tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56022433454348347142024-03-13T22:50:09.251+05:30Our Indiaventure and other musings “Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-85135288920814620062016-03-26T00:18:00.002+05:302016-03-26T00:18:39.391+05:30End of 2015 (recap...more soon...honest!)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello again, finally feeling inspired to get a post done. It's 10pm, C is out at a friend's house, K is at his Grandma's house and A is sleeping peacefully across the room. Just playing The Beatles with the fan cooling me as it's approx 24 degrees - it's been waaaay to hot for March and we're all predicting a scorching summer. Just hoping we get a nice summer monsoon to counterbalance the rays...<br />
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I left you with a full birth story and a 1 month old A, he's now 6 months! To be honest, it's passed in a blur of busy-ness and extreme highs and lows.<br />
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Highlights of November were the beautiful monsoon that started 2 days after A's birth and finished in early Dec. His name means 'rain bringer' in Arabic and he certainly did! It was lovely to have such a full and continual rain, I get such pleasure from enjoying the rain. I never appreciated it living in the UK. I also love that K's middle name means 'Sun' and he was born in the UK where the sun is needed and A is our 'rain bringer', born in India where the rain is a precious gift. Am planning a rain cloud tattoo on my right foot to compliment the sun tattoo on my left.<br />
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Anyway, I'm rambling now. I also met a kind of vinegar spider/scorpion for the first time. It was bundled up with the dirty washing, luckily I saw it before putting the machine on and saved it.<br />
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<br />Most of my days passed like this, cuddling and nursing a cuddly chubby A:<div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">C and K also enjoyed a spot of 'rain bathing' one night when the rains were particularly heavy. Needless to say they didn't last long in the freezing wet!</span></div>
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Dec was spent preparing for Christmas. I was excited to decorate this year with it being A's first Christmas but couldn't be bothered to spend too much time shopping in Pondy with a newborn so we had a Xmas Palm this year:</div>
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I also learned the benefits of ergonomic baby-wearing and have become very interested in the different types of carrier. A friend here lent me a few and it's a practice that I sorely wish I'd done with K. It provides so much security to a small baby as well as promoting good posture for mother and baby, you can even secretly nurse in some! Luckily, I can't afford to build up a huge collection because there is less of a baby-wearing culture here, most Indian mothers just carry their babies in their arms. I do love that I can put A in a carrier and do the dishes or water the garden etc!</div>
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I snapped a few nice shots too...I love photography and would love a fancy camera one day. In the meantime, my phone camera will have to do:</div>
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These ones were from a morning visit to the Matrimandir with me and the boys, I love the pics from under the Matrimandir by the lotus pond...</div>
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K's Kindergarten had an end-of-year song recital/open house which provided me with lots of beautiful things to photograph:</div>
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6 days before Christmas saw the annual Christmas Fair at the Youth Centre. We missed it last year as we were in Goa but we were excited to attend this year. C decided to work there making BBQ chicken and corn on the cob so he spent the whole time sweating in the midday sun over a barbecue. </div>
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I have a small reputation as a baker and was asked to bake a cake for the annual cake competition. I was happy to do so, especially as the cakes are sold by the slice following the competition with the proceeds going towards the Youth Centre, a place very dear in our hearts. I decided to pimp up a recent favourite vegan chocolate cake recipe (the original can be found <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/The-BEST-chococlate-cake-ever...that-happens-to-be/" target="_blank">here</a>...it is seriously good and you cannot tell it's vegan. I'm not vegan by the way, I just like baking cakes that everyone can enjoy and I think that eggs are weird) by turning it into a sandwich cake with a marmalade filling with caramelised peel decoration:</div>
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It didn't win but went down well and we had a really fun day out.</div>
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Christmas was in all honesty, stressful. K, after the initial excitement of having a new brother, was struggling with sharing the parental attention/affection. Totally understandable but his way of dealing with that was to act out, which when combined with sleep deprivation, made all of us miserable. We spent most of the festive season wondering why we were giving presents to someone who was trying so hard to piss us off. We found it tough but his reactions have been teaching us to look at how we are/what we do/why we do what we do etc. K is our biggest teacher in many ways. He's a challenging child but bright and charismatic. A true contradiction and we love him for it.</div>
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Still, we tried to ensure he had a special time. His favourite present was a cheapy £3 MP3 player with a variety of songs/genres put on it by me. Sadly now, the cheapy player has broken but it was such a joy for me, as an eclectic music fanatic, to see my boy with headphones on, absorbed in a song that he'd play on repeat for a day or two before moving onto the next. His favourites include, Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie, Daddy Cool by Boney M, Free Bird by Lynard Skynyrd and Invaders Must Die by The Prodigy. I want to replace it but he's a bit destructive at the moment so I'm reluctant to spend much.</div>
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We saw New Year in with a couple of couples that we enjoy the company of. Both the guys in these couples are old friends of C and it's so nice to see him reunited with his old friends who moved back to AV to raise their kids like we did. I guess it validates our choice in a way.</div>
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Right then, I've now spent 2 hours typing/choosing photos and I need to stop. I have the beginning of 2016 to cover which I'll return with when I get a chance.</div>
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Glad to have written this, speak to y'all soon.</div>
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With love, Laura.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-21516181385483636642015-10-22T11:17:00.000+05:302015-10-22T11:17:28.730+05:30Our new baby...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So today is almost 1 month since our new baby's arrival. I wanted to write sooner but...you know how it is. We're settling into a routine of sorts now so am grabbing a quick moment to write whilst C is at work, K is at kindergarten and our little one sleeps. Just a warning, I will be writing details of the birth...</div>
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So 21st September was my 31st birthday, it was quite a quiet one being so very pregnant. It was half term so K was off school and him and me went for ice cream in the morning. Then we all went for lunch with C's mum and partner followed by a rest at home before me and K went to a friend's house for a swim. C made a delicious casserole and roast potatoes for dinner which is such a treat. You can't get gravy granules here - I actually brought some back with me from the UK but once it's gone, it's gone!</div>
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On the 23rd I invited a number of girl friends out for lunch partly for my birthday and partly since the baby was due at anytime. It was so nice to get out the house and as always when I've not see anyone for a while, I felt nourished by the company of so many beautiful smiling faces. My due date was the following day and we all knew that the next time I saw then, my baby would be here.</div>
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The evening of the 23rd at around 10.30pm I felt a shift downwards in my belly and upon visiting the loo, found that my waters had broken. As this was exactly what happened with K's birth (even the same time of day) I wasn't afraid but rather excited that it was starting. I called my midwives and told them that it was only just beginning and that we'd call when we needed them. Then I called C's mum and told her that C would bring K over when we needed to but that he was fine to stay sleeping for the time being. </div>
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C and I watched a TV show and at 11pm my contractions started. By midnight we decided to try and get some sleep as we both thought the labour was likely to be long since K's labour had gone on for over 25 hours. So C fell asleep but I found it too difficult to as the contractions were coming every 10 minutes and they were more painful when I was lying down. I had read a book called <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223044.Active_Birth_" target="_blank">Active Birth</a> which had helped me realise that I needed to stay upright and walking around as this was the best way to help baby come whilst being less painful. Since we were planning to stay at home for the birth and had no access to pain relief I kept on my feet and remembered the breathing techniques for the contractions. The next 3 hours were spent walking up and down the stairs to the toilet, breathing through the contractions and trying to rest a little in between (haha).</div>
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By 3.30am things were getting painful and I was feeling the urge to push so I woke C and told him that he needed to call the midwives. He called them both and they said they'd come within half an hour. Then he called his mum and let her know that he'd be bringing K to her hours soon. </div>
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At 4am the midwives arrived to find me naked except for my underpants, covered in sweat and losing my ability to stay in control of the situation (a perfect time for them to be there). Whilst they got me dried, C woke K and took him to his mum's house. I'll never forget his excited little face when he heard the baby was coming. The midwives got the bed ready (we used K's bed as he sleeps downstairs) and they checked to see how dialated I was. I was so surprised to learn that I was 7 centimetres already (10 is when you can start pushing). We realised that this baby was coming much faster than K did. This next stage of the labour was the hardest, when you feel the urge to push but you have to stop yourself and breath through those urges. I was sat on the bed and my midwives helped me by breathing with me and keeping me focused. Since I had been meeting with them since the start of the pregnancy I felt a great deal of trust in them which of course, you need in such a vulnerable state.</div>
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This next hour and a half seemed to pass quickly, C made everyone tea and I was regularly made to drink tea or water depending on how I felt at the time. When I was at 10 centimetres and was allowed to push, I could feel the baby making its way out. It hurts so much but I was determined not to lose myself to the pain and a few strong pushes with the next few contractions got its head out. The next push got the body out and we met our second son. He was born at 5.43am on his due date, less than 7 hours after my waters broke. The sun was just coming up and music from a nearby temple had just started playing. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just minutes after his birth</td></tr>
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The next few hours passed in an adrenaline fueled daze, he was cleaned and dressed after we had had some quality skin to skin time, the placenta was birthed and stored in a bucket to be buried in our garden with a hibiscus bush planted on top of it. I showered and we all had another cup of tea. The midwives stayed until around 9am making sure we were alright. It was so amazing to see that a straightforward birth like ours used only the barest minimum of equipment. They made me some makeshift post partum pads out of cotton wool wads and gauze which I used with an Eco Femme night pad underneath. Baby was put straight into a cloth nappy. It felt good to still uphold our eco conscious values even in such a situation.</div>
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Once we were all settled, the midwives left with one arranging to return later in the day to see how we were getting on. Then me and C tried to doze a little, something neither of us quite managed. At 2pm C's mum and partner came bringing K to meet his new brother and an enormous carrier bag of chrysanthemums and roses. It was so lovely to see K and to introduce him to his little brother. They stayed for an hour of so before heading home taking K with them for a sleepover to give us time to settle with our new son.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The brothers meet for the first time</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebratory flowers for our gorgeous second son</td></tr>
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We spent the rest of the day resting and enjoying this new being who had come into our lives. There were quite a few moments of us both gazing in silence and wonder at him.<br />
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We named him <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ari_(name)" target="_blank">Ari</a> (long 'aa' pronunciation) which has many meanings, my favourites being 'rain bringer' in Arabic and '<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.4px;">we have seen/found someone to care for' in Yoruba. I like short names, K's name is Kai and I love how the names compliment each other.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.4px;">I'll have to sign off now as he is stirring. This is our birth story for A and </span>I am still in a state of shock at just how wonderful the birthing experience can be with the right frame of mind and with midwives who are with you from the start. I feel proud to have had no drugs and to have enjoyed the luxury of being in my own home. I wish more women had that chance.<br />
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I'll be back soon to catch up on this past month.<br />
