Malarial Trials

I always seem to get malaria just before travelling to places I am afraid to go. Last year when I was on the road to Port Harcourt for the first time, I was also coming down with malaria. Which made the 18 hour bus ride that much more painful.

Two weeks ago on Saturday, I started getting a strange headache while I was getting ready to go out with some friends. I decided to lay down until they arrived to pick me up. I thought maybe by meditating a bit on the pain, and dissecting it Vipassana style, I might be able to realize that there was no centre and the pain was all an illusion brought on by some kind of clinging and/or attachment tied to some unconscious issue I was ignor(ance)ing. 

To my surprise, doing this did not make the pain disintegrate. Instead it made me feel as if my awareness was shrinking to the size of an atom inside a gigantic body that I had no control of. That was when I started to suspect that it was not just a normal headache.

That didn't stop me from going out though. . .and waking up with a fever the next day. That was the signal to go to the clinic for a blood test which confirmed what I was pretty certain of by then: I had malaria.

I began taking the medication immediately and went home to rest. I would have loved to write or read but sickness is like life's conspiracy to give you all the time off you need to do everything you are totally incapacitated to do. Which is what makes sickness so frustrating.

I have a tendency to lose patience with these contradictions of life and try to overcome them with unyielding persistence and stubbornness. "Alright life, I'm listening. What is my problem? Why did you give me malaria right before my trip to Kano?"

Oh right, trip to Kano. I didn't mention that yet, did I?

The partners and program I am supporting in my placement are all in Kano. I have not  yet been to Kano because of insecurity challenges. Since the volunteers were finishing their program and having a ceremony on August 27th, my colleague and I in Abuja were planning to attend. Security was contacted and our trip was approved. The allowance was distributed. The plane tickets were booked. Everything was go.

Then I got malaria. Hmm. Interesting. I see what you're getting at, life.

I had tried to push my concern about the trip out of my mind. I knew there was a risk but I didn't want to think about how significant that risk was or what kind of psychological effect it might have on me. I'm not saying that this was the sole reason I got malaria. I'm not even saying this had anything to do with why I got malaria. I know that for the two weeks before, mosquitoes had been especially bad and I had gotten bitten over fifteen times. The likelihood was high that I would contract malaria.

But can you deny the significance of timing like that?? I felt like life was giving me an ultimatum. I needed to look at this seriously. I needed to decide, not just because I felt kind of bad for never actually seeing the volunteers I was working for, whether or not I was really ok with a trip to Kano.

But malaria made it easy. I felt very sure that if I wasn't feeling too horrible to get on the plane, I wouldn't have any problem in Kano. I called my supervisor and told her that I would be there for the airport pick up, but take the morning to rest. . . . .

Stay tuned!

First Visit to Nigeria: Part 3

On Sunday night the nation was waiting by their TVs as the president was expected to make an address at 9:00pm to reveal the result of negotiations with the Labour union.  We were hoping and expecting that the strike would be called off.  We had been stuck inside for a week and the next day was my birthday!  Aside from purely selfish concerns, an ongoing strike could also mean food and fuel shortages, cancelled flights, and lack of medical care for another week. . .or more.

At 9 o'clock the power was cut.  Everyone rushed to their generators to try to get their TVs working in time for the speech.  5 minutes later, the familiar “brrrrrrrrrrrr” of generators outside, droned in the background of our auditory cortices.  Tvs back on, we saw that the presiden't's speech had been post-poned as he had finished only one set of conversations and had now entered into talks with another group.  Hmmm.

We waited until 12am and the president still hadn't come on, so we gave up and went to bed.  It seemed like a pretty hopeless situation.  Without the president's address the labour union would continue their strike.  Everything became uncertain.  What would we do about our already depleted monetary resources?  How would I get home? What about food?  What about fuel? How was the government going to react to civil disobedience for another week?  And our problems, I'm sure, were minimal compared to a vast number of Nigerians.  It seemed like a pretty hopeless situation none-the-less.  I wrote a rap about it.  Happy Birthday to me.

When we woke up and checked the news the next day it was confirmed that the strike was continuing.  The president had addressed the nation around 12:30am and had resolved to reduce the fuel price to 96 Naira which the labour union had thus far, rejected.  The strike was continuing as a stay-at-home strike and the military was occupying the space previously used by the protestors.  Flights within, into and out of Nigeria were cancelled.  Feeling defeated my boyfriend and I decided to make breakfast, wash our clothes and hide in our bedroom for the rest of the day.

When we finished washing our clothes though, my boyfriend got a call from one of his friends who was traveling into Lagos that day.  Not only was he only a few minute away but he informed us that the strike had been called off!  We rushed to the Tv to confirm the news and sure enough, he was right!  The labour union accepted the 96 Naira increase in the fuel price and had called off the strike!  This (and my birthday!) was a means for celebration!
We met up with my boyfriend's friend, got dressed and went to Ikeja with him and his friend for dinner.  We then went to Afrika Shrine to celebrate!  Afrika Shrine was erected by the famous Afrobeat pioneer and social activist Fela Kuti's son Femi Kuti in tribute to his father.
For anyone who doesn't know the iconic Fela Kuti, you can watch the documentary “Music is the Weapon”.

It was a pretty cool place.  There were murals of Fela and his band and other memorabilia from their group.  Not very many people were there that night though.  The strike had just finished and apparently Femi Kuti was calling out the government for corruption and so there was some fear that people at Afrika shrine may be seen as supporters of Femi Kuti and so it may not be a wise place to be.  It wasn't the case for us at least though.

That night we stayed in a hotel and the next day we went to Lagos island.  I was able to buy some nice fabric, music (like Sunny Bobo!), get my hair plaited and see another part of Lagos.  Lagos island was nice but we didn't have too much time to look around unfortunately.

The next day we just stayed in Lagos and traveled around to get some errands done with our host before my flight home the following day.
I visited my boyfriend's brother's family once again and picked up the clothes that the seamstress had finished sewing.  They were almost perfect!  A few adjustments and I had 2 dresses, 2 skirts and 1 blouse that fit perfectly!  It was hard to say goodbye to my boyfriend's brother's family and their 2 adorable children.  We had to tell his 4 year old daughter that we were going to go to the store to buy her things and come back. . .of course she didn't believe us. . .which resulted in tears.

