This essay begins at the St. Pancras Youth Hostel in London. It concludes—but does not end—as I sit at my work table in Stowe, Vermont listening to a gentle summer rain strike the roof, feel the cool breeze through the window, and contemplate the work I must do to complete my Fulbright Teachers for Global Classroom work and begin the 2019-20 school year. A rainbow flag hangs from the balcony outside the television room where I try to work every morning.
Read moreAt Stella’s suggestion, I bought a ticket for the water taxi and journeyed to Greenwich to see the Maritime Museum, the Cutty Sark, and the Royal Observatory at Greenwich I also saw London from the river, an amazing sight. Much of the city displays tower cranes and a vast amount of construction, including the iconic clock tower with Big Ben. Still, the cityscape is exciting and colorful. Greenwich The Cutty Sark became my first stop in Greenwich. This massive ship
Read moreThis is the London of my dreams: Double-decker buses, iconic phone booths, the Underground, McVitie’s digestive biscuits. London feels so different and serves as a good adjustment between where I’ve been and home (I’m seriously tempted to stay longer). As usual the stress of traveling impacted my arrival, what with heavy bags, a heat wave, and crowds at the train station. I checked into the YHA London St. Pancras (a hostel), got settled Thursday night, spent Friday morning getting organized,
Read moreHow did I get here? A plane from New Delhi last Thursday, the Underground, and a train from Paddington Station in London brought me to Worcester, England, a town in the Midlands noted for the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie by Oliver Cromwell in 1651, scene of the first and the final battles of the English Civil War. Seeing England and witnessing such a wide swath of history are goals I’ve held since high school days. It’s a dream come
Read moreThere is so much to do in Jaipur that I opted for some tourist-y activities to get a feel for the city. On Monday, I scheduled a day-long tour through RTDC, a government agency. It meant going to the train station to sign up but I found the process refreshingly simple. A guide assembled the group, we walked through the streets, boarded an air-conditioned bus, and left. The day, however, was incredibly long and hot. It began with a stop
Read more