INDIA

Alas, I have returned from my 10 week venture volunteering with Raleigh ICS in India and would you believe it, it was a bloody tough challenge!

To save on time and boredom, here’s a brief lowdown..

I was in team India Kilo 11 with my fellow UK volunteers Melissa, Abi, Sadhbh, James and Eilish, we were accompanied by our fantastic in-country volunteers Krish, Manju, Radish and Priyanka and headed up by our team leaders Jess and Chaithra.
We were living in a rural Adivasi community in Coorg, Karnataka called Sajjalli Hadi. This small but beautiful village is situated alongside a huge expanse of water, nicknamed ‘the backwater’. Waking up to this every morning was not only breathtaking but also incredibly relaxing. Our village is made up of approximately 110 residents, living in 25 households. Many of these houses are stick, tarpaulin and mud built and seem durable enough to last most weather.
The villagers belong to the Jenu Kuruba tribe, a sector of the Adivasi people known for honey collecting and living within a sustainable means off the surrounding forest. We met and fell in love with many of the characters in our village. The man responsible for our entire experience was Vasanthana, a gentle man with a heart of gold who came running at any scream of “VASANTHANA!” to help in any way he could. He fast became our older brother and our best friend in the village. To return home now and not have such a personality able to attend to your every need is a definite readjustment.
Our objective in Sajjalli has been to input information, education and infrastructure relating to a water and sanitation hygiene (WASH) project. We delivered many peer education sessions to eager members of the community alongside various awareness raising activities, including the running of a well-being day (with a nurse present) and a dental camp (with trainee dentists). We also pushed ourselves to the limits(!!) to build 10 toilets for 10 separate families and a 5000l water tank in 5 days – although this cannot overshadow the main aim being educational input.
With a key objective of the programme being effective integration and intercultural communication, we also ran art classes, language exchange sessions and various community events to ensure the villagers and us both reached a content level of comfort, as well as swapping cultures and practises.
We saw and experience a lot in our time in Sajjalli Hadi, so here’s a list of bullet pointed things that’d take too long to explain (but do leave a comment if you want to know more):

• Government construction affecting our WASH aims and secondary projects. This continued throughout our visit and seemed somewhat intentional at times, although there is no guarantee of this.
• Volunteers joining us and leaving us – Eilish sadly left early after an accident on a trip to a nearby natural springs, Abhi joined on day 2 and left of day 5 through rule-breaking, Ganesh joined in phase 2 and left at phase review 19 days later (again, due to rule-breaking) and Krish temporarily left due to family issues.
• Continual illness and injury, including Eilish getting concussion and Melissa fracturing her elbow/injuring her knee.
• The medics at fieldbase both leaving quite suddenly, and two groups of (approx) 40 volunteers each being left without immediate medical advice/action.
• Various community based events, including a sports day, the Hindu festivals of Shivarathri and Yugadi, International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day to name a few..
• A man with poor mental health concerning the volunteers, particularly after he was heard walking around our accommodation chanting “I’ll kill you”. On one occasion, this led to Abi and Sadhbh, to my surprise, joining me in the toilet. That was fun.
• Through our non-governmental organisation CORD, we have hopefully ensured the future education of many children in our village. CORD are running a survey of the local area next month (May 2014) and through this, should hopefully determine which children are in need of schooling and how to help them access it.
• CORD weren’t always on top form, however, and with being a new NGO working with Raleigh ICS, initially struggled to deliver adequate training or support. Fortunately, this slowly improved. Showing us a video called America, America didn’t aid our view on them though..
• Nature’s full force: witnessing snakes, scorpions in our accommodation, spider infestation in our toilet, wasp nest forming in our long drop, whirlwinds popping up every now and then (particularly during a visit from India Kilo 12), weird fish/frog/tadpole mutant things washing up along the shore of the backwater, sky-high bamboo burning by the villagers and the incredible experience of fireflies gracing the treetops around us.
• Visits from nearby Kilo 12 and an accidental overnight stay from Yankee 8.
• Two weeks solid work at the beginning of the project on participatory rural appraisal (PRA), which gave us an insight into the villagers needs, wants and awareness.
• The celebration of Radish and Jess’ birthdays and the bringing in of mine and Chaithra’s shared birthday on the final night in the village, each involving cake fights, an array of food and plenty of dancing.

