's goal was to explore alternate/ shorter ways to Juhu Beach.  that did not happen.  On my exploration, I fell in my favorite experiences here in Mumbai.  I wandered into a slum.  and this one was FANTASTIC.  It was one of the most disgusting ones I've ever been in but the people were great.  Most people are shocked to find out my favorite parts of Mumbai are the slums.  Most people avoid the slums :)  Not me.  I seek them out.  There is a strategy to getting the best experience though.

When I start into a slum I get stared at.  A LOT.  They don't see white people in there often.  If I continue and people are gawking a lot, usually a man that speaks some English will come up to me and ask where I'm going and why I'm there.  They think I'm lost and are trying to help the poor, scared white girl out of the slums.  :)  I thank them and smile and explain I am there on purpose.  Which usually leads to more staring.  So... if I want to be welcomed I usually start showing interest in their livestock.  Today it was a goat community.  They had a lot of goats and they all wanted to show me which one was theirs.  They immediately asked if I had a camera because they wanted picutres of them with their goats.  I did not have my camera with me :(  They didn't believe me - all white people have cameras :)  They asked about my mobile - which they were shocked to find out does not take pictures!!  My friend Andrea says that "If Bobbi Jo gets separated from the group, look for a large gathering of children - you'll find her there"  so true.  You gotta hook the kids first.  If the adults see that the kids like you and that you'll invest time in their kids, they will warm up to you.  There were probably 20-25 kids gathered around me all trying to show me their goat, tell me out their goat, tell me how they fight their goat and who won the latest goat fight :)  They were very proud that they went to school and know English.  I high fived all the kids who said they liked Math.  :)  They told me all their ages and says a man standing nearby was 100 ( He was probably in his late 30s) so they all laughed and I said he looked pretty good for being 100.  That's when a bunch more adults joined the group and became for interested.  I talked with them for a long time and eventually the adults told the kids to let me go.  The "road" was a narrow pathway that seemed to end so I asked where the road is and how i get to Juhu.  The path went behind a building and became far less than a path.  I followed and ran into a couple of other kids who showed me where to go - the older kid said "watch out, very dangerous"  the "path" turned into nothing and you had to walk sideways on these rocks.  He proudly tells me has a goat and asks if I want to see it.  Of course I want to see it!!  :)  so he leads me to another group of people.

They also want to introduce me to all their goats and tell me about the latest goat fight.  The have a goat there that has his horns all decorated and they have me pet him. Some holiday is Monday and they invite me to join them for their festival.  But I have to teach :(  They also want a picture of their goats, I told them I'd come back next Saturday.  They guy said that would be too late.  Apparently this goat is part of the ceremony and will be dinner :)  ha!  I talk to that group for awhile.  The kids are also very proud of their english speaking schools and told me their favorite subjects.  I told them the words I knew in Hindi and they were appreciative.  maybe I will bring my flashcards down there and let them help me with my Hindi.  At some point in the conversation the goat totally butts me in the crotch!!  They said that was his invitation to fight me.  Ha!  bet none of you fought a goat this morning!!!!  ha!!  They asked me if we had goats wandering around in America. Nope.  So this kids asks about chickens, dogs, cows and when I say no to all of them he asks "not even buffalo"  nope.  especiallly not buffalo!!!  Animals don't wander freely in america kiddo - that is why it doesn't permanently smell like feces there!!!!


I think I will go back tomorrow to take pictures before the goats meet their maker :)  maybe I'll play some cricket and fight another goat too :)


Great things about the slums:

People are much more likely to talk to you and explain things (once you hook em)
They are very proud of their education and whatever they do for their livlihood
People are usually a lot nicer than in Banda - the wealthy part I live in
no begging - no one ever asks me for money
no cars or honking - generally not big enough paths for that
You realize that happiness is not dependent upon your income or social status - I meet some of the
           funniest, happiest people in the slums.