Namaste from India

Namaste from India

Well I can't believe I've only been in India for 2 weeks, I feel as though I've been here for years. The plane journey seems a distant memory and I've already forgotten the hassle at the airport and being bumped off the plane due to BA's overbooking policy. The £420 compensation will go a very long way in India.

So when I finally arrived at Mumbai in the middle of the night I was relieved to see my guides Shekhar and Vishal, they were very welcome smiles amongst the sea of faces in arrivals. They say you either love or hate Mumbai and I found it a big, dirty city so I was glad when we drove out through the 5 lanes of crazy traffic and up into the mountains (drivers in India are worse than the cab drivers in New York). The next few days trekking through the mountains were fantastic. I feel very fortunate to have experienced eating in a local villager's house and the hospitality shown to us was amazing. Our guide for the trekking, Rajesh Patade, is one of the greats to have conquered Everest and was extremely helpful in the midday heat but even he couldn't help with the fact we had no toilets for 3 days. After the trek, we stayed at an Ashram to study yoga and meditation, as soon as we arrived I realised we were in a very special place and many had travelled from around the world to visit. The Shirodhara I received (warm oil poured onto my forehead and massaged into my head) was one of the most relaxing treatments I've ever had and at £2.50 was an absolute bargain.

Catching the train to Goa was another experience, thank goodness I wasn't travelling in one of the lower class carriages, the six bunks in our compartment were tight but pretty comfortable. Luckily my rucksack was locked up with my pacsafe(a lifesaver, thanks to Amie) so I managed a good night's sleep.

I knew Goa would have many tourists but fortunately I'm staying in a house off the beaten track. Yesterday we visited all the volunteer projects including an AIDS hospital, a school for the mentally challenged, an old people's home, primary schools and day care centres. I knew this was going to be a wake up call for me but I wasn't quite prepared for what I saw and shed a few tears. Every project is so worthwhile, I'll be teaching English to 2-6 year olds who have absolutely nothing in material terms but they still have huge smiles, I think I can learn a lot from these kids.

So the work starts next week and I can't wait to get stuck in. I do get the weekend off so will hit the beach tomorrow and perhaps treat myself to a meal out – my body is in shock, no caffeine, alcohol or meat for nearly 2 weeks (my staples in England). I might even treat myself to a large gin and tonic (I can afford a couple at 80p each).

So my first impressions of India have been good, everything is so different from England and I have surprised myself at how easily I've slotted in to this way of life, I've had a couple of Hindi lessons so am now starting to speak the language too.

So that's 2 weeks in a few words, I will update again next weekend after my first working week.

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