I said goodbye to our host and his family and we left for the airport around 5:30pm although my flight wasn't until 9:30pm.  We wanted to make sure that go-slows didn't make me late.

Saying goodbye to my boyfriend was really hard.  We had 5 months of everyday together.  Cooking together, eating together, sleeping together, traveling together and it was wonderful. . .and suddenly it felt like I was losing my left arm.  E no easy.  We're still not sure exactly when the next time we're going to see each other is, which doesn't make it any easier but we're hopeful and working on a plan to be together.

Anyway, I really liked Nigeria and was sad to leave.  I know there are a lot of things that would deter a lot of people from going, even a lot of the things that happened to me or  happened while I was there.  There are certainly some dangerous things, terrorist attacks, safety was a constant worry, some people seemed to expect financial help after greeting me and a lot of the comforts that I enjoy in Canada were not there.  Eating was a bit of a problem also since I don't eat meat.  Even though all of that is true, I still want to go back.  The people were very friendly and welcoming and there are still a lot more people that I need to meet in the east of the country.  I didn't get to try any of the good fruits or food in the east or see any live music!!!  We'll see what the future holds I guess.

Part 2                                                                                                                          Part 1

First Visit to Nigeria: Part 2

The ride back to Lagos was equally long. We got off to a good start but an oil tanker that had fallen over caused a big go slow just outside of Lagos. Lagos. If you want to leave; go-slow. If you want to come; go-slow. If you want to stay; go-slow. Sigh.

Anyway, we eventually got home and slept for the night. The next day was new year's eve. We didn't do much that day either because we needed to recover from our extended travel from the night before. At midnight, though, we lit fireworks on the street outside the compound to celebrate 2012. Despite my firework phobia, I managed to light a few of the fireworks myself! Many people in the neighbourhood were lighting fireworks but it was nothing compared to Diwali in India or even New Year's in Gracias,Honduras!

The next day we met with my boyfriend's brother who took us to drink more Star and eat fish.  His brother was very happy to see him since he'd been away for 2 years and was excited to meet me too.  He told me some family stories and invited us to come and stay with him and his family for a few days while we were in Lagos.  Since my boyfriend last saw him he's been remarried and has 2 small children.

That night we went out to a club in Lagos to dance a little.  I'm not sure why exactly but the club we went to wasn't very busy so we didn't do a lot of dancing.  After the club, on the way home, we stopped to buy gas and noticed the original price of 65 Naira/L had suddenly become 140 Naira/L!  More than double over night!!

The next day go-slows were significantly less prevalent!!  But the outrage at the fuel subsidy removal was apparent and understandable.  During the initial days of the fuel subsidy removal there was a lot of talk about corruption, unhappiness, strike, riots, etc. but everything was still operating as usual. . .which was fortunate for me because I needed to pay for my plane ticket home through the bank.  The nationwide strike to protest the fuel subsidy removal started with a small group and continued throughout the week, but it didn't effect most people.  To be safe, we didn't move around much during that week, we went to the markets, the bank and park close by but thought it unwise to be traveling throughout the city. By Friday, the Labour Union announced their plans to strike beginning on Monday.  On Sunday we shifted to my boyfriend's brother's house.  We went to the market and the fuel station on the way and filled up on food, fuel and kerosene.  There is a big problem with power (sometimes it doesn't come at all in a day) in Lagos so most people that can afford it also have gasoline powered generators to power their houses during power outs.

We were planning to stay only for 2 or 3 days but when the Labour Union actually went through with the strike on Monday (we weren't sure that they would), our plans began to change.  The strike was broadcast on TV and the radio (due to the power, a lot of the time we were only hearing what was happening via radio) but looked like a lot of fun!  There were musicians, DJs, dancing and overall merriment.  Of course there were a lot of protesters too and people condemning the government's removal of the fuel subsidy.  The protest continued to swell for the rest of the week, much to our dismay.  The protest also seemed to take on many different forms.  It was initially outrage over the fuel subsidy.  Then we heard that the protest was hijacked by the opposing political party to the president.  Then we heard that most of the protesters were protesting corruption generally and didn't want to stop protesting until justice had been served.  Then we heard that it was all a scam determined by the higher-ups of the government and labour union, the end game being that the government would propose a lower increase (like maybe 100 Naira) and then, since it was lower than 140 Naira, people would accept it and it would cause less trouble than if they just raised it to 100 Naira in the first place. . .hmmm

It was recommended that we didn't leave the house until after 5-6pm when the protesters disbanded for the night even though the protest wasn't happening especially close to where we were in Lagos.  We weren't able to go anywhere, we weren't able to change money, the trip to Lagos came to a halt.  However, other than that, there were no problems at all and we got to spend a lot of time with my boyfriend's brother and his family.  It was a bit trying to be stuck inside all day with an attention seeking 4 year old, but it was fun.  We managed to still go out to a bar one night, buy material to make clothes, hire a seamstress and eat copious amounts of food!  The following Sunday we returned to our previous home while the protesters took the weekend to rest and watch the results of the negotiations between the president and the labour union.

Part 1                                                                                                                                          Part 3

The price of gas

Yesterday the gas prices doubled over night.  The price was 65 Naira/Litre (which is about $0.41CAD) until the 1st of January when the government decided to lift the fuel subsidy as a very special new year's gift to the people of Nigeria. On the 2nd of January it was 140 Naira/Lirtre ($0.88CAD).  um.
Meanwhile the biggest oil spill in 30-something years is killing fish and threatening the lives of locals in the Niger Delta.
Not to mention 4 states are in a state of emergency. . .
Uwa nka safe  (Igbo for: What kind of world is this?!)

Leaving India

Leaving India was one of the most stressful , frustrating and ridiculous events in my life so far.  For anyone who knows me well, I think that’s saying something.

The trouble began about one month prior to leaving India but since I decided to go from India to Nigeria instead of somewhere easier to get to (like. . .say. . .home), I’ll accept the initial tribulations as my own fault.  Those being: applying for Nigerian visa, the process taking longer than expected, needing to extend my Indian visa by 2 weeks, acquiring Nigerian visa.
Anything that requires official documentation, appointments, embassies, municipal offices etc. is never a walk in the park.  But in Delhi it’s all compounded by travelling through the city (although the metro has done  wonders to improve that aspect), finding places to print things, haggling with rickshaw drivers, nobody knowing directions. . .It was like swimming upstream in molasses trying to get through all the bureaucracy and accomplish everything in a timely manner.
But again, if I just decided to go home, or any number of other places, this all could have been avoided. I throw up my hands and accept the blame.

