Kolkata, it boiled me with its cacophony. Opening my eyes and providing me much to see. An overwhelmingly, acute, sensory overload, teeming with major paradoxical details. From the undeniably impressive, contemporary hotels, to the crumbling colonial architectural facades. The physical structure of the city's mazed streets, allowing your loss into oppulent luxury. The Victoria Memorial dazzling with light shows, whilst opposite, the plastic sheeting creates families homes. Simultaneously fixating and crazy confusing. Difference in desire between the pearl white, roaring mercedes, and haphazard painting of the multi-coloured 'yellow' taxi. Sharing roads with the saree ladies, cows, the businessmen, the scooters and population in droves. Bursting with noise, and passion, but not patience, the gesticulating drivers shouting obscenities; at the shoe-less orphans running wildly across busy lanes. An outsider - the camel - through the eye of a needle, as you say, impossible, well we say you're wrong! You carve out a small channel for the water to stream through and the train to pass by as it stops or continues. Sheru, they shout, be brave and forgiving, breath in the scent of this city's wild heart beating.
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India VS United Kingdom
1.Friendliness - Unlike the U.K's chronic fear of eye contact on the tube and every other form of public transport, lack of eye contact is alien in India. I'll give you some real-life examples: I'm riding my moped and someone a) pulls up beside me and holds a whole conversation with me for 10 minutes, arranging to meet later at the market and even asking for my number, while we both continue riding down the main road or b) pulls their car in front of me so that I would pull over and chat to them simply because I 'look friendly' and they have just arrived in Goa. Both of these scenarios have happened to me recently, and now I consider it, are situations that I don't think you would ever find in London! They really are a testament to this enormously friendly and welcoming nation. 2. Confidence - This is something I believe is particularly true in young people's perception of themselves. I salute the parents, teachers and politicians of India, for instilling the confidence, desire and belief in individuals that they can achieve. Every individual I know is striving to be the best they can be with positivity and optimism. If you believe you can succeed then you will! 3. Road rules - The answer? Cows rule, and buses are second! The buses are not as fast or quite as daring as Sri Lanka, but they still find a way to squeeze down the tiniest lanes. Scooters and bikes swerve between potholes and buses, often with reckless abandon, while no one ever stops! There are no 'stop' or 'give way' signs, the rule is first come first accelerate. You see, just because you think you're on the main road does not mean a rider on a side road will share that opinion. Overtaking can be done anywhere, anytime, to ensure your personal cruising speed is not effected by anyone. Single, double or triple overtaking is something you become strangely accustomed to, and works swimmingly provided you keep your wits about you! And back to the animals - India is a majority Hindu country, so cows are sacred. Where I live they tramp en mass between the beach and their nightly sleeping spots under the trees everyday at rush hour. If they want to walk 4-abreast or stop for a snooze in the middle of the road, you just have to stop, beep, and let them do their thing. Much like Welsh sheep, cow rush hour really is a thing - just watch out for a tail slap if you ride too close! 4. Beeping/Honking - This is largely the same as when I was living in Sri Lanka and it's actually really useful to understand. For example, is the beep: "hey, just letting you know I'm coming up behind you" or " move out the way slowcoach I'm trying to overtake you!"? 5. Cows, dogs & cockerels - This goes for taking up road space and serious noise disturbance! Seriously, who knew that cows burp and chew so loudly; and how many times do cockerels think the sun rises every 24 hours?! 6. Eating etiquette - I have a vivid memory aged 3 of being told off for eating with my mouth open and not using my knife and fork correctly at the table. In Asia however, dinner time is a time for sharing (see point 8). It's a time to concentrate on the food and savour the amazing flavours with your hands, and it's very refreshing that it doesn't matter what you look like or how much you play with your food provided you are enjoying it! Spoons are used for curd, ice cream and soup. Otherwise, most of us are fortunate enough to have 10 fingers which provide ample cutlery. 7. Washing up - Now it's time for some domestics. I have lived with people of all different nationalities and cultures throughout my life, and have spent many months living with Indian friends. So I'll ask you this: Do you scrub your dishes before turning the tap on or while the water is running? You may find the answer differs, as I have been told off many times for not washing the dishes correctly. Please note: Your answer is crucial for housemate camaraderie and domestic bliss! 8. Personal space & Sharing - Sharing is caring right? So yes, share everything! Your food & drink is unquestionable, and your wallets are not restricted either. Most importantly though is your bike key. Be prepared for it to vanish for a few hours so someone can borrow your bike for a trip to the bakery, beach or all night party. 9. Auntie's and Uncles - You may be lucky enough to have a handful of Aunties and Uncles in the UK. If you're in India though, you have hundreds! From your favourite newsagent, your neighbour, the milkman, the chai mamas, and your bike rental owner, everyone is your aunt and uncle and really will look out for you and tell you off as a family member! Finally, but no less importantly... 10. The weather - I'm British so I had to mention this! I'm living in sunny beach climes so mercilessly hot days fill the air with reckless abandon. It has rained no more than 4 times in the last 6 months. Opposite to the U.K., a whole morning of grey, clouded skies are celebrated with cooler trips outside and gleeful rain dances! What are you passionate about?
