Blogs from Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia

I’m facing a stupa, with the Dhauladar mountain range hovering behind it. Snow still resting on the top peaks, with one mountain falling into the next. It’s a pretty incredible place to write a blog! Taylor and I have sat here in meditation everyday since we arrived (I think only 4 days ago but its so far removed from Goa that it feels like its been months). He seems to feel the same contentment that I do here…he calls it “my nunnery”. He doesn’t ask to leave, ask for new toys, he doesn’t ask for anything here. The entire 5 weeks we stayed in Goa, a place he loved, he called our apartment by his friend’s name…the friend who lived on the bottom level of the house. He never referred to it as his. Yet here, ... read more

October Part 1 There have been so many amazing and memorable things happening over this past month, so I’ve broken it up and written it in two parts for you to enjoy! In the school I completed my second 5 week scheme of work on reggae and rock music. The children loved the opportunity to learn all about these genres of music and the new songs that I taught them. For some of the classes I even organised them into small groups and they were able to create their own bands; performing the songs as I recorded them and then getting the chance to watch the videos back. I was fascinated to see many of the students really progressing well in this project; watching them working hard in rehearsals, being a great team member in their ... read more

September has been a packed month of teaching, exploring and celebrating. Due to some stressful things occurring within my house, that were out of my own control, it has at times been very difficult emotionally, but I have tried my hardest to focus on enjoying my last months in Palampur and concentrate on my project at the school. Now I have a set timetable at the school I’ve really enjoyed the regular daily structure of teaching. I have just finished a fantastic five week scheme of work on rhythm and counting in which I taught the children how to count crotchets, quavers and minims and to read rhythmic notation. I also put on a small assessment at the end and felt incredibly proud of their achievements in just five weeks. For my last five weeks at ... read more

I have now been living in India for exactly one month and I can’t believe how quickly the time has flown by! These last two weeks that I have been living on my own have been quite a rollercoaster for me. I think when you go away for a long period of time you expect to get homesick, but nothing can really prepare you for it. Feeling homesick this last week has been very tough, but like I said it has been a rollercoaster and there have been many occasions where I have had really good ups! I have been continuing to work hard at the school during their monsoon holiday club. We have been doing a mixture of music, arts & crafts, sports and English lessons. Last week the children and I put on a ... read more

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 ... read more