Updates! (Sorry its so long!)

I thought about my blog today and realized it had been months since I had made an entry and that considering since I've moved here my English has gotten worse, I should probably get back into writing.

 

A lot has happened in the past few months and Im going to try and keep it short but I never am able to so I apologize in advance. Here's a recap:

 

June: I don't remember much of this month except that it was summer school still.. And I got braces mid-month. Which are NO FUN. I played on my church's worship team for what would be the first of many times (: Love my violin and love those people.

 

July: Fast forward to July. It was the 23rd and I was sick, AGAIN. I was puking and had a fever. I have never had so many stomach problems in my entire life as I have since we've moved here. It was pretty bad, mom had to stay home with me. After what felt like a lifetime of being sick but in reality was only 2 days we made our way out the door and down to the doctor. I wasn't very happy about this considering I don't like the doctor in America, so OBVIOUSLY I really don't like the doctor in India. Sitting in traffic on the way there I told my mom I was going to be better for this weekend, since we had made plans to go to Bangalore and have our first in India but not Chennai-vacation. She agreed I needed to get better but then said it wasn't for our trip to Bangalore but for our trip home. Then she told me the news I don't think I would ever be ready to hear, Granny passed away. My heart sunk. I cried. I didn't speak. It was an awful day. Soon after, we got cleared that I could fly from the doctor and we were on our plane home. I was so thankful to see family and friends, I needed it. So much. I was thankful for the time given.

 

August: Soon after that chaos, August rolled around, school continued and my mother went back to the US for a week without me. Aunt Helen passed away. Too many deaths. And too unexpected. I stayed with Cherie & Paula throughout that time and am so lucky they were there! Sheralyn kept me on the weekends, even though that wasn't much news considering I spend quite a bit of time with that family. I love them to death.

 

September: This is the month where I decided to get back into the habit of reading. Which I am SO glad I did.

School got complicated this month, my schedule was finalized and my graduation plans were being questioned, here comes the stress. My wonderful mother has been to the school many times since that point in September and now and Im so thankful to have someone to stick up for me. The first weekend of September was much needed, our church hosted a family camp- "Friendships for Life". My mother wrote : "This was the first church retreat I have been on since I was a teenager, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  And I came right after work and was on “night schedule” because it was the weekend right after I got back from the second trip to the US, so I didn’t want to miss more work.  Needless to say, I was zombified most of Saturday.  But Sunday I was awake and really enjoyed the experience.  I was blessed to meet some amazing people, including a fabulously inspiring missionary who is currently living in Istanbul, Turkey and sharing the Word and Christ’s love. She has been a missionary in Asia for 25 years and she speaks Russian and some Chinese dialect.  AMAZING!  It was a nice time.  But the best part was seeing my kiddo, who was a leader for the kids’ church.  She wrote the lessons, assigned helpers based on age groups and languages (did I mention we had Nepali, Tamil, Hindi AND English speakers there??), prayed over, played with and taught all these different cultures.  She texted me Friday night telling me she was having a hard time due to language barriers, but she survived and even stayed up late at the group bonfire to do some dancing with the Nepali crew.  Saturday she was among a group of adults who took the kids to the nearby amusement park during the heat of the day, joined as a spectator as we watched 12 people give their lives to Christ through baptism, and enjoyed the bonfire and dancing again (while I slept!). Sunday was long and she was spent.  In the last hour or so, the power went out (imagine that!) and she used her mobile phone as a flashlight.  One of the kids reached for her, or she reached for them, and the phone dropped… screen cracked.  After the stress of working with the kids all weekend, she was in tears when she was explaining what happened.  (This is a new phone, mind you, and she seems to be i-gadget cursed as her cousin dropped her iPod and cracked it in December when we were home. Her brother sent her a new-used-iPhone that died a month later. We traded it in and paid for a replacement and this was it… cracked within a month of having it!)  After a good night’s sleep, she woke up refreshed and I reiterated to her that we would handle her phone.  I’d either replace the screen here or when we go back to the US and it still works, so it’s really ok.  She was more accepting that Monday than she was Sunday night.  I can’t explain the immense pride I felt for her and the effort and grace she put forth and eluded when working with the kids that weekend.  My heart still swells when parents I have not met or spoken to much approach me to tell me what a great job she did and how much her kids love her.  I have seen more kids come up to her after that weekend than ever before, running by to give her a hug or a high-five, making sure to say “Hi, Savannah!” or a quick hug and “Bye, Savannah!” as they come and go.  She really has a God-given gift with kids and it is wonderful to see her putting it into action, even when it’s hard and it stretches her.  Was she prepared to lead such a high number of kids?  Many of which didn’t speak English?  HECK NO!  But did she let it overwhelm her to the point of giving up?  Absolutely not!  Did she complain when she missed a worship session of singing and dancing because she was “stuck with the kids again” ?  Not my girl.  Pastor Shawn talked about her hard work and great job in our sermon last week and reminded us that all of Jesus’ disciples were likely under 20 years old.  Wow.  1 Peter 4:10 tells us, Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.  I am so very proud of her for letting God work through her, grow her, and lead her how and where He sees fit."

