On my travels

13/11/09

2009-11-13T08:55:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it but its time for me to leave Sangam, I went to the creche for the last time today and had to wave goodbye to Katsuko this afternoon :( The time has flown by and it doesn't feel right that I have to leave. Of course my adventure isn't over as I'm off traveling!!! If I don't get a chance to blog again I just want to say thank you to everyone for all your help and I'll see you in December.

10/10/09

2009-11-11T04:39:00.000-08:00

Kylie wasn't well again this morning so it was just me again, there were more teachers at the creche again today as the children were still being tested. All the children were rapped up in their wolly hats and thick winter cardigans as it has become rather chilly, it even started to rain which really reminded me of England. In the morning I 1st got the children to fill an A4 sheet of paper with picture, this then became the cover of a maraca. They loved them, some were a bit to over excited and I had to do some repair work so they could go home with a musical maraca, rather than a tube of cardboard and some rice. Got a surprise at lunchtime when Kylie walked through the door, she was feeling a bit better and was eager to be back at the creche. In the afternoon we did English and Maths. I had a one to one with a boy who usually doesn't like to take part in educational activities which was really good, I think as he doesn't go to school he's not as confident about such things so I was really pleased he was so into doing some Maths work :) For dinner we went out to Hard Rock Cafe as a kind of leaving do, when we eventually got there we were all soaked through as the rain had persisted. It was a nice evening out with all the volunteers and Ezster and Einar even met us there which was lovely. Catching a rickshaw back was a bit tricky but we eventually found one. Only problem was that the roads had started to become flooded so it we had to maneuver around all the massive puddles - we even broke down on an empty stretch of road but thankfully the rickshaw started up again, few.

9/11/09 Last Monday at the creche

2009-11-10T21:26:00.000-08:00

It was just me at the creche today as Kylie wasn't feeling well. We made houses to put into the creches project area, which was fun - I was amazed that it didn't seem to hectic and crazy with just me running things. This could have been because there were more teachers there as the children were being tested, only a few at a time but this meant there were fewer for me to deal with. In the afternoon each child had a chalk board on which I wrote out some sums according to their ability, a boy who has just recently joined the creche is extremely good at maths and I just hope that he will get the opportunity to go to school. 3.30-4.00pm has become a bit of a play time so we played some ball games and Carrom (which the children love and kept on nagging me about wanting to play it so I thought we might as well) I also taught them a bit of yoga which was rather fun, only problem is the teacher now wants me to teach the morning exercise :S and he older boys want me to teach them Kung Fu so they can be like Jackie Chan - I was very sorry to disappoint them but I know nothing about Kung Fu :( I decided to walk home so that I could collect some balls we had ordered (we are giving each child at the creche a goody bag on our last day which will contain a ball, biscuits, sweets and a few other bits and bobs)

6/11/09 Our last full Friday at the creche :(

2009-11-07T03:38:00.000-08:00

We made kaleidoscopes today which was fab, the children loved running around, seeing everything in different colours. The whole morning flew by, it was probably because I was constantly putting the kaleidoscopes together, which is made more difficult with the constant harassment of 'Madame, Madame, me Madame me' but everyone got one so they were happy. On our way to the toliet we found that the whole has become even bigger and we had to very carfully edge around it :S In the afternoon we did some maths work, one boy I was working with liked to have the sums in English and then every so often answered them in Hindi or got confused when I wrote 9 and thought it was a 1 (in Hindi one is written like 9) - I understood what he meant and he got the correct answer and that all that matters :) We also played some games; mainly billi, billi, kuutaa which means cat, cat, dog and its the same as duck, duck, goose - its always fun to play even if we do get chosen rather a lot but a little exercise never hurt anybody.

5/11/09

2009-11-07T03:28:00.000-08:00

We made boxes today which the children loved as they were able to decorate them and even take them home :) most of the time they don't get to take what they make home so it was fantastic seeing their faces light up when they realised. The area around the creche is becoming more and more hazardous by the looks of things, on our wak to the toilet we have to pass a huge hole which if you fell you'd be in some serious trouble. There are now also nets above the entrance to the creche which catch the falling rubble, I just hope that they are strong enough to stand the weight. The creche was closed in the afternoon for the monthly staff meeting, so I went to the train station to buy tickets to go to Amritsar, Chandigarh and Jaipur unfortunately one of the trains I found on the net doesn't exist so I'm going to have to sort something else out.

4/11/09

2009-11-07T00:55:00.000-08:00

We made crazy cats this morning and did some dot to dot colouring in with the older boys who go to school. After we had eaten lunch we went to get some rickshaw to take the children to Sangam, thankfully a teacher came with us so it was sorted out relatively easily. So we all piled into a rickshaw Kylie somehow ended up with only 3 children in hers, I on the other hand had the teacher and 7 children - odd thing was it felt as if we still had space. In total we had 30 children; 10 from my mobile creche site, 10 from Katsuko's mobile creche site and 10 from Door Step. Even though Door Step also offer education for underprivileged children you could tell they were better of than the children from our site. The children from Door Step arrived in nice sparkly outfits which looked rather new, this was rather different from the children from my site some of whom didn't even have any shoes to wear. The CVP funday was fantastic we started with a tour of the grounds and then split the children into 2 groups - boys and girls. One group swam whilst the other went on a round robin, which included games, a craft and playing on the playground. I was 1st stationed at the playground and then when the groups changed over I went swimming. The children seemed to enjoy all the activities, some were a bit timid about getting into the pool but once they got in they didn't want to get out :) At the end of the day we got everyone together and played a big game of musical chairs and finished the afternoon of with mango ice-cream by the pool. Eventful rickshaw ride back to the creche as my rickshaw broke down, I have to say when we finally got the creche the teacher and Kylie looked rather relieved - they must have been wondering were on earth is Mollie with all those children (I somehow ended up with 7 children in my rickshaw again - I don't quite know how it happened)

3/11/09

2009-11-07T00:45:00.000-08:00

We had today off so we could plan for the CVP funday tomorrow - I think its going to be rather hectic and crazy but great fun. Once we were all sorted I went to Lazmi road to do a last bit of shopping before I go, it was really nice to have a bit of time out strolling around line bazar getting bits and bobs that I wanted :)

2/11/09 - 12 days left at Sangam

2009-11-04T08:51:00.000-08:00

As our paintings on 1 of the walls have gone moldy we decided to make some more with the children. It was all a bit crazy and hectic but it was great fun and everyone enjoyed themselves. As it was to be expected some of the painting turned out better than others but they'll all look great on the walls :) In the afternoon we played some games, the older children were a bit addicted to carrom (a board game which is similar to pool but you have to flick a putt and hit pieces into the 4 wholes on each corner of the square) and I can see why as its great fun :) Tacco's for dinner woooop one of my fav Sangam dinners and it was international night which meant more fun - a GREAT day!!!