This is simply the tip of the iceberg of my experience in Sajjalli Hadi. Leaving my new family in this rural part of the world was not only incredibly emotional but also a nerve-wracking experience, with no guarantee when we’ll return and if it’ll be the same when we do. However, I cannot wait to head back one day alongside other teammates and revisit the brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers I have gained in such a short but welcoming space of time.

As part of my Action At Home, I have also set up a website, showcasing various stories from individuals in our village. Check it out: http://communityvibes.co.uk

If you want to learn more about ICS or are interested in applying, visit http://www.volunteerics.org

Tomorrow evening I fly to Bangkok to start my South East Asia adventure. I cannot wait to revisit friends, reconnect with some of the folk I met in India (who happen to be travelling the same time as me) and make new connections with new travelling comrades!

Keep following this blog to find out where I am and what I’m doing..

B

एक बिट में आप देख

That’s Hindi for “see you in a bit”.

As I sit here, eating my last Western meal for three months (pork pie and cold pizza – like a boss) and I look out the window at the rain-soaked state that I’m leaving England in, two things come into my mind. The first is “Shit! I’ve still got to call the bank” and the second is “Well, this is weird”.
As of 12.30pm today, I am officially unemployed and about to embark on a whirlwind experience. It’s time to say goodbye to our first world luxuries and cash the reality cheque.

My coach to Heathrow leaves in two and a half hours, where I’ll be enjoying the last alcoholic beverages for a while with a few of the other volunteers at the Ibis hotel. Then, tomorrow morning, it’s up early to jump on the plane!

The final total for Raleigh ICS was £1600. Exactly double my target (200%!) and pretty effing incredible.

Another massive thank you to everybody who has supported me, helped me, donated towards my experience, given their time and patience and generally just shown an interest in what I’m doing. I will never truly be able to show my gratitude to you, but I hope you realise how humbled I am by your kindness.

This all sounds incredibly emotional and (almost) narcissistic, but this thing is big for me and I’m risking a lot by quitting my job and travelling the world.

I guess it’s time to sign off for three months.

Please continue to check out this blog, I’ll be updating it post-India with my entire journal. Prepare yourselves. There will be many an tearful moment, I’m sure.

Until April x

JABBED

Just over three weeks until I board that plane to India.

Isn’t that crazy?

I’m pretty horrendous at keeping up to date with my blog. I will try to better myself, promise.
So I guess I better start with the great news. As of 10th January (the final fundraising deadline), my total for Raleigh/ICS stands at £1555! Absolutely incredible and far surpassing my £800 target. The money raised facilitates our project through the ICS programme and, because of that, we can work at the grassroots of international development to change the world. To everybody who has donated, to everybody who has given their time, their love, their support and spread the message, from myself and on behalf of our community in India, THANK YOU!
I cannot wait to get going now; I’m jabbed, I’m insured, I’m visa-ed – all I have left is to finishing collecting kit and then it’s a waiting game. I’m pretty much ready with regards to kit but there’s still a few things I have to get. Buying enough sun cream to last for three months isn’t a cheap affair.
My coach to Heathrow is booked, as is my hotel for the night before. I’m sharing with the lovely Jess who I met at my training weekend, and I’m damn sure that we’ll enjoy those last bits of luxury before we head back to basics. There’s a bar, and there’s a bowling alley next to our accommodation. I’m sold.

If you want to keep up to date with what I’m doing over there, while I’m on project site, then check out the official Raleigh ICS blog here. Also, keep yourself up to date after my placement by coming back here, where I’ll be posting up my entire India journal, as well as continuing to share travel stories from my onwards travels.

