Right, so...here I am! I actually don't know where to start. It feels like so much has happened already and apart from the actual 'stuff' happening, I feel like I have lots of impressions, musings and, I guess, (as the title of this blog suggests) wonderings that I want to convey to anybody interested enough to actually be reading this!
I suppose I will start at the very beginning of my trip...the flight. It was really sad saying goodbye to Livi and Dad at the airport, but thank goodness they came with me as I think it helped me to stay that much calmer for that much longer. Once they abandoned me at the security barrier (joke) I pretty much broke down and must have looked like a completely crazy person wandering through Heathrow on my own with a very blotchy face, randomly bursting into floods of tears...not the best of starts! It didn't help that there were people everywhere (I don't know really what else I would expect) and especially that they were all, as far as I could see anyway, in groups or pairings, and I seemed to be the only person insane enough to be doing this on my little biddy own. I needed some space, so I found my way to the prayer room, sat down on a blanket on my own and just focused on my breathing. It really helped that I had had so many supportive and positive messages from friends and family, as I could go through them in my mind and remember that there are lots of people thinking of me and sending me love (sorry if that sounds egotistical, it's not meant to!), and that although yes, I am undeniably on my own, in a less literal sense I have lots of people with me, which is helping a lot!
My actual flight was pretty uneventful. My seat was next to a grandmother, daughter and granddaughter, and only the daughter had ever flown before. The little girl was fidgetting like mad and refused to even sit down, let alone put her seatbelt on, and had eaten all of her sweets meant for take-off before the seatbelt sign had even come on. Needless to say, I thought I was in for a rough flight. Luckily though, the plane was relatively empty, and so after take off I was able to move to a seat at the back of the plane where there was an extra half-seat spare so I could stretch out a little. I managed to stay awake long enough to eat my food and watch nearly all of the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film, but by midnight I was so exhausted that I missed the last fifteen minutes in favour of sleep (if anyone has seen it, feel free to let me know the outcome!). I slept pretty well, well enough that I missed breakfast, and before I knew it we were in Delhi!
Again, my six hours in Delhi weren't the most exciting of my life. When I first got into departures for my flight to Kolkata it didn't really feel like India at all. There were lots of things around that I associate with Britain, like a WHSmith and an Early Learning Centre, and a relatively diverse mix of people. However, as the day went on it started to feel more and more unknown. I got a lot of attention (still am getting actually), and one group of men sat near to me for a while, clearly discussing me in Hindi (or maybe Urdu - I wish I'd learnt the flippin' language!), before the bravest one came over and asked to have his picture taken with me, like I was some sort of celebrity! Fortunately, I had just read the 'women travelling alone' section of my Lonely Planet book, which stipulated that in this instance just to say 'no' pretty forcefully, which I did, and then felt somewhat guilty as he looked so sheepish and left almost immediately. I guess rather that than have this random Indian man presenting the picture to people with me as his girlfriend!
The flight to Kolkata was fine. I was the only white person, and one of the only women, so I definitely stood out, but it wasn't an issue. I watched a Bollywood film about a wedding company which was, in true Bollywood style, extremely colourful, vibrant and over-the-top, and exactly what I needed! Coming in to Kolkata I was really surprised at how dark it was - it was only 8pm but it was pitch black outside, and it actually turns out that it's pretty much dark here by 6.30...it's because it's closer to the equator I think, although I don't fully grasp the concept! My taxi journey to my homestay was mental. Truly insane. The roads here are crazy, with people weaving in and out of lanes like they don't even exist, veering off at junctions on the wrong side of the road with absolutely no indication that they are planning on doing so, cutting people up left, right and centre as if they always have right-of-way, talking on their mobiles, turning their engines off at every pause of 30 seconds or more, and the whole time (literally) beeping their horn as violently as they can manage! Whether this is in protest of what someone else has done, to warn other drivers of what they are planning, or just simply because they like the way it sounds I can't quite work out..but it certainly makes for exciting driving! To make matters infinitely more chaotic, I arrived just at the end of one of the most important football matches Kolkata has hosted in recent history. The roads were choc-a-bloc not only with taxis and cars, but with auto rickshaws, normal rickshaws, motorbikes, mopeds, bicycles, buses, lorries, and a lot of pedestrians thrown in for good measure. Every vehicle was full to bursting, and I couldn't quite get my head around the sheer number of people everywhere...pretty overwhelming.
