Week Without Walls - 8th grade

Every year our middle school students go into rural India and for a week and work on team building and adventure.  For the last two years, I went with the 6th graders to Matheran.  This year I went with the 8th graders to Sajan and Dabhosa.   We left Monday morning for the 2.5 hour drive to Sajan.  The kids slept in 4 person tents and all but two adults slept in cabins



This is an opportunity for kids to learn to share a space and work out differences with their friends.  The tent area also had big areas for them to do team building games etc.  In the mornins I inspected the tents with another teacher and we gave awards for cleanest tent and best greeting.  Kids sang to us, danced, and hugged us.  Best duty to have!!







This camp was a place for them to practice there skills before we went on our big expedition.  The kids were broken up in animal groups.  I was a cobra with another teacher and 14 kids.  The food was a lot better at this place than the 6th grade place!  They did a Fox line, built a raft, used compasses and GPS devices to orienteer, kayaked, went to a village to paint, and rapelled down a dam wall.

Fox line - good thing Nilendra and I are working on my arms. 

They had to build a raft and float it in the pool. - test run for expedition

We went to a local village and painted a school. 

All geared up for rapelling. 

stepping over the wall was the hardest part!! 

I actually let Go!!

On Wednesday we took the two hour bus drive to Dabhosa - long bumpy drive!  On thursday we had an all day expedition - The cobras and I started with the fox line and kayaking, then we had to hike up a huge hill to the bunks.  A jeep took us to the raft building site.  They had to get all 14 kids on the raft and ride it down the river and back.  We had lunch there then used the compasses and GPS to find clues.  The last even of the day we rapelling down a 220 ft waterfall.

You can see the person on the fox line under the waterfall.  It was so loud and the spray soaked me. 

building a raft

It floated!

Here is how big the waterfall is.  220 ft. I think.  Getting over the big hump wasn't too bad,but about 1/3 of the way down you had to take your feet off the wall and free fall.  As soon as I let go, I spun around facing out and squealed.  AT the bottom you landed on a floating raft right near the waterfall and they kayaked us to the edge. 

You can see someone coming down. 

Our group had to hike this massive hill (it's about 5 or six time this height) twice.

On Thursday night we had skit night, talent show, and s'mores.  On Friday we packed up and took the 4 hour drive back to Mumbai.

Trip back from Maldives to Mumbai - always eventful

Maldives day 5 and 6

Thursday

I decided to go snorkeling again but this time covered myself with sunscreen AND wore a shirt.  Good thing I took my Dramamine because it was a 15 min ride to the reef this time. Saw lots of great fish and a shark!! The water wasn't has clear here and the waves were bigger. I lasted the whole time though!  I decided to go eat lunch at the restaurant. I'm about out of snacks and 12 hours between meals is killing me!

Glad I went, the food was great. I have eaten more fish on this trip than I have in 5 years.  Sat with a couple - the guy was French and the woman was British. Yeah!  She was surprised I was American because I sounded Irish to her :) ha!! She and her husband have come many times - this is their favorite resort.  Last time they brought their kids.  This time they came with their neighbors.  They have fish on the totem. :)

A cute family from Mexico sat with me tonight's or dinner.  My lucky day! More English speakers!  The guy was a pilot for Qatar air and they lived in Doha. They had a 15 month old, Isabella who was adorable and happily eating her dinner even though it was 9:30 and most toddlers would be cranky. It was Italian night. One of the dive instructors said it is always the staff's favorite meal.  He and another dive instructor shared some info about diving and how it works being an instructor here.


Friday

My plan was to snorkel again in the morning, but I didn't feel week- dizzy and fatigued. So I napped and read :)

Dinner was on the beach again and it was " white party night" every one was dressed in white except for about three people and we all had black on - happy others decided to go full opposite! I don't own white! It would be filthy in 3 seconds in Mumbai!

