Photos from this week…

A week like no other…

Some weeks are just special, this was one of them. I will undoubtably forget something in this post but as Malene and I sit outside and soak up some of this glorious sun, I will try my best. Strange to think its nearly November and still 35 degrees! I heard its snowing back home in England and Denmark?

Monday and perhaps not so much exciting, but a little nerve-racking for the children as it was dentist day. A new scheme that has been set in play is to get a mobile dentist from the hospital in Ludhiana (an hour away) to visit the orphanage. A big bus/van arrived at a nearby house, plugged in its generators, deployed its stabilizers and rear steps and waited as we arranged the children. It felt like something out of thunderbirds and probably didn’t make the children feel any more at ease for what was, for many of them, their first trip to the dentist.

As the big van started up its generators, the children jumped back and any remaining smiles soon disappeared. It was soon time for the first patient, little Navijot, one of the smallest, cutest little girls was first, instant tears built up in her eyes and luckily Malene was nearby to take her hand. In fact Malene had her work cut out of her as she stayed with each child, holding their hands and comforting them. I stayed well clear, just in case they wanted me in the chair! It was surprising how many children needed fillings and cleaning work done. For £50, Malene and I felt that this mobile dentist was a wonderful expenditure, but the orphanage needs donations to keep it going. They’re hoping to raise £100 so they can use this service twice a year.

If the children weren’t too happy about the dentist on Monday, then they would surely be happy about Tuesday’s plans. A couple of pastors from Bedford (England) arrived at the school and together with their church they had raised some money to take all the children to McDonalds. Arguably, you could say that £200 could have been used a little more wisely, but the children were very excited, as were Malene and I at the thought of a Big Mac! 3 mini buses were arranged to take us all (60) and even though each bus had a maximum capacity of just 10, we all squeezed in. With the small ones sat on laps and a total disregard for any safety, we took a couple of brave pills and set off. The closest McDonalds was 1 hour away, however, at the rate our driver was traveling at, I often wondered if we would make it at all.

After our off-road, cow dodging, pedestrian swerving, 1 hour ordeal, we saw the golden arches. The level of excitement went up 10 fold as we lined the children up outside and took photos with the McDonald clown. A space was set-aside for us inside and we just about crammed everyone in – children, teachers, cooks, cleaners, pastors, bus drivers and us! Unfortunately, there was no Big Mac on the menu, in fact, no beef at all, just chicken burgers or a vegetarian option. To make it simple, everyone had a Happy Meal but for the children it really was a Happy Meal! Malene and I worked hard to serve all the drinks and meals and then afterwards the ice creams. It was a strange feeling being inside a McDonalds in India. Apart from the (limited) menu, it was just like back home, even the toilets were…normal!

Back in the buses, we travelled home. With children asleep on each others shoulders and the sun setting all I could think about was how lucky I felt to be out here…away from McDonalds and fast food, and greed and rudeness. Instead we are surrounded by friendly hospitality, wonderful, loving people who will do anything for you, for nothing in return. Needless to say, I was hungry 10 minutes later…typical McDonalds!

I think now would be a good time to introduce our new guest at the orphanage. His name is Don, a friend of Roger and a very down-to-earth, lovely man. He has been visiting the orphanage for 5 years and is excellent with the children. As a semi retired science teacher, he has a lot of knowledge and experience when it comes to teaching. Together with Don, we are trying to educate the teachers at the school and make their teaching more exciting for both themselves and their children. After school has finished, Don chairs a teachers meeting and over the past couple of days, we have been discussing and sharing what makes a good teacher and techniques of how we can improve. Although Don is only here for another week, Malene and I really think that this is a big opportunity to make some positive changes. We have started using lesson plans and encouraging more activeness in the teachers.

After one of our first ‘teacher meetings’, in the evening there was an incredible thunder storm. Hopefully this was a positive sign that we are doing something good out here! Although we thought the storm wasn’t very close, the cracks of thunder shook our building where we slept and as the electricity flickered on and off, we tried desperately to fall asleep. The next morning, it was apparent that the storm was closer than we first thought. Growing up the wall of our apartment was a large tree that had been hit by lightening. 3 men were desperately chopping at the split trunk that was now lying across the path as Malene and I took a couple of photos, still in disbelief!

On this day, Malene took the girls dancing in a private – no boys allowed class after school. Apparently, the children aren’t allowed to listen to much music here, but it was so clear to see how much they enjoyed themselves. It’s a shame that they’re not really allowed (we found out later) because the sense of euphoria and freedom, let alone the laughter was tremendous. It is a little strange because they all knew the songs that Malene played, from listening to them on mobile phones and even had dance routines for different songs. Still, not our school, not our rules, but maybe one day, this rule regarding music might change, I really hope so!

