Journeys

Indian city life has come to an end. I am giving my body some much needed exercise (it's difficult to move around when it is 40+ with 95% humidity), and my mind some much needed rest. Thank goodness for safe journeys, incredible experiences, and amazing new friends.

I was determined to get to Delhi's airport without the help of a taxi. This last adventure involved wandering the city streets for 2 hours looking for the airport shuttle bus, eventually taking two separate city buses to a place 5 km from the airport, to be assisted by two young waiters I met on the bus. They carried my bags for me and flagged down rickshaws, bargaining fiercely on my behalf. I was down to my last 40 rupees, and the best deal we could find was a 60 rupee ride, so they supplemented my meager funds with 20 rupees out of their minimal daily wage. They wouldn't let me refuse. They had made it their mission to get this foreigner back to wherever he came from. Thanks to Rahul and Jack I made my flight.

Now time to process everything that happened over the past 5 months.

24 hours and 1446 km from Kolkata to Delhi.

40 hours exploring Delhi and staying in a box in Camran Lodge.

24 hours in airplanes and airports traveling over 12,000 km to arrive on a sunny afternoon at Lake Joseph.

Transitioning from some of the largest cities in South Asia to cottage country Ontario is bewildering. I awoke at 3 am on my first night, having no idea where I was. I looked out the window and saw stars reflected on a glassy lake surface between pine branches and all I could think of was "....Magic land?" Those were actually the words that came to mind.

Goodbye India.

Song and Dance

A highlight for me at Daya Dan was every moment I got to play Sister Christelata's guitar with the children gathered around. Raju particularly enjoyed shaking around and dancing to "Under African Skies" by Paul Simon. Puja and Pompa really enjoyed grabbing the guitar from me and hitting the strings with their small fingers. But at the end of my time at Daya Dan and the Gandhi Centre, it was me who was being sung to. The "we miss you Uncle" song is still slightly stuck in my head. If I haven't mentioned it before, Uncle and Auntie are the respective names for male and female volunteers.

Time has flown and these days of wrapping everything up have been incredibly hectic. Final goodbye dinners and parties with other volunteers and children, final errands, and packing my life into 40 litres of backpack to lug back to Canada, all within a matter of days.

Anyhow, Just thought I'd let you know how I was doing. This internet cafe is closing, and I'm catching a bus to the train station in 8 hours for the 24 hour ride to Delhi. Talk to ya later.

A Different World

On Eli's last day (last Thursday), we visited the Leper colony with a group of volunteers from the Missionaries of Charity. The warmth and joy we encountered, among what are some of the most rejected people on Earth, was astounding. Simply shaking their withered hands, or offering them a "Namaste" and a smile brought such wonderful reponses. In a traditional Indian greeting, Eli touched a man's wounded feet and brought his hand to his forehead out of respect. Immediately the man exclaimed, "OH BABUUU!!!", and a string of phrases essentially telling us he was unworthy of such respect. He grabbed Eli's arm and blessed us with his massive smile. This was a beautiful moment. If anyone is worthy of such respect, that man is.

I went to a different Kolkata on the weekend. An old friend of my Aunt is an Indian man named Ratul. I will spare you the ridiculous story of how I got connected to him, but I phoned him up on Saturday and he invited me out on Sunday. I had no idea what I was in for. I was welcomed into his home like I was family, invited to stay the night, and experienced a wild night out with my new friend. We went to "Shisha," which is basically the most glamourous night club in the city. As the title may have hinted, it was a different world to the Kolkata that I know. It was a "quiet" night at the club, as it was a Sunday; however, there was a party sponsored by one of Kolkata's biggest newspaper's, and only the coolest people were invited. I was the lone tall, bearded, white guy, dressed in sneakers and jeans (which is pretty dressed up for me these days!), in a crowd of India's top fashion designers, Bollywood writers, journalists, and even the CEO of the championship winning Cricket Team. It was ridiculous. I wouldn't have a clue what to do in that sort of a crowd in Canada, let alone in India. Indian men to begin with are far more stylish than I will ever be. This crowd made me feel like a newborn pidgeon in a peacock's nest.

But Ratul warmly showed me around, introducing me to everyone, and encouraging me to drink and eat whatever I wanted, as it was all on the house! I have to admit, that part of the evening is probably what thrilled me the most. They had hummous! Real hummous. (And a million other fantastic foods). And who is going to turn down free beer? Even if you are Tim Martin, that's just a plain old good deal. I also figured it couldn't make me feel any less awkward, right?

This kind of a party would be a shock to my system in everyday life. But coming from an average day spent with handicapped orphans, street children, and cheap backpackers, I cannot communicate how this felt. I'm sorry. I wish I could.

