Ups and Downs

Been a higgledy piggledy few weeks with some absolutely wonderful moments/occasions and some much more difficult. I'll start with one of the most wonderful 'ups' of my whole trip thus far...the Thai Freedom House's staff retreat to Doi Inthanon. Originally, we wanted to take the girls to Pai which is a gorgeous mountain town, about two hours north of Chiang Mai. However, because of their status as refugees, their i.d. cards restrict them from travelling. We all thought it would be ok if they went to ask permission from the appropriate office, but, even with the standard offer of a bribe (which is applicable for just about everything here), they refused to allow them to leave. The next plan was to go to Chiang Dao, another cute mountain village that is in Chiang Mai district, but after speaking to some friends, they found out that the check point along the way there was sending back anybody without a Thai i.d. card (apart from tourists of course), and so that was off limits as well. Luckily, Lisa had been to Doi Inthanon before and knew that there wasn't a check point so we decided that it is better safe than sorry and headed there, and I am actually really glad that we did!

Doi Inthanon is the name of the tallest mountain in Thailand (I can't remember how tall...google it if you are keen to know), and also of the national park that surrounds the mountain. It is an absolutely beautiful place, with so much greenery everywhere, clean and crisp mountain air (that actually got cold at night time...cold enough to wear socks and a jumper!), stunning waterfalls and incredible views over the surrounding nature. Needless to say, a lot of photos were taken! We spent our time walking, nature-seeing, enjoying the scenery and eating lots of yummy hill tribe mountain food which we discovered in this fascinating mountain market. This aspect of the trip was great; it was lovely to get out of the city and to see some nature/do some walking/breathe in air that is not heavily polluted (Chiang Mai has pretty bad pollution at the moment), but the best part for me was the opportunity to take the girls out of work, out of the city and out of the stresses of their everyday lives and to give them a chance to have a bit of fun. 

Altogether on the retreat it was me, Maria, Lisa (the director), Num Aye (current managing director), Nong (cafe manager and student) and Nap Dow (waitress and student). All three of the Shan staff have lives that I would describe as difficult, although for many Shan refugees living in Thailand things are a lot worse...doesn't bear thinking about. Nong, especially, has a lot on her plate. She manages the cafe, which means working 6 days a week from 7 am to 5 pm (hours that are much better than any of our other students and for significantly better money), but then she has to go home to look after her mother who is partially paralysed, which means doing all of the cooking/cleaning/organising in their home, as well as regularly spending her day off taking her mother to the hospital where they make them wait all day for sub standard treatment because they recognise that they are Shan. Despite all this, Nong is forever smiling, laughing and making jokes, and is such a brilliant person to be around; she is quite an amazing girl. I say girl, she is several years older than me, but she looks so young it's hard to remember sometimes! By taking her, and the other two out of Chiang Mai, we managed to give them a sort of enforced break, where they had to put aside some of their other responsibilities and just enjoy themselves for two days, something they all needed. The three of them loved Doi Inthanon, mostly I think because they adore taking pictures of themselves and the national park provided many beautiful backdrops to our beautiful staff! Every place we stopped the car Nong and Nap Dow in particular would find a good spot, set up their pose and then it would be 'teacher, teacher...will you take my photo?' Most of the time one was not enough, and in one particular session at the top of a waterfall, Nap Dow and I were doing a photo shoot that consisted of at least 20 pictures - all of them suay maak (very beautiful)! 

My very favourite bit of the retreat was the evening we were there. We stayed in these lovely little wooden huts on the side of the mountain, opposite from two waterfalls, and just above a valley full of flowers being cultivated ready for sale in the city flower markets. The lodge restaurant served this delicious meal called suki...a sort of d.i.y. soup that comes over a terracotta pot full of coals. You get a pot of stock and a plate full of vegetables, noodles and eggs, and as the evening progresses, you just add a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and then eat a bit, and then add some more and just keep going. We ended up cooking and eating for three hours! Over dinner, we chatted and laughed and were really enjoying each others' company, especially after Lisa introduced a small 'team building' activity. She wanted each of us to say one thing that we appreciated about each of the others...as I'm sure you can imagine, it got a bit emotional! The most moving moment for me came from Nap Dow. She is only  teenager, and sometimes she can be a bit teenagery and moody. I thought that maybe she was in one of those moods as while we were all sharing our appreciations, she was very quiet and didn't really get involved. When it came to her turn she was so reticent, and really didn't want to talk...prompting us to gently chastise her! However, as soon as she did start talking we realised that the real reason she didn't want to participate was that she was feeling overwhelmed by it all and the moment she opened her mouth the flood gates opened and she wept and wept. For such a young girl she had such deep emotions, and everything she was thankful for was beautiful. Shan culture is like Thai culture in that emotions are kept very much beneath the surface and so to see her cry like that was genuinely touching; a special moment that showed us just how lucky she feels she is. Ever since the retreat I feel a lot closer to the girls, and I think they feel closer to me as well, which is good seeing as from now until the end of my time here it's pretty much just me and them!

Later that same week was one of my 'downs'. We went to one of the construction camps on the outskirts of the city to deliver some donations and I found it pretty upsetting. This was the same construction camp that had a fire just after I arrived, a fire that burned down a quarter of the camp which had housed 50 people. Luckily nobody had been hurt in the fire as they were all at work, but their homes and belongings were completely destroyed, including 30,000baht that was an entire family's life savings which obviously devastated them. Despite the fact that the fire was over a month ago, the evidence of it is still very much apparent. The site of the fire is still just a bare area of scorched ground, covered in ash and burnt wood, with the occasional reminder that it once was someone's home, like a half destroyed bed cover, or charred shoe. All around the fire site are the rest of the 'homes', - corrugated iron sheets balanced over wooden frames - and dotted between are the 4 water stations that serve 200 people - concrete slabs with two cold water taps, right in the open, where everybody must wash themselves and their clothes and get all of their water for drinking and cooking. It's pretty grim. I am glad that we went though. It felt good to give them the much needed donations and although none of our students live in actual construction camps, many live in slums around and in the city which have very similar conditions, so it is good to have a better idea of their situations and struggles. Doesn't stop it being upsetting though.

Back to some 'ups' though. I am still loving life in Chiang Mai - both work and play here are very enjoyable! I had my last lesson with the students on Tuesday because now they are on their break in between semesters, and although I am really sad not to be teaching them anymore, our last lesson together was brilliant. Maria and I put together a scavenger hunt, where they had to go round in teams deciphering clues to find the next one. I knew they would enjoy it but I had no idea how much...they absolutely loved it! As soon as we explained what they needed to do they were rearing to go, and once they set off they all sprinted around for pretty much the whole hunt - even the older students, some of whom are in their late twenties and had worked a 12 hour shift already! It was the perfect end to my teaching there...hopefully I have left them with happy memories!     

I have also been having a fab time outside of work, with lots of socialising, going to quirky cafes/bars, at a mini festival called the Smile Party, meeting new people, listening to live music and even participating in some! Last Tuesday I sang at an improv night at a jazz bar here - just scatting and messing around - but it was so much fun and made me realise how much I have been missing singing! It's interesting as well, as a friend of mine gave me Reiki healing yesterday and said that they felt that I had creative energy that was being stifled, and asked if I am being as creative here as I would be at home. Although I am creative all day at work, they are right in that I haven't been doing any music, so I think maybe I will have to go back tomorrow and sing again...what a chore! I am very sad because both Lisa and Maria have gone back to the states now and I am already missing them lots, but I have plenty of other friends here and lots of fun things to occupy me so I am trying not to dwell on that particular 'down' too much. As one very wise friend told me before I came away...'you will say hello to many strangers, but you will say goodbye to many friends'...this is proving to be very true...I just hope that I am not saying goodbye to them for ever!

Lots of love and I guess Christmassy well wishes, although I have never felt less Christmassy half way through December!
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Mai Soong Pee Mai Dtai! - Happy Shan New Year!

Happy Shan New Year! Today is the first day of 2106, so technically, in the Shan calendar I am 117 years old...however I shall choose to ignore that even though after the manic two weeks I have had I feel about 117! Definitely not complaining though; it has been a busy but very enjoyable time with lots of celebrations filling the spaces in between work. In the past week we had Shan New Year, Graduation, two CCT volunteer birthdays and Thanksgiving. That's the beauty of living in another country...you get to celebrate everybody's occasions and so have a calendar full of fun things to do :) 