AND she pretty much said it best. (http://texanindianprincesses.blogspot.in/2013/09/september-stuff.html)

 

Now its October and the time has flown by. Besides the problems I'm facing at school, I enjoy my classes which are

AP English, AP Business Studies, AP Accounting, Tamil, Spanish, French, Music (Violin), Algebra 2, Bible Studies, (TEACHING) 4th Grade Science and 4th Grade English

 

I've also started helping out more with kids church, which I love, love, LOVE.

 

This Thursday morning my mommy & I are headed to the "Golden Triangle" for a 6 day trip to Delhi, Agra, & Jaipur. In Agra we are going to see the Taj Mahal and ride elephants, in Delhi we are going to eat burgers and drink Starbucks (LOL), and in Jaipur we will do shopping and camel rides. This trip is so close but seems so surreal. I promise to blog about it as soon as we get back in town. I'll make sure and take pictures too!

 

Enjoy the pictures below.

Xoxo from Chennai.

           Jonathan & I                                      Nathan & Joann & I

 
                The Handsome Leroy                                        Joann & I
 
                Nathan (my "boyfriend")                          The awesome kids in Church
  
            Learning how to put out fire!       Spider-Man! This makes me so nervous!
 
     My beautiful, inspirational mommy and I!

 
            School Field Trip to Queensland!                               Dynamo is more popular than me!
 
          Beautiful Angel & I                                 I got holi powder thrown on me!

     Spa day with some of my favorites!                Cuddle time with babygirl.

      Typical Indian road. Love the color!              Prayer time at Friendships for Life Camp!
 
                                  Auto pile up!                                        The beautiful Rochelle & I
 

        Leroy is the cutest little man ever.                 Prasansha is my favorite!

 

Catching Up!

I can't believe its already the 30th of May, how time has flown. I'd like to start out by saying I cannot believe that almost six months have gone by since I was visiting everyone in Texas. I miss you all, to say the least. I don't know exactly what to write about, as I've been sitting here staring at the screen for a little over an hour. I love keeping you guys updated on my life even though I am not nearly as fascinated by it as y'all are. (:

Here's how the month of May went by-

Family came to town and we went on a vacation to Singapore and Malaysia. I was so intrigued by the fact that a place SO close to where I live could be so different. It was an opportunity I wouldn't have been able to experience if I hadn't moved to India. I'm thankful to have a mom who will travel with me and family that will come and visit even when there are ocean between us.

Once we got back from the wonderful get away we rested and gave Michael a small tour of India. We couldn't do much because it's about 107 degrees Fahrenheit outside, which is TOO hot for me. I've been staying inside and keeping cool as much as I can. 

For most of the month of May we missed church, which really upset me. But I was thrilled to go back as I missed everyone there. I am thrilled to have such an amazing church family and completely blessed at the same time.

