Friday, December 11, 2009

Life In Pailan

Pailan (pronounced as ‘Poilan’) is 2 hours away from Howrah and Sealdah Train Stations. It is 3 hours away from the Airport and 1.5 hours away by bus and taxis from the City Center of Kolkata.

In other words, Pailan is located in the outskirts of the City of Kolkata!

It is where cows and goats and dogs and other animals travel freely along the narrow village roads. It is where one can find ‘M-I-S’ (Men In Skirts) confidently walking in pairs or in groups, holding hands and fingers intertwined. It is where village women wearing old and torn sarees and small children walk briskly to fetch water from the deep well and carry big water jars over their heads. Finally, it is where my campus called CINI is located. CINI stands for Child In Need Institute. As the name implies, the organization is into Health, Nutrition, Protection, and Education for Children, Adolescents and Women in ‘need’. Been around for 35 years has made the organization an institution in the NGO world. Creating an impact to the organization as HR Consultant, I presume, would take years to notice or would be having minimal visibility due to the huge size of the organization with several branch/projects offices all over some states in India, which requires me to take official trips. But off I work creating some small ‘changes’ to the organization’s HR.

Life in Pailan is very laid back and peaceful, the same as the people around. Morning walk to Dayam Ashram (A Jesuit Meditation Center) of 20 minutes was never boring in Pailan. For many months I have been here, walking the same road going to Dayam Ashram, I still receive unfamiliar stare and gaze from the people I passed by. While some greet me out of nowhere and smiles at me, saying ‘Saw you again’. After many months I have been here, I am still being asked, “Are you from Korea?”, Nope. “Japanese!”… Duh???!


Every morning, this laid back volunteer (me!), tried so hard to wake up at 5:30am and do her 20-minute morning walk to Dayam Ashram. In 10 months she had been here, she managed only one week of complete morning walks from Monday to Friday to the Dayam Ashram chapel to attend morning mass with Jesuit seminarians and priests. In most of the weeks, it was 2-3 times morning walks. Funny, these seminarians and priests wonder where she is when she’s not around for long periods. At first, these guys were skeptical why this lone female specie keeps coming to their exclusive and peaceful morning prayers. Trips to Delhi, Seminars and Tours prompted them to ask her where she had been and why she was gone for too long…hmmmmnnn, missing me already!

Yoga, Music Lesson, and Language Lessons often brought me out of Pailan a few evenings in a week. Bengali music lessons were done only 3-4 days in a month while language lessons are every Mondays and Fridays/Saturdays. Yoga class is more flexible, one should attend 12 times in a month any day of the week, once in a day. Other nights in Pailan were spent dinning in neighbors’ houses and eating out with some friends in some food shops near Pailan. My Indian classical dance lesson (scheduled every Friday) was stopped after my first few lessons due to the successive trips to Delhi and other parts which caused my teacher some headaches and blood pressure why I am always not around…My teacher asked, ”Verona, are you really interested to learn Indian dance or not???”…ah…err…maybe we’ll talk when I get back from my yet another trip to Delhi. My teacher never called me again.


Every weekend is a Market Day for me. I keep my diet on fish and vegetables. I only eat Chicken when I didn’t see how it suffered just to be eaten by hungry humans. Buying chicken in Pailan is a gross experience. It is killed in front of you by wringing its neck or banging its head on the stone wall and slowly peeling off its skin out with its head and feathers (urrrrghhh!). This is how they show that your chicken is fresh and good to eat. Hmmn… I’d be happy eating fish the whole year! Fishes and shrimps are quite tasty and very fresh in the market. Enjoy so much buying prawns and tasty fishes. One can get so much for a 100 rupees weighed in a manual and metallic and rustic and old fashioned weighing scale. I never thought this type of weighing scale existed at this day and age. But I like it a lot seeing it for the first time, the symbol of Justice came to life!


