Janani's VirtualTourist Home Page

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Train at the bottom of my garden

Home

It's good to be able to look forward to returning from a trip away and I love my house! After years of sharing, I finally got my own place. No more queuing for the bathroom and finding no hot water when I get there! I thought I would have to cut back on travel when I got it but I still haven't managed to organise keeping my home improvement money and my holiday money separate, so the re-wiring will just have to wait a little longer!
Another good thing about my house is that the trains go past my back garden, so travel is never far from my mind.

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Me with some successful students

Work

I work in further education. Sometimes I feel like I'm a sheepdog; I round up the students in the coffee room when it's time for class, I round up their mobile phones to make sure they're switched off, I round up the homework and finally I round up their completed portfolios! It's a great feeling though when a student achieves their goal and can go on to start their career.

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Train at Mafraq Station, Jordan

My Addiction: The Train!

I love to travel by train; even if the route is less convenient, I'll select it in preference to a bus. I always seem to meet such nice people on trains (perhaps they're all just happy because they're on their way somewhere nice or maybe I make a happy face when I'm on the train and it makes people talk to me) except of course in London where talking to strangers on the train will make people think you're insane!
I particularly like trains with beds and the longer the journey the better. I never mind delays, once I'm on the train, unless someone is waiting for me; I just feel I'm getting extra train travel free!
I can't explain why, but I do enjoy travelling on trains which aren't at all luxurious e.g. open doors and no glass in the windows. I even enjoy my journeys to and from work each day!

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turquoise silk chiffon

Things I Look For, At Home And Abroad

Cities: I really am a city person. I can't be away for too long or my hair starts to curl!

Bread: I love to try new types of bread; I can't believe how many variations there are on one type of food.

Silk: I just can't resist buying silk. When I see it I just have to put my hands on it and once I've done that, there's no escape; I have to buy a piece. It's like I've been hypnotised!

Coffee: I don't drink a lot of coffee but, when I do, it has to be good; I'd rather drink plain water than instant coffee! The best coffee I've tasted is from: anywhere in the Middle East, if it's unsweetened, Maroush Restaurant, Surbiton Station or Coffee Republic in London and my kitchen! I shan't list the worst!

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I was stuck at the top of this hill in Wales!

Things I Look To Avoid, At Home And Abroad

I do try to be as open minded as possible when I have the chance to visit new places but there are some things I just really don't like!

Large creepy crawlies: I'm such a baby where these are concerned. My worst experience of this kind was in a cinema in Goa. When the lights came up for the interval, there was a cockroach an inch and a half long sitting on my bare knee, enjoying the film! I think I provided the rest of the audience with a pretty entertaining spectacle myself that day and to further my embarrassment, the taxi driver we found to take us back to the hotel after the film finished had been there too and seen the whole thing!

Eating non-vegetarian food: I wanted to be vegetarian since I first heard the word, at the age of five, and asked my mum to explain what it meant, although it took me a few years more to persuade my parents to let me do this. I do sometimes feel guilty, if I'm making things awkward for other people but it is something I don't feel I can change. I know this doesn't fit in too well with my love of silk but I'm still working on that weakness.

Steep hills: I'm a bit like cats are with trees; I can reach the top with no problem, then I turn around and I'm stuck and can't think how to get down without losing my balance! Several times I've had to call a taxi to get me back to level ground!

The railway replacement bus: last but by no means the least on my list! I am so annoyed, if ever I miss out on a train journey!

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Norty, me and Milan

So, how did I get to be called Janani?

Since I joined, most of the people who have emailed me have asked how I got my name, so here are the culprits for all to see! The little boy in the middle is my friend Sushma's son, Milan. When he was learning to speak, he struggled with my name and usually came out with Janana (his favourite fruit was banana!) Then another friend, Norty, who is competing with me to hold Milan in this picture, thought he was saying Janani and she started calling me that. Now most people I know call me one or the other. The name Janana was already taken when I joined, so I chose to use Janani. Several members have contacted me to ask if I knew that the name means mother or birth in Sanskrit and one of them kindly sent some verses that included it. In that respect perhaps the name doesn't suit me well, as I haven't any children, unless you count all my students, but I like it anyway.