I've been here 1 month!

It's been a none stop week here in India! There had been little rest and lots of art.

It's been a tiring week, and due to temperatures rising, I haven't had a good nights sleep in over a week. My eyes are feeling constantly heavy. I've also had a dusty cough all week. Good job I am sun-kissed or I might come across quite scary. Like this tiger...

 

 

 

My Mondays are spent a Kasam. 2 workshops. Usually result in abit of mayhem. Trying to control a group of 30 in a different language can be quite a challenge. They are getting better! And they do produce some exciting work.

Tuesday and Wednesday. Both days are spent at Arni.

The kids here need some inspiration in their lives. We have started to transform an empty classroom into a colourful art room.

I have been practising art room rules this week. For example, lining up before and after class. Trying to keep them alittle calm. They begin quietly, then as they leave high fives appear out of nowhere.

 

 

Welcome to Arni's new Art Room

 

 

 

 

There are some kids at Arni, that I would happily hire as my assistant. They are are very respectable and helpful. I had a bunch of them wanting to help me sharpen all of the pencils the other morning.

I have introduced 'duck,duck,goose.' Although adapting it Indian style... 'Cow, cow, mosquito.' Being the novelty, I was chosen many times to be the mosquito. I had to run around the circle again and again, it was very hot, but absolutely brilliant.

 

A day trip up to village number 3. Another bumpy 2 hour ride. This time I did bump my head on the metal part of the jeep roof! Ouch!

You can't imagine the experience. I could take a photo or a video. But firstly I can't safely get the camera out. Secondly I can't record the sticky dusty heat in the back of the jeep. The pain on your hands holding onto the straps and hot tarpaulin, resulting in blisters. Not really able to enjoy the mountain view due to the rolling and tumbling across the rocky road. I almost fall out of the jeep in a fluster when we arrive. And the most beautiful, happy faces greet us when we reach the top, they are worth the journey.

 

 

 

 

And what an amazing workshop. Halfway through I was thinking what am I doing!? The classroom was complete carnage. Scissors had created paper confetti filling the classroom floor, I cringed as the scissors also were being waved around even after my scissor safety talk. The glue area was kind of under control. But I also saw how engaged they were in the workshop.

We had gone around the village and school, taking rubbings, chopping them up into shapes and making a massive group collage.

I had suggested making a flower, but their pure enjoyment of just cutting and sticking resulted in a wacky abstract collage.

 

 

 

 

 

The village also gave me a new experience of a toilet. You ask me, and I'll explain.

I've been to Bangalore this weekend, visiting friends. I caught a double decker train, again a whole new experience.

Lower on the way and upper on my return. Katpadi to Bangalore, the scenery transitions from palm trees, flat lands, fields, mountains, rocky hills and forests. A beautiful journey.

We ate a lot of food in such a small space of time. The really love to make sure they keep their guests full!

Phew! Ok! This week coming looks busy too! I'd better go!

Pakalam! See you later!

 

 

 

So things are beginning to settle here in my Indian life. I would say workshops are near to being in full swing! A few tweaks here and there will still be needed, but my working life pretty much has a complete timetable now.

I've been organising a Graffiti street art mural with the boys in the hostel at Kasam. It's always good to have an idea, even better to get it confirmed with those in charge and will be perfect on Monday when I propose the idea to the boys. The hostel is drab and dark, so it exciting to think of them creating some art to brighten up the place! Making their mark on the place.

 

 

The boys hostel...looking pretty grim hey!?
 

The education in some of these schools is so basic or doesn't even seem to exist. You can spend 5 minutes here and you will see, through clothes, buildings, handpainted lorries and Rangoli (Traditional patterns drawn with chalk outside a building, representing beauty and luck, I shall take some photos next week), that art is naturally in a large part of their culture,

But they are not exposed to expressing themselves with art or creative thinking in education.

I think I have found my place at a school in Arani. About 2 hours from where I currently stay. The commute is long and hot and tiring, so this coming week I will be spending the night in an empty pastors house, next to the school. The school has many flaws. I am so surprised it still stands. I think that bringing art here for 2 days a week, will really benefit the children.

