spotless

Two days of sun. 48 incredible hours. Everyone is asking the same question; is monsoon really over? I’m afraid I cannot answer that, however, Mother Nature is definitely showing signs pointing in that direction, brown ferns are everywhere, red berries are beginning to sprout on plants and the train tracks are re-opening. With the feeling of approaching spring, I have found myself incredibly optimistic, throwing all seasonal depression to the wind, feeling revived and renewed, ready to dry out and start again.

I have no idea where the past two and a half months have gone; quarter break begins this Friday meaning students have the chance to go home if they live close, attend the common wealth games in Delhi, go rafting in Rishikesh, paragliding in Dharamsala, hiking throughout Uttarakhand or just bum around the dorms and relax. Lauren, Noel and I are fleeing to Haridwar the moment school lets out and journeying to Jaipur via the overnight sleeper (it is very probable that it is the train ride I am most looking forward to). It is nice to have a change of pace in the future soon, although with the recent sun it seems as if Mussoorie is a completely different place, I can finally get out and explore these hills I have been living in.


Sunday Lauren and I took a hike up Witches Hill, a fairly easy half a day hike away. On our way we ran into a group of village kids playing a very organized game of cricket, in fact, they were pretty upset we interrupted their game. Despite the extreme communication barrier, we were able to learn a bit about the game of cricket and make some new friends.





Turns out, these kids definitely knew the English word ‘monkey’ after saying ‘you guys are like monkeys’ ten of them jumped onto the same branch above concrete bleachers. I was almost the cause of numerous deaths and injuries.


We also passed through the local dhobi ghat, where clothes and sheets were found around every corner, soaking up as much sun as they possibly could get. Dhobis are the laundry men here. They come around, door to door, collecting dirty laundry which they bring to their village, wash, beat against a rock, air dry and then return to you, if one or two buttons are missing it is considered a risk you knew you were going to take. Often times, it is unknown when the clothes will be returning. In fact, Lauren hears almost everyday, ‘Ms. Terry, I don’t have my P.E. clothes, they are at the dhobis’. I opt for a more personal laundry habit, a traditional bucket, a bag of detergent, a toilet brush I use to stir the clothes with and a drying rack. I have to admit I did laundry one whopping time during monsoon. It would literally take two weeks for clothes to dry, , and that is if you left a light on constantly to help dry out the air and regardless, it dries smelling like straight up mold. Not even worth my time/patience. Besides, we all know just how hygienic and clean I am….



Speaking of laundry..Lauren and I were invited over to the Paseventos last night, they fed us homemade chicken soup and ice cream AND let us use their laundry machine (keep in mind that one cycle takes about an hour and a half). It was absolutely perfect. I didn’t realize how much I missed the dynamics and the comfort of being around a family; the evening was just what I needed.

School is busy as ever, the activities only seem to keep piling up, far too many to document or discuss, but here are a few

Mr. Chelvam using his body as a mile marker in the interhouse cross country meet- check out that rain gear…I was jealous.


Students celebrating Hindi Day




Off duty coolies

perseverance.

I have been very aware of my surroundings lately and every day I am constantly reminded of how different life here in Mussoorie is. Sure there are the daily electricity outs, the evening call to prayer from the mosque, continuous horns blaring, extreme poverty reminders around each corner, rain, not snow, delays for school, and I could go on and on- but one thing in particular really stands out…the commute. It’s absolutely impossible for me to roll out of bed, throw on some clothes and make it to work within five minutes (not that I EVER have done that before). It’s also impossible for me to take my sixth cup of delicious coffee to go, get in the Subaru and head down the road. You see, I have to walk, no hike, up the mountain. Many of you have heard me talk of this morning routine, and have probably assumed I was exaggerating in typical Emily Shriver style. This is not true. In order to share a bit of my morning routine with all of you back home, Lauren and I decided to take video on our way up- for those of you who have time on your hands, please sit back, relax, crack a cold one and enjoy the entertainment. Bonus points for anyone who sticks through the whole video!