Cooking is another wonderful experience. I found out I could cook tasty food by myself or maybe it was just an imagination because nobody’s here to cook for me. Anyhow, cooking and experimenting recipes was such an exciting and novel thing do in this ever peaceful environment. Never knew that my Pasta would taste heavenly with just loads of tomatoes and a few pieces of shrimps. Thanks to Andy and Vincent’s recipes of culinary arts of cooking pasta.


By and large, living in Pailan had showed me how simple a life can be. Simple things always bring joyful thoughts to my ever joyful soul. Will miss Pailan and its laid back daily life dearly.


Monday, November 23, 2009

Siliguri Fishing @Sammy's Fishing Kingdom

Siliguri, India
October 29, 2009

Siliguri is the center point between Sikkim and Darjeeling. One has to ride a train from any point in India to Siliguri and ride a jeep to either Sikkim or Darjeeling. The town is a lowland area, therefore it has general average temperature of 20-25 degrees. Again we rode a 4x4 runner jeep back from Darjeeling to Siliguri. It was another magnificent sight going down with the tea plantations abound. I was tempted to ask the driver if we could stop for awhile and pose for some pictures but unfortunately other vehicles behind would have to stop also because of its narrow road.

It’s time to shed our bonnets and jackets off, we’re in Siliguri!

We were picked up by our dear friend Sammy from the main intersection. Sammy is from Darjeeling but now lives in Siliguri where his various businesses are prospering and growing. Riding in his brand new car makes me so relaxed and comfy opposite from the precarious ride going down from the hills. For introduction purposes, we met Sammy during our ICT in ISI-Delhi. He easily made a good friend out of Noel, the Filipino volunteer. At first, Noel thought Sammy was a Filipino since he looked exactly like one. That’s when their beautiful friendship began when Noel started talking to him in Tagalog (Filipino Language) and Sammy didn’t understand a single word but smiled with his perfect white teeth and almost non-existent eyeballs. We had a couple of dinners with him in Delhi and regularly talked to him in ISI-rooftop since he was there billeted also by the Jesuits. As his usual self, Sammy was so vibrant and cheerful host. Offered us Italian red wine as welcome drink and urged us to drink it while he went to his office, the next door, and create havoc to his employees.

Then we were served with a sumptuous Bhutanese lunch (his wife is a Bhutanese, by the way). I learned that Bhutan also have pig pork in their main dishes like in Philippines. It was a nice chili pig pork meal and some vegetables and dhal to go with our rice. That’s all we need! Dessert was peanuts with caramel crust. We were thoroughly entertained by his pet dog and his good-looking 8 year old son…hmmnn…speaks very good English too. Good job, Sammy & the lovely wife!

After that, Sammy drove us again towards his kingdom of vast fish farm. The fish farm has 4 huge ponds: one for small fishes, one for medium sized fishes, one for big size fishes, and one for … err… just fishing purposes, fishes of all sizes. At the other side of the fence, is the new house. It’s still under construction but it goes up to 3rd floor, basic structure tells me its going to be a fisherman’s palace. Mabel & I attempted to do some fishing. Nice guys patiently allowed us to use their fishing rod for quite sometime (actually we told them, “If you don’t give us your fishing rod now, we will kiss you!” and they backed off instantly). Mabel caught a couple of small fishes and was exorbitantly delighted since it was her first time to do some fishing. Not bad for a starter!

And there stood a solitary dead tree at the center of the ponds. Now, there is an extraordinary story behind this dead Banyan tree. Before it was very much alive and stood at the far end corner of the land when Sammy bought this land kingdom three years ago. He was surprised that even though he had created a fence around the area (to protect his fishing kingdom), several people come inside without permission to worship the Banyan tree every morning. It was believed that the Banyan tree was there a hundred years already. According to him, many people in the place think Banyan tree as sacred and it is the symbol of prosperity and reproductive union between a man and a woman (both married to each other, I suppose, or maybe soon to be married). To ward off the unwanted visitors, he hired an agriculturist and some workers to uproot the tree and place it somewhere near the ponds. Unfortunately, the (15K rupees) job was not so successful and cost the life of the sacred tree. Now, it stands there gray and dead but still firm with its trunk and branches stand majestic above the waters of the ponds.

