Shanti Shanti! India in September

Holy Shiva!  Whoa.  Um....I don't even know where to begin. I don't think that I can do justice to my experiences by trying to put them into words, but I will do my best. Also, I'm realizing that it is hard for me right now to want to invest time in this blog - or be on the Internet period.  I'll be better and play catch up once I get to Tanzania....hopefully!

Well first off, I'm happier than I've been in a very, very long time.  I think everyone should know that.  I am simply in my element.

And secondly, I need to thank my co-pilot on my Indian adventure, and my invitee, Jarrod.  He's taken the reigns and lead me around India with great ease and without his generosity, knowledge and guidance, a trip to India would have been much more overwhelming and intimidating for me.  Thanks Jarrod - you rock!  And, I probably wouldn't have come here to be honest.  Visiting India wasn't on my top 10.  But...now it is for sure.  And I think I'll be ready to come back as soon as I leave.

As I remember reading in my Lonely Planet guidebook before coming to India, India is "overwhelming to the senses".  That is a gross understatement.  Every thing I see and every moment I experience seems like a missed photo opportunity...or sometimes, if I'm lucky, a captured one.  India breathes with kindness, intrigue and simplicity at its finest.  It oozes color and fills one's heart with curiosity.

Every day here I have done so many amazing things that I can't keep up.  As I look back through my pictures, I'm already being reminded of things I had forgotten.  We started our journey in Bangalore, where we celebrated Ganesh's birthday (see blog post below), visited botanical gardens and overgrown deserted stadiums, and took in the sights of the big city.  Then we moved onto Mysore where Jarrod learned how to drive a rickshaw, we visited a palace of past kings and queens, and were lead through back alleys into private homes to learn how to roll beedis, carve wooden furniture and sooth our ailements with pure ayurvedic oils (over a warm glass of chai, of course). The list goes on and on. From Mysore to Wayanad to Kannur and now Fort Cochin, the sights, smells and tastes have been plentiful.  Just today, for example, we were lead into someone's backyard to meet their elephant, saw three snakes being charmed simulatenously, and went to a local laundry facility where clothes are washed on rocks and irons for linens are heated using coconut chips for fuel.

India is simply amazing.

I've been here just two weeks, and I already have over 600 photos. I can't share them all here - just yet.  I'd like to write some more eventually.  I'll hopefully write a blog post just on traffic in India (quite the experience - those of you who have been here know what I'm talking about).  I'd also like to write a post on the animals here, and the people.  But for now, here are a few of my favorite shots from today (could only upload a few cause the internet is so damn slow.  Sorry folks!)

Shanti shanti!  (what the locals say means "cool", or in other definitions means peace, rest, tranquility, calmness or bliss....all of which I can relate to/feel here in this beautiful country).

The incredible iron! Heated by burning coconuts.  Who wouldda thought??!!

 Rickshaw Rubin/Nick/Jarrod from Sprangolia with driver Vodka Jojo at the helm.

A male elephant in heat. Mr. Hari. Watch out folks!



Cute kids in an all muslim community in a mostly communist state

 

Third times the charm!

 

Amazing India! Bangalore, Day 1

I'm in India!  The weather is hot and sunny, and the sights and sounds of Bangalore are overwhelming to the senses.  I do not want to spend much time online - would rather be out experiencing the country!  But, I had to share some of the photos I took day 1, yesterday.  Jarrod and I went to the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens in the morning and then celebrated Ganesh's birthday in the evening.  Ganesh's birthday happens to be the biggest holiday in India, so it was a fabulous day to arrive in the country.  Everyone was worshipping and most people were off work to observe the day.  I have so much to tell you about, but that will have to come later. Enjoy few favorite pictures for now! 

Singapore!

Now writing you from Singapore and I have to admit, I've hit a wall of fatigue.  It's currently 1:20am Oregon time, 4:30pm here and I am ready for bed!  But...I'll push through it and hopefully not sleep until I arrive in India for the night.  I feel like I used to when I was pulling an all nighter in college, cramming for a final exam.  Did being this tired while taking a test REALLY help me get better grades?

I was trying to think of ways to keep myself awake on my last flight when I came across this complimentary Elle magazine.  I saw this article and thought it would keep me entertained/awake for a good while, but I hit a language roadblock.  Bryan Parks, where are you when I need ya??!!

This is the lovely couple I sat next to in the plane from Hong Kong to Singapore.  Akmal and his sweet wife are from Indonesia, and were on their way home.  When I told them my name was Nichole, they said "oh...Nicole Kidman??!!" Yep, I'm a millionaire actress.  I liked Akmal's wife especially well for a few reasons (1) her ensemble with the sunglasses, on the plane (2) the fact that the name she chose in her English class for herself during school was also Nicole and (3) her double thumbs up in this picture.  Our breakfast was just THAT good.