(sorry about the motion sickness you are likely to experience- it’s a bit tricky to film, talk, balance a coffee mug and hike all at the same time)

flora and failure.

In an effort to incorporate even more green into my life, this weekend I ventured into an intense search for plants, which ended up being much more of endeavor than I ever imagined. I should probably start from the beginning. Friday during afternoon tea, while eating more sugar than needed, I was talking with Dot, a charming friend from Liverpool, who clued me in on a nursery, which is just ‘a ways’ down the road near my house. Problem number one: I should have asked for more detailed directions- all I heard was, go towards the bazaar on the lower road, pass the pigs and you will see the cages of plants. Easy enough…right?- to Emily Shriver, yes. Saturday morning I headed over to the inner house swim competition, like in Harry Potter, Woodstock has houses: the Condors, Eagles (this is me) and Merlins (yes, as in the birds) I have yet to understand the workings of competition here, but it was extremely entertaining to see the spirit and competitive nature of the students.

After getting a dose of chlorinated water and loud screams, Noel and I started down the road…we walked and walked…and then we passed some pigs…and then we walked and walked…and walked and walked… we finally started to contemplate what ‘a ways’ meant. To us, we agreed, it means an hour walk or longer. So then we walked some more. After two hours of being in the middle of nowhere on a road that looked as if it went straight into the infinite abyss of cloud, and stopping at a random house full of seven men who spoke ONLY Hindi, we decided we probably had passed the plant shop. We were now faced with a decision: should we turn around and walk back, going uphill this time and likely taking four hours, or should we keep walking and hopefully hit a village or town of some sort where we could hitch a ride back to Mussoorie. It was at this exact moment that a van pulled over, filled with our fellow new staff member, Ritu and her two boys, asking if we wanted a ride into Dehradun. We jumped on this option (literally) and decided we would get dropped in the city, putz around a little bit, then take a cab back up. Long story short, we ran into Dot and her husband Pete, who explored with us for a bit and then gave us a ride back to Woodstock. Free rides BOTH ways- I am all about this! Although we came home plantless, it was well worth the journey, and the rain wasn’t even too painful, heavy rain didn’t arrive until late that day.




I woke up feeling inadequate having failed my previous day’s journey so naturally, I coerced Lauren into tagging along and we went out for round two. This time the venture was a success and we were able to get LOADS of plants for our house and yard, the best part of the mission: we were able to communicate entirely with a woman who spoke hardly any English. The walk back to campus was absolutely beautiful. The sun came out and all clouds cleared, we had a full view of the valleys and could see all the way to Dehradun. I also had my first glimpse at the Mother Ganges…it was a monumental day. If Sunday night was any indication of what life will be like after monsoon, bring it!

Mussoorie

The Ganges River

Please note the chicken wire...

We live left and down from the round building (a dorm) in the center

The great plant expedition was not my only excitement of lately… for sake of time I will just give a few highlights:

1. My backpack is deciding to contribute to the green theme by sprouting mold…
2. Our shortcut trail up to school is now overgrown to the point that there is no trail any more…we have big plans to film this life threatening daily walk up to school, keep on the lookout for that blog update soon.
3. I went to tea at Inam, my tailor’s house, and after hours of pure contentment and the best chai I have had so far, I noticed that my right leg was numb. I thought it was a bit odd but figured it was my body’s response to being relaxed. Upon arrival at home, I noticed there was blood all over my floor. I thought it odd and started searching for the source, which ended up being my foot. It looks as if it has been pierced, a hole on the top, bottom and side and I didn’t feel a single thing, even after realizing it was bleeding, and there was definitely a ton of blood lost that night- who knows how long it had been gushing for, but it was enough to make my leg completely numb. … (mom, I went to the health center and no, I do not have gangrene)

4. We also found a leech on our kitchen floor, then of course we tortured it and watched it suffer by pouring salt on it- we later found the source of the blood: Ms. Lauren Terry.

5. Monday the students went absolutely crazy for a bakesale...'tuck', the name for junk food here, is held in high regard. I was scared.
It’s been great hearing from all of you; I hope you all are well.
until the next escapade…