It's a question I've been asked a lot recently. The first time I heard it however, I was completely stumped. It seemed like such an important question and merited more thought than I have ever given it. Surely I should know by now, 25 years down the line of this earthly life what I am passionate about? Truly though, for all my education, hobbies and travelling, I wasn't sure. There's the age old expectation that 'To travel is to find yourself', but to be honest it's only something I considered post-university working three dead end jobs with no money in the bank. I don't travel to find myself. I travel because I believe I already have. This might sound arrogant, obnoxious, even naive, however I beg you to give me an example of someone who was desperately lost in their 'normality', and by stepping out of an airport into another country, suddenly transformed into a content and jubilant individual. Trust me, it's tempting to run when all of your hopes and expectations are falling at your feet, but that is exactly the reason you need to stay put. Travelling is highly likely to exacerbate rather than relieve your worries, taking away any comfort you do know (even if it is just where the nearest newsagent is for emergency chocolate stocks!) So compared to the many generic questions we travellers endlessly dribble off to each other without really caring for an answer - I liked this. Honestly, I'll admit that the first person who asked me this question, I can't even remember what he looked like, only the guilt I felt that I could not answer. The confidence of the individual to leap ahead of the small talk, the incessant need to know how many countries you've travelled to, and where you plan to go next, but rather the real and intense curiosity to get to know you. Your dreams and desires, your doubts and your mistakes. The people who have asked me this question have been truly inspirational in forcing me to pause and question my motives, my plans (or lack of!) and the reason why I love everyday. It's time to stop pretending you know the answers to everything immediately and enjoy learning along the way. "Live as if you'll die tomorrow; learn as if you'll live forever" (Gandhi) The life cycle is continuous, and I'm sure my passions will evolve, however right now, I have decided on my answer. I am most passionate about PEOPLE. I know this sounds ambiguous, maybe you were expecting a hobby, a career, even 'to travel', but I guess now I've considered this, it was obvious. I've always been interested in the protagonists of novels, the followers of religions, and the power within oneself to affect change in the mightiest form and find strength in the toughest climates. I've challenged my understanding of myself, when I thought I couldn't pass that maths test aged 11, the times I didn't believe in myself to remember every step for my dance exams, the mental and physical struggle of learning to walk again after my knee operation, and waking up before sunrise everyday aged 14 to begin saving for my first trip to India. India is a whole world in itself, and a perfect example to represent my passion. With a population of over 1.3 billion, and representing six of the worlds major religions among many others, it mysticizes us with its oceans, mountains, animals and people alike. I set myself a goal to travel and I'm working hard to ensure this continues. I'm not professing to be searching for inner wisdom, financial gain, country counts or instagram likes; travelling to me is your 9-5 office job equivalent. That's not to say it's monotonous in anyway, it's just that it's something I've always aspired to do. The normality of my desire to travel is as baffling to me as it is to my friends and family back home, but it has become my way to discover more about people. Because it's not about the statistics of science, instead, it's about the infinitely unanswerable. Do you know what you're doing and where you're heading in life? I definitely don't and wouldn't for one minute attempt to explain it. I once read a quote about knowledge and individualism which I think explains the perpetuation of stunted development and understanding in many ways: "The less you know, the more you think you know. The more you know, the less you think you know." (David T Freeman) Marvel in the majesty of your uniqueness, stop worrying if your best friend earns more than you or owns a bigger house, or if the traveller sitting next to you has visited more countries or spent less money, enjoy the world from your own perspective. As I learnt in AS-Level philosophy, we may both be looking at the