Sunday, December 9, 2012
Arts festival!
There has been no shortage of arts festivals in the general Nilambur area. I've been to one at Manavaydan school, one in a neighboring town at Keralai school for districts, and to the district finals. First of all, I can never complain again about being too hot in full costume under some lights because these children get in full costume and makeup and dance their little hearts out in 90 degree heat outside, with lights on them. My god. The dances are very interesting too because each one has a story behind it. There was also miming and mimicking.These pictures are from my second trip to the arts festival at Keralai school. I lasted about 2 hours before I had to leave because of the heat. We met up with a few of the teachers and they took us to lunch, but not before we were whisked away to the media tent to do an interview. By the district finals, there were 16 stages, 6,000 meals served, and 10,000 participants. That's a lot of body heat. Here are just a few of the pictures because after a while it can get overwhelming.
The day I felt like Mowgli
One weekend in the not too distant past, we were taken on an overnight retreat to Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, and I I taught the animals how to make fire. Just kidding, I wouldn't do that. That's what separates the men from the animals...right? Everything I needed to know here I learned from The Jungle Book. Anyways, we were taken to a great little homestay about 10 minutes away called Whispering Willows. Here's their website:
http://www.whisperingwillows.in/
They were lovely people and had plenty of clean beds (and a gorgeous garden!), but of course I chose to stay in a tent (which was also very clean). It was so cold that night, we had a bonfire so I was feeling particularly in my camping element that evening. We played a few rousing games of gin rummy and went to bed early because we needed to leave at 6:00 a.m. in order to get to the reserve in time to see some animals before their nap. Once we got into the park, we were on a mission to see elephants. It says tiger reserve, but rarely are tigers seen these days. We saw plenty of peacocks, some bison, a warthog boar/Pumbaa that charged at some unsuspecting woman, monkeys, deer, a malabar squirrel (you wouldn't believe it until you saw it...google it), aaaaaaaaaand....elephants! Sadly there were chains on most of them, but that's fairly common here. I really enjoyed seeing some wildlife of the area so here are some pictures for you to enjoy too!
Just FYI, while at the park, you can only drive through and you're not allowed to stop, so getting some of these pictures was a challenge.
http://www.whisperingwillows.in/
They were lovely people and had plenty of clean beds (and a gorgeous garden!), but of course I chose to stay in a tent (which was also very clean). It was so cold that night, we had a bonfire so I was feeling particularly in my camping element that evening. We played a few rousing games of gin rummy and went to bed early because we needed to leave at 6:00 a.m. in order to get to the reserve in time to see some animals before their nap. Once we got into the park, we were on a mission to see elephants. It says tiger reserve, but rarely are tigers seen these days. We saw plenty of peacocks, some bison, a warthog boar/Pumbaa that charged at some unsuspecting woman, monkeys, deer, a malabar squirrel (you wouldn't believe it until you saw it...google it), aaaaaaaaaand....elephants! Sadly there were chains on most of them, but that's fairly common here. I really enjoyed seeing some wildlife of the area so here are some pictures for you to enjoy too!
Just FYI, while at the park, you can only drive through and you're not allowed to stop, so getting some of these pictures was a challenge.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Children's day
Last week on the 14th was International Children's Day. We began with a procession through the town into Manavaydan school and ended with the induction of the Children's Parliament. There were kids from different schools and many of them were in costume while others wore their school uniform.
Though we did not stay for the entire children's parliament induction (it lasted from 11 until 3) the sheer multitude of people there was awe inspiring. I'll let the pictures do the talking!
Though we did not stay for the entire children's parliament induction (it lasted from 11 until 3) the sheer multitude of people there was awe inspiring. I'll let the pictures do the talking!
Children's day
Last week on the 14th was International Children's Day. We began with a procession through the town into Manavaydan school and ended with the induction of the Children's Parliament. There were kids from different schools and many of them were in costume while others wore their school uniform.
Though we did not stay for the entire children's parliament induction (it lasted from 11 until 3) the sheer multitude of people there was awe inspiring. I'll let the pictures do the talking!
Though we did not stay for the entire children's parliament induction (it lasted from 11 until 3) the sheer multitude of people there was awe inspiring. I'll let the pictures do the talking!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Wayanad? Why not?
Awesome moment #5983: Our trip to Wayanad. Wayanad is a district about 3 hours away from Nilambur. It is largely agricultural and much of that consists of tea and coffee. The seven of us teachers were able to stay in a gorgeous two bedroom, four couch homestay with beautiful views, an amazing cook, and A CRAZY AWESOME BATHROOM. Check out the picture right now. No seriously, right now. I'll wait. Crazy awesome, right? In case you think your eyes deceive you, they don't. They wouldn't do that to you. Three walls and a garden. When you go to the bathroom, you get a connection to nature that you just don't get from a glass-block window...but don't get me started on that. And taking a shower? Talk about Eve-esque! I was ready for a serpent to present me with an apple at any moment.
Sadly, I had a cold the entire time I was there so I was forced to sit on one of the many porches and sip the best tea I ever had on a non-stop basis...and nap. They should build more hospitals with that kind of view and that kind of tea. The night views were wonderful as well. One night there was a very bright moon that lit the whole valley and part of the mountains. I never felt so strongly that I needed an DSLR camera. Here are a few more pictures of the house, my room, and the views.
Also, the morning we left, I walked down to the tea factory to see what I could see of the tea with no fee or a key. It was quite a sea of tea. Okay, I'm done. Too many homophone lessons for the kiddies.
