Kerala

Namaste,

Hello everyone! I hope this blog finds you well. I am in Kerala now which is a different state of India on the western coast. On Monday morning we took a 6 hour bus ride to a place called Kannavu. From my limited understanding Kannavu used to be an alternative school for tribal children but now is really more of commune. There are about 6 adults (ages 20-25) taking care of all the land and about 10 children. It was kind of a strange situation and in the end I am not sure exactly why we went there. We slept on a concrete floor for 2 nights and were freezing! During the day we had one class but we also helped garden, gather firewood, harvest bamboo rice, clean and take care of the children. The best part was at night when we would all dance tribal dances in a circle around two guys playing drums. I have some great videos on my camera of my teachers wildly dancing!

On Wednesday, we drove to a town called Kalpetta where we stayed at a gorgeous hotel called Green Gates. It was a very "Western" hotel and even had a pool that we went swimming in! There, we did our oral and written evaluations of the India program with our country coordinators Leo and Bhargavi. It was very comfortable and a welcome change from sleeping on the floor.

Now, I am on vacation! I am with 6 other girls from the program and we are traveling in Kerala. On Friday morning we went to a wildlife preserve park and drove around. We saw many different types of deer, birds and a herd of elephants! After that we drove down to a city called Alleppey. The drive took about 8 hours which felt quite long! We had a large SUV with a driver named Anthony. When we arrived we had no idea what to do but luckily we found this great "homestay" called Sona. We called and asked if they had rooms and when we arrived the owners were standing outside waiting for us. We are in small little houses with one room with a queen bed and a "Western" bathroom. This morning, the owner (who I think is named Joseph) made us banana crepes! It was so nice. Alleppey is the hottest place ever! I have never been so hot in my life. You are constantly covered in a layer of sweat even if you have just taken a freezing cold shower. The big draw of Alleppey is the backwaters. There is a system of canals that run inland along the coast. Tomorrow, we are taking a houseboat all day and overnight along the backwaters. I am very excited because we found a list that said it is one of the things you must see before you die. Also, I think it will be a little cooler on the water.

Sorry this is a bit rushed. I am splitting internet time with a few other girls and don't want to hog the computer. Thank you so much for all the e-mails I have been receiving! As an update, I will be on vacation until March 4th. On the 4th we have a farewell dinner with the entire group and all our homestay families and then we leave late on the 5th for China! It is crazy how fast everything is going by!

Love,
Barbara