This place is real, and it's called Ko Phi Phi Don.
It's been four countries and two continents since my last post. I flew from Siem Reap to Krabi, Thailand, where I stayed for a few days before going to the party that's Ko Phi Phi Don. You guessed it, Grandma went hard one night and then went to bed early the rest. In my defense, even if alcohol buckets were only $2.50 each, I would have died if I drank an entire one alone.
After Phi Phi, I set out for my first Workaway opportunity in Kolkata, India. Workaway is like Airbnb for volunteers. People who need help with just about anything you can think of typically provide room and board in exchange for a few hours of a volunteer's time. Opportunities range from farming to teaching English to collecting alms with monks (still disappointed I didn't make it to Myanmar for this). A couple I knew from Wisconsin told me about Workaway when I was starting my trip planning, and I couldn't believe something this awesome existed. You bet I'll clean for a few hours a day in exchange for food and a place to stay in a country I've always wanted to visit.
My flight arrived in India at 1:30 a.m., and with nothing else to do until the morning, I tried to sleep in the airport. It didn't go well. I woke up by a baggage claim both sweaty and cold, and then I got kicked out into the waiting area, which was noisier and colder than the baggage claim and smellier than my sweaty pits. I thought sweet relief was coming my way when two other backpackers asked if I'd like to share a taxi into the city, but nope, I was in for a literally sickening ride.
View of the neighborhood where I stayed in Kolkata
If you haven't been to India, go there knowing it's completely different than anything you've ever experienced. New York City is the closest thing the U.S. has to Kolkata in my opinion, but the differences still outweigh the similarities. A whirlwind cab ride from the airport to the city left us feeling nauseous. The driver had no regard for speed limits, lane changes, other cars, cows, etc. He also stepped on the gas every time a pedestrian crossed the street. I later found out India has driving schools, but nobody goes to them.
The taxi dropped us off at the dirtiest hostel I've ever seen with an employee who did everything he could to show the two backpackers how annoyed he was that they woke him up to check in. The three of us walked around the neighborhood, and it became obvious how different life in this city was from what I was used to as an American.
There are people everywhere at all times of day. There is constant honking from the impatient, crazy drivers. The city, neighborhoods, homes, restaurants and businesses aren't organized in the same way as in the U.S. The standard of living is completely different, and people behave differently as well. The two backpackers looked as sensory-overloaded as I felt, and we soon parted ways while I waited for Sumaiya, my Workaway host, to arrive.
Office hallway where I pondered my existence and doubts
I had met Sumaiya via video chat before coming to visit. She posted asking for help marketing an English program she and her family had started, and the chat served as an interview for both of us. Her thoroughness and organization impressed me, and I also felt like I'd really like her as a person, all of which proved to be accurate as I got to know her. But sitting in the hallway outside the school office, I considered booking a hotel for a night and flying out ASAP. I thought I wouldn't experience the same kind of overwhelming uncertainty and doubt I felt in Bangkok again, but I definitely did in India.
Impeccable timing brought Sumaiya to the office as I was thinking that, and the first of our many conversations started, which is really what I loved most about staying with her and her family. They taught me so much about India -- its history, culture (many times through delicious food like chicken dosa and kaju katli) and current political climate. To sum up the government there, imagine all the problems the U.S. has but 100 times worse with no one held accountable. It really puts the quality of life Americans enjoy into perspective. But despite everything that's going on, Sumaiya is optimistic about her country's future and its people. She and her dad are both living examples of the power of kindness and its affect on your attitude and those of the people around you.
These kids ran to pose for this photo when they saw me trying to get a picture of the cow.
They made me feel like family and at home in a place that was foreign. I was an obvious outsider in India. Sometimes it was funny, like when people lined up to take selfies with me, but sometimes it was uncomfortable, like when people openly stared with looks of suspicion while I was walking down the street. The family looked out for me more times than I can count (considering I almost got hit by a car/bus/taxi more times in the days I was there than I had in my entire life before that), and they gave me advice about where to go, what to do and how to not get ripped off, which happens to everyone there -- all of which I never would have known had I stayed by myself.
Cutting costs was my main objective for Workaway when I first incorporated it into my travel plans. I equated it with staying in a hostel -- it's cheap, it's doable, it's fine. But after staying with Sumaiya and her family, it's proven to be an immense value for more than just monetary reasons. I'm staying with another Workaway host right now in Moulins, France, and I'm again learning so much about what it's like to live here vs. what it's like to be a tourist. Honest opinions and different perspectives are priceless, and just think, these opportunities are available to you for only a few hours of your day.
So if you want to feel like you've accomplished something, use Workaway. If you want great tips about where you're staying, use Workaway. If you want to experience how other people live, use Workaway. If you want to learn about what's really going on in other parts of the world, use Workaway. If you want to find out how good life is for Americans, use Workaway. And finally, if you want to make lifelong friends, use Workaway. It's worth so much more than the money you'll save on hotels and food (and the yearly subscription fee to have a Workaway profile).
Fellow Workawayers, tell me about your experiences with your hosts (or volunteers) in the comments below. Mine have been positive so far. Between Workaways, I'm being a tourist doing touristy things like climbing the Eiffel Tower and taking selfies at the beach. You won't find those on my Instagram, but you will find interesting people and places from my trip at a more frequent rate than this blog.