same patch of 'blue' sky, but how do I know that you are seeing the same 'blue' colour as me? So this is why I am passionate about people. We are unique and undefinable in all our forms, and no scientist can change that. Your goals, your decisions, your opinions will always remain subjective, and to me this is the most exciting thing. I will continue striving to open my eyes to new experiences in the world, and learn more about cultures, history and geography, but most importantly, people. Now though, it is your turn to consider what interests you. It may be a place, a person, a memory, or a possesion for example. Take a few minutes today to answer this question for yourself. What are you passionate about? 25th March 2017 - Earth Hour
21st April 2017 - The first time since electricity was first generated from coal in 1882, that the UK went a full 24 hours without using any coal resources. 22nd April 2017 - World Earth Day 25th April 2017 - 2nd anniversary since the Nepal Earthquake For Christmas last year, my sister bought me the hard copy of Planet Earth 2. Knowing I would not sit still long enough to watch the series, I now have a permanent fixture on my bookshelf of documentary genius. As ever, it is a David Attenborough collaboration masterpiece, of which the first series soothed me beautifully through my painful university hangovers. I have great memories of being stuck on my sofa for days at a time, being able to continue learning about the world from the warmth and comfort of my living room. In the second week of January 2017 I visited Hampi in Karnataka, India, and was fortunate enough to be able to watch some of Planet Earth 2 under the stars for movie night. The 'Cities' episode was particularly enthralling, featuring many Indian cities, notably picturing the true stories of big cats prowling the encroaching cities for food in animal or human form. The industrialisation of cities around the world is a growing concern for environmentalists and animal lovers, and to be able to portray this dilemma of development in such an educational way is a treat for all of us wanting to learn more. I try to take my small part to reduce consumption, turning off lights and fans, eating vegetarian, and taking shorter, cold showers for example. You may query what the point is in such small lifestyle changes, however Earth Hour is an amazing example of this. For the last 10 years, for one hour each year, everyone around the world is encouraged to turn off their electricity. In Toronto, Canada, Earth Hour was reported to have reduced the cities energy consumption by 15%! If every city in the world could come close to this phenomenon even for one hour per year, the results will be dramatic. I included the dates at the top of this post because they have been stuck in my mind for some time now, and I believe they really do correlate. The first two are obvious, and a real achievement in creating lasting change in our energy consumptions and use of fossil fuels for future generations. A proof to us all that small changes really will make a difference. The third date - World Earth Day - fittingly was the day after the UK's first coal-free day in 195 years. The Guardian newspaper (UK) reported that in 2015, coal consumption was 23%, yet by 2016, this had reduced to 9%. Similar to Earth Hour, it is a reminder to us all that small changes will reduce our energy used, and help us to appreciate the natural world that we already have. The final date is harrowing. Since the earthquake in 2015, I felt a strong desire to visit Nepal and see the amazing landscapes for myself. In late 2016 I stayed in Nepal for 2 months, trekking for a total of 22 days in the Annapurna and Langtang regions. The devastation that communities are still experiencing is hard to explain, living in plastic shelters in below freezing temperatures thousands of metres above sea level. But the warmth and positivity of these people and those helping them is undeniable. There will always remain questions about the geography and science of natural disasters and our propensity or not, to be able to help them. However if you are able to memorise these dates for 2018, and practise simple changes to your lifestyle from today, we will show that however small, you are able to make a lasting difference to the earth. I'm losing track of life in Goa, so I'm just trying to reorganise my website and make it readable again as a method of updating you all while I'm travelling! I will try it this time and see if I can keep up with the blog posts, even if they are only a basic overview of life every 4-6 weeks!