 

 

Workshops at Arani School

 

 

Urmm, I guess this is a new way of viewing the art work?!

We seemed to stand like this for quite some time.

 

 

More art experiments in the office... Bubble printing with no straws. Note to self... cardboard does not make a good straw alternative. I ended up with a blue face!

I took a ride on the back of the moped into a busier part of the city. We went to stock up my art supplies. I have all trust in Eunice's driving ability, but I did hold on extra tight, as we winded through the narrow, bustling streets of Vellore.

 

 

Beeping Beeping Beeping. Horns, bells, shouting! Bicycles, motorbikes, cars, lorries, trucks, auto, farmers and their ox, pedestrians, cows, dogs... all going in their own direction.

The roads really are incredibly crazy. But if you watch carefully, and if you are here for some time, there seems to be some method to the madness. I couldn't tell you the method though! Though today I have been told, driving here in Vellore is particularly bad, compared to other cities.

I brought my first Indian dress! They seem to have a great customer service system. Maybe I was abit of a novelty, but they seem to help everyone. They just keep on pulling out lots of things for me to try. The colours and patterns are out of this world. Clothes shopping in England is boring, here I am in my elements...rails of rainbows.

The food just keeps getting better and better.

Coconuts,

Steamed corn on the cob,

Dosas (similar to a pancake) eatten with sambar (soupy lentil dish)

Idli (spongy rice cakes) eatten with sambar.

Indian sweets mmmmm

I stayed over night with the husband and wife who are involved with Seb's Project. We had stopped by at a wedding to eat dinner and greet the bride and groom. Apparently some people just come off the street too eat! Brilliant!

In the morning I woke to coffee and oats with hot milk, very salty porridge. Well I thought that is a nice change. Went to brush my teeth. I was then invited for 'breakfast'.

Breakfast number two?? Papaya, Dosas and spicy peanut sauce, brilliant. This would be a favourite in the Mytton family!

I was set up for the day!

 

 The beautiful tree that fills the school ground at Arani.

This photo doesn't do it justice.

"Hellow" said the sign on the back of the lorry!

India. A country that bursts with colour, through the landscape, the transport, the music, the people, the buildings, the food.

So here is a black and white shot of the Jalakandeswarar Temple in Vellore Fort

I have spend most of my Sunday in Vellore, visiting the Fort, buying paper and strolling down the winding busy roads. I stopped for tea and made friends with the male tea vendors. I'm very good at this! Making male friends in tea shops in Asia! Anyway, they told me where to eat lunch after I asked them.

Once upon a time I was know as the Rice Queen by certain people. This was on my return from staying in Nepal for a long time, becoming fat after being force fed rice, of what felt like every minute of the day.

I had flashbacks today, as I was eating my lunch off a banana tree leaf in a cafe. There was rice, dahl and other fascinating pickles and vegetables. There was a LOT of rice and it just wasn't going down. The woman opposite me looked horrified. Telling me to 'eat eat!' Pointing at my untouched rice.

I kept on going, finished the spicy and filling feast and rolled out of the door, back into the hot hustle and bustle.

 

It's been quite a varied week. Workshops have started, as well as more planning at new schools. As this is a completely new project, I am organising everything from scratch, which can be quite daunting at times. As well as exciting.

 

 

Workshops at Kings School proved to be quite chaotic, but resulted in some really exciting results and learning curves for me. I am organising set classes/ age groups to work with. So I can work on long term projects to see them blossom and how they progress.

With each group that I am working with, I have been starting off with a simple and fun workshop, which allows me to see how the children behave in a group project, and just to see how their imaginations work.

I've spend a day making samples for my workshop ideas. So I've had the chance to be making fun and arty things. Eunice and I spend quite a while walking around the office garden, taking rubbing's of trees, tiles, the floor and textures, before I chopped them up to be transformed into a collage.

 

Hunting the garden for ideas!

 

My brain is in complete overload. Constantly thinking what I could and should be doing, and I know once I have settled into more routine, my thoughts will clear!

I'm excited to be working with a struggling school in Arni, just outside of Vellore. There are just over 200 students. Of which probably about 10/15 are girls. One thing I hope to do, is to have weekly workshops with these girls. Because sometimes we just need abit of GIRL POWER!!