However!  Actually leaving India was a whole different story.  My last two posts were the beginning of trouble,  but even all of the train and bus drama of getting to Ahmedabad was  nothing compared to what happened next.

The hotel in Ahmedabad was about 10min from the airport. The hotel staff were suspicious of us and flipped through all of the pages of both our passports, made us fill out a form restating all of the information and photocopied all of our passport information. Many Indians have a bad impression of Nigerians (to be fair, many Nigerians are involved in illegal activities in India but the media makes it seem like all black people in India are criminals, which obviously isn't the case) and my visa was expiring in 2 days, the same day as our flight out. After some heated words in Gujarati were exchanged between several employees, the front desk man decided he would give us a room. He carried our bags up the stairs and unlocked the door for us. After a few minutes there was a knock on the door. It was another employee who insisted that we fill out yet another form and sign it before he would leave. Once that was finished we  arranged our things, ordered food and slept.  I started feeling uneasy though. . .I attributed it to the movie I watched while waiting for our food.

The next day started well enough. Our flight was the following morning at 4:25am so we still had about 20hr to chill in Ahmedabad.
In the afternoon, while my boyfriend was taking a nap, I received a reminder email from Emirates for our flight and online check in.
I thought, 'why not?' and proceeded through the series of clicks to be checked in. Before confirming, a disclaimer popped up: The passenger is responsible for proper documentation for entry to the UAE. I had checked when I made the booking to make sure that we did but decided that I should double check to make sure. . .big mistake.

The information on the Emirates website claimed that if we had a stop over in Dubai for more than 24 hours we required UAE visas.  Because of the holiday rush, when we booked the flight, we were able to find the cheapest fare on a flight leaving Ahmedabad on the 21^st at 4:25 (arriving and 6am) and leaving Dubai on the 22^nd  at 14:15, which meant a stopover of about 32 hours.
Neither of us had UAE visas.

First I called Emirates.  I explained the situation. We didn't want to leave the airport in Dubai, was a visa necessary?!
Unfortunately it was.
The attendant gave me the number of the UAE immigration and visa office, who informed me, without a trace of sympathy, that not only was a visa necessary but it was impossible to get one in such a short period of time.

Fantastic.

I called Emirates twice more to get a second opinion and to see if any flights leaving Dubai on the 21^st had become available.
Visas were still necessary. They were sold out of seats except in business and first class until the 24th. They probably wouldn’t let us board the flight in Ahmedabad since we didn’t have the proper onward visas.

Wonderful.

I roused my peacefully sleeping boyfriend, panic in my stomach and tears running down my face.
We went to the airport. After waiting for about 30 minutes to see someone, we were finally able to talk to a representative from Emirates. He was very nice but unable to help us much. He took us to see the immigration officer at the airport. . .who told us to go to the high commissioner of police in Ahmedabad to extend my visa til the 24th.

By this time it was 5pm and we were told the police station would be closed. People seemed to think an extension wouldn't be an issue though.

I called Emirates and changed our flight to the 24th. That way, we would be able to go to Dubai without a visa. . .I just needed to get an extension. . .

When we got back to the hotel the people at the front desk informed us that they knew the police commissioner! They called the police station and found that they were still open! We took an auto rickshaw to the police station, about 20min from our hotel.

At the police station, ceiling fans curled up the edges of papers piled on the numerous empty desks. The commissioner was out. I waited for him on a small metal stool. Finally his colleagues informed me there was nothing they could do. They didn't have the authority to extend any visa, especially tourist visas, from their office. Not even one day. If I needed an extension I would need to go back to Delhi. . .nooooooooooooooo.  I waited for about 30min for the commissioner, crying at this point but they insisted that the result would be the same no matter how long I waited.

Fortunately, one man at the police station felt at least a hint of compassion for me. He knew the supervisor of Emirates who was working at the Ahmedabad airport and gave him a call. This man, Abishek (who I am eternally grateful exists, Thank you Abishek wherever you are!!!!), insisted that a visa wasn't necessary and that we would be able to get the 96 hour visiting visa on arrival to Dubai if we bought a hotel package. Since I had been hearing nothing but the opposite all day, it was hard to believe him. The police guy gave me his number and I left the police station still crying from frustration.

In the dying light outside the police station we were mobbed by a group of curious children who thought it would be a good idea to poke us with sticks while we tried to hail an auto rickshaw back to our hotel. Perhaps they were unconvinced that we were real. I was pretty unconvinced of reality myself at this point.

It was now almost 7pm. We gave the rickshaw driver we got our hotel card with the address on it, and he insisted he could get us there. Then he pulled over every 5 minutes to ask directions. . .which no one knew. . .and took us in the wrong direction for almost 30 min before we realized we were getting ourselves into even more trouble. We made him stop, argued with him about the cost, gathered a crowd who helped us sort it out and also assisted in getting us into a another rickshaw that did know the way.  The correct route home took us almost 45 minutes from where we were. . .making it about 8:30pm by the time we got to the hotel.  We were running out of time and options. . .

The hotel people were anxious because my visa was expiring and didn't want us staying in the hotel with an expired visa because it could get them into trouble with the police. . .aiya

I called Abishek who once again assured us that we would be able to get a visa upon arrival in Dubai if we made a hotel reservation. I told him I had already changed our flight to the 24th and he advised us to come to the airport around 12am anyway.

My boyfriend and I had to have a serious talk.
Maybe Abishek was right.  . .if so, we could change the flight back to the 21st and leave for Dubai. . .the hotel package in Dubai might be expensive but at least we wouldn't have to deal with immigration problems.
Going back to Delhi wasn't really an option (neither of us wanted to entertain the idea of going back to Delhi for another minute) since I had already had my visa extended once and there was no guarantee anyone would give it to me, especially in such a short time. If refused it would just be more trouble leaving India.
If we couldn't go to Dubai, my boyfriend advised me to just change my fight, refund the money from Emirates, and fly back to Canada. His visa was fine until February so he could just stay. That would be a shame since so many people were expecting us in Nigeria, but it might be the only way.