A man for the job

Kolkata is fascinating. In its multitudes of faces, religions, and ways I am humbled each day. Whether it is my inability to properly make beds, teach simplified English, or spoon feed someone, there are always moments to remind me that I am just a silly little human. It is interesting when your heart becomes filled with the joy that comes from experiencing love. The first couple of children at Daya Dan have actually asked me my name, rather than the usual "uncle" title that I've had so far. Eli and I have also had a few moments of playing guitars for the children there, many of whom can only shake their arms as a form of dancing, or just hold a peaceful smile. Raju is a particularly frustrated boy at times, who has an obvious love for music. Seeing him try to literally stick his face into a guitar, or just hold a prolonged look of happiness is a beautiful thing. But it comes down to moments like my class at the Gandhi School today, when I totally failed at my lesson with the kids. It wasn't interesting, they weren't listening, and no one really seemed to benefit. Another reminder that I am not necessarily THE man for the job. But I'm gonna keep going for these next two weeks because this is where I've found myself. Not the perfect teacher, definitely not the most patient, but a man for the job. I happen to be here, and these kids happen to be without opportunities for education. But in reality, I think my job is the employment of loving kids that need to be loved. Hopefully I get better at my job. Eli is leaving in a couple of days, and without his constant support and our uplifting mini-community, I will try to connect with the multitudes of other great volunteers who are around. We got a new shipment of volunteers in this week. Should be fun. I'm gonna miss Eli, he's just a plain old good guy.
I'm out of time on this internet session. Gotta roll out.

Kolkata.

Here we are. For those of you with short attention spans, I apologize because I really feel the need to explain what life is like right now, and all that has happened. I can try to point-form it, which will go against everything inside of my English major self.

April 17. Wake up at 5:30, grab a 6 hour bus to Delhi. At 4, hop on the Delhi-Kolkata 24 hour train. Meet cool people hanging out in sleeper class.
April 18. Arrive at Howrah station. First blurred view of Kolkata through the windows of a taxi. Meet some Sisters at the Missionaries of Charity, get directed to an area called "Sudder St." (Our new home).
April 19. Volunteer Orientation with the Missionaries of Charity. Head to a Cricket match (Kolkata vs. Mumbai) with Felix and Sean (two Canadians from the train ride). Kolkata wins!
April 20. First day volunteering. Wake up at 5:30 after getting home from Cricket at 1 am. Head to Mass with the nuns, volunteer breakfast, bus down through the city to Daya Dan in the morning. Daya Dan is an orphanage mostly for children with physical and mental disabilities. Have lunch. Head to Kalighat (Home for the Destitute and the Dying in South Kolkata) to work from 3-6 pm. Head home for dinner.

So needless to say, after day 1 we were exhausted. The trick is going to bed early, and skipping mass when you're tired. But any way you cut it, they are long days. Last week I was working at Daya Dan and Kalighat with Eli. I have now started teaching at the Gandhi Welfare Centre in the afternoons, which is a school run for street children. The kids are hilarious but crazy. I switched there because they are really short on volunteers, whereas many people want to work at Kalighat because it was the first home started by Mother Teresa.

Daya Dan is a beautiful place. There are two sisters there who just glow with joy and love for the kids. We make beds, do laundry, and Eli and I teach a class with 4-5 girls. I normally teach Pompa and Sonia, while Eli teaches Puja and Gungun. Gungun is non-verbal and more severely
handicapped and really just loves to smile, play with toys, and make everyone laugh. After class we feed the kids, many of whom cannot feed themselves. But they have such vibrant personalities. Raju is a boy I've hung out with a bit. He has such an attitude, but if you dance around shaking his arms and making funny faces he'll totally crack a smile.

Kalighat has a pretty heavy atmosphere. It is a profound experience to work there as you essentially become a servant for dying men. They still have great dignity and there is a wonderful mutual respect between many of the men, volunteers and sisters there. I was left feeling quite useless there as I have no nursing training, I can't speak Bengali or Hindi, and I was the new guy. But I'm glad I had a week there.

The Gandhi School has 70 students, all of whom leave class (a mat laid out on the floor), and walk into their home, the street. Some of the students have families. None of the students are accustomed to having to sit still in a classroom environment. To get to the school on Monday (yesterday), I was told to go to Central station and walk west. After asking around I eventually noticed a sign on a chicken coop denoting "The Gandhi Welfare Centre - Missionaries of Charity." I walked in behind the caged area, in between a slum area of huts and a small building. I wondered where I was headed. After only about 10-15 steps however, a women sitting outside a door motioned for me to go inside this plain steel door. Hmm. Sure enough, when I went through I saw a couple of mats on the floor, a couple groups of children huddled around with little slates and pieces of chalk, and Alberto - a Spanish volunteer who is now my colleague I suppose.