I can truly say I had no idea Goa would grip me so tightly. As it nears the end of the season it's amazing to think of how much has happened, how many new experiences I've had and how many unbelievable people I've met in the blink of an eye! The first time I came to India I travelled solely in Tamil Nadu for a month in 2008. I was 16 years old, had never ridden in a tuk tuk, been stuck in a cow traffic jam, or had such massive sensory overload that I wanted to wretch, laugh and cry simultaneously. I certainly didn't have any idea how much this entire continent would captivate and enthrall me for the next few years. After eight and a half years and with about 15 new countries under my belt, I finally decided to explore India again. After landing in Mumbai from a very cold, English Christmas, I flew straight to Goa for the New Year parties (see my previous post about that!). I have been volunteering at Dreams Hostel for seven weeks now, and have had the most incredible time here, working, playing and relaxing in a way I could only imagine in my previous few job! As ever, travelling enables you to meet the most incredible and interesting people, I've learnt about religion, geography and history over dinner, at the beach and in the most informal way every school child hopes for. I've been captivated by the nationalities, the fashions and the individual stories behind each person's pilgrimage to Goa. But most of all, I, personally, have been changed in the most astronomically huge and yet extremely subtle way, through the discovery of music. I know it sounds ridiculous; I've always broken windows with my cat-screeching warbling and deafened everyone to distraction with my trial and error of plenty of childhood instruments, but it's more than the rhythm, the tempo, the melody, the volume etc. It's an all-consuming community; a way of life that means more than the all-night raves and the acute lack of sleep. Psytrance is about a realm of possibilities beyond the individual, beyond Goa, beyond India, and even the world. It's about this universe that is so self-immersed, and yet so much bigger than any of us can ever imagine. It's the creation of the weirdest and closest family of unique individuals imaginable. It's the warmth and friendliness with which everyone welcomes you into their dance, their world, their life. My understanding of Psytrance music is only in its infancy, but trapped in my little Goan bubble, it's been such an awe-inspiring and eye-opening few months that I can't wait to explore further. I'm starting to think about where I will go next and what I will explore in India after Goa, knowing that a little piece of my 'travellers home' will remain forever in my first season in Goa. Change is the only certainty in life, it's the reason I travel and the adventure I crave, but one thing's for certain, that I will definitely be back here! Hello!
A change in format from my old blog posts. Since my last official post in 2015, I've never stopped writing. I've filled multiple diaries with my excursions, food consumption, poetry, emotions and daily thoughts. Although my pen-to-paper work has been pretty good, translating this online hasn't happened. I can't promise my organisation will improve, but here are a couple of emails from the last 15 months since I left the UK that I've written to keep everyone updated! I made a vow to myself that I would email once a month, I think I'm only a week late so not a bad start to the year! I spent the week of NYE in Anjuna and Vagator (north Goa) with lots of people, but mostly hung out with a Finnish girl called Saana. In true Goan style we really did party all night and sleep all day, until my tan started rubbing off and we decided to hit the beach)! We did a little bit of exploring including to a bigger, hippy beach in north Goa called Arambol, and a tiny fisherman's beach called Chapora, where we ended up sunbathing in our bike helmets to protect us from the hundreds of eagles dive bombing around us for the fish!! I then got a night bus inland to Hampi which is in a state called Karnataka. The bus was 3 hours late so I had time to make friends for room sharing when we got there, and I also bumped into an English guy I'd met in Nepal, so then met all of his group of friends too :). It was really busy in Hampi as everyone had come for post-nye Goan recovery, so we ended up spending a few nights sleeping on mattresses on a roof with just a mozzy net for cover which was an experience. It meant waking up to sunrise and in time for my two hour daily yoga class! I did Hatha Shivanada Power Yoga which was an awesome morning challenge and very enjoyable! I spent my days in Hampi eating, learning juggling and hula hooping, playing karem (a wooden board game with counters - also in Sri Lanka) and twirling a dopé (a hexagonal piece of this material Israelis twirl on their finger for entertainment)! There are over 2000 temples in Hampi and we had many debates about