I sat at a table full of staff which I should have done since the beginning - they speak English and they are fun.  A French diving instructor was there, Christophe - the Belgium guy I met when I first got here, 4 girls from Bali who worked in the spa, and a girl from the Philippines Who worked in PR. They were fun and interesting and it was nice to not have labored conversations.  A German guy joined us later - he arrived yesterday and spends the day taking diving lessons.  One of the Bali girls was fascinated with Oktoberfest so he explained a lot about that.  It was a nice time for my last night.  I didn't stay for the party - really didn't feel that well. maybe the sun exposure was affecting me even though I used nearly a whole bottle of sunscreen for only 5 days.  

Maldives day 5 and 6

Maldives day 5 and 6

Thursday

I decided to go snorkeling again but this time covered myself with sunscreen AND wore a shirt.  Good thing I took my Dramamine because it was a 15 min ride to the reef this time. Saw lots of great fish and a shark!! The water wasn't has clear here and the waves were bigger. I lasted the whole time though!  I decided to go eat lunch at the restaurant. I'm about out of snacks and 12 hours between meals is killing me!

Glad I went, the food was great. I have eaten more fish on this trip than I have in 5 years.  Sat with a couple - the guy was French and the woman was British. Yeah!  She was surprised I was American because I sounded Irish to her :) ha!! She and her husband have come many times - this is their favorite resort.  Last time they brought their kids.  This time they came with their neighbors.  They have fish on the totem. :)

A cute family from Mexico sat with me tonight's or dinner.  My lucky day! More English speakers!  The guy was a pilot for Qatar air and they lived in Doha. They had a 15 month old, Isabella who was adorable and happily eating her dinner even though it was 9:30 and most toddlers would be cranky. It was Italian night. One of the dive instructors said it is always the staff's favorite meal.  He and another dive instructor shared some info about diving and how it works being an instructor here.


Friday

My plan was to snorkel again in the morning, but I didn't feel week- dizzy and fatigued. So I napped and read :)

Dinner was on the beach again and it was " white party night" every one was dressed in white except for about three people and we all had black on - happy others decided to go full opposite! I don't own white! It would be filthy in 3 seconds in Mumbai!

I sat at a table full of staff which I should have done since the beginning - they speak English and they are fun.  A French diving instructor was there, Christophe - the Belgium guy I met when I first got here, 4 girls from Bali who worked in the spa, and a girl from the Philippines Who worked in PR. They were fun and interesting and it was nice to not have labored conversations.  A German guy joined us later - he arrived yesterday and spends the day taking diving lessons.  One of the Bali girls was fascinated with Oktoberfest so he explained a lot about that.  It was a nice time for my last night.  I didn't stay for the party - really didn't feel that well. maybe the sun exposure was affecting me even though I used nearly a whole bottle of sunscreen for only 5 days.  

Maldives day 4 Maldivian night

Maldives day 4 Wednesday

My burned back still hurt so I decided to do nothing today. The owner came yesterday and met every guest.  He saw me this morning when one of the staff asked what I was doing today.  He said "if you are going to do nothing, do it well". I did!! Napped, swam, read...

Dinner was on the beach tonight - Maldivian night.  Maldivian food is a lot like Indian food but less spicy which is good for me.  An older French couple was at my table and when it was clear the woman spoke VERY little English and the husband none.. I pulled out my Hail Mary and asked if she spoke Spanish.  We were able to have enough of a conversation  in Spanish that I found out she has been to the Maldives 12 times! They have been to other resorts, but come to his one the most.  They have a fish totem pole here and when you have stayed 4 times you get a fish put on the totem and they have a fish ceremony for you!, I ask if she had a fish- she did, but somehow it disappeared (I asked if it was a storm and she said no, but kept making wind sounds and waving motions with her hands like it fell off - dang I wish I spoke some French!! ) she said she bought a new one and had it put up :). Turns put she is the sister of the woman who wouldn't talk to me yesterday!,

Some of the Maldivian staff danced and played music for us. Really nice night. I love looking at the stars. The night is so black here!