Sammy promised he will build a “Nipa Hut” (a hut made of coconut leaves) on the side of the ponds, near the dead Banyan tress, where Mabel, Cristina and Me shall take our rest or sleep during our next visit. So Cristina, Sammy is expecting your visit pretty soon!

We were served with a big bowl of vegetable chowmein for our afternoon snacks and farewell wishes from Sammy’s family. Nice to know that chowmien tasted so good if eaten with ketchup. It was another food adventure to cap our Sikkim-Darjeeling-Siliguri journey.

Interesting to know that in Sikkim, one can easily go country hopping in less than a few hours. One can ride a bus for 45 minutes going to Nepal or be in Bhutan in less than three (3) hours. I’m seriously considering visiting Bhutan one of these days? Anyone who wants to join me, raise your feet!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

POEMS

Kolkata! The Land of Most Cows and Romantic Poetry
Kolkata! A place that launched most cows and romantic poetry
On your streets and beside your lovely lamp posts are cows and human bodies lie to sleep at night
What a sight to behold under the darkened moonlight and the peeping gaze of your sweet sunrise.
Kolkata! A place of endless trails of shops and intricate displays of goods
Colorful and shapely sarees, chai and sugarcane juice carts, with tiny flies abound, is just too tempting to deny
On your pavement, one cannot help but gaze in awe where these trails of shops will ever end in what seem to be an infinite horizon.
Kolkata! you are a place to reckon with
At this age and day, your men are still in skirts roaming around in groups or in pairs, holding hands and fingers intertwined
Seeing them is like being back to the paleolithic stage of civilization, frozen in the bronze age of time.
All these and all, your culture and traditions are well-preserved guarded like precious artifacts
Your people are innately good-natured with contagious enthusiasm of life and creativity to survive your historical landscape and communal culture.
Kolkata! You are a place to behold.
The Sound of the Rain
Love the sound of the rain,
Knocking on my glass window pane.
Sweet rhythm, I imagine,
Humming of the past melancholic tune.
Oh, what glittering sheets falling from above,
Looking like silver droplets of love offerings.
From the warmth of my cozy abode,
Alone but content of the memories it brings.
Love the sound of the rain,
Washing away the cobwebs from my brain.
Sweet memories, still remain,
Singing soulful songs of present refrain.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Icy Cold Darjeeling Hills

October 28-30, 2009


From Sikkim’s breathtaking sights, soon my 2 little feet were itching to go to Darjeeling’s icy cold hills. We were able to leave Sikkim only in the late morning because there happens to be a jeep shortage. Most of the numerous jeeps piled in the terminal are going to Siliguri and somewhere else. So we waited for quite sometime sitting on the cold pavement beside the terminal booth until a man motioned us to come with him. They said it would take 3 hours from Sikkim to reach this icy cold hilly town.

Traveling up the steep, narrow and treacherous zigzag road to Darjeeling, has started in me a country side nostalgic feeling. Seeing the vast glittering green leaves of tea plantations on the sides of the hills in uniform slanting shapes and rows of pine trees gave me such a relaxing and melancholic mood just sitting and watching these spectacular images floated gracefully in front of my gaze. After 2 hours riding and gazing at my window side of the vehicle, I was surprised by the foggy scene appeared into my view. Fog coming out of the pine trees, embracing our vehicle and its icy dew touching my face, made me close the vehicle’s slide window quickly. Am I in a different planet? So this is Darjeeling! I thought. Great, early afternoon in Darjeeling is really a foggy sight! I think everyone is thinking what I was thinking because it was so quite inside the vehicle like everyone is holding each own breath due to the foggy and extraordinary scene outside or maybe because of the dangerous tricky road ahead, our lives were suddenly on the line. Anyhow, I have learned afterwards that the road coming up is different from the road going down. This makes sense because it is really a very narrow and steep road, it’s even not enough for one vehicle, I should say, considering the numerous zigzag bends and turns of the road. Now I know why there is a regular shortage of jeeps going up to Darjeeling, it’s because of this tricky road. As felt by the latitude and steepness of the road, I presume that Darjeeling is a higher plane than Siliguri and very much colder too.
Darjeeling hills