31/10/09

2009-11-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! Went to MG road for some bits and bobs and to make some purchase to take home - it felt really strange coming back to Sangam knowing it was probably the last time I'll be go to MG road, its even weirder thinking I've only got 14 days left at Sangam!!! Times flown by and I can't believe its time to go already. In the afternoon I had several Skype dates which was lovely as I could catch up with everyone at home :) We had a relaxing evening in and just watched Love Aaj Kal, a fun Bollywood movie.

30/10/09

2009-11-04T07:42:00.000-08:00

This morning we decorated fish (the teachers hinted about making them awhile ago so we thought we might as well), we ended up with some brilliant pictures like the rainbow fish, we even put some googly eyes on them to finish them off :) Whilst the older children ate we entertained the babies as usual - I have to admit I really enjoy just making them smile and giggle by pulling funny faces or tickling them. Kylie also made a discovery about Deepak's 'little sister' who actually turns out to be a boy :O She or rather he has frequently worn dresses and we would have kept on believing that he was a girl if he wasn't wearing a skirt with no undies on. (He's the one on the left) In the afternoon we made bead bracelets and different types of origami which they really enjoyed. They were still going crazy for the balloons I made the other day, so i became a production line again :)

29/10/09

2009-11-03T07:50:00.000-08:00

This morning we made puppets which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. Most of the children just copied our examples - even down to the colours and patterns on the sari, but we did get a few fab saris and 2 faced puppets which was rather fun :) In the afternoon we got the children to do some puppet shows which was wonderful, everyone was constantly smiling - including the teachers. I let the kids run wild with my camera and ended up with some pretty random pictures - some are actually rather good :) When we packed up we found that we were missing 9 finger puppets :S The teachers frisked the children but 1 reappeared. It was even worse than the 5 pencil sharpeners which mysteriously went missing. In the evening I was overloaded with emails

28/10/09

2009-11-03T07:41:00.000-08:00

Today was our last Hindi lesson and we learnt how to write our names in Hindi!!!! In the afternoon we went to the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum which was full of amazing things from the personal collection of Sri Dinkar Gangadhar. There were some beautiful carved doors, a suit of armor made out of fish scales (not sure how good that would have been in a battle but who knows), combs, nutcrakers, cooking utensils and loads more. In the evening we went out for dinner with Ezster, Einar, Mina and Mina's husband, as a kind of leaving do - I can't believe I've got only 17 days left at Sangam :O

27/10/09

2009-11-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

This morning we made masks again as the teachers wanted some more to put on the walls. We ended up with loads of beautiful masks that were full of colour and sparkles, which was wonderful. After lunch a little boy came up behind me and made me jump - he was only trying to give me a flower but my reaction startled him nearly as much as he made me jump. Here are some pics of him - they put talcon powder on the childrens faces to absorb sweat and for some other reasons, so that's why his face is covered in white powder. In the afternoon we tried to teach the children how to do some origami (Kylie made cranes and I made balloons) but it ended up with me and Kylie becoming a production line making everyone one of each. It was a bit manic as it was the 1st time I'd ever made the balloons, so I was teaching myself whilst attempting mass production for all the kid but it turned out well so all was OK :)

26/10/09

2009-11-01T07:38:00.000-08:00

Back to the creche today :) We drew hands today and decorated them with Mahendi patterns, which the children seemed to really enjoy. In the afternoon we did some alphabet work and looked after the babies. Here is a pic of me rocking one of the babies, I have developed some amazing skills at being able to get them to sleep. One mum always comes and finds me after shes finished breast feeding and wants to leave, just so I can work my magic. All the children are so cute I'm really going to miss them. Kylie made the discovery that Deepak's little sister is actually a little brother, which came as a bit of a surprise I have to say.

Kylie's Birthday 24/10/09

2009-10-25T05:47:00.000-07:00

We woke up early so that we could catch the train to Mumbai but when we got onto Alandi Road there were no rickshaws :O Then once we had finally found on and got to the train station it turned out that the train was canceled :/ Instead we decided to go to Koregaon Park for the day. We headed to the German Bakery for breakfast and I had a beast of a cinnamon roll which was a delicious. After having a nice breakfast we went to see if Osho had re-started their silent tours after the swine flu, which they had!!! Unfortunately they didn't start until 9am so we went and read our books whilst sitting on the wall. Whilst we were engrossed in our books a HUGE monkey flew out of the tree we were sitting under, which gave us a bit of a shock I have to say. Osho seemed to be a very tranquil place and I was glad that we got to have a look around. For the rest of the morning we strolled around Koregaon Park and manged to find Kylie a fab chocolate cake before we headed off to Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. In the evening we had a little party for Kylie which was really nice :)

23/10/09

2009-10-25T04:49:00.000-07:00

This morning we made mobiles which went much better than before as we had prepared samples of what they should make. The time flew by and I was shocked when I looked up at the clock and realised it was lunch time :O Sai Baba brought lunch for the children today which meant they got a good meal, they even got some bananas. We also put the letters of the English alphabet (we made a while ago) up on one of the pillars in the site. As usual I went outside and played games with the children, whilst we waited for them to be collected by their parents. Today we even had a digger right next to the creche I think UK health and safety would have a field if they saw the conditions of our site. In the afternoon we finished off making the mobiles and played some party games such as pin the tale on the donkey and duck, duck, goose. A thoroughly enjoyable day :)

