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Monday, November 29, 2004
Im just going to give a short spiel on what Parikrma does so you can understand what I am doing in Bangalore. It is an NGO that aims to meet the needs of street and slum children in every aspect of life, education, health, nutrition and community assimilation. So although, Parikrma operates three schools it does more than providing education. They work alongside local social workers, psychologists, doctors to ensure the children are in good health. There is amazing interaction between the schools and the families/homes of the students. If a teacher or volunteer notices a kid is not feeling well, the kid is taken to a doctor and the teacher would go to the orphanage or to the home of the child and give the medicine to the parents and explain the problem. In terms of providing nutrition, breakfast and lunch is served at school from Mondays to Saturdays (the kids have school on Saturdays). A lot of emphasis is placed on providing community care to the families of these children. Often the child's parents are alcoholics and Parikrma staff would speak with them and encourage to join an de-addiction program. There are also social workers that go into the slums and give talks on basic hygiene in the community. Recently, they had a polio day (which happens twice a year) where the polio vaccine were administered to children in the slum communities.
So while volunteers' focus is predominantly on the schools and giving remedial attention to below average students, Parikrmas focus is a lot larger, one that focuses on the childs *circle of life*.
I came to Parikrma with only a surface understanding on what it does. But having been here a week, I have found out so much more about its work and I believe its philosophy works. I hoped by telling you guys what Parikma does you will understand from my posts why I teach at schools, or visit orphanages, hostels or slum communities on some days or doing some admin work for some awareness campaign. I guess part of the nature of Parikrma means the work I do here is varied and a lot more exciting than I expected.
Having said all that, on Friday, Stephanie and I went to visit Hope Lions Home after school. I am reluctant to say it is an orphanage. because although a fair few of the boys that live there are orphans, most of them have do have a parent. All the kids that live in Hope Home fled from Manipur, a North-eastern state of Indiam, where there has been prolonged armed conflict. There are around 20 children that live in Hope Home and 16 of them go to Sahakaranagar school (one of the three Parikma-run schools) and is the school I work mostly with. The Hope Home boys are adorable. They easily stand out at school because they are a alot fairer than the other children. We (volunteers) arent supposed to have favourites but you cant help it. The boys in Hope Home are so sweet. They are the most well-behaved, perform the best at school and are amazing football players. In fact, the football team consists mostly of the Manipur boys. Its so funny, when they first met me on the first day they thought I was from Manipur (because to them I am fair-skined) hehe.
Oh gotta go! I couldnt talk much about Hope Home!
will continue shortly..
EDIT:
goodness I didnt know I had posted multiple entries of the same thing. Anyways, Im on MG road right now. It is a road where you can find everything Western in Bangalore. When you are on MG road you feel you are transported back home because cafes, restaurants, shops, bookstores line the streets. Im at a trendy cyber cafe. Ive got this steering wheel next to me and brakes on the floor. lols Im in the city because today is one of the volunteers (at another school) birthday, so we are meeting up for dinner in a few hours.
Last night I was describing the boys at Hope Home. Since it was my first visit there, I hadnt known that it was in fact a Christian home until I spoke to Obed, the man who ran the home and found out he was a local pastor! after dinner all 20 children gathered in the living room for worship and reading scripture. Stephanie and I were suprised when they stood up and recited scripture. They did this in groups, even the littlest of the little had to stand up and read a line. The slightly older boys (around 10 years) recited the entire chapter of Ephesians!! Chapter 6 vs. 1-24!! Oh my gosh, I was so amazed. I have difficulty memorizing one verse, and they go reciting the whole chapter. I wonder if they are asked to memorize and recite a chapter a night...? These kids are so obedient and so so bright! I remember Stephanie commenting the next day that these boys at school because they seem so content and dont seem to need hugs or attention from volunteers/teachers at schools. I didnt know how to say it to Stephanie but I could only think of one explanation...Jesus! Just observing them at home and at school, they exemplify the essence of having a relationship with Jesus. I mean these kids in physical terms have nothing, their family is not with them, most of them share beds, they had no electricity when we visited them (we used candles all night), water supply is limited...but at the same time they have everything because they have Jesus. Stephanie and I stayed over at Hope Home camping on the floor. They were thrilled when we took out our cameras. They had so much fun taking photos of themselves and each other. We got up at 6.30am the next day! it was a Saturday too! ahhhHHh.. they have half day school on Saturdays. We got on the school bus with them since our house is very near the school.
Im really excited over the next few weeks. There's going to be so many things happening. Next week we are going to have an International Food Day whereby the volunteers are going to cook up a storm and serve lunch at school. Its great because we are going have French, German, Chinese (me! im going to try hard not to burn down the kitchen), Indian, American (/Canadian) and New Zealand (??! we have a new volunteer from NZ coming tomorrow) food! I really wanted it to be a cultural day where the kids dress up in different cultural outfits, like you know what you did in primary school, but it would be impossible because the children wouldnt have any of such clothes. After that, the following week Ill be organizing a mini-Christmas-olympics. Please help me think of some games guys!! ahh at the moment I have thought of egg and spoon relay, wheelbarrow (when you hold the other persons ankle), sack potato, three-legged race, tug-of-war, pyramids. I need some more non-active games...so far there is trivia, charades/pictionary and skits...hmm?! we are going to have music, face-painting, water refreshments as well! Then the following following week, we want to hold a Christmas party at Hope Home. We need games for that too! so far there is pass the parcel (lollies hidden in each newspaper layer), and the game where you have a balloon tied to one ankle and the aim is to try and pop every one elses balloon while keeping your balloon safe! I remembered that game at a friend birthday party when I was young but I was too scared of balloons to participate! lol. I still am!!
The weekends in December is going to be mad. Us volunteers are trying to organize weekends away from Bangalore as a break to explore and just to relax. This weekend all the volunteers are heading to Pondicherry (just south of Chennai along the Coast), next weekend we will be going to Mysore (south of Bangalore) where we will be staying at a house of one of the Parikrmas staff. Then on the 17th to 19th weekend, Ashok is dropping by Bangalore and I will be going with him up North a bit to Hampi which I have heard is gorgeous. so im really excited. As for Christmas/NY period, I have no concrete plans! ahhh I really want to go to Kerala but its going to be so packed during that period. Plus, Ashok is heading back to Jaipur by then. Im thinking of going to Goa with the other volunteers but im not sure. its going to be crazy there plus I hear accommodation has been booked out months ago.
