Hannah’s Weblog

After the Mehendi on Thursday, I decided it would make sense to stay at my anutie Fee’s place, as I was going to be getting ready there on Friday anyway. They kindly gave up their room and me and my cousin shabnam shared their comfy double bed. I slept so well, and shab leaving for her exam at 8 didn’t even wake me…. The day was all about getting ready for the reception (the most formal of the marriage ceremonies) A huge hall is hired, decorated and used to feed the 5000…literally! Biriani is cooked in abundance and served to all the Tom, dick and Harry’s that my family know. It is a wonderful event though, as I get to wear a sari and spend lots of time with my ever growing family. Shab and I caught the bus into the capital Port louis, as she needed a necklace and earings to go with her new sari. We wandered around the bustling city, taking in all the delicious smells of street food, markets overflowing with glistening fresh produce and the mayhem of Mauritian traffic! We found what we were looking for, easily as the shops selling dress jewellery sell every single colour you can imagine. All shimmering in their rows, and glass cabinets. It sure is an expensive business attending a wedding, having to buy new outfits for all of the 5 events, then accessorizing with bracelets, necklaces and earings, oh and shoes!

After finding what we were looking for, we caught the bus back to their flat, and found aunty Fee had been busy preparing us our lunch. She had gone to the hairdressers but had left us lentils, rice, salad and some yummy fried chicken! Mmmmmmmm… we ate, then started changing our nail varnish from pink (which matched the outfit from Thursday, to bronze, which went with my green and bronze sari. At 1.30 we walked to the hairdressers, Shab was having her hair done. I sat and watched, as people came and went. I nodded off in the increasingly hot and humid afternoon. Amazed at how many people came in to have their afro’s straightened, only to go back out in the heat and let it frizz……..

By the time we got back, it was time to start getting ready. Saleem was asleep, and my uncle Isoop had been back and then gone again to a meeting. Aunty fee had ironed all our saris and placed them out on the bed, along with all our jewellery. I straightened my hair and did my make-up, and was told I must wear foundation. This is something I am not use to, but followed my instructions and tried to make myself into the ideal wedding guest. Shab was using the dressing table mirror, I was using the full length, Fee was fussing around making sure we had everything we needed, uncle Isoop had returned, changed into his vest and casual trousers, and lounged himself on the bed. He proceeded to tell my auntie all about his meeting, as we continued to get ready. It was an organized caos, but i thoroughly enjoyed the madness. Auntie then helped dress me in my sari, first i put on my shoes, then a thin underskirt which must be pulled tight as this is what the rest of the material is positioned around. the length is set, and ensured that the beading on the sari will be at the correct place. It is wrapped around, tucked in, pleated and arrange effortlessly, but for me with the aid of a few safety pins! et voila! c’est fini! jolie sa! I am done…..next is Shabnam’s, and finally Fee dresses herself. Uncle Isoop and Saleem wait until we are ready, then they get themselves sorted! (genious idea as then their waiting time is minimised.) They are obviously used to all of this! We are ready, but running late!

So!! I have been here in Ile Maurice for four days now! My flight was delayed so bless Joey and Dan for waiting so patiently for me at the airport. I was so excited sat on the plane, smiling to myself, dying to get my feet onto the Mauritian soil. I queued in the Mauritian passport holders queue, and now have my first stamp in my Mauritian passport :-). It felt a little like coming home, which is a crazy feeling that I really like. We made our way to the beach, and the boys had told mum and dad they were going off to watch a sunrise (which incidentally doesn’t occur until 7 ish !) But mum had been very suspicious about their behaviour, and although she had no idea that it was connected to me in any way she knew something was going on……. We arrive in Grand Baie, they had phoned mum and dad and got them to meet us at sunset cafe. As we approached I felt sick with nerves/anticipation etc…..then I caught a glimpse of them on the beach, so I dived behind a wall!! It was crazy! as they made their way up the steps, Joey was recording them and said that they had a surprise, mum said “I know” (but didn’t know it was me) And \i jumped out! Mum just started crying and din’t really say much at first, my dad’s reaction was classic, he stepped back a few paces in shock, and said “Bloody Hell Hannah!!” It was wicked!!!!!!

And the surprises haven’t stopped there! I surprised my auntie Fee and Uncle Isoop and my cousins at their flat, my auntie was sooooo happy to see me, it was lush! She has lent me 3 outfits for the wedding celebrations, she is soooooo generous and kind, lending me all the accessories to go with each one! I will wear a green sari on Friday I CAN’T WAIT!!! last night was the Mehendi, so we all got dressed up and went over to Port Louis. It was a surprise for all my family to see me, and so lovely as they are all so happy to see me. We have many men in our family, so having another girl around is great for them! My auntie Shireen was so shocked to see me, I will go and spend a weekend with her soon, to spend some time with her and my uncle Ahmed. They were also impressed that I had dressed up, and everyone says I look more and more Mauritian….

