My Ride

Finally as much anticipated i have a motorbike on rent to get me to and from work, its been 13 years since i rode a bike so taking a little while to get back into it and build my confidence on these Indian roads. Why cant i find neutral i don't know! It a little heavy to what I'm used to but I'm sure i will get the hang of it with a little ride each day. The indicators are not working and i think the horn is broken so might have to rectify that as it is essential to honk your horn every 10 seconds, not so worried about signalling no one does that here.


So as i said before my social life has picked up considerably with
the very much appreciated help from my hostesses Venita and Herish i have Ranchi Club membership, so am off swimming every night now and can play racket sports when i want. Doing less cooking as eating out alot as a guest or at the club. Went to a karaoke night the other night you'll be glad to hear i didn't sing, but Venita has a lovely voice. It was tombola night last night which means bingo back home.

















I have also employed a maid very cheaply to take care of my chores. It gives someone a job and you free up your own time, i am getting some help in May and cant wait. I attended a wedding last week, not seen so much food before and very little alcohol. The bride and groom looked amazing and the whole thing lasts about three days. I only attended the evening gathering but enjoyed seeing this part of Indian culture very much. I felt like a bit of a celeb as the only white person in Ranchi everyone is intrigued by me.

Furthermore i have not laid dormant, i have booked 3 new adventures. In two weeks i go to the beach in Puri Orissa where i hear it is unbearably hot at this time but i cant wait to see the sea. At the end of May i have booked a jeep and elephant safari to spot tigers at Betla National Park for two days and finally at the beginning of June i go to see Kolkata. So very excited to see more of India.

On the work front I'm struggling a little, as an OT i need to work with beliefs, values, culture and meaningful activity all these things are rich here but very different from my UK practice, understanding of these areas will come with time and trial and error I am sure. Even when thinking of adaptations its very much make it yourself or design it and get it made nothing is accessible in the shops. This I hope to activate my brain and problem solve but if I make anything I will of course take a photo and put it up here for your comments.

Work culture is different here time management can be poor and motivation from government employees low, the volunteers I must say are very keen though. So will have to wait to see how this pans out, I do have lots of ideas and am putting an OT Handbook together for the NGO explaining some of the disabilities they come across, how they can assess, set goals and provide interventions. I'm looking forward to demonstrating the practical applications of this booklet as I will be getting it translated to Hindi for staff to use when I leave. I have to plan some workshops with parents to educate them on disability and for the teachers to get to grips with my handbook. Its quite difficult having not worked with children in this capacity before. I like to give myself a challenge!

As you can see I'm doing pretty well for nearly two months in and can honestly say I'm enjoying myself. I hear the weather back home is wet so wont go on to much about how hot I am here, it gets a bit unbearable at midday Ive got to say. Ive also included a photo of my pet lizard who does not want to leave my kitchen what ever I try to do.