India Diary

Monday 21 September
In the airport we received the message, that the flight to Delhi was overbooked, and not all members of the group would get a seat. In London however there were no problems. We all got a seat.

Tuesday 22 September
In Delhi we were met by an Idex guide and we drove to a hotel in town. We got breakfast and a bath before we took the bus to Agra the city where Taj Mahal is situated. We arrived late the same day and checked in to a hotel in town. We were all very tired and went early to bed.

Wednesday 23 September
We started an early walk to Taj Mahal at 6:00 am. Taj Mahal lies in a huge park, where monkies are climbing in the trees. I is not far from the hotel. It was a marvellous sight to see Taj Mahal in during the rising sun.
Back at the hotel we had lunch before we started on a very long bus ride to Jaipur. We ended at the Idex office in town, where representatives for the host families awaited us. Morna and I was installed in the house of Mr. Andrews. He is a retired owner of a grocery store. His son and daughter in law are now running the business.

Thursday 24 September
We had Hindi lessons in the morning at the Idex office and later we had an orientation about the camp we will be staying in and the job opportunities there. In the afternoon we visited the Bazaar just inside the city wall of the pink city (the old city).

Friday 25 September
Fort Amber lies 12 km from Jaipur on the top of a mountain. Here resided the Maharajah that later founded the city of Jaipur. We visited the very big castle with a guide. Afterwards we should have had an elephant ride but this was cancelled. Instead we drove back to the office where we had lunch and a lecture about the Kanjahar project. After dinner we visited a huge cinema in town and we saw a long Bollywood film (3 hours)

Saturday 26 September
Last day in Jaipur. We checked out from our families in the morning. We had two lectures, one about the women's situation in India and another about the caste system. Then we started the long journey toward Himachal Pradesh. It was after midnight before the night train started its journey towards Himachal.

Sunday 27 September
I did sleep on the train, but it was very little. We went right to the terminal of this track, a station called Una. Here we were received by an official delegation from the city with flower chains and a red mark in the forehead. We had another three hours by car before we arrived at Sungal Camp, where we should stay for the next seven weeks. We were installed in our rooms and received an orientation about the rules of the camp. Later the same day we visited the market of Palampur the nearest city.

Monday 28 September
We start our day with an hour of Yoga training before breakfast. We have to write a weekly report on our teaching work. We were presented examples of such reports. Today we were visiting the centre for handicapped children situated right here in the camp.
In the afternoon we had an hour Hindi lesson and later we went to Palampur where a great Hindu festival was going on. The festival is called Dussehra. On the place of the festival there were carousels and big swings. In the centre there were 3 big cardboard figures. After dark there were fireworks and the three figures were burned down.

Tuesday 29 September
Today we visited the schools, where it is possible to teach. We visited 3 schools and four daycare centres. In the afternoon after our Hindi lesson we had to choose our workplace. I choose Sungal Primary School in the morning and Mutt school in the afternoon.

Wednesday 30 September
Today were our first working day at the school. We started with half an hour of planning with our coordinator at home in the camp. The school is just across the road from the entrance to the camp.
We were first introduced to the school headmaster Mr Dalgil Jumar. Then we were introduced to the children in the class. In the break between classes we played with the children. Before we left the school we surveyed that they all washed their hands before eating their lunch.
At Mutt school our coordinator had prepared small tasks for the children. The last half hour we were playing with the children, sjipping and playing ball games.

Thursday 1 October
We had prepared a small test for our class today. How many letters did they know when presented individually and not in order. We divided the class according to the test and taught them in divided groups. The oldest which had the best score in the test were kept together and I was teaching Math to this group.

Friday 2 October
Today is Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, and all schools were closed. We used the day for visits to other schools. We visited a school for disabled children and another school for (normal) orphans.

Saturday 3 October
We started our trip to Amritsar at 5 o'clock in the morning and we arrived at noon. In the afternoon we went to the Wagah border gate to Pakistan. We were there to watch the border closing ceremony. It took place with a military parade. The two flags are lowered at equal level and exactly at sunset. There is a big crowd of people on the Indian side, but at the Pakistani side there were barely half full. The Indian crowd yelled Hindustan slogans and the Pakistani people answered as best they could. It was a very hot day even at the sunset.
After dinner we went on a night visit to the Golden Temple. It was looking beautiful in the light of the lanterns.