Finding Ali’s hotel was an exhausting task. We were dropped off by our driver on the main road near the Clock Tower where Ali said his hotel is just nearby. We never knew the ‘nearness’ meant having to climb long hilly and zigzag slopes towards the hotel. It looked like our climb is an endless trail. Finally at his hotel, out of breath and looking forward to lie down on a soft bed, we were told, “no more available room!” I almost fainted. Fine, after undergoing hardship in walking (almost crawling!) the endless trail up the hills, give me a break! Fortunately, the next door hotel called Broadway (minus the cabaret) was kind enough to invite us in. It was a huge room with a huge bathroom. The floor has velvet red carpet and the wall has a nice full length triangular mirror on the side. The bathroom is impressive with clean and pretty tiles, looks very new and shiny. All these with a price of 300 rupees a night, which Mabel and I shared so around 150 rupees each. Not bad! But it was like in a refrigerator when we went to sleep that night… soon we became nice frozen delights in the morning, two strawberry and chocolate flavored popcicles! Olalah!

Despite being frozen to death, I managed to take a nice long icy cold shower for our strolling in the plaza. Mabel requested for a bucket of hot water but it came an hour later. Lots of shops along the way going up to the plaza center (which I forgot the name, sounds like Chinese word), selling exquisitely designed shawls, makaibari tea, antique goods, paintings, and other stuff. Sitting on the bench with Ali, Noel and Mabel, sipping hot tea, looking up the frozen stars and moon and a little while we became frozen as well. Thus, we decided to go and find somewhere to eat and drink our icy night away. After scourging for a place to eat, we were in to some surprise… nobody will take our orders because dinner will start at 7:30pm and its still 6pm. Great, we are freezing and hungry to death and nobody is willing to give us food! And so be it.
Chowrasta center. sipping hot tea with Noel, Ali and Mabel..feeling icy cold night air


After finally having dinner at Ali’s grand country style hotel, we settled ourselves on the rooftop. Learned another “mixed drinks with no umbrellas” (oh no! this has became my favorite phrase), Ali gave us a raspberry brandy mixed with sprite, heavenly taste, gave us a little warmth in the freezing rooftop. Enjoyed our stay but we need to wake up early to see the famous, “Tiger Hills” and if we stay longer, we might die with hypothermia.

I have no idea why we are going up to tiger hills, and why do we have to go up there when we can see sunrise everywhere? Well, to assuage my curiosity and feed my greed for adventure, I went on with the other three frozen volunteers up to the controversial hills at 4am in the morning riding a mini van. Hundreds of people where there already like a pilgrimage, young and old, grandpa and grandma, sister and brother, toddler and all. This must be an extraordinary sunrise, maybe a smiling face appears on it when it slowly rises. Well, I really can’t express my thoughts upon seeing the amazing sunrise that launched hundreds of people every day to tiger hills but I’ve made a poem about it:

It was the day that yellow become so alive in my sleepy heart...

The day the sun shines yellow beneath the cloudy skies,
reflecting its rays upon your golden eyes.
Unusual as it seems, i was mesmerized by its dazzling hues
of yellow specs from your golden eyes.

Yellow, yellow...it was the day of all the days of my life...

The day an unexpected moment arrived upon the brightness of yellow sun,
My heart eagerly took refuge under the warmth of your golden eyes.
Little did I know such a golden moment would soon to end as the hill sets the sun,
Shall my heart yearn again for the warmth of your golden eyes?...

Sikkim's Breathtaking Sights

October 25-27, 2009

Never in my wildest dreams to experienced a very cold place in India. After enduring 6 months of scourging heat in Kolkata, I finally set my feet on the icy cold Darjeeling Hills and smelled the breathtaking landscape of Sikkim’s mountains and waterfalls. With equally adventurous and brave volunteers, Noel and Mable, the trip made a lot more exciting!