Well Im going to update soon sometime this week! Oh post any msgs on more games! thanks
*hugsssss*
So while volunteers' focus is predominantly on the schools and giving remedial attention to below average students, Parikrmas focus is a lot larger, one that focuses on the childs *circle of life*.
I came to Parikrma with only a surface understanding on what it does. But having been here a week, I have found out so much more about its work and I believe its philosophy works. I hoped by telling you guys what Parikma does you will understand from my posts why I teach at schools, or visit orphanages, hostels or slum communities on some days or doing some admin work for some awareness campaign. I guess part of the nature of Parikrma means the work I do here is varied and a lot more exciting than I expected.
Having said all that, on Friday, Stephanie and I went to visit Hope Lions Home after school. I am reluctant to say it is an orphanage. because although a fair few of the boys that live there are orphans, most of them have do have a parent. All the kids that live in Hope Home fled from Manipur, a North-eastern state of Indiam, where there has been prolonged armed conflict. There are around 20 children that live in Hope Home and 16 of them go to Sahakaranagar school (one of the three Parikma-run schools) and is the school I work mostly with. The Hope Home boys are adorable. They easily stand out at school because they are a alot fairer than the other children. We (volunteers) arent supposed to have favourites but you cant help it. The boys in Hope Home are so sweet. They are the most well-behaved, perform the best at school and are amazing football players. In fact, the football team consists mostly of the Manipur boys. Its so funny, when they first met me on the first day they thought I was from Manipur (because to them I am fair-skined) hehe.
Oh gotta go! I couldnt talk much about Hope Home!
will continue shortly..
EDIT:
goodness I didnt know I had posted multiple entries of the same thing. Anyways, Im on MG road right now. It is a road where you can find everything Western in Bangalore. When you are on MG road you feel you are transported back home because cafes, restaurants, shops, bookstores line the streets. Im at a trendy cyber cafe. Ive got this steering wheel next to me and brakes on the floor. lols Im in the city because today is one of the volunteers (at another school) birthday, so we are meeting up for dinner in a few hours.
Last night I was describing the boys at Hope Home. Since it was my first visit there, I hadnt known that it was in fact a Christian home until I spoke to Obed, the man who ran the home and found out he was a local pastor! after dinner all 20 children gathered in the living room for worship and reading scripture. Stephanie and I were suprised when they stood up and recited scripture. They did this in groups, even the littlest of the little had to stand up and read a line. The slightly older boys (around 10 years) recited the entire chapter of Ephesians!! Chapter 6 vs. 1-24!! Oh my gosh, I was so amazed. I have difficulty memorizing one verse, and they go reciting the whole chapter. I wonder if they are asked to memorize and recite a chapter a night...? These kids are so obedient and so so bright! I remember Stephanie commenting the next day that these boys at school because they seem so content and dont seem to need hugs or attention from volunteers/teachers at schools. I didnt know how to say it to Stephanie but I could only think of one explanation...Jesus! Just observing them at home and at school, they exemplify the essence of having a relationship with Jesus. I mean these kids in physical terms have nothing, their family is not with them, most of them share beds, they had no electricity when we visited them (we used candles all night), water supply is limited...but at the same time they have everything because they have Jesus. Stephanie and I stayed over at Hope Home camping on the floor. They were thrilled when we took out our cameras. They had so much fun taking photos of themselves and each other. We got up at 6.30am the next day! it was a Saturday too! ahhhHHh.. they have half day school on Saturdays. We got on the school bus with them since our house is very near the school.
Im really excited over the next few weeks. There's going to be so many things happening. Next week we are going to have an International Food Day whereby the volunteers are going to cook up a storm and serve lunch at school. Its great because we are going have French, German, Chinese (me! im going to try hard not to burn down the kitchen), Indian, American (/Canadian) and New Zealand (??! we have a new volunteer from NZ coming tomorrow) food! I really wanted it to be a cultural day where the kids dress up in different cultural outfits, like you know what you did in primary school, but it would be impossible because the children wouldnt have any of such clothes. After that, the following week Ill be organizing a mini-Christmas-olympics. Please help me think of some games guys!! ahh at the moment I have thought of egg and spoon relay, wheelbarrow (when you hold the other persons ankle), sack potato, three-legged race, tug-of-war, pyramids. I need some more non-active games...so far there is trivia, charades/pictionary and skits...hmm?! we are going to have music, face-painting, water refreshments as well! Then the following following week, we want to hold a Christmas party at Hope Home. We need games for that too! so far there is pass the parcel (lollies hidden in each newspaper layer), and the game where you have a balloon tied to one ankle and the aim is to try and pop every one elses balloon while keeping your balloon safe! I remembered that game at a friend birthday party when I was young but I was too scared of balloons to participate! lol. I still am!!
The weekends in December is going to be mad. Us volunteers are trying to organize weekends away from Bangalore as a break to explore and just to relax. This weekend all the volunteers are heading to Pondicherry (just south of Chennai along the Coast), next weekend we will be going to Mysore (south of Bangalore) where we will be staying at a house of one of the Parikrmas staff. Then on the 17th to 19th weekend, Ashok is dropping by Bangalore and I will be going with him up North a bit to Hampi which I have heard is gorgeous. so im really excited. As for Christmas/NY period, I have no concrete plans! ahhh I really want to go to Kerala but its going to be so packed during that period. Plus, Ashok is heading back to Jaipur by then. Im thinking of going to Goa with the other volunteers but im not sure. its going to be crazy there plus I hear accommodation has been booked out months ago.
Well Im going to update soon sometime this week! Oh post any msgs on more games! thanks
*hugsssss*
Thursday, November 25, 2004
I cant believe its only been a couple of days at school. So far, its been amazing. These kids are the definition of cute and they just have boundless energy. But no matter how tired I am, every time I see the children they just put a smile on your face. I wish I can put up photos of these children.