Sunday 4 October
We went to the Golden Temple again in the morning, this time in broad daylight. You take off your shoes and cover your head with a turban or a scarf. We were standing in a queue for more than an hour before we got access to the centre of the Golden Temple. Later on we were shown the huge restaurant where up to 3000 people can have a free meal. This is for the poor and the needy people and is made possible by donations. The kitchen is industrialized with big machines making chapati.
After the visit at the Golden Temple we went to Jallianwala Bagh the now memory place for the Amritsar massacre (1919). 400 unarmed people were killed and 1500 wounded by British soldiers after a peaceful demonstration.
In the afternoon we returned to Sungal Camp.

Monday 5 October
In this camp the system is very bureaucratic. Before any teaching we meet with our instructor and plan the session. Minutes of the meeting is written and signed by all. After each session we meet again to discuss how our plan worked. This is again referred and signed. Every week we write a weekly report. This report is formalized, and it is very important. We use the daily reports as a background for the weekly report. Idex, the organization we work for, receive money from outside and need documentation for the work done.

Tuesday 6 October
Whenever we leave the camp we have to sign out, and we have to sign in again when we return. They take good care of us, if we see it from the positive side. We could also say there is much control.
Today we visited Saidyanath Temple for Lord Shiva in the city of Baijnaith. We left after work and we were there during sunset. There were many monkies in the park around the temple.

Wednesday 7 October Thursday 8 October
Ordinary school days

Friday 9 October
In the morning we went to school, but after lunch we went to McLeod Ganj where Dalai Lama lives. On the way we visited an old Hindu temple at Masrur This temple is cut out of a very big sandstone. The earthquake of 1905 partly destroyed this great monolith. We did not stay in Dharamsala but in the neighbour city McLeod Ganj (1700 m) Here it is really cold during the night. This city is closer to the monastery which is the official residence of Dalai Lama, and it is full of tourists.

Saturday 10 October
Most of the group went on to a trip into Kashmir. I did not want to go and stayed on in the city of McLeod Ganj. The city is dominated by Buddhist monks and nuns. Most of them are Tibetans but I also saw Indians and even Europeans. It is difficult to distinguish between the sexes because both are tonsured an wear the same red clothes.
In the evening my birthday was celebrated both in Danish, English and Spanish. We have a Spanish nurse in our group.

Sunday 11 October
The other half of the group returned from Kashmir and now it were their turn to go shopping. Today we visited the Tibetan monastery south of the town. This is the official residence of Dalai Lama.
In the afternoon we returned to Sungal Camp. I served beer at the dinner and we celebrated my birthday again.

October 12-13-14-15-16
Ordinary school days

Saturday 17 October
We celebrated Diwali a Hindu festival with fireworks, candle light and sweets. Again I served beer for everybody who wanted.

Sunday 18 October
We went on a one day trip back to Dharamsala and McLeod Ganj. Some wanted to go back shopping, but I wanted to find the other Tibetan Temple and monastery. After some searching I found the temple. Later I visited the Museum of Kangra Art in Dharamsala.

Monday 19 October
School free. I think it is still Diwali festival.

October 20-21-22
Ordinary school days.

Friday 23 October
We visited the tea plantation and the tea factory outside Palampur in the afternoon. The production from this factory is sold on a very big market in Kolkata (Calcutta)

Saturday 24 October
Annette and I took the bus from Palampur to Kangra after breakfast. The other part of the group got up very early to take the small narrow track train to Kangra. Annette and I went first to the Brajeshwari Devi temple. This temple is placed in the middle of a bazaar where everybody sells votive gifts to be donated in the temple. We went the same way back and met with the other group after having contacted them over the phone. We had lunch together and we spend the rest of the day in the Kangra Fort, a huge ruin with a splendid view over the valley.

October 25-26-27
Ordinary free and school days

Wednesday 28 October
The group received an invitation to the wedding of a brother to our Taylor in Sungal. Here in the village all of us have used the local Taylor when we wanted shirts or dresses made. I had 8 shirts made by this Taylor at a price of 25 dkr (2,3 US$). The female members of our group have bought several gowns each.
We started in the house of the Taylor where we met his wife and two daughters. We were served sweets and tea. Later on we went to the festival which took place in another house. We were dancing and I was offered a turban hat so I was looking like all the other men all wearing turbans. We were there only for a couple of hours but left when the rest of the party took off to fetch the bride. A Hindu wedding normally takes 3 days.

