Christmas in Allahabad

The last three weeks of 'holiday' from the school have flown by and I can't believe quite how much I've done and how many people I've met. Out of everything, the best thing has definitely been having company again, it's such a relief after spending such a long time alone. I can't fully describe the burst of happiness I felt when I finally saw my friend Mike who'd I'd arranged to meet in the city of Allahabad. The biggest grin spread across my face, I couldn't stop talking and I needed the hugest hug! I'm really appreciating having people to talk to who can actually understand me and no longer having to always be the one to barter the price of the autorickshaw, to navigate through the confusing cities, to locate a guest house and to answer the same questions again from the fifth inquisitive Indian in a row. It's just so much more relaxed.

As I arrived in Allahabad before Mike, I was entasked with finding a nice place to stay over Christmas which turned into a nightmare as I had to trudge around with my heavy bag and was rejected from about six different places before finally finding some where. A nice surprise was that Mike brought two girls with him who he'd met teaching in the North. However funnily I'd told the guesthouse owner that my financee would be arriving in the evening, simply to avoid disapproving looks as I was starting to think this was why other places had refused me a room, so you can imagine the look on his face when Mike turned up with two other girls!

Sleeping with four of us in abed - cosy!

The city of Allahabad is sacred for Hindus who gather in their millions at certain auspicious times to bathe in the river Ganges. We found that when there aren't crowds of pilgrims and holy men visiting, there isn't a huge amount to see. Had I been alone, I wouldn't have stayed here long but being in a group it was fun. We spent most of our time wandering around and treating ourself to nice food and drinks with the excuse that it was Christmas. I felt like I was on a holiday with friends but in really peculiar surroundings. Part of what I probably enjoyed most about our time in Allahabad was that the four of us all shared a room and a double bed. Looking back now I'm not quite sure why this was, as it sounds quite strange, but it was so cosy which was exactly what I needed at that point. It began to feel so normal to wake up with three people by my side and it felt really comforting! I find it amazing how quickly you get close to people you don't know when you're travelling. All boundaries and barriers are broken down immediately.

Just some of the crowds we attracted in the park at Xmas!

Christmas day itself was spent in a park in an attempt to escape the noise and dirt of the city. The plan was to chill out in the sun and have a nice picnic but of course it didn't go as envisaged! We could literally hardly get a moments rest because we had so many Indians surrounding us taking our picture. They were very friendly but it genuinely felt like we were being followed by the paparazzi as we'd have cameras and phones pointed at us from all angles - very strange. Even when we covered our heads with scarves to indicate we were napping, small children would still peek under to ask if we would like a sweet or to play badminton. I think that because in India there are literally people everywhere (as the population is around 1.2 billion people) the idea of having a sense of privacy no longer exists. Therefore taking endless pictures and staring at you aren't seen as rude. Yet in England this behavior would be seen as really odd.

Our neighbours at the guesthouse were two very friendly Indian women who worked for an NGO called the Children's Toy Foundation (http://childrentoyfoundation.org/) who promote the concept of learning via play and games. They travel around in a bus filled with a huge variety of different games and each day drive to a different school (sometimes government, sometimes private) where they run learning games and activities. This is great for the children as in many schools they get very little teaching and attention but it is also promoting learning in a fun way. We were extremely lucky to be invited along in the bus to a local school where we got to watch the women in action. The children were very enthusiastic and clearly enjoyed themselves. Having worked already in one school it was great to get an insight as to what it is like elsewhere and to see what other types of NGOs exists. I also love that when you are travelling you just never know who you will meet next and where that will lead. The women were so kind and even brought us Christmas presents. Unfortunately they couldn't eat the expensive, well decorated cake that we'd brought them from the bakers as it contained egg which they don't eat (what a cultural faux pas!).

Another highlight from Allahabad is getting my ears cleaned on the streets for 5R by an ear cleaner (yes this is a profession in India) - so good after not having had cotton buds. I particularly love the way he wiped the wax on his sleeve so that you could see the fruits of his labour.

Meeting Indian Father Christmas

I've never been so far away from home at Christmas and New Year, the times that you usually spend with your nearest and dearest. Had I not seen all the photos from back home on Facebook I probably wouldn't even have felt like they really existed. It is very surreal to think that life goes on in England, just as it's probably surreal for others to imagine what I am doing in India. I have much more to write about but so little time so will try and get internet access whilst I am at the school. Sadly my camera memory card has a virus from an internet cafe so I have NO photos from the last few months. When I found out I was devastated, but the pictures are obviously just not meant to be and the memories will have to stay in my head, however armed with a new memory card, hopefully I can get some new photos soon.