how the rocky landscape was formed, settling on the view that giants must have had a catapult fight. The nightly ritual was to climb some boulders for about 15 mins and hang out with 30 other people watching the most incredible sunset. One evening we had hula hoops, drums, guitars and poi and were dancing and singing on the rocks with travellers from all over the world as the sun went down which was truly magical. I deviated from my plan to start heading south, and went back to Anjuna to my 4th different hostel with some Hampi pals. We spent another two weeks partying our lives away and not seeing much sunlight! I did have a little holiday adventure south to Patnim and Palolem with a dutch girl called Amber and two boys from Bangalore. We had a long 3 and a half hours singing 90s pop songs on the back of the bikes to entertain the boys driving, arrived at 11:30pm on Indian Republic day with no accommodation, but then stumbled upon some cute little beach huts to stay in, and spent 2 days doing yoga and playing frisbee on the beach :). After almost a month of 'maxin and relaxin' I decided it was time to start doing something a bit more productive! By now I'm a bit more in with all the homies in Goa and seasoned travellers and expats about town so got a few job offers. I have ended up volunteering at the most amazing hostel in Vagator for the next few months. The hostel is only a year old and has been run solely by the owner and the odd volunteer, so I've committed to staying for a while to get all the admin organised and give him a bit of time off. I've been here 4 days and love it already! I have free rein to tie dye bedsheets, read in a hammock, check in and entertain travellers to my heart's content and play with the dogs Yogi and Boxer, so it already feels like home! There is a big Psytrance music festival here this weekend and we're completely full in the hostel, so lots of organising to do today but we'll get there! I hope you're all well and starting to see some spring :). Hello!
A change in format from my old blog posts. Since my last official post in 2015, I've never stopped writing. I've filled multiple diaries with my excursions, food consumption, poetry, emotions and daily thoughts. Although my pen-to-paper work has been pretty good, translating this online hasn't happened. I can't promise my organisation will improve, but here are a couple of emails from the last 15 months since I left the UK that I've written to keep everyone updated! After an amazing 9 months in Sri Lanka I arrived alone in Kathmandu, Nepal, on 9th September. I met a group of travellers on the plane and at the airport and haven't looked back since! Most people in Nepal are travelling alone so it's really easy to meet super interesting people from all over the world! One of the travellers I met was a Sri Lankan coming to meet his Nepali friend he'd gone to uni with in the US, so she took us round Kathmandu on the first day to show us the sights! On day 3 a group of us went 7 hours north on the bus to a town called Pokhara, which is basically a tourist hub around an amazing lake and glacial mountains to prepare for trekking! After the rush of Sri Lanka I ended up spending a week in Pokhara having a little relax, seeing some sights, doing day hikes, eating lots of food and learning about the mountains! I ended up choosing the longest but most popular trek, and got a 5 hour bus alone to the starting point. On the bus I met an American travelling alone, so we ended up doing most of the trek together plus and minus about 10 other people along the way! The trek was absolutely incredible and very challenging for my fear of heights at points! The altitude was not too bad but by the time we got above 3500m we were a group of about 6 and had done lots of research so took things carefully. When I have more time (give me a few years) I will type out my whole diary of each day! The whole trek took 17 days and we walked between 6-9 hours most days :). During the trek I met an Australian girl Jasmine who decided she also wanted to do the Annapurna base camp, so I went back to Pokhara for a week to wait for her as my blisters did not agree with another 5 days! During this time I went to a 3 day Buddhism, yoga and meditation retreat which was really interesting to learn more about Buddhism and the different strands of it around Asia. I then went to Lumbini which was about an 8 hour bus ride to the South of Nepal. I met a Danish girl on the bus there so we spent a day and night together exploring the land of temples and the temple where Buddha was born. It was a very different area - extremely hot with lots of Asian tourists but very few westerners/english speakers! I then went and met Jasmine again in Chitwan National Park after opting for the local over the tourist bus to get there. It ended up taking me 4 buses and a taxi and about 6 hours which was an adventure! Anyhow, we ate dinner and watched a rhino walk down the