Photos from this week…
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 ; )
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.
A beginning…
Starting this so-called blog is perhaps the hardest thing. Getting the ball rolling and getting my experiences down on here is tricky, but hopefully worthwhile, and maybe you might like to see what it is Malene and I are up to nearly 5000 miles away. I suppose the best way to start…is at the beginning…
After arriving into Delhi International Airport, we had no idea as to what was waiting around the corner for us. Walking through air-conditioned hallways paved with carpet and decorated with elaborate paintings of various Gods, we eventually got to the arrivals desk and were pleasantly greeted by a very well dressed man behind the desk, who spoke English perfectly. We wondered to ourselves if this was a taste for things to come…the answer soon came.
As we collected our bags, we made our way into the unknown, both anxious, nervous, but excited. At first, the heat hit us with what felt like a quick, sharp blow to the stomach. Not only the intensity of the heat (high 30’s) but the feeling of it too. Its hard to explain exactly what it’s like, but try imagining someone removing the oxygen from the air – I assured Malene that we would get used to it…truth is, I had no idea!
The metro from the airport would have gotten us to the centre of Delhi in 10 minutes. However, the guard with the AK-47 assured us that the metro was closed and I wasn’t about to argue with him: the bus it was. After fumbling around with our bags (which seemed a lot heavier in this heat) we managed to track-down the right bus, paid around 50p each and sat down for what was about to be a half an hour trip through the outskirts of Delhi. I don’t think Malene and I said a word to each other for the next 30 minutes. With mouths wide open in amazement, we passed scenes that we will never forget.
‘An Assault on the Senses.’ To be precise, an assault on all the senses! Everyone uses their horns whilst driving what-ever it may be that they’re driving – cars, buses, lorry, tuk-tuks, bicycles, mopeds. 3 lane roads are jammed packed by 5 vehicles lined up side-by-side. All the time, anything imaginable on either 2 or 3 wheels is weaving between everyone, trying to get their clients to their destination regardless of safety along the way. The chaos seems seems random, unplanned and archaic. It’s only when you look a little closer that it becomes clear that either (a) Indians are very lucky at avoiding each other, or (b) this system actually works…somehow.
Our first night in Delhi was at a rather plush hotel. Although not plush at the time, after wandering around Delhi in the forthcoming days, we decided that we got lucky with our choice (or rather the choice of the tuk-tuk driver – as his family owned the hotel). Our room was on the ground floor and the only room on the ground floor. There were no windows, but it had A/C, a bed and a real toilet (seat and fully working flush!) – much to our delight!
Delhi for us was a bit of a crazy experience. The pace at which life is lived at is truly amazing. Everyone stares at us like we have arrived from a different planet…in fact, they will stare as they walk past you until either we’re completely out of sight, or they’ve walked into something. We have been told by countless people, that everyone is simply curious of us and that most in fact feel humbled or honored that we are visiting their country.
After a good evening with a new friend – Nikhil, Malene and I decided to visit Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. We were very lucky to find a very good tour guide – Mr Imran Khan who gave us the most detailed and elaborate tour ever, lasting about 2 hours. Every piece of history was beautifully described as we walked around and through the beautiful palace. He took hundreds of photos of us too which is never easy when on your own! The atmosphere was certainly more relaxed here in comparison to Delhi – some 300km away. Malene and I felt more at ease and getting more excited at the prospect of traveling on to our next destination – Bilga – hopefully our home for the next 3 months.
Getting to Bilga was definitely an adventure in itself. We were to take a night train from Delhi to Ludhiana, sleep in a sleeper carriage for what we initially thought would be around 10 hours. After making yet more friends at the station platform, our train rolled in a mere hour and a half late – apparently fairly normal by Indian standards. Malene and I quickly found our beds – the top and middle bunks of 3 in the smallest, hottest quarters I’ve ever seen! Each ‘section’ had 6 beds, 3 bunks opposite each other within touching distance from each other. We decided to try and get some sleep and proceeded to do so under the faint drone of the 3 fans that spun inches from my face. Luckily, one of our neighbours, who we had been talking with at the start of our journey, woke me up after around 7 hours. He assured us that our stop was imminent – we of course had no idea, but got ready all the same. You see, there is no information being conveyed through speakers, no helpful LED signs letting you know what the next station is, plus, in the middle of the night, you cant even look outside to gain some sort of bearing. Our neighbour saved us in this occasion…and we’ll go on to learn that we’ll be saved in many more times to come!
Of course, this is only the beginning of our story. Much, much more has happened, but I will continue next weekend. Hope it hasn’t been to boring for you – it’s certainly not been boring for us! Love to you all…
Hello!
Welcome to our blog! Hopefully I’ll be able to share some of our experiences here with you guys. I hope that we can put up a few photos and a few stories and this will be a way of keeping in touch and we won’t feel quite so far away…
I love reading comments, so feel free to ‘respond’ to my posts…maybe you’ve got some ideas or places you think we should visit?
Happy reading!
Our travels through Asia 