Good Morning!

 The rain falls during some evenings, bringing the temperature down and clearing the air, which means I can spend more time on the rooftop without melting and burning like incense. The goats eat posters and notebooks, and the cows seemed to have doubled in numbers, with many a calf trotting around town.

I am quite the local here now. I wave into the shops I regularity visit. Acquaintances and strangers on mopeds or foot shout 'Good Morning” Whatever time of day! I love when I am head home at 6pm and someone wishes me a good morning.

Lizard spotting whilst eating ice cream.

Monday morning had an odd feeling about it and sitting on the bus arguing with the conductor about my ticket was not something I really enjoyed. I was paying for 2 tickets, one for me and one for Sam. I don't believe this young conductor had ever seem someone like me in real life before. He was a very stunning man, but gave me the most intense and quite frightening stare. When I gave him my 10 rupees, I sat and waited for 2 rupees change and the tickets. 10 rupees is probably equivalent to 12p. He demanded 10 more rupees and looked like he wanted to attack me. I do not stand for this! And we continue for about 3 minutes arguing, neither of us back down. I am just so confused at his demands. The man next to me tells me he is joking around. Well he doesn't look like he is joking. Eventually he gives in and hands me my change and tickets. As I talk to Sam, he continues to shout at me. Almost 'OI,OI,OI' wanting to get my attention. Lucky we escape the short journey and hop off the bus and straight onto the back of an auto with our legs dangling. My legs touch the speed bumps as we drive over them. All in a mornings commute!

I've been struggling to fight off a stomach bug this week, with a loss of appetite and cramping pains. But my workshops and watermelons have kept me going.

The walls at the boys hostel continue to transform, this week I introduced the idea of creating bright abstract designs using masking tape. We were just so happy, at the end of the session when we pulled away the tape to reveal a beautiful work of art. The boys here are very respectable, they will always walk me the 15 minute walk back to the area where I catch my bus. They tell me it is not safe walking here alone.

The drama and art collaboration with Sam, which is to be a Noah's ark performance,is working so well with one group of kids, but 2 hours in a different direction me and Sam are having to adapt our ideas. We are having great fun. On the arty side of things, we have been making animal masks this week. And I know what you are thinking! More masks. Well, like a said before, masks are so exciting, and even I don't get bored of helping the kids make them. The masks this week turned out to be the most wacky and abstract animals on Noah's Ark.

I took a workshop with a group of kids at Arni, which as usual at Arni, is always abit chaotic. I wanted them to think about themselves and their identity. To think independently. So I made a worksheet first, which Eunice in the office had translated into Tamil. I wanted the kids to think about their personalities, things they are good at and what their dreams are. Certain kids got stuck in straight away, for other students, it was a struggle. Then with what they had written, I asked them to draw and decorate designs about themselves inspired by the worksheet. They all had a printout of their faces to work around. This was exciting enough. This was the first time they had been introduced to self-portraiture.

 I visited one of my favourite shops in Vellore during the week to pick up some pretty things for the girls to add to their bags. The shop is tucked down a teeny tiny side ally. The man sells jewellery, wool, quilling kits, door hangers and more, it is an Aladdin's cave of colour. It's exciting to see what he pulls out of each box.

The girls were extremely happy with my choice of designs, so we spent an hour learning how to use a needle and thread to sew. They took pleasure in this activity, some girls complete naturals, whilst others took more patience, with undoing and redoing stitches. What a great and important skill to learn though. And they will be so proud, with a boost to their self-esteem.

 Thursday, I took a day off work to join a 12km Eco Trail through the hills, which I was well in need of. Living in a city or town, especially an Indian town is mentally and physically exhausting. So I lept hard and heavy over a tree root. Everything comes in 3's. Last week it was my head, this week I fall, so what will be next?

Swarms of butterflies crossed the path, like nothing I had seen before. Hundreds and thousands. It was so magical, it was as though I had stepped into a fairytale.

 I headed to the tailors one evening and spent about half an hour rummaging through all of the cuttings and filling my bag. Ready for some collage fun.