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With love, Laura.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-21779730715175964832015-09-12T23:23:00.001+05:302015-09-12T23:23:10.094+05:30June onwards...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So, as mentioned in my last post, I returned home from the UK on the 2nd June. I had a wonderfully weird few days, adjusting back to life, settling back into our house which didn't feel like mine anymore (cue me rearranging the contents of the fridge, cleaning this and that etc) and of course, getting over the jet lag. There was an air of excitement in those first few days, I had packed a number of gifts and treats for C & K, so there was an almost Christmas-like feeling as new toys and special foods were enjoyed.</div>
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On the 6th June, just 4 days after my return, me and K came home after a kids birthday party to find messages from my aunt, uncle and sister letting me know that my Grandma had died that morning.</div>
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I'd not lost anyone close to me before and I was surprised by the initial force of emotion that struck me like a blow to the stomach. I've been interested in psychology for some time and was aware of myself processing the news and actually found that I felt gratitude very quickly after the initial sadness and tears. After all, I had spent a wonderful couple of days with her just a few weeks before, laughing, sharing stories and enjoying one another's company. This precious time spent with her wouldn't have happened had I not become pregnant as we had not planned to visit until the end of the year. It was her time, her body was old and tired - how lucky I was to have been one of the last to see her - how can you be sad at that?</div>
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The following couple of weeks were spent keeping in contact with my family. It wasn't possible to go back for a number of reasons so I did my best to offer what support I could from afar. I made a puja each morning (an offering of fresh flowers, incense and a mantra) to show my love and to wish her spirit well as it made it's journey to wherever it is that spirits go.</div>
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On the morning of her funeral, 2 weeks after her passing, I visited the Matrimandir to reflect upon her life as well as say farewell. It's a place I don't visit regularly but like to when if feels important to or if I need guidance. I felt quite emotional walking through the gardens and up into the main chamber. As I sat in the cool, white, silence, a beam of sunlight entered the top of the chamber and struck the crystal at the centre of the room and sent rainbows swirling around - something I've never seen before and which felt ethereal in that environment. It was also the first time I've ever been totally alone in there for a few minutes. There has always been a minimum of 2-3 other people inside when I have visited, often more but for 3-4 minutes it was just me and the rainbows. It was wonderful.</div>
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I gathered a few flowers from the gardens on my departure and made a special puja once I got home.</div>
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A little while later I received the most precious item from my grandma's house, a bear for her unborn great grandchild. She gave each of us grandchildren a bear when we were born and had continued the tradition with her 5 great grandchildren. I couldn't bare the thought of this child not having a bear from her and was delighted to receive one in the post from my uncle. It's now sitting in our crib awaiting it's new owner.</div>
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June blended into July with only a slight reduction in temperature. K returned to kindergarten in the second week of July and all the parents in AV heaved a sigh of relief (9 weeks is a looooong time). My mornings were spent at work and afternoons started with a post lunch nap (too hot for anything else - even the fan blows hot air!) followed by groggily trying to get errands done. A routine blood test showed that my iron levels were quite low which accounted for the tiredness and lack of strength. It's pretty normal for pregnant women to suffer from this. the heart increases in size and the body makes an extra 50% of the body's blood for the baby. This set me on a mission to get my levels up and I started eating as much iron rich foods as well as food high in vitamin C (vit c aids iron absorption) as well as supplements. The next few tests showed no change which only increased my obsession. It has only been in the last month that my levels have gone back up - phew!</div>
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I was getting bigger by the end of July, here I am at 7 months pregnant and a lovely picture of C & K which I couldn't resist sharing!</div>
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One of the positive things of living in a very community minded place is the support you receive. We have been passed on so much baby stuff, from clothes to a pram for the first few months (not really safe to drive on the motorbike or carry the baby in a sling) to the most amazing crib which has been in circulation in AV for around 35-40 years. My midwife's children were in it and her co-midwife was in it, as was her 18 year old son. It was finally brought to our house (by C and the father of the last baby who slept in it) by motorbike. It was so nice to get it set up in a corner of our bedroom and start the 'nesting' process.</div>
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I also started sourcing all the items needed for a homebirth as given to me by my midwife. Buckets, gauze, old sheets and towels plus medicines for disinfecting etc. I was interested to learn that the small bucket with a lid that was on the list was for the placenta which is customarily buried in the garden with a plant or tree on top of it. It felt like a far cry from the medicalisation and sterilisation of the disposal methods used in a hospital. Needless to say we have a hole ready and plan to plant my potted pink hibiscus on top.</div>
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C's birthday rolled around at the beginning of August. His mum had K for the night and she paid for us to stay in a local high end hotel which has a swimming pool. It was a treat to have a night away, even if we were only just down the road from home. </div>
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I started pregnancy yoga classes when the lady running the classes returned from her holidays. It's been good to do some yoga in a class. I had been practicing a little at home but I prefer to have someone to correct me if I'm doing a pose wrong. Also good to see/meet the other women who are expecting around the same time as me. It's nice to think that our kids will be likely to grow up together. </div>
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C and I also attended some Watsu classes especially for pregnant couples. It's pretty much just relaxing in a warm pool and getting an idea of how a baby feels in the womb. Interesting though and like the yoga classes, totally free as we're Aurovilians.</div>
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Before we knew it, it was the end of August and time for my monthly bump photo - 8 month bump!</div>
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So here we are on the 12th Sept. It would have been my grandmother's birthday today and it feels fitting to get this blog of mine up-to-date. Our baby is due in approx 12 days. I stopped going to work on Tuesday but am still working from home, at least for the next week (the blessing/curse of the computer based job) and I am feeling really good although I feel like a time-bomb which could 'go off' at any minute. </div>
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The women in my community organised a little 'baby shower' for me yesterday - nothing like the American baby showers but some food, a couple of gifts and just the chance to connect as neighbours and mothers in a way that I have never experienced before. I feel so very lucky to get to experience community spirit in the immediate sense but also in the wider community sense, the people who stop you for a quick chat when you do your shopping, the endless guesses of the baby's sex based on the shape of my bump or folklore from a multitude of countries. I'm not some anonymous pregnant lady walking down a British high street and it's humbling to feel such warmth from people here.</div>
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I'm going to sign off now as it's getting late here and I've been writing for 2 hours.</div>
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Will be back soon when our little one has arrived!</div>
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With love, Laura.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-15094724039647433032015-07-28T15:48:00.000+05:302015-07-28T15:48:32.860+05:30I'm back! (Part 1 - back to the UK)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Gosh, has it really been so long? As always, I don't intend to stop writing, it's been an especially interesting time. There is much to catch up on so I'd best get started!</div>
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So, my last post was sharing my news of pregnancy and impending trip to the UK at the beginning of May. The end of April meant the beginning of the summer holidays here - 9 loooooong weeks of extreme heat, bored children and still trying to work is *fun* to say the least. Anyway, I had just one week of holidays before jetting off to the UK for my visit.</div>
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C and K planned to take a little holiday too, just a few days after I left, heading down to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodaikanal" target="_blank">Kodaikanal</a> which is a former hill-station about 8 hours drive South of Auroville. Each summer, Auroville youth (aged around 8-14) attend a nature camp there and a number of our friends were taking care of the kids so it seemed like a nice idea to tag along. Due to it's location, high in the mountains, the climate is much cooler and a perfect place to visit during the scorching summer months. It's also where C was born but that's beside the point...</div>
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On the morning of the 7th May, we headed to the snack bar for my goodbye breakfast - iddlies, vadai with sambar and coconut chutney. Delicious! </div>
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The taxi to Chennai airport was booked for around 3.30pm so we had a few hours together whilst I gathered my last minute items. It felt really surreal to be leaving my family, even if only for a few weeks. The taxi arrived and we bundled the bags in the boot and one last hug and kiss to C and K and I was off!</div>
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Both times that I visited and then left Auroville (in 2008 and 2012) I left with a lump in my throat and this time was no exception. I kept reminding my self that it was only for 3 weeks, how good it'd be to see my friends and family as well as how my boys would be fine without me. I guess a part of me was nervous about doing the trip alone too, having never flown alone before. Still, the occasional reassuring kick from baby stopped me from feeling too sad and I took in the view whizzing past as we went on our way.</div>
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It was peak Jackfruit season so we drove past many piles of these gigantic fruits for sale by the side of the road. I'm not a fan of their taste but I love how they look...</div>
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We arrived at Chennai airport around 6pm, somewhat earlier than expected due to a rustic shortcut from the driver. Still, it gave me a chance to get my bearings, work out where my luggage would be checked in and settle down to a snack and a read of my book. I was once again struck by how much these past 2 years have changed me, I'm so much braver, sure of myself and it's a nice thing to appreciate, I started to look forward to the next few hours of travel and see it as an adventure.</div>
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Finally around 9pm, with luggage checked in, we all boarded the plane. We took off just after 10pm in the smaller of the journeys, landing in Abu Dhabi at around 1am. This flight was on a smaller plane and there was a big family with about 6 kids, grandmother, husbands and wives in the seats next to me and one of the kids kept moving from seat to seat and generally being a nuisance. Having been awake since 6am that morning, I wasn't feeling so tolerant but reminded myself that at least I wasn't needing to be responsible for anyone but myself.</div>
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We landed in Abu Dhabi and had just enough time to find the next terminal for the next flight at 3am. Then off we went in our larger, more comfortable plane. As luck would have it, my seat planning had paid off (I chose isle seats near the toilet, a tip I got online for travelling when pregnant) and I share a row of 3 seats with a chap who sat by the window and promptly fell asleep meaning I had an extra seat, pillow and blanket for the journey (the same location on the flight home reaped the exact same arrangement).</div>
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Finally, 7.30am the following day, we landed in London and I was home! I thought about how when we left for Auroville in Sept 2013, I'd not known when I'd be back. With face washed and freshened up as much as one can do during a long haul flight, I entered the airport and into a new world where I was no longer in the minority. In India, I will always be a tourist due to my skin colour and in a number of ways, I don't mind that but it was nice to experience anonymity again, not to be presumed rich, not to be targeted by beggars. To be just another face in the crowd.</div>
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I got my luggage and made it to my coach with a minute to spare and then onto the next past of the journey, 3-4 hours drive up to Nottingham to see my grandparents. The journey was spent taking in the grey and green landscape and dozing. I arrived around 2pm (I think??) and met my grandparents who got me home where I could shower, change and rest. It was so nice to see them again after two years and a few Skype chats. I slept so well that night!</div>
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I was quite jet lagged those first two days but felt better for Sunday, when we had lunch with my aunt, cousin and her children. One last day with my grandparents and I was off onto the next stop across to my grandma and uncle who like just over an hour away. I spent a lovely 2 days with them, joking and laughing with my grandma and enjoying my uncle's company. We even took a nice stroll through the lush green fields which I found so stunningly vivid and bright. These family visits are usually accompanied by C and K so it was a fantastic experience to have my family 'all to myself' for these few days.</div>
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Almost a week after landing I said my goodbyes and headed on the first of 3 trains on my way to Somerset - my home for a large portion of my life. As the train pulled away I felt quite strongly that I might not see my grandparents again. After all when you live in India and earn the equivalent of around £60 a month, it's not easy to plan regular trips. I felt lucky to have had this chance to spend some quality time with them all. Anyway, I shook such morbid thoughts away and thought instead of seeing my sister, nephews and friends and how much fun it'd be.</div>
