Lazy days in a Kolkata haze

I've been in Kolkata for the last few days taking a welcome break from teaching. It's not really the teaching I want a break from, but the isolation and also the politics (which is a whole other blog entry!). I'll return to the school in January with a friend, but for now I get a Christmas holiday (as you all do in England) which is so nice and I really appreciate after a challenging two months.

I'm finally melting into Kolkata life. When I first arrived I wasn't quite at ease. I was used to quiet, beautiful surroundings - peace and calm. Suddenly it was cold, dark, busy and noisy. There was unforgiving traffic, constant horn beeping, people trying to talk to you on the street, rubbish everywhere. But Kolkata is a city with many different sides for many different people. You can do anything - mingle with the middle class shopping at the 'mall', go pray at a temple, watch cricket, eat delicious street food with the working men, meet other travelers in the backpacker cafes that serve an attempt at Western food, live it up in the lap of luxury at a 5 star hotel, barter for shawls and bangles at the busy market or sip chai from small clay cups.

In particular I love my room. It's high up above the backpacker street so I can watch the hubbub below through my open window without being seen. Several hours have passed as I just people watch. My room has it's own bathroom (although I have water only 25% of the time as they are digging in the street at the moment) and I also have a double bed with a mattress. It's a terrible mattress but compared to having none (like at the school) this is a serious upgrade so I am sleeping very well. My bed time has also dramatically changed, it's back to being midnight rather than 9pm!

The view from my window

My first day I was in such a daze arriving at 5am having had little sleep. I'd adventurously decided that I would not book anywhere and I would find a guesthouse on arrival. This actually went most smoothly. I immediately found a room for two pounds per night but it had no windows and no toilet and the walls were definitely going mouldy. But I just needed a base to recover after the rickety bus journey. Luckily I ended up moving from this slightly grim place in the evening as the guesthouse owner and one of his staff erupted into a huge fight that involved hair pulling and punching! It was all because of my camera charger which they thought was lost. They hadn't lost it......but they still fought so I decided it was definitely time to move on.

It was already dark and was a real struggle to hunt for another place to stay. Eventually I bumped into a really friendly couple from Greece who were leaving at 9pm so I said I could take their room. It was perfect. For about two hours we chilled out together and chatted in their/my/our shared room. At this point I had not talked to other people for months. So not only did I get a room, but I got some well needed company and the best hug from the girl when I explained I'd not had one for two months, it was amazing! Now I'll never forget this girl even if we never meet again.

My lovely room (this is luxury for me!)

Since my arrival I have been given some really stunning henna on my hands and feet by a lady that lives on the street outside my guesthouse. If I'm completely honest I think I only acknowledged her as I'd been so deprived of company that I was happy

to talk to anyone. She had three children, one a young baby that kept crawling towards us as she delicately tried to henna onto my skin. I enjoyed playing with her children who were cute and giggled lots but were quite grubby - but then what in Kolkata is not a bit grubby? With no water in my room, I'm also grubby! So after many more hours of sitting and chatting I ended up spending money on blankets for them as it's very cold at night here.

Have I been conned? A cynic would say probably, why would you trust someone on the street, they probably always do the same! I admit that twenty pounds is a huge amount for them, yet I spend that on a night out easily. So my thinking is that I haven't been conned as, no matter how I look at it, for me this money is not going to make any different to my life (maybe I travel for four days less), yet for them they still have no home and they still live on the streets so let them have some relief (or warmth or perhaps even fun if its is just all a scam). Plus it was interesting to see the street from a different perspective (now Ive seen from above and below).

Beautiful Indian Henna

Being back in civilization I haven't done any of the usual touristy things but instead I've just enjoyed city life - eating nice Indian food, using the internet and doing Christmas shopping. Spending money was very strange at first as I hadn't spent any money for so long. But most fun and interesting of all, I've taken the opportunity to talk to any people that cross my path. Spending time with the people of the city, all from different walks of life, has been intruiging. I've drunk chai with the beggar women in the street, the proud shopkeeper who gives me 'a good price', the educated business man, the vegetable and paneer roll man who wants to learn better English and of course the backpackers. It's been great.

So to all at home Merry Christmas in cold England. I can say with heaps of sarcasm that it is truly terrible having sun each day :-P

As the days go by

I've now been teaching at the school in India for two months however there are only three hours of lessons each day. With few distractions (like television and internet), limited freedom (as I can't leave the school site) and little company after school (the cook, the dog and her puppies) - you'd probably expect me to be so bored by now. But once I've completed my three months here, it will be hard to ever complain of being bored again, or at least when I am by myself, someone else may still bore me! This experience has made me more creative and resourceful and I've found many ways to amuse myself......

Bruni the dog with her puppies (one source of company!)

For one whole month I had a different hairstyle everyday. They'd get more ridiculous as the weeks went by as it doesn't matter to me what I look like here which is nice. Luckily there aren't too many photos of my masterpieces. I also optimistically took along some paints to try and capture some of my beautiful surroundings. I was quickly reminded of why I haven't painted for years – because I'm terrible! Luckily the paints have come in useful for coloring in simple drawings that I have created for my lessons to illustrate objects like 'flower' and 'sun'. I've now hung the pictures proudly in the classrooms with sellotape which will no doubt unstick in a few days. However, I actually have a daily routine which keeps me surprisingly busy. It's unbelievable how different it is to my life at home in every way:

Drawings I made for Alice & Wonderland.
Such a difficult story to explain to those who speak little English!