The first week flew by, and I am so amazed that this is what our life looks like right now. We sleep in Modern Lodge, take city buses/subway to these various homes, hang out with other great volunteers on Sudder St., and we spend time with tons of cool children. Kolkata is a fun city. We are surrounded by interesting places to walk around, cheap restaurants, and about 15 million people. I am being humbled a lot. I find myself accustomed to the harsh realities of life here, and the book "City of Joy" helps put things back in perspective. The heat and humidity are becoming more bearable, or maybe it's because this internet cafe is air conditioned.

Donkey and Ogre

We have reached the end of our time together as 28 studious nomads: wandering India, learning together, sleeping in hot afternoon classes, and pulling all-nighters on our final essays, simply because Rajasthan actually cools down at night. It is actually quite strange. The way that I have experienced India so far has been in this tribe of Canadian students, finding the balance between studies and exploring, immersion in the culture and getting to know my fellow group members, and Indian food and western imitations. Now it will just be donkey and ogre; Kusco and Pacha; Bambi and that little skunk; off on another whirlwind adventure. Out of those dynamic Disney duos, I will leave it to you, dear reader, to decide which is Eli and which character I will be.

Last night was a final dinner party with all of our host families, professors, and of course, Chris and Mithila. We also had a final meeting just as a group together earlier in the day, as well as a final Ultimate game on the Cricket pitch of Rajasthan University. I'm going to miss those games. For the record, my team won the last game. It was a big deal. I think Matt Stock is currently losing sleep over it. The final days as a group have been great. We had an "awards" ceremony where people were awarded "best potential rickshaw driver's" (Olivia and Abra), "best facial hair" (Remy), and "Most likely to be a stray Indian dog" (Peter)...and other such awards. We wrote our final exams, finished our independent study papers, and began to get excited for everyone's different upcoming journeys. Some are going up north, some back south, some to Nepal or east Asia, but we'll all end up back in Canada, and I'll probably bump into most people at the Bull Ring or somewhere in the library in a few months. This shared experience is over, and it won't ever be replicated. Certainly, it could never - and should never - be replicated. It was a once in a lifetime kind of deal.

Dear India Semester Abroad friends: Ya'll a bunch of angels. Peace and joy for your journeys, thanks for an incredible few months. See you at home.

A donkey and an ogre, on a long train to West Bengal...a new chapter begins...

"The Rural Blur"

My favourite part about the long train journeys around India is something I've entitled "The Rural Blur." Standing at the doors of the train cars (which are normally open, with the outside world shifting past)

you can get an interesting look at India "behind the scenes," so to speak. India, as it is experienced by the traveller is often full of noise, crowds, colours, and generally, urban areas. From the doorway of a cross-country train ride, you get to see rural India in the midst of its peaceful stillness. It is a rare glimpse of the side of this country I have yet to really engage with. A group of men sitting on stools, smoking "beedies" together. A mother taking her children to their small shelter for bedtime. A single incandescent bulb, a campfire, or often no light at all during the late evening activities of farming villages alongside the railroad tracks. It proves to me that there are people with peaceful, unhurried lives. The world needs more people like that. I need to be more like that. My hands grip the support bars beside the doors, I feel the wind tearing at my beard, and I watch as these tranquil scenes fly by, often listening to the second half of the Weakerthans album, "Reunion Tour" (starting with the song "Sun in an empty room"). Put that on in your headphones and see if you can picture it.

The album finishes with a song called "utilities," and it has become a kind of prayer of mine:
"Got a face full of all this weather
smirking smile of a high pressure ridge
Got more faults than the state of California
and the heart is a badly built bridge.
Seems the most I have to offer
doesn't offer much.
Make it something somebody can use.
Make this something somebody can use."

As I head to Kolkata at the end of this week, that song may be playing in my ears, and that prayer will be on my lips. In the hope that when I reach that city of 15-20 million (depending on who you ask) I may be able to recognize my faults, humble myself, and be of some use to somebody, somewhere in that hectic urban jungle. May I have ears to hear, words to speak (when necessary), but most importantly, willing hands to serve. I know Eli wants the same. I'm so glad we're doing this together.

Sun Rhymes With Fun.