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My two weeks in Somerset were a bit of a blur compared to the slower pace of the first week. For a start, I didn't have a steady place to stay so spent a few night on sofas but was lucky that an old friend of mine rents a house but spends every other month away working and when he is home, he stays mostly with his girlfriend, another dear friend of mine. This meant I had an empty house for a good few days which gave me some respite in between the visits, chatting and socialising which was ideal since I'm somewhat introverted and need quiet time.</div>
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First stop was my sisters, it was so good to see her, her partner and my two cheeky nephews again. They were happy with the hand-carved wooden swords I had a friend in AV make for them!</div>
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The next day was spent seeing my group of closest friends, I was so happy to see how I just slotted back into my little circle as if I hadn't really been gone for nearly 2 years. Here we are (my sister with the red hair). Seeing my friends felt like the biggest thing that I missed in a number of ways. I have a few friends here but it's not the same and nothing beats a good laugh and the chance to talk rubbish with people who truly 'get' you. I'm very grateful to these lovely ladies for that.</div>
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I also thought I'd best have a 'full English' whilst I was away. This is the Weatherspoons veggie version cos' I am classy, innit. </div>
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Staying mainly at my friend's house meant a good 20-30 minute walk to get back into town so I did get plenty of exercise during my stay. This was quite a difference to life in India where I rarely walk anywhere preferring my bicycle or motorbike. It did me good though and I got to see a beautiful double rainbow for my efforts.</div>
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My walks also took me past some familiar places that somehow seemed more picturesque in my absence. Here is the beginning of the canal from the dock area. </div>
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King's Square, next to the council offices.</div>
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The canal from above</div>
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I also spent a couple of nights at another friend's parent's house. They live just outside of Bridgwater and have a stunning house and garden. We actually had our wedding reception in their field. It was another lovely experience, waking up to this view, eating freshly baked bread, meeting their new tortoise, seeing the garden in full bloom and spending time with my oldest friend and his two kids who came down to visit at the same time.</div>
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I also got to spend a day in Bristol to see another very dear friend of mine and C's. I love Bristol for it's culture, diversity and graffiti! </div>
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My friend and his 'wall of equations' as part of his studies :)</div>
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Nice bit of street art on our way to have dinner.</div>
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The night before I was due to fly back out, one of my favourite groups, Sheelanagig were playing at the Bridgwater Art centre. It was an opportunity not to be missed. As luck would have it, I entered a Facebook competition and won 2 tickets for the show! They have such a witty, foot stomping energy that it's impossible not to dance. We had such a fun evening. I've missed seeing regular gigs since moving away. There's not such a music scene here unless you live in a city so I've been starved of live music and enjoying a dance for too long!</div>
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The next day I was due to leave Bridgwater by coach at 1am. We managed to gather a good few people for lunch and it was such a lovely send off. </div>
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Then it was time for goodbyes and a final evening with my sister. It was strange saying goodnight and goodbye at the same time since I was leaving while they'd all be asleep. Despite feeling sad I was also looking forward to seeing my boys again. We'd managed a few Skype chats but I just wanted to be home with them again. </div>
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The journey home felt longer, I had been awake the whole day of the 31st May, travelled to London arriving in the morning of the 1st June and then landing back in Chennai at 5am on the 2nd. I left the airport dazed and fell into the taxi with my beautiful boys by my side who had woken at 2am to come pick me up. Here's the sunrise on my journey back to AV.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6ScmkLh1-d8/VbdMrk_oqFI/AAAAAAAAA8E/z3zdDOibWhg/s1600/IMG_20150602_015049%2B%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6ScmkLh1-d8/VbdMrk_oqFI/AAAAAAAAA8E/z3zdDOibWhg/s320/IMG_20150602_015049%2B%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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All in all, I had a heartwarming, joyful visit back home and one that I cherish for all the wonderful times spent with dear ones who I miss. It was also really good for me to have those 3 weeks apart from C and K. I think we all appreciate one another more as a result. It also assured me that AV is home to me now. Even if the average temperature of my first month back was 38 degrees, it's still home.</div>
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I'll be back soon with the next installment.</div>
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L xx</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-62488896990851676332015-04-14T09:24:00.000+05:302015-04-14T09:24:09.686+05:30The reason for my absence these past weeks... <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi there, it's been an interesting few months and I've been so caught up in things that I've hardly been in the right place for communicating. Finally I feel it's a good time, we have a day off work as it is Tamil new year. It rained last night for the first time in about 4 months. There is a sweet, wet scent in the air, the morning sun is shining and I have some Banco de Gaia playing as I type.<br />
<br />
At the end of Jan, I discovered that me and C are expecting our second child. It was unexpected but we're not unhappy about it as I always felt we had room for another in our family and although C always said 1 was enough, he is also happy. K will be almost 6 when this one arrives and we feel good about the timing. We're settling well here and this brings a new richness to our experience.<br />
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I found out early on, at just 5 weeks. My time and work at Eco Femme has given me a better insight into my body's cycles and changes during the months. We had to keep things quiet until 12 weeks as those first weeks are where the risk of something going wrong is most high. I'm not good at keeping secrets so became a little reclusive to get used to the idea and to bide my time.<br />
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I had just a little nausea in those beginning months, nothing much although I had none at all with K. Now at 4 months I am feeling good and have the beginnings of a bump starting (at the stage where I just look overweight!). 'Pregnancy brain' has kicked in and I'm very absent minded - it's quite a zen-like feeling. I'm constantly in the present!<br />
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The other big news is that we had planned to visit the UK as a family in winter but with this little one coming in Sept/Oct we decided that I would make a quick visit alone in May to see all my family and friends before coming back to have the baby here and to remain here for the next few years. I'm excited to visit after almost 2 years away. I will miss my boys who will stay here, but I think it's good for us to have a little time apart too and for the boys to have time together without me.<br />
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It's been interesting to experience being pregnant here. In the UK with K, it was straightforward, you go to the doctor and they arrange midwife appointments, scan dates, everything for you. You just show up at the right place and time. Here, it's another story. Luckily I have a friend here who is due to have her baby anytime now and she was my first confidant. She had her first child here and could offer practical advice on the first steps.<br />
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Now I've had some scans (quite a lengthy process of sitting around in hot waiting rooms in Pondy), got a midwife (an experienced woman who has delivered many babies here in AV) and am hoping to have a homebirth - a far cry from my first experience. It's important to me to make this experience different from my first, it'll very likely be my final pregnancy. Having K took so long, I wasn't calm, I wasn't working with my body and so it was tough. I am reading a book called Spiritual Midwifery which is about home-births in the 70s in a commune in the US. It's a good read, once you get past the 'far-out' hippy language used. There is sense in it and I hope I can apply it when the time comes.<br />
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Anyway, quite a long post but that's where my head's been at these past months. I'll try to be back soon with a more general update.<br />
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With love, Laura.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-75678228239451283632015-02-22T16:23:00.000+05:302015-02-22T16:27:26.619+05:30Holidays and the new year<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Again, my blog took a backseat over the festive season and beyond. Our 3 weeks in Goa were spent with very little internet access which was bliss. I needed to disconnect from work and the usual communications. C and I had a difficult few months too which discouraged me from writing. Hey, we all prefer to write about happy things, right? We're back on track now and I've been glad to be home after our holidays. </div>
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It's the first real length of time I've had away from AV since we moved here and to come back made me really see how much I view this place as home. The peaceful green, lush beauty of this place, mostly free from litter even surpasses the tropical holiday vibes of Goa. </div>
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We spent our time in the North of Goa where C's dad lives. The beaches are lovely and we spent part of every day by the sea. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas day sunset<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">We stayed at C's dad's house for the first 10 days as he had to go away on some business which helps lower the cost of our trip plus allowed us the use of a kitchen and his motorcycle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">We visited a waterpark (to K's joy),</span></td></tr>
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and moved to a nice place called Lotus Inn for the second part of our holiday. We'd stayed there before so knew we'd have this lovely pool to enjoy.</div>
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I spent a little alone time at the Anjuna market looking at all the stalls and picking up a bargain or two.</div>
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We also spent some quality time with C's dad which was wonderful as we've not seen him in 2.5 years. He and K really got along well. Then it was time to say goodbye and head back to our sleeper train to Chennai.</div>
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Since we've been back, I've been on a bit of a health kick, lots of fresh fruit smoothies and salads (it's the best time of year for fresh local produce and it's wonderful). We've all been cycling more as well which can't help but make you feel good. We have some truly lovely shaded forest cycle paths running the length and breadth of Auroville. I'm working hard but still loving what I do and the baking side business is still going well too.</div>
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For now I'll close, sorry it's been so long but I'll be back soon with more updates from here. Until then here is a lotus to brighten your day.</div>
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Laura.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-36542220911760035762014-12-16T21:36:00.001+05:302014-12-16T21:36:16.826+05:30Hello! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Oh my, how time flies! I don't intend
to leave it so long between posts...honest!</div>
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I've been so wrapped up in work, play
and home life that I'm usually worn out by the time it comes to
catching up on here.</div>
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I am working on a brand new website for
the organisation where I work which, as project manager, means I have
had lots to do including maintaining communication with the web
designers who are based in Germany, making 'wire-frames', and
treading the fine line between making executive decisions and
allowing the team to all have their say. Been just a bit stressful
but we're into the content phase now which, once it's done with, our
part should be over for a time. It's been fun too and I'm learning a
lot.</div>
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I started Zumba classes twice a week in
the evening. I did a little in the UK and loved it but hadn't done it
in a class environment before (it was easier from the safety of my
living room!). It's been great! I've been looking for a good exercise
for getting my heart-rate up and the class environment pushes you to
actually do it – I find it waaaaay too easy to let things slip if
left to my own devices!</div>
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We've also been going through a bit of
a tough time with K. He seems to be going through a rough patch, lots
of frustration, screaming and crying. We've been trying to be patient
but to have a fuss each and every morning about having a shower,
getting dressed, having breakfast, getting to school etc starts to
wear you down. I have to admit, I'm not well equipped to deal with
high intensity negative emotion as my own childhood was full of it so it gives
me the realisation that I need to work on myself in order to help
him. Not easy but I think we'll get there. There is always ups and
downs.</div>
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I've been baking lots too. C's café
are still selling my cakes and in a bid to cater to the influx of
guests and tourists, I've been adapting some recipes to be vegan. I
didn't realise how much I enjoyed it and it's a wonderful feeling
when you hear that your vegan apple crumble sold out in one evening!
