Denton Josey
Volunteer English and ESL teacher

The opportunity to live in India came after much searching and a lot of effort. I spent last year teaching in Korea, but all year I looked with some envy at my friends' blog that recounted their experiences at KIS. As my time in Korea came to an end, I tried my best to find a way to be a part of the community here.

Finally at KIS I've found people who are able to discover India. Certainly both inside and outside the walls of KIS it is easy to participate in Indian life, but within the KIS community there is something I haven't seen anywhere else in India or other countries I've lived and taught in.

The diversity in the student body makes for daily discoveries and can make give added interest to life in general. I've also enjoyed meeting other staff from all over the world who have such amazing life stories and unique experiences.

There are big and exciting opportunities here, such as the week-long field trips that take place in September and go out all over India. But it is the day-to-day things that make it such a joy to experience. Playing sports with the students, hiking on the weekends, enjoying lunch outside with both students and teachers alike: these are the things I've come to appreciate most. I am glad I made it to India and that I found a place at KIS.

Laure Stevens-Lubin
Volunteer Photography, Journalism & EUCY

I first visited Kodai for a few days as a tourist in 1991, but never believed I would be lucky enough to come back and actually live here so many years later. I have spent about four years (on and off) in India, mostly in Pune and Pondicherry. As an avid birdwatcher it is a wonderful change to live outside a city and so close to the wilderness. Kodai’s hiking program provides a fantastic opportunity to get beyond the city’s bounds and push my own limits.

It has been great to be able to share my passions for writing and photography with the engaged young people at this school. My sons, Leo (grade 11) and Jacob (grade 10) have benefited from the variety of academic options (computer programming, economics, architecture and physics to name a few) and have dived right into the social life of the school—forming competing bands for the talent show.  All in all, Kodai is a welcoming, challenging and exciting environment. I expect we will all grow in ways that we cannot even envision during our time here.