Life Changes in Varkala

This morning, back in the UK, while procrastinating over updating the Blog and looking for something mind numbing to do, I filled in an online personality test only to discover I come under the category of an ENFJ!!??

For the past three days I have been running ideas through my head on how to start my write up about my two months in India. A two month experience that has given me the opportunity to change my life direction forever.

So how is an ENFJ described on the internet – The Giver – extrovert, idealistic, charismatic, outspoken, highly principled and ethical. Another web page says they are The Protagonist!

So it may come as no surprise that my stay in India has had such life changing repercussions!!

The following Blog is not like one of my usual write ups where I go into daily detail, reliving every moment as I write. So much happened over the two months I could possibly write twenty Blogs but I am now so excited about the future I am going to roll it all together to give you a brief insight as to how my life is changing!!

Having made the decision to go to Varkala on my way back to the UK to avoid the cold wet and chilly winter months, I dithered about where to stay.

Andy and Nicole ( https://the-adventures-of-kerriann.blogspot.com/2017/04/brandy-on-balcony.html ) had arrived in Varkala two weeks before me but had moved out of the Jairam Cafe after the new guy running the rooms had put the prices up and was not being overly helpful!

In January 2017, through Nanda, I had met a great girl called Emma. Her partner Steve (who wasn't in the country at the time) rented some rooms up by the temple all year round, so I sent her an e-mail asking if I could stay for a bit until I sorted out a room.

My flight arrived at midnight so Emma arranged a taxi to collect me and left the key hidden so I could let myself in once I arrived. A fabulous note on the bed of the spare room welcomed me and informed me they would both be out early in the morning. I was instructed to sleep well and we would catch up in the afternoon for introductions and plan making.

I slept the sleep of the exhausted but awoke the next morning to silence (well as silent as India's dogs, cockerels, bus and lorry horns allow). 

No grand daughter opened my door to see if I was ready to play, no shopping or meal planning needed to be arranged, there was no cleaning schedule, no making of dens planned, just a quiet emptiness!

So I burst into tears for at least twenty minutes!!!

Eventually I roused myself and headed for the kitchen to wash my tears streaked cheeks and snotty nose clean only to find that Steve and Emma had left in a rush that morning and left their breakfast dishes on the side.

Grateful for the distraction of something to do, I washed them plus the small pile of laundry I found in the basket.

Then, because I could, I cleaned the kitchen!

From the kitchen I moved to the bathroom

and then because I still had a bucket of soapy water I washed all the floors and the windows!!

By the time I finished it was well after mid day, my self indulging sorrow had waned to a more manageable level now that I had actually achieved something, so I headed out for a walk locking the door behind me.

When I returned, the door was wide open and a tall man stood inside.

“Hello?” I ventured, “You must be Steve?”

He grinned broadly and shaking my hand enthusiastically asked me what I had done to the house.

I began to apologise for taking liberties with the cleaning, Lisa is constantly telling me I can't just take over peoples lives without asking first, but Steve just laughed, asked how long I was in India for and invited me to move in as the house keeper!!!!

The house is situated about 2km from the cliff top and is made up of three floors. 

A quiet Indian Family live on the ground floor. Steve's friends Chandra, Balu and Ramesh live on the second floor where we all shared a communal kitchen. 

Steve and Emma live on the third floor and on the roof there was a covered open space that Emma had cleared and cleaned over New Year for a roof top meal.

With the invite to stay in exchange for a little Karma Yoga I very soon not only took over the running of the house,

adding small things that would make all of our lives a little easier,

I also took over the running of the communal kitchen in the boys flat, (the defrosting of the refrigerator took TWO days!! Two days at India temperatures!)

I then assumed responsibility for the cleaning of the boys flat downstairs buying them a new toilet seat and scrubbing their bathroom to within an inch of its life,

I also took over Balu's Art Shop when everyone went to Tamal Nadu for Pongal for a week and then again three weeks later when Balu needed to go home this time for three weeks,

I also took over Emma's carefully cleaned roof space at the house turning it into an area for chilling and yoga

as well as a great eating area,

I changed Steve and Emma's spare room which had now become my room into a home with the aid of a clothes stand and side table acquired in Varkala town and loaded into the back of a rickshaw with much ummming and head scratching,

I blitzed all the outdoor spaces I could find, recycling old things into new things as well as paying the Landlord to take away all of HIS discarded paint pots, rock hard paintbrushes as well as a few things of our own!

plus I cleaned up the wasteland outside the shop and planted a few flowers!