As Malene held this class, I was off to the local town with Poonam and Baljit to do a light bit of shopping. First things first, a new Indian suit. Nothing too posh, just traditional, which we found in one of the many clothes shops that line the narrow streets. I say ‘found’, what I mean is that we located the material rather than a completed suit. After a while of haggling, we settled on a price and I was measured up. To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what it is that I’m getting, apart from the colour that is. Hopefully they understood “plain and simple” and nothing that will make me look even more out of place! The price for 2 suits, tailor-fitted, about 11 pounds.

As if the dentist and McDonalds and Don’s arrival wasn’t enough for one week, the real excitement came on Saturday, a trip to Wonderland. Again, about an hours drive away, Wonderland is a modern theme park, with roller-coasters, fast food and a water-park. For Malene and I, it was as if we had stepped outside of India and into a westernised city of fun. The children of course, loved every second as we were dragged from ride to ride.

Lunch time came with more burgers. Remember that most of these children had never seen a burger before apart from in books and this week they were on their second! Of course the sun was out and it was beautifully warm, which made the afternoon activity a little more bearable: swimming in the water-park. We all hired shorts and costumes and rushed to get changed. Of course Malene and I and all the teachers got involved as we donned the rather ill fitting outfits and made our way to the cold waters. The main pool was a beach style affair which was perfect for the little ones, especially as it was the first time they had ever been swimming! We all tried out the water slides, rode the waves and even danced in small dancing room with strobe lighting, loud music and showers of water.

All-in-all, it was a fantastic day out for which we thanked Don who had invited and paid for us. The children, exhausted once again, slept on the way home. To be honest, my eyes were also very heavy. We felt the mixture of India and the Western world this week and it really got me thinking. I do miss home, my family, my friends, but I can’t help but feel that we’ve struck gold out here. Although we can’t put our fingers on exactly what it is that is so special, we can both feel it. I’m sorry if this post was all over the place, but that was our weeks events and certainly a week that we won’t forget in a very long time.

For photos from this week, scroll back up a little…

Never too old…

Surely one of the greatest things about being a helper in an orphanage come school come home of 30 children is playtime. It’s so easy back at home to stick on the TV or switch the computer on. Here, those options aren’t available…excellent! Although the resources maybe a little limited, the imagination is here in bundles and the result; an endless variety of games. I will try and guide you through a few of them, but to be honest, we’re still new at all this, much to the amusement of the children.

There is a real buzz of excitement when school finishes and the games come out. There is also a hierarchy of games which becomes apparent as the children scramble over each other for the most desirable Lego, or the most used playing cards. Of course, the popularity of these games changes on a near daily basis. Trying to keep up with the latest ‘games fashion’ here in India proves impossible. One game that seems to be a favourite amongst all ages is marbles. It’s also a game that is far more technical than I had ever imagined. The children battle it out to claim victory and ultimately possession over each others marbles; a far more important currency than money! There appear to be 2 main techniques used. Firstly the traditional throw from a pre-determined line towards the target of other marbles. The second technique requires far more skill as a marble is flicked using the 1st finger of one hand creating quite immense back spin. The children are incredibly accurate, I just have to try and use my long arms to an advantage.

Of course cricket is very popular here. It’s so good to get the children involved in a team game and again, all ages seem to love taking part. When we first arrived, we used a flat piece of wood and a large orange plastic ball which would make a big hollow sound every time someone got a good connection. We’re lucky enough now to have a couple of ‘real’ bats and some stumps, but in fairness, the excitement is the same.

A new game here is volley ball. Someone kindly donated the ball and whilst we have the use of a harvested field, the children love the ease at which they can hit the ball. There is always a whirlpool of excitement as any object is hurled into the air, be it a cricket ball, volley ball or any other object. I think it’s partly the danger of being struck by the falling ball and partly the challenge of seeing who can reach the highest heights.

I shouldn’t go any further without mentioning cards. Normal playing cards, picture cards, even ABC cards are hugely popular here. In a lot of the small communities here, the adults play cards under big trees in the evening and the children can but watch over their shoulders. However, in school, they have their own cards, their own games and rules. They feel that they are playing a serious game, normally only played by adults. It’s great fun teaching them new variations and games and they are incredibly quick to soak up new rules. ‘Go Fish’ is a particular favorite right now and often played by Malene with her nursery class during school.