22/10/09

2009-10-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

Back to work :) I have to admit I've missed the children and all the fun we have at the creche. Today we decided to paint self-portraits which didn't pan out how we had planned but we ended up with some lovely paintings of Spiderman, Mickey Mouse and other unknown images. We also did some English work in the afternoon and spent the last part of the day playing games :) It was a fantastic day to begin the last stage of our work, we only have 13 days left now :(

Trip back to Pune 20th-21st Oct 09

2009-10-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

Well we were told that our bus departed Mapusa at 5.30pm so we were cutting it fine as we wanted to catch the local bus but taxi's were 5 times the price and I also enjoy catching the bus. So once we got to Mapusa after worrying we would be late (we were right on time by the way) we found out that there wasn't a bus leaving until 7.30pm and we had been told the wrong time :0 to make matters worse our travel company hadn't phoned up to confirm our seats, thankfully we were able to work it out so it was all ok. This meant we had to find a place to stay for 2 hours and as Mapusa has literally no cafes and restaurants around the bus station we ended up relaxing in Baskin and Robbins, in the end everything turned out fine and we spent our time reading until we had to get on the bus. The bus ride went really quickly and we arrived in Pune before I knew it. It was really nice arriving just as the sun began to rise, almost peaceful as there were fewer vehicles on the road. As my bag was in the hold I rushed out to grab it only to find that it was damp and smelt like fish, it appeared that someone was transporting fish in the hold and when the ice melted the water had run onto my bag = bag and cloths stinking of fish :( not really what I wanted to wake up to, only up side is we managed to get meter price from the bus station back to Sangam (rickshaw drivers usual try to get as much out of you as possible as they assume you a tourist and don't know any better, which is extremely annoying when you live locally and know exactly how much the ride should cost) So on returning to Sangam I got straight to laundry, even before having breakfast, and I ended up trying to wash the fishy smell from my bag and clothing for the rest of the morning :( with an hours stop for my Hindi lesson. The day got worse when me and the Sweds went to buy train tickets to go to Agra only to find that they were sold out :( it really wasn't my day. But at the end of the day things seem to have picked up; we have a travel agent looking at alternative forms of transport and my cloths and bag no longer smell of fish YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Goa 16th - 20th Oct 09

2009-10-24T04:47:00.000-07:00

It's been crazily busy here but thankfully me and the other volunteers got a little holiday for the Diwali period, so we decided to head down to Goa. We caught the over night busy which turned out to be better than I expected considering it was a 12 hour journey. We arrived in Mapusa in the early hours of the morning and decided to have a mini adventure and caught the local bus to Anjuna (the place where we were staying) Unlike the buses in Maharashtra the signs were in both Konkani and English which made it much easier to know which one to get on to. Once we had freshened up we headed out to check out our surroundings and the BEACH!!! It was a lovely area, with stalls and restaurants paving the way to the beach - this meant we never ran out of places to eat and there was always something new that might take your fancy - I'm rather worried about how I'm going to fit everything in my bag :S The closest beach was beautiful soft golden sand and a fantastic view but unfortunately as soon as you sat down for a relax you were surrounded by women trying to sell you stuff that you just didn't want to buy. We were literally surrounded by about 10 women who just wouldn't leave us alone and once they did every so often they would come back and try again GRRR Another down side to the beach was that the sea was full of rocks which were the same colour as the sand which meant we came out with a fair few scrapes and bruises :( The next day we decided to go to another beach which was a bit further away - although it didn't have the same soft sand it was much more secluded, with very few hawks and an amazing sea, it was pure bliss. On our last full day we decided to visit Old Goa and Panaji which was interesting - we caught had to visit catch the bus to Mapusa, then to Panaji and then another one to Old Goa, for the total cost of 60Rs return (thats under a Pound) We explored Old Goa and visited a few of the churches which were very grand, we even saw the resting place of St Francis Xavier, although I don't have an interest in religion I'm always find religious places of worship interesting regardless of the religion. The heat of the day put the others off so they headed back to the guest house, but me and Kylie were still going strong and eager to stroll around Panaji which was a lovely little town next to the river. On our last day we did some last minute shopping and relaxed at a cafe by the sea - wonderful. The whole trip was fantastic Goa as a place was very different from Pune, which was a refreshing change. There is a Portuguese influence throughout Goa both religious (as the one of major religions is Christianity, for example Old Goa has 11 churches) and architecturally.

13/10/09

2009-10-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

We had today off instead of Wednesday so that we could visit the sari factory with the trefoil ladies. It was amazing to see how a sari is made from such small threads of cotton and becomes piece of inter. Most of the work is done using machines but there are people manning them to ensure threads don't get tangled. In the afternoon me and kylie made a happy Diwali sign for our creche which turned out better than expected :)

12/10/09

2009-10-15T07:16:00.000-07:00

Linnea came with me and Kylie to our site today as Door Step School was closed for Diwali (Door Step is another of Sangam's partner organisations which CVPs like me work at) In the morning we started of with the alphabet and then did some work on India using flash cards with images of major landmarks, such as the Taj Mahal in Agra. During lunch we put our amazing sign up and in the process also moved the birds we made :) In the afternoon we started to make Diwali decorations such as lanterns and other hangings. At the end of the day the creche had really started to brighten up with all the new added decoration. On the way back to Sangam we caught a rickshaw that is more like a minibus than a rickshaw (people can hop on and off at anytime) this meant that we had loads of extra leg space as we were the only people in it :) for a while anyway.