 Friday, down at the learning disability school, we made fabric flowers. It's just magnificent. And when we sat this week making the flowers,the amount of times we said “Super!” was uncountable. Two brothers who are more able, when I turned round, had painted each others arms in PVA glue. Collage is really good for hand and eye coordination. We are all gaining a lot from the workshops I bring here. I am learning a lot about using art in a different way and for different needs, the staff are learning about the benefits of bringing art into the children's lives and the children are practicing different and concentrated skills and exploring these new materials, whilst really enjoying.

 To end this week, I will just tell you about my name. People seem to find it hard to pronounce my name. “What is your good name ma'am?” 

I am called 'Loozi' 'Loosa' 'Julie' 'Lossi' , I've never really had a nickname, so I really enjoy all these new and interesting takes on my name. And I just do my little head shake in confirmation.

Until next week, I'm off to the cinema... With spice from India, Loozi

Mango and Monkey Madness!

 

It's amazing to be here in India now. OK, so I have just survived the hottest time of year, but check out all of the mangoes!! It's mango mania! They line the roadsides, fill the fruit stalls and happily end up in my tummy. Who would have thought there would be so many different varieties. A mango or two a day...

 

Not a day goes by in India when something eventful doesn't happen. For example, after a tiring workshop in Arni and a relief to drink some cool water (the ice man from before treated us to ice packs with a warm smile). We climb on the bus. Then whack, I smash my head on the corner of metal shelf on the bus. I am always hitting my head.

Yes it hurt, but I have a good pain threshold. Sam then told me, there is blood and whipped out her first aid kit! Oh no! The man sitting near to us also informed us of blood. I think he and his neighbour were quite enjoying the show. The whole procedure had us in hysterics. Sam only had massive dressings and pulled on some gloves. It was when Sam told me she had stuck the glove to my sweaty head, that I could feel the tears in my eyes from laughter, or was it more sweat? She was being extra pre-cautious and if it were just me alone, I would have just left it!
As I walked back to the house with what looked like a massive strip of masking tape on my head, the locals that recognise me all asked “What's happened?”
To my amusement when I pulled off the gigantic dressing, it was a tiny but deep cut. Nothing very impressive. Well, I filled that cut with turmeric straight away.
The father of the house advised me to stop daydreaming about my boyfriend and to walk around like this...then demonstrated a movement that could easily have been an impression of the hunchback of Notre Dame.

 

The drama and Art collaboration between me and Sam began this week at both Kasam on Monday and Arni on Tuesday. A mixture of productive and challenging creativity as well as uncontrollable glitter fights!

 The boys hostel continues to be splashed with colour.

 

 

I love my Wednesdays with The Girls Project. I am super proud of these girls! 2 girls have left the school, but 2 more younger ones have joined. One has as much sass as Beyonce and the other is just the cutest thing!

 

This Wednesday I took them for a double workshop and got messy and creative with tie-dye. I always have fond memories of tie-dye as a child. I come from a family who love tie-dye. My mum or dad would choose only one colour, so we all would be matching. It's funny to see photos now, in our faded orange t-shirts.

 

The workshop with the girls was abit more advanced compared to what we would create in the Mytton garden. We coloured a lot of fabric and tried techniques I had never experience before. These pieces of art will be transformed into bags over the next coming weeks. And how beautiful! A couple didn't work, but that doesn't mean we can make a cool bag for the girls to show off proudly around their village.

 Whoops... and we were wearing gloves!!

 

 

I felt very happy on Friday when I had put together an art workshop for the children down at the disability school. More children have joined the school, and with many different abilities. So we formed two groups, and although they were being arty in separate rooms, doing different things, they were actually working together and for each other to make a final piece. It was a great success.

 

Yoga now wakes me up earlier, but I really enjoy the practice. Especially when my teacher praises me and says 'Very good' 'You're improving!'

My yoga teacher is a woman I can look up too. A very natural woman. She always tells me about these interesting things, I helped her collect bamboo leaves the other day so she could make a drink, 'It'll make the body strong!' So I went to her for advice when I was feeling worried about my hair falling out. The next week she rocked up with some magic coconut oil mixed with many plants and seeds.

Sitting on the rooftop at the weekend. Minding my own business reading from my kindle, I felt the urge to look to my right. Staring at me was a young monkey, only about a foot away, it gave me a jump and I stood up to see 2 big adult monkeys sitting under my seat, also staring at me. I could tell they were thinking, 'what is she doing here?' I backed away and observed from afar, I know and have seen how unpredictable and scary monkeys can get. They were obviously on their daily commute, crossing this rooftop, having a snack on some of Jhansi's plants, and giving their bums a good scratch! It's quite incredible really, to experience this, I just need David Attenborough narrating for me.