I'll get to the celebrations in a moment though, and will start with some of the only conventionally non-fun things that these weeks have held. On Tuesday, it was the English assessment for the students. Really this was neither fun for them, nor me as it led to quite a lot of stress on both our parts! As you will have read (if you an avid follower of this here blog) in the previous exciting installment of my life, Maria and I were all set for our first week of lessons together in which there was going to be a healthy (if slightly skewed) balance between education and fun, culminating in a well thought out sculpting game, Rapidough. Unfortunately, when I arrived at work on last Tuesday morning, I had an email informing me that the English assessments were the next week; something that I had no idea was coming. This quite spectacularly laid waste to our well laid plans, as there was no way it was fair to teach them new material the week before the exam, nor was there time to spare for games. Furthermore, it led to a whole host of problems for me, as I had to give an exam to students after only teaching them for a week! Although Num Aye (their previous teacher and current manager of Thai Freedom House) had briefly outlined what they had done, I had no real idea what her lessons had taught, what her learning objectives had been, or what she wanted me to test them on, and seeing as she has recently gone down to part time hours, there was no easy way to find out either! I know you are probably thinking that I was unnecessarily stressing seeing as I still had a week until their exam, but I wanted to have one revision lesson to go over anything that they were to be examined on but maybe not 100% happy with, and then one mock exam to get them used to the concept of sitting an exam, which several of them would not have done before. Both of these lessons were difficult to plan when I did not really know what I would be examining them on! I decided (after much faffing) that I would just have to go on what was in their work books and put together a revision lesson that would show me what angle they had come from in their lessons, so that I could write their test more effectively. This was not as easy as it sounds, as I had to make the lesson easy enough that they were revising and not learning anew, but challenging enough to see whether they knew what I was revising with them well enough to answer test style questions on it, and involved me having a lot of lesson matter ready in case I had to abandon something that I thought they might know but actually didn't. In the end though I was really happy with the way it panned out, and it turned out that I had guessed pretty well from their books what they knew and should be tested on. I also had a godsend in the form of Kathleen, an American lady who has taught extensively in the States at University level and acted as my teaching assistant, working with the lower ability students to bring them up to speed (or closer to it) with the rest of the class. It was a bit unnerving at first having such an experienced teacher helping me as I felt like she would judge the way I was teaching, but she was great - very supportive and encouraging - and seemed to think I was doing a good job, which is always nice to hear! After the revision lesson, it was a lot easier to plan the assessment, and, simultaneously, the mock assessment. I wanted the two to be similar enough that the students felt at ease with not only the knowledge they were being tested on, but also the way in which the questions were being asked, but different enough that they still had to think about their answers and couldn't go in to automatic mode, so it made sense to do them at the same time. The mock test went well and the students mostly coped with it as expected. Two, however, really struggled, and with the help of Kathleen I decided to write a differentiated test for them. At the end of the day, the test is useful to gauge the student's ability/proficiency in English, but more so it is to give them some confidence and a piece of paper (well, card) that says that they are doing well so that they feel they are gaining ownership over the language and want to keep coming back. It would be counter productive, then, to give them a test that they have no chance of doing well on and thus undermining any confidence that they have managed to build up. Jenny, for instance, is our youngest student and the most adorable little girl. When she first came to TFH she was apparently the most shy person any of the teachers or students had ever encountered and would hide under a table rather than speak in class. She has slowly been building her confidence, but failed the test at the end of last semester which set her back. By giving her a differentiated test, she was able to pass, and it was plain to see how much this boosted her self confidence. It's lovely, because I feel that she trusts me enough now to try things and be a bit more adventurous in my classes; she will quite happily speak out to answer lessons and in the speaking part of their assessment she came out on top with 10/10 for conversational skills - I was so proud! Everyone else did much as expected as well, which one boy S getting 91% overall, which is amazing! The most useful thing I found was that my initial impression that their reading is weak was bang on. All of them did the worst in the reading aspect of the test, and some of the lower ability students could not read at all, apart from the vocabulary that we have done to death, such as animals. It's good to know though, as now in the interim between this and their next term I know that I need to focus on teaching the lower ability students their alphabet/phonics and start them reading, and that I need to take the time to give the more able students to practice their reading as much as possible, so that their mastery of this basic skill is brought up to their others and doesn't start to hamper their acquirement of the language. I have some ideas for how to do this and think I will do a literature project with them on a book called 'The Giant Turnip'; I think they will enjoy it but we will wait and see! 


Although the test process was stressful, it did lead to a very fun evening on Thursday. Normally English lessons are Tuesday and Wednesday, but as it was assessment week, the students had their Thai exam on Wednesday and were going to be free on Thursday night. Instead of this, Maria and I hosted a sort of games evening; a voluntary attendance night where we both let the students choose their own games to play together and organised (finally!) the Rapidough game! As predicted, they loved it! We had them all sit in a circle to make the play dough first which was truly hilarious. They got in to such a mess mixing it all together, and had a lot of fun with the different food colourings. One pair, Lurn Sai - one of our oldest and most able students, and Aka Lat - one of our youngest and least able students, were great together and experimented with so many colours, eventually managing to make...brown! Everyone (including Maria and me) found it so funny, watching them pour in a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and always coming out with the same murky brown colour - classic. Once they had all finally concocted dough of a suitable consistency, which required a lot of adapting with extra flour/water from me, we got going with the game proper. Again, this involved a lot of giggling and, actually, hysterical laughter, as we all enjoyed watching some of the attempts to sculpt various objects like 'an elephant', 'a computer', 'a banana' and many more seemingly innocuous things that shouldn't have been difficult but in some cases really were. It was lovely, as the game really made everyone laugh, which was exactly what we wanted from the 'lesson' to give everyone a break from not only their usual lessons and the assessment, but from their usual lives and stresses. It was perfect, and both Maria and I got a bit overwhelmed by it all and how lucky we felt to be there and able to provide that bit of respite for our students, and to be able to enjoy having a laugh with them: very fitting seeing as it was on Thanksgiving! 


So yes, Thanksgiving was one of our celebrations this week and, accordingly, we had a Thanksgiving meal at the CCT volunteer house. Maria and I were very jammy as we arrived just as everyone started eating (to be fair it was because we had class and not just because we didn't want to cook!), and enjoyed a veritable feast of vegetarian Thanksgiving food such as green bean casserole (which I am told is a classic), mashed potato, spaghetti, cranberry sauce, fake sausages, chicken and steak, pumpkin soup and lots more delicious treats. For desert we had less, somewhat less traditional, Chinese doughnuts, fruit salad, and Swiss chocolates...all yummy! It was a nice evening, if a tad more low key than the Indian/Thai/Shan celebrations that I am becoming accustomed to! We also had two volunteer birthdays this week, one of which I missed last night because of Shan celebrations, but one that we celebrated in true 'ferrang' (foreign) style, by getting dressed up (relatively speaking, I am somewhat limited by my rucksack), going to the jazz bar, and getting very merry. It was great fun, even if I did pay for it in a big way the next day at work! 


The main event of the week however, has been the Shan New Year celebrations. At TFH there is a big party every year for New Year to give students, families and friends a chance to get together and celebrate and share their culture without fear of being judged or criticised and this year was no exception. We closed the cafe for the day so that we could get ready, and it's a good job we did because even though the girls arrived at 6am and we volunteers arrived at 8am, we still struggled to do everything and have time to go and get into our finery for the evenings festivities! There was so much to do, but Nong and Nap Dow were not at all keen on letting us ignorant ferrang anywhere near their precious Shan food, which is fair enough seeing as most of the jobs they did let us do we failed to do in a satisfactory way. When Nong saw the carrots that John (a volunteer) and Lisa (the director) had 'thinly sliced' she was furious, and from then on wouldn't let us chop anything that needed to be smaller than chunks! We did other jobs though, like cleaning and organising, making a Happy New Year banner, washing tables and chairs etc etc. The garden downstairs was transformed into a magical space, where Nap Dow created stunning flower arrangements in the Shan colours (red, yellow and green) with fruits that looked oddly like yellow udders but somehow looked beautiful thanks to the way she arranged them.


Once everything at TFH was ready it was time to prepare ourselves, something we took quite seriously because we wanted to show the Shan families that we respected and revered their festivals and culture too and that it is a good thing for them to keep them alive, an attitude that Thai people generally certainly do not have. I wore a beautiful long handmade skirt that one of the families I encountered in India had given to me and Maria actually went and bought a full traditional outfit in lime green, which somehow, she managed to pull off beautifully! I never would have thought an entire lime green outfit could look good but it really did! I am glad we made the effort because while we outside having group photos two men on motorcycles rode past and said 'Ooo the ferrang made themselves look nice for the festival' in Thai, which Lisa translated for us...just goes to show that the general opinion of us foreigners is not very high but at least the effort was appreciated. The majority of the students and some of their parents came in traditional Shan dress, which is beautiful. In many ways it is similar to Thai, with a long wrap around skirt and a fitted wrap around top, usually in the same colour with detailed embroidery on it, but the Shan outfit also has an elaborate headdress that sits at the hairline and has two fans sticking out the side of it. I am aware that it sounds ridiculous when you describe it, but you will have to trust me when I saw that it manages to look cute on little girls, beautiful on teenagers/young women, and elegant on older women; a lovely addition. The boys were all in fishermen's pants and shirts and the overall effect of everyone in Shan dress was beautiful. We had our graduation ceremony, where every student came to get their certificates and then it was time for the traditional songs and dance. The students did such a good job and clearly felt very strongly about the songs they were singing and dances they were dancing. It was really moving to see them enjoying and celebrating a culture that they have all had to leave behind to an extent, and to do so in an atmosphere where all around were celebrating and revering it too; I think it is a really important aspect of TFH. After eating the delicious Shan food Nong and Nap Dow had lovingly made, we were whisked off to the Shan temple for more celebrations there. There was a crazy amount of people there; I had no idea there were so many Shan in Chiang Mai, all milling around, eating Shan food, buying Shan goods, watching Shan songs and dance and generally enjoying having a great time being Shan! Nap Dow and her sisters and some of the other students got to perform their dances on the stage and then we all mooched around soaking up the festive atmosphere. I had such a great time! 