I haven't been able to go and teach at the orphanage for about a month now. There have been some political problems, so I asked Sheralyn what had been going on by the home and she said,
"There was a politician of a communist party that was arrested last week. He's a minority party person and his followers are trouble makers. After he was arrested they burned 200 buses and several people were killed. Its all about caste. This guy is of a lower caste blah blah. Its all very demonic. Two guys that were killed were from our village. One was beheaded and one was burned alive. Horrible. Demonic. Anyhow. Things have calmed down somewhat but they still aren't sending buses in or out of the village area. So sad. Our boys are safe though and that's my main concern"
If you don't mind please say a prayer that things have calmed down. I know they aren't as bad as when everything first started but it's still not safe to head into the village, which means no teaching for me. :( At least this is only temporary.

Here's how this week has gone so far:
Sunday-Doctor, Church, Dinner (At dinner it was decided that I will begin playing my violin at church, I have conflicted feelings but I think nervousness is the biggest one right now.)
Monday-Spa day with Mom and Cherie, then Lunch/Dinner at Tryst Cafe.
Tuesday-I laid around all day and watched Season 3 of Pretty Little Liars. And I must say, WHAT an ending!
Wednesday-Around noon I left my apartment and went to Cherie's where we watched Vampire Diaries, baked lemon squares and brownies, made bacon and cheese sandwiches, and hung out.
Thursday-That's today and Im currently sitting on the couch, continuing Vampire Diaries, and blogging. 
Friday-I am very excited about tomorrow and here's the day plan: Around 12 I will leave here and head to Nungambakkam, where Sheralyn and the family live and spend the day with them and Erica. That evening there is band practice and I will be FINALLY playing my violin outside of school. That night I will sleepover at Sheralyns house. Which brings us to-
Saturday-In the morning there is "Adventure Kids Teachers Training" hosted by Sher. I am looking forward to this. After that we will all meet up with my mom at the Phoenix Mall. An exciting day this shall be.(:

Well, School starts Monday and I am actually a little happy to get to go back and see old friends, as well as make new ones. I'm also looking forward to leaping into my senior year. My mom has this genius idea that might get me to graduate as early as December. Nothing is final yet, but if it goes like I want it to, I should be home FOR GOOD in December, I sure am missing everyone, so that would be best for me.

I think thats all for now. But I'd like to share a the pictures from the trip so here ya go!

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES

Bye for now! Xoxo.

May the 4th be with you. (Birthday Blog)

I know I promised to get better at blogging, sorry. I am improving somewhat. Well, its now May 5th and my birthday was yesterday, for those of you who know, I'm a Star Wars fan and May the 4th be with you. Now, lets see, life is a bit boring right now. Last Monday I accompanied some family friends and my mother and I went to a wedding, I came home and became sick. Stupid stomach bug. Tuesday and Wednesday were hard days and I didnt do much but lay around and drink water. Thursday was a bit better, still a day of rest, and Friday I went to Rasika's with some friends. They threw me a surprise birthday party. I am proud to say I have some good friends.(: Saturday around 1 I was picked up from Rasika's house and headed to the spa for a day of pampering with mom and Cherie. I received my first facial, which was amazing by the way.. And also a gel manicure, they look nice.(: After this we headed to Cherie's apartments and hung out with the Tom's for a while, then decided on dinner at the Hyatt. At the beginning of the meal I already wasn't feeling well again.. Its safe to say I wasn't completely over the stomach bug yet. After dinner we went home and I fell fast asleep. It's Sunday now, and mom thinks we shouldn't go to church because "Just 12 hours ago you weren't okay Savannah" blah blah blah... Okay mom. Whatever. So I'm home, writing this blog.
There was my birthday. 

Now something new, the orphanage. I asked for donations for my birthday gifts instead of actual presents. There have been some generous donations made for the Home of Hope and I have an idea of how I will spend the money I get. I feel that as a teacher I should be able to teach in more than just one way, because as we all know, there are different learning techniques for different people, so I have asked the head of the orphanage if it would be possible for me to bring in a TV and a DVD player for the home. Since my mom and grandparents and Michael and I are going to Singapore and Malaysia in May, we will look at prices of them and how much I have and see if we can pick up those items. I'm excited to say the least.