We showered, packed and went to the airport at 12am to see Abishek.  If necessary I could refund the ticket and get my money back there and could book the flight to Canada when we got back to the hotel.  As long as the flights left India by 11:59pm on the 21st we would be fine, and there seemed to be lots of flights still available for that.

We hadn't really eaten all day and neither of us had any appetite left to eat because of the stress. We were tired and hungry and losing hope.

We got to the airport put our bags through security and found Abishek.  He told us again that we would be able to get a visa in Dubai and would definitely be able to leave Ahmedabad. There were still seats available on the flight from Ahmedabad to Dubai so he booked us into the flight but we couldn't get a flight out of Dubai until the 24th! After paying a fee (yes, conveniently for Emirates, there is always a fee. . .I already paid to shift to the 24th and then I had to pay again. . .) we were booked in.  The catch was, also had to sign a document that said if there were any problems with getting a visa in Dubai, Emirates was not responsible and we would have to pay any cost incurred. . .like for being deported back to India. . .where my visa was expired. . .and I would be caught in international airport limbo for the rest of my lifeeeeeeeeee!!!!
It wasn't a very reassuring document.  But we got through check in, immigration, security and onto our flight!

When we arrived in Dubai we were still tense. We weren't sure what to do. We kept asking people where we could get the 96 hour visa and they directed us to the Emirates desk but seemed confused as to why we were so concerned.  One lady didn't want to say directly but implied that if we just stayed in the airport, no one would bother us. Another lady, after listening to our abbreviated story and hearing that in India they said we needed a visa, responded with: "And you believed them!?"

At the hotel and visa reservations desk the man said a visa would be no problem. It would cost about $350 though. Maybe we should go to the reservations and bookings desk and see if there are any onward flights left today. He seemed confident we could get one.

We needed to sit down.  This was too much.  There was so much trouble in India and now that we were in Dubai all of our troubles had suddenly melted away.  We started cracking up. I was laughing and crying at the same time.

We went to the reservations desk and there WERE onward flights to Lagos that afternoon. . .(of course we had to pay the fee again!) and it was the same price as the one booked. We paid, laughed some more and, now that the knots in our stomachs had mostly dissipated, got some much needed food and rest.

When we boarded our flight, the lady that took our boarding passes looked at her computer before exclaiming: "This is your lucky flight!  You've been bumped up to business class!"

So we flew business class in utter disbelief to Lagos.  We enjoyed gourmet meals off of a menu, chairs that completely reclined and massaged the stress out of our tired backs, wine and Godiva chocolates.  Normally I would have been a bit perturbed by the frivolity of business class, but on this particular occasion, I did not complain.

The universe decided to prove me wrong (-__-)

Just as I was explaining how everything seemed to miraculously work out ok in my post earlier today, we missed our train!  We left around 1:30pm to get to the station at 3:20pm but got stuck in a traffic jam about 5km from the station and missed the train by 5 minutes!
What to do?
So we spent a few hours in the station trying to figure out our options. . .we could try for the train at 10:45pm. . .but there's no seats and we would need to board with a general ticket and hope that the conductor can/will find us a place to sit/sleep for the 20 hours of travel. . .hmm
Flights to Ahmedabad for tonight at 11:30pm are about $100 per person. . .that's also an option. . .but pricey. . .hmmm
While standing in line to try our luck a second time with the 10:45 train, an agent for a bus company tried to offer his services to us.  First he played the "helpful nice guy", trying to assist us in getting our ticket. . .when he saw that there were no tickets available he became the "helpful nice bus guy" who's company was offering a bus to Ahmedabad leaving in 10min. . .hmmmmmmmmm

After another mad scramble of getting our things arranged; from the railway station to the agent's office, on 2 bicycle rickshaws for a 2km ride to the bus pick up, on to the bus (all in less than 20min) and 2090 rs. . .we are on a sleeper bus somewhere in Rajasthan heading towards our destination.  We should arrive tomorrow around 1pm. . .apparently.  We'll see how that goes!

On the road again. . .or rather, in the air again

I'm leaving Delhi today!!!  It's been about 5 months since I started living here but my visa is expiring soon so it's time to leave.  Typically. . .even leaving India won't be typical.  First I'm taking a 16 hour train out of Delhi (that hopefully won't be delayed or cancelled due to fog). . .but so far there's no scheduled delay.  Then I'm flying to Canada? Sri Lanka? Nepal? Thailand? England? nope.  Dubai.  From THERE i'm again flying to. . .??  If you guess correctly and I haven't already told you I'll send you a postcard!! hehe :)
It's been interesting living in Delhi. . .I've seen and learned a lot of things.  I've met some really great people in really unexpected places and overall have had a really great time.  There certainly have been a few difficult times. . .like when my eye swelled up and I looked like a sasquatch for few days and dealing with harassment for being a foreign female. . .but nothing too serious.
Although I don't much like the city, I will probably miss Delhi in some ways.  As frustrating as it is to get things done in an even remotely timely manner, I like the chaos.  I like the reality.  Everything; the very poor and the ridiculously rich, Muslims, Hindus and Christians, beautiful buildings and garbage everywhere, greenery, parks and raw sewage all side by side somehow living together.  There is certainly a structure to what's going on.  There are multiple hierarchies and factors conglomerating to produce the present. . .but just taking a step outside of it all and watching it happen is really something.  I'm always amazed at how everything seems to work out, maybe not efficiently or without hiccups, but it eventually gets done/we arrive safely etc.  Just watching from the outside and coming from a very different set of circumstances, you're confused at first about how it would be possible.  Then slowly you stop wondering and just accept that everything will work out fine. . .and usually it does.
But that's it for now.  On to another adventure in another country in another continent (hint!). . .

