After 12 wonderful days in Kolkatta, our Udayan mission has come to an end. We set off for Kolkata airport at 5am this morning and we are still travelling. We are currently an hour into the Dubai to Gatwick flight on an Airbus A380, living the high life (if you’ll pardon the pun!) and are due to arrive back in the UK at 6.30 this evening.rnrnI think it’s fair to say we cannot believe how quickly the 12 days have gone. We have experienced so much, realised how fortunate we are in the UK and had such an amazing time. Reflecting on the trip last night at dinner we were asked what our most memorable moment of the trip would be. To be honest it’s hard to choose just one as each experiences we have had in India have been equally as fantastic. However, all the good causes that the Dominique Lapierre City of Joy Aid support Are places that we will not forget.rnrnWe are so thankful to Caroline for choosing us to be a part of the Udayan Mission Team but not only this, as we’re so grateful that she introduced Udayan to the school otherwise we would never have been able to contribute to such a wonderful organisation. Also, we have to thank Chris and Liam for help throughout this trip and to Liam making it even more fun for the kids at Udayan and for us. We are all very excited to share our experiences with our friends, family and the St Joan’s Community. Hopefully we can use our experiences to do even more fundraising for Udayan – it’s a truly great cause!rnrnOn behalf of us all, we would like to thank everyone who has followed the trip and commented, it has been great to have all of your support. As we now approach home, we all are realising what a special trip this has been and we hope we can share that with all of you. All that’s left to say is thank you, and see you back in England! rn
On the itinerary for today was visiting ICOD, which is a home for women and children who have been affected by sexual abuse, another traumatizing event in their life or who have learning difficulties. When we first arrived, the feeling of peacefulness was the first thing that hit us. The place is surrounded by greenery and within the gates are small gardens filled with flowers and a few cats sleeping in the sun. rnrnFirst thing we had to do while we were there was meet the man himself, Brother Gaston. Brother Gaston is the founder of ICOD, among many other amazing things he has done. Br Gaston greeted us like we were old friends, and told us that he was glad that we would meet him despite him being ill. The conversation quickly started flowing after Mrs Weldon asked him ‘what brought you to India’. We hung on his every word as he talked us through his life from when he was six years old, and deciding to become Christian, to him living in the slums of Kolkata with the poorest of the poor after training to be nurse. He explained is unusual mix of accents in his voice including Switzerland, where he was born, French, where he was again working with the poor, and Indian. We all were in awe of the remarkable life he has had and what a selfless and genuinely holy man he is. He told us how important it is to have an aim in life and then God will help us to follow this. He then talked to us about how all religions are equal and all religions just give god a different name. For this reason, he attempted to combine faiths in an interreligious prayer house. rnrn
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rnrnWe were then taken on a tour where we got to see some of the residents and more of the beautiful land provided by Dominic Lapierre. As part of the tour we go to see the multi faith house of prayer. A poignant part of which was a surface that reflected different colours depending on where you stood in the room. This highlighted Br Gaston’s belief that different religions are all seeing the same God through a different lens. When we returned to the main house we had another humble yet fantastic meal prepared by our hosts. We then left with the words of this inspirational man still in our heads.rnrn
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rnrnOn the way back to the hotel we made a quick stop at the Asha Bhavan Centre, which Brother Gaston had a massive influence in and were unexpectedly provided with refreshments, which included tea, coffee, fruits and lovely Indian pancakes which were served with chopped potatoes. So this became our belated pancake day! Thankfully, we didn’t have another emotional goodbye as the children didn’t see us come in. Once back at the hotel, some of us went for rickshaw ride, seeing as this is the last chance while we are here, and the rest of us started packing.rnrnThis evening, we all headed out to China Town to our final meal in India. If we’re honest we don’t think any of us expected the last meal to be a Chinese, but it is was delicious nonetheless. We then made our way back to the hotel to make sure we are ready for tomorrow! rnrnWe are all sad to leave India. We have met so many people that are part of such amazing things that it all hasn’t quite sunk in yet. We will all take away so much from this trip and have lasting memories of the wonderful experiences we have had here in India. We came to see how the money that we have raised as a school has changed the lives of others, yet the greatest change we have seen has been within our own hearts.rnrnBachchan, Bachchan, Bachchan!rn
