The Debrief: How does one unpack a trip like this? Prior to our arrival in India, I am pretty sure none of us envisioned the sheer depth of emotions to be experienced.

We visited another local school run by an NGO/charity organization. Although there are other schools begun with philanthropic goals, this one made a particular impact on me and (I think) my colleagues.

Today we got to visit Christel House, a school run by an International Non-Government Organization (NGO). I will note, however, that the most compelling part of the day was realizing that my colleagues and I are processing this one experience (same) from very different perspectives. Let me rewind.

Today was an emotional day. There was a vague feeling of poignancy and anticipation.

On this final day in Chennai I find myself reflecting on the invisible threads that bind us as individuals and also as a collective.

Today we are scheduled to teach! My lesson has been prepped and reviewed over the past 2 months and the day is finally here.

The day finally came to visit our host community school. Our host teacher, Kritika, picked us up from the hotel and the driver expertly maneuvered between other cars, people and cows to get there.

We explored more of the cultural stories in Chennai, beginning with DakshinaChitra, a cultural and heritage museum that showcases artifacts like authentic historical houses, cultural Thappattam dances, and authentic South Indian cuisine.

Chennai is a sprawling metro-city on the coast of Southern India. The theme that I took away from explorations today is ‘storytelling’. Stories are embedded in the culture. Religion, temples, street food and worldview, and this makes the city unique and culturally accessible.

Today we departed for our host communities. It was a mixed bag of feelings to consider the impending separation from this group that cocooned us individually and collectively for the first leg of this journey. IREX staff kept us in touch with the friendly requirement to post in the WhatsApp chat daily and to check in every other day (as proof of life! 😀).

Families have played a vital and pivotal role in nurturing and educating the young. Lev Vygotsky (among others) identified and proposed an idea attempting to explain the influence of family and community on learning.

Today we had the wonderful Maya Menon share with us about the challenges of teaching in India.

As I reflect on the events of the day, the word ‘collaboration’ comes to mind. Today we visited the office of the U.S.-India Educational Foundation (USIEF).

After approximately 3 hours of sleep (I was a little more wired than I realized), I joined other participants to learn about the unique history and composition of India.

As I attempt to marshall my thoughts about this extraordinary opportunity I am embarking on, the word that comes to my mind is community. Let me share why.