A normal day would be to wake up at 8am (I know! *gasp* you surprised? Somehow in India it doesnt seem as early as in Australia) to take a shower, make breakfast, and get changed. Then I run to school to get to my first remedial class at 9am. The school is only 10 min walk away! Soo good. I teach the Saturn class in the morning. They label each class according to the planets. So kindergarten is Sun, first grade is Mercury, second grade is Venus, and so on (did I get the planets in the right order?). Anyways, I teach the kids from the Saturn, Earth, Jupiter and Mars class. I love it! After my first class I go to the Parikrma office to help with the admin work and then go back to the school to teach again. The rest of my classes are pretty much back-to-back until the end of school. At 3.30pm I would go on the school bus with the children to the nearest orphanage. The school bus resembles a zoo. The kids are climbing all over the seats and you! Parikrma operates two orphanages. The one closest to the school houses 50 kids. Its one big room and they all sleep on the floor. Yesterday we had the best time playing with the kids. Oh my gosh, you should have seen when we took out twister. It was so funny. Like they could not take in turns so like 15+ kids just started jumping around on the mat. When we finally taught them how to play they started exclaiming *He’s out! My turn* *He pushed me down*. Haha it was hilarious watching them. We finally played a modified game of twister. What else did we do? OoH remember when you are young and you sit in a circle and play the hand game that goes: e-maka dicio o, e-Oh, Mario Mario, Eh Eh boom boom boom, eh eh boom boom boom, 1, 2, 3 *slap* Okay that just looks funny written out. I gotta sing it to you. Yea we played that. We also played London bridge is falling down, Ring a round, Duck, Duck Goose. I love children games. Memories. Ahh. Oh that reminds me of other childrens games…Like stuck in the mud, cops and robbers, doctor doctor or girly games using elastic bands: England Ireland Scotland Wales, Inside Outside Donkey tails (does anyone know what I am talking about? But I need to find huge elastic bands) or rope games,Teddy bear, Teddy bear turn around. Lols. Once you remember one game, you think of more and more. We normally leave the orphanage around 6pm and get home around 7pm and cook dinner. Last night I slept at 9.30pm!! how early?! But we were too exhausted. Tomorrow I get to visit Hope Home the second orphanage which is smaller and further away. So Stephanie and I will overnight there! One big slumber party with 16 kids! Woo hoo
Oh some random Kodak moments. I was helping one of the kids with her homework yesterday and when she got it right I was like give me a high five. I put up my hand, she looked at me and ecstatically hit my hand 5 times with her hand. Lols. Why is it called high five anyway? The kids asked me to sing an Australian song! Me sing a song?! I dont think anyone has heard me to sing. And let alone an Australian one! But I couldn’t refuse the kids who kept pleading…so I sang Waltzing Matilda. Actually I had to hum the rest of the song because I didn’t know the lyrics. They next wanted to hear the Aussie anthem! I so didn’t know.. all I know are last few words .. “advance Australia fare” hehe. So I asked them to sing their Indian anthem. These kids loved to sing. We spent a good half an hour singing Christmas carols (over and over again). Oh yea, I took a computer class today (Dell donated some 20 computers). No worries, my water bottle was far enough away. not that I had time to drink because these kids are crazy about computers. We still havent got kids software so all they do is play on Paint, Microsoft Word, Pinball, Solitaire (all the usual computer games). It is soo hard to control 20 kids with computers. Every second there is a kid shouting Akka help me!. The way they play on the computers something is going to break...soon! they love playing with the D-drive (even though there is no CD)!
Okays, Im off now! shall write hopefully soon.
A normal day would be to wake up at 8am (I know! *gasp* you surprised? Somehow in India it doesnt seem as early as in Australia) to take a shower, make breakfast, and get changed. Then I run to school to get to my first remedial class at 9am. The school is only 10 min walk away! Soo good. I teach the Saturn class in the morning. They label each class according to the planets. So kindergarten is Sun, first grade is Mercury, second grade is Venus, and so on (did I get the planets in the right order?). Anyways, I teach the kids from the Saturn, Earth, Jupiter and Mars class. I love it! After my first class I go to the Parikrma office to help with the admin work and then go back to the school to teach again. The rest of my classes are pretty much back-to-back until the end of school. At 3.30pm I would go on the school bus with the children to the nearest orphanage. The school bus resembles a zoo. The kids are climbing all over the seats and you! Parikrma operates two orphanages. The one closest to the school houses 50 kids. Its one big room and they all sleep on the floor. Yesterday we had the best time playing with the kids. Oh my gosh, you should have seen when we took out twister. It was so funny. Like they could not take in turns so like 15+ kids just started jumping around on the mat. When we finally taught them how to play they started exclaiming *He’s out! My turn* *He pushed me down*. Haha it was hilarious watching them. We finally played a modified game of twister. What else did we do? OoH remember when you are young and you sit in a circle and play the hand game that goes: e-maka dicio o, e-Oh, Mario Mario, Eh Eh boom boom boom, eh eh boom boom boom, 1, 2, 3 *slap* Okay that just looks funny written out. I gotta sing it to you. Yea we played that. We also played London bridge is falling down, Ring a round, Duck, Duck Goose. I love children games. Memories. Ahh. Oh that reminds me of other childrens games…Like stuck in the mud, cops and robbers, doctor doctor or girly games using elastic bands: England Ireland Scotland Wales, Inside Outside Donkey tails (does anyone know what I am talking about? But I need to find huge elastic bands) or rope games,Teddy bear, Teddy bear turn around. Lols. Once you remember one game, you think of more and more. We normally leave the orphanage around 6pm and get home around 7pm and cook dinner. Last night I slept at 9.30pm!! how early?! But we were too exhausted. Tomorrow I get to visit Hope Home the second orphanage which is smaller and further away. So Stephanie and I will overnight there! One big slumber party with 16 kids! Woo hoo
Oh some random Kodak moments. I was helping one of the kids with her homework yesterday and when she got it right I was like give me a high five. I put up my hand, she looked at me and ecstatically hit my hand 5 times with her hand. Lols. Why is it called high five anyway? The kids asked me to sing an Australian song! Me sing a song?! I dont think anyone has heard me to sing. And let alone an Australian one! But I couldn’t refuse the kids who kept pleading…so I sang Waltzing Matilda. Actually I had to hum the rest of the song because I didn’t know the lyrics. They next wanted to hear the Aussie anthem! I so didn’t know.. all I know are last few words .. “advance Australia fare” hehe. So I asked them to sing their Indian anthem. These kids loved to sing. We spent a good half an hour singing Christmas carols (over and over again). Oh yea, I took a computer class today (Dell donated some 20 computers). No worries, my water bottle was far enough away. not that I had time to drink because these kids are crazy about computers. We still havent got kids software so all they do is play on Paint, Microsoft Word, Pinball, Solitaire (all the usual computer games). It is soo hard to control 20 kids with computers. Every second there is a kid shouting Akka help me!. The way they play on the computers something is going to break...soon! they love playing with the D-drive (even though there is no CD)!