October 29 - 30
Ordinary school days.

Weekend 31 October 1 November
New people has arrived in the camp. This week-end were the time for their visit to Amritsar. Our group decided to join them and pay the price. I joined because my pictures from the Golden Temple were very bad, and I wanted to take some new pictures. It had just been the birthday of Guru Nanak Dev (the founder of the Sikh religion) and the temple was still illuminated with chains of electrical light. Unfortunately it made it look like Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen.
At the border ceremony at Wagah we had better seats near the front and we had a much better view

Monday 2 November
We had a free day at the Sungal school, and we used the time visiting some of the parents. We had very short time to plan this meeting. We were not informed in time of the school free day.

November 3-4-5
Ordinary school days

Friday 6 November
Four persons Annette, Morna, Sharon and I. took of for Shimla at noon. After an hours drive we stopped for lunch at a restaurant with a splendid view over a valley. We had trout fried in batter from a nearby fish farm owned by the restaurant. The landscape was beauty here, much more than where we live in Sungal. We passed Mandi half way to Shimla, and the mountains and river valleys were very impressive. The sun was going down, and we drove the last part in darkness.
Shimla is situated on a mountain ridge. Motor cars are prohibited in the central part of the city, so we had to leave the car and walk to our hotel.

Saturday 7 November
On the top of the ridge lies The Mall with British colonial style houses. You have to walk very steep streets or take the stairs to get up there. The group split up because we wanted to see different things. I wanted to see the Hanuman Temple on top of the Jakhoo hill. Hanuman is the monkey god and there were plenty of monkeys around. The monkeys are aggressive because some people feed them and they now expect everybody to give them something. It is possible to rent a stick so you can keep them at a distance.
After this visit I drifted around in the streets and took photos.

Sunday 8 November
The return to camp was at noon so we had another half day in town. I decided to have a look at the museum outside the town. It was a long walk but still I arrived early. It did not open before ten o'clock.
On our way back to the camp we had lake trout in batter in the same restaurant. We were back very late.

Monday 9 November
The day started with a rainstorm. On the mountains it fell as snow. Yoga class had to move indoors again. In school we had to keep all the teaching indoors. There is no electrical light so we had problems seeing the boards.

Tuesday 10 November
The weather turned normal again and we were back to our routine.

Wednesday 11 November
Ordinary school day.

Thursday 12 November
We invited the young Danish group from the youth camp on the other side of Palampur. Idex was very helpful and arranged a dinner at the lawn in front of the buildings. It was a bit cold but a huge bonfire was lit afterwards where we could sit enjoying our tea and cookies. It was a very cosy evening.

Friday 13 November
It was the last day in school both at Sungal primary and in Mutts bridge course. We gave the children sweets. At Sungal school I gave a picture show on my laptop and the rest of the time we played bingo. It was a little hard to say goodbye to the children we had been together with for almost two month.

Saturday 14 November
The rain poured down all day while we were packing and cleaning our rooms. It continued pouring down when we left for Una Station and our train to Delhi.

Sunday 15 November
The train was not as scary as it appeared the first time. We arrived at Delhi 3 hours late and was checked in at Surabaya Shelter (Hotel). After breakfast we split up because we wanted to see different places in the city. I started at the Red Fort right in the centre of Old Delhi. The fort is build of red limestone. Inside it contains buildings in white marble for example the Pearl Mosque.
After the fort I went to Jama Masjid the biggest mosque in India.
In the evening we had a farewell dinner for all group members who were returning home. I was the only person who stayed on.

Monday 16 November
I had another half day in Delhi before the departure of my train. I started visiting Jantar Mantar an old astronomy observatory. It consists of various sundials and instruments to measure angles.
From there I went to Ray Ghat the Mahatma Gandhi memorial.
I was guided to the railway station by an Idex guide, and we were one hour early despite the heavy rush-hour traffic. I was alone in the train, but was picked up in Balmer.

Tuesday 17 November
The Camp in Shiv lies 50 km from Balmer and 10 minutes walk from the village of Shiv. I was introduced to the other volunteers here in the camp. It is dominated by Germans but there are Swedes and a single Norwegian Torgeir whom I share a room with. The rest of the day I used to learn to know the facilities of the camp.

