The Nex Chapter

Nearly two years have past since I left Chennai.  In the interim we opened a new school and as life has been increasingly speeding by Devika and I still stayed in contact.  The plan was to always start an exchange between our respective schools, but the reality of that happening, although never in question, has seemed as real as someone in Washington calling me up to tell me I was going to go somewhere in the world as a State Dept Fellow.

After a year of talking, planning, and arranging our respective students and their families met last week via skype.  From our end it seemed like what was scary and unknown, immediately was replaced with warmth and excitement from both sides.   Never had the parents or students said explicitly that is was scary or unknown, but all they were going off was me asking them to host a vegetarian teenager from India, who may be a contender for nicest kid on the planet.

The technology issues with a group call across the planet were humorous and added texture to an already unique event.  In whatever path our students choose, I urge them to journal as they go.  They will learn so much through their new friends, and more about themselves and their homes then they could have possibly imagined.  If they write it down it will be their's for life, if they don't it will be a blur.  Our first meeting, albeit brief and continually interrupted by a bad connection, was a deep a touching exchange of humanity that I can only imagine inspired the same sentiment from everyone involved.  All that day the students that were involved, the teachers that dropped in, and anyone who talked with those involved came up to me and said, "wow, that was so cool ,"  "The energy was increadible"  "they are all so nice, we are so excited""I heard it was like the best thing ever".........

I just received the confirmations of their flights this weekend.  Now we will work on firming up the itinerary we have planned for the two weeks, and make sure that everyone is prepared as they are going to be for a life changing experience.