Volunteering in Jaipur

So this coming week is an interesting one as it marks six months of living in India and six months working and volunteering with the kids in the slum.  As is usually the case, in some ways it feels like I have been out here forever and in others it's hard to believe that I have known these particular kids for six months.

I've always had a great relationship with them and they have been warm and playful with me but these last six weeks the children have become much more affectionate towards me.  They love to come and snuggle up with me and give me hugs and hold my hand.  Recently we played a game of shops, where the children had to try out their money handling skills and counting.  It was great fun and made me laugh as so many of them wanted to buy me things from our shop because they didn't want me to do without.

It's also funny to look back at some of the children and see, not only how far they have progressed but how much they have changed as children.  There are a core bunch who come almost every day and who, as time has gone on absolutely love coming everyday, they try hard and want to learn and you realise how much their behaviour has improved.  They no longer want to climb the school walls or constantly fight, in fact the only children who do that are the ones that rarely come to school but come every now and then so have not learnt how to behave or respect our new school rules.

 

When I first started, these kids weren't particularly interested in coming to school, where as for the last three or four months they will come running to school and want to know what we will be doing that day.  They will actively ask for work.  Recently I have been teaching them how to write their name and the big challenge next, is teaching them how to read, which is going to be tough considering I only know some Hindi myself, but teaching these kids to read could open up a whole new world for them.

Their counting has improved, as has their social skills and creativity.  We have been teaching them a little English to help them get by and we have been teaching them through so many different methods, from pretend money to playdough, to making music out of old bottles, to counting using a ball, to learning the alphabet through snap games.  It's hard to believe we have been working together for six months and the impact and importance they have on my life.  I absolutely love them, they are a joy to work with and when your having a crappy day, that look of recognition and happiness on their face as they walk into school and see you is priceless.

These children make my day and I hope in some small way, I make theirs too because I can't change their situation and the life laid before them but I can help to give them an amazing experience now and if I can teach them something that will improve things for their future, so much the better.

Animals of India!

I love driving through the old city.....at least when someone else is driving!  I haven't quite ventured in to driving here in India, but there is still plenty of time and I am really beginning to miss driving, although it's not too pleasant an experience in India.  However on Friday night I went to the Light and Sound show at Amer Fort with two of my friends, a great show detailing the history of Jaipur and Amer Fort and why the city had relocated from Amer to Jaipur.  Well worth watching for something different to do in Jaipur on an evening, although I also tend to think that there are plenty of places to go and have a drink or relax on a rooftop terrace, but this is something that you can only do here in Jaipur;-)

In order to get there though we have to go through the old part of the city, with its beautiful pink buildings, with Hawa Mahal and it's breathtaking facade, with vehicles pulling out in front of you in all directions.  It really is a unique experience!

 

Firstly, the journey starts with us sharing food because in India everyone shares food and what food is someone else's is also yours.  So munching on our paranthas and sabze we set off!  As we try and make our way through the old city, we see the monkeys coasting along the pink rooftops, see cows just decide to wander in to the street and as we continue to Amer we pass camels finishing their days work at Jal Mahal, better known as the palace on the lake.

The two guys I went with are really great guys and along with our other friend they make me realise that although India may have somewhat of a reputation with regards to guys and them not knowing how to treat women, there are also plenty of men who are defying that stereotype and show such courtesy, respect and friendship.  I enjoy hanging with these guys and spending quite a bit of time with them and being shown a different side to Jaipur that only a local would know, which goes for enjoying street food or finding the best places to shop.  These guys are a wealth of information and their good fun too!

The light and sound show was fun and interesting all at the same time and made me chuckle!  Firstly, we missed the English performance because we were late as is typical Indian style, however we were able to make the Hindi performance which comes after.  Now, I hear Hindi all the time so was happy to watch the performance even if I couldn't necessarily understand it and fortunately my friends could translate.  As the performance started at 8.30pm, the back section was full but the rest was empty, however 15 minutes after the start, it begins to fill up with Indian people in all their lateness and 25 minutes in to it, I would say the last few people had arrived for the show, which was now almost half way through.  It made me smile and think of how India is on its own time, of which these days I am definitely into my Indian time keeping and need to get better at sticking to the correct time again!

