As a little girl, my love for adventure, and all things exciting, knew no bounds! My childhood was all about climbing trees, cycling around the campus, playing hide and seek in the admin block, building forts with tables and bedsheets, creating secret ‘Narnias’ in my cupboard and attic, and so much more! My favourite poem was ‘I Wish I Lived in a Caravan’.

Fast forward to 2019… I left Hebron school, after completing my 16th year of teaching, to begin my M.A. in English Literature, through Providence College, but things didn’t go as planned. I never ‘fit in’ in school as a child, and I didn’t in college as an adult either. So, I left with the plan to join a local school in Coonoor… and then the pandemic hit! All my job applications fell on deaf ears and blind eyes. No school was hiring, and I was left to depend on my savings. My dad was my biggest support through that time.

While classes were still online because of the lockdown, I joined 2 schools – one in Ketti and then in Ooty. Both were so wrong for me! By now, I had a different vision of what I wanted to be as a teacher, so I followed my instincts and left. Best decision ever! I then started my own online classes and conducted Art, and Bible Journalling workshops to make some income. I also started my handmade craft business called Faye’s Crafty Creations. Unfortunately, people here don’t have much appreciation for handmade crafts and gifts, so that didn’t work either.

March 2022… I was finally taken on as an English teacher at a girls school that I had set my heart on. I thoroughly enjoyed the girls and our fun conversations. I was teaching grades 6, 7, and 8. Being the new ICSE section of the school, the students were few in number and so the classes were interactive and exciting. June 2022, and I officially joined the school as an English teacher.

Moving on to August 2022… I started a children’s library at home, investing in and collecting almost 1500 books! The library was inaugurated, and I had 3 little children who came over to read, borrow books and enjoy the library. And then covid hit our family! My dad, mother and I were down with the virus, and I had to take leave from school. My dad was hospitalised and heartbroken that he had contracted it. He had been so careful to follow safety measures, since the start of the pandemic, but a visit to have a checkup at hospital in CBE, which he had put off for fear of getting covid, was all it took! He was put on steroids and thought he was getting better, but all the while his lungs were getting worse, which the steroids masked.

October 2022… the last Friday of the month… my mother came to call me saying that dad couldn’t breathe. He was sitting in bed, struggling to catch his breath. She had ordered for an oxygen cylinder and bought a wheelchair for him to use. It was downhill from here. Saturday morning, the ambulance was called, because despite him having the oxygen cylinder, his O2 level was extremely low. The ambulance men and I struggled to get daddy to the stretcher, which was laid out on the floor in the front room. It was a mere 8 steps from the bed to the stretcher, but it took about 30 minutes! Carrying him from the house to the waiting ambulance on the road, was another struggle. They called a random young man from the road, to help. To make matters worse, just as we were taking him from the house, it started raining!

At the hospital in Coonoor, he was put on 100% oxygen support and couldn’t breathe independently without it. Another patient on the bed beside dad, was dying, and her family were being allowed into the ICU one by one to say goodbye. I remember daddy saying, ‘I think she is dying! No one who comes in here, is talking to her without tears.’ Daddy was taken to CBE that Monday to be admitted in a hospital there, because they had better facilities, and a well-known pulmonologist, or so they said! He never came back!

December 25th 2022… I said goodbye to my precious daddy! He was my world and my best friend, and what ensued now that he was gone, was nothing short of traumatic!💔💔

2023 was the worse year I have experienced in my life! It consisted of constant verbal abuse, a broken family, no job, a very toxic living environment and grief that seemed to hit hard, constantly! Friends were nowhere near, family was nonexistent, and financially I hit rock bottom! My aunt, dad’s sister, helped me out several times through the year, nudging me on but that sense of independence and self-confidence and identity, diminished slowly. I was just existing, aimlessly. Daddy’s absence was felt so strongly! I was offered a job at an IT company in Jan’23 but turned it down because I couldn’t even get myself out of bed, let alone go to an office and do overnight shifts! I continued with online tuitions, which was a saving grace financially. In October, I joined a center in Bedford where I conducted Communication Skills sessions for children. It gave me a sense of purpose and, got me out of the house. Closer to December, daddy’s first death anniversary, I stopped the sessions hoping to continue in Jan 2024. There was silence from the parents when asked if they wanted the sessions to continue, so that also stopped.

2023 was an absolute blur! I am glad it is behind me!

Jan 2024 – I now teach art to 2 little girls in Tiger Hill and have an online CS class on Wednesdays. It keeps me going emotionally and mentally. I have enrolled for my MA in English, through IGNOU, and also started driving classes to get my driving licence.

All these experiences have taught me, that life is short! You are here today and may not wake up tomorrow! People will come and go, but your life is your blessing from God. How you choose to live it, is important. Being cooped up in a lonely 2-bedroom house, in a toxic environment, without a job, or friends, is not my idea of living my life. For several months in 2023, I applied to about 40 different schools around India, but that was of no use because they all want local applicants. I cannot move without a job, and apparently, I cannot get a job unless I move! So, online tutoring to the rescue… I hope!

All along the way, I became a pet parent to 5 fur babies – 2 dogs and 3 cats – my lifelines and precious companions, my babies. My life would be nothing without them!🐶🐶😺😺😺

India is slowly opening up to being more pet-friendly with restaurants, cafes, resorts and camping grounds that are pet-friendly. But the process is extremely slow. Still, it’s happening. However, finding a place to rent when you have pets, is a different story! Another new idea growing in India, is car camping, or van life. I have always liked, and been intrigued by, the idea of minimalism and tiny house living. Why should we live with so much clutter and materialistic stuff, that only ties us down? Not only materialistic clutter, but even emotional baggage needs to be discarded!

Hence, the plan to travel and my new ID faye.faith.and.5!👧🏽🚗🐶🐶😺😺😺

Car camping and van life, though a new concept in India, is slowly gaining popularity and more and more people are joining this travelling community. Maharashtra is the first state in India to have caravan parks, camping grounds and facilities that cater to this lifestyle. The state also allows for caravans to be rented out as part of the tourism industry.

Come February 2025, and I hope to be set to do a 3- or 6-month tour around India in my converted minivan, which I actually still have to buy! I chose 2025, because it will give me this year to get my feet on the ground, plan and research for this trip, hopefully secure a proper online job, become more confident with driving, get my licence and buy my vehicle!

There will be many, many nay sayers! At the end of the day, their advice and suggestions are welcome, and I know it all comes from a good place. But living this current life of constant stress and mental and emotional turbulence is not life! And no one should have to live this kind of life!

Anyway, this travel plan is something I can look forward to this year! How I will do it is both exciting and daunting at the same time, but it will happen! Travelling with my fur buddies, in a small van may not seem ideal, but I wouldn’t want it any other way!

I hope to be able to document this trip as well as the preparation for it. I will have a YouTube channel, an Instagram and FB page, as well as a blog for this. I do not, at the moment, know how I will finance this plan, especially buying the van, but I will make it happen.

Feel free to follow along on this journey of freedom and independence from my current toxic situation, as I set out to follow my dream to travel, heal, restart my life while being one with nature and exploring hidden niches that India has to offer!

Stay tuned for my next post!😊