Half Way!

The 19^th of February is my half way point through my year in India.  Five and a half months in, five and a half months to go.  Being half way is really exciting.  I’ve manage to survive India for five and a half months.  I’m actually tempted to give myself a wee sticker for that.  It actually gives me hope that I’ll be able to survive the next five and a half months and safely get myself back to Scotland in August.  The time has gone so fast but it feels like I’ve been here for ages.  I’m not saying that I feel Indian, I really don’t, or that I’ve gotten used to country, I really haven’t, but it’s become slightly more normal. 

The next few months here are going to get a lot warmer, I’m going to have loads of holidays and trips, I’ve got to get through exam time without stressing (for the kids, not for me, luckily I don’t have to deal with that any more) and I’ve still to try and control my classes.  But I’m in the home straight!  And as much as I’m enjoying it, the thought of going home is still exciting.  Basically so I can annoy everyone telling them about my year in India. 

I’ve learnt to do quite a lot of things that I didn’t really know how to, or need to, do before.

1.       Dodge cows the size of a small house in the street as they come towards you
2.        Wash clothes thoroughly in cold water while being watched by someone
3.       How to walk away from a rickshaw driver who is trying to rip you off by making you feel sorry for them
4.       Haggle in shops to get a pair of trousers down to 150 from 500 (a fiver to £1.50)
5.       Cross the road without dying (I could do that at home but here it requires more effort)
6.       Sleep anywhere. Honestly anywhere, a rickshaw, a bus, a train, a courtyard, a café…
7.       Eat plain idly
8.      Find somewhere to go to the toilet when there’s a massive spider above the one in your room
9.       Improvise a lesson on description. 
10.     Improvise any lesson that is
11.     Kind of control a classroom of 35 3-6 year olds
12.     Teach ceilidh dancing to kids whose English doesn’t stretch to “now dosido”
13.      Find my way out of a Pongal celebration after taking a wrong turn
14.     Fend off questions like “Are you married miss? Why not?”
15.     Not get offended when people say I’m really pale.
16.     Eat a plateful of rice that’s bigger than some people’s babies
17.     Get a mouse out of our room at half 2 in the morning
18.    Wear a sari (and then get it re-tied in the nursery because it wasn’t correct the first time)
19.   Not pick up stray puppies every time I see one
20.  Get excited over things I take for granted a home like a shower head, a washing machine, pancakes

It’s been an absolutely mental last few months.  Pretty hard I’m not going to lie, some of it really has been rubbish and frustrating at times.  But then I just look at some of the fun trousers I’ve got here and it makes it all good again!  And having kids sing Flower of Scotland.  That’s nice too.

One of my other friends, Tabs, did a half way blog as well and she talked about how proud she is of all the other Project Trust volunteers, especially in India.  And it’s true, I honestly feel like a proud mum most of the time.  Everyone has done amazing!  We’ve all managed this long in India, we’re all teaching some crazy Indian children, we’re dealing with strange food, wearing strange clothes in crazy temperatures but we all still manage to get on with it and deal with every day and all the weirdness that comes with it.  I just want to give stickers to everyone.

So, I’m hoping I survive the next few months here and I’m treating myself tonight by ditching my pajama top and starting to wear a new one.  I’m really splashing out.