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. rnrn
rnrnThen 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.rnrn
rnrnOnce 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
Today we woke up ready for a full day at Udayan. After breakfast, we saw the kitchen staff preparing food for lunch and dinner including the killing of a few chickens! We then got started planning our lessons for later in the day and rested so that we could be full of energy for the children. rnrnWhen thinking of some ideas for our lessons we thought it might be fun for the children if we played a massive game with three of the classes. As you can probably tell, this did not go well and the lack of our Bengali led to much confusion. So we split up the classes again and played different learning games with them and rotated classes so that each class had maths, English, music and art lessons. rnrn
rnrnAfter lunch we thought we better figure out what we were going to do for our performance later that evening. Luckily enough we have a few music-y people on this trip, including the one and only Liam Lynch, so we let them figure most of it out. After vaguely figuring out what we were going to later that day, we all got ready for the show in the privacy of the boys accommodation, so that it would be a big surprise for the children at Udayan. Once we all had our Indian outfit on and ready to go, we made a grand entrance into the hall filled with all the kids! They were very excited to say the least, all we could here was ‘aunty, aunty very nice’ or ‘Rohan, Rohan!’. rnrn
rnrnThe night started off with the youngest girls performing the sweetest of dance routines! It was then our turn, so Bernie, Ruth and Sasha, with Liam on the Guitar, performed Doe A Deer. The older boys then showed us some of their very impressive yoga moves. Back to us, so Finn, Pedro (sorry Rohan), Ruth, Bernie and Sasha gave a recitation of ‘I wanna be like you’ from the Jungle book. It seemed to go down pretty well! After that, the older girls danced to Jai Ho, and as we had attempted to learn to moves to it yesterday we were dancing along at the back! We then sang along to ‘Build Me Up Buttercup’ with Finn on the ukulele and the same gang as before doing the echoes. The older Udayan boys then did some breakdancing. This brought us to the reluctant Les Mis performance from Bernie and Sasha but they went for it anyway! Following this, the whole group performed a dance routine to ‘Batchan’ which had the kids in hysterics and joined in with the chorus. We threw Bollywood, a fight scene, Irish, Michael Jackson, The Matrix and a dance from ‘Happy New Year’ in and the children seemed to love it! Finally, James, the founder of Udayan gave a short speech singing for the children in his extraordinarily deep voice. rnrn
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rnrnWe were then taken up to the rooftop of the admin building which had been transformed it into a place of celebration. There were fairy lights dredged over the top us and tables were laid for food and a screen saying welcome surrounded with flowers balloons and other decorations! We all couldn’t believe how much effort they had gone to for us and we couldn’t be more touched. We were treated to lots of food including poppadum, dahl, chapatti and what seemed to be chicken nuggets (this may have been the chicken we saw being killed earlier that day)! During the meal we were show pictures that were taken during our trip and some pictures from the trip of the previous trip as well. It was lovely to reminisce on our time here but it also made us very sad to think our time in India is almost over! We are so appreciative of the staff at Udayan for letting us stay and getting to know them and the children. rn
