Being held in mind - Cayman says hello to Mysore

As many of you know, I spent the last 3 months of the year in India. During my time there The Mysore Foundation was in the early stages of establishment. Before leaving I donated my belongings to the Mysore community and made the suggestion of a Pen-Pal program to Ms Brice Watson, CEO. 

http://www.themysorefoundation.com/

I felt it important that these children in Mysore who are sidelined and forgotten by their own feel some connection and love from the rest of the world. Sending a letter or a simple picture would make the receiving child feel special by being held in someone's thoughts. After all, we all want to be 'held in mind' don't we? Knowing we are in someone's thoughts, that someone out there is thinking of us; we feel loved. 

It was my dream when I came to Cayman to start a Pen-Pal program with my own children. After 6 months of hard work at East End Primary School my efforts have finally come to fruition.

I wanted to teach the children: 

• About another culture and the world we live in;  that there is a world bigger than themselves. 
• The concept of charity and helping others. By asking their little boy/girl their name, age, likes etc they are thinking of someone else. And as many teachers and parents will agree, getting a young child to think of others is quite a challenge. 
• How blessed they are. Children in the Western world are very lucky and take their privilege for granted, I wanted them to understand what it's like to be poor. 
• Finally and most importantly for me, I wanted to explore the relationship of friends with the children. Helping them to see how friendships make others as well as ourselves feel good inside. That everything we do impacts another's feelings.

Despite it being the last 7 days of school and the children bouncing 'off the walls', My Year 1 class of 19 children have all written very sweet letters, coloured a picture of a typical Cayman animal (stingray, iguana, turtle etc) and tracked the route of their letters from the Cayman Islands, Caribbean to Mysore, India on a map. 

I'll admit I shed a couple of tears when reading through these letters. They've done so well and I'm very proud of their efforts. In a recap session I asked the children 'Why are sending letters to children in India?' One little boy raised his hand 'We want them to feel special Miss Winter.' My heart started to beam. They understood this project.

We will be finishing them tomorrow then I will put them into individual envelopes with either 'boy' or 'girl' written on them, ready to post to the guardians of the foundation in Mysore. 

On the other side of the world 19 boys and girls will smile and feel loved because of my children here in Cayman.

#Wintydidgood

And here was the report...

https://www.caymancompass.com/2016/06/30/east-end-students-hope-to-make-friends-in-india/

Travellers for Life

I was surprised by an impromptu visit this long weekend. For 4 years now Misa and I have travelled different parts of the world. He stayed true to his wanderlust nature and came to the Caribbean to see me. It's amazing how travelling brings these wondrous souls into your life. I got to thinking about why these friendships are so special and why they're different to all the others.

When we travel are are truly alive. We become this new person, in this new place, with absolutely no limits.  The new adventure molds us into the person we are becoming, and its these friends that are right beside us. As we embark in the unfamiliar, we begin to rebuild ourselves and reset our minds. We find confidence in who we are and begin to see what is of most value to our lives. The people we meet in this present state get to know the REAL us. They have no preconceived ideas of our personality and there's a humbling feeling that comes with the knowledge that these new friends actually like everything about our present self (including all of our strange and weird traits).

The friends I have met in India and Indonesia will be the friends I travel with in the future. I want to share more experiences with them, experiences that can't be shared with just anyone. They are the ones I trust and I just know my trip will be better with them. What makes these people even special is they come from all walks of life, all with such different backgrounds and passions. I am not friends with them based on the normal system of selection, but on a much broader level. They are my friends because I can relate to them, because they know me.

That's how it should be. It shouldn't always be people who like the same music or lived in the same town as you growing up. These relationships are special because they offer you a chance to meet people you wouldn't have ever crossed paths otherwise.

The more I travel and interact with strangers the more I realise I have nothing to fear and everything to gain by opening up and sharing a moment of my life freely.

In four weeks I will be reconnecting with some of these souls and making more friendships. The 1st leg of my trip will be spent in Toronto where I will be at the shala from 7am to 5pm each day. I am excited to strengthen my practice with David. I really have noticed how strong and flexible my body has become. Starting off with a disability where even standing up was impossible led to shuffling along on crutches and eventually I became mesmerised with the Ashtanga practice. 

