Source: I received a copy from the author in exchange for my honest review
From
Goodreads:
After stepping out of her comfort zone of American
suburbia, Sandra Bornstein found herself in a life altering experience that
made her question the meaning of marital bliss. Living alone in a
three-hundred-square-foot dorm room, she taught fifth grade at a renowned
international boarding school in Bangalore. This compelling, honest, and edifying
memoir shares everything she learned about perseverance, travel, education,
faith, and family. Had Sandra never resided in India, she would have missed out
on an experience that ultimately enhanced her resiliency, confidence, and
passion for life.
My Thoughts:
I would love to be as adventurous as the author of this
book is. I see her as not only a
creative person, but a very brave soul.
As I read her book I kept thinking, I would not have the courage to go to another country and function
at times on my own. It didn’t matter that part of that time she was with her
husband or her son. When her husband as
a terrible accident back in the states she is finally offered a teaching
position in India. She bravely takes the
job. I understand why. As terrifying as it is, there is a part of
her that knows if she doesn’t do this she will always regret not trying. Her time there with her husband helped
prepare her somewhat. A lot of what she had to do had to be faced by
herself. I loved the depiction of the
Indian people and their culture. I am
lucky in that my school has a very large Indian population. Many of my Indian students take extended
periods of time to go back to their country during the summer or holidays. Some
of them return for weddings. Their
parents have come in and held festivals at our school to teach our other
students about their culture. It helps
that I teach at and IB (International Baccalaureate) school which encourages
the learning of diverse cultures. I feel
there is so much I can learn from my students as I try to teach them. The most fascinating thing I have learned is
that you can’t lump them all together into one “Indian pot”. There country and cultures are as diverse as
ours here in America. The author has
done an excellent job of showing that.
She has shown the hardships and inequity faced by so many when it comes
to education. It makes me glad I live
here in the United States. I have heard
some of these kinds of stories from my Indian students. Some of them came here because of relatives
moving here. Most came here because of the educational and economical
opportunities. It irritates me when I
hear people put my Indian students down.
I was in charge of the spelling bee at my school a few years back. When we went to the county competition the
two people who ended up competing for first and second place were both Indians.
A man sitting behind me said to his wife, “Of course it would be one of the
Indian’s, they don’t have a life outside of studying.” At that point I wanted
to turn and blast the man. I kept thinking, if our students and their families
have had the opportunity to see the life some of them have seen without
education then they would understand the importance of education. I believe that is one of our downfalls here
in America. We take everything for
granted. There are so many things to be
learned, not only about the Indian culture and lifestyle from this author. By
bravely telling us her story she makes us take a good hard look at love, family
and life in general. It is written with
pride and joy and with her whole heart thrown in for just the right emotional
mix. This is a book that I whole
heartedly recommend to my friends. It is
one I will be taking back to school with me in the fall to share with my fellow
teachers.
Sandra Bornstein is a licensed Colorado teacher with a Linguistically Diverse Education K-12 endorsement and two masters' degrees- one in education and the other in Jewish Studies. She has taught K-12 and college-level students in both the private and public sectors in the United States and abroad. Married to Ira, a lawyer, she has four adult sons and currently lives in Colorado.
Her Website: www.sandrabornstein
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