Okays, Im off now! shall write hopefully soon.
Monday, November 22, 2004
yay finally here! after an arduous 24 hour train ride. I was feeling really sick on the train. I dont know why but I had a fever and everytime I tried to lie down I felt like vomiting. eeEk. The people I sat with were super considerate though. Even though I didnt feel like eating they were really concerned that my stomach was empty so they kept offering me food and when I declined they started buying food for me from the platform each time we stopped. And when I arrived at Bangalore station, this man helped me to carry my luggage and lent me his mobile to call Ravi (the cab driver) who was supposed to pick me up at the station. I was driven to the volunteers house where I will be living in over the next 2 months. I met three other volunteers at the house, Stephanie (my room mate) from France, Retchan from Canada and Thomas from Germany. They are so friendly.
Today felt like such a long day, so much as happened. In the morning I went to Parikrma office where I was briefed about Parikrma and the work I would be doing. Jill (the volunteer coordinator) took me to the school and gave me a tour around all the classrooms. The children are so cute. Everytime we opened the classroom door, they would be like "good morning" "what is your name Aka (sister)"? "where do you come from". They are just so curious about you. Parikrma runs three schools and provides free education, community help, medical check ups to children from slum communities (a fair number of them come from orphanages where volunteers are also encouraged to visit). It is amazing how far Parikrma has come considering it only started last year. Im really excited about my stay here. This afternoon, the kids had their first football match with another school. You should have seen how excited they were! they looked so smart in their new football uniforms and so proud of their shoes. its so funny cos' you could see them just keep looking at their shoes while their warmed up. And guess what? they won the match 7:1!! We had brought the entire school (around 130 children) with us to the other school's field and the cheering was loud!! the other school was overwhelmed by the support we had with us. it was great.
Okay im feeling super tired. I really must rest. The kids have boundless energy.
write soon
Today felt like such a long day, so much as happened. In the morning I went to Parikrma office where I was briefed about Parikrma and the work I would be doing. Jill (the volunteer coordinator) took me to the school and gave me a tour around all the classrooms. The children are so cute. Everytime we opened the classroom door, they would be like "good morning" "what is your name Aka (sister)"? "where do you come from". They are just so curious about you. Parikrma runs three schools and provides free education, community help, medical check ups to children from slum communities (a fair number of them come from orphanages where volunteers are also encouraged to visit). It is amazing how far Parikrma has come considering it only started last year. Im really excited about my stay here. This afternoon, the kids had their first football match with another school. You should have seen how excited they were! they looked so smart in their new football uniforms and so proud of their shoes. its so funny cos' you could see them just keep looking at their shoes while their warmed up. And guess what? they won the match 7:1!! We had brought the entire school (around 130 children) with us to the other school's field and the cheering was loud!! the other school was overwhelmed by the support we had with us. it was great.
Okay im feeling super tired. I really must rest. The kids have boundless energy.
write soon
Friday, November 19, 2004
Im melting under the Bombay sun. It is definitely hotter than in the North. I arrived this morning after an 18 hour train journey. It didnt feel long at all. In fact, it went by rather quickly. Im glad I chose a 3-tier class than a 2-tier because I met different people on the train. I met an Indian family on the platform who was more than happy to engage in conversation with a foreigner. One of the daughters gave me a peacock feather. On the train I sat next to a younger brother and sister travelling to Mumbai for start of school term, a British backpacker who was travelling around the world for a year (Australia being one of his later destinations) and four Indian armymen. It was difficult communicating, especially with the men so we ended up pointing to the map and photos in the Lonely Planet book! One of the men was from Jaiselmer (very West of Rajesthan) where I reallyy want to go on a camel safari. The men got off at Kota after 3 hours and a young Indian family hopped on for the remainder of the journey. Their kids were entertaining! I had a surprising good sleep on the train, although I kept hitting the roof of the train each time I sat up (I had the top bunk!). One of the reasons why I slept well was because I had no mosquito bites! (would you believe the previous night, I woke up with a mosquito bite on my eyelid!!). Im so prone to them :(
Mumbai in terms of accommodation is rightfully the most expensive. Im paying nearly double to three times the amount Ive been paying since the beginning of the trip. Im glad Im only here for a night otherwise Im going to be broke pretty soon. At a glace, Mumbai is more developed, and you can see this by the transport (gone are the tuks tuks, rickshaws, bicycles) buildings, general infrastructure. I saw proper traffic lights for the first time. But at its heart, it is still a poor city. Up till now I got the occassional mother carrying a baby tapping you and asking you for money, but in Mumbai it has been more frequent. Today at the market I saw a line of beggers with their arms outstretched, with one crippled on the floor. It was disheartening seeing them. In sharp contrast when I made a strip to the Southern tip of Mumbai to see the Gateway of India a huge arch facing the Mumbai harbour, I could see the wealthy milling around the nearby Taj Mahal Hotel.
