everytime live

Just want to be myself.........

 Ranchi, India- October 25,2010,

While im on my ISOLATION and IMMERSION period......alone... 

              ....suddenly  would  just  love to hear these songs....

             .....and  collected some inspiring quotes to uplift my spirits....

 "The only way to get what you really want, is to know what you really want. And the only way to know what you really want, is to know yourself. And the only way to know yourself, is to be yourself. And the only way to be yourself is to listen to your heart." - Mike Dooley 

 

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, I believe I  can start from now and make a brand new successful  and happy ending."                -----Author Unknown

 "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." 
               ----Walt Disney 

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” 
              -----Winston Churchill

 

Orchha, Madhya Pradesh Escapades

DESTINATION:
ORCHHA, MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA

Purpose of Visit:  Attended  a 3-day VSO Conference and at the same time got the chance to see Jahanjir Mahal or the King's Palace , one of the tourists attractions of   Orchha, Madhya Pradesh .and enjoyed the sight of beautiful riverside  of  the River Betwa surrounded by forests. I have also   visited the town's  market place.

The conference was  about monitoring and evaluation and  VSO India's strategy  and  way of working  on  major development issues in India  - the challenges and strategies to adopt.

I am also very fortunate to have visited The King's Palace or  Jahanjir Mahal. The King's Palace is an example of  harmonized and organized execution of medieval Indo-Islamic architecture and what attracted me  most was one of the building designs -  the series of elephant brackets at regular intervals-  i found these  ancient designs  awesome and very unique.

ORCHHA, MADHYA PRADESH

Orchha - upon reaching this place,  what was very noticeable was  its cleanliness. I have considered this place as a clean , quiet and refreshing place to stay. This small village of Madhya Pradesh  is situated  in the forests away from the main traffic   and other busy places  of India. I have learned that the meaning of the place, Orchha is ‘a hidden place’ which I totally agree. The road going to this village can be compared to my travel going to Tagaytay City of my own country,  Philippines.

During my stay at Bundlekhand Riverside Hotel, situated  beside  the riverbank of  the River Betwa of Orchha, I have  experienced total  serenity  and relaxed  feeling especially at night. I also found this place very romantic.

VENUE  : 
Bundlekhand Riverside  Hotel

hote's lobby...

hotel's entrance...

hotel  rooms...

hotel's rooftop...

hotel's rooftop...

the serenity you can feel at night....

the garden has enough space to accommodate  parties  and  play badminton  as well....

my hotel room overlooking the riverside...

The King's Palace of Orchha (Jahanjir Mahal)...

forests surrounding the tiny village of Orchha....

finally we 've reached the top of  King's Palace...

Deoghar, Jharkand

 

This is Jasidih train station, where i get off going to Deoghar, Jharkhand. Train is India's major transport 

system.

Why I cried…..

Last May 2009, as I set foot  in the rural town of Deoghar, Jharkhand,  somehow remote and random place …I cried so hard for weeks!!! ..almost everyday while riding their manual rickshaw going to my new office.
Deeply saddened  due to change of  environment? being alone? a total stranger ? change of lifestyle? Is it the manual rickshaw ride? is it the severe hot weather condition? is it the  cleanliness of   surroundings? So many  changes that  I have to adjust----wondering who can help or   initiate  for everyone go to the next level of  cleanliness….litters along  the road ,  the market area, the neighborhood  and  everywhere.

The feeling was like i went back to the  PAST--- about 50 years back...and asking myself, " why am i doing this ? for the love of what? it's like i have almost forgotten my real objective of  "sharing my skills and changing lives " motto of  VSO...

I'm not blaming myself for these reactions since my  orientation during our  In-Country briefing for almost a month  was that I'll be posted  in Kolkata--- India's oldest  city  -- so I was not really prepared to live in a somewhat  remote  and isolated place like Deoghar.

The manual rickshaw...

Sites you can see along Tower Chouck -- Deoghar's commercial area.....

  

in Tower Chouck, Deoghar-- men cooking their favorite street foods--

In Jamtara Village-- one of the villages(barrios)  of Deoghar...

...these are cow's dung!!!! the villagers collect them for various uses...

a tribal village house made of clay...

In Jamtara village(barrio) with one of  the woman leaders/ volunteers   working on health / hiv issues.

My  3rd flat in Deoghar!!!! located at the ground floor of this 3-storey building--- i decided to transfer to this flat just in time for hot season starting April 2010 up to the time i left Deoghar on September 18, 2010.

 

 my dining room and receiving area as well........

Some of NEEDS staff and the 3 VSO volunteers- me, Sangita and Jim during send-off party for one Program Manager, Niladri. Photo taken inside compound where our office is located.

More pictures of Deoghar...

vegetable market along the road....

 this is where i buy my chicken....

 one source of income for the poor...

 a meeting with the village ladies...called self help group(SHGs) one example of women empowerment...

 they like sugar-cane juice...an example of  ingenuity...

 delivery  of goods ...via manual   carriage...

 palm tree.....

this is the process of how they construct  houses or buildings...shown are their bricks...