China, India, and Year Three in a Nutshell

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I admit it--I've been slack. Almost 8 months slack. I apologize (to you family members and friends who keep asking me where my blog is)--I'm sorry! Things got pretty crazy. But here's an entry just for you, probably my last one from China.

1. CHINA:

I'll start with the beginning of the year: it was absolute chaos. We have a whole new system in place this year (we changed from a linear to a semester program), we had new policies in place, and we had an extra class to teach, and bigger classes. September to November are pretty much a blur; the only thing I really remember is going to Shanghai with my friend Jessica for the week break, and having my first-ever surprise party for my 30th birthday. Everyone was very burnt out by November, and come December--and Christmas--we were wiped. But I still managed to hold my annual Christmas brunch, which was another delicious success.

While all of this was happening (work, friends, Christmas brunch), I was desperately seeking new employment. I applied to dozens upon dozens of schools all over the world. I knew I couldn't attend a job fair because I was heading to India (though I did offer to a few schools in India that I come and meet them), so I threw out photos, resumes, cover letters, letters of recommendation, and every other possible thing (while working with two reputable teacher placement programs) to no response. Occasionally, I would correspond with the principal or superintendent of a certain school, and they would sound optimistic, but then they would concede that a job fair would likely be their point of hire. I all but gave up, until I decided to open my opportunities to the one area of the world I had left untouched on my job quest: the Middle East. Within days, I had schools contacting me from Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. After some careful research, emails with people I know living there, and a fun interview, I settled on the American School of Kuwait--so come August, I will be delivering more consistent blogs from a new posting!

2. INDIA

A week after all the excitement of getting a new job, it was time for India. My friend Kelly and I had one month to explore a country I'd spent 15 years dreaming about; I'd been obsessed with India since reading Arundhati Roy's "The God of Small Things" when I was in grade 10. In university writing, I'd written a series of poems that were set in Kerala.

I fell in love with India. I'd read and heard a dozen times how you either love it or hate it. I think living in China for three years helped prepare me for the madness. Even though India is so incredibly different from China, and so varied in culture, religion, language, and climate, the crowds of people, lack of hygiene, and garbage are (somewhat) comparable; Kelly and I weren't as shocked as some travellers were. The poverty, though, was harsh, and particularly noticeable in the North.

We started our trip in Delhi, where we arrived over 6 hours late (after boarding, then deplaning 2 hours later in Guangzhou, and having to wait 6 hours for a new plane), but *shoutout!* the driver from Wood Castle (budget) Hotel was still there, waiting for us, even though it was 1am. We only stayed in Delhi for one day. We took the metro to Connaught Place so we could shop at FabIndia (and load up on trendy but appropriately covering Indian garb for the trip). Many strange things happened during that trip. First, I was groped on the train. No surprise; we had been warned. But we found it strange that we seemed to be the only woman on the carriage, crammed in with men. Where were all the women? True, we barely saw any on the streets alone, but this was very peculiar and unsettling. It wasn't until we were coming back on the train and got trapped on the platform with HUNDREDS of men, that ONE man told us there was a women's only carriage at the front of every train. We struggled through the crowd--somewhat stupidly--as the next train pulled in. Suddenly, we were completely caught in congestion, with people pushing off the train, pushing by to get on, and pushing along the side to get to the stairs. We were so trapped we couldn't move our arms--and at that moment, strangers began grabbing us. They pinched our bottoms, groped our breasts, and basically touched whatever they could as they squeezed by. Their faces remained so impassive, and the groping happened so quickly, that we had no idea who was doing it, but I started to panic. I needed air; I started to understand trampling in a whole new way. After what felt like 15 minutes, but was likely 3, and feeling like a piece of fruit, we finally made our way to the women's carriage, where there were free seats, and ample standing room. I instantly relaxed. We would never have to go through that insanity again.

The next day we flew to Varanasi, one of India's holiest cities on the Ganges. Varanasi was overwhelming but exhilarating. It was a cluster of narrow alleys, with roaming cows and holy men wandering through. It was a blast of colour and disgust; there were red bricks, colourful saris, painted sadhus, and also piles of garbage, feces from every possible creature, and acrid stenches. Along the Ganges, people bathed, drank, performed rites, and prepared for life and death. We stayed in an incredibly cheap ($6/night!) guesthouse right on the Ganges, and we had a corner room with a view both toward the major Ghats and right across the water. It was fantastic! (Ganpati Guesthouse, for anyone who is interested...they have rooms with both private and shared bathroom; the $6/night one was shared bathroom). While in Varanasi, we did a lot of wandering, a lot of eating, and a lot of photo-taking. The one place we were not, of course, allowed to take photos was at the burning ghats, where bodies are cremated. We did go to view the ceremonies, and it was very different from how I had imagined. I had never seen a dead body before, and they unwrapped one just feet from us so the family could take one last photo with him. The ceremonies were quiet, and families waited patiently for hours as the corpse burned. A "strong body," one guide-hopeful offered, "will take 3-4 hours to burn." At one point, we saw a foot sticking out of the fire; an attendant came and pulled the whole leg out and tossed it into the middle. I admit to feeling queasy at that point.

