I arrived at length at Cairo, mother of cities and seat of Pharaoh the tyrant, boundless in multitude of buildings, peerless in beauty and splendor, the meeting-place of comer and goer, the halting-place of feeble and mighty, whose throngs surge as waves of sea.
-Ibn Battuta, 14th Century globetrotter
Flying into Cairo, I was surprised by the vast desert that surronded the huge city. It was a bit shocking to be back on the road again, after a week in England, but was thrilled to see Toriann waiting for me outside of customs. We made our way to a taxi and somehow picked the one taxi driver that had a bone to pick with the security gaurd. After we threw our luggage in trunk, the security gaurd was practically in the car beating on the our driver. The driver was not phased though and drove away, leaving the gaurd, yelling, in the dust. Welcome to Egypt. :)
Honestly, I was so nervous to travel into Egypt. After the hectic, always hasseling, invading your space, crazy traffic of India, I thought Egypt would be even worse. And then two days before we were supposed to arrive, there was the bombing in the tourist market. But, so far, and not to jinx anything, Egypt has been a pleasant surprise. The men can still be assertive and foward, you still feel as if you are always being ripped off and everyone has a shop or expedition that they insist you must visit, but overall, our experience in Cairo was safe, pleasant and incredibly rich with amazing experiences.
Our first full day in Cairo, we arranged a private driver to take us to the great pyramids of Giza. We were driven straight to the 'Office of horse and camel to pyramids trip', where we met Mahmoud, a friendly Egyptian man who after much haggeling led us onto the pyramid grounds on Moses and MickeyMouse, our camels for the day. We spent about 3 hours wandering the huge area that surronds the 9 pyramids. There are 3 main pyramids, built for 3 pharaohs from the 4th dynasty-Cheops, Chephren, and Mycerinus. The three were a son-grandson trio who ruled in the 26th century BCE. The surronding six smaller pyramids were built for the wives and children of the pharoahs, and all 9 of the pyramids contain its own funery complex. When one of the rulers died, the mummified body was brought across the Nile by boat and placed to rest in the scared center of the pyramid. After taking in the immenseness of the pyramids, we climbed off Moses and Mickey, and entered into the largest of the pyrmids. It was largely disapointing, way too hot and claustraphobic, and steep. The small tunnel down into the pyramid led you to a small room, and then another tunnel back up into another small room. The rooms were all empty and although it was cool to be inside, that was about it. Everything from the pyramids had been removed and was now in the Egypt museum.
Next we rode to the nearby Sphinx. The Sphinx was so much smaller than I imagined, even though it is 80 mt long and 22 mt high. He looks pretty friendly, even with his missing nose and ear (which are in the British museum). The identity of the Sphinx is still debated, but Egyptian folklore says that he is half-human, half-tiger who protects the pyramids from theives....however, if that is his purpose, he seems to have done a pretty average job.
After completing our tour of the pyramids, we realized that riding a camel was not the most comfortable thing in the world, and realized we were both sore and stiff. But, no time to rest, we headed off with our driver to our next destination-Saqqara.
Saqqara is the home of the famous Step Pyramid of Zoser I. Built in 2630 BCE, it is the worlds oldest funerary momument and the inspiration for the pyramids. It was designed by the innovative architect Imhotep, who was not satisfied with a simple rectaungular design, but instead went with a stacked, layered look. The pyramid seemed to be under a lot of construction and about half of it was blocked off. Toriann and I decided to hike around to the back to take a look though and once out of sight of the gaurds was invited into the blocked off area by a local 'guide' He rushed us past the fence and down the stairs into the base of the pyramid (which is certainly not open for visitors!!) He then led us to see the statue of King Zoser I, hidden from visitor as well by construction barricades and a large stone with a small peep hole. It was amazing to see, so happy to break the rules, which we normally never do :), and see another side of Saqqara.
After Saqqara, we made our way back to the pyramids for a late lunch and then another camel ride to the top of a sandy hill to watch the sunset over the pyramids. It was a bit painful to get back on the camel, but we mastered the crazy camel gallop. Mahmoud, our friendly host, provided us with tea, sheesha, and a marriage propousal for Toriann, including 17 camels, 2 horses and 2 kilos of fruits. It was tempting for T, but since he already had 3 wives, she decided to say no...(she would rather have the first wife position). juuust kidding.