Back From Ladakh: Part III

The next day we decided to take it easy.  Around noon we took a walk down Changspa lane stopping at a few shops and Tibetan markets on the way to find lunch.  After eating we continued down Changspa lane which ended at the stairway to the Shanti Stupa.  Since the sky wasn't overly clear, which I felt would impede our view of the mountains, we decided to save climbing up to the stupa til the next day and opted for an unguided tour of mystery and wonder around Leh.  Equally exciting!  We began walking in the direction of the old town, walked through the fair grounds, and continued on to the bus station for some chai, thinking it would be cheaper than in the tourist area of the town (but then when the lady asked for 16 rupees, 8 each, I thought she said 60 rupees!!  For tea!?!? x_x;).
We continued further down the main road behind the bus stop and observed some local lifestyle.  Fruit and vegetable vendors lined the streets, chatting to each other with no pretense of a care for business; giant radishes, carrots, zucchini, apricots and apples spread in front of them.  Shoppers ducked in and out of food and clothing shops, and students were taking the road back from school, enjoying snacks with their friends.  Prayer wheels and other Buddhist structures stood hidden in unexpected places.  We stopped to buy something at one of the shops and the shopkeeper, from Kashmir, insisted on getting us chai (again!) and asking as many questions as possible before we decided to leave.
Where are you from?How do you like India?Have you been to Kashmir?How long are you in Ladakh?When did you come?etc.etc.etc.
When we got a chance, we thanked the shopkeepers for the chai and escaped!  We continued walking which eventually resulted in a big loop that took us back to the main tourist area.  On the way back we saw some guys sitting across from each other, playing a game infront of a souvenir shop.  The game was played on a square board with holes in each corner and small discs.  The men saw us looking quizzically at them playing and motioned for us to come over.  We did.  They insisted that I play against one of them. . . . .I did!  The game was played like pool/snooker but with your fingers as the cue instead of any instrument, one player had to get all of the black discs into the corner holes and the other player had to get all of the white discs into the holes.  The final disc was to be the orange one and you had to use a communal disc to hit the other discs..  I am possibly the WORST whatever-this-game-is-called player in the world.  I was beat  in about 2 minutes and one of the guys started helping me since I was utterly hopeless on my own.  It was a good laugh.
The next day we climbed up to the Shanti Stupa and got a great view of the mountains, but not before getting a little lost!!  Due to something we had to do in town, and wanting to take a more adventurous route than the one we knew, we ended up not taking the Changspa Rd route and got a little lost in the process.  I'm sure that initially we were on the right track but after about 15 minutes of walking we found ourselves at a very sketchy looking bridge, and then in the middle of wheat fields. . . Fortunately, a girl that was washing her clothes led us through the fields to the road for the Stupa!  It was so nice of her, she just left her washing in the middle of the road!

Climbing up to the stupa was no laughing matter (ok, maybe if I hadn't been off the bike for 3 months and at such a high altitude, it would have been easy. . .) but the view of the mountains and Leh were worth it! The stupa had 4 murals of different aspects of the Buddha's life carved/painted on it.

We (read: I) hadn't had enough mountain climbing so we also climbed up to the fort beside the old royal palace for more incredible mountain views.  After this we were pretty tired and headed back into town for dinner and bed.

The rest of the time we just enjoyed the friendliness of Ladakhi people, the beauty of the landscape, clear air, quietness of the town and the garden in front of our guesthouse.  We helped one day to shell beans that they were drying for winter and ate apricots and apples directly from the trees in the garden.
Finally, and reluctantly, the morning of our return flight came. . .
Taking off from the mountainous desert. . .in the clouds.  The great mountain giants rise to their full stature beside us and slowly, slowly begin to shrink. . .the deep valleys becoming more shallow and further away. . .leading to foothills,

                             rivers,
                                       subdivisions,
                                                          houses,
                                                                     cars,
                                                                            cows, crowds, flatness, heat, traffic, dust, smog, mosquitos.  Hello Delhi. . .can't say that I missed you, this time.

Back From Ladakh: Part I                                          Back From Ladakh Part II

Back From Ladakh: Part II Pangong

The alarm woke us up at 4:30am. . .but we didn't actually get up until closer to 5.  We quickly found that our hot water was NOT working 24h a day. . .but we didn't have time to make use of hot water anyways.  We quickly got dressed and packed a few extra warm clothes, water and biscuits for the road.
Outside of our guest house, the morning air was cool and fresh.  The sun had not yet risen over the mountains and although the day was starting off cloudy, it was still bright enough to see clearly.  Most of Ladakh was still, quiet and sleeping. . .but as we neared the parking lot across from our departure point we saw many taxis and drivers getting ready for the long day of mountain driving that was surely ahead.  We arrived only 5 minutes late but our driver wouldn't arrive for another 10 minutes.
When our driver arrived we piled into the 8 seat jeep and prepared ourselves for the 5 hour drive to Pangong Lake.  Our driver began chanting a mantra (I'm not certain why, but I would guess it had to do with protecting us from harm on our journey) that he continued until we arrived at our first rest-stop (at least 30min from Leh!).  We had some Aloo Parathas, some Chai and were ready to carry onwards and upwards.
We began to climb.  We drove from one mountain up and up until we could reach a common ridge to the next and climb that one as well.  We felt our ears pop a number of times and our heads were beginning to ache from the rough terrain and airlessness.  The valley was disappearing below us, becoming more and more art-like.  Is it possible that this is still real life?  We stopped for a picture before heading on to Chang La, the third highest motorable pass in the world.
The clouds had still not cleared and were in fact, getting thicker as we neared the highest point in our journey.  When we finally reached Chang La, 5360m above sea level (complete with warning signs informing that it was dangerous to stay longer than 20min at this altitude), it was cold and we were unable to see much of anything because of the clouds.  Fortunately, there was free tea supplied by the Indian army stationed at Chang La.  Unfortunately, I needed to use the bathroom.  Generally I tend to use the "hand/water" method in India as, it just makes more sense. . .but on this particular occasion, the water had a not-so-thin-layer of ice on it which made for a very cold hand and behind.

 

Back on the road! and we started going down.  The mountains were still snow-covered for a while but slowly the snow was fading away.  Not only that, but the clouds were beginning to recede in some places and bright blue sky started peeking in and out between mountain peaks.  We stopped to see yaks and marmots on the way, but the most memorable thing for the remainder of the trip, was the scenery.