We left Varanasi went to the Taj Mahal.....I won't actually say much about that as it was the Taj, so it was amazing, but it was our least favourite day as neither Kelly or I is particularly enamoured with tourist sites, and we ended up with a "free" guide through our driver; the guide drove us both crazy, and was definitely not fond of me, and was not afraid to show it.

From Agra we made our way south, to Varkala, Kerala. Aaaaaaaahhhh, so nice! Too touristy, and a little too "Southeast Asia" (hopefully you get what I mean), but beautiful. We stayed at Bamboo Huts **another shoutout!** where we became friends with Lal, the owner. Lal wasn't just a sleazy owner who wanted to hang out with foreign girls. He was genuine and sweet, and we spent the week visiting, chatting, and learning about Hinduism. He also speaks German (and although he said "only a little", his German was about as good--if not better--than mine) because he has an Austrian wife and a business in Vienna, as well.

From Varkala, we went to Allepey, the hub of the houseboat bonanza. At Lal's advice, we had rented a boat through a company he trusted, and it was great. It came equipped with a TV and stereo (though we didn't end up using it), an upstairs deck, and a driver and cook. We basically just sat and ate all day long as we cruised along the backwaters. We docked for the night next to a blazingly green rice patty, and had stunning sunset and sunrise views on both sides. We opted to stay in the backwaters a little longer, renting a hut at a small homestay a few kilometers outside of Allepey. We passed the days reading, riding bikes (and getting lost in the jungle, but being rescued by sweet women cleaning their porches), and--as usual--eating. It was picturesque and serene. We wandered car-less paths and spoke with villagers, whose smiles would light up as we passed. Everyone was so friendly. I don't know if it was the hot weather, or the mix of religions, or the lack of media (and sometimes electricity completely), but our interactions felt like those of a different time. I feel drawn to Kerala (India in general, but Kerala specifically)--there is a pull to go back. I've only ever had that with two places I've travelled to: there, and Cambodia. There's something very unique the people in both countries.

We left Kerala and to Goa for our last week. We stayed at Palolem beach, and, as with everything else we did in India, we loved it. Palolem was the dose of beach time we needed. We stayed in Colomb Bay--a quiet, rocky area around the bend from the so-called (relaxed) craziness of the main stretch of beach. We took the train into Karnataka (the province below Goa), and went diving with **yet another shout-out** Dreamz Diving. The water wasn't crystal clear, but the fish were enormous--I've never seen parrot fish and groupers so big! We also saw three three-meter black-tipped reef sharks...we were in 5 meters of water, and these sharks were very curious but timid. It was incredible. Our train ride home the next day was another "women's only" carriage experience, this time jam-packed with women. Luckily, a carriage full of women meant babies being passed around, curious girls asking us questions, and beaming smiles. When we finally arrived back in Palolem, a teenage girl hung out the side of the train and waved emphatically at us, her smile glowing in the dark.

We've been back from India for a month now, but I'm still haunted by my memories of it; I want to go back with an urgency I didn't think possible. There is so much more to see there, and so much to do. Ah, well. For now I need to stop looking backwards at India, avoid looking forward to Kuwait, and just concentrate on enjoying my last few months in China.

3. BACK IN CHINA

Since being back, classes have been running a little more smoothly, the sun has started coming out earlier and setting later, and I've been cleaning out closets and cupboards in preparation for leaving. I've started going to the bathhouse and back to the gym. I love spring. And I do love spring in China.

Until Kuwait--happy travels!

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Photos

Burning Ghat
Cremation at a distance.

Thali!
Best dinner--for less than $0.30 Canadian.

Sadhu
Prayer in Varanasi

Holy cow
in Varanasi

Taj Mahal
Big n' Beautiful

Varkala
Varkala cliffs, Kerala

Houseboating
Converted rice barges on the backwaters.

Wandering
Meeting the locals outside of Allepey

View from Colomb Bay
Palolem Beach, Goa

Comments

[Anne]

Lovely
Thanks for sharing, dearest - I felt like I was right there with you (minus the sounds, smells, tastes and most of the sights, of course)! Can't wait to talk to you soon!