The next day we spent enjoying Cairo and the Egyptian museum. We had amazing coffee at one of Cairos famous coffee shops before spending a solid 3 or 4 hours in the museum. The museum is immense, one of the worlds greatest collection of artifacts, although the display is very average. According to Lonely Planet, the museum holds over 100k artifacts and if you spent 1 minute looking at each display, it would take you over nine months to work your way through the museum. Toriann and I loved the Tutankhaumans room and the jewelry rooms.
Our afternoon in Cairo was spent wondering around Islamic Cairo, visiting the Wikala mosques and the great bazaar of Khan al-Khalili.
Exhausted from walking so much of the city, we had a quick dinner at our favorite Fafafel place and headed to the train station for our overnight train to the south of Egypt-first stop Aswan.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Good-bye India
In a few short hours I will be leaving India and I am sad to have to say good bye to this beautiful country. India happens to be the longs place Heather and I have stayed in and we have both really enjoyed our time here. India is unlike any country we have visited so far on this trip and we hope that through each of our blogs we have given you a better insight to the culture, people and life here. Either way, if by chance you have an interest at all about India I highly recommend seeing the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” as well as seeing or reading the book “The City of Joy.”
While we were in Kolkata we had the time to go and see “Slumdog Millionaire” and really enjoyed it. Its about a young man who goes on the TV show 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' and the story of his life unfolds through the questions he is asked. The movie takes place in Mumbai which happens to be where I am right now and about 55% of the people in Mumbai live in the slums. The movie is well directed and is absolutely wonderful. When it was over and time for us to leave Heather and I both felt that as we walked out of the theater we had actually just stepped into the movie. The movie gives a good visual to life as an Indian and plus I know its out in the theaters, so go and see it, I promise you will love it too.
I also recommend reading the book “The City of Joy” by, Dominique Lapierre. I'm currently only a few chapters in but I already feel as though I have a better sense of the peoples lives in Kolkata. As I have said before, Kolkata is one of my favorite places and while living on Sudder St. we were told by other backpackers to go and have a drink at the Farelan Hotel. Curious as to why, we learn that when the book was turned into a movie they filmed part of it at this hotel. Well of course we felt it honorary to be able to see where the movie was filmed and enjoy in a cold refreshment. So if you don't have the time to read the book see the movie, its supposed to be good. Plus, it has Patrick Swayze in it so if you are a fan of him you will for sure live it. Either way I hope you are enjoying the blogs and the next time you check we will be on a different continent, embracing new people, learning another religion, tasting different spices, and seeing ancient ruins.
While we were in Kolkata we had the time to go and see “Slumdog Millionaire” and really enjoyed it. Its about a young man who goes on the TV show 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' and the story of his life unfolds through the questions he is asked. The movie takes place in Mumbai which happens to be where I am right now and about 55% of the people in Mumbai live in the slums. The movie is well directed and is absolutely wonderful. When it was over and time for us to leave Heather and I both felt that as we walked out of the theater we had actually just stepped into the movie. The movie gives a good visual to life as an Indian and plus I know its out in the theaters, so go and see it, I promise you will love it too.
I also recommend reading the book “The City of Joy” by, Dominique Lapierre. I'm currently only a few chapters in but I already feel as though I have a better sense of the peoples lives in Kolkata. As I have said before, Kolkata is one of my favorite places and while living on Sudder St. we were told by other backpackers to go and have a drink at the Farelan Hotel. Curious as to why, we learn that when the book was turned into a movie they filmed part of it at this hotel. Well of course we felt it honorary to be able to see where the movie was filmed and enjoy in a cold refreshment. So if you don't have the time to read the book see the movie, its supposed to be good. Plus, it has Patrick Swayze in it so if you are a fan of him you will for sure live it. Either way I hope you are enjoying the blogs and the next time you check we will be on a different continent, embracing new people, learning another religion, tasting different spices, and seeing ancient ruins.
Sivananda Yoga Ashram
A few months before leaving on this great adventure I read a book called “Eat Pray Love” by, Elizabeth Gilbert. Elizabeth travels to three countries Italy, Indonesia, and India and while she was in India she stayed at an ashram. For the past several years I have had an interest in yoga but was to intimidated to take a class because I knew nothing and so I thought what better way to learn yoga but spending a week or more at an ashram. Her visit to the ashram really inspired me to visit a yoga ashram while I was in India. Before coming I had briefly looked into a few and even while I was traveling I had the idea in the back of my head but nothing really stood out to me nor did it seem to fit in to our plans. Well the week we were in Kolkata, I meet this woman named Kelly who told me of her travel plans and she mentioned she was headed down to Kerala to spend a few weeks at a Sivananda Yoga Ashram. Kelly and I talked and I mentioned I was interested but had no yoga experience but am very eager to learn. Well from the people she had meet who had been there in the past said this place is great for beginners and is not as intense as most ashrams. After our talk I went to the internet and looked at the website and was sold. Roughly two weeks from when I meet Kelly I surprised her with an email telling her I was coming and would see her in two days time.