An old favorite, and another game for all ages is skipping. For an instant rush of adrenaline, the children love playing this simple game. Be it on their own with a short rope or in groups of 4,5,6 or more with a long rope! It’s great fun seeing who can go the longest or fastest or even do the craziest tricks. Again, not so popular back home any more, but for simplicity and fun, this is a winner for me. One song/video I think they will enjoy is by DJ Fresh – Gold dust – YouTube this for a good skipping song.

Malene and I brought a frisbee over which is one of their favorites at the moment. Again, making the frisbee spin as high as possible is great fun for the children and there are always many hands running after it. Of course the older boys get a size advantage with this game, but by making it a team sport, the smaller ones stand more of a chance of having a couple of throws themselves. The only issue we occasionally have is loosing the frisbee in the rice field. Finding it doesn’t normally provide a challenge, but everyone knows about the snakes that live in the fields, so it’s best to steer clear when possible.

A new addition to the games ensemble is chess. Although only a few of the older ones are learning to play, this really is a lovely game for just sitting down and relaxing. Often when the midday sun is blazing, it’s nice to come inside and cool down – of course whilst playing a game that is. I love playing chess with the children as it gives a perfect opportunity to get to know them a little better. We both feel that the one thing these children miss, is a big brother or big sister to look up to and ask questions. A lot of them are going through difficult times in their lives and its a privilege when they come to us for advice.

Being the fine dancer that she is, Malene is teaching some of the children traditional dance which is a huge hit, especially with the older ones. Although they’re still a little shy to dance with each other, they often eagerly queue up to dance with either Malene or myself. The fact that I was born with 2 left feet doesn’t help, but we all have immense fun, often to the sound of “1…2… Cha Cha Cha”.

Bowling or ‘skittles’ as the children call it is also great fun. We use old water bottles with a little water in to keep them standing. Downstairs the polished floor makes for a perfect bowling alley. It gets quiet crazy this game and keeping score is a bit of a challenge, but all of the children love hurtling the orange balls down as fast as they can. My job is to simply replace the fallen bottles and watch them all cheering.

There are so many games played here, most of which I wouldn’t know how to describe. Some appear to have a million rules whereas others have none. One thing they all have in common is the energy used to play them with. The children also love when we have ideas of new games for them. For example, hop-skotch is a favorite with the girls whilst the simple idea of a running race is great for the boys. If anyone reading this has any ideas of fun games to play, please leave us a comment and we’ll be sure to try it out. The only thing we need to do, is try to keep up with the children, a true challenge!

I hope you enjoyed reading about some of the games we play over here. It really makes us feel very young again which is great, the only thing we need is more ideas. It’s lovely seeing the children playing out our childhood games and its clear to see they love it too.

New threads and a swollen eye

We had our first casualty this week as Malene woke up on Sunday morning with a swollen eye after being stung by a mosquito.

It wasn’t too bad on Sunday and even on Monday as we both went to school as usual. Unfortunately, by Tuesday morning, she couldn’t open her eye and it looked really red and swollen. That morning, we went to the doctor who very hastily, gave her 3 different tablets and an eye drop solution to take. Of course Malene had to stay at home that day as it was too bad and a little painful the more she moved her eye. The medication was only for 2 days. The following day (Wednesday) her eye was just as bad, if not worse and the swelling had started to move to the other eye! We went to the eye-doctor this time, who (hastily again) gave her a list of a different set of medicine, again, 3 different pills and a cream to rub around the eye. Another day off school for Malene, which I think was the worst thing for her. However, when I got back from school that night, she was a lot better already. The cream was numbing the pain and the swelling had gone down considerably. It was still a little red, but she felt much better. Thank the Lord! Thursday came and we both went to school, which by the way, erupted when they saw her. All week they we asking after her. So touching. I am glad to say that she’s looking and feeling much better, nearly 100%.

Although she doesn’t feel like posting a photo of her eye, here is one of her home-made eye patches, colour coordinated with her outfit of course.

On a much more cheerful note, Malene’s second outfit had been made. She looks truly stunning in the beautiful colours and is already calling herself half Danish, half Indian. One of the workers at the hospital gave her some very nice anklet bracelets which she loves wearing and along with her new bracelets she is really fitting in with the Indian style. It’s just me now that needs to sort myself out with some new threads…maybe next week ; )

This week in pictures

Back to school

Now that we’ve brought you up to speed, I thought I would write a little about our life at school. Our day begins at the reasonable hour of 7:45am after what can be quite a challenging nights sleep. Too often at night, we seem to be battling a mixture of heat (although it’s getting noticeably cooler), a squeaking fan, barking dogs and the mosquitos that still seem to penetrate our net. But we are rewarded in the morning by a lovely omelette, cooked by the hospital canteen. It’s the only meal we have at the hospital in the week, but they do look after us. After applying what seems to be less and less sun-cream each day, Rajinder, a hospital worker dusts down and then fires up his trusty Kawasaki Caliber (125cc). Malene hops on first and I perch on the back and we set off. The mornings are starting to feel cooler and we have been told that we may need a jumper in the next couple of weeks – crazy!