Apparently even Rajasthani people consider these things "heat waves." By these "things" I am referring to the days where time spent in the sun is like time spent as an ant on a patch of tar outside the house where the 9-year-old with a microscope lives. Y'know? Needless to say, the days where I play football (soccer) in the mornings with Eli and a bunch of Indian University students and Ultimate after school with some members of our group, without sufficient time in the shade, is enough to send me to bed with a headache for an extended period of time. Time spent in class is becoming more and more of a test of physical endurance. Luckily, it's April and class is almost over. But how weird is that!? My last 2 exams are on the 10th and the 12th, then I have to finish up my 2 independent study paper's and by April 16th, it's all over. Crazy.

I've recently been informed about my extended readership (ie - people that read this blog to get the latest news on Eli, Remy, Michelle, or other members of our group). SO, without further ado about myself, here is a quick update:
Remy's beard was looking luscious today.
Eli was wearing his usual brown T-shirt. Lookin' good.
Michelle Ball helped set up an easter egg hunt with our group in Udaipur (the town where we spent last weekend). It was good. I think I won.

Also, Alexia and I got to attend our first Indian wedding last week with our Indian parents. It was unbelievably extravagant. There was enough food there for a small city, and there was about the population of a small city in attendance. Very cool.
A group of us (Remy, Matt, Olivia, Steph, Abra, and I) also had a great adventure to a village about an hour from Jaipur last week. We ate lunch in a small house with the family of a man (named Monu) Remy had met on campus, had an impromptu volleyball game (where Remy had to ceremoniously cut a red ribbon and give a speech to all villagers in attendance...hilarious), and visited some of the sites with a jeep full of our "escorts." With traditional Indian hospitality, we were stuffed with food, treated like royalty, and not allowed to pay for anything. We also became the centre of attention for various crowds of curious people. It was a fun, but very hectic, excursion.

In other news, Eli and I have a train ticket for April 17th from Delhi to Kolkata. We'll be heading to volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity and hang out in that crazy city for a few weeks. Should be awesome.

Gnarly Dunes

From Jodhpur Fort, overlooking "the Indigo City."


Jodhpur, featuring the fort.



Dunes.

A Dynamic Duo.

Camel riding. Remy looked so at home on his camel. The rest of us were awkward. I wrote in my journal that his "true Egyptian" was shining through.

Sunrise. (me)

Sunset. (Eli the acrobat).

Eli the kung fu master.

Me. That dune was a great one for jumps.

Sand dunes good for jumping off of, playing king of the dune, tossing a disc around on, and just generally staring at because they are so beautiful. The Thar Desert was beautiful, and the forts in the towns of Jaisalmer (near the Pakistan border), and Jodhpur were breathtaking. Rajasthan is very different from other places we've been. The harshness of the desert and the prevalence of fascinating ancient styles (from archicture to the best freakin mustaches you've ever seen) make it very unique. In the middle of the day in the Thar desert these days it is between 40-45 degrees in the sun, so about half of our group was sick in the course of the week - I'm attributing it to a mixture of interesting food, general sickness, and intense sun/heatstroke. But I was fine, so don't worry Mom. Although the heat really takes it out of you. I really enjoyed exploring forts, doing some traditional Rajasthani dancing, eating GOOD food, star gazing from sand dunes, and going on a camel safari. It was a good week, and now it's back to work here in Jaipur. Enjoy the photos.

Peace.

...also!

I forgot to mention who the people were in one of the photos below. The girl is Alexia (my current housemate), the guy is Peter (my Mysore roommate), and the other guy with the beard is me.
Ok. Bye!

My Indian (Grand)parents

I live in Jaipur now. In Rajasthan. In the wonderful Indian home of Prabha and Naveen Lal Ji. I have their son's old room, and Alexia (my housemate) has the upstairs room,which once belonged to their daughter. Their children are 40+ years old now, so I don't have to worry about competition for my bed. Hugging is generally frowned upon in India between members of different genders, and generally when you meet an older person there are certain social norms in Canada that say you probably shouldn't hug them...but such was NOT the case for Prabha. She greeted me with the ever-present twinkle in her eye and turned my handshake into a warm hug! They are such fantastic people. They are remarkably progressive for the older Indian generation: they tutor children from the nearby slum, have Muslim and Christian friends (they are Hindu), know how to use a computer (sort of), have traveled to other countries (they've been to Canada!), and they've had students from all over the world stay with them for the past 15-20 years. In short, Alexia and I hit the jackpot with our Indian family.

I am a huge nerd. I spend my days writing papers and going to the University of Rajasthan, where our group has our classes. Luckily the University is only a 15 minute walk from our house. A highlight was an ultimate game we had with some American students we met (and 1 or 2 Indian guys that tried to learn the game as well). It was great to play a real 7 on 7 game. I miss it a lot these days, although a few of us toss the disc during our lunch break in the hot sun.

