1st quarter: woof.

First quarter is over! I leave for activity week with 6th grade on Monday. We're headed to Rishikesh for rafting, biking, and hiking. I hope there are a lot of campfires and songs. It's going to be great.

Here's what I've been up to:

Basketball tournament in our off-season: champions!

Hanging out with these crazies.

Cross Country Invitational: Inters-2nd place, Seniors-3rd place, Sub-juniors-2nd place, success.

Cross Country party: cookies, waffles, and ice cream

Driving around on the bike with this guy!



That is the world's longest extension cord hanging through the mountains for about 3 miles.

Monkeys continue to suck.

Just yesterday, I was walking innocently up to the gym with three bananas in my hand. I was following a student. As we were about to round the corner to continue our ascent to the gym, the student stopped. I moved around him, only to be faced with a monkey about 2 feet from me. The monkey immediately catches eye of the bananas and begins to display his teeth. I threw the bananas like a crazy person and ran back down the ramp. Unfortunately, there was another student coming from the other side, and I accidentally threw the bananas directly at him. He turned around quickly. We all stood there like idiots while another student coming from the gym came running and was throwing rocks. Then an employee came running out of the senior school with a big stick to save us all.

Monkeys still suck.

The final days of monsoon.

The end of monsoon is like the welcoming of spring in the Midwest. You feel like you should be wearing shorts all the time. Unfortunately, mother nature didn't get the memo this year. We've been getting some cold air coming at us lately, and I'm just not ready for the onset of winter and staying in my bed all day.

Monkeys terrorizing my yard.

Grandma's Sunday towel hanging on Sunday with dishes piled high here, there, and everywhere.

One of the signs of the end of monsoon: brown ferns!

Orange cat on the run

Some of the sights on my walk home from school.



Just some more stairs for my walk home.

The front gate to my humble abode.

Gorgeous view from my front yard.

Buffalo steak! SO GOOD! (that's my empty plate in the background)

Independence Day 3.0

After my third year, I am feeling my Indian Independence more than ever.

All cleaned up and ready to feast.

Missing Miss E more than ever on this special day!

We try our best to pull off sarees, but we're not fooling anyone.

Measuring the fat increase after the day of feasting.

Spilling Gulab Jamun on your saree=party foul.


The school year has otherwise been uneventful. The population of Mussoorie is increasing rapidly with the birth of two new babies to staff members in the last week.

I finally got the welcome of a sinus infection yesterday. The school appears to be a big giant germ right now, and my time had finally come.



Back to School

It's easy to forget how great dryness is until you get back to the Monsoon.

There weren't many mold scares when we returned, but it still isn't warm and welcoming. The return of giant spiders: not cool. Two have been killed by Anwer, but there is one HUGE one that seems to be lingering around just to remind me of my place in the animal kingdom here.

Everyone thinks it's so funny how the monkeys roam around here and taunt people. It's not funny. I live in total fear, and my fear got increased recently after hearing this story:

A man stopped on the road to move a dead monkey to the side. Upon doing so, he was attacked by monkeys. He died.

Yes. He died. He was attacked by monkeys because he was simply trying to move their brother off the road. So, no, it's not funny.

School resumes on Monday. We just had a full week of PD with the University of London: Institute of Education. It left something to be desired.

The new year brings another new schedule, new responsibilities, and new chaos. Let's see what happens...

Sweet Summer Time:Part 2

Enjoying the terrace with beautiful friends.

Lisa is hilarious or frightening?

Megan, Lisa, and I-unplanned synchronized summer.

We are riding in a horse drawn carriage down State Street. Thanks Maggie!

Lisa and I are still hilarious. Megan-not impressed. Maggie-Hello SUMMER!

Back on the farm-disposing of a skunk carcass.

Working.

 

Gma and Alexis



Caught!



Tractor License Training with Jackson

 

Sweet Summertime

I went to Paris for two days and ate like a mad person: croissants, tarts, baguettes, sushi, cheese, and much more!

French braiding in Jardin Des Tuileries

First Eiffel Photo

using our mountain skills



Lindsay Boyd's Euro Twin

Notice the resemblance.

Rough Life 2013