Now that brings me nicely to my next big news – my flights are booked! I’m heading back to South East Asia! At last! I’ve been craving a return visit since, well, I stepped off my flight at Heathrow in 2012. As I fly into Bangkok, I’ll be spending some time chilling out and visiting friends in Thailand before travelling through Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and wherever else funds allow. I can’t wait to finish the trip that I feel like I started last time.

What else have I tackled in the time since I last posted on here? Christmas and new year.
My alcohol resistance level has been severely affected and I think it’s time for an India detox.
Do leave a comment or two and give me your thoughts. I like to read thoughts. Psychic, you see.
Happy 2014!

MY ULTIMATE TOP 20 TRAVEL SONGS

As I’m off on another adventure in under two months(!!), I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes a trip not just a trip but an experience and one thing to me is the songs that relate to your travels. I have songs, as we all do, that represent particular times in my life, especially those times where I’ve travelled abroad (you’ll see a couple of those in this list)
So, I thought it’d be a nice idea to write out my definitive top twenty travel songs; songs that relate to travel, songs that relate to certain experiences of mine, songs that inspire people to travel, songs that give good feeling.. you get it..
Comment and let me know if you agree, if there’s anything you’d add.. Let’s go!

20. Vanessa Carlton – A Thousand Miles

A gentle start to the countdown, Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles is a cult classic. You only have to listen to the song once to know why - that riff. The song (most famous nowadays for the car scene in White Chicks) talks about Carlton’s wanting for her lover for whom she has been separated from, I’m guessing by an approximate distance of 1000 miles..

19. Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run


The lyrics speak for themselves, talking of escaping and seeing life before it’s too late, “we gotta get out while we're young”. And you know, we were born to run. It’s just a true fact of life. Evolution.
Controversial that this is so low on the list? Maybe. The song itself doesn’t have anything particularly spine-tingling about it to me, but it’s fucking Springsteen for God’s sake. Of course it’s going to be here.

18. M.I.A. – Come Walk With Me


So this may be a bit of a personal entry to the list, but I love M.I.A. and I love this song and I don’t think there’s enough hype around her. I'd hope that I could see this song being big on the backpacker scene in the coming years. Expect to see photos of me dropping it like it’s hot (I just.. sorry) to this at a beach party in the future.

17. Steppenwolf – Born To Be Wild


Another ‘born to’ song and another song about motorcycles – were Springsteen and the Steppenwolf guys drinking buddies? (genuine question)
”Born to be wiiiiiiild” has to be one of the greatest feel-good moments of any song, you just can’t help but sing along. A song about looking for adventure and facing whatever comes along. Hello number 17.

16. Nelly Furtado – I’m Like A Bird


Who’d’ve thought Nelly Furtado would ever make a travel music list?
It’s the chorus of this song that strikes a chord with me, I think it’s resonant as it talks of not knowing where home is, reflecting the feeling of being ‘lost’ that many a traveller can relate to. She also compares herself to a bird and that’s extra brownie points right there.

I like to think she’d be a sparrow hawk.

15. Daft Punk – Around The World


A legendary sound from legendary music men. The song itself doesn’t really have much more to it than “around the world, around the wo-orld” over some pretty heavy bassline, but hey, it applies and I love it. It’s that 90’s, I feel hashtagging it #ThrowbackThursday would be appropriate.

14. Ray Charles – Hit The Road Jack

More of a break-up song, but it still employs the basic principle of travel – hitting the road. Ray Charles, one of the most charming performers of the 20th century, made this Percy Mayfield song famous in 1960 and it has remained a timeless tune to this day. No jokes to this one, just a goddamn classic.

13. Whitesnake – Here I Go Again


“YOLO” before “YOLO” was “YOLO”. Maybe applying more to the regular solo traveller, this one hasn’t lost it’s original kick. Possibly the only classic rock song not to be covered by Glee?
Did I speak too soon?