Another highlight is watching Cricket matches after dinner with Naveen. Well, Cricket interspersed with hilarious corny Indian soap opera's. Oh man. You don't even know bad acting/filming until you've seen these. But Cricket is sweet! We played a game with some Indian students we met back in Mysore, and now I feel I could get into watching this. A few of us plan on attending a Rajasthan Royals game in the upcoming weeks.

Well...that's all for me. I had mutton kebab's. They are typical Rajasthani food. deee-lish! Tonight we're heading out for a week long adventure to some other places. I'll tell you about it later. Peace.

Photos...FINALLY!

At the bottom of Jog Falls. Sweet moment. (Eli and I)




Western Ghats. The boys.






In the Jungle - Western Ghats.





Hampi sunrise. Me.

Hampi. Matt Stock.

Mysore.

Mysore downtown.

Manakshi Temple. A big un.

Sunrise over the Bay of Bengal, Pondicherry.

Train sunrise.

Varanasi. River Ganges. Hilarious.

Yep.

Yes, that is the legendary "scorpion." We had fun in front of the Taj. I actually can't believe we did this.

Turtle Bay. On the Arabian Sea.

Solar Eclipse through a telescope in Ernakulam, Kerala.

Sunrises and Vomit

Pondicherry was a beautiful coastal French-influenced South Indian town. Although the best Dosas I ever had were in a dingy basement paint-peeling restaurant in Madurai, Pondicherry featured some wonderful food with the influence of the French. And as much as I LOVE Indian food, some French influence never bugs me too much either. Pondicherry reminded me of Pi Patel. I feel like I understand him better now. Maybe. I saw the sunrise over the Bay of Bengal on a beautiful humid morning with my friend Alexia. I slept a lot in Pondicherry. My body seemed to be sick without the actual "being sick" aspect...but that came later.

After a 36 hour train voyage to North India, our group arrived in Varanasi! If you are trying to picture India (especially because I have yet to figure out my stubborn camera and these Indian computers), you probably are picturing something like Varanasi. It is the mental picture I think we all have of India. The Ganges River, the ghats (steps) down to the water filled with people bathing and doing laundry, the banks covered in temples, cremations, and hundreds of people. But before I get into that: how cool is the idea of being sick out of a bus on a bridge over the ganges river? eh? What a view. My body couldn't have timed it better. After 24 hours of intense illness, I went into recovery mode (and antibiotic consumption mode). The first REAL "sick in India" experience. BOOM. Luckily I felt well enough to actually meander around Varanasi on our last morning to see the sights I described earlier. Eli, Dan, and I went out on a rowboat in the wee hours of the morning to see the sunrise over the river and to see Varanasi really come to life. It was a beautiful morning and (hopefully) soon you'll be able to see the pictures.

A day of vomiting. A couple of beautiful sunrises. Then off on a train to Jhansi, where we arrived this morning. We saw the famed Jhansi fort today, and got a brief taste for this city, and we head to Agra tomorrow morning. Jhansi was home to the Indian version of Jean of Arc. Apparently she died on a horse, weilding a broad sword, steering her horse with the reins in her mouth. Yikes.
I think a bunch of us are planning on seeing a bollywood film tonight (in Hindi) entitled "My Name is Khan." (first name: Sheshar?) Khan is THE bollywood male star. He's the Brad Pitt. The George Clooney. The Emilio Estivez. etc.

I don't know what else I was going to tell you. More to come I suppose. I've gotta go grab dinner. peace.

A General Overview.

Well hello again.
I've decided that I haven't given you enough background information on my life here in India. There are numerous practical questions about where I'm living, what I'm studying, and who I'm with that I have failed to answer thus far.
There are 28 of us here from the University of Guelph. 26 students and 2 lovely professors, Chris and Mithila. Mithila is from Bangalore, India and she speaks 4 Indian dialects (Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu), so she is very helpful to have around. The majority of the group is studying International Development back at Guelph, and many of our courses are in this line of study here. For those of us majoring in other areas (such as English), it is still really interesting. I am taking 2 independent study units. The first is an international development paper I am writing on education initiatives and the education system in India, and I've already been able to learn so much from the NGO's we've visited, guest speakers we have had, and my own solo visits to public schools. The second independent study is a study of Indian English Literature under an Indian professor of English who I met in Mysore. He is guiding a paper I am writing on the portrayal of children and the Indian family in post-colonial Indian English Lit. Professor Srinath is the director of Dhvanyaloka publications, as well as the Dhvanyaloka Centre for Indian Studies (DCIS), where our group just spent the last month. My roommate at DCIS campus was Peter Demakos, a fantastic greek man who I had met in first year but hadn't fully realized how funny he was. We laughed a lot together, and I can only hope my roommate in Jaipur is as great. In Jaipur we will be living with host families, which I am excited about.