After arriving in Singapore, I did end up finding that free shuttle tour of the city.  I highly recommend it.  I got to meet some fun people and see some really amazing things.  My favorite facts from the tour:

1. Selling gum in Singapore is illegal.  Apparently it cost the city millions of dollars to remove it from the streets several years ago, and so they banned it.

2. English is their official nation language

3. Less than 2% of their population is unemployed

4.  Our tour guide told us they have four seasons: summer, summer, summer, and summer.

 

I didn't get any good shots of the beautiful tropical scenery here, but take my word for it - its gorgeous.  The bus was moving too fast and we didn't stop except for once, so all the pics were super blurry.  Bummer. I'd love to come back and spend time in Singapore.  Enjoy what I did capture when we stopped during the balmy, hot afternoon outing. It was so nice to escape the airport for a while!

Next stop: Banaglore, India!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Hi From Hong Kong!

Hey Kids!

Made it safe and sound to Hong Kong!  Arrived here about an hour ago... at 6am Tuesday Hong Kong time, which is 3pm Monday Oregon time.  Wowzas!  We flew in at sunrise and the mountains were glowing with pink, purple and orange hues, the ocean calm.  Beautiful.  Wish I had more time to spend in this city.

My flight rocked!  I was assigned an aisle seat, but after a few requests by different people traveling together for me to move, I ended up in a window seat!  Doing a small good deed certainly worked out in my favor.  I had a huge meal and promptly went to sleep...for 9+ hours...without sleep medication.  I'm so happy I love to sleep! Makes travel easy.

I'm flying with Singapore Airlines and the service and food is excellent.  I highy recommend it.  And...all of the stewardesses are smokin'!  Added benefit to this flight so far :) I had grilled chicken with chipotle bbq sauce, sauteed vegatables and roasted potatoes for dinner (with chocolate orange cake...my fav!) and Masala Uttapam, Kanjeevaram idli, sambhar and coconut chutney for breakfast (yeah...i know you don't know what any of that is, but you're going to have to get used to googling!  I can't explain EVERY meal I eat in full detail!)  Also, I watched "The Lorax"on my flight.  Carly, you're right - that is a dang good movie. Why it was under "kids only" on the plane flight menu, I have no clue. Also, they gave us tons of cool little gifts, like toothbrushes, socks, and I'm sporting a pretty rad neon green "transit" sticker on my hoodie right now.  It's true folks, I'm in transit.  Read the sticker.

So yeah...in Hong Kong now, boarding the plane soon.  Then I have a 4 hour flight to Singapore, where I have an 8 hour layover.  I just found out in my in flight magazine that there are FREE tours of Singapore from the airport, and if you have 5 or more hours available they recommend you take advantage of them.  So...I think I'll be venturing out of the airport and exploring a bit before my final flight to Bangalore, India....as long as a visa isn't required for me to enter the country, which people have been telling me as an American I don't need one.  Can't wait! 

Feeling refreshed and ready to go.  We'll see how long that lasts, but I'm going to try to stay awake until I land in Bangalore, where it will be 10pm their time, 9:30am Oregon time today....Tuesday.  Then it will be nighty night. 

I'll post photos from Singapore if I go adventuring there and have time to blog, otherwise, you'll hear from me in India!

Saying Goodbye

I am now officially on my way, writing you from the airport in San Francisco, California.  My next flight leaves at 1:30am, and I will be on it for 19 hrs and 20 min...well...one stop in Hong Kong actually (I'll try to blog from there).  Brutal.  I'm praying for no screaming babies and effective sleep medication.

The past few days have been super emotional for me. Even though I'm crazy excited and ready to start this new travel adventure,  it is never easy to say goodbye. Lucky for me, I got to say goodbye to some incredible people that I know I will be seeing again.  So, I know the goodbye is only temporary.

I spent my last few days in the states doing some exciting stuff.  Highlights were:

1. Going to Wal-Mart with Pat, where we watched the "forever sharp" knife demo, after which they handed out free knives to the audience...cause that's a good idea...
2. Game-o-rama with Dylan and his harem Saturday night at Bier 1. Just for the record, I'm pretty rockin' at darts. Just sayin'.
3. "The Last Supper" with Dad at the Spaghetti Factory in Portland, in which I tried to consume as many things as I could that I knew I could not have for the next year or so.  This included (1) strawberry peach margarita, (1) salad with basalmic vinagrette and (1) Mizithra cheese pasta dish.  I sadly didn't have room for the complimentary ice cream.. 