12.  Scissor Sisters – Only The Horses

This was my “returning home” song after my trip to Thailand in 2012. I did not want to leave the country and come back to rainy England, so I guess there’s emotional attachment for me. The song is beautiful and this list wouldn’t reflect my views without some form of camp. Scissor Sisters fill that quota quite well. “It feels so good to just get lost sometimes” is less of a lyric to me and more of a sentiment. It’s so true.
Pass the Kleenex, it’s getting emotional.

11. Candi Staton – Young Hearts Run Free


Another “but it’s just so true so listen to it” moment. This song is one of a few that can get absolutely anybody on a dance floor. It’s a pretty liberating tune and for that reason alone, it makes the list. Travel is all about liberation. It’s also pretty famous now for Kim Mazelle’s cover in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet.. which.. is just like.. the greatest scene of any movie ever.

10. Flo Rida – Wild Ones


Everything about this song makes me feel great; Sia’s vocals, the bassline, Sia’s vocals, the bit where Flo Rida tries to sing, Sia’s vocals and Sia’s vocals. This is the Chang gang song. Done.
(You won’t understand that if you aren’t part of the gang, for which I won’t apologise, I will just feel sorry for you)

9. Lady GaGa – Gypsy


What is life without a Lady GaGa song?! The most current song on the list, released in this fine year of 2013, has all the great aspects of a travel song. A catchy loop: check. A piano: check. A definitive list of stamps in the artists passport: check. Every true traveller would consider themselves a gypsy while they’re abroad – homeless and contemplating dreadlocks.

8. U2 – Beautiful Day


This was suggested to me and I had a gap to fill. It’s the sort of song that’d feature over a joyous montage in a Richard Curtis film. Enough said.

7. Tracy Chapman – Fast Car


HER VOICE! HER VOICE! HER VOICE!
If this song doesn’t make you buzz inside (especially when the chorus hits), you must be a very unfulfilled person. The line “We gotta make a decision, leave tonight or live and die this way” resonates with me, purely based on my unwillingness to settle for how things are. Travel is a form of escapism and this tune captures that perfectly!

6. John Denver – Leaving On A Jet Plane


In Top Of The Pops style, “just missing out on the top 5!”
The man himself kind of explains why this song belongs here at the beginning of the video – leaving the ones you love. I’ve known of this song since the choir I used to sing with as a child performed it and it’s always stuck for some reason. Maybe I always knew I was going to leave on a jet plane? Maybe I was a psychic child?
Suddenly everything makes sense..

5. Otis Redding – (Sitting On The) Dock Of The Bay


It’s Otis Redding and it’s Dock Of The Bay.

4. Rizzle Kicks – Traveller's Chant


It’s one of those sitting-on-a-train-looking-out-of-the-window-at-the-rain-as-the-camera-zooms-in songs. Rizzle Kicks frank lyrics make what could have been, truthfully, a crap song, actually quite special. It grabs hold of how everybody feels at some point in their life – you know, when you just need a holiday? “Yes, I do have places to be”
Oh, and Rizzle Kicks are Brighton lads, so you know.. Reppin’ the BN an’ what?

3. All Saints – Pure Shores


Most famous for being the lead song from The Beach soundtrack, this William Orbit/Shaznay Lewis penned ditty has that magical, underwater-like feel to it. It’s a explosion of nostalgia, another #ThrowbackThursday! All Saints were a great girl group, weren’t they? I miss them.
It’s the kind of ‘cocktail in the pool’ song that makes for a perfect travel tune.
Not that backpackers get that luxury very much.
Far too expensive.

2. Rusted Root – Send Me On My Way


As soon as you hear that twangy tune at the beginning, you know what’s coming! It’s only another bleedin’ nostalgia explosion! The song, most famous for being featured in the movie version of Roald Dahl’s Matilda, is the feel-good anthem of my childhood and it seems to have stuck with me through to adulthood and my travels. It’s the kind of tune I imagine being on the soundtrack to my life, as I run through a cornfield without a care in the world! I watch too many films, don’t I?






