What's-update part 1

Been a while hasn't it? Sorry about that

Been pretty busy lately with exams starting soon and also school events. But I have a quiet weekend now to rest, read and write.

I hear that it's also approaching exam time in Aus. I hope that students aren't getting to much work. 

Since it's been a while I've got a fair bit to cover. I think I'll do it in 2 parts to save you from getting too bored. 

Ok, so lets get into it.

Well there's less than a month to go before my dad arrives here. It's a very weird feeling. I'll admit that there's a part of me that doesn't want it to be that time, because I know that that will signal the end of my time here. 

I don't think I've experienced anything as bitter sweet in my life before, and may not for a very long time to come. 

The trip dad and I are going to have will be amazing. Then afterwards I have the joy of seeing all the people back home again.

But once the sweetness of return goes away, the return to normality is what I currently fear.

I never had any idea how India was going to change me. I now find myself wanting less, and to be happy more.
An example is internet. Here it’s slow and most of the time the youtube videos need some time to load. I keep thinking about how it’s basically flawless in Australia.

The thing is that I don’t need internet to be amazing. Yet I still find myself wanting it more and more.  I don’t want to want it to be better. I just want it to be what I need.

Make sense? I hope it does, and it’s fine if it doesn’t.

Not stressed over work but making the most of my time. Because of this, it can be said that knowing my time in India was limited, has helped me to be so happy here (sound like a famous Steve Jobs speech?). 

When I go home, I'm worried that I will loose this happiness that I have enjoyed for the last several months. 

A small example of it is at the end of summer holidays and you cry and cry about school the next day (did anyone else do that?). What I feel right now is like that but so much more. 

I'd like to talk a bit about my legacy here. It's been something I've thought about ever since I got back from Mad River. What do I want to leave behind? What can I do to leave a little something that says 'Ash was here'?

Should I try and make improvements for the school. Do I try to be an amazing person that people will remember?

I think it comes down to the fact that I will never forget this school, and I don't want it to forget me. 

I've helped out in band and school groups, but I see that there is still so much more for me to try and do. 

Should I try?

In my experiences here I've also come up with an idea of the perfect exchange student. Some characteristics I find I have, but there are some that I don't. 

So here's my idea of the perfect exchange student.

• They are adaptable. When thrown into a new environment that can get to know and understand their environment.
• They are be accepting. Things are the way they are. This is not their country and they must follow other people's customs/norms. 
• They are willing. There are many opportunities to get involved. Ask "Why not?" and try to enjoy every moment of it. 
• They are courageous. Whenever difficulty may arise, they will walk through it and everything will be better once through it. 
• They  take responsible risks. Knowing what should be attempted and how to do it safely. Their health is the most important thing. Stay safe
• They are explorers. Seeing the world around them will help them to become a better person
• They are triers. Give things a go. 
• They are fun. They won't shy away from socialising. Get to know people and laugh with them. Creating memories together is priceless.  
• They are care-free. It's all about making the most of your time here. Being tied down with worries will slow you down. 
• They are achievers. They set a goal and work towards it.
• They are openminded. As part of adapting, they must be open to different ways of thinking.
• They are aware. They always have their eyes and ears open for new opportunities. It's about making the most of your time here, and if things slip past they won't come back. 
• They are caring. They are good friends to others. 
• They are self-aware. They know who they really are, what's happening to them and when something is wrong inside them (emotionally). 
• They are observers. They see the world of the locals and their pains/struggles. 
• They are patient. 
• They are organised. They know what needs to be done and how to use their precious time. 
• They are sharing. They share their joys and difficulties with others. 
• They are trusting. When things go wrong, that everything will work out in the end. 

• And finally, that they are loving to all the people they meet in their journeys. 

That's quite a list isn't it. Sorry if you got bored about half way through it. I just though that it may interest some people.

Ok, into some other news. 

We got some new furniture in dorm. There's talk about painting the place and making it a bit brighter.

A couple of weeks ago I saw my first police car in Kodai. It looked like any other car but had a police sticker on the side. Kodai's a pretty safe place from what I hear, but I don't often see to many police. 

KIS was ranked as the best international Boarding School in India, Woodstock came second. We're really fortunate to be able to come to such awesome schools. No school is perfect and there are things to improve on, but I can see why this school is the best. As Mr Eric says, there's a special sauce about this place. 

