Getting Ready

Getting ready to go to India for a mere ten-day stint is something I never expected to do. In fact, I had given up on the idea that I would ever make it to India, until my writing teacher, Martha, sent out an intriguing invitation. She would be leading a workshop in Kochi – on the Malabar Coast. This is the southwestern coast of India, near the southern tip, and it is where the spice trade route that we have all heard about originated. My friend, Susan, taught me a song about a beautiful maiden that lived on the coast of Malabar, but I didn’t know where it was. I’m somewhat amazed that I am actually going there, to the place where pepper and cardamom grow.


So – what to take? The women there wear lovely salwar kameez, long pants with a long tunic to match and sometimes a shawl that goes around the shoulders and head. Forget the sporty capris that I wore in China, or short skirts and other garb that reveals too much of the female form. My daughter, Bronwen, is going with me, so we are mulling this. Should we try to find salwar kameez here in Portland, or just take a couple of longish skirts or loose pants – then buy them there? More on that later. I’m including a photo here of they kind I prefer: pants not baggy, tunic with short sleeves for hot weather. Forget the high heels! Below you see the more baggy variety and more traditional cover-up. Still, the colors are lovely, don't you think?


There will be 9 women in our group: 7 writers plus our teacher, and a friend of Martha’s named Smita, who will guide us on some tours. We will write in the mornings and evenings and have the afternoons to do as we please: shop, nap, explore, write some more.

We are leaving the day after Christmas and will come back January 8th - in time to return to school. I have the blessing of my boss to miss a few days - one to recover from wicked jet-lag. Bronwen and I will be flying through London where we have a long layover, to Mumbai on British Airways (thanks for the frequent flyer miles, Matthew!) and then from Mumbai, we will fly to Kochi. On the way home we will fly across the country to Chennai (used to be Madras) and back through London.

Will we learn how to say thank you in Malayalam?