Let's start from the very beginning...

It is official. I am headed to India this summer. I booked an airline ticket to a city I had never heard of and could not begin to pronounce. No kidding, I literally googled "how to pronounce Thiruvananthapuram" and spent 30 minutes trying to parrot what I heard. The good news, I can now say the name with only one or two stumbles. The goal is to speak it fluently by the time I fly out on July 14th.

I am excited, nervous and a little scared to embark on what I know will be an amazing experience. I am humbled that God has given me this opportunity. In the months leading up to my departure, I will share how God orchestrated it all and the process I will go through to prepare. Once I am India bound, I will use this blog to keep everyone update on what I am up to and also to create a permanent record of my time there. For the 5 or 6 of you that will be following this blog, I will try to keep it entertaining as well as informative.

I should start by explaining exactly what I will be doing in India. For three weeks (from July 18th to August 5th) I will be teaching music classes and meeting with students one on one at the Asian Christian College of Music. The college offers a Bachelors, Associates and one year Diploma in music performance. I will be teaching western music to Indian students. Thrivananthapuram is a modern city and capital of Kerala. I will have classrooms equipped the same as you would find at any college here in the states. That's right... I won't be teaching in a mud hut somewhere in the middle of India. I will be on the coast in the southern tip of the country. Check out the map.

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I am looking forward to meeting the students and the colleagues I will work alongside. A trip like this was never on my radar but I know this is exactly where God would have me this summer and that is enough for me!

The next step: Apply for a visa and get the required shots for the journey.

Until next time!

Kevin