Our first destination was Gantok, Sikkim. Gantok is just along the border between West Bengal and Sikkim states. Our train from Kolkata ends in Siliguri, and from there we rode a 4x4 wheeler jeep to Sikkim. We chance upon meeting 2 British tourists and became our buddies riding up to the mountain ranges of Sikkim. Going inside Sikkim, we have to process our permit which was quite easy and cost nothing from our pocket since we have residential permit from Indian Government as Volunteers. Just a little smiling and showing our faces and documents and it was all fine. Our tourist friends were charged with 1000 rupees for their entry permit.

Traveling up to Sikkim was uneventful. A wide river flows downwards from the top of the mountain, flowing against the upward route of our vehicle. It’s a breathtaking sight with emerald green colored water trails below the narrow road going up to the town of Gantok. Along the cliff, gazing at passing vehicles, are the little monkeys sitting by the cement blocks and roadside rocks and some are hanging on the thin branches of bamboo trees that act as meager protection from the steep slopes of the narrow road.

It still felt warmer at 4pm when we arrived at the terminal of the town of Gantok. Alighting from vehicle reminds me of the Baguio of the Philippines where similar atmosphere and temperature permeates the air. Yes, Gantok is like Baguio of the Philippines. Chinese, Korean, & Japanese looking people scattered all over the hilly town. Amazing, how the buildings and houses look so picturesque and seemed like plastered on the walls of the hills, hanging like small structures stuck on the slopes of the mountains. Felt so different, however, it is still a little bit of general India because there still some garbage dumpsites along the sidewalk and endless trails of shops along the roadside but the landscape and the color of the people are extremely different.

Thukpa, momos and chicken fried rice were the best food I thought I had ever tasted in my entire life in India. Those are only in Gantok! I could never get enough eating them during breakfast, lunch and dinner. Learned also some cocktails "mixed drinks with no umbrellas", after spending some nightcap with Simon and Paul. Never knew the rum with cola tasted so good, and there existed Goa’s ‘cashew peni’, with a refreshing flavored taste. Hmmnnn…nightcap is badly needed because of the freezing temperature of the Gantok nights.
feeling queen of the Gantok waterfalls


There were seven (7) sights scheduled for us to visit and I already forgot the names of the places but could vividly picture them in my mind for many years to come. Well, first we visited a waterfall and across it was a Chinese garden with Chinese gazebo. Felt so nice posing for some pictures there since there were no other people but us in these beautiful sights. The waterfalls was exotic, it beckons all the gods and the goddesses to bathe in its glorious and sparkling waters. I regret not bringing my bathing suit, on second thought, people would think I'm crazy taking a dip in a freezing temperature?!...The second is Ganeshtok, a Budhist temple hanging on a cliff, great pictures there with the icy mountain alps behind me, ahhh What a bliss! The third was another garden, with huge tall trees behind like we are in a haunted trail. Nothing extraordinary about this garden, except for some exotic flowers and colored bushes. It might be more exciting to visit this garden during the night. The fourth is a military campsite with a telescope on the edge of the cliff, where you can see closer the great peaks of the second or third (?) highest mountain of the world. There, we bought some souvenirs of cute Tibetan porcelain dolls, Tibetan ‘goodluck’ scroll, antique painted knives and some small wooden carvings of the Dalai Lama. The fifth was the cable car. Going there we were dropped off by our very nice driver on the wrong entrance going up a steep slope. We were like having a small trekking exercise with no proper gadgets and appropriate costumes for the dangerous trek. I almost gave up seeing the steep slopes and crossing a cliff with only a dried bush Noel handed to me as a rope. I made it, thankful to the thin, dried bush leaf that kept me sane (or insane?) crossing the steep side of a cliff. When we got the cable terminal we found out there is a much safer and proper entrance to the terminal…Crazy! The cable car is very slow and only for a short distance. There, we can see the mountain ranges and the buildings and the streets of Gantok. Not so exciting as compared to our dangerous, unplanned little trek going up the cable terminal. The sixth sight is a Budhist temple, met monks wearing red sarees with clean shaved head. It’s interesting to know that monks are allowed to carry a cellphone and wear a branded shirt behind their red sarees. The last sight we were able to visit is the Gantok museum. It is full of religious artifacts and paintings dated way back 11th-18th centuries. On the second floor situated numerous books written by monks and by Dalai Lama himself. Wish I could stay further to learn some ancient wisdom of the holy monks.


