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Published: June 17th 2015
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view of the Dauladhar Mountains from the roof of my house So I have now been in India for just less than a week and I can honestly say that I’ve seen the most weird and wonderful things.
My flight over to India was very long and tiring, and it wasn’t until my seven hour drive from Chandigarh airport to Palampur, that I realised just how far I am away from everything! We were driving for two hours through the mountains, and after having less than an hour sleep within 24 hours, my first experience of Indian roads was an interesting one. But it was exciting nonetheless, my senses were in full overdrive as we were driving to Palampur, the place where I am now living for the next five months.
And wow is it a beautiful place to be living! When I woke up in the morning on my first day I stepped out onto the roof and was absolutely gobsmacked by the view. I am so lucky to have the most breath-taking view of the Dauladhar Mountains just behind my house.
My first day was spent visiting Dharamshala, the capital Tibetan city of refuge in India, and home to the Dalai Lama. The main town is in
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Tibetan meal in Mcleod Ganj a place called Mcleod Ganj , and that’s where Bryan, my housemate, and I headed for lunch in a Tibetan restaurant. I had a clear vegetable noodle soup and an interesting sour dough bread, a nice break from my brief taster of spicy Indian cuisine.
After lunch we went to visit the Dalai Lama’s temple. It is the most peaceful place I think I’ve ever been to. So quiet and tranquil, with beautiful views from on top of the hill, and amazingly bright colours inside the temple itself, everything I saw was stunning! We then had a look around the market, I bought a bracelet, and managed to save 350 Rupees by haggling for two tops!
Our day was finished off by spending five hours chilling on top of a rooftop bar, which was completely unplanned! We started off with a few beers and then ended up having dinner there and before we knew it was 10pm and we needed to get a taxi home. But I’m sure I will be back to Mcleod Ganj very soon, it is a very exciting yet chilled place to be!
The town I live in, Palampur, is very rural but
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Inside the Dalai Lama's temple in the market there is everything you need. It has a very peaceful feel about it, and my favourite time in the day is between 6-8pm when the sun is just setting, the air is cooling down, and I like to sit on the roof with my kindle and read, and watch everything that’s going on in the village. It is so nice to see people actually enjoying the land that they live in; children play outside, people often go for walks, and there are always weddings or services going on in the temple nearby where they play traditional Indian music that echoes around the village. I feel so calm and completely myself here, it is a wonderful feeling!
So far I have spent two days working in Dauladhar Convent School, which has been both interesting and great fun. I have dived right in at the deep end, but to be honest, that was the best way to start. I have taught the children the names of the percussion instruments I brought with me, and have taught them a couple of songs. It was very rewarding when I asked them to sing to me today, and they remembered most
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Chilling on a rooftop bar in Mcleod Ganj of the words and how the song goes! I think I am going to enjoy teaching in the school, it will be a challenge at times, but I hope to be able to let them experience a different side of education to what they are taught normally.
The amount of different things I have had to get used to this last week have been vast! The food, weather, culture, crazy driving, being stared at constantly by everyone, and being asked to have photos with people and their babies, to name but a few! But this is what it’s all about, diving into a completely different culture and learning and exploring while doing so. Despite being quite sick for a day, I am having such a great time out here, I can’t believe it’s nearly been a week already, and I am very excited to discover more of India…
K x
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