It was also parent week at the beginning of October. Antonia's parents made the trip and it was great to see them again. 

Seeing many other students with their parents made me a little sad, thinking that my parents were a long way away. It was a wonderful to see everyone so happy though. 

During parent week there was a performance from the chamber singers and the school play. I was selling food and drinks at the door for Youthrise. Was a wonderful evening and the play was great from what I heard. 

Later on their was an NHS talent show where different students from the school performed. It was mainly singers and band groups but entertaining none the less. Great job to everyone who had the courage to go on stage

Also during parent week their was a college fair. A college fair is when different universities have a stall and people get information about the university from them. I wasn't interested in any of the colleges, but I wanted to see if by chance there were any Australian Uni's present. I only found one unfortunately.  

I've moved into a bigger desk now. It has about double the space and allows me to store everything nicely.  YAY

The school hosted a basketball tournament called the Kodai Open. A couple other schools came and the Grand Final was between a school from Bangalore and our Kodai team. In the end the other team won, much to the disappointment of the crowd. It was a great match though and should be very proud of themselves. 

On the night of the Kodai Open final, there was a carnival in Alumni Hall (the main hall of the school). A carnival is where people set up stalls and sell food for fundraising. This time the funds were going towards Prom Comity for the senior prom next semester. I helped a stall that was selling popcorn and some lollies. Other stalls had pasta, icecream, crepes and other scrumptious goodies to eat. 

There's been an Australia vs India one day series going on. It's been great watching them play each other and created a bit of a division between myself and the rest of the dorm. Even though not many take an interest in cricket, we all enjoy watching. 

Here's a picture of a lazy cow for your entertainment:

I think I'll leave it there and conclude with the weather.

It's getting colder and it's also becoming very foggy at times. It hasn't started raining to hard yet, but it may start soon. 

The sunsets have really been consistently awesome. Unfortunately I don't take my camera down for dinner. The sky is always different and beautiful.

I hope the weather in Aus is getting warmer and you're having great weather.  

Continue reading if you want with part 2: http://bit.ly/18Ycg9e

Have a good day.

 If you want to contact me, you can email

me at: comanduash@gmail.com

Hiking Highlights: Vilpatti to Palani 19/10

Sore, dirty and tired

That pretty much sums up the hike.

It wasn’t the most difficult hike I’ve done, but it was the most annoying.

Lots of scrambling down hill, lanterna’s and thorns and water crossings made the hike feel like it kept going on forever.

The flip side of this is the amazing views of cliffs and many waterfalls.

The hike started at 7 after a 20 min bus ride from the town of Vilpatti. It was a great morning, not to warm and nice lighting for photos.

Breakfast was at 8 on some rocks next to a stream.

We would go up and then down again to another stream, gradually making our way further down.

We passed through a village on the way and bought some tea.

It got steeper and eventually we stopped for lunch by another river. It was a great spot for swimming, and there was a rock we used as a water slide into a deep pool. Myself and a friend Dhawan went upriver and explored a bit.

He then went down river and got some nice photos.

And so the hike passed by. We did multiple (at least 5) river crossings where we needed to take our shoes off and put them on again.

Then, we finally arrived in the plains as the ground flattened out. We had a tea break at a dam. The water was running really fast and reminded me of when I went white water floating (used a little air mattress and paddled to direct yourself) on grade 9 Wabonga camp.

A bit more walking and river crossings and we had reached the end of the hike.

Here's the description of the hike:

Initially road and farm trail past terraced fields, small farms and coffee plantations to Palar Waterfall, the route then moves into jungle and wilderness with steep cliff views, glimpses of the spectacular 2nd palar Water Fall and possibility of wild elephant sign, though the thick forest makes sightings rare. A detour up stream to a weir provides a swim option, then the trail out walks on an irrigation ditch wall through a stately teak plantation, emerging at the base of the Palani Ghat. (2 hour drive back)

Anyway, now let’s get into the photos!

A resilient reptile fights the current

Palar waterfall

2nd Palar waterfall

Dhawan's photo

Dhawan's photo

Tried some editing.
Dhawan's photo

After taking the photo I quickly made my
escape

Elephant bones

A nice looking millipede... or centipede.
Can't remember

Shoes will need another washing

Reminded me of John the Baptist

It is the last hike I’ll probably do at Kodai. The season ends next week, but I have a simulator conference for MUN at that time.