This morning was difficult to say the least. We were told to be ready at 5:30 in the morning. Although it was hard, it did allow us to see a different Kolkata. There was barely any people around and it was much less noisy aside from the inevitable beeping from cars. Mrs Weldon ended up knocking on taxi windows and waking up the taxi drivers to take us to church as the coach was running a bit late. The taxi ride certainly woke us up a bit but we arrived in one piece at the Missionaries of Charity Mother House for 6am mass. rnrnSitting in the mass, seeing the famous white cloth with blue stripes on the sisters’ saris that we had seen being made at the Leper Colony in Titagarh, was quite a surreal experience. After mass, we were allowed to visit Mother Teresa’s bedroom. It was humble room with only the bare necessities. There was also a crucifix and a crown of thorns that Blessed Theresa gazed at whilst she was dying. We then saw a small museum devoted to her memory including her earlier life, the projects she was involved in and some of the few possessions she owned. Finally we visited her tomb which was simple but poignant at the same time; it was a moving experience.rnrnBack at the Fairlawn, we packed up our stuff to make our way to Udayan again. At the start of the minibus journey we were excited but half way through the lack of sleep got to us and we all tried to sleep (this is very hard when swerving in and out of cars constantly). rnrn
rnrnAt Udayan, we were given the warmest of welcomes. The girls, especially, ran towards us in a stampede shouting ‘aunty, aunty!’ The girls then brought us to the sports centre, sponsored by AC Milan, to watch the younger girls in a dance lesson. It was adorable! The older girls then showed us a routine to ‘Jai Ho’, which was like Bollywood meets Zumba! All of us were then told we had to perform the routine we had just seen, which was not quite as professional as the girls but it was certainly funny for us and for everyone watching! This then brought us to lunch so we parted ways with the girls and went off to eat. After lunch we noticed that some family members had arrived at Udayan. As today is Sunday, the children have no school so it is the one day in the week where family members are brought to Udayan so this was an exciting day for some of the children here.rnrn
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rnrnAfter eating we needed a nap so we retired to our rooms for an afternoon siesta. Ole! The JOA girls woke up to two Udayan girls who managed to open the locked door to our room. How, we still have no idea. It was then cinema time for the Udayan children, and tonight was ‘Happy New Year!’ This is Bollywood movie filled with action, romance, comedy and dance, starring Rohan, who looks exactly like Pedro. He now has the older Udayan ladies fan-girling over him! It was very entertaining, despite the language difference and the fact it was almost 4 hours long!rnrnThis brought us to the end of the day and a well-deserved early night so that we can be up, bright eyed and bushy tailed for the kids tomorrow!rn
Today we woke up reasonably early and prepared our self for Weldon’s tour. Our first stop after getting on the minibus (thankfully air conditioned) was Tagore’s house. This was no ordinary house. It was a massive and very elegant mansion that was built at the peak of the British Raj. Tagore was a multi-talented man it seems. He was an artist, poet, author, philosopher and father. Perhaps one of the most notable effects he had on Indian culture was writing the current Indian national anthem. rnrnOnce we had all taken off our shoes as a sign of respect, we were allowed to view the rooms within this mansion. This included the rooms where he was born and where he drew his last breath. We also saw some of his artwork and writings. Whilst walking around his house, we saw something we didn’t expect: a picture of Tagore and Albert Einstein! rnrnNext place to visit on the schedule was the Black Hole of Calcutta memorial. This proved to be quite a challenge. The minibus dropped us off at a church, that although very pretty was not the place that we intended. So it was back into the minibus for us, and we drove to St Johns church, the site of the Black Hole memorial, where we were able to see a pillar in honour of those who had died with the names of the victims written on it.rnrn
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rnrnAfter a quick stop off at the Fairlawn for lunch, we arrived at the Botanical Gardens. This was a massive area of parkland dedicated to plants and trees – and evidently many couples, seeing as it is Valentine’s Day! We made our way through the gardens to see the great banyan tree. Before we actually saw it I think we could all admit we were not particularly excited about this tree, but it was a quite a sight to behold. The original tree had died but the roots grew to form a new collection of inter-connected Banyan roots. It was the largest Banyan tree in India and perhaps Asia apparently! rnrn