Also, I got all my packing done!!!  And guess what?  Only checked 1 bag, weighing how much?  31 lbs!  19 lbs.under the limit.  I was so proud of myself.  Jarrod and Shannon told me not to pack any clothing, and while the thought of being a nudist for the year did intrigue me, I decided that packing some clothing was probably a good idea.  But, I went on the light side, and made it through with one bag.  Hurray!

I also have a carry on duffle bag and a side saddle bag. Here's a pic of me in front of my house in Newport:

Also, I wanted to talk about flight travel attire!  I'm wearing something similar to what you see here.  My red dankso shoes (for comfort and easy to slip on and off at security checkpoints), leggings and a cotton dress (comfortable and doubles as pajamas!), and a hoodie (easy to remove and keeps you warm when the AC is blasting on the plane).

 

More soon!

Words of Inspiration

Well, I leave in two days and I am finally packing today.  No, for reals I am.  But...I will admit that I am still procrastinating a bit.  Obviously.  Funny how on the day I am supposed to pack I happen to also be blogging again!!  Coincidental I'm sure :)

In addition to all of the material objects I mentioned I'm packing in a previous post, I also have some paperwork I'm packing that will be invaluable to me during my time abroad .  Yes...I am packing a copy of my itinerary, and also a list of contact names and numbers for when I arrive in Kigali, but what I'm talking about that will hold the most value is words of inspiration from people I love. 

There will be hard times ahead for sure, no question.  Times when I will feel lonely and homesick.  And we all know that when times get hard, having people around us who support us is so important.  So since I will be so far away from the people that mean so much to me and keep me grounded, I am bringing words of inspiration from them with me on my trip, some of which I'd like to share with you.  I'm bringing:

• The poem "Desiderada", one of my dad's favorite poems: http://sageplace.com/desiderada.htm
• The poem "To Have Succeeded" by Ralph Waldo Emerson.  This poem was given to me by Andy Michaud, one of my past bosses and a great inspiration and friend of mine still to this day: http://theopavlidis.com/reprints/emerson1.htm
• Personal letters: One from my "wingwoman" Kerry Davis, who is currently a return Peace Corps volunteer in Columbia (also did Peace Corps service in Vanuatu), and one my dad wrote for me just days ago.

If you have any words of wisdom for travelers (or in general) you would like to share, please feel free to post them in the comments section below :)  Hope you also find some inspiration and peace in some of these passages.

Free Life By Bike

Today...less than one month short of this blog's little life, it has surpassed 100 views!  Thank you for following!

I have to attribute some of its exposure to the generous posting of my blog address on another blog called "Free Life By Bike". I encourage you all to follow Trent's blog.  I met him when he came through Newport a couple of weeks ago (see his blog post "World Tour - Day 8" for details), and he is on an amazing super adventurama himself!  He is planning on biking through the United States, taking a ship to Europe, biking down through Europe and around Africa and eventually ending up in Asia.  A 3-year excursion.  I am really excited to see where this trip takes him in life.  Especially for you bike or travel enthusiasts out there, this is the blog for you. What an inspiration!

So in appreciation of his kindness of sharing my blog with his followers, I'd like to return the favor:  http://freelifebybike.com . Best of luck Trent!

Connecting to New Co-Workers

My soon-to-be boss with WomenCraft, Heidi, has been doing a fabulous job keeping me informed and connected during this transition of moving across the world.  I get emails from her every few days answering my unending questions, and calming my concerns.  Today, the email contained a new name - one of my co-workers Shannon!  An introduction of both of us onto the staff.  It made everything feel so real and official, and got me even more excited for this journey.  So...I'm sharing this email on the blog so I can read it again when reminiscing of my pre-depature days to Ngara:

Dear Shannon and Nichole,
I wanted to do a quick email introduction for the two of you.  Shannon - WomenCraft Sales and Marketing Manager who arrived Thursday in Ngara with her husband Geoffrey.  Nichole, our Product Development Manager, who will arrive 19 October to Ngara, but is setting out in 6 days for a month-long adventure in India.
I hope I've conveyed to you both how thrilled I am to have you as a part of WomenCraft.  It is an exciting time for WomenCraft and I'm looking forward to working together with both of you to take advantage of our upcoming opportunities so that we build WomenCraft into a sustainable enterprise.  Our staff on the ground is dedicated and they need an infusion of energy, ideas and, most of all, capacity building, from the two of you!
All the best,
Heidi

One Week to Go! What to Bring, What to Bring?!?!

