Excited about India!

3 days, 14 hours and 50 minutes until I board my flight to Delhi, India. Traveling to India has always been one of those dreams I've had. It was a dream that I never believed would come true after getting married so young (24), and then kids in the nearish future, and Paul's dislike of anything remotely warm and filled with mosquitoes (who can blame him?) I just figured... oh, I'll do that when I'm old or just scratch it off the list. I know I'm very lucky and I've been able to travel quite extensively and missing India wouldn't have been such a big deal. But then over December, I realized that I get a 2.5 week break, and that's a pretty good amount of time to spend traveling somewhere new, somewhere exciting, somewhere like.... INDIA!

And so the planning began. If you know me, you know that I really get into things when I am excited. So for months I spent time planning, organizing, and reading everything I could get my hands on about India. I got a partner in crime to agree to join me in India (yay!) So we slowly but surely built up our itinerary using Seat 61 - the best train travel site around. Train tickets bought, the accommodation was next. I read and reread comments on TripAdvisor and Hotels.com and HostelWorld.com and any other website I could get my hands on. After nearly a month of building up lists and narrowing it down, I chose hotels and B&Bs with the highest ratings, free train station pick up, free breakfast and a nice, Indian family in charge. I made other purchases too - I bought this anti-theft handbag and this sterilising water bottle. In the last days running up to India, Paul helped me purchase some pepper-spray to help his peace of mind. On top of all this I have a medical kit the size of my head and travel insurance so good I can get airlifted back to Switzerland and not pay a dime. I always think it's better to overplan and over-prepare to help things go smoothly. I'd much prefer not to need any of these things, but if I do, at least they're there.

I'd like to think that all this planning gives me a little credit. I didn't just decide, "I'm going to India!" and then arrive there thinking I would figure it out on the way. I know I've got to be careful, be alert, and plan the best I can. And yet, all I've gotten from EVERYONE I've told I'm going to India is raised eyebrows and quite a few lectures. I know it has to do with all of the recent media explosions about rape cases and women's safety issues. I read every article about India, so I KNOW. I'm not taking it lightly (hence, all the planning). I also won't let fear stop me from going to a place I have always dreamed of. I think there are places which are challenging to travel through (like India), and places that are dangerous (most middle eastern countries, no thanks). And although India will be a real challenging adventure (not a vacation), I am ready for it. 4 months of research and years of anticipation have lead me to this point in my life. And now in 3 days, 14 hours and 30 minutes I'll be there, living my dream.

Now just picture me in this picture!

Making the Right Choices

After a quiet lull of 15 days with no posting, I find myself sitting on my couch with a million things running through my head. If you didn't know, Paul and I took our half-term holiday in Tignes, France snowboarding the gorgeous Espace Killy. I actually did not work the entire week, and it was absolutely fantastic. I was going to bed early, waking up early and I was full of energy about half way through the week when I had recovered enough from the last few months of work. While I was there I read THIS article about "Why people shouldn't love you for who you are" and THIS article about the difference between rest and relaxation. It seemed these came at a perfect time for me, as they both really rang true. 

The first article talks about how you are really not just one, un-changeable person.  The part that really struck me was this:

"When people argue others should love them for who they are, they’re ignoring the fact that there are a multitude of people living inside of them, battling for control.

When you take up a new exercise regime you a war rages between Fat You and Skinny You. Fat You says that it’s cold outside and it’s going to hurt and the blankets are nice and who cares if you miss a day? Skinny You says that you’ll be happier, have more energy, be a better lover and be more likely to play with your kids. Each day you have to decide whether Fat You or Skinny You is going to win."

Last weekend I had the Fat Me v. Skinny Me battle. Do I want to wake up an hour before I have to so I can get a workout in? That morning, fat, sleepy, tired me won. But later that afternoon when I ate a super healthy dinner and did a tabata workout, I felt myself kick Fat Me to the curb, and it felt pretty good. Thinking of my battle with working out/being lazy seems a bit easier when I am just thinking about two parts of myself. What two parts are battling inside of you? 

Now, onto the next article. I seem to find myself in a rut most workdays. I suspect most working adults find this true as well. You wake up early, you work hard all day, you come home late and you have no energy. I KNOW I should go for a run and cook a healthy meal, and play a bit of guitar, and write in my journal but this happens far less often than I would like. I spend too many evenings checking email, watching the next TV show, but not doing the things that really help me rest. Instead I am using escapism to get away from the stress of everyday life. A glass of wine and a few shows seem to help me forget my stress for a bit, but the next morning I feel just as tired as I did before I slept. How is that possible? Does this sound familiar?

What the article (about rest and relaxation) explained was that we need to choose to do things that recharge our batteries, and eating junk (like delicious yummy chocolate) and watching a screen all evening (computer, iPad, TV, phone) is NOT rest.  The article says, 

"Rest is good sleep and nutritious food and activities that make you feel inspired and creatively recharged. It’s about replenishing what you’ve lost during the previous period of hard work so that you’re better able to pick it back up again and keep going down the road that’ll lead you to your dreams." 

So today, I am really changing. Other than the fact that I am looking at a screen to write this, I am going to spend more time doing things that recharge my battery and get me ready for another tomorrow. If I don't, I'm afraid I will wake up completely burned out with no more energy to give. And that is a terrible decision to make. With more wisely chosen rest days coming up, and a few designated work-free evenings, I hope to be more on an even keel. 

I hope one of these articles can help you make a little improvement in your life too :)

Ski Week in Tignes 2013

Paul and I are lucky enough to be able to take a week off together to go skiing in our favourite place - Tignes! We stay in a beautiful little town called Tignes Les Brevieres, which is part of Espace Killy skiing area. Last year we went with friends, but this time it was just us. It was a fantastic time just being together and catching up a bit. With our current schedules seeing each other more than on the weekends is a treat. So we packed up, caught 3 trains and a bus, and arrived at our chalet.... our CATERED chalet. Let me tell you, if you ever get the chance to stay in a catered chalet while skiing, you should go for it. Every morning we had a different cooked breakfast (sausage and eggs, with porridge or eggs and hashbrown and bacon, yum yum), then for 6 nights we had a cooked 3 course meal. After skiing all day, you are pretty tired and not up for doing anything. Having someone else make your meal is fantastic! We stayed at Chalet Chardons which makes staying in a catered chalet affordable, especially on the weeks when it is not half term.

Most days were pretty relaxing - wake up, have a cooked breakfast, get back in bed for an hour to read or nap, then get ready and head out to the slopes. Our chalet was a short ski or a mini funicular to the main lifts. We'd snowboard a bit in the morning, take a nice afternoon rest with food, vin chaud, hot chocolate, and dessert, then snowboard a bit more. Then, if we were tired, we'd hang out in the afternoon sun for a little beer and rest before heading home. We'd go to our favourite little pub (The Underground) for an hour of slightly-faster-than-our-chalet internet, then take the funicular back to our chalet, clean up a bit, and get ready for our next delicious meal. By 9:30 was I completely wiped out and ready to read then sleep. Eat, ski, eat, drink, ski, drink, ski, drink, shower, eat, drink, sleep. That was the rhythm of our holiday and I loved it. The best part was that every day we could do whatever I wanted. And no matter how hard I hoped, each day slipped away and I got closer and closer to the end of the holiday. I hate that wonderful days go very quickly and work days slog by.... the curse of time! Here are some pictures from our time there - so much snow, sun, and blue skies :)

Paul about to go down some powder.

icicles in the beard...

Anyways, we have now been back at school for a week and it is more exhausting than I remember. 4 more weeks and it is spring break, and off to INDIA! Whoo hoo! Counting down the days :)