Why India?
Deciding to visit India in April had it's own process. I knew I wanted to go to India someday, but it most certainly wasn't on the top of my list. I had dreams of revisiting Poland and delving deeper into more of the Eastern European countries. I knew I wanted to go to Russia some day. And Ireland, Iceland, and Scandavia had their own places in my heart. What I did know was that I was looking to go on a trip in the spring of 2012. I started researching and thinking of my next adventure sometime in February but still wasn't sure where to go. Not having many friends or relatives who are both able to take time off and interested in traveling abroad, I knew that I had to either look beyond those closest to me or travel alone.
I sent out some feelers to my friends I had met throughout Europe and a friend I met in Munich while working as an Au Pair, Brooke, mentioned that she was going to India. She had traveled there the two previous summers and felt compelled to return to explore more of the country she had come to admire. I still wasn't sure, so I looked around a bit more. I found a "working holiday" opportunity in France that seemed interesting. An old British man had bought an old mansion in the French countryside and was renovating it to be used as paying guest accommodations and school trips. What he could offer was room and board, and in return I would work 2-3 days on any project that may come up during the week, from gardening to wood refurbishing to website updating to cleaning. And there was still a small price to pay, but well worth it. The minumum stay was three weeks, and although France had not previously been my favorite European country (far from it, if we are being honest), I thought a taste of the countryside might change my mind. And it would be good for a lone traveler and on my 4-5 days off I would have plenty of time for roaming around, maybe even take a small trip outside of the country.
While applying for this position, I also spoke a Finnish friend that I also met in Munich was working in Antalya, Turkey. Her name was Anni and we were practically unseperable during our short time together. A trip to Turkey sounded like a great adventure. I could fly into Istanbul, make my way down to the coast and spend some time with my friend in Antalya, then go hopping through the Greek islands. This trip, however, seemed to be one that would be best suited with a partner in crime. I didn't want to do this one alone, and my friend would have been working most of the time I was in her area anyway.
While juggling all of these options, I knew I only had a few more weeks to decide in order to get a decent price on airfare and be able to make the proper arrangements. Brooke gave me the name of a website with forums, hotels, transportation and other important information on traveling throughout India, www.indiamike.com. It was quite useful to get a sense of how other travelers feel about the country. Brooke gave me some things to think about also, but by the time she realized that I was actually considering meeting her there she got a little nervous that I wouldn't fall in love with it like she did. She said travelers either love India or they hate it; there is no inbetween. She said India stands for I'd Never Do It Again for some people. That there are things an outsider will never be able to understand, like their own time zome called IST (Indian Standard Time) meaning that nothing is on-time. And it's hot. "Sweating buckets" hot. I can hardly stand Mexico in May, why in God's name am I even considering this place?!?
I'm not sure what the lure was, but I researched more and more. I was warned that it was dirty, poor, hot, stinky, chaotic, sad. But all of these adjectives that friends and family used to describe this place they had never been didn't disuade me, as I imagine their plan to be. It only fueled my interest more, to be able to see a place so different than the comfortable bubble that I have come to know. I had also read stories of travelers who actually had been to the country describing it as colorful, bustling, raw, spiritual, and gorgeous. I did wonder if I would be able to handle it. Would I ever feel comfortable squatting to use the toilet? Would my stomache be able to handle their notoriously spicy cuisine (and if not, would I ever be able to find a toilet in time)? Would the heat leave me in a constant state of fatigue or would my body acclimate? Would I be welcomed into their country as an American? Would I be a changed person after seeing the streets in Calcutta lined with poverty stricken children, walking up and down asking for money so they can eat, while I am living rather comfortably in their territory without a care in the world? I didn't know the answer to any of these questions. But at the end of the day, when it came down to decision time, I knew where I wanted to go. Knowing myself as I do, I knew that no matter what I saw, no matter how dirty and poor the country was, and no matter how undeniably uncomfortable I knew I would be in many situations, that I would at the very least be able to appreciate the culture for what it was, even if I didn't love every second of it. I knew I wouldn't return in a million years saying I wish I had never gone.
