So apparently it's 5 days since I last posted. I thought it was 3.
That means a) that I'm obviously having fun because time is flying
b) I may not update you on everything because I've clearly forgotten some stuff already
c) this is likely to be another rather long blog post.
I think I may do this in a random order as well - as and when I think of things I wanted to blog about, rather than trying to work through my days chronologically. More fun and easier for me; possibly more confusing for you but never mind!
Today [edit: now yesterday as I never managed to finish this!] was a day off for me and Jessica so we chilled out quite a bit. Wandered to Wadi (the local area) to do a bit of essential shopping (soap and notebooks), came back and sorted out our room because it's a mess (details coming in the next thing I'll write about), then dozed for a bit, I had a swim, and then we visited the doctor - which is literally next door - because Jessica's not been feeling too well. I've been so busy and now have some of my own tasks as well as shadowing the other SVs, that today I finally understood why days off are taken so seriously here. If someone is off, then they're off. Participants are instructed to leave us alone, and if anyone catches us working, we're told off! Because you need a break when things are this full on. So yes, it's been a nice day, and also gave me time to do some skyping to family and friends at home :)
So, next thing:
On Tuesday we invited a group of scouts and guides to spend the night at Sangam. The event participants spent some time planning activities to run for them, and the campfire. We had a 'dhosa man' come to cook dhosa dinner (basically a thin crepe stuffed with spiced potato, and then another more like a scotch pancake but savoury) and had all the tents pitched in the campground.
Then it started to rain. Not drizzle, not a shower, not even what we'd consider to be a downpour in the UK. The best description is a deluge. The next morning the rain gauge read almost 10cm. So much for the monsoon season being finished. It's really beautiful when it rains though - when it's pelting down the drops bounce back up of the arched rooves and create a mist, and the surface of the swimming pool becomes mesmerising.
This meant though that we had to get a lot of wet scouts and guides quickly up to the hall, and have an indoor campfire. It was really good fun actually, but halfway through, Jessica and I had to leave. Because the scouts (x50) would be sleeping in the hall, the guides (x10) would have to sleep in our dormitory. So we had to move all of our stuff out of our room and crash in Jen and Christa's lounge for the night! - hence our room being rather messy and all my stuff needing un-packing once again.
I'm definitely missing a day of fun things that I can't think of to write about now. The last exciting thing I can think of is that last night was our 1960s evening. This was because Sangam was opened in 1966. Jessica and I decorated the dining room with lots of groovy pics etc - and sabotaged the staff photographs along the way! We had homemade meatballs and spaghetti, which meant that the night before found Hayley, Heidi, Jessica and myself making and frying a LOT of meatballs until about 10.30! We then played a '60s themed wide game involving twister, dance routines, helium stick, football etc. A great mix of things that Sophie put together and connected to various things that happened in the '60s. I let my hair go stupidly frizzy and wore my bright green Indian top which worked scarily well as a hippy outfit; but some of the other ladies had brought truly impressive outfits with them! It was a really fun night and didn't really feel like work at all because we were all just getting involved and laughing all night.
Today [real time] the participants were out visiting some of our community partners in the morning, and then we all met at a local restaurant for a buffet/ thali- style lunch. Very good :) Then this afternoon was our Indian themed afternoon where participants could get mehendi (henna) on their hands, learn to tie saris, try out rangoli (beautiful pictures made of sand drawn on the floor) and drink chai! Jessica and I had to constantly tie and untie our saris until Jen was satisfied that we could do it ourselves - gruelling stuff! The evening featured a traditional Maharashtrian wedding feast which we ate on the floor from banana leaf plates, and then some of the children from Maher, one of our community partner homes, gave an AMAZING drama/ dance performance telling the story of Gandhiji. It was really moving, and reminded me once again of the importance of inter-cultural understanding; of remembering history; and of the importance of making the future a better place for all. I rarely feel guilt about being British and having some historic connection to the (sometimes) violent colonisation of other nations, but tonight it struck me that we do have a lot to answer for. Of course, a lot of good came from colonial rule, but some of it was not good at all, and Gandhiji's story highlighted that very well, especially when presented so cleverly and emotionally. Perhaps this blog isn't the place to get into a deep debate, but it made me think again about my dissertation on Postcolonial Literature, and re-inspired me to perhaps continue that thread of study. Maybe I can make a difference in my own small way there.