As I was walking away from the Gateway, I felt something sticky between my toes and my sandels. I bent down and saw chewed gum at the tip of my sandels. So I knelt down and got out a tissue and water to scrape it off. As I was doing this a young local girl crouched down opposite me and said, "No No, water cannot". I looked up and she was gesturing with her hand and pointing to her mouth. Then abruptly she started spitting saliva. hmm...I couldnt make out what she was doing. I was more or less fixated on the residue which was now drooling from her mouth. Then it dawned on me that she was suggesting me to use saliva and not water to get the gum off! I was worried she would start spitting her saliva on my feet and sandels. So before she had the chance to generate enough saliva to do that I quickly got up and signaled with my hand that I was fine. :P she was a sweet girl. We started talking about the strings of flowers on her hand. She tied a string around my wrist as a bracelet. In exchange, I gave her a sheet of stickers (which I had got earlier in the market...you are probably wondering why I need stickers..I brought them to take to Bangalore for the kids. I should have brought all the stickers here! its a lot cheaper).
Oh, remember how I purchased a polaroid camera from K-mart before I left Australia. Well I brought it along with me and its been a hit success. Ive used it on many occassions already and desperately running out of film. In Jaipur, I was riding on the rickshaw with Ashok and we noticed a couple on a motorcycle smiling at us. The woman had the widest smile Ive seen which I really wanted to capture on my camera. I held my camera up as though to ask her if its okay. She nodded and smiled and I snapped. Then I remembered I had my polaroid on me! So I signalled again with the second camera and took another one. You should have seen the expression of her face when Ashok pulled out the photo out and handed it over. she was so suprised that it was 'instant'. Then Ashok explained in Hindi that she needed to wait a while before the photo will show :) Oh, another time we used it was while visiting the Amber Fort. We were walking along the garden and we met the female gardener with a girl (presumably her daughter). She asked us to take a photo of them and to pay them rupees! hehe I took it as sort of like paying them so that we can have a photo of them?! we decided to use my polaroid again! and instead of paying them we handed them a photo of them. They were taken of guard and delightfully suprised ! I am now down to one film !! ahhhh everytime I pass a camera/film shop, Ill pop in to ask if they have the type of film I need. No where seems to stock them :( Im thinking of asking my brother to buy some and sending it by post to Bangalore. hMm..
Oh! a good thing is my seat is confirmed for my train ride tomorrow from Mumbai to Bangalore. This time 24 and a half hours! I hope I meet interesting people on the trip.
Im off now! shall write soon
*lots of love
Mumbai in terms of accommodation is rightfully the most expensive. Im paying nearly double to three times the amount Ive been paying since the beginning of the trip. Im glad Im only here for a night otherwise Im going to be broke pretty soon. At a glace, Mumbai is more developed, and you can see this by the transport (gone are the tuks tuks, rickshaws, bicycles) buildings, general infrastructure. I saw proper traffic lights for the first time. But at its heart, it is still a poor city. Up till now I got the occassional mother carrying a baby tapping you and asking you for money, but in Mumbai it has been more frequent. Today at the market I saw a line of beggers with their arms outstretched, with one crippled on the floor. It was disheartening seeing them. In sharp contrast when I made a strip to the Southern tip of Mumbai to see the Gateway of India a huge arch facing the Mumbai harbour, I could see the wealthy milling around the nearby Taj Mahal Hotel.
As I was walking away from the Gateway, I felt something sticky between my toes and my sandels. I bent down and saw chewed gum at the tip of my sandels. So I knelt down and got out a tissue and water to scrape it off. As I was doing this a young local girl crouched down opposite me and said, "No No, water cannot". I looked up and she was gesturing with her hand and pointing to her mouth. Then abruptly she started spitting saliva. hmm...I couldnt make out what she was doing. I was more or less fixated on the residue which was now drooling from her mouth. Then it dawned on me that she was suggesting me to use saliva and not water to get the gum off! I was worried she would start spitting her saliva on my feet and sandels. So before she had the chance to generate enough saliva to do that I quickly got up and signaled with my hand that I was fine. :P she was a sweet girl. We started talking about the strings of flowers on her hand. She tied a string around my wrist as a bracelet. In exchange, I gave her a sheet of stickers (which I had got earlier in the market...you are probably wondering why I need stickers..I brought them to take to Bangalore for the kids. I should have brought all the stickers here! its a lot cheaper).
Oh, remember how I purchased a polaroid camera from K-mart before I left Australia. Well I brought it along with me and its been a hit success. Ive used it on many occassions already and desperately running out of film. In Jaipur, I was riding on the rickshaw with Ashok and we noticed a couple on a motorcycle smiling at us. The woman had the widest smile Ive seen which I really wanted to capture on my camera. I held my camera up as though to ask her if its okay. She nodded and smiled and I snapped. Then I remembered I had my polaroid on me! So I signalled again with the second camera and took another one. You should have seen the expression of her face when Ashok pulled out the photo out and handed it over. she was so suprised that it was 'instant'. Then Ashok explained in Hindi that she needed to wait a while before the photo will show :) Oh, another time we used it was while visiting the Amber Fort. We were walking along the garden and we met the female gardener with a girl (presumably her daughter). She asked us to take a photo of them and to pay them rupees! hehe I took it as sort of like paying them so that we can have a photo of them?! we decided to use my polaroid again! and instead of paying them we handed them a photo of them. They were taken of guard and delightfully suprised ! I am now down to one film !! ahhhh everytime I pass a camera/film shop, Ill pop in to ask if they have the type of film I need. No where seems to stock them :( Im thinking of asking my brother to buy some and sending it by post to Bangalore. hMm..
Oh! a good thing is my seat is confirmed for my train ride tomorrow from Mumbai to Bangalore. This time 24 and a half hours! I hope I meet interesting people on the trip.
Im off now! shall write soon
*lots of love
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
:( I feel a pang of homesickness
Well, its only been overnight since I wrote my last entry and nothing much have happened since. I woke up this morning rather late and set off to the bazaars to get some personal items. As I was walking along the road, my sandels broke! I couldnt believe it. I remember soo clearly asking the shop assistant who sold me the pair of sandels in Delhi if they would break easily. he totally assured me they were of fine quality and would last for a good 20km. You cant trust sellers! Anyways, it was impossible for me to walk wearing them or even slide in them. I had no choice but to take my sandels off and walk barefoot on the road >.< I got the most curious looks by the locals. I hit the first shoe shop I saw but I didnt like the shoes (yea, I can still be picky even in desperate measures!) but I found an alright pair of sandels in the second shop. *grinz*
I got a horrible stomach cramp and will probably head back to the hostel to grab some panadols after I get off the internet/
Cheers!
