Five and a half weeks of new and wonderful experiences are hard to categorize into a blog. So many awesome moments in this country have made me never want to leave. Of course, I had to come back for my second semester at Dankook, but I have plans to go back to India and tour the whole country.
If you asked me to describe the country in one word, it would be colourful. The clothes, the fabrics, the accessories are all made from such colourful materials. But more, the people, the culture, the food, the music; everything about India was so colourful, so vibrant, so full of energy.
I am going to separate my posts about India by experience and not by chronological order.
1. Learning to grieve
2. The Patiala School for the Deaf and Blind
3. Rishikesh and the Himalayan Yog Ashram
4. The Wedding
I made my way to India after hearing about a volunteer program from a friend. Volunteer Vacation India is a program run by a generous philanthropic family in India who established a school for deaf and blind children, among other initiatives, and offer homestay placements for those who come to volunteer at the school. The Singh family was more than welcoming - they made me a part of their family and I participated in regular daily events with them. They went above and beyond to ensure that I was comfortable, and indeed I was. The family home is a treasure with beautiful trees and gardens located in Patiala, Punjab, in the north west of India.
My room
Super cute spiral staircase leading up to my room - I've always wanted one of these!
Kishan Baran - The 100 year old Family House
My room from the outside
Probably the biggest culture shock was the driving in India. There are no rules! You literally get a license without writing a test. You turn 18, walk in, and walk out with a license! Lane driving is non-existent and the explanation I got about the crazy driving was 'each person will save their own skin'. I saw so many things on the roads in India, including buses, trucks, cars, scooters, rickshaws,
autorickshaws, bicycles, pedestrians, tractors, dogs, livestock, horse/oxen/bull drawn carts, a camel, monkeys, and an elephant. Here are some short clips that show life on the road in India!
Monkeys!
Gunji Baba is a cousin and he was very keen on making the volunteers feel welcome and ensuring they made the most of their trip. One evening he took us to see the old palace in Patiala, which has since been converted into a sports training facility.
Earlier this year, Team JMS spent some time regrouping in Bali, Indonesia. It was a much needed break after our crazy end of term. Some highlights include soaking in the culture in Ubud, white water rafting on the Ayung river, hiking Mount Batur (a volcano) for sunrise, taking the Lobong Balinese cooking class, and getting our PADI Open Water Diver certification with World Diving in Nusa Lembongan. It was great to take some time out for the two of us. Check out our pics below!
Cheers,
Team JMS
- - Ubud - -
We stayed in a really nice hotel for a night in Ubud ...
... with an outdoor shower! It was the coolest feature.
Ubud Palace
Monkeys on a roof!
Rafting with friends!
- - Hiking Mount Batur - -
Sunrise over Lake Batur, mountain peaks in the distance from Lombok Island
Offering to the Gods on the top of the mountain
Volcanic steam
Volcanic steam and walking along a tiny ridge
On solid ground! With Mount Batur in the background
- - Lobong Cooking Experience - -
We started with a trip to the local market to buy the ingredients for the meal.
Then we got to preparing the courses!
Once everything was ready, we made an offering to the Gods at the family's temple, and then we ate!
- - Nusa Lembongan - -
Getting ready to dive!
After we passed our course, we rented scooters to tour the island. We ended up on the smaller, but taller Nusa Ceningan island where there were some great views, and we found our way to Devil's Peak where the waves and surge were incredible.
As is very common when you are an expat living in Korea, a friend of ours recently finished her contract and decided to move on. What is always a sad happening offered JM and I the opportunity to gain some freedom. We purchased her scooter and have been touring around town on two wheels. It's great to have the freedom to go where we want, when we want! Also, with my sporadic work schedule, having transportation to get to and from home is awesome. Biking to work was a great workout, but teaching when you are sweaty is not ideal. I'm very happy to have my own scooter!
I just wanted to apologize for the lack of communication. After the death of my grandfather and the grueling first semester teaching at University, I did not have the energy to blog much. There are a few posts that were drafted, but never published. I spent the winter holidays in India on a personal journey, sans JM, in search of inner peace because losing my grandfather and being unable to go home to say goodbye rocked my world (and not in the good way). Now that I am back from India, I will slowly be updating the blog.
Thanks for your patience and your continued support. Team JMS loves to hear from you and know that you are keeping up with us.