I have plans for the new year for a number of new treats and have
been inspired by a work colleague who is not only vegan but has a
gluten free diet so I have a whole stack of GF flours to 'play' with.</div>
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On Friday we're heading to Goa for 3
weeks! I am incredibly excited...or at least I will be once we're on
the train and I can forget about all the 'things' I have to do. We
were going to see C's dad who lives there but he will be away for the
first 2 weeks renewing his visa so he's let us stay at his house and
use his motorbike so it's saving us a tonne of cash (it's peak season
in Goa). We'll find somewhere nice for the last week and enjoy seeing
C's dad for the first time since our wedding 2.5 years ago.</div>
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I also treated myself to a new
smart-phone with the last of my birthday money, as a staunch Nokia
basic phone user for many years, it's been a steep learning curve. I now have an instagram account if you want to 'follow' me >>> <a href="http://instagram.com/dandelioness1/" target="_blank">http://instagram.com/dandelioness1/</a></div>
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I'm struggling to feel festive, it wasn't too bad last year but this year, maybe because we're going to be away I just can't get into the spirit. There are parts I don't miss, like rushing around for presents but I kind of miss the cold, the excitement in the air, the food and general snuggly feeling. it's too hot for that here!</div>
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Anyway, I have to sign off as it's already 9.30pm and I've not stopped all day!</div>
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Wishing everyone a happy Christmas and a wonderful new year. </div>
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L xx</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-74295996554678674672014-10-21T16:23:00.001+05:302014-10-21T16:23:09.422+05:30Catching up!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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My blog has been neglected this past month. Sometimes words flow and other times they just don't. Anyway, the boys have gone into town for fireworks for the Diwali celebrations today and tomorrow so I have a moment to catch up.<br />
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The day after my birthday was the beginning of the 2 week half term for K. As a working mum, I have mixed feelings about school holidays, I put too much pressure on myself to try and maintain my usual workload at the same time as taking time off to be with my son. This made it rather stressful and serves as a reminder to me to slow down and give myself a break, sometimes the work just has to be put on hold. <br />
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The first day back to school, the 6th of Oct was K's 5th birthday. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fWmMRi4a33g/VCzygTjwDuI/AAAAAAAAAxg/5IriyeqUpO0/s1600/Kai%2Bbaby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fWmMRi4a33g/VCzygTjwDuI/AAAAAAAAAxg/5IriyeqUpO0/s1600/Kai%2Bbaby.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It doesn't feel so long ago that he was this big</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Coming to festivals with us from 8 months</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With his bright and shining personality.</td></tr>
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I'm so proud of how he's grown and dealt with the changes that we've encountered in this past year. He's becoming much more aware of himself and is surprising us all the time. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made a special birthday puja for him before anyone else woke up and filled the house with flowers from the garden.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening his biggest present in the morning!</td></tr>
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He went off to school with a bag of sweets to share with the whole school as is the custom here and we had a small birthday party at our house in the afternoon for his specially selected friends. It all went really well, me and C struggle a bit with kids parties - last year we'd not long arrived in India so were ill prepared but this time we had a paddling pool out, a treasure hunt planned and a good mix of kids.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hunting for clues in the community garden...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cake time!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new favourite chocolate cake recipe.<br />
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He had a great time as did the other kids which is what matters and we were all asleep by 8-9pm. Funny how a 2 hour kids party seems to drain energy more than anything!<br />
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Since then we've been plodding along. Mostly working and then home stuff like the garden, cooking etc. Until a week ago, the weather was still really hot and humid so have been dealing with heat rash and living in a permenantly sweaty state which might have contributed to my lack of interest in blogging!</div>
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I have seen some interesting bugs recently, mainly caterpillars.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful red dragonfly</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hitchhiker on my motorbike</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5fT9E6IKDKc/VEYwmQWrzWI/AAAAAAAAAzc/mBkDE0DuVo8/s1600/SAM_1010%2B(Medium).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5fT9E6IKDKc/VEYwmQWrzWI/AAAAAAAAAzc/mBkDE0DuVo8/s1600/SAM_1010%2B(Medium).JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hairy caterpillar whose hair gives you a very nasty sting if they touch you, these also like to dangle from trees on threads! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An interesting horny caterpillar on my kumquat tree on the balcony</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A spotty one on the front step</td></tr>
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I finally visited the Matrimandir alone for the first time a few weeks back. I'd only previously been twice, once on each visit to Auroville and whilst it was a wonderful experience, it's nothing compared to going in alone and really connecting (or should that be disconnecting???) with you and the universe. As a guest to AV there is a whole process to visiting and I wanted to wait until I was fully integrated into the community before going in. I had planned to visit on our 1 year anniversary of arriving in AV but I had a cough at the time and couldn't go as it's a place for silent contemplation, even breathing sounds loud! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One path to the underneath of the Matrimandir</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to give an impression of the magniture of the structure</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lotus pond beneath the Matrimandir.</td></tr>
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I had a beautiful experience, sat in silence, trying to observe and gain clarity to some recent events. I now feel a better sense of direction and it inspired me to start volunteering one morning of Matrimandir duty a week. I just do an hour between 7-8am on a Tuesday. My job is to sit outside the main entrance to the Matrimandir and check who is going in. It's only really for Aurovilians at that time of the day so there isn't much to do but there is an occasional guest with a pass to check but mainly it's just a lovely place to sit and a lovely time to be outside. My duty was cancelled this morning but should be back on next week.</div>
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Since last Thursday we've been experiencing real monsoon rains, it's rained almost constantly. This morning we were informed that 91cm of rain has fallen in the past 5 days. This is amazing news as the past few years have yielded very little rain. It refills the village wells and ponds as well as our own AV reserves. It's been drier today but might still rain some more. I genuinely love enjoying the rain so much, it is a refreshing attitude and one I can't imagine having back in the UK.</div>
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We just bought a hammock chair which has been my favourite monsoon viewing spot</div>
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It's been lovely!</div>
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Other than that we have been planning our trip to Goa. We were struggling with finding the right dates to go but have settled on going over the school Christmas holidays so that K doesn't miss his school end of term performance. He'll miss the first week back in Jan as we plan to go for 3 weeks but it seems less of an issue. We have booked an overnight direct train from Chennai to Goa which is the best option for us. Flying is quicker but considerably more expensive and there were cheaper options but it involved 2 days travel which eats into our holiday time. It will be nice to have a break and also to see C's dad who lives there. Can't wait!</div>
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Tomorrow is Diwali and tonight we will go to Bharat Nivas for the kids fireworks fun. See this post for a bit on last years event: <a href="http://ourindiaventure.blogspot.com/2013/11/hi-there.html" target="_blank">http://ourindiaventure.blogspot.com/2013/11/hi-there.html</a></div>
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Anyway, think we're all up to date now. More soon I hope!</div>
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Love, Laura.</div>
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...ago we landed in Chennai airport and made the 3 hour drive down to Auroville to our new home and new life. Those early days and weeks passed in a blur of paperwork, visiting friends and getting unpacked. </div>
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There is now a feeling of familiarity about this time of year, certain flowers in bloom, fruits in season and bugs and butterflies around. It's nice to be reminded visually of our first moments here. It's been amazing. Sure, there have been a few tough moments, K struggling to settle in the beginning, the heat and tempers of the summer but I honestly don't remember a previous year that I've felt so happy, so right. </div>
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I'm getting used to lots, I don't flinch much at bugs (well...except cockroaches), I have perfected the sideways Indian headshake (the universal sign of yes, no, maybe, I don't know, it doesn't matter...etc...) and I can even say a few words of Tamil (it's a slow process as it's an incredibly complex and ancient language). The growing changes over the first months, the nervous feeling about venturing out on my own, my first drive on my moped, my first solo trip into the nearest town. It's nice to feel at home here, I feel it all the more as tourist season slowly starts up again and fresh faced hippy kids shakily drive their mopeds about town looking lost. I love how much I've learned by living amongst people of such different cultures (about 40 nationalities live here), I've discovered kombucha and kimchi, laddus and lemon soda</div>
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I miss some things about the UK, fresh air for example, like real fresh cold air. It cools briefly here during a storm - during which I go out on the balcony and embrace the coldness and the wet, but otherwise it's hot, humid, sweaty which gets draining after while - not to mention I am currently blessed with prickly heat rash, the result of constant sweating which feels like thousands of pins being stuck into your skin simultaneously. I miss the ease of finding things I need or want, I had such fun trying to find split pins for a craft project with K, the blank looks of each and every shop keepers face followed by being handed a multitude of other pins, drawing pins, paperclips, etc until I backed off and decided to ask the folks back home to send me some...I (sometimes) even miss convenience food. Here my idea of convenience food is a jar of freshly made pesto from the food co-op, instead of making my own, to go on my pasta - the occasional frozen pizza and chips wouldn't go amiss (or a cider for that matter!). But all that aside, and I'm sure within weeks the novelty would wear off, those longings are not an everyday thing.</div>
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My 30th birthday was yesterday and as my 20s have drawn to a close I am reminded how far we've come and how sure I am that we made the right move. No, it's not perfect, there are always jobs, chores, errands, 'things' to do, issues to deal with, people to try to understand or tolerate but at least we're doing all this in a place that facilitates our growth, nurtures our spirits and gives us joy in our hearts.</div>
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Roll on the next year!</div>
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More soon, with love.</div>
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Laura.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-55009174986254877062014-08-31T11:23:00.001+05:302014-08-31T17:46:29.407+05:30What a month!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Wow, this past month has just flown by! </div>
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So the 1st was C's birthday, we went to Pondy in the evening (K at C's mums for the night) and had a lovely dinner in a fancy hotel on the sea front. These nights that we get child free are so important, it's nice to reconnect and relax a bit!</div>
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A few days later 2 huge truckloads of earth were delivered to our community to be used to raise the level of the communal garage. Obviously K was delighted! </div>
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The floor is now filled and compacted and the next stage is to cover with concrete. This is funded with the community account (each adult pays 200rs/£2 a month into this account for such projects) and projects are decided on at our monthly community meeting. Sadly not everyone participates in the meetings but me and C like to keep active in this area and I think it's good that a few of us younger residents show some interest in what happens.</div>
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The 15th marked not only Independance Day on a national scale but also the birthday of Sri Aurobindo, the guru of The Mother, who dreamed up the concept of Auroville. The community celebrate by having a bonfire at the Martimandir amphitheatre. I hadn't been before (the bonfire is lit at 5am!!) but I wanted to go so made the 4am wake up call and cycled there. It was quite exciting and nice to be going for the first time alone. I enjoy having that time for reflection, to connect with my own experience of life here.</div>
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I found a spot at the back, to enable me to take the whole scene in. It was very quiet, people only speaking in very hushed tones if at all.</div>
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Then the fire was lit, there was still silence in the amphitheatre, only the crackling of the swiftly ignited fire could be heard. After about 15 minutes, a recording of a reading of some of Sri Aurobindo's writings was played which added to the mood.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(I've not read his work and not much of The Mother's either - luckily not a prerequisite to living here. I tend to follow my own path spiritually and use bits of certain religions, philosophies and ideas to shape that path. I guess being raised by anarchists taught me not to conform too much to any one ideal. I'm glad that I am able to feel that way and live here without prejudice - in reality their collective work isn't meant to be seen as a religion...)</span></div>
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Then we watched as the sky grew lighter and the birds started singing. It was a very beautiful thing to witness and I felt very connected to the collective as well as myself.</div>
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At around 6am I cycled home again, feeling elated. I had enough time to get changed and headed back out to attend my yoga class. I got home at 8.30, energised, tired and happy.</div>
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One reason I haven't updated my blog this month is that we had an earsplitting thunder and lightning storm which hit our hub and blew it as well as our PC. We still have our laptop but we had no internet for nearly 2 weeks which was initially devastating as it represents my link to my family and friends back home but after the cravings wore off, I found myself being much more proactive!</div>
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I finally made a project this month that I had been meaning to make for ages. I'm always looking for ways to reuse waste creatively and found this project on Pinterest: </div>
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<a href="http://www.doodlecraftblog.com/2012/04/super-sci-fi-rocket-fueled-jet-pack.html" target="_blank">super-sci-fi-rocket-fueled-jet-pack</a> </div>
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Here is my version which K is very happy with. He's just reached an age where dressing up is a big part of his play. </div>
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We also had a call from the RRO regarding our visas and were asked to come in on the 18th to collect them. We arrived just before 4.30pm as requested and sat for about half an hour before being told that due to a power cut, they wouldn't be ready that day and to return the following afternoon. The next day we returned and sat for over an hour, during which time and number of men sifted through piles of applications, doling them out to various people. Finally they found C's, then after another painful wait, they found mine but not K's as apparently they made (another) mistake with his and had to redo it...!!! So, me and C are finally legally here but not K yet. Hopefully his will be ready in the coming week...we'll see...</div>
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Then on the 21st I started my 'Newcomer orientation week', which is a week spent with people who also joined Auroville at around the same time. We visited a number of interesting places and projects, a large number of which I'd not been to before and some I'd only seen a little of:</div>
