Two Memoirs of "Missionary Kids" in India

I recently read two memoirs by authors who had been the children of missionaries in India, as I was: “Ramblings with Ruth” (Quiet Waters, 2004), by Sam Schmitthenner, and “Sepia Prints” (Kindred, 1990), by Viola Bergthold Wiebe.” These memoirists' childhoods in India were both much earlier than mine; Schmitthenner’s children were contemporaries of mine at school, and Wiebe’s son became principal there some time after I left. But they write of the same areas in South India that my family lived and went to school, and they write of many similar experiences; thus their books are very evocative for me, as I am sure they are for others who share these experiences. In particular, the parts of both books about Kodaikanal School (“Kodai” for short), the boarding school where my brothers and I went, evoked much nostalgia in me. Although that time in my life was decades ago, it is still -- for me, as for most Kodai alumni -- a critically important part in our lives, and one we will never forget. One of the joys of modern technology is that Facebook and Kodai listservs have brought many of us back in touch. I know that many people feel nostalgic for their school years and experiences, but in our case, there were two extra elements intensifying those school experiences: first, that of living in boarding school, making school an even more all-encompassing experience than in day schools; and second, that of being members of mostly American background living in a (to us) foreign country, being both “of” and “not of” the country where our school was located. This was the beloved country of our childhoods, yet it was not our own country, and almost all of us returned to the United States or Canada. Nowadays Kodai is an international school, the majority of students are Indian, and students come there from around the world as well; despite these changes (and they are good ones), the spirit of the school and its experiences for its students appear to continue in many ways the traditions we remember. A recent reconnection with Kodai, for me, is that one of my nieces studied there about nine years ago, and another is studying there right now for her junior year of high school. What an experience this is for her! And for my brothers and me, it is so interesting to read about and see pictures of her experience there, bringing back many memories for us. I have also reconnected to that time through my research and writing on “missionary kids” and “Third Culture Kids.”