ASBIntroductions

** Hello! I am Parul Gandhi Kalbag, and I run the Contemporary Issues in World Affairs course, which is ASB’s venue for participation in the Challenge 20/20 project. I tend to describe myself as a World History teacher, though I have taught other Social Studies/Humanities classes in the past. I am most interested in contemporary Asian history – particularly the nation-building experiments that took place across the continent following World War II. I moved to India from New York a little over a year ago, and as an ethnic Indian – I am glad to have the experience of living here. Mumbai has the same frenetic energy as New York and shares many of its strengths and weaknesses – though on a completely different scale. I have an eight month old son named Arjun, who was born here. When I am not grading student work or playing with Arjun, I spend my time reading (mainly The New York Times and historical fiction), catching up with my husband, and exploring Mumbai. I read a provocative novel over the summer called The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, which I highly recommend. Hi! My name is Ambika Chand Lall; I am 14 years old. I was born in Washington D.C. and have lived in D.C., Hong Kong, New York, and Singapore before moving to Mumbai about 3 years ago. This is my first time living in India. My parents are coming back to India after living abroad for 21 years. I have a 12 year-old sister named Tara, and I have a dog (golden Labrador) named Simba. I am interested in music, music theory, and its history. I also play the piano and flute. I also like to swim and play tennis. Over the summer I went to Maryland (stayed in my house), Iceland (for my father’s birthday), and to London (to stay with my aunt). I travel A LOT! I went to the Great Wall of China when I was not even 2 years old! I hope that I get to know you all as well! Hello, my name is Justin Martin, and I am 17 years old. I have lived in Mumbai for 2 years so far. I have also lived in Michigan, California, Alabama, Chicago, Georgia, New Mexico, and Arizona. My favorite subject in school would either be Biology or English. My favorite books are: Heart of Darkness and Nostromo by Joseph Conrad; Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman; Season Migration to the North by Tyeb Silah; and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger. Besides reading, I like to drink coffee, watch the ocean (I live on the ocean), hang with friends, and travel. I know there are lots of people who know much more than I do, and I wish to get at least a taste of everything. Hey! I’m Aliya Modi and I’m 14 years old. I have lived in two places – Mumbai and Los Angeles. I have lived in Mumbai most of my life and in LA for a year when I was very young. I am 99% Indian and 1% percent Persian…I think. I have one younger brother and one older sister who is married (she is 27 years old). I have a little cute Maltese Terrier named Andy. I am very interested in drama; some of my other hobbies are traveling, playing soccer, and hanging out with my friends. I absolutely love to travel and have visited many places. I hope you got to know me, and I hope I get to know you. Hello all! This is Priyanka Mysore. I’m 16 years old; I’ve lived in India for 11 years, and I totally love it. Before that I lived in the United States, where I was born. Math could be called my favorite subject, but geometry is definitely not my subject. In terms of contemporary issues – I am most interested in learning of ways to address poverty, which is a huge issue in India. I hope one day to contribute extensively to this cause. I’m a trained Indian classical dancer and singer, and I also play an Indian string instrument called the Sitar. I love watching Bollywood movies, and my favorite actor is Shah Rukh Khan. I also love listening to all types of music and enjoy watching and playing cricket. I hope this much information will help you all get to know me a little bit, and I’m genuinely looking forward to the Challenge 20/20! Hey Minnesota!!! I am Monica Salgaonkar. I am 17 years old. I just moved to Mumbai from Orange County, California, where I lived for 16 years. Mumbai is a very exciting city. I am very interested in discovering how the infrastructure in developing countries such as India can be improved. My favorite subject is History because I love to learn about the things that shaped the world in which we live. My other hobbies include running cross-country, hanging out with my friends, going shopping, reading and helping the people around me. My favorite book as of now is Amu because it is a book about Indian heritage and finding your family. I learned a lot about India’s past and what life use to be like through this book. I hope this helps in getting to know me. This Challenge 20/20 project is going to be amazing!! My name is Piet Schoettler. I’m in grade 11 (which I am repeating at the moment, because of the move to Mumbai) and I’m 17, but I’ll turn 18 on the 3rd of November. I am German and was born in Germany but moved in 1996 to Hungary. I lived there for eleven years before moving to Mumbai, where I’ve lived for about four weeks now. I am very interested in politics (actually I don’t really know why. Probably because I would like to know what my future is going to look like.) and history, because these two subjects make me think about how different events affect the future (our present). My other hobbies are reading great books (especially “Lord of the Rings” which is my favorite.) and playing football (aka soccer). My favorite soccer club is HSV (Hamburg), because I am from Hamburg, so I think it fits pretty well. Hi! I am Premal Shelat. I am 15 years old. This is my first time living outside of the United States; I moved here over the summer from Southlake, Texas. Some of the things that I like to do are go to the movies and or play American football. My favorite movies include: The Ringer, Hot Rod, The Lord of the Rings, and Grandma’s Boys. I like all kinds of music. Some of my current interests are in the invisible children of Africa. I am Alon Sivan. I turn 18 on the 25th of September. This is my fourth year living in India. Before I came here, I was in a public school in Israel. My family moved to Bombay because of my father’s job. When I came to ASB I didn’t speak English - so this school was and is very challenging for me. I really love cars and driving them. I am getting my license in 10 days and will start driving myself. My name is Ankit and I’m 14. I’ve lived in India for a little more than a year but I was also born here. I’ve lived most of my life in New York and 2 years in Singapore. I am interested in technology-related subjects, but also enjoy playing both types of football and other sports as well. In terms of world issues am mainly interested in nuclear-related topics, which have been plaguing the news lately. Hi, I am Manas Bajaj. I am 15 years old. I have lived in India for the last 9 years. I have been all over the world. I am an avid reader; the Godfather is my favorite book. I am a big soccer fan and root for Arsenal FC. Robin Van Persie is my favorite player. In terms of academic interests – I am interested in the issue of religious discrimination and how religion affects the life of people all over the world, but specifically in India. Hello. I am Gaby; I am sixteen years old. This year is my second year in Bombay, and I must add that it is great. Before coming to Bombay I have lived in Frankfurt (Germany), Vienna (Austria) and Warsaw (Poland). Bombay is very different from the places I have lived in before, but it’s amazing. I’m really interested in biology and history, especially ancient Egyptian history. My favorite book of all time is Gone with the Wind. I am18 years old; I am German, and I moved from Bavaria to Mumbai in August 2007. I lived my whole life in Germany in the same town. Since moving here I’m confronted every day with poverty, which is a big problem throughout India. I think talking about this problem and thinking about solutions is really important for us, because in my opinion the first step of solving a problem is to realize its extent. My hobbies are basketball and relaxing. I like to meet up with friends and just hang out. This year I have read a few of Dan Brown’s books and I really like them.
 * The American School of Bombay in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India**
 * The members from the American School in Bombay:
 * Parul Gandhi Kalbag** (teacher/facilitator)
 * Ambika** Chand Lall (grade 9)
 * Justin** Martin (grade 12)
 * Aliya** Modi (grade 9)
 * Priyanka** Mysore (grade 11)
 * Monica** Salgaonkar (grade 11)
 * Piet** Schoettler (grade 11)
 * Premal** Shelat (grade 10)
 * Alon** Sivan (grade 12)
 * Ankit** Sud (grade 10)
 * Manas** Bajaj (grade 10)
 * Gabriela** Dziki (grade 11)
 * Kerstin** Freudenhagen (grade 11)
 * Agathe Turpin**