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<a href="http://sacredgroves.in/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #351c75;">Sacred Groves housing project</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.aurovillepermaculture.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #351c75;">Solitude Farm</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.aurospirul.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #351c75;">Aurospirul Spirulina Farm</span></a></div>
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It was amazing to see how much hard work goes on here. We don't always see because we focus on our work, our home, our friends but when you get the chance to see the bigger picture it is an affirmation of why we're here. Our base for this was the Tibetan Pavillion in the cultural zone of Auroville which is a very beautiful place to spend time. I felt very at home there and it was only place I took a photo during the week (I usually snap everything but fancied having a week off from that, to really focus on the activities instead of getting the perfect shot)</div>
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Well, only 2 photos - couldn't resist this lotus either!</div>
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Last week, I finally got an upgrade! I've been driving the moped for almost a year now and it felt like the right time to get a bigger bike. This is the most popular bike in India, the Hero Honda Splendour. It's more economical with petrol and is a fairly small bike so easier to handle as a woman with a small build. C's bike is not so practical for a family so this will be our family bike. We got it second hand for 18,000rs (about £180) and we should be able to sell the moped for around 10,000-12,000 (£100-120) which will offset most of the cost. It will take a little time for me to get used to it though as it has gears which the moped does not.</div>
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Friday marked the beginning of Ganesh Chathurti, a 10 day festival celebrating Ganesh (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesh_Chaturthi" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesh_Chaturthi</span></a>)</div>
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K brought home a handpainted model made with earth which we have put on the balcony.</div>
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It's been a packed month, am sure September will be no exception either. Will be back next week with reflections of our first full year here.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-54948532083249070372014-07-31T21:01:00.001+05:302014-07-31T21:11:54.242+05:30One month to go...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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...before we've been here for a whole year! It's just flown by, seems only a few weeks ago I was writing about our new house and life. Anyway, I'll have a proper time for reflection next month.</div>
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As always, the time has gone quickly, especially since we're settling back into the school routine and the hustle and bustle that goes with it.</div>
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I've started a side project to make a few extra rupees each month by baking cakes and desserts for C's cafe. At the moment I'm making 2 a week (a crumble and a batch of muffins or a fruit loaf or flapjacks for example). It's good as I'm only working in the mornings at Eco Femme and can bake from home in the afternoons. I love baking too so it's a win-win situation.</div>
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I've also just started an online course with <a href="https://www.coursera.org/" target="_blank">Coursera</a>, my third to date but first in a year as we had all the moving to do. I signed up for Social Psychology this time (previously did 'Intro to Psychology' and 'The Social Context of Mental Health and Illness'), a 7 week course of which I'm nearly at the end of week 3. The last time I did one of these courses I was a stay at home mum living in a flat in the UK and now it's been a little hard to keep up with it all as well as working, housework, childcare etc etc etc. I'm sticking it out though and really learning lots too. I think it's an amazing platform that allows people to continue learning, I thoroughly recommend having a look at their site...</div>
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My yoga classes have started up again too (my teacher took a break for a month) so as you can imagine, I'm pretty fully booked. Phew!</div>
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So this month, I met a few more beasties, firstly this rather huge cockroach. I moved here with a pretty bad fear of most bugs but have got so much braver. I still can't get over my fear of these though...</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(on my first trip to India, I saw my first ever cockroach whilst waiting for a train. From a distance I was mildly interested but looked away to see if our train was coming. I looked back to see where the roach was to find it sitting on my shoulder waving its long antennae at me. I gave an unearthly shriek much to the amusement of the locals and flung it off me. Since then they have become an issue to me.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">...luckily we don't have too many...*shudder*.</span></span></div>
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Then I lifted the rock up which we use to keep the back door open one bright Sunday morning to find that a battle had been waged between two vicious beasties. In this instance, the scorpion appeared to have won. I left them be as both have a nasty sting. They were gone an hour later.</div>
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I also saw this beautiful specimen catching some afternoon rays. He let me get quite close before running up a tree.</div>
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Last week I took a trip the the botanical gardens and returned with this most beautiful pink hibiscus. It's just a baby and I think I'll keep it potted on the balcony. It's just lovely.</div>
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We've also just planted a new crop of tomatoes and cucumbers, we think that by monsoon season they should be big enough to deal with the rains. C bought a net which we've attached to the roof above our balcony and running down to the trough below so the cucumbers have a sturdy thing to climb up. It's a better spot for them as it gets the afternoon sun rather than the midday sun which killed off our first attempt after producing just two cucumbers.</div>
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This is the tree in the centre of the campus where I work, it provides much needed shade and has a huge perfectly tuned windchime (see in the branches to the left) made just a short distance away at <a href="http://www.svaram.org/" target="_blank">Svaram.</a> It adds a peaceful atmosphere to an already happy environment (and I really want to climb the tree!).</div>
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Artwork on the wall by my office.</div>
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K and the Ganesh shrine by the Solar Kitchen, where the staff make morning puja</div>
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Me on the balcony in the afternoon sun.</div>
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Last sat I was invited to a ladies afternoon with some friends and new faces. We drank some wine (such a rare treat), had a swim in the pool, put on a mud mask and then made a puja on the beach at sundown before being joined by our respective partners and kids and having a pot luck dinner. Shortly before we left it started to rain and we got to drive back home with the lightning flashing overhead and a cool, gentle rain refreshing us. One thing I've observed since we moved is how alive I feel, especially during moments like this. </div>
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I'm rather an introvert so don't have a constant need for company but when I do share a nice day with good people it nourishes my soul and eases my homesickness, my few friends back in the UK are greatly missed. </div>
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Anyway, that's all for now. C will be back from his evening of work soon and I have to do some more work on my studies before bed. It's C's birthday tomorrow and I won't have much time for studies until Sun. C's mum will have K tomorrow night so we can go to Pondy for a nice meal and then Sat morning we're off to the fancy resort nearby for a swim and lunch with the family.</div>
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More soon,</div>
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Laura </div>
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x</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-24295361404706187402014-07-04T20:57:00.000+05:302014-07-04T20:57:25.657+05:30One week in...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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...to my new job and I am feeling very positive indeed. I feel very lucky to have arrived at this point and to be working with such strong inspirational women for such an important cause. Even the drive there is joyful, butterflies and greenery all around as I trundle along on my moped.</div>
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I'll try not to go on too much about the evils of disposable sanitary products on here but well...they are pretty evil! If anyone reading wants to discuss further or to ask questions please feel free to drop me a line at <a href="mailto:laura@ecofemme.org">laura@ecofemme.org</a> :)</div>
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Anyway, summer is slowly drawing to a close here, people are returning from their nice cool holidays and K is back to kindergarten on Mon. It's been tough coping with the heat, I feel that maybe in hindsight it was harder that I realised. Tempers are frayed and the permenant sweating leads to itchy heat rash. K has been pretty hard work as a result too. Still, it should be getting progressively cooler from now on.</div>
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At the beginning of June I met another new kind of praying mantis, they are just fascinating to watch. I'm getting much better with bugs since moving here (although not the cockroaches - urgh!)</div>
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K having a play outside with his 'sunbrella'</div>
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Our community in bloom - the tree (Delonix Regiais or Royal Poinciana) known as a Realization tree here, fitting as it's the name of our community. The pink flowers are Oleanders and have the most amazing scent.</div>
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Me and C had a welcome day/night away in Mahabalipuram to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary. After the stress of weeks of hot, sweaty, grumpy, bored 4 year old, it really was nice!</div>
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This is the shore temple from a distance.</div>
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Here is me sitting on a stone lion :)</div>
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This amused me, needless to say, we didn't go in!</div>
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The next day before we left for home, we visited the Tiger cave, just a little distance away. I'd not been before and it was a nice way to finish off our visit.</div>
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K's been spending lots of time on our balcony as it's shaded and he has a big bucket to splash in. He's also been doing chalk drawings on the floor...</div>
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He's all into superheroes at the moment so every pose looks like this!</div>
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Another beach trip...</div>
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A few nights ago we had a wonderful but brief downpour with the most ear splitting cracks of thunder and flashes of forked lightning. </div>
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I really love the tropical storms, they're so dramatic, especially as the house only had mesh on the upstairs doors and the windows are covered by small slats of single pane glass. You feel so connected to it. It's exhilarating!</div>
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I got these shots on our small side balcony once the rain had stopped.</div>
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Anyway, that's it for now. It's getting late *yawn*.</div>
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Love,</div>
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Laura </div>
ॐ<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-47048635087007877292014-06-14T23:29:00.000+05:302014-06-14T23:29:02.042+05:30My amazing new job.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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More soon, just a quick check in as I wanted to share my good news. </div>
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Since emigrating I’ve been kinda bimbling around trying to find a place to work, I mean a place to really invest my time and energy in a way that feels right in my heart. </div>
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I mean, I’ve spent my whole adult life doing whatever work came my way. To continue in that direction after taking the leap of faith and moving here seemed a little silly.</div>
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This video is a few years old but wanted to show you who I’ll be working with from July: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQoINE0YnbY">Eco Femme Video</a>. </div>
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Not only do they make beautiful environmentally friendly cloth pads (with nappies and breast pads in the pipeline) stitched by local village women to provide them with livelihoods but they do extensive work to help empower and educate women here in India on menstruation. Watch the vid and you’ll see what stigma is attached to that perfectly natural monthly occurance through lack of education and communication. </div>
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Am so excited as it’s exactly what I hoped to do out here. Since using cloth nappies with my son, I've seen how good you can feel about making a small change and have been proudly using reusable sanitary products for a few years now. Disposable sanitary waste is bad news, full of plastic and harmful toxins and isn't going away.</div>
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It’s all come about due to following an inkling of an idea and just goes to show that sometimes it’s good to 'find your dream and boldly go for it' (wise words from my dear uncle) </div>
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More info on the inititative available here on their website: <a href="http://ecofemme.org/">Eco Femme</a>.</div>
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<img alt="grin" height="19" src="http://thegreenparent.co.uk/images/smileys/grin.gif" style="border: 0px currentColor;" width="19" /></div>
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Laura xx</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-30813461557835560032014-06-06T20:10:00.001+05:302014-06-06T20:10:45.435+05:30Our day trip - 27th may<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi, I wanted to write about our day trip to Vandalur Zoo and Dizzee world. We were approached by the mother of a girl in K's class aboiut taking a minibus up the coast near Chennai for a day trip. It sounded like fun and the sort of thing you should do at least once during the summer holidays so we said yes.<br />
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We went on the 27th May - a Tuesday - in the hope to avoid the weekend rush. The minibus picked us up outside our community at 8am where we joined the other 3 families, a Russian family with 3 kids (one girl in K's class), an Indian lady and her daughter (also in K's class) and an Italian couple and their son.<br />
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Bus view:</div>
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At one of the toll gates along the way (I love the painted trucks):</div>
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It was quite a long journey to get to the zoo, especially including a stop for coffee and the loo but finally we arrived there at around midday (quite a hot time of day to be out and about but nevermind).</div>
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First stop was the fish shaped aquarium, better from the outside. it contained mostly common aquarium fish and empty tanks...</div>
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Then we saw an enclosure full of albino peacocks - beautiful!</div>
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One thing I love about living here are the funny signs, misspellings etc. 'IT IS OFFENCE!!' tickled me...</div>
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The zoo is actually rather big and the little tour buses were fully booked so we hired bicycles to get about on (for the equivalent of 20p)</div>
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Another of my favourite signs, there wasn't even a noticable heap of leaf litter. :)</div>
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A white tiger having a midday snooze...</div>
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A newly arrived collection of Wild Ass (yep, I am quite immature *snigger*)</div>
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K and his monkey friend</div>
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Zoo-ed out in the midday heat</div>
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The zoo was ok, the price was good, 50p for me and C each and 20p for K but most animals were hidden away and without the uncomfortable bicycles we'd have had a long walk. Anyway, onwards we went towards Chennai and Dizzee World...</div>
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Shot from the bus</div>
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Another view of 'real' India. The littering here is immense, makes me sad but after all, India is a country of extremes.</div>
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Finally arrived at Dizzee World at around 3pm *everyone in the bus cheers*</div>
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We had no idea what to expect, one thing I've learned from spending time here is to never presume to know what something will be like, be it food on a menu or a tourist destination. </div>
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But it was surprisingly clean and functional...well...except the pool areas...</div>