I just realised I didn't tell you about Oktoberfest - which was very random. It was at the racecourse, and felt like a giant pub garden party with bbq! You had to exchange your money for tokens to buy stuff which was a bit annoying, but we (Heidi, Hayley and I) all chipped in and shared lots of different German foods and a couple of beers as well. It was really hot, but a great atmosphere and loads of fun. Heidi and I went swimming when we got back to Sangam to cool down and burn off a few calories! Also pool-themed was our poolside movie night. We projected 'Surf's Up' onto a sheet screen that we had specially made, spent the whole day blowing up inflatable chairs, and even served floating plates of popcorn! The participants all loved it, and again such a great atmosphere, but I still cannot say that I've seen the film as I was too busy taking photographs or being a waitress!
I'm certain that a LOT more amazing things have happened to me, but it's hard to keep track. I'll have to start bringing my timetable with me when I blog so that it jolts my memory. I am however able to tell you all that I am having the time of my life. Even when all the printers and computers conspire against me and I have 4 different jobs that need doing all at once, I am enjoying myself. Sangam is a sanctuary and a haven, and the people here truly live and work through the 'Spirit of Sangam'. I'm quite sad that our current participants will be leaving in a couple of days because they've been here pretty much since I arrived and so it seems normal. However it's not long until our next event starts and I'll have more people (this time all from the UK) to make friends with and share experiences with. Sometimes it feels like I've been here forever; sometimes it feels like only a couple of days and I wonder how on earth I've managed to fit it all in. I'm currently chilling out after a busy evening, listening to the madness of some of the other SVs in the pool. I have one more job to do - lock away laptops and camera - and then I can fall into bed, ready for another day.
Hopefully my next blog will have some photos of Sangam proper and in some detail - as this has been requested. I find it quite difficult to describe India in a way that successfully portrays the beauty and craziness that this land embodies, so maybe some images will help those of you who aren't really sure what I'm on about sometimes! However that may not be for a few days as it's World Sangam Day on Sunday, so things are only getting crazier here. Maybe when I get another day off....
TTFN.
That means a) that I'm obviously having fun because time is flying
b) I may not update you on everything because I've clearly forgotten some stuff already
c) this is likely to be another rather long blog post.
I think I may do this in a random order as well - as and when I think of things I wanted to blog about, rather than trying to work through my days chronologically. More fun and easier for me; possibly more confusing for you but never mind!
Today [edit: now yesterday as I never managed to finish this!] was a day off for me and Jessica so we chilled out quite a bit. Wandered to Wadi (the local area) to do a bit of essential shopping (soap and notebooks), came back and sorted out our room because it's a mess (details coming in the next thing I'll write about), then dozed for a bit, I had a swim, and then we visited the doctor - which is literally next door - because Jessica's not been feeling too well. I've been so busy and now have some of my own tasks as well as shadowing the other SVs, that today I finally understood why days off are taken so seriously here. If someone is off, then they're off. Participants are instructed to leave us alone, and if anyone catches us working, we're told off! Because you need a break when things are this full on. So yes, it's been a nice day, and also gave me time to do some skyping to family and friends at home :)
So, next thing:
On Tuesday we invited a group of scouts and guides to spend the night at Sangam. The event participants spent some time planning activities to run for them, and the campfire. We had a 'dhosa man' come to cook dhosa dinner (basically a thin crepe stuffed with spiced potato, and then another more like a scotch pancake but savoury) and had all the tents pitched in the campground.
Then it started to rain. Not drizzle, not a shower, not even what we'd consider to be a downpour in the UK. The best description is a deluge. The next morning the rain gauge read almost 10cm. So much for the monsoon season being finished. It's really beautiful when it rains though - when it's pelting down the drops bounce back up of the arched rooves and create a mist, and the surface of the swimming pool becomes mesmerising.
This meant though that we had to get a lot of wet scouts and guides quickly up to the hall, and have an indoor campfire. It was really good fun actually, but halfway through, Jessica and I had to leave. Because the scouts (x50) would be sleeping in the hall, the guides (x10) would have to sleep in our dormitory. So we had to move all of our stuff out of our room and crash in Jen and Christa's lounge for the night! - hence our room being rather messy and all my stuff needing un-packing once again.
