Kerala, the land of coconuts, has filled me with many thoughts and questions in just my first week here. I had a very rocky start...let's just say that something in my flight food did not sit right with me or my stomach. I was incredibly overwhelmed by feeling ill and being in a new country, but I already felt the supportive and caring nature of the other CraftHER girls and coordinators, who made sure I was ok and comfortable.  After feeling so sick, I felt a lot better very soon, and I was soon tasting all the delicious delights offered by Kochi (the coconuts were an obvious favourite, as well as the mangos and many kinds of curries). 

During the second half of the week, I felt so energised and enthusiastic about exploring the city and learning more about the culture. We went on a ghost tour of the Fort at Kochi, and I found it poignant that many of the ghost stories were rooted in colonial atrocities in the city, like the Portuguese plastering enslaved African people in niches in the walls of their buildings to prevent the Dutch from getting to them; this led to folklore about the ghosts of those people bringing wealth and treasures to whomever saw them as that is what they died among. The colonisers also played a role in the shaping of the religious landscape of Kochi, an aspect that I am very curious to learn more about. 

What I loved about Kochi was the vibrancy of flora among the buildings and homes. They felt like they coexisted in harmony, unlike where I am from in London where the only nature on the street are the sparsely planted street trees that are always kind of twiggy. As we transition from the urban area of Kochi to a more rural place to do a week of some consulting work with Forest Post, I am looking forward to experiencing more of Kerala's natural offerings; I think it will be particularly lovely during the heavy rains this monsoon season. 

A highlight of the week: We were fortunate enough to have a boat tour down the backwaters of Kochi. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. During the tour, we went to the home of a fish farmer and got to see him fish in a traditional Chinese style, which was a truly special moment. We were told by the tour guide that many people who live in the backwaters are displaced every year due to the flooding, I wondered how it must feel to be unsettled like that especially as a parent having to think about children moving too and I felt grateful for the constancy and security of my home in the UK. 

A lesson of the week: we had a session with an amazing weaving workshop with Save the Loom where we learned about how much effort and care goes into handweaving fabrics, they can take many experts and many months to craft a saree. With the rise of fast fashion and industrial weaving techniques, specific regional or ancestral weaving techniques are threatened or dying. As we went shopping for clothes in Kochi's Jew Town, I was reminded of this fact. Overall, this experience reminded me to be mindful and conscious when shopping for fabrics and imbued me with an even greater appreciation for the handwoven textile industry.