Tired today though, especially seeing as it was an early start yesterday and then today we had to be at TFH by 7am because we went to a garage sale at a local international school to try to make some of the money back that we spent on the celebrations! After finishing this I am going to treat myself to a nice relaxing herbal steam sauna and a nap, then it's off the the jazz bar again for a fundraiser, before waking up early tomorrow to get to a road just outside the old city by 6am to watch 12,600 monks line up to 'give alms'. Not entirely sure what giving alms is yet, but I guess I'll find out tomorrow! 


Lots of love,
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Sawasdee kha!

Oh, how I misjudged Thailand: I wrote in my travel journal on the day I arrived something to the tune of 'hopefully the renowned Thai laid back attitude will suffuse my whole trip and allow me to have a chilled out couple of months'...how wrong I was! My first two weeks here have actually been more hectic than my first two weeks in India, as here, unlike there, I went straight into a house with people who I could do things with, and so pretty much everyday I have done some sort of activity...even if it is only going for a pina colada after work! It's great though as I am really getting to see lots of Chiang Mai and am having such a brilliant time, so no complaints from me :)

I am two weeks in now and feeling nice and settled at my project, so I think I will start there (maybe I should pre-warn that this may end up being another epic blog post...so possibly now is the time to grab a cup of tea and some biscuits!). I am working at a small NGO called Thai Freedom House (their website is www.thaifreedomhouse.org if you want to check out any additional information than what I am about to tell you, or if you would like to make a donation, which would be greatly appreciated...) and absolutely loving it. The project started was founded and is still run by an American lady called Lisa who has a driving passion for helping refugees. She has worked with Bosnian refugee in the states, Tibetan refugees in India, Burmese refugees in Mae Hong Son (which is right near the Burma border) and for the last 8 years has been based in Chiang Mai working with Burmese refugees here. Originally she started a school in her house. She would teach privately in the day time and then in the evenings open her house to a whole host of students of both Burmese and hill tribe backgrounds. She did this for several years but eventually it grew too big to be contained in such a confined space, so she fund raised the money to rent a small house to use as a school. The school ran there for a few more years, before she decided that the project needed some stable and reliable (well, slightly more reliable) funding, and so she relocated to a larger house, which she transformed into a cafe for the day and a school for the evenings. That was two and a half years ago and is still the same today. Nowadays all of the students are from Shan state in Burma, not because of any conscious decision, but because most of the Christian organisations in Chiang Mai tend to work with hill tribe communities which leaves these refugees, and most of the refugees from Burma in Chiang Mai are Shan. It actually works out really nicely as the school has become a sort of Shan community centre, where the students not only learn Thai, computer skills and English, but have Shan culture classes (for instance, they are learning Shan dance for the Shan New Year at the moment) and can speak to each other in Shan before and after classes and during their break. TFH really values the importance of maintaining and nurturing the students' culture and language, as it is vital for improving their self esteem and sense of identity. Once Burmese refugees come to Thailand they usually abandon their mother tongue because it places them at risk of deportation back to Burma if an official person overhears and if Thai people hear them speaking it they tend to treat them really badly. Therefore, it is wonderful that the students have a safe space where they can relax and converse with friends, who really have become like a family, in a language that they are completely comfortable with, whilst also improving their chances of integrating into Thailand by learning two more languages. 

At the moment we have about 25 students, ranging from 8 - 27. Some of the students are new this semester, but most have been coming for at least a few years and have come to see TFH as a second home. There are two classes - beginners and intermediate - and I am teaching the beginners class. It is challenging, as there is quite a range of ability in there, but I am grateful for the fact that all of my students fall within the age range of 8 - 14, whereas the intermediate class ranges from 10 - 27, which must be really difficult for Maria, their teacher! The students in my class are all familiar with very basic conversational English but that's about it. I am working on developing their vocabulary and reading skills, as I have found that that is where they really struggle. It's lovely though, because Lisa, the founder, places a lot of stock in the Montessori educational model, which focuses on learning through exploration and play, and so she prefers our lessons to be very interactive and fun (or sanook in Thai!). I love this, because it's the way I would want to teach anyway, and it feels reassuring to have her support, unlike in India, where the concept of learning through song, for instance, was too bizarre for the first school I was at. This week I have a lesson planned where the kids will follow simple instructions to make play dough, and then we will play 'Rapidough' (or pictionary with sculpting instead of drawing) to test their knowledge of some of the vocabulary we have learnt. I am so looking forward to it because I know that if I can get past the hurdle of making them understand what I want them to do then they will love the lesson and have a lot of fun with it! To be fair though, they love every lesson. It is so rewarding teaching them because you can see that they clearly love being there and having the chance to interact with their friends and with us 'ferrang' (foreigners), and just being able to socialise and have fun for a change. Many of the students come early to make the most of the games we have available for them and to sit and chat to each other, or to practice their English with us, and in the middle of class is a fifteen minute break where they are given a healthy snack and some soy milk, which for many will be one of the only really nutritious things they will eat that day. While some of the younger students are able to attend Monastery schools (where they get a very basic education), the older students nearly all work, either in restaurants, hotels or shops, most of them from 5am to 5pm, before coming to class every night apart from Sunday and Monday from 6pm - 8pm. To me, this makes it so obvious that they enjoy being there as I certainly wouldn't have the energy or drive to go to optional classes if I was working that hard! On top of the fact that they are actually there, the whole lessons are filled with laughter and easy conversation; it really is a wonderful atmosphere to work and teach and, I surmise, to learn in. 

English classes are twice a week, from 6-8pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, so the actual teaching part of my time here is relatively small. However, the NGO is so well run and requires us to write meticulous and detailed lesson plans so that they can keep an eye on what we are teaching, and so that future volunteers will be able to see what the students have learnt already. It is such a welcome change from India as well, to know exactly where the students are (just about) and to have the time to be able to really plan what you are going to teach, the best way to teach it, and to make the resources to ensure that your lesson will really engage the students. These students work so hard, have such difficult lives and make such an effort to come to class that it is the least we can do to make sure that when they get there, potentially after a 12 hour shift, that there is a well structured, beneficial, and most of all, enjoyable lesson waiting for them. However, I work either eight or nine hours a day four days a week, and four hours on a Saturday, so clearly I am not lesson planning all day everyday, so what else do I do I hear you ask?!

Well, during the day time once lesson plans are done, there is plenty more to occupy me; I can safely say that I have not been bored yet! At TFH we have a lot of resources, which is great, but when I arrived they were all a bit hotch-potch and not really organised and so my first task was to go through everything and put it in to some sort of order. Whereas I know this would be many people's idea of a nightmare, my anal organisational side came out and I really got into it...going so far as to make labels and catalogues of everything we had, so that future volunteers (and current ones!) should be able to find what they need quickly without wasting time wading through countless books, sheets and other resources. Luckily Lisa is also a bit of an organisational nut and so she appreciated what I did and the hours I put in, so that helped to make it feel worthwhile! Maria (the other volunteer there at the moment, more about her later) and I have also been working on rewriting the teacher training manual, to better tell future volunteers what they need to know, and are going to move on to developing the English curriculum, which has gotten slightly out of date. I also help out in the cafe itself, not cooking as Nong, one of the students who is our wonderful cook, is much too talented to let an ignorant ferrang anywhere near her incredible fusion of Thai, Shan and Western food, but with communicating with customers, many of whom are intrigued when they come in to the cafe and see teaching resources/games/children's books/a veritable library on the situation in Burma all around the place. I chat to them and explain what they project is all about which works out really because it is both good for the project - they understand a bit more about the situation of Burmese refugees, often offer to help in someway, sometimes come back with friends to support us etc. - and for me, as I get to talk to some really interesting people! The cafe (called Free Bird Cafe) provides the majority of funds for the project, so it is really important to ensure that it runs smoothly and successfully, so I take this part of my role pretty seriously. They had a really slow low season, and so it is especially vital that we do well this high season or the project will really start to struggle, not something that I want to see happen. It's a fab place to work: the atmosphere is lovely, my colleagues are brilliant, the work is varied and I have the freedom to choose what I want to do and when, and most of all, I am doing something for what I believe to be an excellent cause. It's especially good because it is such a small NGO and so I can really see from day to day the changes me being there makes. The teachers they have are all volunteers, so from that point of view Maria and I are essential to the project running, but also by getting a chance to interact with the students outside of class as well I can see a change from week to week in their confidence, their proficiency and, most importantly, with their enjoyment of class as we get to know each other better. I sense that I am gushing a bit, but truly, it is a very special place. 