I'm definitely missing a day of fun things that I can't think of to write about now. The last exciting thing I can think of is that last night was our 1960s evening. This was because Sangam was opened in 1966. Jessica and I decorated the dining room with lots of groovy pics etc - and sabotaged the staff photographs along the way! We had homemade meatballs and spaghetti, which meant that the night before found Hayley, Heidi, Jessica and myself making and frying a LOT of meatballs until about 10.30! We then played a '60s themed wide game involving twister, dance routines, helium stick, football etc. A great mix of things that Sophie put together and connected to various things that happened in the '60s. I let my hair go stupidly frizzy and wore my bright green Indian top which worked scarily well as a hippy outfit; but some of the other ladies had brought truly impressive outfits with them! It was a really fun night and didn't really feel like work at all because we were all just getting involved and laughing all night.
Today [real time] the participants were out visiting some of our community partners in the morning, and then we all met at a local restaurant for a buffet/ thali- style lunch. Very good :) Then this afternoon was our Indian themed afternoon where participants could get mehendi (henna) on their hands, learn to tie saris, try out rangoli (beautiful pictures made of sand drawn on the floor) and drink chai! Jessica and I had to constantly tie and untie our saris until Jen was satisfied that we could do it ourselves - gruelling stuff! The evening featured a traditional Maharashtrian wedding feast which we ate on the floor from banana leaf plates, and then some of the children from Maher, one of our community partner homes, gave an AMAZING drama/ dance performance telling the story of Gandhiji. It was really moving, and reminded me once again of the importance of inter-cultural understanding; of remembering history; and of the importance of making the future a better place for all. I rarely feel guilt about being British and having some historic connection to the (sometimes) violent colonisation of other nations, but tonight it struck me that we do have a lot to answer for. Of course, a lot of good came from colonial rule, but some of it was not good at all, and Gandhiji's story highlighted that very well, especially when presented so cleverly and emotionally. Perhaps this blog isn't the place to get into a deep debate, but it made me think again about my dissertation on Postcolonial Literature, and re-inspired me to perhaps continue that thread of study. Maybe I can make a difference in my own small way there.
I just realised I didn't tell you about Oktoberfest - which was very random. It was at the racecourse, and felt like a giant pub garden party with bbq! You had to exchange your money for tokens to buy stuff which was a bit annoying, but we (Heidi, Hayley and I) all chipped in and shared lots of different German foods and a couple of beers as well. It was really hot, but a great atmosphere and loads of fun. Heidi and I went swimming when we got back to Sangam to cool down and burn off a few calories! Also pool-themed was our poolside movie night. We projected 'Surf's Up' onto a sheet screen that we had specially made, spent the whole day blowing up inflatable chairs, and even served floating plates of popcorn! The participants all loved it, and again such a great atmosphere, but I still cannot say that I've seen the film as I was too busy taking photographs or being a waitress!
I'm certain that a LOT more amazing things have happened to me, but it's hard to keep track. I'll have to start bringing my timetable with me when I blog so that it jolts my memory. I am however able to tell you all that I am having the time of my life. Even when all the printers and computers conspire against me and I have 4 different jobs that need doing all at once, I am enjoying myself. Sangam is a sanctuary and a haven, and the people here truly live and work through the 'Spirit of Sangam'. I'm quite sad that our current participants will be leaving in a couple of days because they've been here pretty much since I arrived and so it seems normal. However it's not long until our next event starts and I'll have more people (this time all from the UK) to make friends with and share experiences with. Sometimes it feels like I've been here forever; sometimes it feels like only a couple of days and I wonder how on earth I've managed to fit it all in. I'm currently chilling out after a busy evening, listening to the madness of some of the other SVs in the pool. I have one more job to do - lock away laptops and camera - and then I can fall into bed, ready for another day.
Hopefully my next blog will have some photos of Sangam proper and in some detail - as this has been requested. I find it quite difficult to describe India in a way that successfully portrays the beauty and craziness that this land embodies, so maybe some images will help those of you who aren't really sure what I'm on about sometimes! However that may not be for a few days as it's World Sangam Day on Sunday, so things are only getting crazier here. Maybe when I get another day off....
TTFN.
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