At the orphanage, we tend to arrive after breakfast and just before school starts. The tables are rearranged and there is a frantic buzz as the children search for their bags and find their seats. The teachers (6 girls aged between 20-24) arrive shortly after us and each sit with their class to begin the day. There doesn’t appear to be a set routine when it comes to classes, just what feels right at the time. Malene and I have talked about making a school timetable which should help the children concentrate a little more. At the moment Malene is working with the nursery class, the largest (10 children) and arguably the most challenging! As with all the classes, there is a mixture of educational levels and ages, which can make it a challenge when deciding what and how to teach. As someone who has never done any teaching like this before, I find that my imagination is really being tested, but the sense of achievement when a class goes well continues to amaze me.

Whereas Malene has settled in with the small ones, I on the other hand flitter between the remaining 6 classes. One day, I’ll be focussing on the ABC’s with class 1 and the same afternoon I’ll be struggling with Shakespeare as class 10 prepare for their upcoming exams. To be honest, it’s all challenging (I have a feeling that I’ll be using that word a lot!) and quite daunting when I’m given a class at the last minute. But the children are a delight to be around and that makes this whole experience a joy. The classes that I have tried taking so far are English, computers, environmental science, drawing and maths – much to my dread!

The children (and teachers) have a small break at 11am. The children use this time to stretch their legs in the very limited space they have outside, whilst we have a cup of tea – Earl Grey that is! We then continue with the classes from half 11 and finish for lunch at 1pm. Lunch tends to be either the left overs from the previous dinner (with rice) or noodles and beans. To be honest, we both really like the food. Perhaps at times a little too spicy for Malene but we both like the vegetables they use and the freshness of it all. The cook at the school really works mini-miracles with what she has and we are both very grateful for her. At lunch, the children sit on 3 long faded red carpets and eat with either a spoon or the more traditional finger option. Needless to say, there is food everywhere by the time the children finish. Rice or yellow noodles cover the floor, but all is soon cleaned up and ready for the afternoon classes.

At the moment, the children don’t have much of a lunch break which I think could change. After a large meal consisting of mainly rice or noodles, the children have so much energy which can make them a bit of a handful when they come back to class. Probably what would be a better idea, would be to lengthen their break by half an hour and add that time to the time end of the day. Still, the end of school comes faster and faster each day at which point, chaos reins once again! All the children scramble around the large lockers containing a mixture of clothes. There’s no order, more of a first come, first served principal, as their school uniform is thrown to the ground and hands grab whatever garments they can. All the children share clothes with each other and they rarely make it through the rest of the day wearing just one outfit.

Games time! This is arguably the busiest and most demanding part of the day for Malene and I. They array of games is amazing, but I feel I should go into more detail at another time. This is when we get to bond most with the children. We go from being teachers to friends and people the children can confide in. I can’t wait to write about this part of the day, but you’ll have to wait till next week for that one.

6pm and a call echoes throughout the school that dinner is imminent. As the teachers leave after classes (2:45pm), it leaves Malene, Punam (a lovely friend who I will talk more of later) and myself to get the children in, make sure they wash their hands and sit the down at the table. We then have a little battle to see how quiet we can get everyone (30 children), but rarely seem to get more than a few minutes of peace…the ‘finger on the lips’ trick always seems to work quite well! After grace, everyone tucks in to rice, japati and a curry based mixture of vegetables, beans and potatoes. Every night is different, with one night a week being chicken – a treat for the children! Dinner marks the end of the day for us, with only the return motorbike trip left to do. Two boys, Balgit and Paramjit, take us back to the hospital and as we meander through the darkened streets and watch the stars, we get to reflect on the day. We both feel that there is potentially a lot we can do here at the orphanage, either on a teaching level or a personal level with some of the children. The only issue we will have is time; or rather the lack of it. We can’t believe a month has already passed, but at the same time feel very lucky and sure there will be many more stories to come.

The Journey continues…

We had landed in Ludhiana. It was 2am, we were exhausted, but we felt very close to our final destination: Bilga.  Although it was early, I had to send a message to our contact and inform him that we were here – albeit 6 hours earlier than planned.  Unfortunately, there was no-one at the hospital at this hour, so we should aim to get a taxi from the station no earlier than 8:30.  Our choice was laid out before us: either stay at the station for 8 hours and wait it out, or get a taxi to an unknown destination and hope that the hospital was in an area whereby we could sit and wait.  We took the first option.