I have just finished my week here and am very sad to be leaving so soon, yet I know many great experiences are yet to come in new places. While I was here my days were packed in a relaxing way. We got up every morning at 5:30 am and headed down to satsang which was meditation, chanting, and a talk. After Morning satsang we all gathered outside for chai tea, which warmed our tummy's and gave us a burst of energy for yoga class which was from 8-10am. By now most of us are very hungry which was good because brunch was served. The meals are always vegetarian and on most days it was good but every two days the meal was not so great. After brunch we were called to do our karma yoga, mine was cleaning my dorms bathroom. I worked with two other woman who also had dormitory bathrooms and our little team worked very hard and efficiently. Fortunate for me one of the other women volunteered to clean the toilets so I either swept or mopped which is better because, I hate cleaning toilets. Once our karma yoga was finished we had a bit of free time to sleep, take a dip in the lake, visit the internet, or lounge on the lawn. At around 1:30 we all gathered to enjoy in some tea and snack before heading to lecture. Lecture was interesting and boring all together but once lecture was over we headed to afternoon yoga class. By now its 6pm and we are drained from yoga class and eager to eat our second meal for the day. Dinner was always a let dawn because it was never as big as lunch which I suppose is good However, in all honesty most of us spent our after dinner free time at the health hut indulging in tasty fruit milkshake, fruit salad, or anything else they had on the menu. Now that our tummy's were full from dinner and our added snack we all gathered for evening satsung which lasted from 8-10pm. By the time satsung was over all of us walked back to our bedrooms anxious sleep and prepare ourselves to repeat it all the very next day.
During my time at the ashram I have learned and experienced a lot. During satsung we were asked to sit cross legged for 20 minutes and meditate. Well I have learned that it is very hard to sit still for that long. I last about 2-5 minutes before I can no longer sit still and need to move and change position. . . very frustrating. We also sang chants that are written in Sanskrit which is hard to read most of the time but has a very catchy melody and has a way of sticking in your head. Randomly throughout the day I caught myself as well as others chanting or humming away and not even realizing it. “Om Namah Sivaaya, Om Namah Sivaaya, Om Namah Sivaaya, Om Namah Sivaaya” At meal time, I learned to only eat with my right fingers which made me feel like a child again. I however focused on mastering how to best clean my plate to make it look like food had never been served on it. In comparison to my first day I felt as though I improved day by day, give me another week or so I for sure would have masted the Indian way of eating. Those are just some of the things I learned, but the most important thing I learned and will forever take with me are the yoga posses. There are several and I have yet to master them all but have learned the techniques and with a little practice I will hopefully improve. I suppose with anything the more you practice the better you get, so maybe someday I will be able to sit silently without moving for 20 minutes or more.
While I was at the ashram I was fortunate enough to go to the grand opening of the Sivananda Yoga center they had built in Trivandrum. Trivandrum is the main city outside of where I was staying and all of us students were invited. We were asked to dress in traditional clothing and well I was super excited because this meant I could put on my sari. Unsure as to how to actually put it on I asked one of the local women who was working at the ashram to please help me. Well of course word got around and with in a matter of time I had all the local women in my room helping me put on this sari. One woman said it was a wedding sari and to be honest I did feel like a bride with all the women around me helping me get dressed, but gladly I am not and instead went to the grand opening. One perk to all the women helping me is I learned how to put the sari on so next time I will be able to do it myself.
The grand opening was tones of fun and one of the most exciting things was that the King or should I say Maharajah of Kerala came to inaugurate the building. Sadly or more disappointingly he did not stay for the whole festival but we manged to continue on and enjoy the evening. We sat and chanted a bit before we indulged ourselves in a traditional Indian meal. After dinner we took a look around the building, chatted with people and then were called back inside for evening satsung. This satsung was shorter and quite different because a band came to play. The band was amazing, their were three of them and they each played a different type of old instrument, one being a sitar...i think. The evening was so much fun and most everyone dressed in traditional clothing and looked amazing. I just kept saying what fortunate timing it was to be here and to be invited to take part in this grand opening. I believe this Sivananda yoga center will due a lot for the people of Trivandrum as well as all Sivananda followers.