Well, its only been overnight since I wrote my last entry and nothing much have happened since. I woke up this morning rather late and set off to the bazaars to get some personal items. As I was walking along the road, my sandels broke! I couldnt believe it. I remember soo clearly asking the shop assistant who sold me the pair of sandels in Delhi if they would break easily. he totally assured me they were of fine quality and would last for a good 20km. You cant trust sellers! Anyways, it was impossible for me to walk wearing them or even slide in them. I had no choice but to take my sandels off and walk barefoot on the road >.< I got the most curious looks by the locals. I hit the first shoe shop I saw but I didnt like the shoes (yea, I can still be picky even in desperate measures!) but I found an alright pair of sandels in the second shop. *grinz*
I got a horrible stomach cramp and will probably head back to the hostel to grab some panadols after I get off the internet/
Cheers!
Rajesthan is a state you must visit in India. Im loving Jaipur heaps more than Delhi. It is everything you expect India to be busy, colorful, lively, traditional and the people here are friendly and amazingly hospitable. It has such a vibrating cultural. Everywhere you look you see women clothed in bright sarees, salwar kameezs (more causal outfit) and men in kurtas. I brought a salwar kameez yesterday from the markets yesterday and wore it today. I can say for sure I garnered more respect wearing one. The bazaars are incredible, there is a bazaar for fabrics/clothes, bazaar for gems and jewellery, another for carpets, rugs etc. I am so tempted to buy a lot but I know Im coming back to Jaipur (yes again, after Bangalore!) so I must restrain myself. :P
One thing I have learned about India is that it is impossible to stick to a itinerary. Most people know I hate having an itinerary or have planned arrangment such as booking room in advance). This time I had a vague plan to travel North to South passing through various cities (as you can read from my old post). But even such a vague plan I couldnt stick! When you fall in love with a place, you just want to stay on and on. There is also a second reason Ill explain later. So now because I have majorly overstayed in Rajesthan I am catching an express train from Jaipur to Bombay on the 18th (urgently to make it to Bangalore on the 22nd). I went to the train office yesterday to book this train and had my first experience with the train reservation counter. The place is crazy. It is fully packed. And Indian people just jump-queue. Its amazing. I mean you are lining up and out of nowhere an Indian man would cut in front of you. You wonder if they are truly oblivious or they are doing it on purpose. I mean they are so good at it. You should see their expression. So I tapped the guy on the shoulder and he shrugged his shoulders and went to the back of the queue. At least they dont try to argue with me. And 10 minutes later (yes, I lined up in the queue for AGES), another man cut in front of the man in front of me. whew at least I didnt have to deal with him. The trains are confusing. There are around 20 counters at the office with heaps long queue lines. I thought I will just line up and when I reach the counter I will simply ask for a train ticket from Jodphur to Bangalore leaving on the 20th. Sounds logical huh? but nopee! I found out soon enough from the guy in front of me that you needed to complete in full a reservation form, which must state what train number you are getting on. India has the largest railway system in the world and countless number of trains and routes.I definitely didnt know which number train I was getting on! So I asked the guy in front of me to hold my place while I checked out the boards. To my dismay the only train that left Jodphur to Bangalore only operates once a week on Wed and even a train leaving from Jaipur to Bangalore express operate twice a week. So my plans to bus from Jaipur to Pushkar and from there to Jodphur was quashed. SOo essentially I was stuck. I had to get to Bangalore by the 22nd. I went back to the line and found out the guy in the front was going to Bombay. Because I was nearing the front of the line, I decided to buy a ticket from Jaipur to Bombay leaving on the 20th. And hopefully from Bombay to train it to Bangalore. I thought I could finally relax until the counter guy said the train was full on the 20th (in all classes!) and on the 19th. ahhhhh. In the end I had to buy one on the 18th, leaving Jaipur earlier than I intended to. I couldnt book my ongoing train from Bombay to Bangalore because I only had one form on me. Also I wasnt too bothered because I hear there are daily trains going to Bangalore from Bombay. Wells that evening, Ashok and I were biking past the railway station and I noticed SHORT queues at the reservation office! haha I couldnt miss this chance of avoiding huge crowds so I decided to reserve my ticket for the Bombay to Bangalore leg. And yes, you guessed it all the dates and times I wanted were full. So now Im on a waiting list. If everything goes to plan miraculously, Ill be spending 2 days and 1 night in Bombay and reach Bangalore late late evening of the 21st (and be on time! woo hoo). That is only after a shocking 48 hours and a bit on the train.
So where am I right now? Yup still in Jaipur. So when I said it is impossible to keep to your itinerary. One reason is because it is the trains that control your plans and not the otherway around! Ashok and I were planning to go to Udaipur, famour for its Lake Palace for a night or two. But we are too exhausted to hack a 10 hour bus trip. I really wanted to go! Now it means I would have to return to Rajesthan and explore Pushkar, Jaisalmer, Udaipur and Jodphur after Bangalore. I met a British backpacker in Delhi who told me he was travelling around for 6 months. I remember thinking that was a long time and that he would definitely cover everywhere in depth. I disagree with that now. Its so true when people say you can never have enough time to explore India properly.
On the day after we arrived in Jaipur, we went to the house of a business friend of Ashoks. His friend's (Raju) business is in jewelery (Jaipur is famous for its gems) designing, making and selling. Ashok is actually in the same business and often stays at the house too. I met his family and the cute children! their family is huge like 20 members! there are two brothers staying in the house with their wives, children and mothers. They have a cook, security guard, driver, and a domestic helper. Today we went over and played with the children! lols it was good fun. And I had my first taste of masala chai (spicy tea). It is delish!