A very long 6 hours passed by and the time came to grab our bags and find a taxi.  With Bilga being around 30km from Ludhiana, a taxi, apparently, was our best option and shouldn’t cost more than 500IR (£6).  As we exited the station and approached the hustle that was the taxi-rank, all eyes immediately turned to us and like fresh meat to a sea of piranhas, we were instantly swarmed by people trying to offer us their taxi.  Feeling very conscious of our bags, we quickly found one guy who claimed to know Bilga and could take us there for 2000IR (£25).  This would take all my bargaining powers if I was to get him anywhere near our original price of 500IR.  Plus, I had the added incentive that I only had 1000IR in my pocket.  After 10 minutes of haggling and a phone-call to our English contact, we still couldn’t get him any lower than 1500IR.  It was at that moment that a young guy appeared out of the blue and in near perfect English introduced himself and asked where we were going.  He then told us to get into the taxi that we had been haggling with and not to pay 1 rupee more than a thousand.  Strong words were then exchanged between himself and the taxi driver and before we knew it, we were off.

Finally, after what felt like a tour of Punjab, we arrived at the hospital, our new home for…pretty much as long as wanted.  We were instantly given a full tour of the whole hospital which is based on 2 floors, however, the second floor is not being used as there isn’t enough patients yet.  Its strange: a modern, clean and free hospital for everyone, yet it seems very quiet here.  We would later to come realise that the local mentality here in fact discourages people to use these almost Westernised facilities.  People here are somewhat trepidatious of modern medicines and would rather visit their local doctors – often who have little or no qualifications, and receive incorrect medicine from them.  This becomes a major problem when the medicine given has no affect on the patient; they then become more sick and eventually the hospital here has to deal with patients that are far more sick than had they come in the first place.  Its a problem that the hospital is working greatly on and hopefully something we can get involved with later down the line.

Our accommodation for now is an apartment in a small block of flats that belongs to the hospital.  Staff and their families live here and we have already met a few of them, including the pet dog (3 months old).  We have a large living room, kitchen, bathroom and large bedroom – although no A/C (small issue at night) we do have ceiling fans. Its basic, but clean.  Apart from the lizards, cockroaches, frogs and ants, all of which prefer being indoors, it is very quiet here which is lovely.

A little shocked, we soon realised that our English contact was not here.  In fact, he was back in England and wouldn’t be coming over until the middle of October.  Unfortunately this meant that the hospital didn’t have any plans for Malene, but I feel that it has in fact worked to our advantage.  We both met Roger Berry, the founder of the orphanage in the next town – Kandola Kalan.  We would spend a short afternoon settling into our new accommodation and then travel out to the orphanage the following day; totally unsure what to expect.

The following morning at 9am, to guys, Bamjit and Paramjit, came to pick Malene and I up on their motorbikes.  I have decided that this is definitely the best way to travel around India! The cool breeze eases the heat and you really get to see all the sights up close and personal – often within touching distance as you meander through narrow streets and market stalls.  As we turned onto a narrow, cobbled-stoned track, we bounced our way closer to the orphanage;  a medium-sized building topped with a crucifix and surrounded by rice and corn fields.  We could almost hear the silence as the children were being on their best behaviour and ready to welcome us.  It’s strange, but I could feel an energy coming from the large front gate – something I would be apart of in the upcoming weeks.  As we entered, we were greeted initially by Roger and then by a sea of beaming eyes and big, pearly white smiles.  Each ‘class’ took turns to stand up and welcome us with larger than life voices as we felt like honoured guests.  There are 40 children here, with ages ranging from 4-18.  There are 5 teachers, each with their own class and a cook who makes 3 meals a day.  As we met all the children, Roger began to tell us his story of how the orphanage began and grew.  In fact it had grown to be much more than just an orphanage and was now a school, a church and a home for 30 of the children.  Most of the children either had no parents or were missing a father or mother and the other was unable to look after them.  All of the children had incredible stories and yet despite such  difficult beginnings, all of them are so joyful and full of energy: it is quite literally contagious the energy and enthusiasm they all have!  I found that by the end of the first day, I was rubbing my cheeks as they ached due to all the smiling and laughing!

Our new routine had begun.  We arranged with the hospital that they would take us in the morning – 3 on the bike (only in India) and the two boys from the orphanage would bring us back after dinner in the evening; around 7pm.  The next couple of weeks would be full of challenges, entertainment, smiles, games and dancing….but I’ll leave the details until my next post.