Back in Mumbai

It seems overwhelming to begin to write about our summer and the re-transition back to living in Mumbai. Our summer was fantastic -- we visited England, Norway, Sweden, Scotland, and Ireland in a whopping 45 night trip. We hiked in places as diverse as the Hardanger Fjord in Norway to climbing up Mt. Brandon on the western coast of Ireland. We had a picnic lunch everyday except for one (it was raining so hard in the middle of a hike in England that we popped in to a cafe for a sandwich, hot soup, and hot coffee). We cooked breakfasts and dinners in hostels to save money (and then go out for drinks, coffee, or tea). We stayed in some magical B+B's that allowed us to feel like temporary locals in London, Edinburgh, and Dingle. And, we had a memorable stay with family and friends to get a truly special experience in Sweden.

Now we are back in Mumbai. Oddly, it hasn't been raining THAT much -- although the monsoon is definitely still a presence with occasional short outbursts. While we miss our friends and colleagues that left at the end of last school year, there are 30 fresh new faces to meet and get to know. Rachel and I introduced our local bar/cafe to a busload of newbies yesterday for a Friday happy hour. It's no Buffalo Wild Wings in Lakeville, but they do have Hoegarden on tap (although the price skyrocketed to $20 for a liter). Already we can see many new teachers becoming good friends.

This weekend we'll be doing a day trip up to Sanjay Gandhi National Park with Greg, Twyla, Waciuma and Dr. Emily Olson, our good friend from Minneapolis. It will be great to share this mega-city with her as she begins a three-week research stint at the Tata Institute.

School is going great. It is amazing how quickly ASB felt comfortable this time around. Both of us have remarked several times at the ease of which we have transitioned back into "educator" mode. Our rooms are looking great, our curriculum is in place and best of all, we know the kids! It will be another great year of music-making for us at ASB.