Sunday morning

Just a quick blog. This morning Kate, Isaac, Emma , Lynn and I all got up at an unearthly hour to go to Church with John from Oasis. Over the past few days I have grown to love Viasapardy and B.V colony, in spite of their really bad reputation, so I was really keen to go again. It was soooo worth the early morning. The Church was filled with beautifully dressed people completely filled with joy and the worship was amazing with much dancing. It did't matter one bit that it was entirely in Tamil. The five of us were invited up to the front to sing a song whilst the offering was taken, and then we are asked to share a word. Lynn and I said a little bit and then Isaac gave a sermonette. Later on we were asked up again to be prayed for by the whole congregation, and we stayed at the front to join in some prayer ministry at the end of the service.
John then took us down to his parent's house (they live beneath the church) where we were treated to some Burmese breakfast (Tasted like porridge, yum) and we got to hear all about the work that his family are doing in the area. It was brilliant.
This afternoon we have our last programme with the boys at the boys town, though tomorrow we are bringing them all to Veopery for an English party complete with pin the tail on the donkey and fish and chips. Having a very reduced number of boys has meant that we can do different things with them, like set up a cinema in their hall with popcorn and candyfloss machines. We have done a lot with Oasis as well. Lynn, Ross, Emma, Barney, Isaac and I have been the Viasapardy team the last few day going to teach English to an ENTIRE school, teach about healthy eating and hygeine and run a couple of funstations. It has been great being in the community there and starting to learn our way around and a few names (about two I think). It is amazing that after our complete low at the beginning of the week when we heard about the boys town, we have managed to fill up our week with so much more and build great new links with people. I have loved it!!
So I might not get the chance to blog again before we fly home tomorrow night (!), but I have had a brilliant time! See you soon.
xx
p.s. for more news go to chennaichallenge.blogspot.com

The rains came down...

I thought that it was about time that I blogged on my own blog :), this of course should not prevent you from reading the Chennai Challenge blog as well!
So what have we been up to????
Since Yelegiri we have had a couple of days off to explore Chennai and the beautiful temples at Mahabilipuram. Team A left us on Sunday night, but not before an amazing 'get to gether' with some members of the board of YMCA Madras. It was a great evening, with some formal speeches and presentations of shawls, followed by Musical chairs, pass the pillow, and an epic game of musical bumps ending in a dance off between Kate and Bex. We danced, a lot, and had soooo much fun, even if it was a little surreal!
I guess the biggest news is the major changes that have had to be made to our programme. In the past week or so we have had LOTS of rain, which has resulted in the boys town being very badly flooded. Almost all of the 150 boys have been sent away to live with their families. We went to visit yesterday to run a programme and there were only 25 left, and by the time we visit again tomorrow another five of the small boys will have been sent home. The cottages that the boys usually live in have been flooded so the 20 that will remain throughout monsoon season have all been moved into the newer Tsunami home which is on a higher level. Pumping has started to try and drain the site but it is likely that the boys will not return until after the monsoon which is due to start at the end of September. It is quite a sobering thought when you realise that the boys who remain have no-one else in the world who will look after them, and even those who have gone to their families are probably being made to work and almost deffinately won't be in school.
So our prgramme has been changed, we are now working alot more with Oasis (a fantastic organisation I love, look them up, just google Oasis Trust). This afternoon was brilliant. Emma, Lynn, Barney, Ross, Isaac and I all went to visit one of the communities that Oasis work with in Chennai and have a wander around. We couldn't see much as there was some bad feeling seeing whiteys there, but we had a great chat with John who works for Oasis and we spent some time at his Church chatting to some of the children. He then took us up on the roof so we could see the whole area. Very muchly enjoyed and great to learn what Oasis are doing here.
Time is marching on (oooh how posh does that sound!)so I will leave you for now, but please do keep checking the blogs as we try to update at least once a day.
xx

Yellegiri

If you want to know all about what we have been up to for the last few days I suggest you get a drink and a comfortable seat and head on over to chennaichallenge.blogspot.com
xx