10/10/09

2009-10-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

Me and Kylie joined the Trefoil, who are on an event at Sangam, when they went to visit the Buddhist Meditation centre. The trip was really interesting, we had a presentation on a programme they run there, which aims to bring equality between castes - especially Dalits (untouchables who clean up human excrement). They work with the most marginalised and exploited communities of untouchables to help them to develop the strength to overcome the conditioning of castes which keeps them in the old derogatory jobs. We were showed a short filmed which was produced to show that 'sweepers' (untouchables who are made to pick up human excrement) are still being forced to 'sweep'. The images were shocking - even though some of the workers wore rubber gloves this didn't prevent crap from flowing over the top. The work they are doing is brilliant for example they are trying to create a strong network of Dalit women leaders who can fit against those who appose their right to equality. Whilst we were at the centre we also took part in a mediation class which was nice - although my foot did go a bit numb after being cross legged for so long but are well I still felt very relaxed :)

9/10/09

2009-10-13T09:37:00.000-07:00

We decided to have a crafts day and spent the morning making mobiles out of straws and paper flowers. In the end the children threaded the straws on to the sting and then started drawing pictures - it seems that everything we plan changes a little bit but it never really matters as the children enjoy themselves and that's what counts. In the afternoon we made lanterns in preparation for Diwali. The children were thrilled as it was another activity involving cutting - they absoluteness adore using scissors and glue :) So now our creche is filling up with colour which is wonderful.

8/10/09

2009-10-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

Busy morning - we decorated letters to make a sign for mobile creche, using colouring crayons, glitter and sparkles which everyone really enjoyed - including me and Kylie :) In the afternoon we attempted to make letters out of play dough but it didn't pan out how we had planned and we ended up making whatever we liked. The girls made kitchen utensils such as chapatti rollers, tables, bowls etc. One girl even made a bowl filled with chapattis :) One girl was teased about the size of her chapatti roller as it was huge which was rather amusing. We also attempted to play pairs with the younger children but it turned into a bit of a frenzy with all the children snatching the cards of each other (which were by this time covered in play dough) - so I ended up collecting the cards and played some other games instead. After work me and Kylie went in search of bus tickets for Goa. With the aim of getting the lowest prices we went down a row of travel agents - it was rather a long process as they had to ring up to find out prices using about 3 phones at once :O This meant that there was a large amount of noise in very a very small hot room = rather stressful and after going into a fair few shops it ended up being the 1st one which was the cheapest :/ After finally getting the tickets (YAY everything is sorted for Goa) we went to the train station to buy tickets to go to Mumbai for Kylie's birthday - we were in the queue for ages and when we eventually got back to Sangam we wanted to laminate the letters we made early. This meant we didn't sit down to have dinner till 9pm so it had been a rather long day but a very productive one - plus our sign looks ace.

7/10/09

2009-10-11T01:02:00.000-07:00

After Hindi we went to visit a local school which was interesting. The school teaches primary, secondary and college so the building was huge to accommodate for all the children. We went into one class and they re-sighted poems to us which was nice. In the evening me and Kylie made play dough for tomorrow.

5/10/09

2009-10-10T23:35:00.000-07:00

We made people paper chains this morning which went down a real treat as the children love any opportunity to cut things (nearly as much as they enjoy painting I'd say) I also got them to colour them in and we ended up chains of men and women in colourful cloths, until they decided, are well lets just cut them up as I want to do some more cutting - it did make me laugh. Even though we didn't end up with anything to hang in the creche the children really enjoyed themselves which is the main thing :) The computer bus was here again, which is a bit unusually as we hadn't had it for nearly 2 months and now its been 3 time in 2 week, not that I'm not complaining its great for the children. So whilst the older ones were on the bus I stayed with the younger children and helped them to cut and colour in. One girl has a cast on her arm and I didn't want here to be deprived of using scissors so I held the paper - her face lit up when she cut the paper :) She nearly cut me by mistake a few times but I came away without any major injures so it's all good. In the afternoon Ezster came to visit and we made pompoms which was great fun, all the children were running around with pompom necklaces by the end of the afternoon :) We went back to Ezster's after work for hot chocolate and ice cream, luckily we managed to get there before it started to rain and rain it did, buckets and buckets full. It eventually stopped which we were in the middle of our hot chocolate but then as soon as we got up to leave there was another huge down pore. To delay going into the teeming rain we popped in to say Happy Birthday to Kirti (our yoga teacher) and Karmeny (Kirti's twin sister) who live in the same block of apartments as Ezster. They were thrilled to see us and we ended up getting way layed with food which was delicious but meant I didn't have much room for dinner. We managed to catch a rickshaw for 20R (you should be amazed they usually attempt to charge 60R as the distance is so small and it was dark) he possibly took pity on us because of the rain :) On the ride home I got splattered with several drops of rain but then the run from the rickshaw to Sangam made me absolutely drenched - it was rather flooded with massive puddles that you couldn't edge around as they all merged into one. Me and Kylie also managed to terrify Atool when we ran into Sagam laughing like loons and covered in water hehehe

4/10/09

2009-10-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

Breakfast was included so we were up and ready by 7.30 so we had plenty of time to explore Elephanta - unfortunately the rain hadn't stopped and it looked like it had set in for the day, which meant there was another change of plan. We decided to catch the bus to Mani Bhavan, a house which Gandhi use to stay in and has now been converted into a museum all about Gandhi's life. Although it was only small it was very interesting and I was very pleased we went to see it, unfortunately it hadn't taken up much time so we still had a rather large chunk of time until the train home which we needed to fill. So we caught a cab to the cinema to check out what was showing, but there were only Hindi movies without subtitles showing which the Sweds weren't keen on = we went in search of the Oxford bookstore the largest bookshop in Mumbai. I have to admit it was nice to be in a bookshop as it reminded me of home. Even though it doesn't compare to Wenlock Books it was still a nice environment as you were able to browse and have a piece of cake and lemonade at the cafe at the same time - brilliant really. Eventually we left the shop to go and get some lunch - I have to say that I had one of the best lunches ever, a huge pitta bread filled to bursting with humous, falafal and salad, it was delicious. Even though it was still raining we decided to go for a work, which was really nice