AND THE NUMBER ONE ULTIMATE TRAVEL SONG IS…

1. Bob Marley – Three Little Birds


Anybody that has travelled further than the Costa coast of Spain will tell you that Bob Marley is universally acknowledged as, well, God. This is the song I listen to, to cheer me up, this is the music I was raised on and Bob is the one person I have seen represented in some form in every single country I have been to. Whether it be as a statuette in Spain, a carving in Finland, a keychain in Greece or on the side of a taxi in Thailand – he’s there! Any of his songs could be at number one really. Something about Three Little Birds, however, seems to transcend borders. Because, you know, every little thing REALLY IS gonna be alright..


Download them all! Listen to them all! Love them all!
Leave some comments! Let me know your thoughts!

FEELINGS

Hello world!

Alas, many a day has passed without a blog.
I do apologise, but I doubt you care.
(If you are that traumatised then thank you, but get a hobby)(and maybe a better role model)
Well, what’s been happening then?
Nearly two weeks ago (I know! Bad blogger should go back to blogging school) I held my main fundraising event for India, That Friday Feeling, a night of ska, reggae & soul.
After weeks of organising, Friday 15th November came along faster than a tube train coming out of the tunnel. They do appear very quickly, don’t they?
With a lot of help from my friends, family and in particular my cousin Romy, the night was a complete and utter success! Word had been spread and more and more people came through the door! If you’re reading this and you’ve got a public fundraising event planned or you may do in the future, I can assure you that the best feeling is that which runs through you when strangers attend said event! By the looks of it, my persistent littering of noticeboards and shop windows with posters seems to have paid off. Other humans gone done attended!
Along with the DJs, I ran a raffle through the night with prizes including vouchers for Choccywoccydoodah (check out their show on GoodFood channel if you don’t know who they are) and Peter Andre’s New York Coffee Club. This helped bring in funds and the raffle alone raised around £100.
The Hassocks, where I held the event, were incredibly hospitable, allowing us the function room for free and even getting involved in the evening themselves. A big thank you to them!
The drink did flow and the music did play, so much so that friends who’d only ever dance to Britney Spears were joining in with the talcum powder floor fun (it’s a northern soul thing, Google it)
A special thanks also to Grapevine sound system for DJing and compering the evening!
All in all, we raised well over £400 which takes my total over and above £1000 now.
To everybody that came, helped, danced, drank and gave, THANK YOU!


Other stuff! Other stuff!
Well, as of today, I’ve got my departure date – Thursday 7th February 2014.
Shit just got real.
It’s all so, like, HAPPENING.
I seem to go through spells, as I’m sure everyone is, of being incredibly excited followed by moments of incredible fear and “I can’t get out of this can I?” It’s a very odd feeling knowing that you’re intentionally putting yourself out of your comfort zone. I guess I’m feeling it a lot more because of how I felt at points during my stay in Thailand (being sick and having escaped a crap time at home were big influences). I need to stop relating it to how I felt then!
As I don’t return to the UK until the 17th April, it means I get my 22nd birthday out there! WHAT! My birthday in India! I don’t say this word ever, but that’ll be SICK!

So, I go in 70 days exactly.

MADNESS

Leave a comment and let me know about your life




or not





whatever





do what you wish





it's your life





bye

TEA AND TRAINING

This is relevant OKAY?!