Maldives day 3 fish barbeque

Maldives day 3 Tuesday

I woke up a lot last night due to the pain of my sunburn :(. I had breakfast and read while laying in my hammock.  Every day they have a choice of eating a fish BBQ on sunrise island.  I don't have full board but decided to pay extra to try it because this not having dinner until 8:30 is killing me!!

Many people took kayaks over but I prefer to walk.  I have been walking over there for exercise everyday.  Walking in thigh high water is a good workout!  I decided to take my phone with me so I could take pictures. I was careful put it in a zip lock bag and put it in a water resistant pack on my back. Problem was I was going 3 hours earlier than normal and the water was quite a bit higher than I expected.  More like chest high so I had to carry the bag above my head.  I see quite a few stingrays on my walk over there will try to get a pic tomorrow when tide is lower :)

We had a lovely lunch of grilled fish, rice, veggies and a salad with cheese!  There was a family with 2 Kids, several couples and a big group of French friends.  One of the couples sat with me. The woman tried her best at English and said she likes to practice.  She was asking me questions about grammar " I have a friend that lived at the US - at or is it of" I told her "in" but she was doing great.  She asked me to correct her grammar and I told her I teach international kids and am very good at deciphering bad English. I don't speak a word of French. Maybe I will ask her if she speaks Spanish and I can be the one to work hard at a conversation.

I took a nap, read, see a pattern here?!? I walked out to the island again and saw kite surfers and sting rays.  I brought a jockey workout shirt made of light wicking material. Wanted to try swimming in it because I want to snorkel again but my burned back can't handle it.  I was afraid the shirt would float when I swam but it clung to my body so I think I will try snorkeling again!

Maldives day 2 snorkeling

Maldives day 2 Monday.

I slept really well and woke up, showered in the open air shower and went to breakfast. The restaurant is over the water with wood floors and wood beams. Breakfast was served buffet style with the food set on boats. It is a French place so bread and fruit were abundant. Disappointed there was no cheese though! I had yummy passion fruit jam on bread and a lot of fresh and dried fruit. I havent had dates and figs since I was in Israel. They also had glasses with pineapple and papaya diced into it and yogurt nearby that you could put on it. It is what I normally have for breakfast so I was happy.

I decided to try snorkeling for the first time. Many people at school are scuba divers. I have no interest in that but thought I could try snorkeling.  A very brown Frenchman fitted me for a mask and flippers then showed me how to snorkel. Once I got the hang of it I joined the morning trip. We took a five min boat ride to a coral reef. And it was really cool! Most of you have no idea what a huge accomplishment this was. I had a near drowning experience when I was 7 and haven't been they fond of water. I can swim now and do in pools occasionally but not a fan of natural water swimming.  When I worked at a Girl Scout camp in my 20s I put a life jacket on just to hang out with the other staff in the deep end.  To jump off a boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean was a very big deal!! The guy tried to calm me by saying we were in "shallow water" 50 to 70 meters!, not shallow!   It was neat to see the ocean turn from deep blue to teal.  Two other people were new to snorkeling and the woman only lasted about half the time.  I started to feel really nauseated even thought I took Dramamine before we went.  I was trying to figure out how I was going to balance myself in the water while vomiting :) I got in the boat but it turns out they pulled everyone else in after 5 min so I almost made it the whole hour! I came back and took a nap to help the nausea go away. When I woke up I realized my back was burned.  I had painstakingly put on 30 SPF and was only out an hour. Bad thing about going alone my suit had a keyhole back and I couldn't reach all the exposed skin I eventually used my toothbrush holder to spread it around.  Turns out all my back got burned whether I missed the spot or not.  Friends had warned me about snorkeling and my fair, red headed friend told of how he got huge blisters on his back. Ow! I will invest in a swim shirt if I go to more be beachy places.  I am fortunate I don't have the extreme photo sensitivity that other lupus patients have but I still have less tolerance than I used to.  The rest of me is getting nice and brown while I read outside even with sunscreen.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays they serve dinner on the beach. It was really nice and they had a lovely dessert bar.  A older French woman and one off the staffers and I ate together. The staff woman is Mauritian and recently went to India so we talked about that. I heard her ask the French woman if the spoke English and she said that she did speak some but refused to do so!! The other woman and I talked about a lot of things and occasionally she would try to tell the French woman about it and it seemed like she understood but wouldn't participate. I travel alone a lot and usually have no problems meeting people but it has been tough here.

