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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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!

Holy culture shock, Batman!

I really think this post title says it all. This is the first time I've had a moment to myself and my homestay had wifi at the same time....well...that and I wasn't passed out. It's been quite a learning experience so far and that's an understatement.

When we arrived in Nilambur, we were greeted at a hotel by a small party of men that were the organizers of this project. We had tea (this is a reoccurring theme) and introduced ourselves. Afterwards, we were taken to where we would be staying. At the beginning of it all, we were assured that we would have our own house and housekeeper. This was not the case at all. Three of us would be staying with a family. This did not go over well. This, too, is an understatement. Thankfully, I think we were too tired to put up a fight so everyone had a little cry in their bed and fell asleep.

The next morning I decided to treat this as an adventure and hopefully things would look up. So, I put on the Bonjour song from Beauty and the Beast as I sat in bed and looked out the window. That helped tremendously. I think we all need a little Disney therapy once in a while.

We were supposed to go shopping for little things we needed but we weren't able to because the shops were on strike and everything was closed. Instead we met at the other homestay house and met together to discuss the upcoming months. That quickly turned into tea time and nap time. No complaints here. Eventually we had dinner and went home to our wifi-less house. No bitterness here.

The next few days were VERY long. I have been going to bed at 9:45 and waking up at 5:30 or 6:00 each day. Mostly this is because there is a mosque nearby that has the call to prayer (adhan) at dawn. Actually I fould out that Nilambur has a mix of Muslims, Hindus, and Christians all living together in what seems to be harmony...from what I can tell. It's quite nice. Except for the 5:20 am wake up call. Anyways, we've been meeting with our Indian teacher colleagues that will be helping us with class in a seminar/workshop that has been preparing us for what is to come. I loved meeting them and I can't wait to get to know them better! I'll have to make a post about them soon. The workshop goes until about 5:00 pm and for the past two days we first went to the oldest teak plantation in the world and then the next day, the teak museum...so if you have any questions about teak...I'm your woman.

Today was the last day of the workshop and the Minister of Tourism in Kerala stopped by to say hello. I was asked to sing (I also think this will be a reoccurring theme) and so I did a quick O mio babbino caro. Maybe this is the beginning of my Indian career?

Right now I'm trying to relax before it's time to leave for dinner with some fancy people at a fancy place. In the meantime tell me: what was the biggest culture shock you've ever had? I'm still trying to catch up to it all and the wifi isn't always there to catch it with me so until next time: Namaskaram!

Is it time to eat?

To make a long story short, we almost didn't make it here. While my cousin and I had no problem getting from London to Doha (carrying our luggage on the tube included), we almost missed our flight from Doha to Kochi. The inner shopper in both of us called and not wanting to ignore our inner voice, we followed our........hearts? Unfortunately that call drowned out the other call to our gate so by the time we wandered to where we were supposed to be the only call we could hear is "last call". We were the last ones on the plane but in our defense, people were still boarding as we ascended the stairs so really we weren't that late.

    For the past few days we've been trying to catch up on sleep (10 1/2 hour time difference) and eating...and eating and eating and eating. Did I mention eating. Because we ate. A lot. Every meal has been a buffet at this amazing 5 star restaurant and everything seems like a work of art.

    Yesterday we did the tourist thing and went to St. Francis church, the Chinese fishing nets, the Dutch palace, and Jewtown. Of course there was a little shopping along the way. My cousin had itchy hands so she was the first to buy...but that's no surprise. 

    Today we leave for the town we'll be living in for the next 4 months. I can't wait to meet the kids! Time to pack up and devour one more meal.

Where's Hugh?

I'm not even in India yet and the adventures have already begun. From when I checked into the airport and went through security to when I arrived at my gate, the sky in St. Louis had turned an ominous black. Soon afterwards, a voice over the PA system had instructed us to move away from the windows and stand in the middle of the hallway. Flights were being cancelled and luckily our was only delayed. Apparently there had been a tornado warning somewhere near and we only had a few minutes between this storm and the next one to get into the air. Luckily it was a small plane and we were taking off just as the next storm was coming in. Talk about an escape.