At DCIS, I studied the three remaining courses in my schedule for our first of two four-week "modules."I was somehow enrolled in an Environmental Science course under Chris Hall (our fearless leader, who happens to be a science prof back at Guelph), Indian Science and Technology (a kind of I.Dev. course), and Indian Culture and Ancient Civilizations. The courses were all enjoyable and our exams just finished this past Saturday. It was hectic, but module #1 is now over. Module #2 will begin when we reach Jaipur (in Northern India) in March. Now we are on our second portion of crazy train rides, visiting historical sites, exploring on our own, eating amazing food, and visiting local NGO's and learning about development work that's going on in India.

So, we just left Mysore (Karnataka State, for those of you following along on a map) on Sunday, and we are currently in Madurai. A bustling city in Tamil Nadu State. Tonight we head to Pondicherry, on the East coast, then up to Chennai, where we embark on a li'l 36 hour train ride to Varanasi, where we begin our adventures in Northern India.

And there you have it folks: a general overview. Life is good, Eating meals off of banana leaves is sustainable, and infrequent showering is A-OK.
peace.

Dosa's, Dhoti's, and Do Not's

Hey everyone!
Here's some key information for your next trip to South India:
Dosa: super good fried bready thing served with yummy potato/veg mush. yum.
Dhoti: The man skirt. Sported by Eli, Remy, and yours truly.
...and now, the DO NOT's:
DO NOT miss the sunrise if you can help it. It's gonna blow your mind and you're going to remember that this mind-blowing occurence happens daily. One of our jokes on the trip occurs every time we watch a sunrise/sunset: "Don't worry guys, we're pretty sure this is on the itinerary for tomorrow."
DO NOT shave. The majority of guys in the group are decked out with some great hairs on our chinny chin's. Some have abandonned the cause, but those of us that have refused the razor are reaping what we have sown. (Or what puberty has sown?)
DO NOT ignore your gut feelings. On a biking adventure in Hampi this past weekend, 4 of us (Peter, Ronit, Michelle, and I) were trying to find some potential nearby waterfalls. We came to a fork in the road, and although some other people told us to hang a larry, Peter's gut told him to pull a randy. So we did. After a couple Km's of some sweet riding on our 1 speed rental bikes (the day rental cost us 75 cents...darn eh?), we met a British guy on the road who recommended we climb up to a nearby temple. It was the highest point around Hampi. It was breathtaking and the wind whipped at us in refreshing gusts after climbing a few hundred steps. I just stood on a slab of a massive boulder with a 360 degree view, assuming I would receive some sort of great epiphany or secret to the meaning of life. When no great revelation came to me, I just stood and enjoyed the moment. Later, when I mentioned this to Peter, he exclaimed that that in itself was a fantastic revelation about life: Enjoy it.

"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances..." I seem to remember someone writing that in a book somewhere...

I should probably post some photos soon. I'll try to get better with the whole writing thing as well. Hope all is well wherever you may be. Peace

India: chapter one

It would take a great storyteller to explain to you all that is happened so far in a short, fun, readable blog-length kind of story. And I don't feel like such a storyteller at the moment. It's late by my standards (10:30 pm here...so 12 noon back in Guelph), and I should be resting before my big (second) day of official classes tomorrow. Whew boy!
I feel quite nomadic. Like I'm part of some modern tribe of 26 Guelph students and 2 prof's that wanders through cities, small towns, and rainforests, equipped with the latest and greatest from MEC. We started in a nice hotel in Kochin, Near the very Southern tip of India. Kochin is somewhat touristy, very hot, and right on the Arabian Sea. It was an interesting city to simply walk around an explore, and we were given our first 5 days to do pretty much just that. It was a great bonding time with our group, considering the fact that aside from Remy and Eli I didn't REALLY know anyone. Long story short: cool history, great people, Jewish influence (who knew?), and some great nuns Eli and I met.
Our wanderings then took us up the coast to a small town named Turtle Bay, just south of Goa. It was beautiful, and we stayed at a nice beach hotel beside some cool fishing villages. We got to see a bit of life in the villages as we examined the sanitation initiatives taking place. There were some good projects to help solve the problems of diseases caused by improper toilet facilities etc (issues that exist pretty much everywhere you look here). Some of us went snorkling, and Amanda saw a shark! (A small one...I didn't see it...darn?)
Then it was off to the rainforest in the Western Ghats, where we stayed at an organic farm and learned about sustainable approaches to agriculture with a mix of brilliant PHD type people and hippies. Hippies are great. I want dreadlocks (sort of). Also, I'm excited to have my beard making a comeback. Hooray for Abe Lincoln.
And now we've settled into Mysore. A great city, I think. But I haven't really seen much of it yet. We had our first full day of classes today and things are already CRAZY busy. It's going to be a wild 4 weeks here. I'll keep you posted.
peace