After dinner they started showing " up in the air" at 10:30. I lasted about 20 minutes!, the sun makes me sooo tired!

Maldives day 1 arriving in paradise

Maldives day 1 Sunday

I'm trying to see as many countries as I can so I try to plan my vacations around that. The Maldives is a country made up of a lot of islands in the Indian Ocean. Gorgeous water, nice sand, great diving and very expensive.  I am living closer to them than I ever will so I decided to go. Got a great deal on a flight and a resort. Each island is basically one resort. Mine included half board and all the activities for free! Which is rare here.

Lawrence picked me up at 6:30 am to go to the airport. We got there really fast since it was Sunday morning. I had a 2 hour flight to Cochin, a two hour layover then a two hour flight to Male.  It went pretty smoothly only - minor pushing and shoving and only one screaming outburst. Pretty good for a domestic Indian flight.  When I got to Cochin I asked where the international flights where. A guy pointed where to go. Like all places in India there were multiple security checks. The guy stared at my paper and passport and sent me on.  The baggage screener also looked intently at my paperwork. I got in line to get my boarding pass and waited half an hour. When it was my turn the guy said "male? You need to go to international terminal". How did I get that far and no one noticed!! This airpot was about the size of Bloomington normals airport and is on the very western/ southern part of Indian. Obviously they go to Male and I saw an add for KL but seriously how many international flights are here?? There is one family in there. 9 immigration line are open and they are all reading the newspaper.  I carry two passports right now because mine will expire soon so I got a new one but my visa is in the old one. These guys has trouble with that!  I thought the plane would be full of rich tourists. Nope. Many were Indians who worked at resorts in the Maldives. The guy next to me was a chef and said this was better than working on a cruise ship.

I was sitting by the window and watching the islands come into view was cool.  You could see islands that were covered with water.  Resort staff was waiting for me to take me - by speedboat- to the island. It was an hour. I took a Dramamine when I got off the plane. Good thing! It was so windy because we were going so fast I couldn't open my eyes. I just leaned back rested and prayed I wouldn't vomit.

I stayed at the rihiveli it is a French hotel. I'm pretty sure I am the only native English speaker here. Christophe,  a Belgium man was waiting for me to show me around.  The place was heaven! We walked down a sandy lane from the pier. He showed up with a bag to put my shoes in. They believe in a no news, no shoes policy here.  All the paths are sand.  He showed me the water sports area, the spa, the bar, the two other islands belonging to the reort - sunrise island and bird island. They are close enough to walk to and the water is only knee to hip high.  All the bungalows open up to the beach. They have thatched roofs and wood floors. The bathroom is open air.  There are two sun beds and a hammock outside.  They are spaced out so they are fairly private. I'm laying here on Monday morning with the wind on my face and the sound of ocean waves :) he showed me where the life jackets were in case of tsunami warning. Basically we don't stand a chance. There is no higher ground- this island is tiny! I guess we put the jacket on and hope we float to another island!

my hammock

my bungalow

fish totem - after 4 stays you get a fish with a ceremony and everything

I spent a lot of time in these chairs

I walked to sunrise island -great workout for my legs! - then read until dinner time.

Dinner is served 8:30 to 10:30. Which is a long time from breakfast!! It is a set menu and they bring it as you are ready.  A guy was walking around serving coconut/spinach soup. When I finished that, he brought the main course-A bed of mashed potatoes with green beans and snow peas on top. Tuna streaks were on top of that and the whole mountain was topped off with a fried onion ring. English deep fruit pie for dessert.

It is pitch black at night. I could not see anything in my room there wasn't a glow of a light or moon or anything. Haven't been in that kind of darkness in awhile!