In December 2014 we made
our first visit to India. As a holiday destination the south Asian country
had never been our first choice. We had always enjoyed preparing and eating
spicy curries but had no real desire to taste them on the sub-continent. As a
place on the map Kerala had no more significance than other Indian states such
as Gujarat or Maharashtra, perhaps even less so.
We had become aware of Kerala through Stella’s work. In the early 2000s she was deputy matron of a nursing home in Oxfordshire. The matron needed additional trained nursing staff and recruited a number of qualified nurses from Kerala. It was Stella’s task to supervise their adaptation to local practice in order to obtain their UK nursing registration. Over the succeeding years some moved away on gaining their registration and more nurses were recruited. Several settled in the local area and either continued working for Stella in one of the care homes she managed or took employment in one of the Oxfordshire hospitals.
Through this connection we grew to regard the individuals and their families as good friends rather than colleagues or acquaintances. Even so, despite this closeness, neither of us gave any deep thought to Kerala as a place to visit until early 2014.
Biji was one of the earliest Keralan nurses to be recruited and with her husband, Shajoo, and family had settled locally. She was now employed at the main Oxford hospital but Shajoo continued to work as a carer alongside Stella. So too Biji’s brother Biju who also worked with Stella and lived locally with his wife, Leena, and family.
While living and working in England Shajoo and Biji had been having a new house built in Kerala which was due to be completed at the end of 2014. They were planning a big housewarming party and really wanted us to be there. Our initial reaction to the invitation was to decline as we both had busy jobs and taking time off seemed an unrealistic dream. This changed when in the spring of that year Bill took early retirement and we decided that a trip to India was an opportunity not to be missed.
And so on 25th December 2014 our odyssey began, and has continued since.......
We had become aware of Kerala through Stella’s work. In the early 2000s she was deputy matron of a nursing home in Oxfordshire. The matron needed additional trained nursing staff and recruited a number of qualified nurses from Kerala. It was Stella’s task to supervise their adaptation to local practice in order to obtain their UK nursing registration. Over the succeeding years some moved away on gaining their registration and more nurses were recruited. Several settled in the local area and either continued working for Stella in one of the care homes she managed or took employment in one of the Oxfordshire hospitals.
Through this connection we grew to regard the individuals and their families as good friends rather than colleagues or acquaintances. Even so, despite this closeness, neither of us gave any deep thought to Kerala as a place to visit until early 2014.
Biji was one of the earliest Keralan nurses to be recruited and with her husband, Shajoo, and family had settled locally. She was now employed at the main Oxford hospital but Shajoo continued to work as a carer alongside Stella. So too Biji’s brother Biju who also worked with Stella and lived locally with his wife, Leena, and family.
While living and working in England Shajoo and Biji had been having a new house built in Kerala which was due to be completed at the end of 2014. They were planning a big housewarming party and really wanted us to be there. Our initial reaction to the invitation was to decline as we both had busy jobs and taking time off seemed an unrealistic dream. This changed when in the spring of that year Bill took early retirement and we decided that a trip to India was an opportunity not to be missed.
And so on 25th December 2014 our odyssey began, and has continued since.......
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