After the performance finished we drive back to the city and as my Indian friends are talking, I let out a squeal of surprise, as an elephant plods along in the darkness.  My Jaipurite friends were not phased having seen it many times before but I wonder if  I will ever get used to seeing these beautiful animals plodding along in the street.  They are so majestic!  We come to the end of the road and also in the darkness are two camels and it got me thinking of the animals you get to see on a regular basis in India in places you wouldn't expect to see them if this was the West....but then this is India in all its beauty:-)

What a difference a year makes and a change of perspective!

When i wrote in here almost four weeks ago i was feeling a little down and frustrated and as is always difficult for me, having time and patience, the time and patience to allow things to happen in life rather than rushing through it!  Time and patience is something i still struggle with but reading my blog post from 8th March makes me aware of how much has changed in four weeks!

I try to be a positive person, to see the good in situations, to believe things happen for a reason and that some situations require the time to see them through and when we look back we can understand what their significance was.....but i'm only human and there are times when it can weigh me down and that was certainly the situation four weeks ago.  I love living in India and to me it most definitely is home.  That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of frustrations, after three months of living here it annoys me that people still want to come and say hello to me as I walk to work just because I am a foreigner and female,  Almost every day for three months, it gets wearing!  To be fair I don't get it that much but that's mainly because i stick my music on and block them all out and i'm usually very oblivious to most things!  I know they are staring and talking about me anyway so they can do that without my involvement!  I guess I get used to the place but i'm still interesting and new to some people!

Then there is the bank account I have been trying to open for the past two and a half months and I still haven't been successful;-)  Internet finally got sorted and oh that made life easier for me.  Dannie without internet is not good!  Things can take a long time to get sorted and once they are you can breathe a sigh of relief and get ready for the next challenge!  Just the other day they turned off my sim because I had had it for three months and as a foreigner that's as long as I was allowed it, fortunately my two bhai (Indian brothers)  managed to sort that out for me:-)  It took three visits to the phone shop but they sorted!  Their good brothers to me and look after me well....as brothers should do!

So how does life look at present!  Firstly it is hard to believe that it was a year ago that I set off for two months on my travelling expedition with 1 week in Nepal, 1 week in Tibet and 8 weeks planned in India, the one place I just wanted to be in, never realising that I would in fact actually want to make it permanent!  Those two months were great because they were very tough, having to deal with many situations and dealing with them on the whole on my own, things did not work out as I had hoped and I had to deal with various challenges and I now realise the importance of them as it seems to make things easier second time round and make me aware of what is still important to me.  So if it had not been for those two months of travel and seeing what India was like I would not be sitting in my apartment now, feeling cosy and at home!  So time does indeed tell on many situations!  It also helps, as having seen a small proportion of India already it means i am not desperate to rush out and see lots of it at present and right now i want to focus on getting settled here and working on helping to educate the children and provide them with the best learning environment.

So from this time in India.......

To this time in India!

When things are tough, count your blessings!

So, i'm not allowed to quit right now but life doesn't give me a break either and help to set up my massage business in a more efficient and productive way. Money is going out but none really comes back in. I find out that due to the failings of my solicitor i have had to pay the service charges on my flat which belong to the previous owner, a charge of £236 and none of them are my charges at all!! It's just one thing after another and although i knew things would be tough, i'm not sure why they have to actually be this tough. It's already difficult enough moving to another country and creating a new life, never mind having to deal with financial problems due to issues with the  boiler company i use who refuse to return my money, of which i am having to escalate to the ombudsman, then the huge bill that is not mine thanks to the failures of the solicitors, I'm desperately trying to set up a massage business of which lots of people tell me that they can help me with it but no one has really delivered on this. If i hear one more person tell me how lovely that is or how they must get booked in for a massage....just book in and experience it instead of just talking about it!!

So......with things being difficult i want to reflect on how far i have come in the ten weeks of living in Jaipur.