Well...one week from tomorrow I will be boarding a plane for India.  Whoa! Everyone keeps asking me questions like...."are you so excited"? or...."are you getting nervous"?  To be honest, I go in and out of feeling different things different days, but overall I'm kind of in a neutral zone.  One thing I've learned is that the anticipation for the unknown can give you unrealistic expectations...and while I naturally run anxious and excited, I'm trying to contain my emotions and just enjoy each day as it comes. I'm enjoying my time in Newport with my friends and family, and until I head up to the Portland airport or actually land in Bangalore I probably won't realize that this trip is actually happening...

Which leads to the next question I've been getting so frequently: "so....are you all packed yet"?  Hahaha.  Yeah right!  My bags are all currently empty, BUT I do feel mentally packed and prepared.  To help future travelers who may go to India (or come visit me in Tanzania), I am going to share with you what I'm planning on bringing with me for my travel abroad.

First off, I got vaccinated and medicated.  I had five injections (hepatitis A, tetanus, polio booster, yellow fever and....one other one I've forgotten) and one oral vaccination (typhoid).  I also have malaria medication, which I started taking 3 weeks ago.  I'm taking methloquine, otherwise known as lariam.  I started the medication early to see if I would have any of the possible crazy side effects, and so far so good. It's good to start the medication one month-6 weeks before you leave on your trip so you can change malaria meds if you need to before you go, but I'm just going to have to bank on being in the clear.  I also have azithromycin for diarrhea (oh joy), an iodine kit for sanitizing water, and a basic first aid kit.  I have just enough to get me through my first few weeks in India, and I plan on buying the bulk of my medications for Tanzania while I'm in Bangalore.  They are cheaper to buy in India, and are comparable to our medications.  I'll load up on malaria meds, diarrhea meds, and antibiotics.

Secondly, documentation.  I'll need my passport, visa for India (which I had to get in advance and is printed in my passport), and yellow fever certificate in order to enter Tanzania (I'll get my visa for Tanzania at the border when I leave Rwanda).  I've made copies of these documents for each of my bags.  I've also secured "Flying Doctors" insurance in case I have to get life flighted to the hospital in Nairobi, Kenya for a medical emergency.

Then besides clothes, there are all the other little details you don't normally think about when you take a trip in the states.  I have an electricity converter kit (thanks Pat!) so that I can stay in touch with all you hoodlums.  I have two wind-up LED Flashlights for when the electricity goes out in India and Ngara (and one even has a radio!  Thanks Lisa & Mike!) And a money belt to keep everything on the DL (thanks Carly!).  I've also loaded up on DEET.  Mosquitoes, watch yo' back!

Also, I learned a long time ago on my first travel abroad trip that one of the worst things to be when you're away from home (at least for me) is BORED!  So...I've brought things to tide me over.  I've packed three games (a deck of cards, bananagrams, and raptor jacks - all chosen for their convenient size), books (like "teach yourself Swahili"...although I'm planning on buying a good amount of books in India), and a photo book of my family and friends.  I also have a plethora of electronic toys, including my ipod, amazon kindle, laptop, and camera.  In doing so, I am breaking my number one packing rule when flying: NEVER pack anything of value that you would be disappointed to lose.  I'm just crossing my fingers on this trip that I don't run across any a-holes in the airline systems that decide to steal any of my stuff...because when traveling abroad, everything you own seems to hold greater value, because you have so little that you can actually claim as yours.

What I am NOT bringing:

• Toiletries (getting these in India.  Cheaper and less to carry during the first phase of my trip)
• Jewelry (other than what I'll wear on the plane, which will be minimal)
• Lightweight clothing (also buying in India)
• Make-up (sayonara!)

During my travels, I will make sure to update you all and let you know if I made any good calls or bad calls with my packing choices.  Also, I realize I haven't talked much about my actual trip plans yet in this blog and where I'm going, cause I figured I would save that for when I've actually traveled to places and have cool stories and pictures!  But...just to give you a little taste, here is the general area of India I will be traveling to with Jarrod, the state of Kerala:

http://www.keralatourism.org/

Any other packing suggestions?  Comment below and let me know!  Thanks for reading :)

Newport, Oregon AKA Home

I'm spending my last two weeks in the United States in my hometown, Newport, Oregon.  Newport is well known for its lighthouses, picturesque bay bridge, and strong fishing community.  Here are a few pictures of my beautiful home.  The first three were taken today when Dad & I walked to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse - less than a mile from home. The last three photos are various images from around town, and were taken by personal friends and family days or years ago.