Moving on though! I am staying in a volunteer house which is great. We did have some personality clash issues that marred by experience of that a bit in the first week and a half (when I say 'we' I actually mean 'they' as I made it very clear that I wanted nothing to do with any of the drama!), but that all seems to be resolved now, or at least getting better, which is a huge relief! I get on well with everyone, especially two German girls who are roughly my age and sharing my room with me. We spend lots of time together exploring markets and places in and around the city, and it is so nice to be with young people again. I also get on famously with Maria, the other teacher at TFH. She is an American girl who teaches Maths in the States and who I have clicked so well with. We are together all the time at work as we share an office, and also see each other a lot outside of work; I just really enjoy her company as it is so easy to get on with her and we make each other laugh a lot. The only issue we have is that she speaks American English whereas I speak real English, and we are both way too stubborn to let anything odd that the other one says slide! It's surprising actually, how many word are different; I always thought it was just 'tomato' and 'potato'! They would need to extend that song to several hours long to fit in all the differences we have discovered! I also really enjoy spending time with the more long term staff at TFH, Lisa is great, and I love the girls in the cafe (Nong and Nap Dow) and Num Aye, who has been managing the project for over a year but is leaving soon. We often go out together and it is lovely to get to know them a bit better, even if sometimes the girls' English is a little limited! It makes for some hilarious moments though, where we try anything to get each other to understand, and laughter is definitely good for the soul! On Friday night I was invited to the birthday dinner of one of our older students, which was so lovely. There were about thirty of us all together, eating banquet style, and halfway through the evening Nong (who is the birthday girl's best friend) came in with a cake and we all sang to her. The only trouble was that in Thai/Shan culture, it is traditional for the person whose birthday it is to do all the organising for their party, to host the entire evening and serve their guests, and to pay for everything. It made me feel so bad that this girl (actually she turned 27 so is not really a girl, but she looks so young it's hard to believe that's how old she is!) was paying for everyone when she works so hard to save her money, but it I was told very firmly by Num Aye that it would be very rude to try to pay myself, and it did seem to make Seng On (the birthday girl) very happy. That's what I love about staying for longer in a place; you get to experience the culture in a much deeper way than the superficial glance you get passing through somewhere - although that has it's advantages too! The restaurant we went to for the meal was Burmese, and made me realise that i like Burmese food even more than Thai. It is so light and fresh, with lots of delicious crunchy salads and tangy dips...feels really healthy, but I am sure the deep fried bitter gourd I ate so much of is definitely not!    

Outside of work I have been busy. Really busy. I have been spending lots of time at different markets which I go to a lot to try various amazing street foods (like coconut custard patties, banana blossom, ancient ice cream, fruit shakes, banana rolls and a multitude of things with rice and noodels that I have no idea how to describe) and some not so amazing ones (like a black jelly made of a type of grass that they make in to a milky drink with ice, crickets, which tasted ok but made me feel funny because of the though of what I was munching on, and a 'cake' made of beans that definitely was not cake like); to browse the beautiful handicrafts; to laugh at the truly bizarre voodoo key rings and t shirts for sale; to accidentally bump in to people and attempt to apologise in Thai and, invariably, to be giggle at because of my dodgy accent; to try to barter in Thai, and, invariably, to be giggled at because of my dodgy accent; to try to order food in Thai and, well, you get the idea! The markets are such fascinating places, so that is one of my favourite ways to pass an evening, especially if it is the Saturday Walking Market which is on my street, so as soon as my legs get tired, I can amble comfortably back to bed! I have also been on some great day trips. I went on a mini pilgrimage to Wat Doi Suthep, a temple on top of one of the mountains overlooking Chiang Mai, to get to which we had to climb over 300 very steep stairs! It was so worth it though, as apart from the stunning architecture and design of the temple itself, the view over Chiang Mai was breath taking. The only problem was that the city is so full of tourists at the moment (both ferrang and Thai) because of the flooding in Bangkok, and so I felt bad for the Buddhist pilgrims who were trying to pray or perform rituals, but were being jostled by ignorant people from every side. I am not for a minute forgetting that I am a tourist too, but I like to think that I at least have some cultural sensitivity and would not stick a camera in someone's face while they are trying to have a quiet moment - something that, believe it or not, I actually saw happen! Despite signs everywhere, there were also lots of people with legs/shoulders on show, something that is definitely not ok in Thai temple etiquette, and for which there is no excuse when they provide sarongs to guard against this very thing happening! Yesterday I went to a man made lake about 12km out of the city which was so beautiful. It is nestled in the same mountains as the temple and is unbelievably picturesque, with these little bamboo huts all around the shore where you can base yourself for lunch, drinks and sunbathing. We stayed for hours, just lying in the sun (it is still about 29 degrees here) and going in the lake occasionally...utterly blissful! 


Last week on Thursday and Friday it was Loi Krathong, which is one of the biggest festivals celebrated in Chiang Mai. I have been so lucky with my itinerary in that I have coincidentally ended up being in places as they celebrate some of their best festivals: In Kolkata I had Durga Puja, in Delhi I had Diwali, and now in Chiang Mai I had Loi Krathong! I loved Loi Krathong. The point of the festival is to honour the River Goddess and to ask her to bless you for the coming year. It seems especially pertinent this year, considering the flooding situation in Bangkok, and the fact that there were so many Bangkok residents here this year to celebrate it gave the festival a poignant edge. The way the goddess is honoured is by the floating down the river of little boats called krathongs. At TFH we decided to celebrate together, and so instead of Thai class on Thursday night, the students came to make the krathongs with us. They are made from a piece of banana tree trunk, which forms the base of the boat. Around this you pin banana leaf, and then you decorate it with banana leaf triangles, flowers, a candle and three incense sticks. It is a pretty complicated process and caused much confusion for Maria and me...we took a long time to grasp the method of folding the banana leaves! However, eventually we had our krathongs ready, and i have to say, I was pretty proud of mine, and so we went down to the moat to float them. Techincally you are supposed to go to the river, but we were concerned about losing a small child (the river gets so crowded), so this was a nice gentle way to do it! Some people put hair or toenails in to their krathongs to symbolise the washing away of the old and welcoming of the new, but we decided to leave that part of the tradition out - not sure how hygenic it would have been to be cutting toenails in a cafe! At the same time as Loi Krathong is Yee Ping, another festival. The message of this one is much the same - a request for good luck for the year to come - but it is celebrated by the release of huge lanterns in to the sky. We also did this with our students and it was so beautiful and exciting to see them flying upwards; really magical. It got even better as the evening progressed though, as thousands of people all over the city were releasing lanterns, and so the whole sky was lit up with was looked like twinkling low hanging stars. Some of the lanterns also have fireworks attached to the bottom of them, so they look like shooting stars and there are also fireworks going off everywhere; the overall effect was truly stunning. It's like this for the two nights, so we wandered around, soaking up the atmosphere, and getting cricks in our necks from constantly looking upwards! There are also lots of temporary outdoor markets that go up, with various carnival style games that we wasted some money at, different clothes/accessories stalls, and some (yes you guessed it) really scrumptious food, which we took full advantage of! It was just generally a wonderful atmosphere of exultation, happiness and hope for the year to come - a good time to be here :)     

I have also had my fair share of massages, the best of which was from some of the inmates of Chiang Mai's women's prison! Sounds strange I know, but it is a rehabilitation programme that they have running there whereby for the last six months of some of the women's sentences, they teach them the intricate art of Thai massage and let them work on customers in a secure place opposite the prison. All of the money you pay is put in to an account, and so when the women leave they have not only some money behind them to start a new life, but a skill that they can use to make a living. The woman massaging Maria wanted to practice her English and was telling us that she had been in prison for 12 years and was leaving in one month. I cannot even begin to imagine how terrifying/exciting it must be for her to be leaving the prison after so long in confinement - incomprehensible. Many of the women in prison there have not actually committed any crime, but are there because they were abused by their husbands, and when they went to the police for help, the husbands bribed the police to get rid of the problem, the 'problem' being these poor women. I don't know if that was this lady's situation, but she certainly did not seem like a hardened criminal, rather a sweet lady who laughed a lot and seemed very gentle. There are so many issues in Thailand (I suppose like any country) that you could so easily miss if you were just passing through with your eyes closed (metaphorically of course...you would be run over for sure by one of the crazy motorbike drivers if you actually went through with your eyes closed). The Burmese refugees for instance; it would be/is so easy to go to a restaurant and not even consider the fact that your waiter could have been there since 5am, has no official i.d. card and so is being paid a pittance, being poorly treated, has no chance of an education, and has to go back home to a corrugated iron shed in a construction camp that he shares with 20 other people, and is living constantly in fear of being discovered and deported back to a country where his life would be infinitely worse, and where he could face severe punishment, even death for having left illegally in the first place. It's so sad and such a vast problem that it can feel overwhelming; I just feel grateful that I have the chance to be here volunteering to do something, even if it is something tiny in the grand scale of the issues, to help, to make a bit of a difference. 

Oh dear, sorry to leave on a bit of a depressing note, but it is nearly time for dinner, and as today is my day off I actually get the chance to eat at the same time as everyone else instead of reheating mine when I get home from class! Even reheated, the food here is incredible though, our 'housekeeper' (I use inverted commas because she is really more of a friend who happens to be an amazing cook) is a genius in the kitchen and makes us the best Thai food I have ever eaten...even from restaurants here; just like in India, I am being thoroughly spoiled, and will need another bout of e-coli to lose some of the weight I am gaining! Just kidding, I really really do not want that again! 

Lots of love as always, will try to write again soon,

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Farewell India!

Here I am, safe and sound in Chiang Mai! Loving it so far, but more on that later...feel like I really should finish writing about India now that I have finished travelling there - oh it makes me sad to type that!