Sadly, I had a cold the entire time I was there so I was forced to sit on one of the many porches and sip the best tea I ever had on a non-stop basis...and nap. They should build more hospitals with that kind of view and that kind of tea. The night views were wonderful as well. One night there was a very bright moon that lit the whole valley and part of the mountains. I never felt so strongly that I needed an DSLR camera. Here are a few more pictures of the house, my room, and the views.
Also, the morning we left, I walked down to the tea factory to see what I could see of the tea with no fee or a key. It was quite a sea of tea. Okay, I'm done. Too many homophone lessons for the kiddies.
Indian Magic!
A few days ago we were invited to a Muslim wedding. My god, what a buffet. When we were introduced to the bride and groom, they wanted to get pictures with us which seemed a little backwards and we had some light conversation. The bride was lovely in her blinged out outfit and the groom was quite dapper in his velvet blazer. They totally pulled it off. I think the green ambient lighting helped.
The only way to accommodate the number of guests was to have it outside. There must have been 500 people walking in and out of that courtyard/fairground/whateveritwas. There were 2 buffet tents, one for the women and one for the men. We overate and then we left.
Our next stop was to a neighborhood residents association meeting/party. We introduced ourselves and I sang a little ditty. Little did I know I would be out-shown by an Indian Willy-Wonka that did magic. Don't believe me? I have pictures. It was unlike anything I've ever seen. Anything. I did hum 'Final Countdown' under my breath in honor of Gob Bluth.
We were then served dinner part two in a setting not unlike a child in a high chair being force fed. This, of course, was the only way the food would stay inside of us, so it worked out.
Shortly after, we retreated to our homestays to figure out how to sleep comfortably with our new food babies. Hats off to pregnant women everywhere. You are saints.
The only way to accommodate the number of guests was to have it outside. There must have been 500 people walking in and out of that courtyard/fairground/whateveritwas. There were 2 buffet tents, one for the women and one for the men. We overate and then we left.
Our next stop was to a neighborhood residents association meeting/party. We introduced ourselves and I sang a little ditty. Little did I know I would be out-shown by an Indian Willy-Wonka that did magic. Don't believe me? I have pictures. It was unlike anything I've ever seen. Anything. I did hum 'Final Countdown' under my breath in honor of Gob Bluth.
We were then served dinner part two in a setting not unlike a child in a high chair being force fed. This, of course, was the only way the food would stay inside of us, so it worked out.
Shortly after, we retreated to our homestays to figure out how to sleep comfortably with our new food babies. Hats off to pregnant women everywhere. You are saints.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Blackouts with Stanley and Ira
Hello friends! I hope everyone is enjoying crisp, autumn weather. While I imagine you are enjoying apple cinnamon cider, marshmallows over a fire, and other autumnal treats, I am enjoying things fried in coconut oil, chapathi, chicken byriani, fish curry, bananas, and other carb-filled food. We have been thrown into our classes and are just coming up for air now. The children are very excited to see us and we are trying our best to get aquainted with everyone even though there are about 65 students per class. We have also been meeting with various government officials, press conferences, and lounging by the pool. Just kidding. There is no pool....unless you're counting the pool of sweat I create every day. If you want to get through the day without frying up like the papadum I ate for lunch, you would get up at 5:00 am, get some work done until 11:00 am, stay inside until about 4:30 pm and finish any outside activities then. The tricky bit to this operation is that even though we aren't teaching all day between the hours of 11:00 and 4:30, there are blackouts at least twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening. Sometimes there's a blackout all day. That makes planning lessons REAL. HARD. Not to mention maintaining a reasonable body temperature. Just yesterday, I was forced to watch Big because there wasn't anything else to do. Thank God for Tom Hanks. There was no light because it was storming (storms and power outages do not always go hand in hand here) and it was so hot, I didn't want to move for fear of exploding into some form of humid fire.
Anyways, not all was lost. Our friends Stanley and Ira the geckos came to check on us. Usually they come every night after sunset, but today it was a little earlier because of the storm. They even brought around their other friends Jerome, Reba, Gretchen and her son Vishnu. Also, Sven has been coming around lately on Wednesdays after 4:00 pm. They were here all night because someone can't take a hint, so my roommates and I just went to bed around 10:00. Even when I got up for a bathroom visit at 3:00 am, a moth flew past my face and Jerome killed it right above the sink where I was trying to wash my hands. Of course when I saw what a vicious killer Jerome was and discovered that the water was turned off, I screeched and fled the scene to my bed where it took me another hour to erase those horrific images from my mind. The next morning I submerged from my bedroom to find half of the moth in front of my door as what I presume to be a "I'm sorry" gift from the geckos for overstaying their welcome. This moth was about 3 inches across and what was even more peculiar was that I saw other bits of the moth being carried across the floor to the door by ants.
I must say, India keeps me on my toes!
Anyways, not all was lost. Our friends Stanley and Ira the geckos came to check on us. Usually they come every night after sunset, but today it was a little earlier because of the storm. They even brought around their other friends Jerome, Reba, Gretchen and her son Vishnu. Also, Sven has been coming around lately on Wednesdays after 4:00 pm. They were here all night because someone can't take a hint, so my roommates and I just went to bed around 10:00. Even when I got up for a bathroom visit at 3:00 am, a moth flew past my face and Jerome killed it right above the sink where I was trying to wash my hands. Of course when I saw what a vicious killer Jerome was and discovered that the water was turned off, I screeched and fled the scene to my bed where it took me another hour to erase those horrific images from my mind. The next morning I submerged from my bedroom to find half of the moth in front of my door as what I presume to be a "I'm sorry" gift from the geckos for overstaying their welcome. This moth was about 3 inches across and what was even more peculiar was that I saw other bits of the moth being carried across the floor to the door by ants.
I must say, India keeps me on my toes!
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