Welcome loyal followers and apologies all round. I promised that this would come a lot sooner and events are moving along much faster than I can get them on here. This is due to my laziness, patchy (at best) Internet access and the fact that I would undoubtedly lose readers if my blog entries were longer than the train ride I had to endure in order to get here. And it really was one long train ride as it totalled 17 hours. Unfortunately I must also profess that the length of the journey was not the only problem that was encountered. Some careless fool had crushed my already injured toe before departure and it was bleeding profusely, also my designated bed was occupied by a sleeping Indian family for the entirity of the journey and it took a fair amount of time before I was able to find an available one. The upside of all of this was that I witnessed the sun rising over the desert in the early hours and it was spectacular. Trains in India are not at all like they are depicted by The Darjeeling Limited, which is a crying shame. They are, for one, almost entirely blue inside and out, as well as being cramped and smelly. The less said about the toilets, the better.
We arrive in Jaisalmer to find no fanfare and celebrations, rather a large number of soldiers whose sole purpose seemed only to be to provide an instant reminder that we are situated perilously close to the Pakistan border. It is clear on arrival at the camp that the sheer amount of bland or spicy curries will get to everyone by the end of the trip and the cold, tasteless example we were presented with does little to inspire confidence in the resident cook.
Jaisalmer was explored the following day and one of the oddest things about India is fully exposed, the cows. They are absolutely everywhere and treated with more respect than most people. It is quite a shock to watch five or six cows being herded out of what appears to be one of the bigger restaurants in town. One more animal experienced that day was my first and currently only scorpion that was quickly dispatched with the base of a mug. On a slightly animal related note, I have been able to reel off both the purple wombat (twice) and the newly acquired onion story, to mixed reviews.
I have been placed in a school with a delightful bunch of fellow volunteers where we are expected to teach English and Maths (and, as it turns out, anything else thatt we deem appropriate) to 7-8 year olds in the morning and I.T. to teenagers in the afternoons. So far, I am unsure whether we have actually taught anything to anyone as the language barrier and lack of a translator or real teacher 90% of the time has made it difficult to gauge how much the kids are taking in in the morning and we have been unable to use the computers as power has been as inconsistent as my blog entries might suggest. Also, we have only had one full week of teaching as 'extreme' cold weather prevented children attending one day (I, on the other hand, ended up horribly sunburnt on that day) and public holidays which seem to be rather arbitrary have prevented us from working. All in all, teaching is hard, especially with one chubby bastard in the class whose one aim seems to be to sabotage my lessons at any cost. However, I am sure once it all settles down it will be easier and I will hopefully start to see progress being made.
Thats all from me for now, I hope that it has been satisfactory. Next time, look forward to a camel safari and my immodium overdose.
Valediction.
Monday, 25 January 2010
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Planes, trains, elephants, tuc-tucs, and automobiles.
Welcome followers!
Here is my my first blog from the arid desert of India. I have been here for about 2 weeks now. This I am not too sure about, my perception of time has wavered significantly after enduring a 5 and a half hour time difference and days of real activity, something I have not encountered for many years. Due to the massive amount of events that have been thrown at me by this wondrous country I will either keep each one brief, or whack out another entry in the next few days. Either way, prepare to be enthralled by my illustrious travels.
First, the journey to Jaipur... I arrived at the airport of Heathrow at 4 O' Clock and was treated to a delectable meal at one of its fine restaurants. At five minutes to seven (the Platform2 meeting time) I suffered my first real jitters but these were soon quelled by a fine collection of fellow volunteers and a hurried check in. The plane journey was one of quiet contemplation and a disasterous game of chess. Landed with a bump in Delhi and embarked onto a land with a sky grey with pollution and a hot, humid sun. By the exit from the airport we met Rajeev, who was to become a gigantic character, and remains one. Placed in group B (for best) to allow for the easy distribution of activities. Within this group I was to discover, after about 3 years of searching, someone who was truly amazed at my J.K. Rowling connections. Finally this piece of dreadful literature has come up trumps. Next was the bus, which took us on a rather uneventful but cramp 7 hour journey. Notable incidents include the loud and ridiculously hectic roads and a humongous statue in Delhi which seemed to be taunting me with its Lost-reminding properties. Eventually, after my sleep deprivation began to resemble torture, we arrived at our host families and I was placed with a Mr. J.R. Andrews, a God among men who has the best anecdotes you could ever hope to hear. I immediately slept.