So, say you were applying or preparing for a Raleigh ICS placement abroad and you were wondering what to expect from your pre-departure training weekend..
Say that was you..
(Work with me)
Just pretend..
Then you’d appreciate a blog telling you what to expect, yes?
YES?!
Well, then you’ve come to the right place, my friend

This past weekend (8th – 10th November) I took a little trip to South London Scout Camp in Dulwich, to experience my pre-departure training weekend.
I have to say, before arriving at Sydenham Hill station, I was a little anxious about what the weekend would hold. I’m great with putting myself outside my comfort zone, but the thought of what we’d be doing and whether this would deter me from actually wanting to go to India unnerved me a tad.
After journeying on some very busy rush hour trains on Friday evening, with numerous bags and an empty stomach, I reached SH station and made my way to the camp. On the way I found other intrepid volunteers, a couple of them also being team India, and we traced our way through the dark, dismal night to find the training event (via the golf course – watch out for that).
Upon arrival, we found a room full of friendly faces – including that of a girl on my team at the assessment day. After sticking our bags in the back room, we sat down for an introductory talk then got divided into two groups. Our group took to another room, and guided by our trainer Nathan, got straight into team exercises to get to know one another.
This first evening was a great introduction to the weekend, with more team activities, group talks, presentations – and pizza. I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I won’t explain exactly what we did, but we didn’t finish until about half 10. Most of us were completely shattered by this point but immediately comfortable in our surroundings.
”Sleeping arrangements?” I hear you ask.

The two nights in Dulwich were spent sleeping on bunk beds, so the roll-mat I had bought wasn’t needed. A little tip to anybody tall like myself or precious about their head; don’t choose the top bunk. Low ceilings and tiny ladders lead to a bruised cranium. All in all, pretty comfortable for what it was, just prepare for the cold. These scout huts are notorious for their poor heating.
The following day, we were up at 7am for breakfast at 8. Sadly, I’m used to being up at this time on a Saturday. After brekkie and getting ready, it was back in our groups and right away, into more activities. This day, although long, was incredibly fun. We learnt a lot more about the project itself, the Millenium Development Goals, environmental issues, global community and our role as Global Active Citizens, to name just a few things, broken up nicely with soup and A LOT of tea, in an attempt to drag myself out of a tiresome state. I learnt a lot on this day and gained real inspiration for the project.
That evening, both groups re-joined and enjoyed the delicious curry cooked by volunteer chef Maddock. This was then followed by a quiz night, run by trainer Al. Now, if I was to say to you that volunteers – people with the aim of changing the world for the better – were highly competitive, you wouldn’t believe me. Well, I probably wouldn’t believe it myself. Turns out, us good folk are actually hilarious at being rivals.
Our night didn’t finish at the quiz, with many of us staying up to play board games and Jenga and throw balls around. I don’t think my head hit the pillow until about half one Sunday morning. A really great evening with some really great people.
7am on Sunday came and it was all about day three. Sausage sandwiches for breakfast then the get ready and go, with a lot of us craving a couple more hours sleep. Today we focused on cultural issues, how to deal with cultural boundaries, conflicts and differing situations. There was also a talk on kit, another on medical stuff and more information on the project. I don’t think my brain has quite processed all we learnt over the weekend, but on the plus side the knowledge is worth the brain melt. We wrapped up the day with a final group activity, telling what we’ve gained from training, then packed up, said goodbye to our new friends and headed to the station. Most of us caught the same train back to London Victoria, before parting ways.
So, what can you expect from the weekend?A fantastic time, some great new friends (that I can’t wait to see again), the perfect gateway into your Raleigh ICS experience, gained knowledge of many world issues and to have your eyes opened before even boarding a plane.
I’m more excited than ever before for India and I can’t wait to make a real difference in the world.

Oh, and expect plenty of tea. Tea and biscuits are a non-stop thing over the weekend.

Leave a comment, let me know what your thoughts are on my blog or if you are preparing for a Raleigh trip!
Peace

AN EIGHT AND TWO ZEROS

Before I update y’all on life and that, I thought I should let you know that I’m over £800!!

WHAT!!

£800 is the minimum I needed to raise to get me going to India and because of your generosity I’ve surpassed it!
So, to family, friends, acquaintances and especially clients in the salon – THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

I’m shocked that I’m this far already and I’m yet to hold That Friday Feeling!

Let’s get this mutha to 1k!

THANK YOU!!!!!!

Check out my current total at http://www.JustGiving.com/BambiRaleigh and please continue to give what you can for the charity