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rnrnNext stop was the Victoria memorial: a building modelled after the Taj Mahal in honour of Queen Victoria, who believed India to be the jewel in her crown. Unfortunately, we were only allowed to spend 15 minutes in this amazing location as it was closing time. However, what we did see was lovely and filled with artefacts and paintings. The highlight was the number of Indian people who wanted a photo with our own English Rose, Vicky. Most of us then fell asleep in the minibus on the way back to the hotel after the long day of travelling around Kolkata!rnrn
rnrnWe all wanted to visit the market again so we made our way down the busy network of roads around the hotel. We again split into two groups; one group went off to get some henna, as you may have guessed this group mainly consisted of girls and their chaperones, Pedro and Liam! Each girl that had a henna, received a great deal, thanks to some haggling inspired by Mrs Weldon, and got an original design too! The other group bought some edible treats like sweets and Liam bought another Indian style shirt. Also, two boys managed to get a rickshaw ride, although the rickshaw wahla did struggle to pull it with two big guys on the back! rnrnEveryone then met for dinner at the same local hotel as the other night seeing as the food was so good! After our thoroughly enjoyable meal, we made our way back to our hotel and had some deep conversations about religion and science despite our tiredness! Tomorrow we all have to be up extremely early so we can join the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s sisters) for their 6am Mass.rn
Today was a fairly early start, but it certainly wasn’t as early as 5 am in Udayan anyway! We enjoyed a quick breakfast and were then greeted by a minibus to take us the Asha Bhavan Centre. This is a place that provides a home, medical treatment and education for mentally and physically disabled/differently abled children, particularly children affected by cerebral palsy and learning disabilities. Along the way, we saw lots of sights especially when we crossed the New Bridge that crosses the river Ganges (the river we visited yesterday).rnrnWhen we finally made our way through the Indian traffic caused by the huge road works, we arrived at the Asha Bhavan Centre (ABC) which instantly put a smile on our faces. Outside the building there were lots of children welcoming us with small bouquets of red roses (Friday 13th February is Roses Day here). With our bouquets in hand we walked through the building up to the office are where we were given tea and information booklets about the amazing work that ABC does.rnrn
rnrnThis was followed by a tour of the campus which began in the communal room where some of the children were playing and watching some cartoons. The children were so friendly and wanted us to hold their hands and take pictures, it was really lovely spending time with them. After this, we saw the physiotherapy room for babies and younger children and it was fascinating to see what methods were used to help the physical condition of these children. Next we went the dormitories and saw the long bed either side of the room that was used for many children. Again we met some really happy, friendly children. After this we were taken to the new wing, which held the classrooms for the children of all ages. We stared in the Pre-school classroom and made our way through the secondary and pre-vocational areas. We were able to see not only what activities the children do daily but meet some more of the amazing students and dedicated staff involved in ABC.rnrn
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rnrnAfter a short but informative presentation, we were given lunch which was absolutely delicious! The highlight of the meal for most was the dessert, which was a rice pudding and a fried doughnut! We then saw a video which gave us more of an insight into how the ABC can have a massive impact in the wider community. The Orthopaedics Department was next where we were shown how they make the support braces for those with conditions affecting their feet, legs and hands. They then showed us the vocational and art and crafts areas and we were allowed to buy small gifts made by the children and young adults at ABC.rnrnBy this time it was mid-afternoon and we were brought into the communal room where everyone was sat ready on the floor awaiting the celebration prepared by some of the children. This included dances and a recitation of the poem called ‘Children’. It was a fantastic surprise! What was more unexpected was that we had to perform for the children too which resulted in an organised version of Doe a Deer from the Sound of Music. With an emotional and heart wrenching goodbye, we made our back to the Fairlawn.rnrn