• Found somewhere to live that is mine for the next 10months
• Have begun doing some Bollywood dancing.
• Have been looking for and finally have us signed up to learn how to cook Indian style.
• Have been taking Hindi lessons
• Have made two good friends here
• Have visited Chokhi Dhani, Amer Fort, Bangarh Fort and many restaurants and eateries
• Have taken part in several special occasions with my work colleagues, especially involving cake!!
• Have organised the fundraising campaign for work so that we can build a new classroom, along with increasing our facebook likes, organising a huge amount of donations from the UK and liaising and connecting with three different schools.
• I contacted around 50 hotels in the area to see if they were interested in using my services. Sadly none were interested....
• I have bought my massage equipment and have had my first client.
• I have created a facebook page for my business and am in the process of liaising with local business/gyms/physios/guest house owners to increase my clientele.
• Took part in a Bollywood shoot to earn a small amount of money...but it's money!
• Tried beyond belief to set up a bank account and obtain internet, you would think that was easy....it is not!!
• I have attended temple regularly with my work colleague
• Got my mobile phone sorted out here
• Found the beer shop and the means of purchasing groceries

So, although there have been challenges in the last ten weeks, i have had many wonderful experiences and i have tried bloody hard!  Let's see what the next few months bring!

Oh, it's 2017!

I haven't had to write the date that much this year and when i do i forget that we are indeed in 2017. A new year and for me a new country but still life has continued to be hectic and to still throw up plenty of complications or forks in the road. Sometimes i wish life could be predictable, but then i did choose moving to somewhere completely different to what i already knew, so i should have expected this!

At present i am trying to work out how i can set up my massage business here in India. I am being given lots of advice by people and it is hard to know who i should listen to and who i should thank for their advice and move on and to ensure i am not coerced in to something i do not actually want to do. Not knowing the system out here does not help! I worry about it but then i remind myself that i set up a very successful mobile massage business in the UK, when my massage tutor told me that a mobile business would never work as you won't get enough interest. I ended up working so many hours that i was regularly turning work away and was fully booked up most weeks. That is why it is always important to listen to your own inner voice, as it often know the way and can guide you best. So today i will spend some time in quiet reflection trying to figure out how to make this all work.

Money is such an odd thing, i don't particularly like it and am not materialistic and yet not earning some money, even though i am working really hard by putting so many hours in at the NGO makes me feel uncomfortable and knocks my self esteem. I don't like not being self sufficient and i want to be able to provide for myself and have money coming in rather than relying on savings. It's amazing how some of your self worth can be tied to the earning of money and feeling successful be it by whatever you set the margin for that. For example i have worked hard for the NGO i am with. In two months i have turned around their Facebook page and use it as a platform to educate people about child poverty and the work we are doing. I have fundraised lots for them and for the past six weeks have spent a lot of time coordinating with various people, a client of mine bringing out 23kg of free resources for us that people have donated, not to mention there should be enough for a second person coming out at a later date. I have introduced interactive learning at the school which the kids absolutely love and they will come running to school to learn this new way of teaching and to play the 'games'. Their learning has improved and they have grown and developed educationally which is a huge success....and yet it is not enough because i am earning no money to be able to support myself.....strange! I guess i have just always been self reliant that right now not earning anything and relying on savings worries me and it is not how i like to live my life. I know i will be much happier when i have money coming in and can fully support myself.

I guess right now my massage business is my biggest focus and finding my way forward with all that and learning to stick to what i believe whilst being open to ideas from others. I don't think much else has happened since i last wrote. The NGO work is keeping me busy as always and it is remembering that sometimes i need to step back and not be pushed in to doing more and more work as it is easy to get caught up with working so much and not leaving on time. India seems to be a place where you often have to enforce your boundaries and remember who you are.

I have had some wonderful times this week though with fantastic meals out and a trip to the cinema to watch a Hindi movie. There were little bits of English here and there which helped me! However i find you don't need to be able to speak the language to work out what someone is saying or the gist of the film. That is another thing about India, i can be having a relaxed day and then someone will message me and say, lets meet in an hour or we go out for a quick bite and six hours later and having changed venue two or three times i finally get home! Expect the unexpected and i am certainly finding that living out here!