Pangong before the sun came out

After another 3 hours on the road, we saw the first glimpse of the sapphire blue Pangong lake. When we arrived at the lake however, the clouds had taken over and the lake was a dull navy. We went into a tent set up beside the lake for tourists to get out of the cold and wind. There were beds for tired, acclimatizing tourists and also food. After about 15 min and another chai, we ventured outside again where the sky had cleared a little and the sun had come out, lighting up the mountains and lake creating a completely changed landscape of perfection.

The ride back from Pangong Lake was long and tiring because of the rough mountain road conditions. When we arrived back at Chang La we were all tired and ready to be back at home. Fortunately though, the sun had stayed out for the remainder of our trip and we got to see the glacier that was previously hidden behind the clouds.

It was a long and tiring trip, but the natural beauty that we saw on the way there and back was definitely worth the time and headaches.  After arriving back in Leh around 5pm we took an early dinner and headed to bed for the next day. . .stay tuned for Part III


Back from Ladakh Part III                                                                        Back from Ladakh Part I  

Field trip to Chennai (aka Madras)

The other day my flatmates and I were sitting around, enjoying some after dinner mangoes, when Jang announced she was going to Chennai on Tuesday. It seems that, because she was accepted to JNU for her masters, she needs to go back to Chennai (where she had been living with her sister previous for her undergrad studies in Delhi) to get some papers to register her migration (to a different school). I jokingly said "Can I come!?". She said "yes!, please come!". I said ". . . .wait, seriously?". She said "seriously?!!!! Yes!!! Come!!!!!".
So. . .after confirming that it would still be possible to be in contact with potential employers/organizations that I might be working with, I've decided to take a couple days to visit Chennai and stay with Jang and some of her family members!! Yay!
I've wanted to visit Chennai for quite a while. I'm not entirely sure why.  Before I left Japan to go to India my "Japanese mom" 平野さん, who I was staying with for the last month I was there, showed me the pictures she had from when she visited India in the. . . 70s? 80s? I'm not sure exactly when the pictures were taken.  She looked quite young though :) hee hee.  Anyway, she went on some kind of study tour in Chennai and told me about a temple that she was taken to by their guide one day that did Naadi readings.  She explained that it involved some kind of leaf. Everyone has a leaf specific to them and each leaf, if read by someone trained in Naadi reading, can tell your past, present and future. . .apparently.   She said she didn't really believe it at first but that it was really 不思議; mysterious. She explained that the astrologer, to determine her leaf, asked her questions that she didn't think it would be possible for him to know about and eventually told her that it would be a good idea to open a shop. . .which she did end up doing!
It doesn't look like it would be very possible to travel all the way to the Vaitheeswaran Temple which seems to be the most famous and historically reputable place for Naadi readings. . .but it might be possible to go somewhere else. I'm not saying I totally believe in it. . .but i'm in India! Why not? :)

出会った： ベトナムのバスで

I was nearing the end of my solitary journey through Vietnam. As most "solitary" traveling experiences go, it ended up not being very solitary at all. Hue had been beautiful. Overgrown ruins of ancient tombs, palaces and Thien Mu Pagoda, site of Thich Quang Duc's self-immolation in 1963, as well as an unexpected trip to the beach, made for an eventful day on the back of a motorbike.

I had been sick for a number of days prior, and so the day began with a trip to the local doctor. I was given some medicine. The packaging and instructions for dosage were written in Vietnamese. I couldn't understand what the doctor said, but wasn't in a position to argue, with lack of language ability, severe gastrointestinal displeasure and an upcoming 12 hour bus ride to Hanoi.

So here I was at the bus terminal, finally leaving my guide who had been trying to woo me throughout the day. I boarded the bus and took my seat. A few minutes later a boy sat down beside me with a girl sitting beside him in Not muchthe other aisle seat. They were talking and laughing about something while sneaking smiling glances at me. They were shy, but intrigued.

As the driver started the engine and the bus rolled out of the station I closed my eyes and submitted myself to the noise and frequent honking of the bus. I settled in to the calamity around me. The sickness and lack of sleep of the last few days perhaps, made this easier than normal. I must have fallen asleep for a few hours. The next thing I knew, the bus had stopped at the first service centre for a food and bathroom break. I hadn't yet developed an appetite, though I had hardly eaten anything all day, but I got out of the bus anyway. There was a small restaurant with plastic tables and chairs. Each table was set with chopsticks and condiments for hungry customers, many from my bus, anticipating their last meal before Hanoi. I was disoriented. Without appetite or acquaintance to turn to, I sat alone outside watching the dusk descend the distant mountains. The driver, chatted amicably over cigarettes with another man and I couldn't identify the boy and girl in the occupied seats inside.

Thien Mu Pagoda

When people started boarding the bus again, the boy and girl resumed their seats beside me with new found confidence. After only a few minutes they attempted conversation with the very limited English they had. We got through a few name repetitions and basic questions before turning to my notebook for assistance. We attempted a make-shift game of pictionary to aid in the understanding of more difficult concepts. I determined that they were students from Saigon going to school in Hanoi but not much else. What was going on seemed quite funny to them and so I laughed too. I never did figure out if they were just having a good time or were actually laughing at me, but I got the feeling that it wasn't really important.

Eventually I slept again. The bus provided us with blankets and despite the uncomfortable seats, I slept soundly. A few times during the nite my blanket would slip down from my neck and I would drowsily notice the boy beside me gently lift it back in to place. I awoke a few times during the night. It seemed like our bus had been stopped for a long time, but maybe I was just hallucinating. I think because I was still recovering from my sickness, I wasn't very concerned and went back to sleep.

In the morning, after our bus had started to move again, we made a short stop at a small store just off of the highway. I opted to stay on the bus but the boy beside me left for a cigarette. When he got back on the bus he brought pastries filled with cream for the girl, himself and for me. The gesture was so natural, as if insignificant. Nothing in his action demanded, nor even suggested expecation of gratitude. I was really touched by this. The 12 hour bus ride had turned into 15 hours due to an accident on the highway (and hence our 3 hour stop on the highway, I found out later) which made the pastry the most delicious thing I could remember eating.

When we arrived in Hanoi I said goodbye to the girl and boy as the grumpy, tired travellers waded through the chaos of their belongings and the bus stop. I got my bags, found a cab and went to a nearby hostel.