I notice that Indians eat dinner really late. Most Indians I have spoken to say they eat before they go to bed like around 10pm and 11pm. Raju, Ashok and I went for dinner at a hotel two nights ago at 11pm!! so late. but the food was sooooooo good. So just when I was losing hope in Indian food and thinking all it consists of is dosai and vada, I had the most amazing North Indian vegetarian food! yuuuMm. Oh I must mention that most Indians in Rajesthan are strict vegeterians. I havent had meat in the longest time. Although there are some restaurants that serve non-veg food I dont want to disrespect some Indian friends we eat out with! eeK. But im really enjoying my vego food. Ill see how long Ill last without my meat! hehee
p.s. oh you would be happy to know where I am staying now I have hot water!
*hugs* love laura
Sunday, November 14, 2004
wow! I cant believe three days ago I was in Australia. I feel like Im in another world. So far it has been a total overwhelming experience. It is completely chaotic here! incredibily dusty and polluted. You cannot escape car fumes wherever you are
When I left the Delhi International Airport I was surrounded by touts trying to offer me a cab ride to their hotels. I went straight to the pre-paid stand (thanks to the LP!) and ordered a taxi. Oh my, the way Indian drivers drive is SCARY. they resemble those bumper cars in amusement parks. Within five minutes of getting into the car, the boy driver (yes, he is younger than me. He is still going to high school) was already driving towards incoming traffic!~ I got to Sunny Guesthouse where I decided to stay for the first night. A very basic place. So far it is my second worst place I stayed in my backpacking history. The worst place to date is still the time in Phuket, in Thailand. Ill remember to tell you that experience next time. But anyways, my room in Sunny Guesthouse resembles a cell. I cannot even begin to describe the shower place. ! (cath, if you are reading this it is like the time we took ashower at the Tibetan refugee school in Nepal...cold water and all. Ive been taking a shower under a tap in the dark)
On the first day I went around various markets buying essentials. I realised I didn't only forget to bring my towel, but also sandels and toothpaste!!! That night, I met up with my Nepali friend, Ashok on my first night in Delhi. We will be travelling for around 10 days together. As it was the height of Diwali festival, we watched local fireworks. I was expecting some official fireworks like ones in Australia during NYE. but nopeeee! you have kids setting off fireworks in every corner of the streets. It is really crazy stuff. Ashok and I watched some local kids playing with fireworks in front of our guesthouse. hehe we got friendly with them. These kids were in fact Nepalese kids who were sent by their parents from Nepal to work in restaurants/guesthouses etc to help support the family. Its quite sad but they were having so much fun playing with the fireworks. We kept telling them to aim the fireworks more carefully and not at the powerlines!! Apparently, the night before (because it was still diwali festival) everyone in the Sunny Guesthouse had to evacuate because of a fire at a next door guesthouse caused by fireworks! eeks. The fireworks went till on till so late at night. In fact when I went to bed around midnight, I could still hear the fireworks.
I find Delhi quite characterless, which is why I have left Delhi to Jaipur on the second day. That is where I am now, Jaipur aka Pink City.
AHHH I cant finish this entry. Ashok is waiting. We are going to check the bazaars now~!
will write soon
lots of love
Laura
When I left the Delhi International Airport I was surrounded by touts trying to offer me a cab ride to their hotels. I went straight to the pre-paid stand (thanks to the LP!) and ordered a taxi. Oh my, the way Indian drivers drive is SCARY. they resemble those bumper cars in amusement parks. Within five minutes of getting into the car, the boy driver (yes, he is younger than me. He is still going to high school) was already driving towards incoming traffic!~ I got to Sunny Guesthouse where I decided to stay for the first night. A very basic place. So far it is my second worst place I stayed in my backpacking history. The worst place to date is still the time in Phuket, in Thailand. Ill remember to tell you that experience next time. But anyways, my room in Sunny Guesthouse resembles a cell. I cannot even begin to describe the shower place. ! (cath, if you are reading this it is like the time we took ashower at the Tibetan refugee school in Nepal...cold water and all. Ive been taking a shower under a tap in the dark)
On the first day I went around various markets buying essentials. I realised I didn't only forget to bring my towel, but also sandels and toothpaste!!! That night, I met up with my Nepali friend, Ashok on my first night in Delhi. We will be travelling for around 10 days together. As it was the height of Diwali festival, we watched local fireworks. I was expecting some official fireworks like ones in Australia during NYE. but nopeeee! you have kids setting off fireworks in every corner of the streets. It is really crazy stuff. Ashok and I watched some local kids playing with fireworks in front of our guesthouse. hehe we got friendly with them. These kids were in fact Nepalese kids who were sent by their parents from Nepal to work in restaurants/guesthouses etc to help support the family. Its quite sad but they were having so much fun playing with the fireworks. We kept telling them to aim the fireworks more carefully and not at the powerlines!! Apparently, the night before (because it was still diwali festival) everyone in the Sunny Guesthouse had to evacuate because of a fire at a next door guesthouse caused by fireworks! eeks. The fireworks went till on till so late at night. In fact when I went to bed around midnight, I could still hear the fireworks.
I find Delhi quite characterless, which is why I have left Delhi to Jaipur on the second day. That is where I am now, Jaipur aka Pink City.
AHHH I cant finish this entry. Ashok is waiting. We are going to check the bazaars now~!
will write soon
lots of love
Laura
Friday, November 12, 2004
I didnt think Ill be blogging so soon, but here I am in transit at Bangkok airport for 2 and a half hours. I didnt have a restful sleep on the plane because I was busy playing Tetris and watching movies..ooops. I ended up watching Bourne Supremacy and the Notebook (John, yess it was good and it made me teary hehe). I WAS feeling tired but the moment I walked into the transit/lounge area I was all alert again. Its hard not to be with the bright lights, lots and lots of people, and the shops. Goodness, this airport is so busy at midnight!
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Oh, I forgot to mention when I flew the domestic flight from Melbourne to Sydney yesterday I was halted at the security section. I was like ?!?!?!? Then they told me they found a fork in my laptop bag!!! haha whew, it wasn't a knife..then Ill look like a real terrorist. Actually, this has happened before on my last flight also. ANd yes, it was a fork AND it was in my laptop. If you are wondering why, its because I bring my lunch to Uni most days. haha
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As everyone knows, I leave EVERYTHING to the last minute. I know..its reallyyy bad. ahhh. So I obviously left my packing again to the last hour before we left for the airport. I hardly brought anything with me! In my main bag were just my sleeping bag, one trackie pants, a long sleeve top, undergarments, and toiletries. This was contrasted by heaps of drugs I brought (gastrolytes, stomach pains, imodium, panadol, doxy). Oh and my contact lens and solution, anti-bacterial gel and my cannot-do-without Wet ones.