So I think I had gotten as far as our afternoon trekking to the dunes for sunset. Well the trekking was like the other trekking, but the destination? That was something else altogether. The dunes themselves were really beautiful; completely untouched sand apart from by these beetles that were cute, but reminded me a bit too much of the scarab beetles in 'The Mummy' so I tried to avoid them as much as possible! When we arrived, the sun was already on its way down and was hanging in the sky, a huge, luminescent red ball. The speed at which it set was impressive - I reckon I was only there for twenty minutes or so before it had completely disappeared. I found it interesting though, because it didn't actually disappear behind the horizon, but just above and so there was always a gap between the bottom of the sun and the horizon line of the desert, where you could still see sky. I'm sure there is some scientific explanation for that which Dad could fill me in on, but I found it intriguing! It was so peaceful sitting there watching the sun set. The guides had stayed down at the bottom of the dunes, setting up the campfire and starting to prepare dinner, so it was just the tourists on the dunes and I think we all instinctively knew to leave the others be. So I got to sit completely alone, looking out over the desert in complete silence, without a sign of any other human beings...pretty special experience. 

After the sun had finished setting, we headed back down to the camp where chai was waiting for us and some entertaining chat with the camel guys. It only took about twenty minutes after the sun had set for it to be pitch black and starry, so it became a bit of a challenge for them to cook I think! I helped out again, but this time wasn't allowed anywhere near the chapatis and instead was peeling garlic, which I have to say I did admirably well (although I'm not sure it's possible to peel garlic badly)! Just before serving, Ramesh said he would just go check on the camels but that he would be back in a few minutes. Two hours later, after two phone calls and the other guide also disappearing into the wilderness, and long after we had eaten our delicious desert dinner, they finally returned with all the camels. Turns out the naughty creatures had gone off for a jaunt to a farm 3km away and were happily munching away on the crops there! Ramesh said he has never known them go so far...I guess they fancied exploring! It did make me giggle though to think of Ramesh and his friend trying to find them in the dark though, thank goodness one of them has a bell or I don't know how they would have located them! While they were gone I wandered around the dunes a bit, star gazing. The sky was incredible; there was no moon so the stars were particularly bright, and I guess it makes sense, considering the fact that I was somewhere completely new in the world, but they looked nothing like they do at home. We could see what the Swiss guys reliably informed me was the whole of the milky way, and they also pointed out a few constellations to me. To be blunt though, I didn't really care what I was looking exactly, and was more enamoured with the overall effect, which was sublime. I also saw three shooting stars which was amazing, especially as I have never seen any before, so to see three in one night was pretty incredible. 

Ramesh then came up to join me in the dunes and was pointing out some interesting sights to me, including the Pakistan border which we could see the lights of (and the fireworks as they were already celebrating Diwali). It really didn't look very far away, Ramesh said 60km - a lot closer than I had thought it would be! There haven't been any troubles there for a while now though, so it's not like it's unsafe. Even the fact that there is such a presence there though makes you realise that the two country's relations are no where near friendly yet. We sat for a while chatting but then what seems is the inevitable happened and he offered me a 'desert massage' and I decided it was time to retreat to my bed next to the Swiss guys! I don't know what it was with Indian men, but several seem to have the idea that it's ok to ask to touch somebody, so long as you are offering a specific type of massage. In Bodhgaya it was a reiki massage, in Varansi a chakra massage and in Rajasthan a desert massage...I was honestly a little intrigued as to what a 'desert massage' was, but not enough to let him try it on me!

My bed was a blanket on one of the dunes, with the stars above me - a billion star guest house as all the guides were keen on joking! All jokes aside though, it was utterly stunning. It got chilly at night so I was tucked up in a blanket, with the sound only of the wind and an occasional camel bell tinkle, and sometimes, when the wind blew the right way, a bit of music from the Diwali celebrations. I lay there, staring up at the sky and couldn't really bring myself to believe that I was actually there, in Rajasthan, in the desert, laying under the stars, with my friend the camel on the next dune! I felt like an extremely lucky girl, a feeling I have been experiencing a lot on this trip! I slept really well and had a fabulously vivid dream about being a princess in Jodhpur and then when I woke we got to watch the sun coming up from the other side of the desert. I was sat in bed while the guides brought us chai and breakfast, and as far as I can remember, that is pretty much the most atmospheric place I have ever eaten breakfast.

Our morning ride back to the jeep was perfect. It was still early enough that the sun wasn't too hot and there was a cool (well, relatively cool) breeze. Thanks to that, we saw a bit more wildlife, including a small family of gazelles which were so graceful. I was sad to leave Lucky behind because of the sights that he had carried me to, but I must admit that my inner thighs were not sorry to see the back of him! Camel riding is a brilliant experience that I am very glad I tried, but it is definitely not the most comfortable way to travel! I can add it to my list though; plane, train, automobile (including car, taxi, auto rickshaw, motorbike, bus), boat, cycle rickshaw and now camel! 

So that was Rajasthan; an amazing state to visit, and one I would heartily recommend, and hopefully will return to one day. Saying that though, I would like to return to just about everywhere I went in India, and would like to see a lot more of it too! All that remained for my India trip was Diwali in Delhi. However, the word 'all' is misleading, as there was a lot to my last stop! 

Before I could begin celebrating in Delhi, I had to get there, and unlike my other train journeys in India, this one was a tad more eventful. I hadn't been able to reserve a seat when I went to the station to book the ticket because it was late to be booking and everyone was travelling for Diwali. Luckily though, when I got to the station, my name was off the waiting list and on to the seated list, so I thought all would be well. Unfortunately, I didn't have an upper berth like I had had before, so I couldn't just retreat up there straight away and stake my claim to a bed. Instead, I had to sit on the lower bunk and wait for a decent time before I could get my bed (the middle one) out to go to sleep. That would have been fine, except at some random Rajasthani village a whole load of people got on and crowded in next to me. I counted, and in the section I was in which should have had six people sitting in it, we had fourteen! Somewhat crowded I am sure you can imagine! It was four families worth, and I was a tad concerned about how on earth I was going to boot them off their seat so I could get my bed down! We travelled like that for a few hours, with them finding just about everything that I did hilarious; I may not understand Hindi, but I know when people are mocking me! However, I offered the kids some biscuits and that seemed to make me seem more human, less joke and calmed them all down a bit. Luckily, when we got to Jodhpur at about 10pm, three of the families got off, and so I took my chance to ask the other family (with lots of miming and misunderstandings) to scoot over to the other side so I could go to bed and end the drama. Or so I thought. I slept until about midnight when I was woken by a whole group of people poking me and shouting at me. As I am sure you can appreciate, this was a tad disconcerting, and thanks to the fact that I had just woken up, made me rather disorientated! It transpired that they thought my bed was theirs and they were trying to make me move. However, I was pretty damn sure that the bed was mine, so I refused to move, in a sort of sit-in, peaceful protest style! They eventually realised that they were in the wrong carriage and so left, so I was really glad I had stood my ground, or I guess, lay my ground! Being in India alone has definitely made me more assertive; there is no way I would have done that when I first started travelling and I think it's good - you need confidence to succeed at this travelling malarky! 

Arrived in to Delhi with no more drama and was met by Arpit at the Badarpur border which is nearer to where he lives. He is one of the friends I made in Kolkata but studies in Delhi and lives with family about an hour out of the city. He had offered to show me around when I was in Delhi, but in the end went way above and beyond the call of duty or hospitality or whatever you want to call it, and invited me to stay with his family and celebrate Diwali with them for my whole stay. He, and they, were so sweet to me and really looked after me; I had a great time celebrating the biggest Indian festival with them! 

My time in Delhi alternated between family Diwali traditions and sight seeing, with a little good old traditional British festival fun (ie drinking) thrown in for good measure! Because of the conservative nature of Arpit's family we had to be very secretive about this aspect, which made it feel much more naughty than it was! The sights I saw were the Red Fort, Connaught Place, the Lotus Temple and Dilli Haat. The same thing happened again with the fort; I didn't know what on earth I was looking at and so failed to understand the significance of each part! Fortunately, I had read quite a bit about the fort before hand, so I knew a little about it in general, so it was good to put that information in to context, and even if I didn't know which bit was which, the architecture was beautiful. Connaught Place I liked very much. It is the main commercial district of Delhi and basically two massive concentric circles which are full of shops and places to eat. We shopped there for a couple of hours and Arpit and his cousin Swati (the sweetest girl) bought some traditional dress for Diwali. It was nice to just be in a commercial district and wandering around...didn't really even feel like India! The Lotus Temple is (unsurprisingly) a temple in the shape of a lotus flower. It was stunning to see this huge flower made of white marble, and inside was so peaceful as they don't allow anyone to talk or take in mobile phones or cameras. After the chaos of Hindi temples, this was a haven of serenity, and I couldn't work out why it was so different until I discovered that it wasn't a Hindi temple at all, but a Baha'i temple. The Baha'i religion is all about unity between different religions and peoples, and focuses on the importance of community. They believe in a God, but have no religious leader, instead focusing on the importance of individual pursuit of truth and answers. They have services each day in which parts are read from all the holy books, with no discrimination or favouritism. I found the religion really fascinating and chatted for ages to one of the Baha'i volunteers there, a lovely Persian girl actually! Finally, Dilli Haat was a sort of handicrafts market, where you could buy products from all over Inida, from the makers directly. It was an amazing place with so so much to look and and potentially buy. Unfortunately, my rucksack is at bursting point already so I couldn't buy much, but did get a present for family Lewis (can't say what as they aren't allowed to open it yet!) and Arpit bought me a gorgeous top/dress that I had my eye on. I was mortified that he was buying me a present after everything he had done for me, but he insisted - so sweet of him! His family were the same though; despite welcoming me in to their home for their most important festival, feeding me, and making me feel so at home, when I was leaving two of his aunts presented me with gifts! One gave me a lovely silver pendant and earrings and another an exquisite traditional North Indian outfit, which is intricately decorated with beads and so beautiful! They all said that they would like me to visit again as well, and I really hope I'll be able to - I've told Swati I'll come back for her wedding! 