I never saw or heard from the boy and girl from the bus again. It has been more than 3 years since my trip to Vietnam and although I remember much of my trip, some places, some events, some anecdotes, I often think about this boy and girl. Their laughs, their kindness.
Reminders that the impact of a simple and random act of kindness resonate no matter how seemingly inconsequential.

Perth - Gracias 2010: Canada World Youth Adventure Finale

Wow.  The program is over!!!  We've all gone back to our respective countries, cities, families, lives prior to the program!  It's been a long time coming and I'm sorry about the delay but I think I owe the avid readers of my journey one last update to bring everything together.  Sorry it's so overdue!!  The last couple of weeks of the program were really busy and I didn't have much time for writing a final update until NOW!
Mid - Project Camp:
We had a great mid-project camp just outside of Gracias.  Erin ran an excellent workshop focused on Gender and Equality to expand our views and think critically about the harmfulness of gender stereo-types. Jon ran an activity to improve our group dynamic by having each member of the group sit for 10min with each other member of the group to give critical feedback.  Laura ran a workshop on the issues involved in international development and had us participate in a community development vs international development debate.  The main arguments for community development being that the community knew best what the community needed and would do better to work for and amongst themselves to make improvement rather than become dependent on outside aid.  International Development on the other hand can often bring finances, studies, technologies, etc that may not be available to the community.
Xmas:
For Xmas we were allowed to leave Gracias to travel with our counterparts to their hometowns.  I went with Gaby to Siguatepeque which is where she currently lives and Lago de Yojoa which is where her family is from.  We mostly hung around the house. . .although I persuaded Gaby to climb a small mountain with me one day :)  Lago de Yojoa was really beautiful and small.  Getting to know Gaby's family was also a really nice experience.  Her Dad speaks English very well and her Mom also understands. . .which wasn't really helpful for learning Spanish, but certainly made it easier to communicate.  In Honduras family gatherings and special occasions are usually marked by the making of Tamales (corn flour stuffed with a bunch of things> meat, rice, vegetables and steamed).  Xmas is celebrated at 12am on the 25th by hugging everyone in the vicinity and setting off masses of fireworks!  It's kind of scary.  We returned back to Gracias on the 26th.
New Year's:
On the 31st we celebrated with our host family another Honduran tradition which I didn't understand at the time.  Usually our host family ate very late at night (usually around 9 or 10pm)  So I was expecting to eat around that time, as usual.  However, after 10:30 I was getting really hungry and a bit annoyed because we had to wait for dinner to go out to meet our friends.  Finally we figured out that our family was waiting until 12am to eat dinner!  It turns out that there is a tradition, or belief that you should wait until midnight to do something that you want to ensure for the following year.  So, for example, if you would like to travel in the new year, you should pack up your suitcase and walk around the block with it at 12am!  In our case, our family wanted to ensure that they had a lot of delicious food coming to them in 2011.  Worth waiting for, I think!
EADs and Group Activities:
The next Monday (3rd) was Javier and Jon's EAD where they focused on needs and wants and it's relationship to Quality of Life and Standard of Living.  We also watched a documentary about international development in Nicaragua.

Group excursion to Celaque

That week we were back at work which for Julia and I meant planning an activity for our debriefing!  But I'll get to that later.  That weekend we went as one of our final group activites to Termas de Rio just outside of Gracias which is another Hot Spring location.  It has a bunch of pools of increasingly hot temperatures with one really hot one, onsen style (like in Japan) and I was excited by that!  We had a really good time there together and I got pretty sunburned. . .but it was super fun!  The next day most of us went on a 2 hour short hike up Celaque, the highest mountain in Honduras.  Gracias is at the base of Celaque, so we had an amazing view of this mountain throughout our stay in Honduras, but this was the first time we were actually able to climb it.  We didn't get anywhere near the top as we didn't have enough time and not all members of our group were keen on climbing. . .but hiking for a day was a lot of fun.  We went slowly and took in a lot of scenery while singing a lot of Bob Marley, thanks to Juan Carlos.
The next day we had another EAD by Marie-Filote and Marlon to give a more in depth look at the politics of Honduras.
That week we finished our work projects and had our 8pm curfew extended so we could watch movies and sing karaoke on week nights as a group! yay!  All the while Julie and Dayana were working hard (the rest of the group also helped!) to organize a charity concert set for Saturday.  The concert was put on in the fort to raise money for underprivileged children in Gracias.  We had Nelson Pavon (a "Resistencia" protest musician), a local band from Gracias, and DJ Angel from Tegucigalpa.  The concert didn't attract as many people as we would have liked, but it still went well.  Some of the attendees were upset by the political ideas of Nelson Pavon and left early, which was unfortunate but was a good learning experience for us.  The concert ended a bit early because some people were drinking in the parking lot and the police were advising us to end it.
The next day we went to a small community in the mountains to do surveys for the sector project of ASONOG and CWY.  We had to interview women from the community to find out what their knowledge was about different issues regarding health and nutrition, reproductive health and hygiene.  The information will be collected and analyzed by the 2 organizations to determine what kinds of development projects would be suitable for the regions we surveyed.  Unfortunately we ran out of time and had to delegate an organization in Gracias to complete the surveys for us.
Debriefing and farewells:

Farewell Party

The last week of the exchange we did some debriefing activities so we could start to analyze our experience and think about how we will communicate it to people back home.  We want to make sure that we are not creating stereotypes or generalizations as much as possible while educating and sharing what we learned.  This can be very difficult, especially when few people really want to listen to every detail and the entire story of your experience.
And in no time at all we were having our community thank you dinner.  Saying thank you to our host families and the community of Gracias, giving thank you gifts to our counterparts and project supervisors, crying a lot and saying good bye.  We left Gracias on the morning of the 22nd after tearful goodbyes from our host Mom and Dad and sisters (our little host brother refused to get out of bed and was too sleepy to cry!!).  In Santa Rosa we met up with the other CWY groups and made the final split from our Honduran counterparts.  Everyone cried.  I even shed a tear!  It was a really sad hour between when we got to Santa Rosa and when we left for San Pedro Sula.