Over all, my week at the ashram was great and I would recommend to anyone interested in yoga to go and spend some time in an ashram because I think it offers a different feeling then what one might get at home from their yoga class. I'm so glad I meet Kelly and she told me about this place because if it wasn't for her I'm not sure I would have made it to an ashram during my time here in India. Its amazing how things work out. Om Santih Santih Santih (Om Peace Peace Peace)
I have just finished my week here and am very sad to be leaving so soon, yet I know many great experiences are yet to come in new places. While I was here my days were packed in a relaxing way. We got up every morning at 5:30 am and headed down to satsang which was meditation, chanting, and a talk. After Morning satsang we all gathered outside for chai tea, which warmed our tummy's and gave us a burst of energy for yoga class which was from 8-10am. By now most of us are very hungry which was good because brunch was served. The meals are always vegetarian and on most days it was good but every two days the meal was not so great. After brunch we were called to do our karma yoga, mine was cleaning my dorms bathroom. I worked with two other woman who also had dormitory bathrooms and our little team worked very hard and efficiently. Fortunate for me one of the other women volunteered to clean the toilets so I either swept or mopped which is better because, I hate cleaning toilets. Once our karma yoga was finished we had a bit of free time to sleep, take a dip in the lake, visit the internet, or lounge on the lawn. At around 1:30 we all gathered to enjoy in some tea and snack before heading to lecture. Lecture was interesting and boring all together but once lecture was over we headed to afternoon yoga class. By now its 6pm and we are drained from yoga class and eager to eat our second meal for the day. Dinner was always a let dawn because it was never as big as lunch which I suppose is good However, in all honesty most of us spent our after dinner free time at the health hut indulging in tasty fruit milkshake, fruit salad, or anything else they had on the menu. Now that our tummy's were full from dinner and our added snack we all gathered for evening satsung which lasted from 8-10pm. By the time satsung was over all of us walked back to our bedrooms anxious sleep and prepare ourselves to repeat it all the very next day.
During my time at the ashram I have learned and experienced a lot. During satsung we were asked to sit cross legged for 20 minutes and meditate. Well I have learned that it is very hard to sit still for that long. I last about 2-5 minutes before I can no longer sit still and need to move and change position. . . very frustrating. We also sang chants that are written in Sanskrit which is hard to read most of the time but has a very catchy melody and has a way of sticking in your head. Randomly throughout the day I caught myself as well as others chanting or humming away and not even realizing it. “Om Namah Sivaaya, Om Namah Sivaaya, Om Namah Sivaaya, Om Namah Sivaaya” At meal time, I learned to only eat with my right fingers which made me feel like a child again. I however focused on mastering how to best clean my plate to make it look like food had never been served on it. In comparison to my first day I felt as though I improved day by day, give me another week or so I for sure would have masted the Indian way of eating. Those are just some of the things I learned, but the most important thing I learned and will forever take with me are the yoga posses. There are several and I have yet to master them all but have learned the techniques and with a little practice I will hopefully improve. I suppose with anything the more you practice the better you get, so maybe someday I will be able to sit silently without moving for 20 minutes or more.
While I was at the ashram I was fortunate enough to go to the grand opening of the Sivananda Yoga center they had built in Trivandrum. Trivandrum is the main city outside of where I was staying and all of us students were invited. We were asked to dress in traditional clothing and well I was super excited because this meant I could put on my sari. Unsure as to how to actually put it on I asked one of the local women who was working at the ashram to please help me. Well of course word got around and with in a matter of time I had all the local women in my room helping me put on this sari. One woman said it was a wedding sari and to be honest I did feel like a bride with all the women around me helping me get dressed, but gladly I am not and instead went to the grand opening. One perk to all the women helping me is I learned how to put the sari on so next time I will be able to do it myself.
The grand opening was tones of fun and one of the most exciting things was that the King or should I say Maharajah of Kerala came to inaugurate the building. Sadly or more disappointingly he did not stay for the whole festival but we manged to continue on and enjoy the evening. We sat and chanted a bit before we indulged ourselves in a traditional Indian meal. After dinner we took a look around the building, chatted with people and then were called back inside for evening satsung. This satsung was shorter and quite different because a band came to play. The band was amazing, their were three of them and they each played a different type of old instrument, one being a sitar...i think. The evening was so much fun and most everyone dressed in traditional clothing and looked amazing. I just kept saying what fortunate timing it was to be here and to be invited to take part in this grand opening. I believe this Sivananda yoga center will due a lot for the people of Trivandrum as well as all Sivananda followers.