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They were over crowded and dirty. Many people, especially the women, go in fully dressed which is very unhygienic. C went up to go down the water slide to find a human poo on the stairs. Needless to say we stayed in long enough to cool down after our sweaty morning and made a hasty retreat. I think I've been spoilt with the pools local to us in AV. Clean, rarely busy and certainly no poo!</div>
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C and K on a ride</div>
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We didn't have time for the rollercoaster, maybe next time...</div>
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A funny looking caterpillar ride</div>
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K's favourite ride, he was giggling and spinning in circles for most of it.</div>
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Spot the boy...</div>
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Enjoying a motorbike ride</div>
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Me and K posing with a Triceratops, naturally.</div>
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Just before leaving.</div>
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All in all, we had a great day out. The zoo wasn't so great, maybe the midday heat contributed to that but Dizzee World was fun, not just for K but for us grown ups too. It was a very long day, we left at 8am and were home by 9.30pm. So tired the next day at work!</div>
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Anyway, must close now, tomorrow me and C are off back up the cost to Mahaballipuram for the night to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary. Not had a night to ourselves since Jan so looking forward to that.</div>
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Will be back soon as have some exciting news regarding my new job starting in July and other bits and pieces besides.</div>
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Sending love from hot and sweaty India.</div>
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Laura.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-2242149317228121732014-05-23T21:43:00.000+05:302014-05-23T21:43:43.038+05:30The month of May<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello! Wow, the past few weeks just flew by. </div>
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Well, a few days after my last post we had the most amazing monsoon rains. It's <em>very</em> unusual to rain at this time of year, sometimes there are summer monsoon rains in June but never this early. The temperature has been creeping up since the beginning of the year and it's had been about 4 months since our last rain. It's a very interesting concept for me as a British person to feel such elation at the sound, smell and feel of rain but there you go. Nearly 10 months of scorching heat and roughly 10 days of rain can do that to a person. Anyway, we had a good 4-5 days of proper rain and it has done so much good. I mentioned in my last post about the water shortage worries here so as you can imagine, there were a good many smiling faces beneath raincoats over those days.</div>
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I took K to the Drs for a test after his dodgy tummy didn't settle down, he's now taking some medicine after both worms and amoebas were detected. It's a standard complaint though, it's wise to deworm yourelf here every 6 months or so just to be sure. Since K enjoys digging and playing in the dirt where these kind of things can be caught, it was only a matter of time. Still, he's been a good patient.</div>
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K in his carefully chosen 'rain outfit'</div>
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A soggy rest after our trip to the Drs</div>
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There is a big dipped area of ground in front of our neighbour's house which filled with rain creating a pool for all the kids. They all stripped off and spent hours splashing, making mud pies and just having proper messy fun. I was careful to keep a bucket of fresh water outside to prevent muddy footprints all over the house!</div>
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Mud beast</div>
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I've also started a temporary summer job at the Freestore (in their words "A place of free exchange for clothing, and some other useful items" as well as a tailoring service for repairs and alterations). I basically sort through the donations and makes sure items are put in the right place, are not too dirty, ripped etc. It is so much fun. I always loved scouring charity shops in the UK and this place is just like one except everything is free. It's very sociable (as you can imagine, it's a very popular place to visit) and I'm allowed to take things if I like them. The good thing is that I might take a few items of clothing, try them on at home and bring them back if they're not quite fitting right or bring other items that just aren't worn anymore. It encourages the spirit of sharing and most people who use the Freestore make sure to bring donations as and when they can.</div>
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It's just until the end of June, then I must find something else. I still have 2 possibilities but have a couple other ideas too. We'll see what happens but for now I am enjoying my summer job. The Tamil lady I work with even henna'd my foot (the beautiful rug is also from the Freestore).</div>
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I've left my camera at home the few times we've been out and about so don't have so many photos to share. We took a trip to Sri Ma (a community up the coast) and had a dip in the sea, lunch and a swim in the pool last weekend. I found this wonderfully spikey specimen which I added to my collection on the balcony.</div>
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We've also been over to the playground at Certitude for climbing etc.</div>
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We're off on a day trip next Tues to Vandalur Zoo (<a href="http://www.aazoopark.in/" target="_blank">http://www.aazoopark.in/</a>) and Dizzee World (<a href="http://www.mgmdizzeeworld.com/" target="_blank">http://www.mgmdizzeeworld.com/</a>). It's being organised by the mum of one of K's classmates so there will be a bus load of us going up towards Chennai for the day. Should be fun although nothing is ever how you imagine it'll be here in India. Anyway, be back soon with more on that.</div>
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Other than that things have been much the same. The heat has increased the population of tiny-red-ants-that-bite which makes things a bit annoying. A plate with crumb on it will attract hundreds of them in seconds, so have to wash up more frequently and they seem to like towels so have had too many refreshing cold showers followed by frantically trying to brush nasty tiny-red-ants-that-bite off myself. Just so you didn't think it was all fun and games, haha!</div>
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Have a lovely weekend.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-21934345674902297412014-04-30T11:03:00.001+05:302014-04-30T11:03:35.899+05:30Ouch!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hi there. It's the middle of the first week of the summer holidays. We got a beautiful photo from K's Kindergarten on the last day (last Fri) of his class and teachers.</div>
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It made me realise how far we've come and how much better K is doing since we moved. He still has his moments but together we are all learning and seem much happier as a family.</div>
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On last Friday me and C were officially given our status here, him as a returning Aurovilian (which lasts 6 months before getting full Aurovilian status) and me as a Newcomer (which lasts a year). It's nice to have that part of things done, nearly 8 months later we are <em>still</em> waiting for our residential permits and visa extensions. Once they are in our possession, C can apply of OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) status and me and K will be eligible for PIO (Person of Indian Origin) status as his wife and son. That will enable us to live here and travel to and from India without visas which will be a huge help.</div>
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Getting to the reason behind todays post title, on Monday morning I had my first bike accident. I was going a little too fast around a corner and my front wheel slipped on the gravel as I was oversteering and down we went. K was totally unharmed (phew!) and I grazed my right arm and leg as well as taking off a layer of skin on my big toe. It was a small accident, but enough to shake me up. I am driving much more consciously now! My arm and leg are fine, a little sore but healing well. My toe, however, is going to take a little more time. Here in the tropics, things just don't heal so quickly and out here with all the dust things can easily become infected, especially on the feet where the exposure to dirt is higher (no shoes or socks for us!). I'm just not used to having to be so stringent about these things but luckily C, having grown up here, knows the drill. It's still swollen and sore, hopefully it'll heal soon.</div>
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To top it off, K came down with a bad stomach on Monday night, I'm not sure yet what the cause is but it's still happening now although he's much better. Yesterday was full of trips to the loo and me hobbling after him trying to keep my foot clean and dry whilst keeping him clean and dry as well as washing all the dirty bedding in between power cuts. </div>
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Me and K are coming down with colds too, which is silly considering how warm it is but with all the cold showers and sleeping with the fan on, it's apparently quite a common reaction. </div>
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So all in all a bit of a rubbish start to the holidays. Tomorrow is another holiday so it gives me another day to heal before work on Fri and Sat. I'm hoping that it's a case of getting all the injuries and illnesses out the way for a while so we can enjoy the next 7 weeks.</div>
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That's all for now. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-7123250677840511422014-04-24T15:34:00.001+05:302014-04-24T15:46:40.673+05:30Here comes the summer!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hi there, so today is election day here in India. It's a national holiday so nearly everywhere here in AV is closed for the day. Always nice to have an extra day off! </div>
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Tomorrow is K's last day at school before the summer holidays, they are off until the 1st July. I have mixed feelings about the holidays as me and C are still expected to work so it will take a bit of juggling things around to make it work, as well as most of his friends being away in Europe for the duration. There will be a summer school starting for 3 days a week soon so perhaps he'll go there for some of the time as well as C's mum hopefully helping out.</div>
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A photo on display at K's Kindergarten from the Pongal celebrations in Jan:</div>
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C is currently working 3 jobs (with the mind to pick the 2 he likes best) so my time is limited in what I can do and when. It is important that I work during my newcomer period and I have so many options that it is a bit overwhelming. I'm currently helping out 2 mornings a week at one job, have another on the sidelines, and I had another offer a few days ago to help out for 6 weeks over the summer whilst someone goes back to Europe. I'm not good at making decisions at the best of times so am struggling to decide where I would be happiest/most useful as well as not wanting to let anybody down.</div>
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Just another day at the office - view of the Matrimandir from town hall where I've been working:</div>
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Other than that, the sun continues to beat down on us. We've been hearing murmers of water shortages due to the last couple of poor monsoons and already some communities have water restrictions in place. We're doing our best to minimise our water usage and to reuse as much as possible. We now shower with a bucket positioned under the stream to collect surplus water (baring in mind we all have 2-3 showers each a day in this heat). We save a couple of buckets a day like this and it really helps with things like washing the floors and watering the garden. I now rinse all the washing up in a bucket rather than have the tap running too which seems to help. It's nice to be conscious of these things. </div>
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We've also been making food from our own garden including sweet chilli sauce and pesto. We have such little access to processed foods that we've gone back to basics (processed food is actually <em>more </em>expensive here which seems to me to be the right way to do it). It's certainly more satisfying than getting stuff from the supermarket. Our local shop is a co-operative which sources most of it's product from local farms and the next town. It just takes a while to master each new recipe. Next on my list is lemon curd, kombucha and I'm having a go at making my own sprouts from green lentils. I also need to find a way of making a good veggie alternative to meat - no more Quorn products for us here. I do miss the convenience of having a freezer full of chips, fish, and veggie products but I'm certain we're healthier because of it too.</div>
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We got our first couple of cucumbers from our plant which were delicious. The plant is interesting in that it produces both male and female flowers, the female flowers having a swelling below it that will become a cucumber provided it's fertilised. As our plant is on the balcony, we're doing this by hand. It seems to produce more of one flower than the other at alternating times. We only have male flowers at the moment!</div>
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Harvest.</div>
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The papaya tree has several good sized green papayas on it. Will be very happy when we get to try one. Mango season has also started here. I got a couple the other day, small, yellow and fragrant. Nothing like the large green ones I've seen before in UK supermarkets. C says there's around 3 varieties grown locally. I can't wait to try them all and already have plans for mango based treats including this I found on Pinterest:</div>
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<a href="http://www.justataste.com/2013/07/healthy-homemade-mango-fruit-roll-ups-recipe/" target="_blank">Healthy homemade mango fruit roll ups</a></div>
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I'm also gathering things to start crafting again. I left all my crafty bits in the UK so have to start from scratch and now I am trying to focus on recycling waste to create things. Yet again, Pinterest is super for getting ideas. I have a nice idea for creating lotus flowers from pistachio shells and want to reuse drinks cans and bottles somehow, probably to create garden decorations, will be sure to show you as and when I get some things done. </div>
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Anyway, I think that's it for now. More soon, </div>
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Yours sweatily,</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-39132718577371143112014-04-09T12:17:00.003+05:302014-04-09T12:19:33.352+05:30A little update...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hi there, well after just over 7 months, the Entry Service have been kind enough to go ahead with our applications. Our papers still haven't arrived from Chennai but they have been guaranteed that our residential permits have been approved and that it's not fair on us to delay the process any longer. </div>
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I will become a 'Newcomer' for a year before becoming an Aurovilian and C will be a 'Returning Aurovilian' for six months before regaining his status. K will become a 'Child of Auroville' until his 18th birthday, when he can then choose to be added to the master list and become an Aurovilian in his own right.</div>
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I had my interview with them last Thurs and have since spent this week filling out forms and getting documents in support of my application. Hopefully in about 10 days time I will be announced in the weekly News and Notes and my year as a Newcomer will begin.</div>
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It's an exciting time as it marks our commitment to AV and opens up a few more opportunities that just aren't available to a volunteering guest.</div>
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Other than that, things are much the same. It is getting very hot. It's said that April is a difficult month as you really notice the change from warm to hot, after this month you kind of get used to being perpetually sweaty. It's fine as long as you have regular access to pools, showers, fans etc. But then, the middle of April is the latest in the year I've been here so we'll see how it is in a month or so!</div>
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Anyway, just wanted to share our good news. </div>
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More soon.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-49432187609428395172014-03-26T17:55:00.000+05:302014-03-26T18:25:05.348+05:30Another month gone by!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hi there, finding a spare moment here and there is indeed are rare thing. And so, I blink, and another month passes by. I guess I'll fill you in on the past month to start...</div>
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So at the end of Feb we took a trip to Banyan beach, which is 5-10 mins down the main road towards Pondicherry. It's not as badly eroded as the Repos beach which is opposite the Auroville turn off and as the weather hots up, it's nice to remember that we are living very close to the sea. </div>