I finally got to my homestay though, and in one piece too, and it is lovely. My hostess, Minu, is 90 years old and quite a remarkable woman. She has travelled extensively, has family all over the world, has people calling throughout the day and is so gracious and elegant. She actually reminds me a lot of my Gran, which is really nice. I have my own room and bathroom, both of which are very comfortable, and I have my own meals cooked for me, as Minu likes to eat alone. It's a shame really, as I feel that if we ate together we would chat more, but I think she gets tired quite quickly (which is completely understandable at her age!), and talking to me seems to wear her out...I must try to speak more slowly! However, eating alone does mean I get to focus all my attention on the food, which is a bonus as it is delicious! Minu has two people who are her domestic help, and Goran, her cook, lives there all the time. He is an amazing cook and concocts the most wonderful, delicately flavoured vegetarian meals for me including lots of vegetable dishes and some mouth-watering fish, all balanced by the loveliest rice I've ever tasted (sorry Mum, Delia's rice is still a close second, and I'm sure Goran couldn't cook a roast like you!). I'm finding it very odd living in a house with what I can only really describe as servants, but I am just trying to accept that this is one way of Indian living, and that different cultural norms are exactly what I wanted to experience this year. It's even more strange though as I actually have my own help, in the form of a lovely lady who comes to do my washing and sort my room out. When Minu asked if I wanted help I was adamant that, no, I could very happily do my own washing, but she said that this lady really needs the money, and asked if I would please accept her. It feels weird, but I am just trying to leave things as neat and tidy as possible without offending anybody and I plan to tip very generously when I leave!
Ok, so that touches on the journey and my homestay, so now I guess it's on to the project! Unfortunately I have rambled on for so long that I am almost out of time, and if I don't send a few emails as well I will have no loved ones left to bother returning to! For now I can sum up the project really easily: I. Love. It. And that's it! It's an amazing place, with amazing people (staff and kids), and I think it is going to be an AMAZING experience! I promise that I will write about it properly very soon. I have been trying to find an internet cafe for the last few days (there is no internet at my homestay), but despite being on a very busy street I just couldn't see one. In fact, I still haven't found one exactly, but rather am in a strange little room with 5 computers in a row and nothing else. I'm not complaining though, as it is about a 3 minute walk from my homestay, so now I've found it I can come here pretty easily. It's good actually, because as awful as it sounds, not being able to freely use my phone (I haven't sorted out an Indian sim yet, so it's still costing me a small fortune) and not being able to find an internet source was making me feel a little antsy, so it's nice to know that there is one nearby - not that I'm promising to write every day...I still want to experience Kolkata on the streets, and not from a small air-conditioned room (as nice as having air-conditioning is)!
I think I will leave it there for now; I'm sure there is enough here to keep even my most avid fan (Mum) entertained for a little while. Just know that I am very happy, really enjoying myself, and although I am missing lots of people very much, so far I have not been crippled by homesickness, which I can only say is a very good thing! Now I've done this, lots of you have to keep up your end of the deal by filling me in on your lives, so I will expect lots of facebook messages whenever I log on again, going through your lives in extensive detail!
Lots and lots of love from a very hot, steamy, manic, chaotic, loud, smelly, colourful, completely overwhelming and absolutely flippin' incredible Kolkata!
xxxxxxxxxxxx
I suppose I will start at the very beginning of my trip...the flight. It was really sad saying goodbye to Livi and Dad at the airport, but thank goodness they came with me as I think it helped me to stay that much calmer for that much longer. Once they abandoned me at the security barrier (joke) I pretty much broke down and must have looked like a completely crazy person wandering through Heathrow on my own with a very blotchy face, randomly bursting into floods of tears...not the best of starts! It didn't help that there were people everywhere (I don't know really what else I would expect) and especially that they were all, as far as I could see anyway, in groups or pairings, and I seemed to be the only person insane enough to be doing this on my little biddy own. I needed some space, so I found my way to the prayer room, sat down on a blanket on my own and just focused on my breathing. It really helped that I had had so many supportive and positive messages from friends and family, as I could go through them in my mind and remember that there are lots of people thinking of me and sending me love (sorry if that sounds egotistical, it's not meant to!), and that although yes, I am undeniably on my own, in a less literal sense I have lots of people with me, which is helping a lot!
My actual flight was pretty uneventful. My seat was next to a grandmother, daughter and granddaughter, and only the daughter had ever flown before. The little girl was fidgetting like mad and refused to even sit down, let alone put her seatbelt on, and had eaten all of her sweets meant for take-off before the seatbelt sign had even come on. Needless to say, I thought I was in for a rough flight. Luckily though, the plane was relatively empty, and so after take off I was able to move to a seat at the back of the plane where there was an extra half-seat spare so I could stretch out a little. I managed to stay awake long enough to eat my food and watch nearly all of the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film, but by midnight I was so exhausted that I missed the last fifteen minutes in favour of sleep (if anyone has seen it, feel free to let me know the outcome!). I slept pretty well, well enough that I missed breakfast, and before I knew it we were in Delhi!
Again, my six hours in Delhi weren't the most exciting of my life. When I first got into departures for my flight to Kolkata it didn't really feel like India at all. There were lots of things around that I associate with Britain, like a WHSmith and an Early Learning Centre, and a relatively diverse mix of people. However, as the day went on it started to feel more and more unknown. I got a lot of attention (still am getting actually), and one group of men sat near to me for a while, clearly discussing me in Hindi (or maybe Urdu - I wish I'd learnt the flippin' language!), before the bravest one came over and asked to have his picture taken with me, like I was some sort of celebrity! Fortunately, I had just read the 'women travelling alone' section of my Lonely Planet book, which stipulated that in this instance just to say 'no' pretty forcefully, which I did, and then felt somewhat guilty as he looked so sheepish and left almost immediately. I guess rather that than have this random Indian man presenting the picture to people with me as his girlfriend!