Asanas such as:

• Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana
• Ardha Bahdha Padmottonasana
• Ahrda Pada Padma Paschimottanasana
• ALL Marichyasanas
• Bhujapidasana
• Kurmasana
• Supta Kurmasana
• Garbha Pindasa
• Baddha konasana
• Sirsasana
• and Padmasana

In fact, 99% of them were difficult if not seemingly impossible for me. But with regular practice :) 'ALL IS COMING'.

After the physically challenging fortnight I will make my way to Varadero and then Havana where I'll relax for a couple days and soak up some Cuban culture before jetting off to see my 4th world wonder. Flying into Cancun I will make my way across the country intending to visit Holbox, San Miguel, Tulum, Merida, Chiapa, Oaxaca and finally Mexico City, where I will practice with the beautiful Rocio, another friend met travelling! Any further recommedations are more than welcome :-)

Upon returning to Cayman I'll complete the practice part of my open water PADI certification. Snorkeling with Misa this weekend highlighted what I am missing out on this beautiful island. 

Regrets

When I arrived in Cayman there was no way I was going to visit home during the Summer holidays. I had had enough of London and was onto pastures new. However, since June 2015 I have spent a total  of just 6 weeks in London. I'm starting to really miss home. Speaking to Joey on Skype last week I realised that there are some friends that can't be replaced, even if you are in paradise.

I'm missing my brother growing up. He'll be going to secondary school next year and I wont be there for that transition. I miss my dad, his stories of the 'Canaries', Elvis Costello, even how he managed to clean the septic tank???? Strange I know! Most of all I just miss his humour. I miss Les maitresses; The French girls were part of my family in London, together we had created something amazing at La Petite Ecole. A part of me feels I left the school too early. My dear friend Ericka is also leaving London this year to return with her daughter to Guadeloupe. Despite being in the Caribbean the unjust airfares mean that I wont get a chance to see her and welcome her back. I miss Sophie; turning on my phone to find emails and photo updates remind me I've not been there to support her during her pregnancy and of course I'll miss the birth.

Perhaps making the decision to skip going home this Summer was a bit hasty.

For now, you guys will have to: Skype more frequently, visit (Cayman is pretty cool) or hold out till July 2017 :)

Play in the Rain

Back in January I recall the locals describing the 'rainy season'. I found this pretty hard to comprehend when surrounded by clear blue skies, a sizzling yet stunning sun kissing my skin and the feel of a cool sea breeze through my hair.

But...Rainy reason has now appeared and gosh its WET!

The island started to heat up after Batabano but suddenly one Sunday afternoon it all changed. Whilst catching some rays on Seven Mile a stygian shadow cast its way across the sky and a light shower came down. Refreshing as it was, the sky did not look too pretty. The following morning I awoke to a noisy downpour outside my window; my car finally had the wash it deserved.

The island is hot but the humidity is suffocating!

The calm before the storm and Sunset House

The poor school field has taken a battering. The children are running in from play covered in dirt. We had our 1st wet play on Friday. Teachers back home will empathise with the bain of wet plays, no time for setting up lessons and children demolishing a just tidied classroom! After a little grumble I realised, hang on, at home nearly every day was wet play (from Novemeber - March) so one day won't harm!!!

East End's school field

The downpours out here have been quite scary. The rain here is not like the showers back home. Think of the tropical storms you see on the news. Palms trees being thrown across the horizon, rain pelting down like hail stones and a percussion so noisy taking shelter in the cocoon of your car is the only way you can get peace and quiet.  No drainage on the island means there is nowhere for all the water to go, queue the floods. Its bloody scary to drive through; I'm afraid my car will get stuck and I'll be stranded.

Nonetheless...

After the rain comes the sun, and on Cayman, sunrise is serine and the sunset breathtaking.

Often when we perceive an experience as unpleasant, we try not to feel it, we divert our attention. Feel it all and go play in the rain; its very refreshing!