Some of you are probably wondering when the heck I'm actually going to leave for India. The truth is the process of moving overseas takes a long time. From the time the decision is made to actually getting on a plane can be a year or two. My organization is a non-profit group so I have to raise funds. I've been working on that since July. It's been a very humbling experience. So far so good. If things go as projected I will be on a plane by March.
As a part of my preparation I am attending training on living cross-culturally and language acquisition. My company has struggled keeping people more than a year. They have found that this training helps people adjust to living overseas and equips them to stay longer. They also highly encourage people to do some formal language study (even though I will be teaching in English) in order to function better in their community. When I first arrive in India I will be studying Hindi for about a year and then be placed at a school.
The thing about moving overseas and living in another culture is your life becomes a paradox. For instance, I'm so excited about going and having this opportunity but it's incredibly difficult to leave and say good-bye to all that is familiar. If you have never made this transition you probably would think a that I'm crazy but I'm not. All my conflicting feelings are normal (at least that's what they tell me here). I'll try to post reflections of my training when I can.