Mumbai day 1 - 3/10/09

2009-10-07T08:21:00.000-07:00

We found the train easily enough but finding the right carriage was a bit of a problem as for some unknown reason D1 wasn't inbetween D2 and C4 but all the way before C1, some unknown logic I'm sure. The train ride went smoothly I just sat and read my book most of the way, which was nice as I don't have many opportunities to do that at Sangam. As soon as we got to Mumbai we hopped into a cab (there aren't any rickshaws allowed in the centre of the city) and went to our hostel to drop off our bags. Poor Katsuko looked rather shocked at our room, she'd never stayed in a hostel before and I expect she is use to staying in hotels but she didn't complain and was amazed by the cost - 279R which is about 3 pounds 70 (which is cheap for Mumabi but expensive in relation to the rest of India). We went straight to the Gateway to India as we wanted to catch a boat to Elephanta Island. We found out that the ferries stop running if it starts to rain and as it looked like it was going to tip it down we decided not to risk getting stranded, so we headed to a restaurant for a bit to eat and a rethink. Me, Sara and Linnea decided to go to an art gallery whilst Kylie, Katsuko, Jane and Arielle went to the Prince of Wales museum. The art gallery was fabulous with a great range of pieces from paintings to sculptures all of which were very different as there were several artists in the exhibition. I have to admit there a few pieces I really wanted to buy but 1. I wasn't sure how I would get them home 2. I'd budgeted myself and left my debit card at Sangam so I wasn't tempted :( All the artists whose work was in the exhibition were actually there when we were looking around and some of them explained the ideas behind the painting which was really interesting. 1 of the artists took us to meet everyone as he wanted to introduce us to everyone :S it was really nice as they were all thrilled that we had spent so long looking at their work (it was a small exhibition but we had spent over an hour looking around) and they encouraged us to go Kolkata as that's where they are all from. For the rest of the day we browsed the bazaars and strolled around Colaba - we were asked a few times if we wanted to be an extra in a Bollywood movie which would have been rather amusing but it meant being out till 6am and we wanted to be on form for tomorrow. The rain that we were expecting came down with force in the evening, there were huge thunder storms which felt like they were right above us :S

Gandhi's Birthday 2/10/09

2009-10-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

As the creche wasn't open me and Katsuko went to visit Door Step in the morning, this site on which Linnea and Sara work. Door step is another CVP project that offers after school help to children and has a school on wheels for street children. The children seemed more calm than our lot, it may have been because there was fewer off them but we were able to do puzzles and play games without any snatching or screaming (which is usually the case at our site) We also sang songs and did some dot to dot colouring in. When me and Katsuko went to catch a rickshaw home we found that Atool's dad, who had driven us in morning, had been waiting for us, which was really nice as he didn't even want any extra money but Katsuko was rather insistent :) Didn't do much for the rest of the evening just packed for MUMBAI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1/10/09

2009-10-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

As it's Gandhi's Birthday tomorrow there is a national holiday (which means that mobile creche is closed) we decided to have a fun day as a bit of a celebration. In the morning we made friendship bracelets. There was a bit of a frenzy actually making the bracelets as all the children wanted string at the same time which was rather intense but at least I new they were interested in the activity :) The children had a big lunch today as the same people who gave food to Katsuko's site brought a meal to ours. I think its a fantastic act of charity as the children get a decent meal with the chance to have 2nds, 3rds and some even have a 4th helping. I find the work mobile creche does so inspiring as it provides a haven for the children, supplying them with 3 meals a day and the opportunity of informal education which can help the in later life - it's fantastic. In the afternoon we made paper hats which turned out to be even frantic and crazier than making friendship bracelets - one thing I didn't think was actually possible. Eventually the children calmed down - after all 50 of them had a hat and some even fell asleep ahhhhhhhhhhh All the excitement rather took it out of them.

30/09/09

2009-10-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

We had a Hindi lesson as usual and learned how to say times and practiced our rickshaw ride conversation which was fun. After our lesson we had to quickly catch a rickshaw to the polytechnic at the Muslim girls orphanage, where we were going to take part in a craft workshop. Kylie, Katsuko and Linnea decided to do tie dying whilst I did candle making (Sara wasn't feeling to well so she stayed at Sangam - unfortunately it the bug is still going around, I just hope I don't get it) Candle making was a bit lame as all I, well actually all the teacher did was pour melted wax into molds whilst I watch not brilliant really. Really random molds as well - a pineapple and a clown. However, she did show me how to make was flowers which were beautiful and relatively easy to make when you get the trick to making the petals. As candle making didn't take very long I was also able to do some tie dying which I always enjoy. On the whole the day was really enjoyable and relaxing, even though it was slightly tedious having to take undo all the knots after tie dying - I had used really small beads and lots of them = it took a very long time to undo them all but the end product made it all worth while. I had my first experience of an Indian train station in the afternoon - we went to buy tickets for a trip to Mumbai this weekend!!! Even though we had to queue for a while it wasn't so bad apart from when you wanted to went to the rickshaw stand. A mass of 20 or so men came up to use all saying 'My rickshaw Madam, mine' slightly overwhelming but we quickly got away when a guy from the crowd said Sangam = more likely to get home. It was a rather amusing ride home as by some amazing coincidence we drove past the drivers brother, who was on his motorcycle driving along next to us - freaky or what. I decided to stay in and have a relaxing evening rather than go out with some of the others, I felt rather drained of energy and just wanted to watch a film - turned out to be a really nice evening spent with Priyanka, who practiced Mehendi on me :)

29/09/09

2009-09-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

Nothing had changed in the creche apart from the glue (flour and water) we used to stick the newspaper up with had started to go moldy :/ We decided that we would do maths in the morning as we want the children to have an opportunity to learn, for we are well aware that some will never have the chance to attend school. This makes teaching rather difficult as the groups have such a range of abilities some have just about grasped 1-10, others can add and subtract and some can do division and multiplication, and we are supposed to teach all abilities at the same time. So the morning was a bit none stop as there were several different activates going on at once. I knew that one of the older boys who attends school loves division so I had prepared some worksheets for him which he wizzed through, getting every single one correct. I gave the others who attend school adding and subtracting problems which actually meant there was silence from a few children - amazing I know. I am extremely impressed with their ability as they not only have to be good at maths but also be able to know the English numerals as well as the Marathi. There are a couple of really intelligent kids who can really excel if they are given the right opportunities. Things started to get more cramped as the day went on as we had to move further and further down the room, as the builders decided to cement the floor whilst the creche was going on. This meant all the kids in a space about 1/4 of the usual size but we manged. On the whole it was a thoroughly enjoyable day, especially as we plan to go to Mumbai at the weekend which will be great fun!!!

