May 1st - Food Glorious Food - Bread, Potatoes and RICE
Cathal From Co Mayo shares his is experience of volunteering in the volunteer camps in India
Hey all
Hope everyone is well and good and all ready to enjoy the May weekend. was pretty shocked when i realised it was 1st May as that means I am home later on this month. Now finish week 9 and beginning to feel the countdown to the finish line. I have come back up to Mcleodganj the village where the Dalai Lama resides for the weekend because i liked it so much last weekend. it is a real chilled out and relaxed place and I am completely fascinated by the Tibetan influence and the Buddhist monks. It is fascinating religion
Continuing away at work with the special needs children at their school in camp. it is great to be working regularly with the same kids and building up a good relationship with them. They are really beautiful kids and each have their own distinctive and strong personalities and it is a pleasure working with them every day. Unfortunately in Indian society there is a big stigma attached to these kids as they are not viewed a 'Normal'(Anyone can tell me what defines Normality I'd love to know). so it is very important that we give them a loving environment and build up their self esteem and develop their life skills. It is tough work mentally and physically and my respect goes out to all special needs carers. You try and spread yourself out amongst the kids and give them all time but they want it all the time and that is tough. But as tough as it may be and please dont think for one minute that i'm complaining the rewards are huge. a smile from one of these kids is worth million euros.
I paid a visit to the area special needs centre to have a meeting with the district specialist and she was inspirational. with little or no support she has established these schools and kept them running and is showing the families and community how special these kids are. she had a fantastic poem in her office that i will put up on facebook in a few days that says it all
The reason for the title of this weeks update is cause I am missing my normal diet. jaysus I even think I could be a vegetarian by now and there is a sentence that I never ever thought I would write. Its been 60 days of bread, potatoes and RICE. I think the cook figured last week that I was tired of the RICE and to my shock and surprise the other day i went up for dinner and instead of RICE, it was pasta. I was in shock and then he told me that we were having Dessert as well, I was like Dessert. What are we having and with a straight face he looks at me and says RICE pudding!!! Now as glad and appreciative as I am to be getting 3 good meals a day I had to stop meself from Hitting him. But seriously it is great to be so well looked after.
so as I asked Am I now a vegetarian. I could even ask am I now Healthy. Since I left Ireland on 01st March, i've had no meat, no cigarettes and very few drinks. Yes people look at the sender, this email is coming from Cathal Kelly. i think this could explain the recurring dream I have, where am lying in a bath with the shower also on, just after having a dinner of steak, peas and chips, with a good pint of the Black stuff on a table beside the bath and a proper toilet in the corner. i wonder can this dream be deciphered as meaning anything.
As i said the Buddhist monks are fascinating. especially the tibetans and they are just so chilled out to talk to. i went for a walk round the village last sat night and This tibetan monk asked me if he could walk with me and for the next 20 minutes we had the most fascinating conversation. There ideas and philosophies are so simple but make such sense. i went straight back to my room and wrote 10 pages bout the chat in my journal . i cant do justice to his word but basically he was telling me in order to find happiness we have to look at ourselves and our relationships with each other and how we treat each other and simplify our life in order to be content and happy with what we have and not waste time chasing unimportant materialistic things . as i said I cant do him justice
Now no need to worry, i'm not joining the monks but it was amazing the way he just appeared for the chat and spoke to me bout all the things I have been thinking bout while I'm here. Funny and strange things do happen sometimes and i think i was lucky that I realised that this was a special moment.
Well thats all my tales for another week. Hope Ye all stay well and enjoy the weekend
take Care
Cathal