The Diwali part of my Delhi stay was what made it so special though. Diwali is the Indian equivalent of Christmas; everyone celebrates it and has their own family traditions surrounding it. Obviously the history behind the festival and the way of celebrating is different, but the basic concepts of being with family, giving gifts and eating lots are the same! Diwali has two main meanings as far as I could make out (I should say sorry here in case I get any of the mythology wrong; I must have bored Arpit and Swati to death incessantly asking them questions about it!), one is celebrating the return of Rama after 14 years where he has been gone rescuing Sita, and the other is to praise Lakismi, the goddess of wealth and to ask for an auspicious and prosperous year. It's known as the 'Festival of Lights' and so candles play a huge part in the celebrations and all the houses are lit up with colourful fairy lights. On the religious side, the festival involves performing pujas (like the Durga Puja in Kolkata). We did three of these in the family houses, and each one basically involved honouring the idols by flicking red liquid at them, sprinkling rice over them and bowing down to say a small prayer before having some of the red liquid and rice put on your forehead. The final puja was the biggest, and for this one we also offered food to the idols and Arpit's family sang a devotional song (like a hymn) while I rang the bell. After each puja, the dias (candles) used were spread around the house, one in each room, so that the auspiciousness brought from the puja would be spread around the house too. The pujas were fascinating, and it was really nice to do them in such a personal, family oriented way - a completely different experience from the mass pujas of Durga Puja in Kolkata. 

As well as this religious side, there are also family traditions that make their Diwali personal, just like every British family has their own Christmas traditions. The first one we did was on the day before Diwali which is the 'small Diwali'. Every year the young ones in the family get together and gamble to start the celebrations, so they taught me how to play 'pot', a pretty simple card game which is very much based on luck, luck which unfortunately evaded me! It was good fun though and we played with money from a 'bank' so I didn't actually lose anything, thank goodness! The second tradition I did was making the 'rangoli' - a design on the floor that we (we being Swati and I) made with colourful powders and candles. I have to say, ours was pretty beautiful - we used lots of bright colours and outlined it with silver glitter so that it sparkled when the candles were lit. All of their family seemed impressed with it and Swati was very chuffed with how it turned out, so that was really nice :) The last big tradition that I participated in was the 'crackers'. This is the name that they give to fireworks, but they have not only aerial ones, but actually more that you light on the floor and that make designs (and noise) nearer to earth. My favourite type was one that you lit on the floor like a spinning top, that once it started spinning emitted lovely white and gold sparks in a big spiral...really pretty! Literally every family has their own display (or at least every family where Arpit lives) and so the noise of it is immense! It's like bonfire night but a million times multiplied - I guess I should have expected it; this is India after all and they don't do anything by halves!

So like I said, we did some classic British celebrating as well; a little drinking at home on the night of Diwali, and then we also went out for a meal and drinks on my last night. This last night in particular was so lovely. We went to one of Arpit's favourite places called 'The Living Room' where they have amazing food, live acoustic music playing and (most importantly) Zinfandel Rose wine! It was a really good evening, not least because it was something pretty new for Swati. Like I mentioned, Arpit's family are pretty conservative and so are anti Swati drinking, and also don't like her to be out late. In fact, this was the first time she was out after 11pm in her life, and she is 23, has graduated from Uni and working a full time job with Ernst and Young! Even to go out until midnight for dinner she had to ask permission not only from her parents but from her brother, and there was a real possibility that they would say no. Luckily they didn't and we ended up having a great time. It was bizarre though, such an extreme culture difference, and she could definitely tell that I found it strange. I also asked her lots of questions about how traditional their family are in other aspects and it turns out they are very, to the point that all of their cousins have had arranged marriages, and she thinks that she may well end up having one too. I find the concept of that so strange, and had thought that arranged marriages were on their way out in India. Apparently not though, as Swati reckons that they are still more common than love marriages and are really the norm. I guess every culture is different though, and it seems to be working for their family in general, although they did tell me one horrible story about a cousin whose husband turned out to be abusive, and now that she has divorced him, she probably will never marry again, unless there is 'something wrong' with the new husband too. It must be really hard to be in that position in your twenties, I feel so sorry for her.

On my last day in Delhi/India, I did something that I never thought I would do: I went to a Formula 1 race. Actually, more than that, I went to the first ever race in India at a brand new racing track built especially for the occasion! Arpit's cousin had got us the tickets which were obscenely expensive and not something I would every had bought, but I am so glad he did! The race was cool enough, the cars really do go ridiculously fast and are so loud...we actually had to leave the stadium and buy earplugs because it was hurting our ears sitting there without! We were in the grandstand in front of where they do the pit stops, so that was cool as well as we got to see them doing a bit of that. However, that was by no means the best bit of the day. Arpit's cousin (I do know his name but have no idea where to even begin spelling it) somehow managed to wangle his way in to the VIP Platinum Lounge, and then was able to get us in too...for free! Being in the Platinum Lounge meant air conditioned and sound proofed boxes from which to watch the race, unlimited free gourmet food and snacks, and unlimited free drinks! Arpit and I (and his cousin) obviously made the most of this, and drank copious amounts of free champagne and ate a lot of very tasty food from all over the world. After a Diwali with an Indian family where I had stretched my stomach already, this was not an ideal place to be, and I ended up eating until it hurt! It did mean that I didn't need to buy any food until I got to Chiang Mai though, which I guess saved me money! Being a VIP should have cost 3lakh which is nearly 4000 pounds, if I am exchanging it right, which is clearly an insane amount of money, even for what we got! To be a VIP on the Sunday of the races was 5lakh...mental! It was so much fun though and I could not for the life of me stop giggling, partly because of the champagne, partly because it was so surreal and I couldn't quite believe it was happening! 

All that was left then was to pop back to the house and say goodbye to Arpit's family, and then Arpit himself. It was sad to say goodbye, I really enjoyed staying with them and was so well looked after. I really hope some of the friends I have made in India will take me up on my offer of visiting the UK so one day I can repay the many favours they have done for me!

So that's it...goodbye India! Before I left I read everywhere that I would either love or hate India, and I definitely see now that that is true, and am so glad that I come down on the lover side! It is an incredible country with so much to see and do and I know that I will come back some time in the future to try and see and do some more of it! It has everything; amazing buildings, fascinating history, delicious food, diverse culture, breath taking nature, beautiful handicrafts and some of the loveliest people I have ever met. Yes, it also has squalor, heart breaking poverty, crooks, perverts and danger, but I think for me, these contrasts just highlighted the good points, and made me want to see even more of those! India attacks your senses from every side, and although sometimes, or most of the time, the experience is pretty overwhelming, it is never, not for a second, dull. Even the times I sat just quietly in a restaurant eating alone I was soaking up culture from every side and loving every minute of it. I am sad to have left there and cannot believe how quickly my time went, but I am also really excited to be in a completely new culture, ready to start learning all over again! 

I won't go in to Thailand in detail now - I have only been here just over 24 hours after all! - but will just say that so far I am very happy. My volunteer house is lovely; very clean and comfortable, and tomorrow I have orientation ready to start work on Tuesday, which I am both looking forward to and nervous about! There is another volunteer in the house who has been here 3 weeks though and she is very happy so far, so that bodes well I feel :) There are loads of internet places near my house so it should be easy to keep in touch here, so maybe I will write with a bit more regularity than in India! 

Lots of love, as always, 
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Hospital, the 'monument to love' and the state of kings...

Oh dear. I have been somewhat remiss with my blog of late, haven't I? However, I feel that I have a very good excuse seeing as I had to waste five of my precious days in India in hospital, and so since I escaped from there I have been trying to make the most of every second, let alone the multiple hours it takes to do a blog entry! Right now though I am sitting in a friend's living room in Delhi, and seeing as it is the day after Diwali and we celebrated pretty well last night, I am going to let him sleep for a bit longer before I drag him out of bed to take me sight-seeing in Delhi. The trouble is, the longer I leave updating this the longer I know it's going to take to write everything, so I can't promise that I'll be able to get up to the present day this morning. I should be able to get you slightly more up to speed with where I've been/what I've been doing/what an amazing time I have been having in this incredible country! 