Wednesday 18 November
My job is to take over from Torgeir at the GDK school. Today I followed him to school and observed his way of teaching. The school is apparently placed in the middle of the desert, but if you look carefully, you will see small homesteads scattered around. We teach the children from these homesteads. I will take over class 3 – 6 in English and mathematics. The school has normally only one teacher.

Thursday 19 November.
In the morning I still followed the teaching of Torgeir. In the afternoon I followed Hermann, a German volunteer at another school called Snake Charmers. This area is inhabited by low caste Indians. Here we started with a round trip in the area inviting the kids to school. It corresponds to the Mutt Bridge Course in Himachal but here they call it afternoon school.
When I returned from Snake Charmers Torgeir I had the opportunity to go with him and our IDEX guide on a social visit to the parents of the kids we teach in the morning. I do not know the kids yet, but I went on because I wanted to see their homes.
They live from small farming with goats and cattle. They can only harvest one crop in the year and only if the monsun brings sufficient rain. The men work elsewhere in the periods where there is no farming to do while the women look after the animals.

Friday 20 November
Only three children arrived in school today, so we decided to cancel the teachings. The rest of the kids attended a funeral.

Saturday 21 November
I went to Jaisalmer with the local bus right after breakfast. It takes only two hours. Jaisalmer is an old city with a fort. It was build by a local king called Jaisal. There are many tourists here. Inside the walls of the fort there is a bazaar with narrow streets. I spent rest of the day seeing the palace and walk in the bazaar.

Sunday 22 November
In the morning I visited the three Jain temples placed inside the fort. After lunch I returned to Shiv.

Monday 23 November
Torgeir left this weekend so now I am alone teaching grade 3 and 4. In the afternoon Fran was also gone so I am alone teaching in Snake Charmers.
I was ill during the evening and I vomited several times.

Tuesday 24 November
Many volunteers has been ill here in the camp, and now it was my turn. I stayed at home in the camp and tried to get some rest.

Wednesday 25 November
I went back to school since I felt reasonable well

26 – 27 November
Ordinary school days.

Saturday 28 November
Start on the Camel Safari. First we went to Jaisalmer (again). I had seen the palace and the Jain Temples, so when the rest of the group went there I went on a tour in the city. We met again late in the afternoon and started on the tour to the camp where we should ride camels. We arrived late in the afternoon and started riding for about one hour in the desert. It was close to the sunset. Riding a camel is not very pleasant. Your bottoms get very sore. We went out in the dunes where we had a short break and then back again.
In the evening we had a marvellous buffet dinner with entertainment from local musicians and a belly dancer. It was possible to sleep on the flat roof of one of the houses, and I took this opportunity to have a view of the stars.

Sunday 29 November
There were mosquito's so I did not see many stars. At seven o'clock the second camel ride started. I went to the nearest village where the camels were watered. Meantime we went on a tour around the village. Back to the camp where we had breakfast before we left the camp and went to Jaisalmer. We arrived about eleven o'clock and the plan called for a free tour in town until four o'clock. I had seen enough and took the local bus back to the camp.

30 November, 1 – 2 – 3 December
Ordinary school days

Friday 4 December
I took the night bus (sleeping bus) to Udaipur,but I didn't sleep very much.

Saturday 5 December
I started early to see the city. First I visited the City Palace museum. The city is placed along an artificial lake and there's two artificial islands in the lake. Jagniwas island is closest to the city. It was once the summer palace of the king. Now it is a super deluxe hotel. It is possible to visit the other island. Jagmandir island. There is a small palace, and there are souvenir shops. The tour on the lake with visit at Jagmandir took place at sunset.

Sunday 6 December
It was a very long day. I had seen everything worth seeing and the bus did not leave till 8 pm.

Monday 7 December
Arrived back in camp at 7 am., and went to work right after breakfast. I did not sleep in the bus.

8 -9 -10 December
Ordinary school days. Thursday was the last day at Snake Charmers, and I offered sweets to the kids.

Friday 11 December
Last day in GKD school. The kids received a print of a group picture taken the day before. I gave them sweets and I showed them film and pictures on my laptop.

Saturday 12 December
Departure with the night train to Delhi.

Sunday 13 December
Free day in Delhi. Started at India Gate and continued in the nearby Zoo.

Monday 14 December
Up at 3 o'clock in order to reach my air plane.

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