Chill time out before the Big Push!

Hey y'all

Am skiving atm in Pondicherry, a delightful ex-french colonial enclave halfway between sites two and one... we stopped off on the way up to break-up the journey and haven't yet managed to leave!

Well, I was going to go today but DB desperately needed today to do some work. he has never asked anything of me this whole time, but simply goes with whatever I am doing (seeing as we are here for my work) but did look lost when he thought we were going to spend all today travelling because of a deadline he has. So we are here today too and then tomorrow we head to Site One to start work! Eek! I am excited and nervous, but have plans to relax me... Am not going to scare myself too much but will make sure every day counts. Will settle in tomorrow and try and find somewhere nice to stay who will have us for a month-plus... fingers crossed!

I have been in email contact with one NGO, whose director is very keen to meet with me - even emails me to see how I am and keep contact! (Unlike the NGO I volenteered for over xmas period and haven't heard of since. Pah) so I am looking forward to seeing them and how we may be able to help each other... I am also planning to start my informal 'hanging around' interview/chats this week too. I am going to go to each beachside cafe at a quiet time each day and drink chai and get out a prop (notebook) and hopefully someone will come and talk to me and have a nose about what I am noting. They usually do!! And I will hang out on the beach and try and talk with the hawkers and children and chai wallahs too in much the same manner. It may sound daft but people are super-chatty in India but there they *really* were. I was sat in a cafe and the guy who worked there got us both a drink and sat down and chatted away till I had finished! So I hope for much of the same. I shall try this tack for a couple of weeks and see how it goes anyway... I want to see my contacts (three peeps) in the first two weeks and hopefully start volunteering and talking directly with tsunami peeps in a specific capacitiy - e.g. liveligoods or coops or gender issues - notice which issues are prevalent and cross-cutting themes too. Pinpoint a focus. I want to recce the area too, apparently there are a few relief camps still inhabited along the coast, are fishing colonies, and are ex-villages where the aid went seriously awry. I want to see these.

So that is my plan for the first couple of weeks. Then it is nearly time for my ma to come and visit! Kerazy.

So I have finalised this plan, contacted my NGO for Monday and stuffed myself silly with finger-chips, beer and I have a tasty apple pie waiting for me at home. :0))) I have some serious weight to put on (happily!) though better be careful at this rate that I don't end up going the other way!!! ;0)

Am off now to look at an org's website and get some thoughts going about how they may be able to help me, and then to see about flights to the andaman islands for my birthday snorkelling. Whoop!!

x J