 

Since I last wrote I have also been baking cheese straws and courgette cake and finally collecting recipes from Jhansi, a divine cook.

I sat next to an elderly man on the bus, only to notice how wide apart his legs were and how I had squeezed onto the tiny remaining piece of seat. I thought to myself, maybe he has something really big down there. I continued chuckling to myself for the remainder of the journey.

I have decided Tamil is quite a hard language to learn, I try but struggle to pronounce the words, as they roll their 'R's. I try what I can, but sometimes I have to say one word about 6 times in different accents. But even though what I know is very basic or badly pronounced. Everyone seems impressed with my efforts.

Smiles and Transformations

 

Ideas have been formulated for the next couple of months, so watch this space for more updates. I shall be collaborating with Sam from UK in certain workshops. We found some massive sheets of polystyrene for one of the workshops. Carried them on the bus, covering a man in white pieces of poly dust and squeezed them into a shared auto. Only to realise talking to the teacher about our project proposal, we couldn't use this because it would poison the children. Oh no!

 

Let me tell you that I am becoming quite accustomed to being in India now. I am a pro at eating with my hands. So much so if someone offers me any kind of utensil, I frown and raise my hand to refuse this foreign object whilst nodding the head.

The Indian head nod. Stay long enough in India and you will do it without noticing. I do it a lot and more so now, and it's not till afterwards that I realise. I use it when I have understood, but can't reply. As a hello, as a goodbye. People understand straight away.

 

Walking the roads here I am surrounded by cows, stray dogs and pigs. Open sewers, broken pavements and drivers on all vehicles cutting in front of me. Even coming head on with a moped in slow motion, didn't really faze me.

I am used to fighting to get on the bus and being squashed like a sardine. The spicy food, the sweet tea, and the young men clicking their tongues at me. The heat has reduced to a bearable temperature, I apply coconut oil into my what seems to be thinning hair and I jump on the back of a moped without doubt.

A new friend, keeps saying I should have been born here. I'm quite a natural.

I still come into a trance when I witness a funeral, especially when I stand buying art materials. Massive bangers and fireworks are set off in the road, continuously followed by a beautifully decorated funeral car and walking drummers. Death is no taboo here and the louder the better, to scare off any bad spirits, so I'm told.

 

Schools officially opened on Wednesday. A trip to Arni and I felt a few nerves about starting up again. I needn't have been worried, because when we (Sam came to support me) reached Arni, only 20 students had turned up. This school is just unbelievable, and this is why I have such a connection with the students here, because they are experiencing such poor education.

The day turn out brilliantly. We gathered all 20 students ranging from Year 4 to Year 10, played some games, then whipped out the materials for mask making.

This workshop was just excellent. The kids were so patient as I manned the glitter and pompom station whilst Sam took to the elastic fastening.

 

 I love this photo above. For a number of reasons. I love his attitude, and when I showed it to the 97year old grandma I live with, she stuck out her tongue and went "RaaAHH!" like a real rockstar. I also love the fact that he has not pulled it down, so he can't even see! But yet he is so happy!

 

Humans can wear a mask and be totally transformed, all of the kids I have offered to make a mask with have been so excited by this activity. Even the adults want to make and wear them.

 

In the school grounds when we returned from lunch out, the kids walked around the dull school grounds, a flash of colour and joy on their faces.

 

The Girls Project is one thing I am most proud of setting up. I was lucky enough to be offered a Polaroid camera to use whilst here working with Seb's. I don't need to tell you how happy these girls where during this short workshop. Just see their happy faces in the photos. And see how happy they have made me.

 

After being away for a month, my house mother Jhansi has come up with some great quotes... After I told her that I was so full and couldn't eat any more. She slapped me on the back and said "Be Strong!"

And apparently she watched something on youtube, telling me... “farting is good for the heart!”

 

I also offended my maid love, by exposing the back of my thigh with a massive hole in my trousers that I hadn't noticed. She sent me upstairs to get changed. I had been travelling like this, fortunately no hands had tried to creep in! I probably shocked a few locals. Whoops.

 

Until next time...