Week 7 & 8: Cancelled/rescheduled

Last week's blogpost is (largely) cancelled due to sickness and dehydration, and this week's post will disappear in the amassed workload; the groupwork assignment took a new twist while I was sick so now I have to start all over on something I wasn't really prepared to write (that much) about. 

Um, yeah, to briefly explain last week:

I just had the time to be "well" again for about 2 days, and then I ate something that didn't agree with me. After a heavy nausea on Wednesday I've been dehydrated and feverish throughout the weekend, slowly rehydrating and getting gradually better closer to Monday (food helped a lot), and I was back at school today Tuesday...

But on a nicer note, the Monsoon is here and temperatures are getting comfortable! I love the heavy rains and thunderstorms, it gives me a good autumn feeling. I've started reading stories with a friend at the rooftop in the evenings to hold onto this atmosphere.

People are getting restless here. It's the ten-week-crisis looming I think, assignment stress, and travel giddity. A lot of people have started talking (increasingly) about their after-Pondi-travels or about the return home. My plans are still not fixed, I'm still checking out the options as they appear, I've had about 6-7 ideas I've decided and then decided against. This time I've started asking for possible dates and price options etc. Looks like it'll turn out nice in the end...:)

Week 6; behind on blogging again...

(Warning: Long post!)

Yeah, another 2-in-1 update, the post for week 5 is here. 

The last post weren't posted earlier due to illness; I haven't felt too good/borderline sick, and then finally giving in I redefined my 'cold' to 'having a small flu'. I missed out on a great workshop on the topic of the Kashmir issue because I didn't have the energy to benefit from being present. The workshop was held in Auroville, and though I tried to go the first day I decided not to go the second day. I felt dizzy and tired by lunchtime and decided to go home, and instead of going to Auroville the second day, a friend and I went out to the study center, ate proper food, relaxed, and talked to the staff. 

Towards the end of the week I felt better, stating that I'm getting better but still not 100% back to normal. I decided not to join in on the Children's Day (taking a bunch of village children to an amusement park for a day) even though it sounded fun; I knew it would've drained me for all remaining energy leaving me reduced for another week or so. Not worth it. I did go to the costume party Saturday night, dressed as a Colonial times British lady. (I'll try to see if anyone got a picture of me...)

Sunday, went out for brunch with a friend and afterwards we roamed the warm streets of Pondi, enjoying the bright sunshine and the nice temperatures (which has dropped to a mere +30 Celsius), and the sounds and life in the streets occupied by the Sunday market. 

Despite illnesses (not just me) our group assignment was in on time. I felt quite accomplished when I had sent it. Friday became much better after 5 pm (the deadline), and in the evening me and Lina went to Banana Café - one of our alternative regular spots, where we sat talking with the chef (whom is also working at our study center) for almost an hour after eating.  

As for regular spots/hang-outs; we're up to 4 regular spots now; 
* Surguru - the best restaurant in town, both for food and prices 
* Banana Café - the best western food in town, and the cleanest (or: only clean) kitchen in town 
* Rick's Café - the best ice coffee and chicken baguette
* Coffee.com - internet cafe with nice atmosphere, tasty food, and wonderful tea.

In the beginning I lamented my friend's lack of interest in trying out new places, but by now I've accepted that these are the places to go, and attempts at going other places has resulted in bad restaurant experiences, leading me to believe we're not going to find better places than we already have found. 

Me & Lina has been talking increasingly with the staff at the study center, always exchanging greetings with the chef, talking with the manager's assistant and always greeting the other staff members with a smile when we meet them. Apparently we're more sociable than earlier batches of students. Makes me wonder what kind of people that must have been... But looking around at school, there's not many of the students that actually talk with the staff, although there are a few more than Lina and I.

Point of pride, come Monday morning; make sure to talk to the staff I danced with on Saturday to prove I'm different from the earlier batches - that apparently became (stereotypically) social when drinking, and then reverting to Scandinavian arrogance the following monday... Heard it before? (I have at least; same, but different.) Lina also voiced her relief that the Indians we danced with danced at a comfortable distance - in contrast to previous experiences.

So, in a week where I didn't do much, even skipping significant event like the P&C workshop and the Children's Day, I ended up having quite a lot to say anyway... even after 5 weeks in little Pondi!


ADDITION:

I forgot to mention the trip to the Cinema!

We had spent a day talking to Kavitha at the study center, and Thursday she brought me and Lina along to the cinema when se was taking a group of school children! Watching a flim (yes, that is how they say it here...!) in an Indian theatre was Absolutely, Fabulously, Fantastic Fun! 

We had a small "box" in the theatre to ourselves in the back of the theatre hall itself, and it was me, Lina and Deborah, Kavitha and her daughter, and her 15-20 school kids (all girls, in the age range of 10-14 I guess) in the box. The music was loud, the hero was popular and the heroine was beautiful, the romantic scenes was vividly graphic for being that decent (I don't know if I managed to get the correct impression into words here...), the girls sang along to the love songs, *squealed* when there was a scene with the hero and heroine together, and a fountain of confetti flew around our ears after an especially climatic (romantic but not sexual) scene. Definitely an experience in it's own right...