It’s so nice being surrounded my so many people that you love and love you. It makes me realise how important family are. I have been thinking about how much i miss out on here, living in England. Especially the younger ones, as I only come out here every few years, they change and grow so much every time I see them! i must admit I really feel like I belong here, it’s strange as life here couldn’t be more different than England. I am so English in so many ways, yet part of me longs to be Mauritian…..

Tonight is the Nikkah, where all the men go to the mosque and we go to Anessa’s house (the girl my cousin is marrying) I am going to wear a pink turi dalh, baggy trousers that go in at the bottom, with a long sleeved tunic over the top. Lat night I wore a orange and yellow one. Have you seen bend it like beckham? the movie? The wedding is slightly different, but that kind of thing! It’s such an experience. Last night we all went to my antie and uncles first, and kinda just hung around for ages, then there are lots of gifts, beautiful saris, jewellery, shoes, make up, perfume ets all glamourously wrapped in exquiste packages and presentation boxes.I carried a plate of cakes, wrapped in gold shiffon, It was quite heavy! then we all piled ino cars, and in convoy drove around to the corner hazard lights flashing, horns beeping. When we arrive all the women, holding the gifts line up outside Anessa’s parents house. Now they always do the same. They block the road between their house and nextdoor turning it into a huge hall. Anessa sitting on the stage at the far end, with rows of chairs where we sit. We take the gifts to the front, and sit for about an hour. food is handed out and an India band played music. there are fairy lights flashing everywhere! It’s insane!!Then Anessa changes into the new clothes which we took, more photos and food. Then we go back to my anutie and uncles, and her side of the family come over for more food, sitting and talking. Shakeel (my cousin) doesn’t go to Anessa’s house, and she doesnt come to my aunti and unles house. They don’t even see eachother! It’s all about the family and guests!!!

So I have done it, i have made it through the first week of my 5 week intensive CELTA course. Phew! I feel exhausted, stimulated, a little overwhelmed but thouroughly please with myself!  I am defintely in need of a few drinks however, a few stiff ones!….. It’s been a challenging week to say the least, simply going back to a 9-5 rountine has been a slight struggle, but I must say I have enjoyed having my evenings off, if not free. I have already learned the meaning of the past participle, and the past present continuous. I have taught two 35 minute lessons to a class of 14 lively students, and passed my first assignment. I’m not sure how this weekend is going to pan out, as I am about to go the pub, tomorrow and Sunday I am working split shifts, and I have another assignment to complete and a lesson to plan for Monday….mmmmm I am praying for the restaurant to be quiet so i can sneak in a few cheeky hours of study….I will have to see how its goes……

I am finally alone again…….slightly dramatic I know, but whats new? After returning from India, I barely had time to breath before my boyfriend Robby came to visit me from California. Well two weeks have past and I am alone in my flat, perhaps for the first time. So now I have time to write……..but what I will write about I am still considering, my mind is ticking as I write. Due to the nature that I began this blog, as a travelling diary I have a Strong urge to continue documenting what I have been up to the past two weeks. So maybe I will begin with that. Robby and I were very busy, visiting various English cities, trying various English cuisines, and trying to make the most of our short time together……

I showed Robby-san around Bristol, parts of London, where we saw a West end show, a rugby match and stayed in a luxury hotel. Had dinner with Kim and Lewis in Oxford, and wandered the lanes of Brighton. My favourite time was probably spent at home though, enjoying the company of my two brothers and my mum, who has now left too…….Missing people is a strange feeling. A feeling I am not sure I will never get used too. Especially when the feelings are twisted and manipulated my the relationship you have with the person.  Leaving my mum at Cheltenham bus stand last Friday was an emotional experience. I felt mainly sad for her, not that I do not miss her incredibly, as I do, but as soon as life continues, shopping, our car running out of battery, planning the night ahead, the sadness leaves and my heart no longer weeps. I felt sad as I knew she was feeling so sad. But I also felt happy that she was returning to my dad, who I know has missed her being here.  I wander if you can build an inner strength that helps you deal with missing someone? Or maybe it is possible to learn to come to terms with being able to love someone and deal with missing them. Thinking about how I feel about missing my dad is almost another story. I have not seen him now in over four months and am not sure when I will see him next, and although if I stop and think about it, I could feel very solemn, on a day to day basis I do not feel sad. Is this because I know he is happy? maybe…maybe it is ingrained in us at birth that at some point we will be apart from our parents, whether it be living down the road, in a different city, or in fact another country. As my parents are now living 6000 miles from the UK, and my boyfriend lives in California I truly hope that my theory is true.

