Our last day at Udayan
Today was our last day at Udayan, most of us had a slightly later rise, however some of us still went for the 5am start. After breakfast, before the older children headed to school, Liam organised for a whole school picture to be taken, after a lot of organising, we managed to get a good shot. rnrnToday, for the Hindu girls of Udayan, today was a day of fasting and prayer. It was the festival of Maha Shivaratri, this meant that the girls could only eat fruit for the whole of the day. So once the photo had been taken, we all headed to the girls block to see how they worship. Once they had gathered up all the offerings, including fruits and flowers they started praying. One at a time they placed offerings on three separate stones and would place a flower and leaf between their hands while reciting a prayer. The girls were praying for things such as good exam results and good husbands (this being the primary purpose of the festival). We were then given the chance to get involved, so we jumped in and prayed along with them. This included cracking a coconuts as an offering, and Vicky was the one that managed to crack it in two, apparently meaning she’ll get a good husband in the future. rnrnIt was then time for lunch, our last meal at Udayan, which was lovely as usual. We all then went back to our rooms to pack up our stuff before the big match. When the clock struck 3:30pm it was Kabuddie time. We had one match left to play before the big final. The first match went surprisingly well and Team England somehow managed to win against Team India. The second, not so much. Although we came close, we lost graciously, and we handed over the winnings while shaking hands with the victors. rnrnrnrnThen it was time to gather our things together and head to the bus. It was an emotional goodbye for us and the children, with a few tears shed here and there. We are extremely grateful to Udayan for letting us have this wonderful experience and the great work they do. None of us will ever forget the lovely people we have met, both staff and children. I’m sure we’d all love to come back.rnrnrnrnOnce we were all back at the Fairlawn, some of us decided to go down to the market to buy some last minute souvenirs. Once we had had a good wonder around the market, we came back, made ourselves presentable and had some dinner. Later on we headed to the Oberoi Hotel, which was extremely fancy, quite the contrast to everything else we had seen in India. After a few drinks, a game of pool and a good chat about Mother Teresa, we returned to our hotel.rnrnTomorrow we will visit ICOD and meet Brother Gaston, who we have heard so much about. It will be a lovely way to spend our last day in India.rn
Just read dairies for 2015. Fantastic. I wish I could have gone.
nAlways wanted to.
nOne day I will. Well done to the group. More than a holiday, to touch the
nchildren’s lives.