 

 

 

I was able to visit another tribal school (photos above), we did the same workshop as the kids in the city school. The whole behaviour was completely different, it took some time for these children to get into the activity. This particular school is currently situated in somebodies old house. 17 children in the whole school when I visited. From ages approximately 10 – 15. If this school wasn't here then the children would be working in the fields after primary school. Children aren't sent down to the city/town school because elephants roam the hills.

 

I could write so much in this blog, but best not bore you all, but here are a few things to end on...

Crunching dried out tamarind shells under my flipflops brings as much satisfaction as stomping on puffball mushrooms in the English Woodland.

As I sit eating Thali, I suddenly notice the amount of moustaches in the room. Perhaps as my well read fella from across the globe suggests... They are all influenced by the late Rudyard Kipling, who sported quite a grand moustache

It is warming up even more here now in the days. Which makes the evenings and mornings seem cooler.

I have a little lizard friend who scurries across my room, bumping his head on things. Mr Lizard is keeping check on me.

 

Lastly... prepare to be horrified and surprised at my hair washing transformation!!!

A late lack of internet Sunday

Dancing in the Hills

 

 

This morning I stood outside my room. It was 8am and I had just eaten some breakfast. I soaked up the magical moment of calm which fell across the grounds. The children having Sunday service in the chapel resulted in a silent ecstasy. One little girl played with a cup in the taps, whilst the dogs and puppies took their turn to enjoy the peace too. Running freely without being pestered. I step into my room to get ready for the day. My ears then fill with the sound of children ready for the day.

It's been quite a week, as I try to organise my timetable and life here in India. Art materials are purchased and I've enough paper to wrap a house. My first 2 classes are on Monday, tomorrow at King's School just down the road. I think I'm ready.

 

The walk to Kings School

I've had Tamil lessons, learnt the bus routes and how to catch a shared auto through town. My timetable splits across 3 different schools. One school I can take a 10minute walk along the country road. Another school, the bus. And the tribal hill schools, by jeep or motorbike.

The buses stop for only a few seconds. You have to pretty much run and jump to get on. Tickets cost from about 5p-10p. And although most journeys involve standing. They do have Tamil movies playing.

Meeting the school children from one of the Jawadhu Schools

Friday brought me real happiness, as we took the jeep into the Jawadhu Hills. 2 hours up the hills on the bumpiest road. Now, I have experienced bumpy roads and rural and poor communities in Nepal, but this was in a league of it's own. I flew off my seat at times. Once we reached the school at the top of the hill, my heart did swell with joy. The happiest and most sweet children. I think bringing art up here will be a really positive experience for everyone.

 

I've tried tasty foods, Tamil Nadu food has a spicy kick. Cooling yogurt is the best way to cool down the taste buds. One of my favourite times of day is tea time. Sweet, milky chai. I've enjoyed a mixture of both sweet and savoury snacks. There is a bakery here, it's actually better than many bakeries I've visited in England. And i'm quite a cake queen! One cake I have been given reminded me of a cake my boyfriend brought from an off licence in Brighton. Perhaps this is the original source. Anyway enough about food!

Making Jaggery. They made us fresh, sweet, warm sugarcane juice.

In other news, the daytime peaks to 30degrees. There are 3 stages to the weather in Tamil Nadu. Hot, Hotter and Hottest. Apparently we are in the hot stage.

I sang the hokey pokey with nursery and suddenly realise how long it is when I am the only one who knows the words. But for them we could have kept going till bedtime.

I've walked under a monkey on a cable who went 'BRRRR'. I've learnt mosquitoes like to bite my bottom. I've found a big juicy ant in my dinner. I looked at my feet in the office, thinking wow they have tanned quickly, only to realise it is dirt. Ridden around Katpadi on the back of a moped, with dirt, dust and sun blasting into my eyes. I have since realised the importance of carrying my sunglasses everywhere. I enjoy bucket washes, squatting by the tap throwing water everywhere. This is especially good when I feel like I am covered in a layer of sweat and dust! Nice!

Anyway! Let the art workshops begin!

 Eunice playing around with my ideas.