A 'Brief' Introduction.

Salutations comrades!
Welcome to my recollection of tales from across the globe... more specifically India and marvel at my attempts to relay to you, my followers, stories of wonder and charity as I work for the Department for International Development under their Platform2 scheme. With my foremost post I shall ease you all in with a simple explanation of where, what, how and why I am doing what I will be doing come January the 5th.

According to my sources (some emails) I shall be in Jaipur and Dabla during my time away and these can be found in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
View Larger Map
 Wikipedia tells me (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajasthan)  that the area is predominantly desert-y and so I can expect lots of sand. While sand is not my greatest friend (I have what some people would call an unusual aversion to beaches and the seaside in general) I hope that we can use this time to become better acquainted with each other and our feelings for each other will surely warm.

What I shall be doing is currently half clouded in mystery at this present time. As of the 23rd of December 2009 I know that I will be teaching every morning during the week. Maths and English are what I shall  be teaching to young children. "Teaching?!" I hear you cry, "In a foreign country?! Where you know not the words they speak?!". Fret not, as I have done, about these trivial details as I am sure such problems will have been thought of already and will cease to be quandaries. Either by someone else teaching these children how to speak English fluently or having a translator (I could try and get by just by saying 'Namaste' a lot, thanks Lost!). Other than that, I am not aware of what my evening activities will be, nor those at the weekend but there is not one doubt in my mind about the fact I shall be fully occupied from morning through to sleeps.

How will I be doing all this? I have no money nor the means to travel to India through my own invention as I could not build my galleon on time. Another predicament expertly handled by our gloriously competent government as they will be paying all my expenses and even giving me an allowance whilst I am there. It will be by plane that I arrive and by plane that I shall leave. As for how I will transport myself around the country, I assume that camels and elephants will be in abundant supply and more than happy to bare my weight upon their magnificent shoulders. How long is a question I can only answer by saying two and a half months, quite simply I shall return on the 16th of March, to scenes of incredible rapture and joy, of course.

And now we come to my final point. Why. Surely this is obvious to even the most casual observer of my activities. I wish to help people. Nothing would delight me more than to put a smile on the face of every inhabitant of India, large or small. The fact that the experience will make for good reading on future copies of my curriculum vitae and provide tremendous amounts of fun and excitement for me is just happy coincidence, and one that should not be examined too closely. It would be better for us all if we consider me just another altruistic individual whose only aim in life is to make others happy because, in reality, I am wonderful.

With that I bid you farewell. Apologies for the length of this first post, especially for those of you who know these details already and I commend all of you who have stuck with it till the end. I sincerely hope that you pay me another visit soon.

Toodles.