Cath's attempt at a World Tour.

Home now and sorting my life out in preparation for my next adventure which is when I will next update my blog. Christmas is intense and it is unreasonably cold but it is lovely seeing everyone and catching up. Living in India for 3 months was the best time of my life and has just made me want to travel more. My world seems so much smaller now and since I only get one shot at this life I need to make it worth while.  Tamil Nadu is a beautiful country, rich with culture and breathtaking scenery. I loved meeting all the people and getting to know more about their way of life. During my time there I taught classes that reached over 1,000 students and our events reached over 1,400 people covering vector bourne disease, sanitation, dental, HIV, diabetes, hypertension etc. After having time to reflect I understand that while volunteering in different countries I want to make a difference but I also maintain want to their way of life, just because it is not the same as the developed w...

Sat in Terminal 2 in Mumbai after first flight. Got a 9-10 hour flight to Heathrow and a train to Neath to see my family and collect my car. No internet while I was in Chennai so here is a post from the other day. Woke up at 5am to watch the sunrise on our last morning from the roof. Sad morning today saying bye to our neighbours who have been so welcoming and kind in our time there. Packed our bags (considerably heavier with gifts than when we arrived) and travelled back to Restless Development HQ, Chennai. Arrived about 12pm and as the rest of the day was a free day Team Alan decided to go to city centre, Phoneix market for a meal in Hard Rock Café to celebrate our achievements. It was a large complex and felt like we had walked into a London mall apart from the Tamil on the signs. There was a Manchester United Store, Marks and Spencers and CEX etc. Was great to seat down as a team and have a laugh about our time here. I am very pleased to have met such great friends while I have...

Today was our last day in Alangayam so involved lots of sad farewells. I have had an amazing time here and we have been welcomed into the community like we were part of their families. Here is a collection of pictures of my favourite people in my home away from home. They do all have actual names but list of their roles instead. Ice cream lady Bakery Man Coffee man Bus stand hotel family Bus stand hotel owner Dinner stall family (yes, that boy works at both places) Downstairs neighbour Divya <3 (doing an Indian smile) Team Alangayam, my favourite members of my new family (Back left: Pavlina, Rajiv, Ellis, Satish, Dani, Satish, Cara, Diyal, Kalpuna, Indu, Megan, Me, Roch, Emma, Mr Germ and Akram)

On Sunday morning we went to temple and then got the bus to Gingee. The ride was lovely through countryside and fields. I could feel the air getting more hot and humid as we approached. Got a tuc-tuc to the fort, costs £1 for foreigners to enter and 5p for nationals. Some of us decided to climb the biggest of the hills as seemed a waste not to. The Gingee Fort complex is on three hillocks: Krishnagiri to the north, Rajagiri to the west and Chandrayandurg to the southeast. The three hills together constitute a fort complex, each having a separate and self-contained citadel. The first hill which we climbed is called Rajagiri. The fort was historically considered most impregnable. It is about 800 feet (240 m) in height. Its summit is cut off from communication and is surrounded by a deep, natural chasm that is about 10 yards (9.1 m) wide and 20 yards (18 m) deep. The climb was hard but worth it with the amazing views at the top. Loads of monkeys on the climb and we ...

For our last weekend in India we decided to visit Tiruvannamalai, we were particularly fortunate to arrive during  Karthikai Deepam.  The most important festival of the Annamalaiyar temple (main temple in Tiruvannamalai) is celebrated during the Tamil month of Karthikai, between November and December, concluding with the celebration of Karthikai Deepam. A huge lamp is lit in a cauldron, containing three tons of ghee, at the top of the Annamalai hills during the Deepam. To mark the occasion, the festival deity of Annamalaiyar circumambulates the mountain. Every full moon, tens of thousands of pilgrims worship Annamalaiyar by circumambulating the Annamalai hill barefoot. The circumambulation covers a distance of 14 kilometres (8.7 mi), and is referred as Girivalam. According to Hindu legend, the walk removes sins, fulfils desires and helps achieve freedom from the cycle of birth and rebirth. Rows of Agal vilakkus (oil lit lamps) are lit in every house. Karthigai is...

Went to YRC today to plant seeds and take part in the Livelihoods Jobs fair, In the afternoon we were invited to an NGO youth centre where children live when their parents can't take care of them any more due to financial or time reasons. Some parents come and visit and they are expanding the centre to incorporate rooms for parents to visit.  The kids were so bright and friendly despite their circumstances. It was heart warming to speak to all the teachers and assistants who live on site to take care of the kids. It was a great afternoon of playing all the games we have utilised in our lesson during our time here. In the evening, our downstairs neighbour Divya and her family came to our flat to take pictures. We all dressed in our saree's for that authentic Indian experience and gave her black coffee to try which she was not impressed with but drank not to be rude. Last weekend away then heading back to Chennai for debrief on Tuesday, Fini...

One of our targets while in placement is to make a kitchen garden aka alotment. A kitchen garden is supposed to be built in an area where there is stagnant/waste water, the growing plants will utilise the water and without the stagnant water the mosquitoes are unable to breed. This is one of the main reasons why it is almost impossible to stop vector bourne disease as you would have to wipe out all mosquitoes. The vegetables are also good for a healthy lifestyle and income if they sell them. We built our garden in Valipattu school to serve as an example and to encourage children to tend the garden. It took 3 days but felt good to produce something quantifiable. Our canvas Tilled the soil and built a little wall Searched soil for rocks and separated into furrows Planted and watered It lives!!!

As this is our last full week in Alangayam we are tying lots of loose ends. The YRC is our base of operations so we decided to replace all the posters and tidy the kitchen garden. Most of the posters have been used in classes during our time here. Have had food poisoning twice in Nimmiyamputtu so got a parcel in Alangayam to take. Had to wait in the queue first though as its only polite, New poster with hands done by children from our classes Health board on Malaria, Filaria, Dengue fever, Diabetes and hypertension (proud of my mosquito) All the names from our toilet ballot box stuck on a poster saying the kids understand the importance of using toilets. Kitchen garden fence now goes all the way around the garden to prevent rubbish blowing in. Removed all the weeds, rubbish and tilled the soil. Herd of goats wandered past before we put it up thinking it was an all you can eat buffet....

Today we held an event in Alangayam boys school raising awareness on AIDS as it is World AIDS day. In the morning we held an assembly with 613 students which involved a mixture of information about AIDS and cultural exchange. We watched 5 groups of boys perform Indian dances and we performed Cha-Cha Slide followed by a specific Restless Development Dance 4 life AIDS awareness dance/song. In the afternoon we did a rally with 100 students around Alangayam. It was an awesome day despite having to navigate some cultural and religious issues about the sexual aspect of HIV. World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day and the first one was held in 1988. Around 100,000 are currently living with HIV in the UK and globally an estimated 34 million people have HIV. More...