Enjoying Yaznet

Hellooooo, we made it!!
I am currently sat in a small wooden box, using increddddddibly slow internet which for some reason won't let me write emails. Don't let this stop you though, please email me!!!!!
So after a ten hour flight which we shared with some truly delightful children (!)we landed in Chennai about 4am Saturday morning, and were picked up by Cathy Rob and Isaac, after a couple of us disposed of our illegally imported fruit and cucumbers. We spent Saturday trying to keep our eyes open, changing money, failing to keep our eyes open, meeting the general secretary, having Indian Brunch, wishing we didn't have to keep our eyes open, and celebrating independence day eve. Team A and b joined together to go to two different celebrations. The group I was in went to Esplanade Branch, to a room where Ghandi himself once gave a speech, and 'enjoyed' some speeches (mostly in Tamil), entertainment (language unknown but the hats were funny), gift giving (we all received a tasteful vase), a raffle (Shauni won a prize which was a nice birthday present for her, and I got to draw out a ticket)and a huuuuuge dinner of mostly nice food.
After the longest day in history we finally got to bed, and were up again by 7 for a flag raising ceremony at Vepery, after which team A went all over the city to more celebrations, and we got to relax with a fresh lime juice :)Then this afternoon we got to go and see the boys!!!! Yay. Much fun was had, and a couple remembered me vaguely. Baby elephant is still there and still cute, though not quite the smallest anymore.
Before we went to greet them and run a short programme we go a tour of their cottages. it was shocking. I had visited them two years ago and seen how basic they ere, but this time it was flooded, which happens fairly often. The room with the cupboards where the boys keep all of their possession was flooded by a couple of inches, and the areas between cottages where the toilet blocks are was completely covered in standing water. The water is such a regular feature that there is algae all over it, which stays even when the water finally recedes making it very slippy. The toilet blocks themselves are in complete disrepair, which large chunks of the roof missing.
Team A must have felt the same as we all did though as they have decided to spend their half of the money on renovating the toilet blocks and putting in showers (the boys currently bathe in a large outdoor bath of stagnant water), and also digging a drainage ditch along the back of the cottages. When we arrived today work had already begun on digging so progress is being made.
And now we are here, though we will sooon be off for dinner, and then tomorrow we head to Yellegiri for four days. Eeeeeeeee so exciting, and the boys are looking forward to it too. There was a lot of naale sandepum (see you tomorrow) and Yellegiri sandepum (see you in Yellegiri) being shouted as we left today. I will let you all know how it went when we get back.
byeeeee xx

4 Sleeps!

Yes you read that right, it is only four sleeps, three days, till team B disappear off. I have been reading the Chennai Challenge blog (www.chennaichallenge.blogspot.com), half desperate to know what is going on and half wishing that they weren't already there without us. I am sort of prepared. I still need travellers cheques, hair grips and cereal bars, but other than that it is just locating and then packing everything. So close! I have practised my balloon modelling, mastered the three beat weave and even dyed my hair purple in preparation! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee four sleeps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
xx

2010

Guess what?!?!
I am going again! Two weeks tomorrow I will once more be jetting off with Chennai Challenge as part of team B. Team A fly out this coming Tuesday, exciting stuff! I can't wait, I have been ridiculously excited since January :)
This year things are a little different. There are 23 of us overall (!), ten on team A ten on team B and then Cathy, Rob and Isaac who are there for the whole time. A few days after my team fly out we are all taking the boys away for some fun in Yellegiri, should be awesomeness!
I think I am just about sorted with everything, I have shopped lots in Boots and Primark. I decided this year that I was old enough to buy my own first aid kit and I am quite glad that I did as just a few days later I had to use it due to silly accidents involving stairs and hot tea!
I managed to raise my money uber quickly this year, thanks mostly to a very generous stranger who happened to be at Church the one week that I was doing a presentation. We did another sponsored swim as well, pushing ourselves to 5106 metres (3.2 miles)!
Our training weekends have been amazing fun. We have learned how to balloon model, face paint, spin poi, make scooby doos, teach games without the use of English, count and sing in Tamil, run round London in the pouring rain and highly unsuitable shoes, go to know everybody a little bit better and practiced eating curry the proper way.
So now I just have to get down from Aberdeen to Heathrow, via Tring and Godalming! Not long now :)
xx

Back again

So I am back in the UK, and have been for a few days now so it is about time that I finished this blog off.

Where was I?

Ah yes the movie, it was alright I suppose, a little odd, terrible special effects and a bit about the Tsunami which was a little close to home and very poorly thought out, but I did stay awake for the whole thing this time. Sadly Rachel and Ruth left a few minutes in as Ruth was feeling sick.

The next morning (Wednesday) a bunch of us went to visit an Oasis English course that is for the girls on their tailoring course, however the teachers, Rachel and Ruth, were by this time both very sick, hopefully nothing to do with us taking them out for dinner?! So we declined the offer to stay for the day and do some teaching and instead played some games. It was fun being with girls, they love singing and dancing but were always embarrassed when it came to their turn, Lydia and I performed a very half hearted 'great great brill brill'.

Afterwards we went off to visit the Oasis head offices. One Auto (mine, we had the tailoring teacher with us) made it, the other with Lydia, Isaac and Cathy, took a little bit longer, the driver hadn't got a clue where they were going. They did make it in the end though and Rebecca told us all about what Oasis is up to and why which was interesting stuff, they are a very cool organisation. In the evening we dolled ourselves up in Saris and went To Ebi's house for dinner. His wife cooked up and amazing meal for us, home-made chapattis! The conversation came round at one point to Auto driving and Ebi learnt that Rob and James were very keen to have a go at driving one, not a problem, one of the YMCA employees had a son with an auto, so Ebi was straight on the phone and it was all arranged!

