first days in the orphange

Hello to everybody,
after a long travel from colkata to sarangada, we had very walm and touching welcoming from all the children and the staff working at the orphange.
the place is very quite and a totally rural area. a lot of tribal people with tatoos on their faces and at least 10 earings in each hear are living in this area. Local people are very curious and children always say "hi", "bye";)
the daily regime of the children are very tough - waking up at 5:30 in the morning and going to bed at 10-10:30. In between they go to school (at least sometimes.. it seems there is a schoolholiday every second day), work in the garden, study, wash their clothe and eat a lot (!) of rice.
Working with children gives us a lot of positive energy and we enjoy it a lot, but sometimes it is also a bit tiring (there are 60 of them...). THIS WEek we started to devide them into 4 groups and teach, play, sing, do artwork etc. each group one day in the evening.
Staff is very friendly, and wants to do everything for us, so we have to fight to do things on our own....(like taking the water from the well, washing dishes etc.)

This week we also had some interesting insights into local culture - went to see tribal ganja (marihuana) man, who lives just next to the orphanage. HE is spending his day playing some Hindu songs and taking donation from the people who pass by (to smoke;) He and his wife stay at separate houses (because there are always some guests at the man house;). Sometimes also some tigers pass by to drink a water from the small well next to their house.
Another adventure was going to the travelling theatre, it comes to local village once in three years and some ten days it makes a play each night. PLay starts at midnight and finishes at 5 in the morning (we enjoyed dancing and some songs, but when they started only speak Oriya, we gave up and went home at 2.00;)

Greetings to everyone from hot Orissa!

tourism in India?

Before going to Calcutta and meeting Julie and Jana (my project partners, which now are sitting just next to me;), decided to do some tourism in India. So, bought some overnight train tickets to Varanasi (the holiest city for the Hindus, on the river bank of Ganga) and Agra (her majesty Taj Mahal).

In Varanasi, once you deal with a taxi drivers at the train station who try to get you to "better hotel" than you have selected (because they get comissions for taking tourists to particular hotels), it is fabulous. This city completely changes your perception of death, and burning ghats (fire place Hindus use for cremation of bodies, on the steps leading to the Holy river) are actually not so frightening.

Indian women in their colourful saris at the Ganga river

Varanasi - kingdom of holiness, marvellous ceremonies, Indian national music...... Place to come come back!

Yes, I really saw it! Her majesty Taj Mahal, beautiful in its perfection and simplicity... I don`t know what I waiting from it, but it gives you some special emotions! Biggest lesson learned in Agra - avoid touristic places in India! The people where are a bit too spoiled by tourists, and they try to get money out of you sooo much, they really don`t understand "NO!" It is very hard struggle with street vendors, rickshaws, "voluntary tourists" trying to explain them that u do not nees the things they sell, the ride or a guide.... So, better to look for alternative places to discover all the hospitality of Indian people;)

Moments catched in Delhi

Delhi offers you whole range of contradictions you could ever imagine - from noisy and loud traffic until complete escape in the quiteness in the temples, from dirty and chaotic buses until clean and comprehensive metro, from people sleeping on the streets until rich people houses having guards and servants. I enjoy this city - it makes your mind work in all directions.

My host have showed me also nightlife of local students - they have a special place for partying until 12.p.m., afterwards they only can go to ... five ***** hotels!!!

Here go my first pictures of India!!!

My first henna tattoo, masterpiece of one indian woman (hopefully, until the end of my stay I learn to do them on my own)
Most of the cows only go out at night (they are smart and keep out of intensive traffic). only some of them have people who take care of them, so other just take care of themselves...

Street in the South of Delhi. Here is the house of my host, Vasu.


My transportation in Delhi-mainly rickshaws and autorickshaws.
Metro is nice and clean, but it only works for the north of Delhi at this moment, and buses are a bit risky, because u never know for sure, what is their final destination;)

North Delhi, backpackers hang-out district Pahar ganj, Main bazaar street - hostels with restaurants on their terrace, cheap and beautiful things to buy and intensive traffic;)! Here we were acquiring art of bargaining...

First impressions of India!!!

Hey!!!

That finally has actually happened, and u receive first Veronika`s message from India!

I arrived yesterday, at the midnight it was still around +28 C, so for me coming from Helsinki it makes quite a difference;)

I am staying in Delhi, with one lovely Indian girl at her apartment and now I am waiting for her to rest after the school to go out and see more of Delhi.
For now it has been just riding around with ottos (small yellow-green cabs) and rikshas and trying to adapt my voice tone to that noisy environment. It really seems that everything and everyone makes sounds here!!!
It is so colorful here-dresses of women are amazing, we really ignore "some" colors in Europe...

As soon as I get some nice photos I will try to upload them here!
Really hot greetings from India!!!

veronika