Dussehra - 28/09/09

2009-09-29T08:03:00.001-07:00

As it was a national holiday because of Dussehra the creche was closed. We went to pay our respects to the Goddess Durga and were blessed whilst we were there, out of the group I waS the only one who was given a flower which was slightly awkward but never mind. Its the blond hair blue eye combo that does it, unfortunately I can' t escape that :( Gwen and Jill left in the afternoon which meant more tears and a subdued evening. It feels rather empty without them here, they had such a large presence at Sangam its seems that there is something missing. It also means the top corridor is even more empty than normal with just us CVPs, Priyanka and Katey up there but soon the new PVs will move in and we will get use to our new family. Me and Kylie decided to paint some more pictures for our creche, can't wait to get back there tomorrow and see if anything has changed.

27/09/09

2009-09-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

Manisha left this morning so everyone was rather down, not a brilliant way to start the day but it had to happen sometime :( I'm going to miss the Monsoon Volunteers they were here when I arrived and were so friendly and welcoming I felt at home straight away. We quickly poped to MG road to collect our tailoring and some how managed to back in time for lunch, which was rather amazing as we left MG road with less than 10mins till lunch. In the afternoon Pooja was performed on iteams around Sangam which provide people with their income such as the till in the shop, gardening tools and computers as it is part of the Dussehra festivities. Usually this occurs tomorrow but as it is a national holiday the Pooja was brought forward. After the ceremony you are given prasad and a leaf which symbolises gold for the coming year. We went out to Hard Rock in the evening for Gwen and Jill's last night with us :( It was a lovely evening but we all knew what was to come tomorrow which made me feel slightly down.

26/09/09

2009-09-29T07:17:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 16TH BIRTHDAY NAOMI!!!!!!!

Didn't do much today, went to a little market place over the river from Sangam. The stalls were rather disappointing, but at least I know that I much prefer the Laxmi road area for future shopping trips.

25/09/09

2009-09-28T05:17:00.000-07:00

This morning I worked with the younger children, I started off with the alphabet and i was really pleased when they actually started to get the hang of it. I then started to teach maths - although I've learned the Mahrahti numbers, it was still rather difficult as many of the children are from different provinces other than Maharashtra and the teacher expected me to know the numerals, which was rather awkward. I tried my best and they seemed to understand and enjoy themselves so it turned out ok. In the afternoon I started decorating again but this time I had to go up a ladder, I didn't mind that even though it was rather high and I was actually on the the top step :S However, when I lent over and touched the light fitting for a little extra support I got an electric shock. I didn't think much of it so carried on but it felt like the current was still running through my body as I attempted to put up another piece of newspaper. Then when I put a piece up above the light fitting I got an even bigger shock, that's when I realised the whole wall must have a current running through it so i got down rather sharpish.

As the monsoon volunteers (Manisha, Gwen and Jill) are leaving soon we went out to celebrate. We went to watch the film Up in 3D which was rather fun. I'd never seen a 3D movie before and I really enjoyed but it's always quite amusing watching a kids film :) We then went on to High Spirits, on arrival we found out there was a live band, although the band were rather awful the atmosphere was great and we were able to dance so no harm done.

24/09/09

2009-09-28T04:35:00.000-07:00

Arielle (1 of the winter programme volunteers) came with me and Kylie to see what we get up to at mobile creche. As we have a new area, we decided to make bright animals out of old toilet rolls which we can hang from the ceiling or around the room. Though it all went a bit crazy with everyone rushing about trying to find things to create their creature the children seemed to really enjoy themselves. The computer bus was also visiting our site for the day so the older ones quickly made their animals and rushed off to play on the computers. In the afternoon I ended up decorating the walls with newspaper so that they are ready for pictures. We walked back to Sangam via the shops so that i could find some dark chocolate to make a cake. For dinner we were all making something and it ended up we had loads of food but it all tasted great :) It was great fun actually all off us rushing around the kitchen trying to cook at the same time. To finish off the evening we had a campfire with the local guides which was really nice.

23/09/09

2009-09-28T04:09:00.000-07:00

Both the programme and the community volunteers went on a day trip to visit some of Sangam's partner organisations.1st stop was Ishwari an institute set up to proved women with the opportunity to learn new skills such as cooking, craft and housekeeping. All of which will help in later life. There are also causes for men such as IT and mechanics. Its a brilliant foundation as it enables those who have fewer opportunities to learn new skills. They also make the best ginger biscuits I have ever tasted, we somehow managed to arrive right after a batch had come out of the oven so ate them warm...delicious. We then visited Anand Gram an institution which was started in 1964 by Dr. Indutai Patwardhan to reach out to the victims of leprosy. As leprosy declines the site has started to focus on the needs of the children. There is a large school which children who live in Anand Gram attend along with children from the surrounding area. Anand Gram not only has a school but also housing, cooking and dinning facilities for all the residents, a lounge and a large area of land used for farming. Its a fantastic institution and has made a real difference to those who have been affected by leprosy, both suffers and those stigmatized unfairly for having a family member with the disease. We went to Darshi's for dinner and had another chapatti rolling lesson, she taught use a different technique and I amazed myself by making a round chapatti. It may appear easy to do but its much more difficult than it looks.

22/09/09

2009-09-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

OUR SITE WAS BACK OPEN TODAY YAY!!!!!!!! We walked straight passed it at 1st and one of the boys from the creche came running over to show us the way over. The space is so much better than the last site - even though there are no windows and holes but at least the door frame was fixed by the end of the day. We weren't sure what to expert so we hadn't really planned anything, so I felt at a bit of a loose end. We ended up doing colouring and singing songs which was fun. The hokey cokey went down a real treat :) In the evening we went to little get together at Eszter's house which was really nice.

21/09/09

2009-09-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

Everyone's site was closed apart from Katsuko's so we all ended up going 2 there today. As 5 would be 2 many for the creche we went in stints the Sweds in the morning and me and Kylie in the afternoon. We took bubbles which went down a treat and ended up playing games for the majority of the afternoon. One game was a bit like duck, duck, goose but instead of saying goose the person drops a handkerchief behind the selected person. 1 of the older boys kept on choosing me which was rather amusing as he kept on teasing me in the process :) Kylie decided that he was my new boyfriend which was hilarious. In evening we went over the road to Phule Nagar, near Grishma's house and took part in stick dancing with the locals, which was nice.

