I have now been in Morni Hills around two weeks.
It has been some quite quiet days here, though on the other hand the days has also flown away.
The main activities I have been indulging in are:
Walking
One of the neighbours is called Krishna (something – it is hard to catch the endings of name, so I call him Krishna) – who is a farther to two and lives with his wife in a house that is split in two, where his brother lives in the other half – has taken me for a few walks around the hills and to the highest point in the region, which is about 1800-2000m (the mountains, which are in background and higher, though also in a different region). We walked for about an hour and a half, with one stop at a family who instead on offering us tea and wanted to hear more about what a white dude is doing around here! It is sweet and I love the tea (which is also sweet) and one of the sons guided us to the top of the mountain. It was beautiful there and I felt I sat on top of the world, just looking down to a eagle gliding passed below. Whether it was the hight or the walk there I’m not sure, but my body just sank into itself, in a very calm manner, while the clouds just drifted in the white sun, before beginning it off-set. The mountains around here are a mixture of fields (which make hills look like steps from a distance), small clusters of villages (where in a small one four families live, to much larger) and trees, bushes and rocks. Many birds in many colours, monkeys and dogs. In the villages you find cow, bulls, goats and buffalos, which all have their own corner within the village – so they are hardly separated. Walking has also brought me to Morni and back: along the road, down the hills, across the river and up the hill, then you have Morni. It is about an hours walk and took the breathe from me on the first day.
Morni
Morni has all you need for a little town, with one main streets, plenty of chai shops, food, groceries shops and mobile shops. There is also a hospital there, banks and school, as well as being one of the meeting places for local busses, which is only a few. We mainly go their when we need to buy vegetables and milk. Grains we can my in the shop below our home hill. We always start by going to a chai shop and get one or two before going shopping. Everyone asked into who I am and I have to allow Raam to explain who I am – I like the idea that someone else have to explain my identity and I just have to go with it, without really knowing what he has said (other than I’m from Denmark). Though after being there a few time people have begun to recognise me and say hello – other I have played cricket with, so I’m becoming less of a stranger (yet still a stranger). Today, we had to buy flour – datta – in Morni, as the shop at home had non. So while waiting for the bus (I didn’t wanted Raam to walk home with a 10kg bag), I played card with Bonty, which was good fun, while having chai, of course. It was his restaurant we sat in and it was a really lovely interaction, especially as it was a communication without words, but rather glances, gestures and the odd expression of sound, when feeling lucking or the opposite.
Climbing
The river is full of boulders and I’m slowly feeling confident in being able to climb again. I have now completed three more difficult one (and beautiful ones) and are fighting with this super frightening high one… the mental game really kicks in, with the fact of being able to hurt your self. Though it is too beautiful, so I have to summon some courage for this one. Tomorrow I will track down the river to a spot I have had my eye on from the bus towards Morni!!
Cricket
So being a national sport (if not it should as everyone plays it), it is everywhere and everyone can be engaged in it. They play it at school or fields and you can just walk up and be a part… it was quite intimidating in the beginning not really knowing the rules or what to do – other than hitting a ball with a bat! Though you get your head around it slowly, but it is super difficult. It seems to me to be a sport where you have to have quick reflexes no matter where you are on the field or in which position you are in. It is this quiet moment until one guy bowl the ball and then thereafter everything is a reaction upon reaction and everything (some times) explodes with energy!! It is quite fun to watch – surprisingly!!
Else I am reading book and thinking about a workshop I will do at the end of the month (hopefully). It will be three days, so I’m pondering. Also I have a performance in mind, which will be quite demanding, however one I would like to attempt. I think I will combine the workshop with a day of showing performances, which could be good. But I’m getting inspired, quietly, as many thoughts are popping into my head, yet nothing can really manifest itself too much. Instead I just let in work within me and process it all in their own speed and what I’ll remember, I’ll remember… I can feel the energy I have received from completing the PhD-scholarship application – or rather the conversation with my supervisor. It is really the right choice for me to go to Glasgow, so I hope I will get the scholarship. It means that I can feel the energy building towards the project and my stomach feeling is really positive. So crossed fingers.
It is getting late and I want to climb a lot tomorrow and need to walk a bit before I get to the site. night x