Oooh going back to Monday, we had a morning of shopping for lovely things and getting some tailoring sorted, then in the afternoon we went over to Kottivakum for the official inauguration of the water purification system, complete with reverse osmosis, and also to open the newly air conditioned computer room and have a play on the new computer. We also got to see the progress that was being made in the painting of the school.

And so to Tuesday during the day. We went to visit Fort Boys Town School, run by the YMCA. This was one of my favourite places that we visited. Fort used to have a boys town and a school, but the government built a railway right through the middle of their site. This was a few years ago and the boys town continued, with the boys sleeping in the classrooms at night, however last year it shut and the boys went to Kottivakum. The school is still up and running though with 1400 students on a ridiculously small site, the standard classrooms are maybe twice the size of my bedroom if that, and I have a small bedroom! All of the students are from a slum area the other side of the railway and many have to study by streetlight. The government pays the salary of the teachers but the building is kept by the YMCA and they also provide a lunch for the students and teaching supplies. The average school fees in Chennai are about 10,000 Rupees a year ( about £125) but Fort charges only 100 Rupees (£1.25) a year and if you can't afford that then it is free. Despite the difficult circumstances for the pupils both at home and at school, a pass rate of 100% for 10th standard (GCSEs) has been achieved for the past four years! It really is incredible, especially when you factor in the flooding which forces the school to close for the month of November. Sadly we couldn't stay for very long as we were a little disruptive to the classes but next year Chennai Challenge will probably be a lot more involved there.

After lunch at the amazing Tidel Park (the IT site by Kottivakum) we went to visit the Kottivakum Boys town school and disturb all of their classes as well. The difference between the two schools was amazing, Kottivakum has much bigger classrooms, with desks and chairs, a computer lab, tailoring classroom and science labs, albeit very basic. It was great to see our boys all smart in their uniform and very eager to show us the school. Then a short rest and change of clothes before running a programme with the boys.

And we are leaping forward to Thursday. We started off the morning with an Auto lesson! Very exciting, they have controls like a motorbike, something I am not used to! But after a couple of false starts and some serious revving (a problem I have in a normal car) I managed three reasonable laps around the site. Amy the non driver surprised us all with some very professional driving and then scared us all by coming within an inch of a wall!

After deciding that Auto driving was better left to the professionals for now we went to visit the YMCA headquarters and enjoyed the view from the roof. It was also exciting to learn that Gandhi had given a talk in the very room in which we were sat! Then a last visit to Sathmanagar community centre to see the new floor that we had funded (debatable as to whether it had been fixed or not) and also a chance for Sarah to give out the teddies for tragedies that she had bought with her. There were no children obviously at the centre but a few were soon rounded up and posed with the teddies.

That afternoon was our last programme with the boys, a chance to finish off the banner of hands and to paint a permanent twister board and hopscotch by their cottages. We rounded off the afternoon with a nice game of 'chase James', and all went home very sweaty and dirty.

For our last meal as a team we went to Raj Bhavan and completely pigged out on juice and ice-cream, with a total bill of less than 2000 rupees! Incredible. It was also a chance to give Isaac, Cathy and Rob their gifts from us. A biography of Regnikath for Cathy and Rob, and a c.d. 'Coffee with Regnikath' for Isaac, they seemed very pleased!

Friday was our last day in Chennai. The morning meant lots of shopping for the boys packs (toothbrush, toothpaste, sweets, talcum powder, a pencil, and a toy) Goldmine proved itself the most amazing shop in the world by supplying us with 148 small forms of transport for less than 25 rupees each! The afternoon was last bits of personal shopping and packing, and then we dressed in our nicest Indian getup for the last meal with the boys. At the meal we were presented with Lungis and shawls by Ebi and gave out the boys gifts along with some sports equipment (Cricket!!). All too soon it was time to get changed and leave for the airport. It was horrible saying good bye to the boys, not knowing when I would be back (which I will be, sometime).

It takes a very long time to get though all the checks at Chennai airport, it's almost as if they don't want you to leave the country, and we had to be rushed onto the plane, yes we were those annoying latecomers, and yes we were spread out all over the plane so no quick finding of seats. I guess the flight was o.k, I slept for most of it, we made it anyway, and now we are home!

It's kind of weird how quickly I have slipped back into life in England, no obvious reverse culture shock, it wasn't even all that cold on Saturday! The only negative effect I can think of is forgetting that my phone was set to India time and having my alarm go off at quarter to three in the morning! I do very badly want to go back though, and take people with me! Let me know if you want to come too!

So until my next trip, bye and thanks for all your support.
XxX