03.10.11
Today I woke up feeling a little apprehensive because Martin and I were going to spent a morning at a nearby International school. We were picked up at 7am by the children's school bus and on we got with all our packs, causing a bit of a stir.
When we arrived at about 8, we were taken to the cafeteria for a coffee, where most of the staff seemed to be (novel!)before home room began at 8.20. I was taken to begin my day with PYP1. Martin went to spend the day in the secondary department.
There were 11 children in the class, and 7 of them were just being taken off for their EAL lessons so I stayed with the remainder and we did our diary writing. I was then taken
for a tour of the school and got to find out a bit more about the IB programme. At 10.30 it was break time so I was taken to the cafeteria again for my breakfast! Afterwards I joined the equivalent of a year 4 class who were just beginning a new 'topic'. There were 18 children in the class with 10 or so children with EAL. While I was in the class, there was a class TA, another TA who seemed to be 1:1, a SEN TA and EAL teacher! Afetr the lesson the teacher very kindly talked me through the last unit she taught them and showed me their work. Throughout the rest of the morning I spent time with the SEN department talking through how they are organised and then went to watch an EAL lesson.
There was a great atmosphere at the school and everyone was so kind and helpful towards both of us. It had then been organised for us to get on the school bus back in to Pune and be dropped off at the train station as we were heading off to Margao in South Goa.
When we got to the station we had about an hour to kill. The train was due to arrive at 4.20 and leave at 4;30 and again we knew we had to be ready to get on at the correct carriage. So we were watching the boards in anticipation to find out what platform we needed to be at. 4:20 arrived and no news. Helpful passersby told us we should go to platform 1, but there was a train that was due after ours sat at that platform.
So we waited.....and waited. The train on platform 1 left at 5:10 and then our train appeared on the platform boards. At this time there had been no mention of a delay and a platform still hadn't appeared on the main station boards. Anyway as if by magic(!) the train appeared at 5.30 and we eventually left at about 6pm.
We were in another AC2 sleeper carriage, along with Pandadeep, a middle aged spring manufacturer. He was incredibly friendly and helpful. He told us hie mother was from Belgium and he had gone to university there. He spoke French, English and Hindi
fluently, and had lived for a period in America. We were talking about the economic down turn in the UK and high unemployment and he told us that unemployment should be very low in India, that in his factory he is always short of workers
in all areas. he said it's got to the stage that if someone isn't working to the standard he would expect and picks them up on it, they are in a position to say okay and go and find another job. This came as a great suprise to us as we have encountered
so many able bodied beggars. We told him about the well dressed lady and her son who had been walking past us at the train station, saw us, turned back and asked us for money! Such opportunism! He explained that he usually bought food for beggars,
because there are lots of rackets going on when people are making others beg for them and collecting the money.
So another night on a train passed and our train pulled in to Margao at around 6.30am (late). We were heading to Palolem and knew we had to get a bus there so we jumped in a rickshaw. At the bus station they told us we needed to get on a bus to Panjim and then change buses. We thought this a bit strange because we had been told there was a direct bus. Anyhow we
got on the bus, packed with people going to work, with our backpacks on our laps. All set and then at some invisible/silent signal, from what we could tell, everyone started getting on a bus and on to another smaller (!) one. So we trailed off last and got onto the other bus. Having to fight our way to the back of the bus with out packs and squish ourselves on to the back seat with 3 other people. Off we went.
Half an hour later we arrived in Panjim, where they told us we had to go back to Margao to get the bus to Palolem!! I have to say at this point I felt like crying! We have had many situations like this since being India. In the UK if someone had
cocked up you could vent at the person/company, get an apology or a refund and feel much better! But here you have to just
swallow it, accept it as part of the experience, because no-one would care if you complained here! The people at Panjim thought it was hilarious!
So we got back on the bus to Margao, again squashed on the back seat with our packs on our laps. I was thinking if I felt sick on the journey everyone around me was screwed! Then another man gets on the bus and tells us to move up because he wants to squish in aswell! We were very good and didn't tell him where to go, but dutifully budged up until I was practically sat on the girl next to me's lap, because this is 'normal' here!
Another 40 minutes back to Margao then we found the bus to Palolem. Now, Palolem is 30 km's away, so you might expect that it might 40-45 minutes. Of course not, this is India. Over an hour and a half later we arrived, having only added 4 hours to our journey!! I have to say I was particularlly fractious because at the hotel we stayed in in Aurangabad there must have
been bed bugs because I am literally covered in horrible looking bed bug bites and they are itchy. So I was hot, tired and being driven mildly cretinous by the my bites and the ridiculousness of travelling in India!
Anyway it was all worth it when we had found a room and stepped on to the stunning white sandy curve of beach at Palolem, edged with palm trees!
We walked the length of the beach, immediately relaxed, and had a quick dip. The water was so warm and shallow, you had to walk out a long way before it reached your waist. Once we had dried off we went and sat in one of the only beach side bars that is open, because it is off season. We could sit right at the front on cushions on the floor with a wonderful
unobscured view down to the sea, with only the occasional passer-by walking past, if you didn't turn your head too much! We enjoyed Goan sausage in a rich chilly sauce with roti and a fish curry. Martin even had a beer, as beers are about half the price here in Goa. Afterwards I fell asleep in the sun and then we went back to our room for a siesta before dinner.
We had dinner in an amazing setting, at the other end of the beach. Again sat virtually on the beach. This was a very up-market restaurant compared to what we were used to, and the prices reflected it. However it was highly recommended and we were prepared to spend a fiver on good, fresh seafood!! So we indulged ourselves with Calamari Tikka and a prawn biryiani.
It was fantastic and such a great relaxing atmosphere.
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