Over all, my week at the ashram was great and I would recommend to anyone interested in yoga to go and spend some time in an ashram because I think it offers a different feeling then what one might get at home from their yoga class. I'm so glad I meet Kelly and she told me about this place because if it wasn't for her I'm not sure I would have made it to an ashram during my time here in India. Its amazing how things work out. Om Santih Santih Santih (Om Peace Peace Peace)
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Andaman Islands
Our relaxing and free of horn honking week on the Andaman Islands (AI) was amazing and such a treat. Going to the AI was not part of our original India plan, but things rarely happen according to plan. After spending a week in the freezing cold of Darjeeling, we were easily persuaded by some fellow travelers to visit the AI where warm weather, beautiful white sand beaches, blue water, and diving would await. Although a few weeks had passed since we left the cold and we were very much enjoying our time volunteering at the Mother House, we were still super excited.
Our flight landed us in Port Blair so we quickly headed to the ferry dock to catch the ferry to Havelock Island were we spent our week. Havelock is a little island that consist of seven beaches, or should i say six because beach six doesn't seem to exist. As we debarked from the ferry we were handed a flyer by the owner of Eco Villa promoting his hostel. Since we had read about it and the price was right we decided to settle down on beach number 2 at the lovely Eco Villa. Tired and exhausted from our travels, we enjoyed a nice dinner sitting under coconut trees at our hostel and just stared out on to the water and watched the moons reflection ripple on the water.
Refreshed and eager to dive, we headed to Dive India to book our Advance Open Water course as well as a day of fun diving. Our AOW consisted of five dives: navigation, deep, photography, naturalist and night dive plus a little book reading. Since a standard trip usually consist of two dives in one boat trip we were able to complete our course in two days. Viskos, our dive instructor was super nice and such a great teacher. He is from Goa originally but has lived on Havelock for the past three years and really enjoys being on instructor and working wit his students. Our course went smoothly and we both enjoyed it tremendously because we had a focus and purpose for our dives. For each of the dives we were able to photograph what we saw and learn how best to capture life underwater. Viskos also told us about different species of fish for example, it is most common to see angel fishes travel in two because they mate for life. During our night dive we focused on the micro living things. It is a bit scary not being able to see your surroundings but the night dive offers such a different outlook to the underwater world, we saw several fish sleeping, bio luminescences, basket star fish and much more. All together we saw grouper, school of barracuda, lion fish, shrimp, snapper, an electric clam, crocodile fish and so much more. At a few of the dive spots we visited it felt as though we were in a movie, like the movie Finding Nemo. The coral just covered the bottom for miles and there are just so many fish swimming around living their life. It is just such an experience to be able to breath underwater and watch them all live in their natural habitat. Our diving days were the best.
When we were not diving we were most often relaxing on the beach and hanging out with our Danish friends Mikael, Adam and Heidi. One afternoon the boys went out fishing and Mikael the lucky one he was caught a fish. The fish was massive and as kind as the guys were they invited us over to there hostels restaurant to enjoy in a lovely dinner. One of the chefs cooked up the fish as well as some side dishes, mushroom rice, tomato and cucumber salad, and garlic cooked vegetables. Turns out the dinner is one of the best dinners we have had on our trip. The food was delicious and there was so much of it we ended up sharing it with all the cooks. It was so nice to be sitting among friends enjoying this wonderful meal and all eating together at the same time. Thank you Mikael for catching the fish.
Our week on the island flew by and although we decided to skip Nepal so that we could come here we are so very glad we did. The weather suited us and our clothing much better. Of all the countries we have traveled to we both agree that India is definitely a country we will come back too. And although we have yet to visit Nepal we know for sure we will either visit when the weather is warmer or when we have more suitable cold weather clothing. We are young and our travel addiction has only gotten worse. . . who knows if we will ever return home?
Our flight landed us in Port Blair so we quickly headed to the ferry dock to catch the ferry to Havelock Island were we spent our week. Havelock is a little island that consist of seven beaches, or should i say six because beach six doesn't seem to exist. As we debarked from the ferry we were handed a flyer by the owner of Eco Villa promoting his hostel. Since we had read about it and the price was right we decided to settle down on beach number 2 at the lovely Eco Villa. Tired and exhausted from our travels, we enjoyed a nice dinner sitting under coconut trees at our hostel and just stared out on to the water and watched the moons reflection ripple on the water.