I said to Robby this morning  at the departure area of Heathrow airport that I was strong because I knew today was coming, I was sad and did not want him to leave, but I couldn’t help feeling happy and positive about our precious two weeks together. I suppose remaining strong for the people you love is an important factor. While I was in India, and experiencing for the first time about meditation, I was constantly trying to study how to live in the here and now. It was something repeated to us everyday by our Guru. Evidently as I have already found, it is very difficult to achieve this level of consciousness….. But considering it know, and thinking about the ways that I have overcome difficult situations, I can dare to say that I find thinking to the future is pretty helpful. Living for the here and now is sometimes painful, stressful and impossible for me. I find that thinking forward to something positive and exciting helps me deal with the case in hand. Whether it be exams, jumping 160 metres off a bridge, or facing a full day of work on a nasty hang over, I have found that thinking ahead to when it is over really helps. And this strategy definitely helped me through today. I was prepared for Robby leaving. I was prepared for Robby leaving a long time before he had even arrived here. I think I began preparing for today as soon as he told me he had booked his tickets, while I was in the gardens of an ancient tomb in Delhi. This preparations and forward thinking helped me enormously, and I am grateful for that. I tried to focus on the next time I will see him, what we will do and all the things we have to look forward to. And I got through it, tears, farewells, and a long drive home, it’s done.

Now I am left feeling a little void. Like I said this is the first time I have been alone in a long time. Travelling with Kim for three and a half months, then having Robby with me for two weeks, I am now left to my own devices…..goodness what will I do with myself? Write on my blog is one answer, begin studying for my course that starts in two weeks, plan for my trip to California? mmmm………

Maybe I will sit back, relax and try at least try to be here, take a moment to live in the here and now, heck! Its worth a try.

My final entry. I feel a little sad as my blog has become a dear friend to me during my time in India and Nepal. My connection to the outside world, my voice to my friends and loved ones and the vehicle in which i have been able to share and communicate my thoughts, feelings and experiences……

I feel and have felt from the early days of my trip that I would like to dedicate this last entry to my travelling companion and best friend Kim……She may not ever read this, or maybe in a few weeks she will, but I don’t necessarily feel that this is important. During our trip we found that we synchronised in so many bizarre, wonderful and truly unreal ways. Finishing each others sentences, thinking the exact same random thoughts and the exact same time, a connection that I feel lucky to have had with someone.

When I have thought about travelling before I have always struggled to think who I would travel with. Not only who I would travel with, but who I could spend 13 weeks solidly with, who I could be completely comfortable with, loose all inhibitions and sense of privacy around….. It is a partnership that pushes all boundaries and tests you to the max. I am therefore proud to say that Kim and I did it, we made it, our mothers are amazed, Kim and I possibly are too, that we did not argue once, and mumbled along comfortably and happily. Our relationship has gone beyond and above. We have always been close, since we were born, but the fact that we got along so very well is something I am very surprised of, proud of and smug about.

The idea to travel India arose when Kim visited me in Japan last September. I managed to get some time off work and we set off with our lonely planet and backpacks. I had been living in Japan for 11 months by then, and had travelled quite a lot, but always as someone who lived there. I was therefore surprised how differently I felt and how differently I was perceived by the Japanese once I was with Kim. It was amazing how I was treated as soon as the ‘back pack’ was on and the lonely planet was out! Living somewhere foreign I personally felt a level of independence that I had to withhold, communicating through their language for example. Therefore when Kim just went up to people and asked in English I was shocked how well she was treated and how far she got through doing this. Suddenly I was a back packer, every where we went people wanted to help us, and I managed to in some ways achieve a lot more with this persona. It was a strange realisation and definitely sparked my desire to go travelling.

Whilst Kim was in Japan we both knew that we would be able to travel together. She was there a month and we got along fantastically well the entire time, this in itself was an achievement as we are so close we are prone to bicker like sisters do. Whilst in Japan, we met a German guy in Sapporo. He said something to us, that will stay with me forever. We had only been with him a short while but he commented on our closeness and relationship almost immediately. He said that Kim and I are two side of the same coin…..a lovely comment, that made us in some ways feel even closer. We were only with this guy a short time, but he managed to some up our relationship so perfectly. And he was spot on I think, in some ways Kim and I couldn’t be more different but in a way that works and this is why I think we managed so well together. As a travelling pair we offered a lot to who ever we meet, our differences meant that we could and did get along with whoever we met. Offering a range of conversations, a mix of past experiences, and this enabled us I believe on some level to make the amount of friends that we did. I think David would say, “you are same same but different” a phrase commonly used in Asia…..so so true!

