Sunday 30-05 & Monday 31-05

A hellish day. Going from a place of paradise where I felt so free, peaceful and absolutely amazed by everything, I was gradually, ever so slowly, brought to a place in both body and mind, that would give me the exact opposite. All it took was 1 day. Sunday.

I left Varkala, beach haven, to start a new teaching adventure. I had a day in “transition” in Kottayam, on Sunday night. I met up with Byron and Patsy, one more time. It was fantastic. We chatted for hours and I didn’t want the night to end. I knew I’d be having to leave Patsy the following morning and Byron the following afternoon (he was bringing me to “my new school” on Monday, giving a training and then setting off to continue his own journey). I knew I’d be starting another chapter within the next 12 hours as the 3 of us sat and shared all our travel dreams with each other.

So I could feel a change coming. It started with an uneasiness. The food I was eating was making me sick. I was dizzy and hazy once the excitement, adrenaline and amazement I got from the conversations I had just shared with Byron and Patsy, had worn off. I stayed at their apartment for one more time. But I didn’t sleep alot for feeling so bad about absolutely everything.

In the light of day, everything can feel so much better. I felt ready for the next step. I was packed and set to go. Up until the moment of saying goodbye to Patsy, we still managed to give each other words of wisdom or revealing contacts or inspiring thoughts that would hopefully benefit both of us, in the future. I felt so sad to leave her though. She’s flying to England next week, so is Byron. I definitely know I won’t be meeting Patsy in the near future, but I know for sure I’ll be seeing her again. What an amazing lady she is and I’ll never be able to thank her, and Byron, enough for what they have done for me over the past month. They had become almost my family away from home.

So I was breaking away from them, one by one. I had said goodbye to Patsy. Byron and I went to my new place of refuge: Ebenezer International school near a town called Ettamanoor. It’s a beautiful school, on a hilltop, with amazing views and facilities most Indian schools only dream of. All that’s needed to feel on top of India, by the sounds of it.. Well, to most people it would be.

However, it had a different effect on me, on this manic Monday. I had no expectations as to how things would go. An open-mind is always best when going through big changes. Little did I know just how overwhelmed I would be by the drastic change in my life. Sunday morning I walking along, freely, on a beach, doing what I wanted to do in life; writing my heart out. I was on top of the world. 24 hours later I was in a classroom, introducing myself to the 65 teachers within the school. What a turnaround.