Vissers Hospitality

Siguatepeque has cool breezy nights, pine trees, a nice view, a lake nearby, a really fun camp, and some great people. It was a wonderful vacation from Cofradia life. I was able to get pretty involved in life at the camp, which involved two service trips that were staying at the camp - one from Indiana and one from a city called Toronto. It felt like a really small world. Ken Vissers used to be quite involved at pioneer camp, and I met his son Josh last year when Josh came up to be a camper at Boys camp. One of the trip organizers from the group from Toronto found out I went to OPC and during one of our first meals he asked, "so do you know Ruston Martin?"
hahaha, yes...yes I do. Quite well actually.

I ended up being involved in hoisting wheelbarrows of rubble, helping Sue Vissers teach swimming classes, helping belay for high ropes, and (get this!) helping translate for groups of kids that the groups ran sports events for (soccer and other games). That´s right, I´m officially a spanish translator. That´s going on the resume.

It was a really fun change of pace and change of climate! I also really appreciated the warmth and hospitality of the Vissers home. I was fed well and given some great company - Ken, Sue, Josh, Hannah, and Theo Vissers. I got to go paintballing with Josh on Saturday, which was totally wild! I was the crazy gringo that got painted all sorts of colours and was out first just about every round we played - the kamikaze strategy didn´t work so well.

Highlights were some great conversations with some other volunteers and workers at the camp, sweet games of "Settlers of Catan," and tagging along with the Toronto group to their trip to Tela (a coastal town) on Sunday and Monday. I love the ocean. I finally got home late last night and began to plan lessons for grade 4 for the last week or so of school.

Time seems to be speeding up and I don´t have much time left! For those of you that are wondering, my camera has been broken for the whole time I´ve been here (I don´t know what happened), therefore I have no cool photos for ya. My bad.

Estoy occupado.

I would like to give you a snapshot of what my life looks like these days. I don´t have a really clever way of displaying this information, so I´ll just lay it out for you nice and simple-like.

Morning: wake up etc., teach a geography lesson to the Collegio (grade 7-9) students, chill at school with kids/volunteers, help with grade 2 english, and help with grade 1 (which has recently become a busy job because the grade 1 teacher is has left).
Noon: Almuerzo. (Lunch). throw frisbee with crazy children or kick a soccer ball around.
1245-2:10: the last two periods of the day. Normally with grade 1, 2 or my old class (grade 4).
After school: This has been the really fun but tiring part...After a day at CBS, I normally feel like taking an extended siesta, however the past week or so has involved a pretty packed schedule which hasn´t allowed for much napping. Options are as follows:
Go to a students house (today was Lissy´s house, Monday was my old student Jeff´s house) - always a great time where I speak with broken spanish and receive wonderful hospitality.
Go to Gaby´s to help teach english and learn some spanish at the same time.
Go to Marlen´s to help tutor her in math and english.
Try to write child sponsorship proposal for CBS.
Night: dinner at Ben´s place, talking about the future of the school and planning for the proposal I am trying to write at the moment.
Get invited to random Cofradian events...last night was a birthday party for Gaby´s husband´s cousin´s (Carlos - I´ve started helping him with english) grandmother! There was a Marimba instrument and I spent over an hour with a large group of children making funny faces and laughing - Gaby even joined in the fun as well!
Bed: I try to get there by 10 or 10:30, which is very different to the rest of this year.

Despite the full schedule, I have managed to find time to enjoy a good book (The Curate´s Awakening - thanks Dad for the recommendation!), go for the odd run, and just spending time thinking and praying and appreciating the beauty of life around me (or trying to). I feel so blessed to be back here, and each opportunity to see a family or receive a high five or a new nickname is a gift.

Things to look forward to: tomorrow I am heading down to Siguatepeque to spend a few days at the Scripture Union camp there and connect with the Vissers family who run the camp. I´m pretty excited about that!
Also, at the end of this week the current grade 4 teachers are leaving, and with 2 weeks to go, that leaves me in charge of doing the exam review and preparing the final exams for my old class! With the help of Mr. Phil, Ms. Kami, and my friend Laura (who taught these guys in the fall) I will hopefully be able to review all the stuff they have been learning and hang out with my favourite class for the last 2 weeks of my visit. I´m super pumped out of my mind! When the announcement of this plan was made in class there was a large cheer that occured...the funny thing about the cheer was the chorus of "NOOOOO´s!!!!!" that came from students like Mayra and Cielo..."love boo´s" we called them. Man, they are funny kids.

