Seeing as this blog is now at c6000 reads (thanks Mum!) I better start writing some stuff actually 'about' India. However, first here's a quick squeeze of what I got up to back in Blighty.
My flight back to the UK took 8.5 hours. During that time the temperature on the ground outside went from 40 degrees to -2.
Lucky for me I'm now back in 40 degree land. And I'm loving Delhi. Here's what I got up to back in the UK)
- I am legal
- I blow bubbles and celebs see me flex my hips
- Two of the best skype conversations
- My mum and her porno church documentaries
- I am a lightweight
- My material test
I was looking forward to heading back and getting my whites whiter after having 6 months of cleaning my clothes in a bucket. I was not prepared for the climate though. I never use the bath but with a 40 degree drop in temperatures I thought it was well justified to use every bubble bath products I could find in the 'guest basket' (aren't mums great?) and defrost. I filled the whole bathroom with bubbles, any 5 year old would have been proud.
My main reason for travelling back was to get an employment visa for India. I've done a few visa applications in my time but this involved paperwork from the last 20 years. India, if you weren't so amazing I would have given up and gone to a hot beach in SE Asia! Instead I have an Indian employment visa and plan on being here for a while.
Going home was an interesting test for me. I know when I've come back from 6 month+ trips before and despite a suntan and a new language I've never really changed too much. This time was a bit different.
- I used to go everywhere with my headphones, filling every spare moment with podcasts, audiobooks etc now I prefer listening to nature - A GOOD CHANGE
- I used to drink coffee - Now I don't like the taste - UNDECIDED
- I used to eat fish and sometimes (if it caused an issue with a friend cooking) eat meat - I now eat neither. It's worth noting that I lived in Buenos Aires and used to LOVE Steak now I cannot stand the site of it - A GOOD CHANGE
- I used to be a big fan of quality red wine - Now I don't like the taste - WTF??
I have to admit having changed my diet quite dramatically in the last 6 months I feel the healthiest I've ever been. You are what you eat and I feel the healthiest I've ever been.
My material values showed a bit of a change; on the first day back the object I wanted to see first was my Aurorae yoga Mat and despite having a decent car in the garage under a dust sheet I didn't take it out for a spin until my last day. OK, I admit I missed being a boy racer although it felt kinda funny driving wearing a kurta!
It was great hanging out with mum. I normally wear thin of 121 time with ma after 2-3 days. All those classic jokes being repeated every time (the oldest joke in the world - me "I've been thinking" - mum "ohhh that sounds dangerous"). This time, however, was different. I was meditating and doing yoga every morning (thanks to jetlag I kept up a 6am routine for two weeks!) so I was very chilled and had all the time in the world for my ma. I even experimented with a day of silence with mum to see if she would appreciate the amount of energy it saved and how chilled out you felt at the end.
Below is a photo of Wisley Gardens where we went on our silent day:
Despite the day going well, I got a note from her at 7pm stating that she had done it for 12 hours, and now wanted to watch Corenation Street. I let her listen to an Andrew Lloydd Webber CD instead, that was her treat ;) She got me back the next day when she had +10 of her church friends round for a discussion video in the evening when I went in the lounge and asked what they were watching she suggested a documentary on Fifty Shades of Grey. I was silent for quite a while after that. My favourite comedy moment from my mum was her favourite SMS text "LOL". She used to end every text with LOL. For example, "That lady Rosemary from down the road died LOL". It took me a while to realise she wasn't' being sadistic but actually meant "lots of love' - bless.
The rest of the time I was a good son, I did all the odd DIY jobs around the house and cooked Indian Food. We went to a local Indian Supermarket one day and as I was still in my floaty Rishikesh mood I walked and as soon as I saw an Indian I put my hand to my heart and said "Namaste". They had a little chuckle and I soon realised it best to keep that sort of gesture to India itself!
This was my effort at Makina Dalh, it was bloody lurvley :)
This was my effort at Makina Dalh, it was bloody lurvley :)
And here is a recipe I used for the most amazing Chai Masala
I am no means a health spa expert but apparently Champneys is all the rage in the UK (http://www.champneys.com/Forest-Mere) so I bought my mum a three day holiday for her birthday and decided to go along too. It was like a big house full of posh Hen parties; I'm not sure about the health spa but I saw alot of gangs of women in robes drinking Lattes. There were a few guys there including celebs like Gavin Hastings and Sid Owen. I caught the latter smirking at my rusty salsa moves during a dance class so as revenge here's a photo of him wearing a funny suit. Fk hang on, he's got a fit girl with him - oh yes, there's a message "Girls like guys who can dance" ;)
I'm not a fan of gyms but have to admit the classes were some of the best I've ever been to. My highlight, however, was waking up early and doing yoga in a massive studio on my own with amazing views.
To give you an idea of the demographics at Champneys when the instructors asked if people had injuries the general answer was "I've got a new knee"......."I've got a new hip". It was like a cross between an episode of Golden girls and Sex in the City.
Me and mum in the grounds at Champneys (my lesson in using a self-timer......I'm taller than my mum):
I was really impressed that they had talks/seminars in the evenings on subjects including spirituality and nutrition. However, based on that, I was surprised with the food. It was hotel food, not healthy food. Don't get me wrong I love rich food but as a veggie, the menu was impossible and the Nutritional adviser (who was a vegan......like most nutritional advisers!) was on a mission to change that :)
I caught up with alot of friends when I was back including a number of skype calls as after 6 months I finally had working wifi. I got to watch my godson do Gangnan Style (see below) and I had a much overdue Skype conf call with some of the lads who live around the globe.
The conf call had the following agenda. I've taken the names out but this was a classic call. The content was like a Tesco Value version of Playboy magazine -classy!:
- Hopes and dreams for 5 years from now
- @@@'s issue with sex
- @@@'s issue with sex
- Does @@@ have any single friends in Delhi and London?
- @@@'s opinion of the property market
- Front crawl lesson
- @@@'s new haircut
- New facebook profile picture for @@@
- Kids
I was gutted I couldn't make it back to Dublin to see my mates there but had to be in London for my visa. My one night out in London was my first beers in a while and a it was a classic.
The boys:
The girls:
I was hour late for dinner and missed my train home. I used to be little my organised, seems I've chilaxed a beet!
Although I didn't enjoy wine when I was back in the UK I am determined to get the taste back. Below is a photo of my checked in luggage coming back here. The chocs were presents for the office and the wine is all for me :) I've a friend over from Ireland next weekend so I'm hoping they can help me with a few bottles!
Quite a few people have asked me to write about living in India as opposed to just mad stuff that happens here so I'm going to dip into some cultural discussion in my next post. I've been positive about India in all my blogs but I need just to point out some facts:
- Why Indians are one of the least altruistic people in the world (WORLD GIVING SURVEY)
- Why Indians have bad manners (LONELY PLANET)
- Why women in India have a hard time (REUTERS)
- Why Gang Rape in India is part of the culture (INDIAN TIMES)
- Why India is so corrupt (WORLD BANK)
- Why Indians have no concept of noise pollution (MR FLACK)
These are all things that are changing for the better and I'll be discussing my thoughts in the next post. If you've anything you'd like me to cover off leave a comment!
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