Now we have that out of the way I need a little breather.............................................. Right, now I can continue. Lots of talks on the following day and now I can speak Hindi fluently. I must say, however, Namaste doesn't quite compare to Yoga-Noi but I can just about make do as it comes with a fantabulous hand motion which kicks the handshakes of Uganda's collective arses. The next day brought with it the best bright blue indian clothes in which I look magnificent. This you will all witness, whether it be in the comfort of my home or out on the razz in our favourite haunts. I also learnt that the favourite way of describing me to those volunteers who do not yet know my name is "Ginger Beard" which I am more than happy with, given its pirate and beverage connotations. A grave issue arose in another round of presentations as we learnt of the Indian practise of burning brides. It is here that I realise it will not all be fun, games and shopping and I am going to have to bring my best game to the development work we will be doing here.
Amber Fort! This is where the elephants make their first appearance and yes, before you ask, they bore me splendidly upon their magnificent shoulders and took me to the most glorious of palaces where I continued my frantic buying with the purchase of a turban and a fiddle which I have had little success on. Tragedy struck that day also, as my bag fell on my toe and now my toenail is not in the best condition. Luckily, this has its upside as the many people wishing to grab a gander have brought sympathy with them.
Here I have now decided to call it quits as the mad scramble for internet use has begun once again. I implore you to visit again soon as more tales will be told that will blow your socks off. I'll keep mine on though, lest sand infects my foot and I require an amputation.
Farewell loyal disciples!
Here is my my first blog from the arid desert of India. I have been here for about 2 weeks now. This I am not too sure about, my perception of time has wavered significantly after enduring a 5 and a half hour time difference and days of real activity, something I have not encountered for many years. Due to the massive amount of events that have been thrown at me by this wondrous country I will either keep each one brief, or whack out another entry in the next few days. Either way, prepare to be enthralled by my illustrious travels.
First, the journey to Jaipur... I arrived at the airport of Heathrow at 4 O' Clock and was treated to a delectable meal at one of its fine restaurants. At five minutes to seven (the Platform2 meeting time) I suffered my first real jitters but these were soon quelled by a fine collection of fellow volunteers and a hurried check in. The plane journey was one of quiet contemplation and a disasterous game of chess. Landed with a bump in Delhi and embarked onto a land with a sky grey with pollution and a hot, humid sun. By the exit from the airport we met Rajeev, who was to become a gigantic character, and remains one. Placed in group B (for best) to allow for the easy distribution of activities. Within this group I was to discover, after about 3 years of searching, someone who was truly amazed at my J.K. Rowling connections. Finally this piece of dreadful literature has come up trumps. Next was the bus, which took us on a rather uneventful but cramp 7 hour journey. Notable incidents include the loud and ridiculously hectic roads and a humongous statue in Delhi which seemed to be taunting me with its Lost-reminding properties. Eventually, after my sleep deprivation began to resemble torture, we arrived at our host families and I was placed with a Mr. J.R. Andrews, a God among men who has the best anecdotes you could ever hope to hear. I immediately slept.
Now we have that out of the way I need a little breather.............................................. Right, now I can continue. Lots of talks on the following day and now I can speak Hindi fluently. I must say, however, Namaste doesn't quite compare to Yoga-Noi but I can just about make do as it comes with a fantabulous hand motion which kicks the handshakes of Uganda's collective arses. The next day brought with it the best bright blue indian clothes in which I look magnificent. This you will all witness, whether it be in the comfort of my home or out on the razz in our favourite haunts. I also learnt that the favourite way of describing me to those volunteers who do not yet know my name is "Ginger Beard" which I am more than happy with, given its pirate and beverage connotations. A grave issue arose in another round of presentations as we learnt of the Indian practise of burning brides. It is here that I realise it will not all be fun, games and shopping and I am going to have to bring my best game to the development work we will be doing here.
Amber Fort! This is where the elephants make their first appearance and yes, before you ask, they bore me splendidly upon their magnificent shoulders and took me to the most glorious of palaces where I continued my frantic buying with the purchase of a turban and a fiddle which I have had little success on. Tragedy struck that day also, as my bag fell on my toe and now my toenail is not in the best condition. Luckily, this has its upside as the many people wishing to grab a gander have brought sympathy with them.
Here I have now decided to call it quits as the mad scramble for internet use has begun once again. I implore you to visit again soon as more tales will be told that will blow your socks off. I'll keep mine on though, lest sand infects my foot and I require an amputation.
Farewell loyal disciples!
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