So, as lots of you will know, after my last post I had that train to Agra. Well that was an interesting experience! I managed to make it there, through the journey, and to a hostel the other side on a stomach completely empty apart from copious glucose tablets; not something I would recommend anyone try unless they really have to. Once I got to my hostel I went straight back to bed (as I had been doing in Varanasi the last four days) and when I woke up I realised that I really wasn't getting any better on my own, and that maybe it was time to stop being so stubborn and insistent that it was only a traveller's tummy bug and that I could deal with it myself, and instead just go to see a doctor. Thank God I did, because as soon as I arrived in the surgery he diagnosed me with a fever, acute dehydration, low blood pressure and what he described as a stomach full of nasty bacteria, and told me that I needed to be admitted to hospital immediately. I went back to the hostel, picked up my stuff (luckily I hadn't even made it as far as opening my rucksack) and went in to the hospital. To be fair, I was really impressed with the hospital. I had my own room, which was very comfortable and clean and had a TV, which I made full use of once I got past the sleeping all day and all night phase! The people who were administering to me day to day didn't really speak wonderful English, which was hard at first because I was trying to ask them what all the different pills/IV fluids that they were giving me were and each time they looked a bit confused and then just said 'oh don't worry, it's for your stomach' and mimed rubbing their stomach and smiling. That unsettled me just a tad, but after the first few doses when nothing bad had happened and I was starting to feel more like myself again I decided that if I was there I might as well be there 100% and just trust them and let them get on  with it, and it worked out ok! Despite the language barrier they were very sweet to me, and were very keen to make sure I was happy with the care I was receiving and with the hospital in general, which I definitely was. The food was flippin' horrendous, but I think that's a given for hospitals, and my appetite was next to nothing anyway so it didn't really matter. Five days later then, after discovering that I had come down with a stomach full of e coli (which must have been quite bad because my doctor pulled a very entertaining 'worried face' when he told me), they decided I was well enough to be discharged and continue my travels, and although I still felt a bit battered and worn out, I completely agreed that it was time to get out of there and see some more of India. I was starting to itch to get back on the road, and feel it must be some sort of world record to be in Agra for five days and not even catch a glimpse of the Taj Mahal! 


The plan was to take it easy for a few days once I had left, but as with all the best laid plans, this one was shot to hell within an hour of leaving the hospital. Luckily, I had cancelled all my on going train tickets when I was leaving Varanasi because I didn't want to feel rushed to get better, so I hadn't missed an travel arrangements. However, that also meant that I didn't have any further travel arrangements, which when you are travelling on trains in India during festival season is not a good situation to be in! I spoke to me hostel manager about getting train tickets (they may have hostel manager as their job title, but they always seem to double as travel agents) and he informed me that there was not a chance that I was going to get a seat on a train to Jodhpur (which is in Rajasthan) in the nest few days, but that he knew of a sleeper bus that was leaving the next day that he could get me a seat on. After my experience from Bodhgaya to Varanasi I was somewhat reluctant to get back on to a long distance bus...especially as this one was actually advertised to be 13 hours, but I didn't really have a choice, so signed my name on the dotted line, handed over my rupees and decided to just hope for the best. That meant, however, that I had less than twenty four hours to see Agra, so I pretty much went straight to bed, setting my alarm for 4.30 the next morning so I could make the most of the time I had. 


I am so glad I did, because being up that early meant that I was at the Taj when it opened and got to see the sunrise there. It was absolutely stunning. I find it amazing, because I have seen (everybody has seen) so so many pictures of the Taj, in every light, from every angle, a million times over, and so I kind of thought that I would get there and it would just be everything I had seen but bigger. Somehow though, no picture, no matter how beautiful, seems able to capture its magnificence, its splendour, or its pure beauty. It really is the most awe inspiring building I have ever seen, with mind boggling symmetry at the heart of its design, a design so structured and precise that you would expect it to cause the whole thing to feel a bit stale or sterile, but somehow magnifies the essence of what the Taj is about and turns it into an experience in purity, rather than just a building. I know I am waxing lyrical a bit here, but honestly, it's hard to describe how it feels to stand in front of a building that perfect, especially when you have been imagining that moment since you were sixteen years old and started planning your gap year! By arriving before sunrise I got to see the Taj in many different lights and it changed subtly with each of them. When I first walked through the gate (which in itself was stunning) it was only just visible in the distance, with its outline sort of hazy and indistinct through the early morning haze. I headed straight for the marble platform that you see in all the photos and managed to have my picture on the Princess Diana bench (a touristy must I feel) before wandering around to get a look at it from all its different angles. As the sun started to come up, the outline became increasingly clearer, and the colour of the white marble altered through many shades of pink and orange, before settling on a mild yellow and eventually arriving at its startling white. It was beautiful to see the changing colours of the sunrise reflected on it, but I have to say I think it is at its best when the sun is properly up and you can see the unadulterated whiteness of the marble...it's quite remarkable how brightly it shines considering the amount of time it has been standing there. I read actually, that several years ago they gave it a sort of face mask made of clay from the Ganges, a face mask that Indian women used to use, and that that helped to bring it back to its original colour. Now no polluting vehicles are allowed within a certain distance of it, so it's not being damaged by smoke or exhaust fumes. 


I spent about four hours there in total, just wandering and then sitting and admiring, and of course going inside to see the tomb that it was all about. I think that the reason for its existence makes it an even more special building; that this guy would spend so much money and time and effort to construct a building that is an example of perfection, just so it could house and honour his dead wife is touching. The fact that soon after he was deposed by his own son and made a prisoner in his own fort across the river, from where he could only look at his creation (and wife) from a distance, and only returned to the Taj to be buried once he had died himself makes it such a tragic place, and that history resonates when you are walking around. It's interesting because in Indian culture men have always been (and to an extent still are) very much given a position of prominence, over women, but in this case, Mumtaz's (the wife) coffin is in the very centre of the tomb in line with the entrance, the marble platform, the archway and the entrance at the south gate, so if you stand at the foot of her coffin you are in the very centre of the whole momument. Shah Jahan in contrast, is off to one side, clearly the after thought, something I haven't seen anywhere else in India. He must have loved her very much, or else he was atoning for doing something very bad to her while she was alive! I'd like to think it's the first one though. 


I headed back to my hostel for breakfast because it has what Lonely Planet describes as the best view of the Taj from its roof top restaurant. It was really nice, but I think maybe more impressive before you actually visit the building itself; it's more like those postcard views again without the awe factor. As far as views go though it was a lovely one, and it's probably a sign of how many incredible things I have seen in India that I am being so blase about it! Once I'd eaten I headed to Agra fort, supposedly one of the most impressive examples of Mughal architecture in India. It was very impressive, with beautiful marble work and fabulous views of the Taj across the river. The trouble was though that there was not really very much information available around the place, and I refused to pay to have a guide who, as far as I knew, was spouting rubbish at me. I am glad I made that decision incidentally, because in Jodhpur I met a guy who had paid for a guide, who proceeded to tell him insightful things like 'this is a big red door' and 'here is a marble platform'...and I could see those things very well for myself! Not really knowing what I was looking at did mar my experience though, and I found myself sort of making up stories for different rooms/areas based on their names, which kept me entertained for a while but lost its appeal after a bit. Also, I was feeling the effects of my early morning and it was very hot, and to be fair I had been out of hospital less than twenty four hours, so I ended up just sitting under a tree inside the fort for quite a long time, reading up in Lonely Planet on where I was going next and taking in the ambience of everybody wandering round. It was a nice place to sit, but I'm not sure it was worth 250Rs to be there! Never mind though, if I hadn't gone I would have regretted it. 


My journey to Jodhpur was pretty uneventful. Although the guy in my hostel had promised me that it would be so comfortable - 'like a double bed' - it was by no stretch of the imagination luxurious, but it was fine for what I needed. I had my own (smaller than single) 'bed' which could be closed off from the rest of the bus and had a window, so I pretty much went to sleep as soon as I got on and slept on and off for the whole journey. The roads were in surprisingly good condition apart from every now and then when we would go over a rough patch for about ten minutes and I would be rattled around and got thoroughly battered. It definitely wasn't as comfortable as train travel but needs must and it was an acceptable alternative. Plus, it got me from a to b which is what I needed it to do! 


Jodhpur, I loved. It's a shame really that I was only there for one day (my train to Jaisalmer left the evening that I arrived into the city, so I didn't even stay there in the end...see what I mean about not taking it slow?!) but I managed to see quite a lot in that day so it's all good. I went up to the fort first, feeling a bit unsure after my Agra fort experience, but I am beyond glad I went. It's a fantastic building, right on the hill over looking the city and is a pretty formidable place! It also had the best audio guide I have ever heard...full of interesting information and the usual facts, but also with some hilarious dramatic monologues complete with sound effects, and a few interviews with real life princes and princesses of Rajasthan. It was great because I could just wander around at my own pace, listening to a bit of information when I wanted, sitting comfortably in the shade, with no hurry, no hassle and no confusion as to what I was looking at! It meant that I got a real idea of what the fort was like when it was up and running; it was so easy to picture what this charming Indian man, who was doing a very good attempt at a British accent, was telling me about and really made it come to life. They also had musicians and guards dressed in traditional Rajasthani dress all over the place and it was a really nice touch. It was one of the best places I've been for tastefully done tourist touches; they added to the experience in a good way, as opposed to making it cringy as is so often the case. I spent ages there, enjoying the fort and also the view of the city which was breathtaking. They call it the blue city and standing looking over it you can totally see why - pretty much every building has the walls facing the fort painted in different shades of blue. Apparently it began being used as the colour of the Brahmin caste (the highest caste) but now everyone can use it, and it doubles as an effective mosquito repellent! 