The flight to Kolkata was fine. I was the only white person, and one of the only women, so I definitely stood out, but it wasn't an issue. I watched a Bollywood film about a wedding company which was, in true Bollywood style, extremely colourful, vibrant and over-the-top, and exactly what I needed! Coming in to Kolkata I was really surprised at how dark it was - it was only 8pm but it was pitch black outside, and it actually turns out that it's pretty much dark here by 6.30...it's because it's closer to the equator I think, although I don't fully grasp the concept! My taxi journey to my homestay was mental. Truly insane. The roads here are crazy, with people weaving in and out of lanes like they don't even exist, veering off at junctions on the wrong side of the road with absolutely no indication that they are planning on doing so, cutting people up left, right and centre as if they always have right-of-way, talking on their mobiles, turning their engines off at every pause of 30 seconds or more, and the whole time (literally) beeping their horn as violently as they can manage! Whether this is in protest of what someone else has done, to warn other drivers of what they are planning, or just simply because they like the way it sounds I can't quite work out..but it certainly makes for exciting driving! To make matters infinitely more chaotic, I arrived just at the end of one of the most important football matches Kolkata has hosted in recent history. The roads were choc-a-bloc not only with taxis and cars, but with auto rickshaws, normal rickshaws, motorbikes, mopeds, bicycles, buses, lorries, and a lot of pedestrians thrown in for good measure. Every vehicle was full to bursting, and I couldn't quite get my head around the sheer number of people everywhere...pretty overwhelming.
I finally got to my homestay though, and in one piece too, and it is lovely. My hostess, Minu, is 90 years old and quite a remarkable woman. She has travelled extensively, has family all over the world, has people calling throughout the day and is so gracious and elegant. She actually reminds me a lot of my Gran, which is really nice. I have my own room and bathroom, both of which are very comfortable, and I have my own meals cooked for me, as Minu likes to eat alone. It's a shame really, as I feel that if we ate together we would chat more, but I think she gets tired quite quickly (which is completely understandable at her age!), and talking to me seems to wear her out...I must try to speak more slowly! However, eating alone does mean I get to focus all my attention on the food, which is a bonus as it is delicious! Minu has two people who are her domestic help, and Goran, her cook, lives there all the time. He is an amazing cook and concocts the most wonderful, delicately flavoured vegetarian meals for me including lots of vegetable dishes and some mouth-watering fish, all balanced by the loveliest rice I've ever tasted (sorry Mum, Delia's rice is still a close second, and I'm sure Goran couldn't cook a roast like you!). I'm finding it very odd living in a house with what I can only really describe as servants, but I am just trying to accept that this is one way of Indian living, and that different cultural norms are exactly what I wanted to experience this year. It's even more strange though as I actually have my own help, in the form of a lovely lady who comes to do my washing and sort my room out. When Minu asked if I wanted help I was adamant that, no, I could very happily do my own washing, but she said that this lady really needs the money, and asked if I would please accept her. It feels weird, but I am just trying to leave things as neat and tidy as possible without offending anybody and I plan to tip very generously when I leave!
Ok, so that touches on the journey and my homestay, so now I guess it's on to the project! Unfortunately I have rambled on for so long that I am almost out of time, and if I don't send a few emails as well I will have no loved ones left to bother returning to! For now I can sum up the project really easily: I. Love. It. And that's it! It's an amazing place, with amazing people (staff and kids), and I think it is going to be an AMAZING experience! I promise that I will write about it properly very soon. I have been trying to find an internet cafe for the last few days (there is no internet at my homestay), but despite being on a very busy street I just couldn't see one. In fact, I still haven't found one exactly, but rather am in a strange little room with 5 computers in a row and nothing else. I'm not complaining though, as it is about a 3 minute walk from my homestay, so now I've found it I can come here pretty easily. It's good actually, because as awful as it sounds, not being able to freely use my phone (I haven't sorted out an Indian sim yet, so it's still costing me a small fortune) and not being able to find an internet source was making me feel a little antsy, so it's nice to know that there is one nearby - not that I'm promising to write every day...I still want to experience Kolkata on the streets, and not from a small air-conditioned room (as nice as having air-conditioning is)!
I think I will leave it there for now; I'm sure there is enough here to keep even my most avid fan (Mum) entertained for a little while. Just know that I am very happy, really enjoying myself, and although I am missing lots of people very much, so far I have not been crippled by homesickness, which I can only say is a very good thing! Now I've done this, lots of you have to keep up your end of the deal by filling me in on your lives, so I will expect lots of facebook messages whenever I log on again, going through your lives in extensive detail!
Lots and lots of love from a very hot, steamy, manic, chaotic, loud, smelly, colourful, completely overwhelming and absolutely flippin' incredible Kolkata!
xxxxxxxxxxxx
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