The good thing that came out from packing light meant I didnt have to take on baord the 14kg bag of books! I was able to check that in along with my personal bag(amazingly, my own bag weighed a mere 8 kg). The bad thing is I forgot other essentials..namely a TOWEL! so after I get off the net, Im going to have to comb through this airport to find a towel.
__________________
Cheerioss!
____________________
Oh, I forgot to mention when I flew the domestic flight from Melbourne to Sydney yesterday I was halted at the security section. I was like ?!?!?!? Then they told me they found a fork in my laptop bag!!! haha whew, it wasn't a knife..then Ill look like a real terrorist. Actually, this has happened before on my last flight also. ANd yes, it was a fork AND it was in my laptop. If you are wondering why, its because I bring my lunch to Uni most days. haha
___________________
As everyone knows, I leave EVERYTHING to the last minute. I know..its reallyyy bad. ahhh. So I obviously left my packing again to the last hour before we left for the airport. I hardly brought anything with me! In my main bag were just my sleeping bag, one trackie pants, a long sleeve top, undergarments, and toiletries. This was contrasted by heaps of drugs I brought (gastrolytes, stomach pains, imodium, panadol, doxy). Oh and my contact lens and solution, anti-bacterial gel and my cannot-do-without Wet ones.
The good thing that came out from packing light meant I didnt have to take on baord the 14kg bag of books! I was able to check that in along with my personal bag(amazingly, my own bag weighed a mere 8 kg). The bad thing is I forgot other essentials..namely a TOWEL! so after I get off the net, Im going to have to comb through this airport to find a towel.
__________________
Cheerioss!
Thursday, November 11, 2004
I thought Ill upload a map of India so you can see where Im going. But its so small, I cant even read the city names! lols anyways, that is my tentative route for the first 10 days. I need to get to Bangalore (where the pink line ends towards the southern tip) by the 22nd. So Ill be pretty rushed! As for my journey up, its too early to say.
Im going to leave for the airport in a couple of hours! So this is my last blog Ill write in Australia. And yea, I need to pack..again! *sigh*
p.s. Kat, thanks for coming out to Chatswood! gluck with your exams <3
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Oh, I found out I arrive on a day of celebrations - Diwali, the festival of lights! looks like Ill be in time for some fireworks fun!
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
today could be summarized in ONE word...rushed!!
I wont go into it, but Ill just say that today was the first time I hitchhiked a ride (Im suprised at myself). Also a warning to anyone who needs a visa to do it by courier and not yourself
I am finallyyy in Sydney after two cab rides, two train journeys, a bus ride, a car ride, and a plane flight.
I cant wait to board the flight tomorrow and just catch up on sleeeeeeeep
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Mel and Cath, it was really good to see you both tonight! and mel, you cheaterrrrrr!! haha lols, Cath and I let you win this time :P anyways, I was going to post up that scary polaroid shot of you two but I dont want to scare anyone reading this. Thanks for the super early b'day present! and I shall see you both in Nepal in Jan (!!) not Feb
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Okay, I must get off. I need to start packing!!
I wont go into it, but Ill just say that today was the first time I hitchhiked a ride (Im suprised at myself). Also a warning to anyone who needs a visa to do it by courier and not yourself
I am finallyyy in Sydney after two cab rides, two train journeys, a bus ride, a car ride, and a plane flight.
I cant wait to board the flight tomorrow and just catch up on sleeeeeeeep
______________________________
Mel and Cath, it was really good to see you both tonight! and mel, you cheaterrrrrr!! haha lols, Cath and I let you win this time :P anyways, I was going to post up that scary polaroid shot of you two but I dont want to scare anyone reading this. Thanks for the super early b'day present! and I shall see you both in Nepal in Jan (!!) not Feb
______________________________
Okay, I must get off. I need to start packing!!
(temp blog: see below for latest entries)
*does a twirl* Im so excited!! Earlier this evening, I was on the phone with the lady in charge of the project in Bangalore where I will be helping out with over the next two months. I cant wait to be there and to see the work being done to reach out to children from slum communities. We discussed what things I can take over from here to the project that the children could benefit – these were books (anything from pictorial books to story books to non-fiction), educational games (puzzles, lego etc.), learning cassette tapes, video tapes (Disney/animation/cartoon), alphabet cards etc.!
If you can contribute any of these items (first hand or second hand) and you are in Sydney or Melbourne that would be awesome! These kids would be so delighted. You can drop these items off at my house in Melb (before the 10th) on in Syd (before the 11th).
I know many of you are in exams or are busy but please give a thought to this! Maybe this can be your Christmas present to them :) Even just spending a few dollars on a book from the Mr. Men series (*grins*) or on stationary would be gold!
Acts 20:35 It is more blessed to give than to receive
Double Edit!!: I received an e-mail today from a long-term volunteer there. Here is part of the e-mail:
It would be great if you could collect some story books and teaching materials. We have a fantastic Football team but our kids have to play in really old shoes and I would love them to have proper football shoes, so it would be great if we could raise some money for that. There are about 10 kids on the team and they are darn good actually we are putting them in interschool competitions. We have a professional football player teaching them and he is amazed by them, I wouldn't be suprised if some of them take it on as a profeession in the future, its just sad seeing them run in their sand shoes where many of them have holes in their soles. Maybe some of your friend's younger brothers have old football shoes or you could get some people to donate money towards it.
I have exciting news! I have spoken to Kiran and Krsytal (my fellow committee members of the monash charity group ) and we agreed to use the group funds to advance 500AUD to Parikrma Foudation and on top of that to buy 10 pairs of football shoes for children!! yipeeee! so the kids can get brand new shoes. Im ecstatic about this. Im so thankful for the MCG! I will definitely keep members updated about whats happening at Parikrma and where the money will be used for.
Krystal & Kiran, I had an awesome year with both of you! luv you heaps
