St Joan of Arc - Udayan

On Monday, we packed our bags and left the hustle and bustle of Kolkata for Udayan! After an hour on the coach we arrived. We were shown our rooms for the night and were given a quick tour of the new buildings which are fantastic.

Mid-morning, we went into classrooms and were given the opportunity to teach the children, but our teaching methods left a lot to be desired. We had enormous fun and even learnt a little bit of Bengali. The children are amazing and so welcoming. We want to take them all home!!!

After a hearty lunch, we played cricket with the older boys, much to their amusement. It’s safe to say that we were played off the field, although Anna was the star of the team (scoring a 4 on her first hit!) and left the boys on our team red faced! Before dinner, Andrew and Stephen started a game of Sleeping Lions which was great fun to watch and take part in.

They took it very seriously, and we suspect some actually fell asleep! We taught them clapping games and got a lot of one on one time which was lovely. Before every meal time, the children sing the most beautiful prayers which fill the room with their joy. We were provided with dinner and then took to our beds!

This morning, the children were up at their usual time of 5am, however we were lucky in that we only had to be at breakfast at 7.30am. Some of the group went to help teach in a computer lesson, some of us watched the children learn yoga and the rest of us played cricket. Late morning, we went back into the classrooms, this time ready to hand out the books donated by St Anthony’s Primary School in Slough.

The children were so appreciative and after lunch we got a chance to go and read to them.

The joy on their faces was absolutely amazing. We are now preparing for the performance of a lifetime, which we’re sure will be an exciting finale to our time at Udayan.


This evening, we will be treated to a dinner on the rooftop, which we are really looking forward to!