rnrnBack at the hotel we waited for the men from the market stall where we bought our Indian (mufti) outfits who were definitely running on ‘Indian time’ so we had dinner in the meantime! We then tried on our outfits when they turned up, and we had a very cheesy and hilarious photo-shoot. We are definitely ready to go for Monday night, to wear our outfits for the children at Udayan as we perform at another celebration of the fantastic impact of these centres! We are now ready for bed and for our next experience in Kolkata…rnrn
After a few very busy days, today was more laid back. We decided to have a much later start this morning and after breakfast we went off in search of local bargains. Firstly, we made our way through the busy streets of Kolkata to a bookshop that stocks English books. We all bought something to bring home with us such as books about the city, Indian culture and Bollywood music. With our purchases in hand, we made our way down to the market, where we had bought our Indian outfits the day before. We split into two groups, one group went into the indoor market to buy pashminas and the other group browsed through the outside stalls, basking in the Bengali sun. The group managed to get a great deal on bits and bobs to bring back to England.rnrnWe returned to the Fairlawn and Mrs Weldon took us to a few places of interest in Kolkata. First stop was a stunning Jain temple. This was a beautiful place with really intricate detail on the walls and ceiling, made up of little mirrors, coloured glass and jewels, which was really brought to life by the afternoon sun reflecting throughout the temple. We saw people gathering for a wedding outside of the temple and preparations for a number of funerals which just further proved to us what an important building this was. We also bought lots of little mementos to remember this lovely place we were lucky enough to visit.rnrn
rnrnAfter hoping back on the minibus we shortly arrived at the side of the River Ganges. We walked along the riverside and then walked down some steps so that we could dip our toes in this sacred body of water to the Hindus. Jason was the only one to touch it, he decided to step into the river with his bare feet! The smell of incense all around confirmed the importance of this place to the people. Afterwards we made our way back to the hotel.rnrn
rnrnFor a change of scenery we walked the short distance to another hotel to have dinner in their restaurant. Most of us chose local food but some took the opportunity to eat something more familiar! We all came back to the Fairlawn feeling very full and decided to have relaxing evening in the hotel.rnrn
rnrnP.S. As we finish writing this we see the hotel’s resident cat run though the lounge, as we let out an adoring ‘aww’ these sounds of adornment soon become loud and horrified gasps of disgust as we saw it carrying a dead rat in its mouth! Liam’s heart dropped as he realised his room door was open, unfortunately (for the rest of us) it ran past his room and onto the balcony. rn
rnrnOnce again it was a 5am start – for the girls at least! The boys decided to stay in bed for a lie in (well until 8:30am). Over the past three days, we have been called aunty and uncle by the children which has become the norm for us, and what we are so used to answering to! In the girls’ dorm, the younger girls enjoyed giving the girls a makeover before breakfast.rnrn
rnrnAfter breakfast, the children enjoyed some free time and we had lots of fun playing games such as frisbee, cricket and a very crowded game of snap, although we definitely did start to notice the heat! Afterwards, the children went off to their lessons and we had some down time to prepare to deliver ours. Today, each pair were only doing 2 periods during which we somewhat successfully taught the kindergarten children head, shoulders, knees and toes. The older boys were very enthusiastic and quick to pick up songs in the music class. Once the lessons were over, we spent some time playing with the younger children which was extremely funny despite the language barrier!rnrn
rnrnThe time seemed to fly by before we had to pack, have lunch and say our goodbyes. It was very sad to leave but we definitely found some comfort in knowing we are coming back on Sunday, and we are going to have our kabuddi match! Leaving was somewhat odd, as we sort of forgot what the environment was like outside the lovely Udayan bubble. In any case, we made our way to Titagarh, to the Missionaries of Charity Brothers’ Leper Colony.rnrn
