Jul 16, 2012 - So much to see here!

What a day looks like at Shanti Bhavan? Well...something like this!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnH86Z3QQAM Although the older grades don't go to bed at 8:30, they still have study time until 9:30. Since mid last week life has become pretty for all of us volunteers, because 6 volunteers left and none arrived. So all of their classes were distributed amongst us. I was given 9 extra classes to teach. I now have 25 hours a week of teaching and this excludes grading time, lesson planning time and time to complete my Diploma for Dance...

Jan 10, 2012 - Pondicherry and travelling

We checked out of the hotel this morning at 8am, and headed south down the coast to Pondicherry.  This is part of the old French colony - French street names, a lovely wide boulevard by the sea and a hot bread shop - more later!  The bus trip lasted about 90 mins and we then went for a walk across the town.  This was the area where cyclone Thane hit last week and whilst there wasn't much structural damage that we could see, there was a lot of debris and tree branches in piles at the side of the road.  However outside of the French quarter...

Dec 27, 2011 - A day trip to Tiruvanamallai

Une excusion d’une journee pour visiter une tres grande temple dedier a Shiva a dans la ville de Tiruvanammallai le Arunachaleswar Temple. Parmi des plus grandes de toute l’Inde Apres on est repartie et sure la route de retour on est arreter a Gingee prononcer “Singui” un site hors des sentiers battus de l’Inde touristique. Une forteresse enorme, de 6km de perimeter, percher toute en haut sure des rochers- on a pris quelques clicher et ensuite arreter dans la ville de Gingee pour balader dans la marcher locale et acheter des samosas! En...

Dec 26, 2011 - Pondicherry

Une visite guide de Pondicherry- on a passé le matinee avec une guide qui nous a montre des sites different de Pondi- le Government House, l Ashram de Sri Aurobindo, le temple de Manakula Vinayagar- ou se trouve une vraie elephant a l’entrée du temple. Apres on a dejeune en terrace a le Pavillon hotel- ou j’ai mange une super curry au poisson et une lassi au banana- après on a blader encore dans la ville de Pondi for sympa- on a trouve pas mal de petit boutique tres mignon toujours tenu par des francais biensure!! Apres retour a l’hotel...

Dec 25, 2011 - Mamallapuram a Pondicherry- Joyeux Noel!!

On est partie pour Pondicherry- encore plus sud sure la cote Est de l’Inde- On est aller directement a notre hotel- Le Pondy- qui se situe 20 km a l’exterieure de la ville de Pondy- une hotel sublime- sure une grande terrain au bord de la mer- avec une piscine excellent et des chambres super modern- vraiment tres tres jolie!! Apres avoir installer nos affaires dans nos chambres on est repartee pour la ville de Pondy. Notre chauffeur, Pradiip, nous a depose au bord de la mer pour une petite balade de fin de journee. Pondy, une sous...

Nov 15, 2011 - Life Of Pi

I had a lot of difficulty reading this book. Because I just could not enjoy it. There were parts I found interesting. Information about zoo animals, how to dominate a ferocious beast,and the idea that all religions are one; but, I felt most of the book was very tedious and there were parts that were painfully dull. It's not a book I'd ever recommend to anyone.

Nov 14, 2011 - Pondicherry 10th - 13th

Started my weekend away with an early rise to get there before it got too hot - travelled in an old ambassador car it was lovely. Pondicherry is a former french colony so some bits are quite European. When I arrived I had a breakfast of french bread, croissants and an omlette (very nice) went for a walk along the promenade, there is a beach but its not really the type you would lie on and sunbathe more like just having a walk along. Went for Italian meal at night and had a PIZZA, I know not very Indian but hey it was a treat, got my beer in...

Dec 13, 2010 - Puducherry

I think this computer was old in 1992. It is super sssssslllllllllooooooowwwwwwww. I am in Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry). I came yesterday. I drove down with Kumar and his wife Sagayam. Kumar came to buy books, which he will then hopefully sell. I went to meeting with tme yesterday. They became Jehovah's Witnesses a year ago after being raised Catholic. The meeting was all in Tamil. I tried really hard to stay awake. Honestly. Then we went book shopping, or rather, Kumar did. Sagayam and I sat and chatted for a long time. We talked...

Nov 30, 2010 - Pondicherry

We left our beautiful hotel early this morning for a 2 hour drive south to Pondicherry. On the way, Sanjay gave us an interesting talk about the caste system in India-more information than I can share in this blog. We stopped on the way to visit a shrine a few feet off the side of the road down a dirt path. We were immediately surrounded by a man trying to sell us lotus flowers he had picked from a pond and children who looked like they were on their way to school but perhaps hoped we would hand out some pencils or sweets. Sanjay has...

Feb 9, 2010 - Pondicherry Continued

Last night and this morning I dealt with the task of booking my ticket on. Tomorrow will be a travel day so no journal. I will be moving south to the very tip of India. After finally, hopefully, getting a ticket, Vasantha and I went out to some property where her son-in-law is building a resort village. It is really beautiful land. On salt water, but far enough away from the open ocean to be "tsuinami proof." The tsunami has affected people's thinking in many ways. While there, we had fresh cucumbers and fresh coconut. I love fresh coconut;...

Feb 8, 2010 - Around Pondicherry

Today Vasanatha took me out to Auroville, which is a large community (about 2000 people). "Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity." It is somewhat interesting but a little new agey for me. Afterward we went to Vasanatha's work at Prana. It was created by some Germans to help people, especially children, who were affected by the tsunami. It was much...

Feb 7, 2010 - The French Indian City

This morning I did errands and then was picked up the car and driver of Arokinathan and Vasantha. They are friends of one of my work mates who is a dean at Seattle Central and I moved into a spare room at their house. Having a car and driver is a very handy thing in India. Even though they are in roughly the same economic status as I am, servants are the norm. He is a professor of Tamil language at Pondicherry University and she works for a site that is working with people disrupted by the Tsunami. This afternoon Arokinathan and I went for...