Refreshed and eager to dive, we headed to Dive India to book our Advance Open Water course as well as a day of fun diving. Our AOW consisted of five dives: navigation, deep, photography, naturalist and night dive plus a little book reading. Since a standard trip usually consist of two dives in one boat trip we were able to complete our course in two days. Viskos, our dive instructor was super nice and such a great teacher. He is from Goa originally but has lived on Havelock for the past three years and really enjoys being on instructor and working wit his students. Our course went smoothly and we both enjoyed it tremendously because we had a focus and purpose for our dives. For each of the dives we were able to photograph what we saw and learn how best to capture life underwater. Viskos also told us about different species of fish for example, it is most common to see angel fishes travel in two because they mate for life. During our night dive we focused on the micro living things. It is a bit scary not being able to see your surroundings but the night dive offers such a different outlook to the underwater world, we saw several fish sleeping, bio luminescences, basket star fish and much more. All together we saw grouper, school of barracuda, lion fish, shrimp, snapper, an electric clam, crocodile fish and so much more. At a few of the dive spots we visited it felt as though we were in a movie, like the movie Finding Nemo. The coral just covered the bottom for miles and there are just so many fish swimming around living their life. It is just such an experience to be able to breath underwater and watch them all live in their natural habitat. Our diving days were the best.
When we were not diving we were most often relaxing on the beach and hanging out with our Danish friends Mikael, Adam and Heidi. One afternoon the boys went out fishing and Mikael the lucky one he was caught a fish. The fish was massive and as kind as the guys were they invited us over to there hostels restaurant to enjoy in a lovely dinner. One of the chefs cooked up the fish as well as some side dishes, mushroom rice, tomato and cucumber salad, and garlic cooked vegetables. Turns out the dinner is one of the best dinners we have had on our trip. The food was delicious and there was so much of it we ended up sharing it with all the cooks. It was so nice to be sitting among friends enjoying this wonderful meal and all eating together at the same time. Thank you Mikael for catching the fish.
Our week on the island flew by and although we decided to skip Nepal so that we could come here we are so very glad we did. The weather suited us and our clothing much better. Of all the countries we have traveled to we both agree that India is definitely a country we will come back too. And although we have yet to visit Nepal we know for sure we will either visit when the weather is warmer or when we have more suitable cold weather clothing. We are young and our travel addiction has only gotten worse. . . who knows if we will ever return home?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Life on Sudder street.
We promised ourselves we would make it back to Kolkata after leaving early to run the rickshaw race! I am so, so glad we did the rickshaw race, but also so glad we made it back to Kolkata as our week there was one of my favorite weeks so far of our trip. I kept thinking during our time in India, I really love India, but I dont think I like being a tourist here. Our week in Kolkata gave us the chance to settle in a bit, volunteer at the Mother Theresa homes, and see India from another viewpoint.
Working at the Mother Theresa homes was incredible in itself. To be a part of what Mother Theresa started was humbling and inspiring. To be a part of a community that was there to serve from all over the world- serving, in the simplest of ways, laundry, washing, hugging, painting nails, massaging, and yet feeling inspired by those simple tasks and feeling as if you are following in the footsteps of someone who loved beyond all barriers. The home that I worked at was for people that simply could no longer care for themselves and had no where to go. The building was new, open and light and surrounded by gardens. The resident women were not beautiful by physical standards, several with severe deformities, eyes removed, burned, heads shaved to keep away lice, etc. Some were grumpy with the volunteers, some really excited to sit and chat in their native language or have their nails painted, but either way I wish I could have heard each and everyone of these ladies stories. Where they had come from, what they had lived through, seen, heard, experienced, and how they had found their way to Prem Don.
Every morning at the Mother house, mass was held at 6am, followed by breakfast for the volunteers at 7. The breakfast was bread, bananas and chai. It was so cool because there are 6 or 7 places that the volunteers are sent, so breakfast was a time for everyone to see each other, hear how peoples days were, etc. After breakfast, we said a prayer, sang a song, the gate opened and we were released to travel to our different locations. I walked each day with Janet, a wonderful women from the UK who had come to Kolkata on her own to volunteer for the month. Janet and I always had the nicest chats while navigating the crazy streets of Kolkata to Prem Don. I loved meeting Janet and several other of the volunteers who inspired me with their willingness to come to India to serve. The volunteers were so diverse, from all over the world, all had a different reason for coming, some staying a day, some staying for 6 months. But no matter where they were from or how long they were there, everyone I met at PD was so amazing.