So I bought by flight into Kochi and out of Delhi three weeks later, and figured the rest would fit into place. And it did.
I sent out some feelers to my friends I had met throughout Europe and a friend I met in Munich while working as an Au Pair, Brooke, mentioned that she was going to India. She had traveled there the two previous summers and felt compelled to return to explore more of the country she had come to admire. I still wasn't sure, so I looked around a bit more. I found a "working holiday" opportunity in France that seemed interesting. An old British man had bought an old mansion in the French countryside and was renovating it to be used as paying guest accommodations and school trips. What he could offer was room and board, and in return I would work 2-3 days on any project that may come up during the week, from gardening to wood refurbishing to website updating to cleaning. And there was still a small price to pay, but well worth it. The minumum stay was three weeks, and although France had not previously been my favorite European country (far from it, if we are being honest), I thought a taste of the countryside might change my mind. And it would be good for a lone traveler and on my 4-5 days off I would have plenty of time for roaming around, maybe even take a small trip outside of the country.
While applying for this position, I also spoke a Finnish friend that I also met in Munich was working in Antalya, Turkey. Her name was Anni and we were practically unseperable during our short time together. A trip to Turkey sounded like a great adventure. I could fly into Istanbul, make my way down to the coast and spend some time with my friend in Antalya, then go hopping through the Greek islands. This trip, however, seemed to be one that would be best suited with a partner in crime. I didn't want to do this one alone, and my friend would have been working most of the time I was in her area anyway.
While juggling all of these options, I knew I only had a few more weeks to decide in order to get a decent price on airfare and be able to make the proper arrangements. Brooke gave me the name of a website with forums, hotels, transportation and other important information on traveling throughout India, www.indiamike.com. It was quite useful to get a sense of how other travelers feel about the country. Brooke gave me some things to think about also, but by the time she realized that I was actually considering meeting her there she got a little nervous that I wouldn't fall in love with it like she did. She said travelers either love India or they hate it; there is no inbetween. She said India stands for I'd Never Do It Again for some people. That there are things an outsider will never be able to understand, like their own time zome called IST (Indian Standard Time) meaning that nothing is on-time. And it's hot. "Sweating buckets" hot. I can hardly stand Mexico in May, why in God's name am I even considering this place?!?
I'm not sure what the lure was, but I researched more and more. I was warned that it was dirty, poor, hot, stinky, chaotic, sad. But all of these adjectives that friends and family used to describe this place they had never been didn't disuade me, as I imagine their plan to be. It only fueled my interest more, to be able to see a place so different than the comfortable bubble that I have come to know. I had also read stories of travelers who actually had been to the country describing it as colorful, bustling, raw, spiritual, and gorgeous. I did wonder if I would be able to handle it. Would I ever feel comfortable squatting to use the toilet? Would my stomache be able to handle their notoriously spicy cuisine (and if not, would I ever be able to find a toilet in time)? Would the heat leave me in a constant state of fatigue or would my body acclimate? Would I be welcomed into their country as an American? Would I be a changed person after seeing the streets in Calcutta lined with poverty stricken children, walking up and down asking for money so they can eat, while I am living rather comfortably in their territory without a care in the world? I didn't know the answer to any of these questions. But at the end of the day, when it came down to decision time, I knew where I wanted to go. Knowing myself as I do, I knew that no matter what I saw, no matter how dirty and poor the country was, and no matter how undeniably uncomfortable I knew I would be in many situations, that I would at the very least be able to appreciate the culture for what it was, even if I didn't love every second of it. I knew I wouldn't return in a million years saying I wish I had never gone.
So I bought by flight into Kochi and out of Delhi three weeks later, and figured the rest would fit into place. And it did.
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