Gantok can be explored for one whole day, as we have explored it and enjoyed the tour with our crazy driver, named Suman (almost pronounced as Zuma).

Orchha Hangover

Orchha Conference, August 2-9, 2009:

So much excitement for this event to arrive, seeing again other volunteers for the first time after ICO, five months ago. It’s unbelievable for some of us reaching this day. A few, who did not survive the Indian heat and others for personal and professional reasons, went home already. As for me, I am 50-50 at this point. Yeah, I could go home if I have wanted to but it’s somewhat a little bit of pride and this unrelenting sense of adventure kept me going and endure a life of a slow paced working style, a life where women are just in the background (normally in the houses serving men and their children) and men in the limelight tinkering with their noses and scratching their dirty feet during meetings and farting as well for the next block to hear. I am always looking forward to spending time with co-volunteers in some far-away states, away from Kolkata and the enclosure of my org's convent…err…campus.

Orchha is quite far from Kolkata, we have to ride 2 trains to reach this exciting place of rendezvous. After the first train, I met with other volunteers at the junction and rode with them in the second train for 5 hours going to Orchha. It was usually 3-hour trip but this time we were stuck out of nowhere due to some trains ahead of us having some problems on the tracks. I thought traffic jam only happens on the streets, but well anything can happen in India.

Anyhow, the time didn't matter to us because in some way or another we are thoroughly entertained by one volunteer who is so whacky and funny that there was no silent moment during the trip. He was the only thorn among the roses…surrounded by six sexy and pretty ladies, well he was so lucky... or unlucky?.



Well, Andy is also the youngest volunteer on the train, thus he got all our attention. We got complaints too from other adjacent cubicles, about 3-4 cubicles away from us to be exact…that was how rowdy and noisy we were because of Andy! We were almost thrown out of the train and left to ride cows going to Orchha and will probably reached it a long time after the conference ended.
On the train going to Orchha
The six sexy pretty ladies???


Orchha provided a great venue and respite from Kolkata heat. I couldn’t describe the inner excitement to going away and spend a wonderful week in Orchha. True enough, Orchha did not disappoint me but created in me a mystique experience. Never knew how a King’s palace looked like until I arrived in our Hotel, the conference venue, a former King’s Palace! Thanks to Mousumi and Liam for choosing such great venue. We were picked up from the train station by a white sedan and offered cool drinks and clean face towel (oh what a cool treat!). It was an hour air-conditioned drive (thanks goodness!) from the train station, and we even have a welcome entourage with servants in turbans and colorful costumes playing cymbals and ringing bells on the entrance lobby. Life couldn’t get any better!

A royal and beautifully adorned fully air-conditioned room awaits me there. The bed was heavenly and the wardrobe cabinet is so unique and antiquated that made me want to steal it and bring it back to Kolkata. A quick tour to the nearby King’s Fort was great! Such a lovely place. Orchha is way clean and peaceful than any place in other states

The 5 days in King’s Palace was a memorable experience, not any one of us would want to go home yet. But time has come to for us to report back to our placement and some back to their forests (sorry guys you must be back to your jungle club). Hmmmnnn…it was indeed an exotic and heavenly place to remember.