While I worked at PD, Toriann worked across town at another mother house-Working at the Mother Theresa homes was incredible in itself. To be a part of what Mother Theresa started was humbling and inspiring. To be a part of a community that was there to serve from all over the world- serving, in the simplest of ways, laundry, washing, hugging, painting nails, massaging, and yet feeling inspired by those simple tasks and feeling as if you are following in the footsteps of someone who loved beyond all barriers. The home that I worked at was for people that simply could no longer care for themselves and had no where to go. The building was new, open and light and surrounded by gardens. The resident women were not beautiful by physical standards, several with severe deformities, eyes removed, burned, heads shaved to keep away lice, etc. Some were grumpy with the volunteers, some really excited to sit and chat in their native language or have their nails painted, but either way I wish I could have heard each and everyone of these ladies stories. Where they had come from, what they had lived through, seen, heard, experienced, and how they had found their way to Prem Don.
Every morning at the Mother house, mass was held at 6am, followed by breakfast for the volunteers at 7. The breakfast was bread, bananas and chai. It was so cool because there are 6 or 7 places that the volunteers are sent, so breakfast was a time for everyone to see each other, hear how peoples days were, etc. After breakfast, we said a prayer, sang a song, the gate opened and we were released to travel to our different locations. I walked each day with Janet, a wonderful women from the UK who had come to Kolkata on her own to volunteer for the month. Janet and I always had the nicest chats while navigating the crazy streets of Kolkata to Prem Don. I loved meeting Janet and several other of the volunteers who inspired me with their willingness to come to India to serve. The volunteers were so diverse, from all over the world, all had a different reason for coming, some staying a day, some staying for 6 months. But no matter where they were from or how long they were there, everyone I met at PD was so amazing.
I, Toriann spent my week at Shishu Bhavan were I worked with handicapped children. As expected the first day was hard and intense but as the week porgressed it became easier and even more rewarding then I imagened. Every morning I would come in and say hello to all the children as they sat in there chairs waiting for breakfast. I spent my week mostly working with Bobeta one of the most beautifl girls ever. She has cerebral palsy and is unable to walk, crawl or talk, never the less, we really bonded. Her eyes would widen and she would get a big smile on her face every morning when I would come in and say hello. During my days I would feed Bobeta, change her dipper, do some exercises and just sit by the window so she could look out into the world. Feeding time was always difficult with her but I managed to get the food down after a few songs and some tickling. If she was distracted or laughing the food went down but otherwise she would be feisty and just spit the food out and make a big mess...oh the joys of children :) Exercise time was very therapeutic for her, she would relax her muscles as I stretched her legs and her arms. Although she can not walk, sit up or crawl she loved being in those postions. With much help I would walk her to the window so she could stair out into the world, or I would cross her legs and we would sing "patty cake" and other kids songs as she sat up. Bobeta really loved "patty cake" as well as loved being tickled, she would just start laughing uncontrolably. I love listening and watching children laugh it is just the most innocent thing ever. Working with Bobeta and spending the week at Shishu Bhavan has definitely touched my hart and opend my eyes to working with handicapped children...wow is it hard work. As hard as it was the experince cannot even be compared and I cannot wait to return someday soon.
( sorry dont know what happend) dder street. The street was filled with people you recognized from breakfast or from where you were volunteering. I loved it, it was like living in the dorms again, you always were running into people you knew, having a chai with someone you volunteer with, joining a group of people at Fresh and Juicy for some naan. It made the whole volunteer community even stronger and already I am missing life on Sudder street!
Another great part of returning to Kolkata was we had the honor of going to an Indian wedding. We met a large group of rowdy British (and Canadian) men having a bachelor party at a nearby hotel. They invited us along for the party to an Indian dance club and provided us with a very entertaining evening-including sweater vests, police chases, dance offs, etc. Colin, the groom(UK) and Shirley (Philadelphia) planned their wedding in the home town of Shirleys grandparents-Kolkata. Colin and Shirley were kind enough to invite Toriann, myself and two other friend, Gered and Sara (Denmark) to the wedding. We got invited at about 9:30pm the night before the wedding, and Toriann and I knew we had to find Saris to wear the next day. Lucky enough, in India, there is always a guy with a shop and it didnt take long to find a man with a wholesale sari shop who sold us 2 beautiful saris.