For the entire 1 1/2 hour flight to Toronto, I was plotting my step by step journey from the gate where we would land to the gate where I'd be leaving for my connection to London. Of course not knowing either of the gates, this proved challenging. I concluded it would be somewhat of a "U" shaped direction. I would have about 15 minutes to do this and just when I was building up the confidence that I could make my flight, I was handed a customs card. Hmm. Confidence blown. At this point, I lifted my fate to the flight gods and anxiously awaited for landing. Once we reached the tarmac, I waited "patiently" for some stairs. I overheard the flight attendant speak to an agent about my flight and it seems that there were a few of us on that flight that were trying to catch the same connection. He informed us that the airline was aware of our situation and can book us on the 11:20 flight if we don't make our flight. I bolted down the hallways and rushed through customs only to reach the gate about five minutes late. After collecting myself and catching my breath, I calmly walked to the customer service desk along with my fellow travelers and asked to be booked for the next flight. At least there was still a flight going out tonight. They even gave me a complimentary meal coupon. As I sat waiting, I started to take in my surroundings. This airport seemed like one of the airports in the movie Love Actually but instead of a heartwarming montage of hugs and smiles, a mini bag of chips cost six American dollars and Hugh Grant was nowhere in sight.

Luckily the flight was only half full and boarding was a breeze. Sadly, there was a family of five that took over two rows of the airplane. I had to watch the 11-year-old son watch T.V. in the middle of a three seat row while I tried to sleep in my two seat corner. At least I had two seats? I feel like that was negated when the 2-year-old kept crying just as I was beginning to fall asleep. The flight was quick and everything went smoothly until baggage claim. Now, I knew there would probably be an issue because of my flight change. The man at the lost baggage counter told me he was expecting me. I felt like James Bond. His British accent helped. I was assured that my baggage would be in tonight and delivered late. Long story short, that didn't happen. Fast forward a long nap, 2 episodes of Downton Abbey season 3 (yes, season 3), and a bottle of wine later, I felt my luck had evened out and I had no problem sleeping.

Today: do I get my luggage? Will I remember how the tube works? Tell me, what's your best travel experience? Let's see if mine gets even better on my way to India.

This route has tolls

Welp, tomorrow is the big day. I must admit that I'm scared out of my mind. Mostly because of the unkown. No, that's exactly what I'm afraid of. It has brought out my hoarding and OCD tendencies. I mean, I cleaned my makeup brushes today. WITH MAKEUP BRUSH CLEANER. Who does that? I've made every boy scout patch look like amateur hour. This girl is prepared. I think the Target employees know me by name and I own one of everything in that store. Of course once I arrive, I'll calm down considerably. It's just getting there...

I must admit that I really could not do this without my parents, though. Seriously. They've schooled me hard core this week. Deep breathing 101 with Mom. Necessary electronics with Dad. I would be curled up in a suitcase sobbing if you weren't around to help out. I am totally getting you a present. Guys. Really. No, really...you're the best. Ti voglio bene.

So, looking at google maps, it'll be a long journey. Apparently if I take a car, it'll be 1,083 hours so I think I'll just stick to my flight plans. Sometimes the scenic route is best left for day trips.

To end this little post I thought it would be appropriate to share some song lyrics that adequately expressed my feelings on leaving my home and family for this adventure. Of course non other than Led Zeppelin could do this so perfectly. Well, Rolling Stones' 19th Nervous Breakdown comes pretty close.

Leaves are falling all around, It's time I was on my way.
Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay.
But now it's time for me to go. The autumn moon lights my way.
For now I smell the rain, and with it pain, and it's headed my way.
Sometimes I grow so tired, but I know I've got one thing I got to do

Ramble On, And now's the time, the time is now, to sing my song...



P.S. If you know this song then I have to add that no, I'm not going to Mordor, nor will I be meeting gollum along the way...unless he flies Lufthansa.

See you on the flip side!

A Leap of Faith or Ignorance?

      Here we are. Nine forty central time on a Monday evening. Sixty-seven degrees Fahrenheit in Saint Louis, Missouri. In other words: a lazy, cool night at home. I can't believe I'm leaving this weather for St. Louis summer part two. I've signed on to volunteer in India as an English teacher. Yes, I'm excited. Yes, I'm scared. Yes, I'm packing too much.

       I suppose that after a year at home to help out the family, one's first reaction is to get as far away from them as possible. For me the perfect distance is 9,000 miles. I have my cousin Caroline to thank for that. We will be living with each other for 4 1/2 months over there and my sole mission is to keep her from adopting an elephant. Her sole mission is to keep me from bringing home my weight in jewelry. I suppose you'll have to keep reading to see if we succeed.