The 'Incredible' Journey to Agra

April 2009

Once upon a time, at 4am in the morning, four volunteers set out their journey to one of the most famous wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal. They have no clue whatsoever on what an incredible adventure it is laid ahead of them…

The volunteers consist of 3 ladies and a gentleman (who now calls himself a proper adult). They enlisted themselves in the incredible tour bus which, as the incredible agent said, will depart from Delhi at exactly 6am (take note, 6:00AM!). They were so excited about the trip that they want to go there as early as possible and as fast as they possibly can. They could hardly sleep during the night before the incredible trip. They packed some sandwiches and some fruits, in case they get hungry along the way. They arrived an hour early to their designated place for pick up. Much to their surprise, after waiting an hour and a half from the designated time for pick up, nothing was on sight…not a single soul not even the shadow of the bus appeared. Bless the soul of the receptionist of the hotel nearby, who offered his phone to contact their incredible agent. The incredible agent answered at the other line with a froggy voice, maybe from staying up late and gulping barrels of alcohol to celebrate his having some commissions from the innocent 4 unsuspecting volunteers. That’s the time he arranged for a car to pick up the nearly hungry and frustrated but still excited volunteers. And they waited for another hour until the sun is in its full rising. Incredible!

The level of excitement was up and running again when they settled themselves on the incredible tour bus. This time they have already wasted 4 hours of their precious time waiting for nothing. However, settling in and cuddling together in the last row of the bus, telling stories and exchanging laughs made their waiting time undetected, until they became weary of the number of stops the incredible bus made and they were still at the very heart of Delhi at 10am. Incredible!

Arriving in Agra at an hour past noon, they were whisked away from the incredible bus to an incredible rickshaw by another sweet taking incredible insect…err…agent. They have no clue that they were conned until they realized they were forced to see some souvenir shops and made to endure hearing sweet talking incredible salesmen. Hey, they wanted to enjoy the cultural sites, not the damned carpets, stones and strings! Incredible!

All in all they only spent an hour in Taj Mahal and half an hour at the back of the Agra Fort….but 4 hours in the incredible rickshaw and the damned expensive shops. The incredible rickshaw driver was vehement that they have to see the shops or else he will not have his incredible commission and thus, his family will go hungry for the day. But hey, that’s not their problem! They paid 800 rupees each and all they get is the trail for expensive shops, empty pockets and body aches! Incredible!

At last, closing to night time, they were ferried to their incredible bus…physically exhausted, mentally drained, disillusioned, and numb to the bones! Staring at nothing…they asked, “what’s next?”. And they asked themselves, “Can they endure more of these incredible people?”.

The next few stops were temples God knows where! They were led into some dark alleys, which looked like the alleys where Jack the Ripper once enjoyed killing his victims into shreds. It was an eerie, slimy feeling walking along narrow, wet and dark alleys towards the unknown temples. The exhausted, rain soaked volunteers temporarily relieved to have warm shelter inside the temple even though they have to take off their shoes. However, their relief soon waned when they saw some tombs engraved inside the temple walls and wet floors on their bare feet. Incredible!

The incredible journey was topped by a hilarious moment when the incredible bus stopped for dinner at an incredible restaurant. The gentleman volunteer, so hungry and exhausted, ordered his dinner of rice and one chicken paneer. While the other 3 volunteers watched him ate his incredible dinner, a crashing sound caught their attention from the front side of the incredible bus. Lo and behold! It was their incredible driver, fell down on the plastic chair while cleaning the windshield of the incredible bus! And poor plastic chair, crashed into small pieces. Thank God, they were not hit by the plastic splinters and the incredible driver survived the crashed! Incredible!

The 4 incredible volunteers finally arrived in Delhi at 2 am! Never thought they would survive the incredible bumpy bus ride and mental torture of the incredible trip. Incredible!

The 'Shelter'

March - April 2009

The ride from the airport to our shelter for our one month ICO – In-Country Orientation was an uneventful one. Must be that everyone was too tired and eager to go to bed at 1am in the morning. I call it ‘shelter’ because it does not resemble like a Hotel in one bit and does not have the fine ‘homely’ facilities like in a Guesthouse. The shelter is a simple structure like an old hospital building abandoned and made into a temporary shelter for the aged…hmmnn…. Everything smells like old wood and dust, and there were tainted lavatory, western-indian style toilets, wobbly and skeletal beds with mosquito nets treated with medicine for anti-malaria and there hanging the controversial dust covered ceiling fans. Everything is covered with dust, not only the ceiling fan, and some dusts were all around residing ages ago and began to turn into permanent wall paper or placemats or outer layer of the banister or sand carpet along the corridors. No wonder, I got cough and phlegm every time I woke up in my steel bed and stone pillow. Thanks to my wonder pill “anti-allergic celestamine”, the nights went undisturbed. Frankly, if we stayed there for more than a month we will turn into the ‘Sandmen/women’ from the desert of Oogly.