Harbor Seals at Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Yaquina Head Tidepools - Dad & Me

Yaquina Head Lighthouse - Dad & Kaya

Nye Beach Turnaround

Sunset on the Oregon Coast

Newport Bridge

Taking a Leap of Faith

A few months ago, during my time of confusion and turmoil, one of my best friends Kerry recommended I read a book, called "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho.  When she did so, she knew exactly what she was doing.  She knew not only how great the book was and how much she loved it, but she knew me so well that she knew I would grab hold and run with it, which is exactly what happened.  For any of you out there who haven't read it, I recommend you do.

If you haven't read The Alchemist, in a nutshell, it is about following your dreams and listening to your heart.  Sounds easy, right?  Just listen to that voice deep inside and make life happen for yourself.  Well, as we all know, its not that easy.  I looked up from the book and looked around myself at all my stability and comfort and said "Nikki, you're crazy.  Why would you give up all this?  You live in a cute little studio downtown, supplied with everything you need. You have your dream job as a dance teacher.  You are surrounded by so many amazing people who love and support you.  And finally after years and years of searching and applying for jobs, broke into a successful and solid job in the international arena."

But you know what?  I wasn't happy.  And I realize that happiness is something that you create for yourself, but I was having a hard time doing so in my current surroundings.  And at the end of the day when I mulled over the decision of whether or not to leave Eugene for this job position in Tanzania, the same question came into my head over and over again: "In 20 years, when you look back on your life, will you regret it if you DON'T try to do it?"  And the answer 10 times out of 10, was yes.

 So I lept.  And for those of you who spent time with me this summer, you know that I love doing that.  I found myself time after time this summer, more than ever, being drawn to rivers and lakes where I would have the opportunity to climb a really big cliff and leap off the edge.  Exhilarating.  I learned a lot about myself through doing this.  I could jump off of almost any cliff or log anywhere, but I wanted to see at least one person do it first.  If they made it, I knew I could do it too.  And they inspired me not to be afraid of what lie below.  But you know what?  Most of them had seen someone do it before they jumped too.  And so the cycle continued.  Occasionally towards the end of the summer, I got to be the one watching someone teeter on the edge of the cliff, unsure of what lied below, and I got to say "you know what?  Watch this.  It's nothing to be afraid of.  I'll go first.  You can do it too".

Standing at the edge looking over is way scarier than actually doing the part you climbed up the cliff to do in the first place - JUMP!  When you soar off the edge you feel weightless and free, and you just have to hope that your landing at the bottom will be graceful enough to make it a peaceful transition back to reality.  At the bottom, you need to be caught by something that can support you and make you feel like everything's ok, and that you made the right decision in jumping.

As Paulo Coelho says,"when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it".  That is exactly what I have been experiencing over the past month.  A huge leap of faith off a cliff and an unrealistically comfortable landing at the bottom.  In the matter of weeks, I went from having several solid jobs and secured housing in a very structured, time sensitive lifestyle to buying plane tickets to places I've never been, with many unknowns and plans to stay there for undetermined amounts of time.  But against all common sense, EVERYTHING supported this move.  I've been offered more job opportunities for when (or if) I return than I have been in years.  I had a decision to hold my visa for India in limbo over paperwork reversed overnight for no apparent reason.  After weeks of searching for someone to "borrow" my couch for a year plus to no avail, I had someone arrive at my studio hours before my departure to do just that.  And...after taking a job in another country on a volunteer basis, I have had donors step forward to assist in my transition and have very hopeful grants hanging in limbo that would secure a salary for me.

So...I guess that I wanted to get two things out of this blog post:  The first one, is just to say WOW.  What a trip.  I am so happy that I jumped, and I encourage other to do so too.  The unknown and uncertain is scary, but as Kerry would say "I think the only thing scarier than following your dreams is not following them".  I have to agree. 

And secondly, I'm here to say THANKS.  There are no words or actions that can do justice to the outpouring of support and kindness I have experienced from all of my friends and family over the past month.  I am so truly blessed, and I appreciate all of you more than you may ever know.  Each of you, whether you wrote a recommendation for my job position (thanks Lisa & Andy), or simply helped provide words of wisdom and support during a difficult time of transition (thanks Doug), have contributed to my success and have helped to make me feel so comforted and strong during this time of change.  Spending quality time with all of you over the past few weeks has once again reminded me of how amazing my people network really is, and how inspired I am by each and every one of you.  If you're reading this right now...yes you...I'm talking to you.  Thanks for inspiring me and giving me a little nudge off the cliff.  I hope I can pay it forward, and someday inspire someone else to do the same.