Que Lindos <3

The Canadians all spent the night in San Pedro Sula, sharing shocking rule-breaking stories from the exchange and reflecting on the good times we spent together.  The next morning at 4:30am we left for the airport and while checking in we heard a horrific scream from the front of the airport.  When we all turned to look we saw our HONDURAN COUNTERPARTS running in!!!!!!!!!  They had lied that they wouldn't be able to come to see us off so that they would be able to surprise us at the airport!  sneaky!!!  So we had another picture and crying session before we left to get on the plane.  It was a really nice surprise :)
Back in the Motherland:
Back in Canada on the 23rd we were ROCKED by the -20 C temperature outside the airport!!!  Winter in Canada is COLD!  We had 3 days of debriefing in the hotel airport with Tracy, who coincidentally also ran our training before we started the exchange.  It was a really interesting session that helped us to reflect on the exchange and put the skills and knowledge we had gained from our experience into more concrete terms (that would be helpful for interviews and employment).  Alot came out in debriefing as well about our group and things that had been going on behind the scenes.  There was a lot of drama that was previously unknown to everyone that was finally shared with the Canadians.  I think this allowed for a lot of closure and a lot of realizations about why some things happened the way they did.
Personal Reflections:
For me, the CWY experience was amazing all in all.  I watched a lot of people go through the experience and come out as much more informed, confident and stronger individuals.  We learned to work and live and think as a group, but even more, as a family.  It sounds kind of sentimental, but it's really true.  I believe that the CWY experience is a kind of paradigm for the world we live in.  We are all a part of it and we all play an important role and are equally responsible for making it work in a harmonious way.  All of our actions are connected.  There are limits on what we can and can't do and if we push them too much (like the environment currently), there will be consequences that will affect everyone.  When we think only of ourselves and fail to think of the impact our action will have on others everyone suffers.  When we push our boundaries and leave our comfort zones far behind, we will surprise ourselves of what we are capable of.

No Siesta! Just Fiesta!

Our family's pet Watusa!

I strongly encourage anyone who is still eligible to apply and participate in Canada World Youth!!!  It's a great experience.

and in the infamous words of our Perth-Gracias group: NO SIESTA! JUST FIESTA!!! :)

Perth - Gracias 2010/11: Canada World Youth Adventure VII

Estamos muy bien pero, como siempre, hemos estado muy ocupados!

and I think we´re all starting to realize that:
OMG, ONLY 5 WEEKS LEFT OF THE PROGRAM! where does the time go!?!?

Dig it!

This weekend will be our mid-project camp, then we leave for the holidays to visit our counterparts´ host families for a few days. . .and by the time we get back it will pretty much be January!!  Then we will be back in snowy Canada on the 23rd!  Unbelievable.

As I mentioned in Spanish, we´ve been very busy the past couple of weeks.

Co-operation, makes it happen

We made a garden in the Youth House where Gaby works a couple of weeks ago.  We dug the beds, put in an irrigation system and planted some seeds.  Hopefully something other than grass will grow!

Irrigation system. . .the ground looks vertical. . .o_O

2 weeks ago we started off with Gaby (my counterpart) and Guillaume´s EAD which was focused on HIV/AIDS awareness and education to prepare us for our activities during HIV awareness week.  After their presentation we were invited to a panel discussion by Norman (our Honduran supervisor), the Gracias coordinator for HIV awareness, Dr. Mazier (my host dad. . .who is involved in EVERYTHING) and another presenter who I didn´t know.   This year´s focus for HIV awareness week was to raise awareness about Human Rights of people living with HIV.

Copan Ruinas

That week we participated in a parade to raise awareness in the community, followed by street fundraising throughout Gracias.  We also had a board game tournament in the central park for youth in the community who we played games with and simultaneously educated about HIV and safe sex.  We finished off the week with a futbolito tournament. . .which is basically 15 min soccer on a smaller field.  The youth in the community had to make teams of 6 and compete against each other.  Between games we again, had educational activities.

The next day we crammed into a bus for a 3hr drive to the Copan Ruinas!!  Although it was a rough ride for all of us, we really enjoyed the day in Copan.  And for all of you familiar with the World Heritage Site obsession of Japan, I've got another one checked off now! 

Copan Ruinas

The next day, after a full day of site seeing and bus travel, Julia gave a presentation about the political state of Honduras and gave some more perspective into the military coup last year and motivations behind it.   There´s an interesting article which shares some of her sentiments here.

Iglesia in Gracias

Gracias street corner

The next day was Julie and Dayana´s EAD where they gave us a tour and some critical thinking activities related to IHNFA (Instituto Hondureño de la Niñez y la Familia) where they work.  Their EAD had a pretty strong impact on our group and produced a strong desire to take some action to make the conditions for the children at IHNFA better.  As much as I appreciate the sentiments of our group and hope to affect positive change, I am also concerned about considering the kind of help that would be most beneficial and would induce the least amount of negative consequences.  Our program is only here for 3 months and we are the first year of a 5 year program.  I have a hard time believing that we can possibly understand the full situation of Gracias in only the short time we´ve spent here and I would hate for our group to end up having a negative effect on the community because of very good intentions manifested in a very damaging way to an already existing and functioning organization or other system.  Another dilemma in development work!  One of our Project Supervisor´s posted an interesting article about some of the negative effects of short term volunteer work from the telegraph.  The comments are interesting too.

Huh!  Fancy that!

We also took part in a campaign to inspect people´s backyards for potential mosquito breeding grounds.  It was part of the health organization´s campaign to prevent Dengue.  The same week, one of the major Honduran soccer teams came through to play a tournament in Gracias so we were volunteering to help them out as well.  I guess some of the players were on the national team as well and played in South Africa.

During that time we had a few issues within our group.  2 of the volunteers got caught breaking rules of the program and were almost sent home.  We had to have a big meeting with the supervisors about it and have now all been given a number of extra rules that we have to follow.  It´s been quite dramatic and kind of tiring.  Fortunately, most people are still in good spirits and it hasn´t had too much of a negative impact on the group. . .other than the week that it happened.  Hopefully it will help to bring out some of the underlying issues of our group dynamic and make us stronger.  

  

Baleada making!

mmmm street food

Finally, this week was my EAD!  Luz Dariela and I talked about Human Rights and about Canadian company Goldcorp, who have gold mines in Honduras.  There is a very interesting 6 part documentary about it here.  It´s about an hour in total and I highly recommend it to everyone.This weekend will be our midproject camp!  Can´t believe we are already at midproject!