These and all did not discourage me one bit, the more I see the dust the more I want to be like a sand woman. So sand woman I became. Woman to Dust, Dust to Woman. That’s how it is! But hey, no matter how many times we clean the dust, it’s still there the next second. Well, at least new dust comes in and old nearing permanency dust will be gone. A cleaner was assigned but still some old permanent dust (‘dirt’ in technical term) still resides along the corners of the room and on the bathroom floors and tiles…lurking and inviting more dirt to come…

Enough of these dusts, the rooftop is the best part of the shelter. The best place to see Delhi by night. It’s a nice place to breathe and relax in Delhi from the dusty roads. Never knew that Moon and stars gazing is that fun until I met Cristina, the surreal one who never ran out of stories of war in Romania and other countries and Joe, the music crazed hippie who never ran out of tales of personal adventure and teenage romance gone awry (?)... Miss you guys! The rooftop had also became the venue of all volunteers to chat, sing, dance and drink after the grueling Hindi, Bengali and Oriya language classes. It is also the haven of those volunteers who are insomniac! Well, I’m not one of them but sometimes I sympathize…err…quite a lot of times actually. Thus, when I came to my placement, I longed for sleep and sleep I did as early as 8pm until 7am in most days.

The ‘Shelter’ is the meeting pot of all new volunteers from all over the globe. I can say now I am proud to have met these inspiring and dedicated and admirable volunteers from America, Canada, UK, Romania, etc. They never cease to amaze me by their tales of adventures and work in their placements.

@ the 'Shelter' steps...

The Indian Fever

When I was still attending VSO trainings and seminars in the Philippines, I've realized I already began to love India. I haven't been to this place a million or a billion miles from my secure and comfortable Philippine bed nor have I read thoroughly the life and culture of this mystique place that worships Durga (whom I have only came to know and was revealed to me during the Durga Puja).

At night I wondered, have I decided the right thing of going to this unknown place? Do I possess the right capacity to blend with the people and the organization that I woould be working with? Will I trade not seeing my family and my friends for a year in isolation? But what the heck!....honestly, its only this great sense of adventure that pushed me to hop on the plane off to the unknown. Anyway, its only for a year. I will just only miss one Christmas...a chaotic new year with a rotten belly from drinking mixed drinks with no umbrellas.... the wedding of my 40 year old big brother (hoping he is not the 40-year old virgin in the movie)...one year round of birthday celebrations of friends and family members and my own... a year episodes of my favorite tv pinoy teleseryes which i could buy dvds when i come back...no big deal!

Anyhow, I managed to get myself off to India on a plane serving sumptuous food, surplus of chocolate ice cream cones by very kind stewardesses who gave me souvenirs of playing cards and posts cards with pictures depicting the plane I'm flying with. I felt also blessed because I was not travelling by myself but with 3 also apprehensive volunteers who were always amazed by the size of Changgi (Singapore) airport during our stop over.
Changgi Airport with Mila, Mabel and Noel (who is taking the picture)

Fully enjoyed our stop over by looking at delicate souvenir shops, eating twirls, and riding the bullet trains from one terminal to another taking pictures along the way. We could have reached terminal 3 & 4 if not for the time constraint.

Finally, India appeared in my vision from the airplane an hour before midnight. It was so dark that got me thinking, will I be living in darkness as well? I couldnt remember anymore how I got myself off from the plane to the arrival area, maybe mabel and noel dragged me out with my seatbelt on. Tired but happy faces (finally they can go to bed and rest) of Rimmy and Raj greeted us at the waiting area had somehow made my mind assured and content of being in India.