I can honestly say that I don’t know many people that are continually smiling, chatty and so up beat. Kim is a rare gem and I am so fortunate to have her in my life. She has put up with me for 13 weeks, and I have to thank her for this. Especially on the days when I have needed to be within my own thoughts, and probably not been the best company, she has remained with me, not given up and helped bring a smile to my face. This understanding that we have is why we avoided arguments and maintained a balanced equilibrium throughout the entire trip.

Leaving India is the end of an era. The love hate relationship that so many people have with India is difficult to come to terms with, therefore I will be back. India has ingrained itself under my skin, and I have to thank India for allowing me and my friend to come, travel, learn, photograph, taste, experience and live there for 13 weeks. A few other thanks have to be given, as I feel this is important. Thanks has to go to Sleeper trains…..These trains, with or without a/c depending on the money situation have safely and smoothly taken us all over the Indian sub continent. The chai men, who were always there when we needed them, serving deliciously hot sweet tea at a price we could always afford! Parle G, our favourite biscuits. Internet cafes for allowing me to even write this blog. Cafe Coffee Day, which actually needs a special thanks, for its ice sparkles and blasting a/c. Cafe Coffee Day, Kim and I are truly thankful for your cheery staff, comfy chairs and scrummy cakes. My back pack. Which weighed 20kg, I will miss having all my belongs with me. My hiking boots….cheap but amazingly comfortable during my trek in Nepal. Thank you to all the wonderfully kind Indian people who have smiled when we needed kindness, pointed us in the right direction when we needed help and served us some of the most delicious food I have ever eaten when we needed re-charging. I also want to thank everyone who has read my blog and commented, I have appreciated all the comments and have been encouraged by all your positive words……

India I am thankful to you for allowing me all these experiences, I will miss you but will one day visit again.

Kim and I (and Lewis back in England) are all trying to log in to buy Glastonbury tickets……I have my positivity behind me and hope that we can open the page. The refresh button is going to have to give in sooner or later, right?? Please…… Kimmy wants these so bad!

So I think this is my second to last post……I have thought about my final post more than i probably should have during this trip. Its typical Hannah behavior always thinking ahead, unfortunately this kind of proves that all that meditating I did in Rishikesh hasn’t had a lasting effect……I was so hoping to gain and maintain the skill of living in the hear and now. Oh well…. A lesson learned I supose…

So we are still in Calagute and I am liking it more and more the longer I am here. We did go out last night in Baga, we didn’t make it to the night market as we decided the tuc tuc fare was valuable drinking money. Oh how I wish we hadn’t downed so many cashew fennys……I feel a little worse for wear this morning. But Kim and I always end up having lots of fun being silly and eating lots of ice cream when we are hung over so all is not bad…. We did try and go home early and were on the way back to Calangute, when we were so kindly asked by some young lads if we would accompany them into Titos as they are not allowed in without women  (this is the case in all the clubs) to control the amount of single men I suppose…poor things. So we did and ended up drinking lots, dancing on the tables and riding a bucking bronco. Kim won the contest staying on for 75 seconds, but crashed her chin and ended up with a nasty looking burn on her knee… hhahahahahaahahahah…..ill try and upload the video!!! The connection is too slow, so photos are going to have to wait

Oh I think Lewis may have bought tickets!! woo woo!

Omar has just told me that it has been snowing in England, its going to be quite a shock for Kim and I as I am currently sweating buckets! Its soooo hot here, too hot for the beach today i think! So this is why I am currently writing rubbish…..I think I should leave and do something productive……maybe a trip to Baskin Robbins is in order!!

We arrived in calangute just in time to witness the most gorgeous sunset! After the initial shock of the shear number of people on the beach we stood and enjoyed the sun disappearing beyond the sea….Calangute and Baga is where all the British package holidayers come, and apparently where all the Indian package hoildayers come too! This has proven quite a shock to Kim  and I who are used to quiet beaches and empty seas….Here the shore is packed bumper to bumper with sun loungers, the sea is packed almost bumper to bumper with jet skis and watersports boats….mmmmm Im not quite sure about this place yet. But we are going to keep our smirks to ourselves and enjoy the last few days of sunshine, especially as I hear that England is looking pretty dreary….. Tonight we are going to check out some the saturday night market and some bars, and try not to get too drunk….we dont have the money! we will probably stay until Monday. If we can put up with the Costa del Sol ambience…..:-)