Hello. My name is Aniket Kotnis. I am 15 years old. I have lived in India for the past 4 years. I used to live in Okemos, Michigan. I am most interested in issues like nuclear proliferation and technological and scientific advances. I am also interested in the economy and stock market. My hobbies include both playing and watching basketball and soccer.
 * Aniket** Kotnis (grade 10)

My name is Jun, and I am South Korean. I was born in the Dominican Republic and have lived for various periods of time Indonesia, Spain, and Chile. I have also lived in Korea, twice. The second time was in between Spain and Chile and was quite stressful for me because schools there are very strict compared to the American Schools I attended elsewhere. I have several hobbies, including writing and drawing. I usually write when I have spare time. In the outdoors, my favorite sport is hiking; I particularly enjoy climbing up stony mountains. So, this is me in my mind - I am a writer; I am a climber; I am an artist, and I am even a weird supernatural being (although I don’t know how…). I am just a person in this class. I am Jun Yoon.
 * Jun** Yun (grade 11)

Namaste and Howdy! I have the pleasure of being involved with both the students and teachers in this wonderful school. Not only are the ASB students and teachers exceptional people they are the most tech savvy I have ever been around. Of course, this makes me smile. You couldn’t classify me as a techie, I am just passionate about using it to promote learning. I am from Texas in the US and have been teaching for 22 years, 18 outside the US in the Ivory Coast, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and India. I love to read, travel and ride bikes. I spent a summer in Minneapolis getting a Technology Certificate many years ago and spent time riding my bike along the riverfront. Great weather! I am really excited about working with you on the Challenge 20/20 project and learning from you about solving problems of the world today. I love the responses in the group Facebook already!
 * Dianna Pratt** (MS/HS Technology Coordinator)