All in all I had a ball!!

During this time I also met some amazing people.

Andy and Nicole had moved into a fabulous place just up the road from the Jairam Cafe where the owner Mohammad stopped by each evening for a chat.

One evening he even delivered an amazing meal, cooked by his wife for us all to enjoy in the garden!

With Kim's help, Nicole and I facilitated a day where she ran a Creative Writing workshop finished off with Story telling around a fire at the Jairam Cafe, Andy played his Ukulele while Nicole and I took turns to tell our tales.

Being in the shop was wonderful as I was able to chat with everyone as they walked the cliff at night!

I met a great guy from Italy called Stelios who just loved to chat and could walk for miles.

Together we explored the route to Fisherman's beach stopping frequently to admire the wild life, play in the boats and to swim in the sea as we walked.

Stelios had never been to India before and was like a child in a sweet shop as I introduced him to things especially Roti and Dahl at the road side cafes.

Each day I was at the shop he would call past to tell me about his latest trip on a bus, to town, to the freshwater springs on the beach, to Black Beach, to the new place he had found to eat. 

Even when he lost all his bank cards we managed to turn it into a learning curve as he discovered ways to make 100 rupees last two days and still have fun!

Emma's friend Ellie arrived from London to stay in the house for two days giving us another excuse to have a roof top meal before her friends arrived and she moved into a cliff top residence.

When Ellie discovered I lived in Machynlleth she proudly announced she would be coming up from London to attend our now famous Comedy Festival. 

She asked if I could recommend a taxi company to which I replied

“Yes, ME!”

Poppy from Ireland joined our ranks and then our yoga sessions and when Nanda returned to Varkala on her way to Gujarat for a few weeks to restore her two push bikes after the summer monsoon and then left them in the care of the house for us all to use …...

…... Poppy, Goldilocks and I did a wonderful trip over to Capel Beach, swimming in the warm rolling waters of the long deserted beach and then joining the locals for a wash in the clear fresh water of the back waters before we headed off in search of food.

In a fabulous isolated beach shack overlooking the fresh water lake, fresh pine-apple juice was served as we waited for our food to arrive.

Cooked to order as Poppy tried to teach me to walk a slack line while Goldi swung in one of the various hammocks, the whole day was simply amazing!

Festival season arrived mid February with great parades that passed through the town as each of the many temples took turns to host a celebration.

Chariots,

elephants,

drummers,

actors all walked through the streets stopping from time to time to offer blessings,

stage short drama enactments,

and to bring the crowd to a frenzy with rhythmic drumming that just couldn't be resisted.

Huge screens of light bulb artwork

interspersed by long tunnels of lights lit our way home while music blasted out of speakers hung in the trees.

When a quietness returned to the town we began to spend each evening on the roof top talking about plans, ideas and dreams.

We were blessed with a full moon eclipse that finished with a huge fruit bat flying out of a tree to be totally silhouetted for a split second in a true Batman moment.

As the weeks passed, I felt more and more at peace with the world.

I had dreamed many years ago about living in India, in my mind I had visualised the sort of house I would live in, the sort of things I would do, the sort of principles I would follow.

As the weeks rolled by I realised I was now actually doing and living all those things I had visualised.

I had been welcomed into a family of UK and India friends in a way I had not thought possible.

Together we visited the temples and went on trips.

Together, regardless of religion, nationality or age, we celebrated Holi on the beaches of Varkala.

Throwing the colourful powder over each other and inviting strangers to join us.

Some were enthusiastic, other were slower to respond but by the end of the day everyone was covered with the blues, reds, oranges and greens of Holi!

Everything I did was appreciated, everything I did I enjoyed.

As we spoke about Steve's dream to one day facilitate a retreat for his stressed and tired clients in London, the more ideas we came up with to make it happen and then the Universe took over.

By the time Steve and Emma left India at the end of February, they had a new house lined up for renting, one with a garden, one that was only five minutes from the beach, one that needed someone to care for it, to sweep and clean, to meet and greet and to generally help out.

That someone was ME!!

In a few months time I will be returning to Varkala to rejoin an amazing team of hard working, visionary people who simply want to help others to find their calmness within.

The Varkala Experience (Find us on Facebook) is aimed to introduce strangers to the joys of living in Varkala. 

Offering rooms, yoga, massages, excursions and so much more, the plan is to welcoming people into a family, welcome friends back into the fold and to share the beauty of Varkala to all who wish to discover her.

With any luck we might one day meet in India!!

Until then I have some serious unloading of possessions to do back in the UK!!