From the fort I headed over to the other side of the hill to a marble tomb, also built my Shah Jahan, which was like a mini Taj Mahal. It was a lovely contrast to the fort, very calm and peaceful and with a wonderful cool breeze, so I stayed there for a while relaxing and enjoying the view of the fort and city below. It's interesting, because in the distance from both fort and tomb you can see this amazing palace like building, which, it turns out, is the modern day palace of the current Prince of Jodhpur, where he and his family share their home with a very fancy hotel! It was only in the last century that Indira Gandhi took away the Rajasthani royalty's power and position in society, but to this day they are very much still treated as a royal family with a very important role to play in Rajasthani society. I really liked that about Jodhpur, because it made it feel like the history that I was seeing/hearing about was not something that was relevant only in the past, but that is important to the present as well. Rajasthani people are clearly, and rightly, very proud of their regal heritage and are very keen to keep it alive through cultural legacies like their forts, but also through their everyday lives - makes for a fascinating place to visit. My afternoon was spent wandering around the markets near the clock tower in the old town which was great fun. I ended up buying quite a few bits and pieces (my rucksack is stretched to capacity now...not sure what I'm going to do about shopping in Thailand!) like bangles and anklets, and really enjoyed the experience of chatting to people, drinking chai with them and having a good old barter. The only trouble was that they woman who wanted (very insistently) to sell me some bangles took the approach of just putting lots on me and then holding her hand over my wrist so I couldn't remove them. This would have been fine, but she chose the wrist that had had my IV in, and it was still (is still) very sore and bruised from all the liquids that they pumped in to me in hospital, so that was very painful. She must have thought it was just a bartering trick though, because there was no way she was letting go of my hand until I bought something. In stoical style however, I managed to see past the pain and still bartered her down from 400Rs to 100Rs...which I feel is a good effort! I also bought some amazing camel leather gold sparkly 'jootis', or shoes to you and me, which I am in love with (even though they are murder on my poor feet)! They were 250Rs, so about 3.50 pounds (there is no pound sign on Indian computers). 


My train to Jaisalmer was again uneventful, once I had booted the army man that was sleeping on my bed out of it! I've definitely become more assertive while I've been here; there is no way on this earth that I would have had the courage to wake up a burly and somewhat scary looking man in army uniform to tell him to get out of my bed when I first arrived, but I didn't even think twice about doing it! It's good, hopefully I can hold on to this new found confidence while I'm travelling the rest of the world, although I may have to tone it down in Thailand where people are generally a lot more laid back and easy going than here. 


In Jaisalmer I stayed in a hostel for 100Rs, which is about 1.50! Admittedly for this I had to share a bathroom with the men who worked in the hostel, but it was clean enough and I managed to use it to wash my clothes so for that price, I'm not complaining! I wish I could find accommodation that cheaply for the rest of my trip, but I think India is definitely going to be the cheapest place I'll visit. My first day there I went into their fort, which was completely different to any of the other forts I  have seen here. It is made of sandstone and so looks like a giant sand castle plonked in the middle of the desert, which made it look almost comical from the outside. Unlike in Jodhpur, the fort is an integral part of the city (or maybe town is the right word, Jaisalmer was a lot smaller than the other places I've been), and was walking distance from my hostel which was in the centre of the market. Also, the fort is not just a historical monument, but home to about 80% of Jaisalmer's population, and so full of houses, shops and places to eat amongst the temples, palace and havelis of olden times. Apparently this method of living is causing big problems for the fort's infrastructure, but it made it a fascinating place to walk around, with old and new coexisting in a really cool way. I spent quite a lot of time in the Jain temples there, which were choc-a-bloc with idols on every surface/wall/floor...just everywhere, but decided not to pay to go in to the palace, because I felt that it wouldn't be as good as Jodhpur and so was happy to just look from the outside. Jaisalmer was really really hot, so for the afternoon I found a roof top restaurant with a fort view that had a shaded area and fans, and so I sat there on my own for about three hours, enjoying a leisurely lunch, writing in my journal (which I am much better at doing regularly than this blog!) and enjoying a bit of a rest. The manager there was very sweet and just told me to sit as long as I liked, and offered for me to have a sleep on the comfy chairs if I felt I needed to, and then he just left me to it! The fact that that surprised me so much made me realise how 'in your face' people are here generally; I think that's the first time I have gone somewhere like that and just been left alone, without having to ask to be! Was a pleasant respite I must say. 


Early the next morning (I swear, I've been having early mornings this whole trip because I keep wanting to see sunrise in places!) I got up and packed and headed over to 'Trotters' for my camel safari! Trotters is run by a man named Del boy (!) who is lovely, but can't read or write, so has to ask foreigners to do all his email correspondence for him, makes it feel a very personal place! I was supposed to be doing my safari with a small group, but in the end it was just me and a middle aged Indian man from West Bengal. It was fine though, he was a nice guy and quite chatty, although he was a wildlife photographer and so spent a lot of time taking pictures. We went in a jeep for the first hour to get in to the desert proper, where we met Ramesh, our guide, and our three camels. Mine was called Lucky (I like to think he was lucky because he got me as a rider) and we got on famously...well as famously as you can get on with a camel! 


Before we set off we had breakfast - chai, biscuits, toast and fruit all prepared on a small campfire that the guide had prepared from sticks he found around in the desert. It boded well for the rest of the trip I felt that I was having the best breakfast I'd had since Kolkata, and it was in the desert! We got on to the camels without any lessons or information about what to expect, and the first time mine stood up it caused me a bit of a shock! The way they sit means that their legs are folded underneath them, and so when they stand they have to sort of unfold themselves which makes for a rocky ride where they lean right back before plunging forwards. Luckily I was holding on tight though, so there wasn't a drama before we had even set off! According to Ramesh he has never had anybody fall off a camel he has been in charge of, so I guess that's reassuring! For the morning we made our way through the desert quite slowly. The camel riding was surprisingly easy, I just had to sit there and didn't really even need to hold on. It definitely wasn't the most comfortable way to travel though; it was an extremely bumpy ride and my legs got sore very quickly from being stretched over the camel's back. I tried sitting side-saddle but it felt so unstable that I decided I'd rather the aching legs than have the constant fear of falling off! It was also crazily hot - I guess I should have expected that, it being the desert and all - and so I was decked out in true desert style with a scarf tied across my head and face, covering pretty much all my skin that was on show; I looked positively ridiculous, but preferred that to getting sun stroke! The desert itself was different to how I had imagined. Instead of sand dunes everywhere, there was this sort of scrubby shrub everywhere and low growing viney sort of plants. There was also a very annoying plant that had small thorn-like things all over it, and every time I got off Lucky I managed to brush past one and get my trousers covered in these little burrs...very uncomfortable! In the distance we could see small mountains and every now and then we passed these random piles of rocks or small huts which broke up the monotony. The huts were where local farmers spent the day while they were looking after their plants/animals. I have to say though, the 'farms' were not like any farms I've ever seen, and I'm really not sure that there would be any nutritional value in the plants that were growing in them...when there were any plants growing in them! The farmers were really interesting looking characters though, with amazingly bright colourful turbans/sarees, which looked so fantastic against the browns and greens of the desert landscape. 


We arrived at the spot where we were going to have lunch and sat down under a tree in the middle of a sort of field. It was 11.30 by this point and the sun was scorching, even in the shade, so I was glad of the rest! We relaxed there for about 4 hours to avoid the hottest part of the day, and in that time Ramesh cooked us a delicious lunch of chapatis, aloo ghobi and more chai. It was pretty impressive what he managed to cook over one small campfire, with very rudimentary implements and limited ingredients, but that meal was as tasty as anything else I have had in India...just goes to show that you don't need fancy ingredients or utensils to make really good food! I tried to help with the food, and was given the job of shaping the chapatis, but without a rolling pin I discovered that my chapati skills left a lot to be desired! I took so long to shape them that by the time they were nearing the right shape/size they had become horrible elasticy and lost their smooth surface, but bless Ramesh, he cooked them anyway and then just subtly left them until last so he would have to eat them! After a little sleep, Ramesh woke me with a watermelon that he had found nearby; turns out that farmers plant them all over the desert so if they find themselves stuck with no water they can open one of them to get rehydrated. It was really refreshing, and felt so authentic because he just opened it with his hands and then we picked at it any way we could to get all the goodness out...real desert living! 


The Indian guy had some bad news while he was sleeping as he had heard from his wife that his baby daughter had come down with a fever so he was going to have to leave early and not stay the night. I was worried for her, but also for me, because although Ramesh had been perfectly fine thus far, I wasn't sure it was the best idea to be alone in the desert with him with no way to get away. Fortunately, we soon after had a phone call to tell us that two guys from Switzerland were joining us for the evening, so that was a relief! They were a really sweet father and son who were taking their first holiday together just the two of them. They were very friendly, and a god0send because mt camera had run out of battery (very annoying) but they were more than happy to take pictures for me and email them to me later which was obviously great. Our afternoon was spent leisurely making our way to the dunes ready for sunset...


To be continued! Arpit just surfaced and family/friends have come for day after Diwali celebrations so can't sit here on a laptop or look very rude! Don't think I will get chance to write again before I get to Thailand as I leave tomorrow night and tomorrow during the day we are going to the F1 race in Delhi! So that'll be different! But I will try to write soon after I arrive in Thailand, I promise.


Hope that everybody is well and happy and enjoying the weather there (!) Incidentally, it's over 30 degrees here and sunny, just to let you know!


Lots and lots of love,
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