 My grandparents are coming in too. They are flying standby so its a bit difficult to know an exact date of when they will arrive, but hopefully this Tuesday. Michael is coming in Thursday I think.. For those of you that don't know, Michael is my mothers boyfriend. So the whole gang is coming in soon. And then on May 12th we are all boarding the plane and heading off to Singapore, then Malaysia. I can't wait to see them.

And the last thing I shall talk about today, Family Camp.
My wonderful church, Word Of Life, Chennai, has a Family Camp every year. The Family Camp is one weekend where we stay in a resort, and the parents have sessions with the Pastor, and the kids have seperate ones. As you may know, Im not a parent, nor a child, but my Pastor's wife, Sheralyn, or Sher, messaged me on facebook asking if I would be interested in leading the children that weekend! YES. Of course! I am so excited for this also.

God has been doing some amazing things in my life and Im very thankful for everyone and everything that I have. Love you guys and thanks for reading!
Xoxo.

Happy Easter!!

I've made it through my first Easter in India. I thought I should tell you guys about how Easter is celebrated here. In India, or Chennai specifically, the major religions aren't Christianity. Most people you meet are Hindu, then Muslim, Christians aren't necessarily rare, but they definitely aren't common. So when Good Friday rolled around, I found that my few Christian friends had church almost all day! Good Friday is certainly considered bigger than actual Easter. I received "Happy Good Friday" text messages throughout the day. It was interesting for me. So, Sunday I went to church for my Easter service! It was a great service as there were two parts to the sermon, The Cross, and The Resurrection. Then we all took part in communion. It was wonderful. So now that you know what I did for Easter. Let me fill you in on the rest of my break. I got out of school Wednesday. I'm officially out of 10th grade and if all goes as planned, will be graduating next year! I only have a week off because of "bridge coursing", or an introduction to the next grade. The Wednesday I got out, my two closest friends right now, Ila and Rasika, stayed the night and went home the next day. After they left I went over to Tom and Cherie's to spend a day out running errands with Cherie. Thursday I met a few friends from church for a day at the new Phoenix Mall, this trip was fantastic. Our pastor and his wife are adopting a little Nepali girl named Prasantsa (I think that's how you spell it) and I absolutely fell in love with her. She's so sweet and adorable! On Friday I didn't do much, but Saturday I had a parent teacher meeting at school! It went well!!(: I definitely did better on my exams this time. Sunday before church we went to a nice hotel, the Taj Vivanta, and had some food that mom loved, turns out I really don't like expensive food. Hahah. I know, strange. Then after church we had ice cream from Movenpick. It was a great day. Now it's Monday and I'm doing nothing, Ill give Dynamo a bath in a little bit and then maybe paint his toes! Tomorrow I'm going to an amusement park, Queensland, with some friends from school and our favorite teacher Pria ma'am! Ill write later! Hope everyone had a Happy Easter! Sending love!!!(:

It's been a while.

I apologize for my lack of blogs. I do understand people enjoy hearing about my so called "fascinated" life. Let me tell you what's happened in the past 7 months. School has been tough, but I'm surviving. Summer is almost here and it's exams now. I officially wear Indian clothes everywhere because they're cute and comfy so it's a win-win. I've officially gone through culture shock and let me tell you, it's about the worst thing ever. I've visited Pondicherry, the French colony in India. We started going to a western church and through my church I've made more friends (none my age. Of course) I've made a new friend in my apartment. My relationship with God has gotten so much stronger. Lakshmi is finally cooking INDIAN. I officially like Indian! Every Wednesday I go hang out with my "Indian grandma" and bake cakes and stuff. My grandparents are coming in may and I'm SO excited because I miss them like crazy. Ill be 16 May fourth and I'm still trying to convince my mom to let me get my nose pierced. We found a new ice cream shop, it's FABULOUS. I'm teaching English at The Boys Home of Hope. Which is an orphanage not to far from my house and it brings me great joy.! I feel God is calling me to travel and be a missionary, teaching English wherever I go. I am missing home more than usual because my old team just went to nationals. I am thankful for what God has given me so far and can't wait to see what the future holds! Ill really try and keep up with my blog more! Talk soon! Xoxo. Savannah.