I have accomplished my Tahr Pin though, the award in recognition of hiking. I’m glad that I could accomplish something whilst I’ve been here.

 If you have any questions, or want to talk you can email me

at: comanduash@gmail.com

Hiking and Formal. The 19 hour long day

Firstly, happy birthday Lachlan (my little bro) from a far. Hope you enjoy the Pokemon and catch'em all!

So the 12 of October for me was a very long and tiring day. It started at 6 when Mr Peter (our substitute dorm parent) woke me up for hiking. 

The hike was from Kukkal to the plains. It was very similar to the hike from Pallangi to Pallani which was nearly a month ago. 

They drop you off in the middle of no-where and then you walk down the mountain for several hours.

Here's the description of the hike: 

Largely a wilderness hike, it is one of the most popular due to occasional elephant sightings and several good swim spots. Starting at the edge of town, descends steeply by a stone staircase to terraced fields. A view rock offers a view down the whole valley to the Kuduraiyar (Horsetail) Dam, the destination. After crossing a stream, the trail descends steeply past a plantation into forest, and a larger stream crossing (good swim holes downstream) than on through relatively level forest and drier 'scrub forest'. A final stream crossing and the path parallels the stream along a rocky gorge and another swim site, before the trail climbs, crosses slippery rock and descends steeply down to the dam (a final swim possibility) and the pick up site below the dam. Drive back via Palani.

It was an absolute scorcher of a day. A couple of people ran out of water on the hike and I was glad I brought 3L (had to share some). 

There's 1 hike left for me next week. That one will mean I get my Tahr pin and signal the end of my Kodai Wilderness exploration :'(. 

Anyway, let's get into the photo's from the hike! Hope you enjoy them:

You can see the dam a bit right of centre.
Was taken 5min after we started. Couldn't believe that it would
take 7 hours to reach that. 

Breakfast spot. Was a long way down. I think I underestimated
my danger, sorry mum for scaring you. 

Breakfast spot. Not bad place, a little windy though

Was glad I wore long pants

A giant squirrel

We went swimming here and jumped off the further
waterfall. 

Free spa treatment from the fish

Our starting point was a little to the left of those distant
mountains. 

On the way back, we went through a couple of towns. I noticed that some of the houses and businesses were made of concrete wall but had a couple of weaved reed walls. They helped to complete extensions to the buildings. It reminded me of a line from The Castle, a classic australian movie that presents Aussies in such a flawless way. The line was about the extensions to the house, and how the council didn't know about them. Made me chuckle as the bus continued to bump along the road back to Kodai.

And that was the Kukkal to Plains hike.

We walked from around 8 till 3. 7 hours it took to reach that blue pool we saw from the mountain tops. 

The bus trip back took 2 and a half hours, so I got back to dorm at 5:30. Formal started at 6:30 and they wanted us out of the dorms at 6.

I raced in and jumped in the shower. Since I'd just been hiking all day, I had a 20 min shower to make sure I was clean enough. I then got dressed and Harsh (a friend in the dorm) helped me with my tie. After making sure I looked decent we left the dorm at 6:10.

Formals was a great evening. It started with an amazing dinner in the covered court. The place looked amazing, and they served spaghetti with bolognese or carbonara sauce. This disappointed many people there but I was delighted. I didn't take any photo's but tried to enjoy the night.

After dinner was a canteen. It was a great time with the music and dancing. On some of the slower 

songs, I was jealous of the people who had someone to dance with. 

It was a lot of fun though.

Afterwards there were 2 movies shown. They were 'The Conjuring' and 'PS I love you'. I'd already seen The Conjuring twice and I also wanted to engage my softer side (I haven't seen a love movie in a while), so I chose PS I love you. 

I'll admit that I cried multiple times throughout the film. I blamed it on the tiredness after the hike. My defences were lowered and the flood gates opened. 

Unfortunately the power was cut at 11, just before the ending. 

I went back to dorm with some other guys. Once there we lounged around a bit and talked about the night for a while. 

I got ready for bed and fell asleep at 1am. 

I hadn't taken a photo of myself before the formal, but got one afterwards. Here it is ( I was a bit neater before the formal):

The mirror was a little dirty, not me

If you want to chat about anything, you can 

email me at: comanduash@gmail.com