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I'm also undergoing a transition between jobs. My time at Nandini has been a great way to meet people within the community but I don't feel I can provide them with the full time hours that they need and the hectic, hustle and bustle of the place is exhausing for my somewhat introverted soul. It's more than I can take on with a small child to look after and a house to manage as well as persuing my own interests and integrating into life here. </div>
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I am in a surprising situation, well, surprising compared to the UK, in the sense that I am potentially valuable as an employee here. Being a native English speaker with admin/computer skills is something much sought after and without even looking I have been offered 2 jobs. I've settled on a job working as an administrator in the Town Hall. I feel it will suit my need for quiet and organisation. The hours are the same as K's kindergarten hours and can be flexible during school holidays. Plus I have a nice view of the Matrimandir!</div>
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I've also started up yoga classes again. A twice weekly class has started in the community next to ours. It's free to volunteers which is a big help since our papers are still in the ether and it's only a minute's walk from my front door. It's been great to have a couple of hours to myself, for me each week.</div>
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The garden is looking good although how things will cope with the coming summer is anyone's guess. We already recycle some water for them to minimise water usage as well as timing the watering at dusk when it's coolest.</div>
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The papaya tree started flowering a few weeks back...</div>
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...and now has a few baby papayas sprouting!</div>
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We're having a go at growing cucumbers vertically, useful for the balcony. The plant seems really happy and has been growing so quickly. We're trying to concentrate on growing things that always get used in our house. It's easy to get carried away with the amount of different things you can grow!</div>
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A neighbour recently moved out and passed on some plants and baby trees, this is a kumquat tree which we'll leave to grow in a pot on the balcony. We were also given some passionfruit plants which we have planted along the hedge behind our back doors, an avocado tree - planted in the front garden and a lemon tree - planted out back.</div>
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We're also growing beans, similar to kidney beans which seem to be doing well although the bottom leaves have all fallen off. Might be a little while until we have enough for a stew though!</div>
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Here is one of the few troughs just for decorative purposes, it doesn't get any sun so these plants seem very happy here. I love ferns especially so want a few potted ferns up here eventually too.</div>
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On the other balcony we're growing three different varieties of chilli.</div>
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We're really loving how the garden is coming along and it is immensely satifying to eat food grown at home. It is a gradual process though, I tend to get impatient and want it all to look exactly how I imagine it at once!</div>
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We've also been meeting some local residents, this is a common house spider here. They're totally harmless but a bit massive so I do try to get them out as I am not great with bugs. They're fast though!</div>
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This is our local lizard, he's beautiful.</div>
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These are called 'Lovebugs', they mate at this time of year and can be seen crawling about in pairs. </div>
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This is some kind of mantis, I spent a good 20 mins watching this fella, he was amazing. He moved just like a leaf in the wind...</div>
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...and looked like one too.</div>
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We met this Very Hungry Caterpillar a few weeks back. He is a hawk moth caterpillar. He was huge and spent hours and hours eating. All the kids in the community enjoyed meeting him and having a stroke. he has big spots on the back of his head which when he's agitated will puff out to give the look of a snake.</div>
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Other than work, gardening and meeting creatures over the past few weeks we have been trying to spent more time in the water. We have a friend with a private pool and have finally made it to the public pool, La Piscine.</div>
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We also made it up the ECR (East Coast Road) to the furthest Auroville community, Eternity. We're friends with the kids that grew up there, now all adults. The land opens up onto the nicest beach I've seen on this side of India. It's well worth the half hour drive.</div>
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On Mon (24th) K's class came to visit in the morning. The class visits a different child's house each Monday in an effort to get to know each other and gain an insight into how the children live. </div>
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Here they are settling down for a snack, I made some chocolate and banana cakes for the occasion. It went really well although I admit that me and C were a little nervous of having 13 children running about the place. It was a nice way for the children to get to know K who is still the new kid in many ways.</div>
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So, all in all it's been the usual mix of work and play. Tourist season is coming to a close and life here is settling down for a long hot summer. </div>
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Many residents leave for at least a few weeks if not months to their countries of origin at this time of year, leaving just a few behind. As we've not long been here and have minimal funds we'll be staying this summer. </div>
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I'm looking forward to the inevitable slowing down of the pace of life that only extreme weather can cause but I do get irritable in hot weather so am planning to spent a large portion of the coming months submerged in water.</div>
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That's all for now. Sending love from India.</div>
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Laura.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-46621287859522639982014-02-24T13:00:00.000+05:302014-02-24T13:00:57.941+05:30The last week...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hi there, we've just had a wonderfully sociable week which is a welcome change to the usual standard busy week.</div>
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On Monday we visited a friend who has a pool (we stayed with her in 2012 when we visited), it's a lovely place to relax. She also gave us a big bag of fresh coconuts harvested from her trees. They're so good, the coconut water sweet and the flesh still soft. Delicious.</div>
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On Wednesday afternoon we visited Transition School for their annual dress up parade. The school is the main school in AV for ages 7-16. The theme this year was 'A New World' which left it very open to different costumes. </div>
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Getting a better view.</div>
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Each grade had their own time to show off their outfits starting with the youngest...</div>
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...to the biggest. We have friends whose children go to this school so it was nice to cheer them on too. It was funny to think that we might well be here in a couple of years to cheer K on, all dressed up. C was also happy to see that some of the teachers that used to teach him were still there.</div>
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On Thursday evening we wert to a fundraising dinner for a small independant school known as TLC (The Learning Community). Here's a little info on the school: </div>
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<em>'The Learning Community' (TLC) is an experiment in Integral Education that opened its doors in Auroville in July 2009. A core group of adult facilitators and other external teachers offering a variety of subjects to those interested and an increasing group of children aged 7-10 years form the basis of this steadily running project. </em></div>
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<em>The main aim of the school is to create a space where children and adults, by living and working together, can grow more conscious of their inner and outer being. The Aurovilian team endeavours to offer a space where children and adults have access to a great variety of different environments, each having a specific gift to share. They see the community of Auroville as a school in itself and by the exposure to these different environments (through the tool of a ‘moving classroom’), children will naturally engage in a process of learning, develop faculties, and will be able to create their own conditions for growth and happiness.</em> </div>
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A friend of ours volunteers there as her eldest son goes there (the youngest going to Transition), it's great that such places are readily available here. If K doesn't find convential schooling works for him then I'd certainly consider letting him attend this school. Funny really as I'd always advocated convential schooling as it had worked well for me but the more I learn about my son and the environment we now live in, I see that we really have a great chance to support him with an educational style that suits him (homeschooling is just not for us). His kindergarten already follows a Montessori style of teaching which I find is much kinder and creative than his nursery in the UK.</div>
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Anyway, the dinner was lovely, lots of low tables on mats with candles out in the open with a meat, veg and vegan option The food cooked and donated by various parents, volunteers and restaurants. The childen from the school were the waiters, dressed in black and white with a red sash around their waists (a number of them had been into Nandini for white tops over the past week or two). There was a live group playing called Balkan Masala which created the perfect ambiance. </div>
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K met with some classmates and spent the evening running about and having great fun. After dinner the kids put on a play, a comedic whodunnit, written by one of the volunteers which was so lovely to see. There was also a circus display and a fire show. It was truly heartwarming to see so many like minded people and their beautiful smiling free spirited children coming together to help this tiny school of around 25 pupils build a new classroom. It's moments like this that I feel I am home. :)</div>
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On Sat it was the annual music festival at Solitude organic farm, was another chance to see the wider community come together to raise money and awareness at various stalls with some great music thrown in for good measure.</div>
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We got some new seeds, including cucumber and capsicum and flower seeds for the garden border.</div>
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Beautiful handpainted art, have my eye on a flower of life hanging but I know where they're based so it can wait for another time...</div>
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K and a classmate in their papa's chappals (flipflops)</div>
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Balkan Masala - just super music.</div>
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So needless to say, we had a nice quiet day yesterday. Today we awoke to the surprise sound of rain and it's still coming down hours later. It's so good for the plants as we had such a small amount during monsoon season. </div>
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Lastly I wanted to show you how K's papaya tree is getting on. Here it is in Oct last year:</div>
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And here it is now (well, a few weeks ago). It's just started flowering and we are pretty sure it's a female so should be blessed with fruit within a few months.</div>
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Here's a recent shot of our house, the garden is coming along nicely. More about that in my next post.</div>
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Speak soon, Laura ॐ</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Hi, today I wanted to write about how I've been getting on on a personal level. Our days here are filled with things to do and sometimes it's good to stop and think about the stuff going on below the surface. <br />
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The past few weeks have marked a big change in my attitude to my surroundings, I feel much less nervous about venturing out on my own. Last week I went on a shopping trip to Pondy for work and was left alone at one point waiting for a taxi to take me and some of our purchases to the next shop. When I first arrived, this would have been too much for me but finally I was totally at ease, as I would have been in the UK getting a taxi. I can now drive down the main Auroville road to Kuilyapalyam where the old Pour Tous, Bakery and original post office are and I even feel ready to tackle Pondy on my own (by bus, not driving!). <br />
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It's been quite a turning point and ties in with making new (old in some ways - I've known some people since my first time here) friends and making time to visit them. I even got invited to a girls evening with a pot luck dinner last week. After 5 months of missing my few treasured friends it was so nice to have a laugh, a little drink and lots of cake. I really felt like part of the gang and also pleased that I was finally in a position to leave C at home for the evening with K and go off by myself (well, I got a lift with someone as it's not so safe to travel alone at night for a female). <br />
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It may seem like something that shouldn't take 5 months to some people but it feels like the right time for me. There's no hurry. On some level we're still settling in. Our papers are still in the system so we're not yet officially recognised as members of the community. It's a big lesson in patience as there's nothing we can do to speed the process up. Been waiting 5 months now!<br />
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Tourist season is in full swing here now, interesting to view from the otherside. It does mean we get groups of them wielding cameras walking through our community, snapping everything in sight and sometimes even asking to look inside the house. The traffic is much busier and due to the poor monsoon the roads are very dusty. Not everyone living here appreciates tourist season but I want to try to keep in mind that their revenue, input in the form of volunteering and positive energy really helps the community at large and that nearly everyone was a tourist here at some point. <br />
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It's been a good start to the year and I hope that it just gets better as things unfold, opportunities arise and we become more settled in our lives here. It's not been easy and there's still some work to be done but so far, thanks in part to my link to home via the internet, I've felt good about our move and homesickness has been kept to a minimum. I've found that rediscovering albums from my past has been helpful too. Being removed from the place I lived those times has given me perspective and helped me to really appreciate my history and identity. It can be a comfort in a place where you have yet to carve a niche for yourself.<br />
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Anyway, love to all those suffering in the UK with all the flooding, espcially my nearest and dearest in Somerset. You're in my thoughts, stay safe. xx<br />
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More soon, Laura.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-15408128171465098142014-01-22T20:13:00.000+05:302014-01-22T20:13:27.606+05:30Shopping and cow racing...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi there!<br />
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Well, Jan has flown by. The lady I worked with decided to leave at the end of Dec meaning it's been just me and R who works part time since then. On the 14-16th Jan was the Tamil harvest festival of Pongal which is a big celebration and warrents one or three new outfits for each Tamil and their family.<br />
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To prepare for that, on the 8th, me, R and A who works in the tailor section of Nandini headed up to Chennai for a full day of shopping. Mostly we shop in Pondy as it's much closer but for certain items (sarees, punjabi material, mens t-shirts and shirts, jeans etc) it's much more cost effective to spend the day in Chennai. We tend to go there once every 3-4 months and this was my first time.<br />
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We set off at 6am in our taxi, stopping just once at around 8.30 for breakfast. Once we were in Chennai it took quite a while to head through the city to our first destination. The traffic was so busy! By 10am we were at the first shop, a huge place selling sarees, material, tops etc. We went in and with our price range in mind started to pick stuff out.<br />
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2 hours later we stumbled out of there into the bright hot midday sun leaden down with huge bags of Indian ladies clothing and several thousand rupees lighter.</div>
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Next we went to a textile area known as Old Washermenpet, this is where the sweatshop export rejects end up. Huge sacks of clothing are bought by the kilo and sold off at bargain prices. Often these places are just rooms full of piles of clothing where you have to check each item for stains, defective stitching etc, I saw plenty of recognised brands from home. </div>