5.25am – 5.30am Wake up Blearily I put on my clothes in the dark.

5.30am – 6.15am Morning Exercise I walk, run and do some stretching around the field before anyone is awake as, being in a confined space, it's hard to keep fit . I can't believe I'm this active so early in the morning, I normally don't feel like it but once I'm finished I'm always glad I've done something. One of my exercises is actually inspired by a punishment that I saw being given to Class One children who hadn't done their homework. The children must hold their ears squat down and then stand up 20 times, this is very tiring, if you don't believe me try it.

6.15am – 6.30am Tea I make chai on the small gas stove for myself and Sanku the cook as he lights the fire. I never used to have any sugar in my tea but now I'm seriously addicted as it's my only vice and I look forward to my every cup.

The Vegetable Patch

6.30am – 7.00am Help with Breakfast I'm usually sent to the vegetable patch to go and pick coriander, chilli or green leaves. This is one of my favourite moments of each day as the sun has just risen so looks very picturesque and picking food to eat from your own back garden is immensely satisfying.

7.00am – 7.15am Breakfast Usually we eat beaten rice with small bits of one or two chopped vegetable (like potato and onion). I'm always very hungry and am now used to having rice for every meal, even breakfast.

Washing up at the pump

7.15am – 7.30am Wash Up I haven't yet mastered washing the plates, pans and cups without thoroughly soaking my feet and clothes. I do lots of pumping to get water from the ground throughout the day for showering, drinking and washing up, so much so, I've developed new areas of tough skin on my hands and my arms are now much stronger arms than before!

7.30am – 7.45am Get Ready

7.45am School Gates Open The sound of bicycle bells can be heard in the distance as children begin to flock in. Before assembly they clean the classrooms, play and relax. I look over my lesson plans and am greeted by students with 'Good Morning Meeees' (Miss said in their cute accents!)

Children play before school

8.15am – 8.30am Assembly The bell goes and everyone lines up in rows before the temple. Assembly is normally led by Kartik, a 14 year old boy who teaches Class Two. First the children say a prayer and then the national anthem is sung.

8.30am – 12.00pm School Time I teach Classes Three and Four Maths and English. At 10am it's break time so I can relieve my sugar addiction by having a chai and I sometimes play badminton or Karam Board (wikiiiiiiiiiiiiii) with Class Four students.

Class Three working hard

12.15pm – 12.45pm Shower After waving goodbye to the children, I mentally prepare to wash. I do so with a bucket of luke warm water heated by the sun at the pump. It can be quite refreshing when it's hot but as it is now Winter, and cooling down, it's becoming less of an attractive prospect. I wonder if I smell at all – I can't tell!

1.00pm Lunch A prayer is said and we proceed to eat, of course we do so without cutlery, instead using our right hand. This is fine with me as I am often told off at home for using my fingers, but here this is no problem.

Sanku serving up lunch

1.30pm Wash Up I still leave the really tough things like the huge pot for Sanku to do as it's very difficult. He has to scrub and scrub and scrub to leave the pot, heavily blackened from the fire, looking almost like new.

1.45pm – 2.30pm Lesson Planning I use the school's class textbooks as a guide for my lessons but I always like to add my own exercises and activities to check that the children have understood. I'm never short of ideas as there is always more to learn.

2.30pm – 4.00pm Own Time I often sit on the wall by the temple watching people work in the fields as I write my diary. I this regularly to get out my thoughts as I don't really have anyone to talk to about what I'm thinking. As it's so different here I need some way of processing everything. I also practice my Hindi words and characters ( not that I can pronounce them) but it keeps me busy. However now my mp3 player has broken music and my Hindi audio lessons are also off the agenda!

4.00pm – 7.00pm Cooking Sanku is very creative at making different dishes each day despite a limited choice of vegetables. Each evening we eat a different version of rice, daal and vegetables. However as each of these must be done on the fire, cooking takes forever. I mainly help with chopping, washing and fetching things but try to also keep an eye out for how everything is being cooked so I can replicate some of the recipes at home as some of the dishes are delicious. Having said, that there are other dishes that I am fed up with but I can't complain as I am always hungry. It gets dark around 5pm – 5.30pm.

A variety of rice dishes (banana fry, potato and mustard seeds, cauliflower and papaya and green leaves)

7.00pm Dinner It's amazing how quickly dinner is eaten in comparison with how long it takes to cook.

7.30pm – Wash Up Somewhat harder to do in the dark

7.45pm Go to room After dinner I have some more time to myself in which I usually read. It's so nice to do this as in England I never seem to get the time or it's just easier to watch TV.

9.15pm Bed I'm always out like a light, or as we have no electricity, I should say out like a torch. Going to bed at 9.15pm doesn't feel strange here. Although I do sometimes think about my friends on a Saturday morning at 6am (English time 1am) who are probably still awake which is always strange and amusing.

Repeat this routine six days per week for eight weeks and you have an idea of what my life has been like! Sunday is without a doubt the hardest day of the week which is ironic given that every minute of my weekend in England is treasured. But here the school is the life and soul of the place and it's not quite the same without the children and their enthusiasm. I enjoy my morning yoga and then have lots to do like cleaning my room and (attempting) to wash my clothes but there is nothing to break up the day. So this is when I miss home the most. But then there isn't much time to dwell as my routine starts all over again the next day....................