20/09/09

2009-09-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

We went to MG road this afternoon. We caught the same bus number as yesterday but it turned out it wasn't the same route so we ended up having 2 quickly jump off the bus, which was rather amusing. When me and Kylie were walking towards Landmark a guy was walking up the street towards us butt naked :S which was something I wasn't expecting as MG rd is a Westernised area. We caught the bus back to Sangam, when we got off the ladies from the kitchen were waiting to cross the road and looked rather suprised when we climbed - was rather funny.

19/09/09

2009-09-27T04:36:00.000-07:00

We got up at 5.30am this morning so that we could get to the Lion Fort before it got to hot. We had to catch 2 buses to get there. Thankfully people were really helpful so we managed to get the right buses - it was really amusing at the station, we were searching for the right bus and so we asked a conductor (who had just been shouting at bus which was pulling away) it turned out it was the bus that was pulling away so we had to run and to catch it. The bus admittedly slowed down but the crowd still cheered when we managed to hop on :) It was a nice bus drive, it was really foggy and made it feel like we were in a movie. Though the walk up to the Lion Fort was challenging at times - was more like rock climbing than hiking, it was worth it. The view was amazing and I felt a great sense of achievement when I got to the top. There was a great view from the top and on the way down we made some friends :)

18/09/09

2009-09-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

This morning we played Marathi bingo which was great as I got to practice my Marathi and teach them maths at the same time. In the afternoon we blew up some balloons and the children went crazy. We had planned to play some games with the balloons but it was impossible so we just let the kids run around chasing them instead :) For the rest of the day we just ended up playing games which was fun. After tea we went out to High Spirits a bar in Koregaon Park, on arrival we realised there was a themed night - Rock band. Thankfully we were allowed in, we even got wristbands and necklaces. They even had a stage where you could pose for pictures with a drum kit, guitar, base and mike like a real rock band :) It was a fab night out even though people looked at us a bit strange when we started dancing but eventually other people joined in so it was all good in the end.

17/09/09

2009-09-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

Me and Kylie went to Katsuko's site, ours still isn't open :( We caught an awesome rickshaw this morning it had been pimped up with new shiny seats and diamante studs, which was rather cool. It even turned out that the driver is the dad of a guy who works at Sangam. We were going to teach them head, knees and toes but we found that they already knew it!!! We also did some craft activities around the theme of soil. In the afternoon we played some ball games, the one when you pass the ball over your head and between your legs went down a real treat.

16/09/09

2009-09-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

This morning we started to learn some of the colours in Hindi and objects and fruits which match the appropriate colours. After our Hindi lesson it was time for PUNE CHALLENGE!!! This consisted of being given 3 destinations and having to visit each without looking at the exact address of the sit. I was In a group with Linnea and Jane which was great fun. 1st stop was the handmade paper factory, unfortunately the factory wasn't operational but we were still aloud to have a look around and we saw some of the paper drying, which was beautiful. 2nd we visited the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar museum and memorial, which was interesting apparently he liked to play the violin and was 16 years old when he married his 9 year old bride :S Last we visited a small Ganesh temple which was nestled in a small side street off the main road. Some how we managed to have rickshaw drivers who knew exactly were we wanted to go, I don't think we would have been able to find them if they hadn't. The paper factory was unidentifiable until you were actually inside, the sign for the museum is easily missed and I don't know how the driver managed to find the temple through the maze of streets. We met up in the Empress Botanical Gardens for lunch which was really nice, the amount of couples was a bit of a surprise as basically every bench was taken by them. On the way home we saw the elephant again, walking through the traffic without a care in the world.

15/09/09

2009-09-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

The creche was closed again today so I went with Katsuko to her site. Kylie was feeling ill so she stayed at Sangam, unfortunately there is a bug going around and I have a bad feeling I might be coming down with it. I felt at a bit of a loose end in the morning, not sure what I should but in the afternoon I settled into it and went over the alphabet with some of the children and helped Katsuko with her craft activity. After dinner we went out for ice-cream and met Emma's boyfriend. Emma is another new PV.

14/09/09

2009-09-17T07:20:00.000-07:00

As planned me and Kylie made huge paintings pf everything from a Kiwi (the bird not the fruit) to a flower we even painted a helicopter. I found it all rather therapeutic actually and really relaxed into it. After a while we had a breakand went for a walk down the road to show Jane and Arielle (the new PVs) around. Jane somehow managed to find a stash of diet coke in the supermarket - it's really hard to come by around here and I find that its the simple things (such as diet coke) that can cheer you up - not that I've actually felt down more of just needed a little pick me up after a long day. After lunch we got back to painting and the weather got back into monsoon season with bucket fulls of rain coming down. In the evening I made a little something for the CVPs aka The Mighty Ducks.

13/09/09

2009-09-17T07:11:00.000-07:00

Mine and Kylie's supreme planning skills were put in to action and we managed to plan what we are going to do at Mobile creche for the rest of the month!!! In the afternoon we sat down and organised what we were going to do with our free time, such as what we would like to visit etc. We may be able to go down to Goa for a few days during Dwali which will be great!!! On the whole it looks like we have a jam packed schedule with going to stay in Mumbai, Goa and Mahabaleshwar and wanting to visit sites within Pune. Nothing else really happened apart from it started to rain, it not been raining as much as I had been expecting so when ever it does it's always a bit of a surprise. The creche is closed tomorrow so me and Kylie are going to stay at Sangam and make posters which can decorate the walls of our new building :)

12/09/09

2009-09-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

Me, Kylie, Linnea and Sara went to Koregaon Park for lunch today - slightly uncomfortable as a random guy started to talking to me and I couldn't escape :S There were loads of people from Osho clearly identifiable in their maroon robes. After lunch we set off to walk down Koregaon Park, 1st passing a camel and then an elephant. There was an array of jewelery shops and all of us managed to find something we loved. We also managed to find the cake shop Eszter kept on raving about, lane 8 not being after lane 7 but behind all of the lanes - which obviously makes complete sense. As we walked along lane 8 and into a quieter part of Koregaon Park it was clear that we had stumbled upon posh part of town - all the houses/villas being closed off by huge fences surrounding the perimater and BMWs driving past every so often. We also went to investigate were Osho is situated - we wanted to have a look around the gardens as apparently they are amazing but Sara was lagging so we went to Mocca for some drinks, they have the best Lemonades I have ever tasted!!!! I can tell that going to Mocca for a lemonade may have to become a regular occurrence. Whilst we were in Mocca the rain really started to come down and even caused the lights to keep turning on and off, it felt as if we were in a disco. We met up with Gwen, Jill, Manisha, Jane, Grishma and Grishma's boyfriend at Adlabs to watch the Ugly Truth (a film). We were expecting a chic flick but were rather surprised by the films content but thoroughly enjoyed it all the same.