Week 5: Change of plans (backdated)

Power cut. And I feel small streams of sweat form up as soon as the ceiling fan stop working. Yes, ceiling fan, not air condition. No air condition in this apartment, no-no. Aircon makes you sick. I’ve had a cold for a week now, just because of an encounter with mild air conditioning. 

The power returned quickly today, after just a couple of minutes. Lucky, lucky. But it can also mean that the systems are instable and the power may be cut again at some point today. But we’re lucky here; I think it’s more than a week since we last had a power cut. 

My plans keep being changed. (Usually by me, fortunately.) This weekend I had planned to go to Kerala, but as I still have a cold I decided it would be too intensive for me to travel that far and that much with that many people at once at such a limited time. And thus, the first change of plans. So Lina and I were thinking of going to Ooty – until we learned we would need at least 4 days for any Ooty-trip frm Pondi. Second change of plans. We decided to stay home in Pondi for the weekend, perhaps take a daytrip somewhere, but mostly study. 

We’ve had an intensive week at school this week, up until Wednesday which was the last day before our long weekend. 

• Monday – lecture and then field trip to a Dalit village (village of people from the "caste-less" caste in India; the “untouchables”).

Dalit woman and her grandchild dressed up for having their picture taken:

 

• Tuesday – seminar for the whole class (usually we’re split in groups), then double lecture. Plus a lot of readings weighing on a student’s conscience. And errands in the evening, and a dance class I didn’t go to because of 1) errands making me late, and 2) still not well from the cold.

• Wednesday – Another day on double lectures, and lots of people leaving for Kerala. I wore khaki shorts and a casual t-shirt to school, and received the comment “Oh, how unusual to see you in Western clothes!” … has my wardrobe turned that much Indian? I hadn’t realized…

• Thursday – Went out for a morning walk with Lina at 5:45, we snuck out early to avoid the yoga instructor in case she came and admonished Lina for not going to the yoga class at 6:00. We walked to the beach promenade, had chai and watched all the people, including a weird French guy walking his marionette (“Ernesto” we were told) at the beach before he began his yoga exercise. We weren’t the only ones taking pictures of him, a crowd of locals had also gathered around. After returning home we meant to go to school and study, but lack of proper sleep brought about a slight change of plans, so we ended up staying home. 

Ernesto out for a morning walk at the beach:

• Friday – Actually went to school to study, and studied! In the evening there was a movie night at Kamachi, but I ended up changing my plans again, and chilled back home– surfed the net ‘til I slept.

• Saturday – slept long – café – blog/study evening – in my own company.

• Sunday - ..studying!!! Let’s hope this plan won’t change…

Missing Japan, listening to Jp. goodfeel music – genres changing with my mood. 

3rd Week in Pondi

(back-dated due to late posting and multiple posts)

3rd week in Pondi. Noticeable in several ways; I'm starting to feel at home in Pondi, and at the same time I miss home, and I miss Japan (and terribly so!).  

I received a question of why I didn't write last week. Several reasons I guess. I missed having some photos on my blog (1), and was too tired to write anything coherent (2), and when thinking of what to write I had no idea where to start (3). 

Last week & weekend I was busy reading up on the readings for this week’s lectures, being social, research group work and finding group members for the group assignment. I spent mot of the Sunday reading, but in the evening Amali, Odilia and I went to the beach promenade to see the Ganesh Puja; a festival to the god Ganesh, where they throw the Ganesh figures in the sea on the festival’s last day. 

 3-week’s crisis, exhaustion, more pictures, travel desires, extracurricular courses, still haven’t fixed my saree, or bought Punjabi. Slow. Discoveries in town – everyone discover things close to each other’s houses. Daydreaming, missing Japan, feeling gradually more academic – feels wonderful, still no idea of what I want to do when I get home (for a job, that is), Mr. Gecko –our pet lizard that eat flies (flies that bites us!). We love him.

I'm still overwhelmed by all the impressions we get all day everyday here. 

Just riding the bus to school every morning is an adventure in itself, all the sounds, all the images that flies by as we fly by them, the different routes are getting a little familiar, but still challenges every sense of direction you (I) had to begin with. Children going to school, groups of teenage girls bicycling, auto-rickshaws full of 6 year old school boys, long lanes of children of all ages walking to their school bus, in the narrow zone between parked motorbikes and the rushing traffic. Safety in numbers applies even here. Wandering buffaloes seem to mind the traffic even less than the school kids and wander about ignoring the honking cars and autos. (Auto = auto-rickshaw, which is not the same as a rickshaw – the manual bicycle with extra seats)

One of the streets today was covered in posters and banners and ribbons in the colour of one of the local political parties today. We could hardly see the sky through all the decorations.
 
Bollywood dancing – sooo much fun! Not so much bollywood yet, but we have started learning some basic steps used for opening any dance performance. I think we did well the first class for being 100% beginners.

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I left my blog post here and forgot it in the middle of packing my bag for a spontaneous weekend-trip to Bangalore. That story continues in the next blog post. :)

Picture post!

the study center & scenes from the study centre:

 

  

queueing up for breakfast nice lunch at school

 

 

Ganesh on "Ganesh Day" (Ganesh Puja?)

People preparing for the Ganesh festival 

 

group sightseeing & guide 

 

beautiful settings

 

back in the quiet street outside my building

  

was overjoyed to find this at out local store:)

 

another happy moment for a Japan-starved mind:

 

Peace