street! The next day myself, Jasmine and another girl from London did a 6 hour safari trek through the jungle where we saw lots of deer, monkeys, elephants, a rhino and tiger foot prints! Then we stayed the night at a jungle watch tower in the jungle but unfortunately didn't see anything more than noisy crickets and tree frogs! After this I took 2 local buses about 2 hours to a farm the other side of the national park in a place called Meghauli. It was a tiny little village but I spent a week working on the farm; weeding, planting veggies, cleaning, replastering and painting a swimming pool, playing volleyball and football, Nepali dancing, drinking tea, and getting up at 5am every day for yoga and meditation! I then took an unbelievably long 11hr bus journey (with only two, 5 minute stops!) back to Kathmandu. I have spent a few days here now seeing some more temples and another old town nearby called Bhaktapur. I have been hanging out with friends from the farm and some I trekked with, waiting for friends from uni to arrive in Nepal tomorrow so we can spend a few days together! I have just under 2 weeks left in this amazing country, so just deciding if I can squeeze in another short trek, yoga retreat or some volunteering next week! I'm then off to Myanmar which I hear is beautiful! I've met lots of people here that have been/are going so have lots of great advice and hoping to meet some of them on the way! I hope you're all well and enjoying autumn (as I sit in sweltering heat it's weird to imagine!) Hello!
A change in format from my old blog posts. Since my last official post in 2015, I've never stopped writing. I've filled multiple diaries with my excursions, food consumption, poetry, emotions and daily thoughts. Although my pen-to-paper work has been pretty good, translating this online hasn't happened. I can't promise my organisation will improve, but here are a couple of emails from the last 15 months since I left the UK that I've written to keep everyone updated! I hope you're all well and have had a grand summer! Apologies as usual my communication skills are only ever getting worse but I will try and update you now! As my time in Sri Lanka is coming to an end I thought I'd give you an overview of the last 9 months (as much for my benefit as yours!)... I've taught renewable energy, superheroes, superlatives and politics to school children and uni students; made animal masks, practised maths and perfected the cha cha slide with special needs clients; and given emotions workshops, sensory stimulation, cooking and played bowling with mental health patients to name just a few sessions! I've written teaching syllabuses, incident reports, and timetables until my arms have ached. I've been lucky enough to listen to countless psychiatrists and psychologists (I now know the difference!) give talks on anything and everything from Sri Lankan trauma to homosexuality. I've camped with 5,000 young people for 5 days, ran a 10k relay race with them and met the president and the prime minister in the process! I've survived a spider bite and a tuk tuk crash (and am definitely still pretending I'm a surfer girl!). I've ridden on hundreds of buses, tuk tuks, and the odd train! I've been a mum, grandma and great grandma to hundreds of volunteers. I've taken more volunteers to the doctors for dog bites, heat rash and mosquito bites than I ever imagined possible. I've dealt with volunteers' panic attacks, friendship fall outs, aggressive clients and psychosis. I've been to a Beatles concert to raise money for adolescent flood victims and walked 15km to raise awareness of mental health. Mum & Rosy have visited my homestay and learnt to eat rice and curry with their hands, and I even dragged them on trains, buses, tuk tuks and bikes around the country! I've had my birthday, new year, Christmas and Easter on the beaches and in the hills of Sri Lanka and made friends with tuk tuk drivers, bus conductors, supermarket security guards, beach boys, cafe owners, juice market sellers and homestay families. This is all just a snapshot of everything I've done here and im sure I will think of plenty more! My last official day with SLV is tomorrow but I have 2 weeks until my visa's up. I still haven't booked a flight out (because spontaneity is fun - and im just not that organized!) but I am preparing a Beyoncé dance for our talent show on Monday! I also managed a quick trip to Bali in April but otherwise haven't left this island pearl so its pretty daunting! I'm not going to venture too far though but am planning to head to Nepal for some trekking and exercise! Take care (and take loaads of pictures of orange leaves in my favorite season for me!) |
About meI enjoy writing and have had experience from my degree and through working on news posts. I hope to use this blog as a summary of extraordinary things I've discovered or witnessed in everyday life. Archives
March 2020
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