For those that are wondering...today´s new nickname was "SUPER GANZO!", which means super large duck. Yep, that´s me.
peace.

To beard or not to beard?

The first thing Lissy said to me was, ¨Mr. Tim jou look ugly without the (waves hands around chin/face area).¨ Now I´m not saying I´m gonna grow back the ol´Abe Lincoln, but that was an opening line that I thought I just had to share with everyone. It´s nice to be made fun of for something other than my lack of spanish fluency anyways.

Which brings me to my next topic: I have been pleased with my spanish at times, and it is exciting being in on the jokes sometimes, but I am trying really hard to simply not sound like an idiot most of the time. Alas, I don´t think languages upload themselves into my brain as well as I would like them to, but maybe someday it will click. I´m trying really hard, and I was also able to stop by Gaby´s house (my wonderful spanish teacher) on the weekend and re-unite with her family. My Cofradian spanish lessons will resume with Gaby this Thursday! They are such great people and Gaby had a new (very cute) baby daughter since I left, so it was nice to be introduced to the newest member of the family as well.

I also bumped into one of my old students, who now attends a local public school in one of the barrios - she now has no exposure to english and she attends classes with about 50 other kids in them. She invited me over to start tutoring her after school, and that has been a really great experience as well. My routine now involves a really fun tutoring/hanging out session with Marlen and her hilarious parents. They always give me free stuff from their shop, and they have even offered to pay me! (Which is ridiculous because it´s so much fun and I definitely don´t need to be paid by a family who can´t afford the 30-40$ monthly school fees at CBS).

I finished ¨The Courage of Children¨by Peter Dalglish (the guy Remy and I volunteered with in Nepal) and I really loved it. Peter has lived a fascinating life and I hope you guys get your hands on a copy at some point. (Thanks Mom for the recommendation!).
Hope all is well on the home front. peace

Sticky, Hot, Amazing.

It didn´t sink in until Eddie´s motorcycle swung past a higwayside town called Brisas Del Valle. In the Fall of 2007, some of my students had lived in Brisas and taken the ¨chicken bus¨ down the highway to school. All of a sudden the dust in my eyes and the sweat covering my body started to feel a little bit more comfortable. The next turn off was the same old Cofradia I had left behind at Christmastime, almost a year and a half ago.

Things have changed: the town has developed (now complete with a partially paved road!), there is an entirely new community of volunteer teachers, 80 students have left the struggling Cofradia Bilingual School (including 12 from my class of 30 grade 3´s last year), and there is a new restaurant serving great Baleadas (which I had to eat on my first night here). But it is definitely still the hot, dusty town with a gritty and truly Honduran feel. I´m glad to be back.

I have had one day at CBS so far. Upon entering the school, I was accosted by 5 or 6 of the grade 4 (my old grade 3´s) girls and dragged into the grade 4 classroom. After some great high fives and hugs from some of the most awesome children on the planet, I was being ordered to teach alongside the current grade 4 teachers (Mr. Phil and Ms. Camy), which I knew was not in the cards. Getting to see those kids, throw a frisbee with Victor again, get a high five from Juhn, and being latched onto by Aryani, was a real highlight of my time so far. I have also been able to reconnect with some of the amazing Honduran staff members at the school, like Mr. Gavino and Ms. Gladys, as well as having a lunch yesterday with Ninoska, Betty, and the wonderful family of the school´s secretary, Hilda. Every time I have ever planned a lesson in the school´s little office, or gone in to grab some water or spare markers, Hilda has managed to put a smile on my face. She is a wonderful lady.

At the moment I am helping with Ms. Dida´s grade 2 class (Melanie´s old class from last year that I used to help with), and I´m teaching Geography to the Collegio (grade 7-9) class. Teaching is great fun as always! I´m also looking forward to connecting with the kids whose families I was close with (Like Jeff, Jordi, and Victor), and hopefully getting to see some of the kids who have left the school. Ben (the man who started CBS) and I are also working on writing a proposal for a child sponsorship program for all of the impoverished children that are on ¨scholarships¨and need their school fees paid for them. I will let you know more as we begin this process to help the school continue to serve these children in a sustainable way. Because of a some dedicated volunteers (including Carla, who plans to stay next year and be the school director) the school is going to continue to function; however, it will need to be supported in order to keep the children at the bottom of the social ladder from falling between the cracks.

This has been a fairly long blog entry, but the first days here after a long absence have obviously put a lot on my heart to tell you about. Thanks for reading. Hope all is well back home, or wherever you are. More stories to come!
Peace