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…

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.