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rnrnTitagarh was quite an emotional place seeing the suffering of some of these lepers and the wonderful work that the Missionaries of Charity do. We visited the wards, the wound dressing and physiotherapy areas and the surgery rooms. This was difficult to see but we were glad we could witness the impact of leprosy in real life which gave some context to the importance of Udayan’s work. We saw how the lepers make cloth, including the famous cloth worn by Blessed Mother Teresa and her sisters as well as the specialised sandals for people who have been affected by leprosy. Before leaving Titagarh we saw the gardens filled with vegetables and the animals they kept. Titagarh was a wonderful place to visit and certainly something we will all remember.rnrnAfter making our way back to the hotel, we were starting to feel the effect of the early rise, but nonetheless made our way to the local market to buy some traditional Indian outfits. After a lot of bartering and really impressive persuasive skills on Mrs Weldon’s part, we managed to get a really great deal! We got measured up, decided on materials and told we would receive them on Friday!rnrnWe all felt pretty pleased with ourselves as we made our way back to the hotel for dinner. After the meal the long day seemed to be catching up with us all so it’s off to bed for us! rnrn
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rnrnThe day started at 5am which was challenging for most of us. The children were woken by the house staff banging loudly, and the place quickly came to life with the sound of mosques in the distance announcing morning prayer. The children prayed before doing their chores which included sweeping the floor and picking up leaves (patta). Jason and Fin got involved in the kitchen, peeling garlic and breaking chillis. This was followed by an early morning snack of peanut butter sandwiches. The children then had an hour and a half of studying to do BEFORE SCHOOL, meanwhile we enjoyed spending time outside as dawn broke over West Bengal.rnrn
rnrnAfter chores is the ‘official breakfast’ at 8am, but for us it felt like lunchtime! All the children are responsible for their own washing up at every meal, even the three year olds who get some help from their ‘big brothers’ (they are also empowered to do their own laundry too, another lesson for kids back home!). Once we had eaten, the boys showed us their ‘mad skillz’ (as Liam puts it) on the lattu, a spinning top with string. It was very impressive to say the least! (video to come). In this time the children get changed into their immaculate school uniforms and get ready to go to school at the centre and offsite.rnrn
rnrnWhilst Udayan’s teachers taught the primary school children their first period we made the final preparations to the lessons we were due to teach later that morning. We decided on a rotation over the 5 periods (3 today, 2 tomorrow). In each rotation, we took over a different aged class. We put ourselves in pairs, and each pair taught a different subject, either art, english, maths or music. The children were definitely very excited and energetic. Although we may have been worn out, it was certainly a lot of fun! Teaching’s actually quite hard work – props to the folks back at home.rnrn
rnrnBefore lunch there was time for some recreation in the form of frisbee, cricket, football and kite flying. This would be the time for siesta in the summer months yet some boys had the job of picking aubergines. When lunchtime came along, we felt like we had earned it! Along with curry, we were served fried shredded potatoes which were very crispy and very tasty. The food here is served by a really talented cooks assisted by the boys of Udayan! In the girls building the younger girls were having dance lessons whilst the older girls decided to paint our nails with intricate pattern and the boys played some basketball and some more frisbee then today became Kabuddi day for all of us and the girls at Udayan. Kabuddi is a bit like red rover meets rugby with no ball and wrestling. After a while of having mixed teams, we decided to play a best of 3 India vs England series of test matches. The girls then decided to up the stakes and the forfeit for losing was to buy the winning team chocolate. The days play finished India 2 – England 1. We may have lost the battle today, but we refuse to lose the war! We plan to come back stronger on Monday.rnrn
rnrnThis energetic afternoon was followed by prayers then the girls headed up to their rooms and the English girls went with them. The Joan of Arc boys were feeling tired and all fell asleep together – ahhh bless! After some gossiping and beauty talk, us English girls, Liam (who did’t need a nap and arrived after the gossip and beauty talk) and some of the Udayan girls who were not studying, played Chinese Checkers. Although quite complicated and intense, it was a lot of fun. As you may have guessed, none of us English lot won but we are determined to learn to play better. The children then began their evening studies and tuition at 6pm which was followed by another top class dinner at 8pm.rnrnDinner really is the end of the day here and things wind up quite quickly afterwards. Everyone heads off to bed which is where we’re going now as another 5am start lies ahead!rnGood night.