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It's not something I feel totally comfortable with, especially since Auroville is meant to be a progressive, ecologically sound place but it's the trade off for supply and demand and is very big business here in India. Demand is big at Nandini especially amongst the Tamil community but to tailor make everything to people's needs would take too much time, labour etc and wouldn't be cost effective. Already a mens shirt costs 400rs which is an adults monthly contribution, add to the fact that they want shorts, a t-shirt, underwear maybe even a pair of trousers at the same time and you end up with a co-operative that isn't self sustaining. Anyway, I still don't feel right about it and didnt feel right about taking photos at those places either.</div>
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I did get a pic from the t-shirt shop however:</div>
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By 7pm we were done and with the taxi groaning under the weight of our bags and sacks of clothing we made our way home, getting back and unloading the car at 11pm. Phew!</div>
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The next day we did our best to get all the new stock priced and put in with the old stock ready for the onslaught of the Pongal shopping frenzy.</div>
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Sure enough the Friday and Saturday were manic, especially with just two of us. We closed on the final day of Pongal, the Thursday as did many other businesses which freed me, C and K up to attend the celebrations in Kuilapalayam, a nearby village. The main event being the cow race, which I saw during my first visit to India 6 years ago. </div>
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We arrived at 10am just as the market area was setting up - we had a look at the wares, mostly super cheap plasticy toys, plastic and stainless steel homewares and food stands.</div>
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Then we headed to the village square area and watched the place gradually fill up with people of all ages and races. People lined every available space on roofs, balconies, in trees etc. Kids clutching their new cheap plasticy toy, ladies in their finest sarees and punjabis with beautiful flowers in their hair, men in their jeans and shirts, hair slick and shiney with oil and baggy clothed backpacked tourists, camera in hand waiting for the spectacle. We recognised quite a few Aurovillians too, mostly those with kids, which was nice for K to have some partners in mischief.</div>
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Candy floss seller - a regular sight along the beach in Pondy:</div>
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Bag seller, a regular sight everywhere you find tourists: </div>
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Then came the cows, each one lead through the throng to a huge cheer by their owners/entourage. Nearly all were painted/decorated with baloons, bananas, flowers, bells etc</div>
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The only undecorated cow :)</div>
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Once most of the cows had passed by, C turned to me and said, "it's a shame that they're not having the usual banana fight", just as the first banana got thrown. It's not as bad as it sounds as the local bananas are tiny but they tend to spatter on impact. I got a rough film of the madness which you can see here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77UGu1zm6r8" target="_blank">Pongal Banana Fight</a></div>
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Apologies for the poor quality, but you hopefully get the idea...</div>
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A shot of the usually empty square:</div>
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I'm ending today with a film of the race itself. Again apologies for the shakiness but maybe it just adds to the overall effect ;)</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1bsLwyxMt8" target="_blank">Cow Race!</a></div>
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Me and C are gearing up for a night away this coming Sunday when we head off to Bangalore whilst C's mum has K overnight for the first time. We're going to a gig featuring artists from UK label Twisted Records (Shpongle, Hallucinogen, Younger Brother and Prometheus). We're seen them all bar Prometheus before in London and at festivals but to see them here in India should be interesting, I'm especially interested to see how modern India does nightlife, surely it can't be like UK nightlife...can it??? Anyway, it'll be fun. A night out together is a very rare thing indeed and it's our 7 year anniversary the following week so it seems fitting we see artists we danced to when we first got together.</div>
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More soon.</div>
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Laura </div>
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ॐ</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-26970959606743688992014-01-05T14:53:00.002+05:302014-01-05T14:53:46.508+05:30Happy new year!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Wishing you all a happy new year! </div>
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I really love Sundays, I currently work Tues-Sat so Sunday is the only full day I get with my family. Today I didn't wake up until 7.40 - what bliss! </div>
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It's the day that the doors all get flung open, the dusty floors get swept and washed to some upbeat music (today it was Blood Sugar Sex Magic by the Chilli Peppers) and the rugs get washed of the red earth that clings to everything. Then the day is ours, some films, snacks, maybe some time spent gardening, sometimes we go out for lunch. It's just so nice to have no obligations for one day. I always feel so happy once the house has been scrubbed of it's weekly dirt. Many people here employ an 'amma' - an Indian woman cleaner to keep their houses, laundry etc in order but I prefer to do that work myself. </div>
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C is currently digging out front, we're putting in more grass for now and K is playing with his lego collection which got bigger over the festive season.</div>
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We had a wonderfully different tropical Christmas. The day dawned at 6am and K followed not long after. The snack we left out for Father Christmas had to be put on a dish in a dish of water to prevent the ants from getting to it before he did! </div>
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Then it was time for opening a few presents before breakfast. Some from Father Christmas and a new lego set from us which C also had fun building.</div>
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A very different Christmas morning view:</div>
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Then breakfast followed by a few more presents and a celebratory glass of wine for me and C with 'Now That's What I Call Christmas' playing on the laptop. </div>
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New scooter:</div>
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and Hot Wheel track from C's mum:</div>
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Us 3 </div>
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Then it was off to a Swedish Christmas brunch with some extended family of C's mum's partner. It was really nice especially as K is friends with the other two boys - the eldest is in the class above him at Kindergarten. We left full of goodwill and the most amazing pumpkin pie and spent the afternoon watching a film feeling stuffed and, of course, opening a few more presents including a couple of brilliant sets of books from my Uncle and Grandma:</div>
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In the evening we went to the Youth Centre for their Dosai night which was a nice way to finish off the day.</div>
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On the 28th, the Youth Centre hosted it's annual Christmas Fair - this year entitled Fair Extrordinaire. K got his face painted:</div>
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Whilst C tested his strength...</div>
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...and went on the 'Rowdy ride'.</div>
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K met up with his new friend A and they spent a happy few hours running about. </div>
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Fresh handmade pizza from the pizza oven</div>
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Capoeira</div>
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Indian dance performance</div>
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Tightrope walking</div>
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Climbing at dusk</div>
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It was a lovely day, bringing together the community and I was even chosen to help judge the junior cake competition (was a very yummy job).</div>
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Next up it was New Years Eve, we went to a fancy restaurant in Pondy called Rendezvous for dinner, then came back to AV and went to a lovely chilled party for a few hours before getting K home to bed at 11ish (bit late but it was a special occasion). Then me and C climbed onto our roof and saw in the new year under the stars with fireworks going off in the distance around us, lovely.</div>
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All in all a very busy couple of weeks, especially with K being off school and us still working. He's goes back tomorrow and we can get back into some kind of rhythm. The Tamil harvest festival of Pongal is coming in a couple of weeks so it will get busy at my work as the major Hindu holidays warrant a new set of clothes for all the family. </div>
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Wishing you all a happy new 2014.</div>
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Laura xx</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-32158929775639881572013-12-20T15:07:00.001+05:302013-12-20T16:42:48.535+05:30Season's Greetings!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Wow, time flies when you're having fun I guess! A week long bout of flu not included! It's been crazy busy the past few weeks. I started working full time so have lost another morning (Sat - boo!) and two afternoons a week. Still volunteering as permits still not sorted but we have a back up plan to get visa extensions in case it's still not sorted by the end of Jan when our original visas run out. </div>
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Other than that we're getting into the whole 'playdate' thing. The parents here seem to be big on filling their kids' days so there tends to be playdates arranged in the afternoons, normally straight after kindergarden at 1pm as well as meeting at the main playground at 5pm for a last hour of play. For a somewhat introverted person like myself it's a bit exhausting but then it's good to get out, meet other parents and it's not really for my benefit but for my rather extroverted son. So far K has made a few friends and now we have a two week holiday so can spend a bit more time making plans.</div>
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The garden is coming along, we have been enjoying our first tomato and lettuce harvest,</div>
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as well as the greens from our garlic plants which add a lovely subtle garlic taste to a salad.</div>
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We've taken a bit of a step back from the garden as other areas of our lives get more demanding but what with the scattered monsoon rains and everything being quite well established after 3 months of growth it's been lower maintenance anyway.</div>
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I just finished a five week course on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (just Saturday mornings). I'm much less stressed anyway but thought it a good chance to refresh myself and I've learned a few good methods including Loving Kindness Meditation. There is often interesting courses available here, especially now as the tourist season has just started so I look forward to doing some more in the new year.</div>
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I now have a set of wheels for getting about on. It's a TVS XL moped, a very popular bike here. It's a good first bike as it doesn't have gears - just an accelerator and brake. It's so useful as things are rather spread out here and cycling in the heat on long distances is a bit exhausting. I'm happy with it.</div>
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Have been struggling to get in my usual festive mood. I think the cold weather really helps that cosy wintery feeling. The locals complain it's cold here now, currently 30 degrees and a mere 20 tonight - brrrrrrrrr! I did want to celebrate Christmas though, K is of an age where it's a magical time so we made a paper tree and decorated it with K's Grandma one afternoon as well as hanging up his stocking and making paper chains.</div>
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I did spend Christmas day here on my first visit to India 6 years ago but we were childless and on holiday in Goa so it was a different thing altogether! Still no oven so no roast dinner but am hoping to stock up on cheese, crackers and nibbles and might even find an imported bottle of Baileys somewhere in Pondy - a girl can hope! We'll be having brunch with some extended family and then the day's our own - we'll see where it takes us... :)</div>
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Yesterday there was an open day at K's kindergarden including an end of year performance by the four classes. The theme was the five elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Ether/Spirit). K's class did an Earth dance and it was just wonderful. It's the first performance we've been to, I'm sure those of you with children understand that big, big feeling when watching your kids perform. Lovely. Very proud mama.</div>
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<span id="goog_1763124654"></span><span id="goog_1763124655"></span> The whole school:</div>
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Looking a bit grumpy here bless him...</div>
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Inside his classroom:</div>
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The entrance to the kindergarten:</div>
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Special kolam for the open day:</div>
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These bowls of flowers are refreshed daily at the entrance:</div>
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He just came home today, his last day until the new year, with a goodie bag including this photo, his t-shirt from his performance, paints, an apple and a couple balloons. Just love this photo, have framed it already.</div>
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Anyway, that's us pretty much up to date, sorry it's been so long since the last update. The boys are out running errands so had a quick moment to myself. If I don't 'see' you before, hope you all have a lovely festive season. </div>
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Sending love, especially to my family and friends at this time.</div>
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Laura, C and K xxxxxx</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602243345434834714.post-86542035890095558662013-11-14T21:22:00.000+05:302013-11-14T21:22:24.347+05:30Reasons to be cheerful...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
...part 3...no, not Ian Dury but a fitting title for today's post.<br />
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I've noticed that since moving here, I am more aware of all these tiny moments of joy or peace that make up the day. <br />
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It can be something small like the feeling shortly before K's bedtime when we're all fed, washed, the house is tidied and the calm of evening descends or when receiving our daily half litre of milk fresh from the local village and delivered by a smiling old guy on a moped, (churn of milk strapped to the back) who pours it straight into a saucepan for boiling. The bamboo lined, sun dappled cycle ride to K's kindergarten, smiling often and being smiled at by strangers and waking up at dawn to the sound of unfamiliar, tropical birds. <br />
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Today, K, the sisters from our community and another boy (a friend of the girls and in K's class) played in the community. They'd spend time at the girls house, race about on the cycles, spend some time at our house and then back out. The community was filled with the sound of noisy, laughing, joyful children and it made me so happy. If ever there was justification for our move, then this was it and when you add on all the other moments of total awareness and thankfulness, it's really something. Don't get me wrong, it's not all perfect but the good, far, far outweighs the bad. When we arrived K really struggled with the change and I honestly never thought it would get better. He still has his difficult moments but it is getting better all the time.<br />
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This feeling is summed up for me in the track 'You Set The Scene' by Love (track here if you're interested - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pRxXHn64DM" target="_blank">Love</a> (I was at this gig <3)):<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">"You go through changes, it may seem strange<br /> Is this what you're put here for?<br /> You think you're happy and you are happy<br /> That's what you're happy for."</span><br />
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and:<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">"This is the time and life that I am living<br /> And I'll face each day with a smile<br /> For the time that I've been given's such a little while<br /> And the things that I must do consist of more than style<br />There are places that I am going."</span><br />
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Just perfect (and no apologies for indulgently quoting lyrics at you - this track sums things up better than I can - haha!)<br />
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So, just a little post this evening, just a reminder for me really to take pleasure from all the little things in life because they add up to so much.<br />
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Laura.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156697234968141794noreply@blogger.com0