The next day, after working at the Mother house, we started getting dressed for the wedding, realizing we had no idea how to put them on. The sari is one long piece of fabric, but put on correctly, they look amazing. The women who worked at our guest house, Shanti, was kind enough to come up and dress us, but she was puzzled by the fact that we were missing half the sari. You are supposed to get a simple skirt to wear underneath the actual sari, but we had not had time so had just planned on wearing shorts. Shanti was unimpressed with our idea and kept saying 'this will not work' and we said 'it has to work!' She ended up totally pulling it off and made us feel so beautiful!
The wedding was a traditional Bengali-Hindu wedding, with a few western modifications. The bride was beautiful in a red and gold sari with gold jewelry and hair pieces, and the groom was decked out, wearing a tall, white hat with two balls hanging down the sides and a long red robe. The wedding was held on the rooftop of the beautiful Taj Bengal hotel. The groom rode onto the hotel grounds on a white horse, proceded by a marching band. After some dancing, the wedding party (besides the horse) moved to the roof to begin the wedding ceramony. The wedding ceremony, in a traditional Hindi wedding, can take up to 4 hours, including the moment where the bride is revealed to the groom for the first time. Shirley and Colin skipped parts of it, but still completed many of the rituals, guided by a Hindi holy man, including walking around a small fire 7 times.
After the ceremony, Colin and Shirley were officially married, the party really got started. There were Bengali dancers that came and performed to get the dancing going-full on Bollywood style. The Indians are amazing dancers and we had a great time dancing in our saris under the stars. After dancing up an appetite, we enjoyed the amazing food and drink while getting to know some of the friends of the bride and groom. I am so grateful to Colin and Shirley for extending the invitation and being so generous!!
Overall, our week in Kolkata was so good. I would have liked to stay for longer, but next up Andaman islands!
Another great part of returning to Kolkata was we had the honor of going to an Indian wedding. We met a large group of rowdy British (and Canadian) men having a bachelor party at a nearby hotel. They invited us along for the party to an Indian dance club and provided us with a very entertaining evening-including sweater vests, police chases, dance offs, etc. Colin, the groom(UK) and Shirley (Philadelphia) planned their wedding in the home town of Shirleys grandparents-Kolkata. Colin and Shirley were kind enough to invite Toriann, myself and two other friend, Gered and Sara (Denmark) to the wedding. We got invited at about 9:30pm the night before the wedding, and Toriann and I knew we had to find Saris to wear the next day. Lucky enough, in India, there is always a guy with a shop and it didnt take long to find a man with a wholesale sari shop who sold us 2 beautiful saris.
The next day, after working at the Mother house, we started getting dressed for the wedding, realizing we had no idea how to put them on. The sari is one long piece of fabric, but put on correctly, they look amazing. The women who worked at our guest house, Shanti, was kind enough to come up and dress us, but she was puzzled by the fact that we were missing half the sari. You are supposed to get a simple skirt to wear underneath the actual sari, but we had not had time so had just planned on wearing shorts. Shanti was unimpressed with our idea and kept saying 'this will not work' and we said 'it has to work!' She ended up totally pulling it off and made us feel so beautiful!
The wedding was a traditional Bengali-Hindu wedding, with a few western modifications. The bride was beautiful in a red and gold sari with gold jewelry and hair pieces, and the groom was decked out, wearing a tall, white hat with two balls hanging down the sides and a long red robe. The wedding was held on the rooftop of the beautiful Taj Bengal hotel. The groom rode onto the hotel grounds on a white horse, proceded by a marching band. After some dancing, the wedding party (besides the horse) moved to the roof to begin the wedding ceramony. The wedding ceremony, in a traditional Hindi wedding, can take up to 4 hours, including the moment where the bride is revealed to the groom for the first time. Shirley and Colin skipped parts of it, but still completed many of the rituals, guided by a Hindi holy man, including walking around a small fire 7 times.
After the ceremony, Colin and Shirley were officially married, the party really got started. There were Bengali dancers that came and performed to get the dancing going-full on Bollywood style. The Indians are amazing dancers and we had a great time dancing in our saris under the stars. After dancing up an appetite, we enjoyed the amazing food and drink while getting to know some of the friends of the bride and groom. I am so grateful to Colin and Shirley for extending the invitation and being so generous!!
Overall, our week in Kolkata was so good. I would have liked to stay for longer, but next up Andaman islands!
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