11/09/09

2009-09-11T23:30:00.000-07:00

Lesson plan for today - English. We started off with the alphabet to get a grasp of everyone's ability, and then we started the older ones off with simple words. We got the 2 boys who go to school to draw a picture next to the words and found that they generally drew the correct picture which was brilliant. I also did some maths with them as they asked me to, one of the boys even got me to do some division just to check whether I was any good :) After lunch we ended up waiting around for ages as the creche didn't re-open as apparently we are actually moving TODAY!!! Speedy or what? We tried to help pack up but it was evident that they had a system and we were getting in the way so we ended up sitting around for a few hours doing nothing, which was rather tedious. Only benefit was we did get to go home early which meant we had loads of time to get ready for the Maharastrian dinner. For which I borrowed one of Kylie's saris just to see i might buy one - which i probably will now :) After dinner we had a campfire around the pool, managing to float some candles on top of the water - 2 of the trays the candles were on sank which was rather amusing as it meant that after the campfire me and Kylie had to rush and get our togs on so that we could go and get the trays and the candles out of the pool.

10/09/09

2009-09-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

This morning on our work to the creche the traffic seemed more aggressive than usual, 1st an army truck tried to reverse over me and Kylie and then a bus actually changed course directly towards us which was to say the least rather scary!!! In the morning we worked with the older children drawing things which grow in the ground, we then got them to paint a huge tree using 3 A3 sheets of paper. In the afternoon we got the younger ones to paint leaves which we are going to stick onto our tree. Their faces lit up when they saw that they were going to be able to paint, it's difficult knowing that all the little things we take for granted can bring so much joy to those who have so little. I concluded that I must provide the children with as many fun and memorable experiences as possibly. Today we were told the creche is going to move buildings soon and the preparations have already started. On many occasions we had to close the door of the creche 1. because of the started demolishing the building right next to use which meant there was LOADS of dust 2. They started to either solder or cut a metal bar, I didn't get to close because there were loads of sparks flying everywhere. The worrying thing was that the children were rather eager to go and investigate what was going on :S Also every so often you could see the footprints of the guys walking on the tin roof, I was just waiting to see a pair of legs dangling from the ceiling, thankfully it never happened. We had dinner out with the participants and I sat next to the new Programme Volunteer, Jane, who has only just arrived - it was great to start to get to know her.

Cooking lesson!!!!

2009-09-11T22:03:00.000-07:00

Well as usual we had a Hindi lesson - I'm really enjoying learning a new language and can't wait to put it into practice, which is sometimes difficult as I keep on forgetting what to say :S We went to Laxmi road and Phule market in the afternoon, which was fun even though it took us a while to find one and other after our rickshaws took us in different directions. After some searching we managed to find bangle alley, which meant i could finally get some glass bangle :) We also went to the fruit market and I brought some pomegranates (6 for less than a pound - I'm still shocked about the cost of things here, however, you have to be wary as some traders do try to rip you off as your not a local), fresh fruit ad veg is the one thing I am really missing at my stay at Sangam so I was thrilled with my purchase. For dinner we went to Kirti's, who is our; yoga, embroidery and now cooking teacher. The dinner was also a cooking lesson, we learned how to roll a chapatti, how to make chai and a several other things. It was really nice to have dinner out in an environment other than Sangam or a restaurant. We had dinner with Kirti, her sister and her brother they were all very welcoming and it was great to have a different group of people to talk to. They also suggested loads of places we might want to visit which was brilliant and made us think that we better start planing.

08/09/09

2009-09-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

This morning we took part in in the event, as Mina thought it would be good for us. The first part of the morning went rather slowly - I was in need of a good nights sleep which for some reason was evading me. After having some lime cordial I perked up and found the next part of the morning extremely interesting. First Sean (Donna's husband) gave a talk on migration patterns from central America, through Mexico, with the final destination being the States and the guest houses the migrants can stay in along the way. He showed us a film which his friend had made and you can find it on her myspace by searching Marcela Moran. There was then a talk from the CEO of mobile creche which gave us an insight into the lifestyles of the children I'm looking after and their families. Apparently some of the workers are purely there to pay off debt and may not even be given a wage for their work.

In the afternoon we went to mobile creche for a few hours and did some maths work with the children. Despite the language barrier (which does make things difficult sometimes) I'm really enjoying the work. We had a nice relaxing evening - just watched a film and chilled out in the lounge.

7/9/09

2009-09-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

Me and Kylie decided to walk to mobile creche this morning, stopping to buy guava from a stall on the road on our way. We had prepared some colouring in with the theme of soil (which is the creche's theme of the month) which the children did in the morning. In the afternoon we went to the mobile creche office. To get there we caught the bus (another new experience), which we had to quickly jump on before it sped away. I have to give it to the bus driver as he managed to squeeze into a space between to cows which i didn't think possible. When we got to the office we somehow got roped into a staff meeting - which was all in Marathi, despite this we could easily tell that the teachers where being told off for some reason or another, which made me feel rather uncomfortable. The worst part was that we couldn't escape as we felt 1. That it would be rude and 2. The route to the door was blocked with people. Eventually after nearly 2 hours I pretended to go to the toilet so we could make our escape. I felt completely drained after the meeting and had to have some sugar to perk myself up again. In the evening it was the international night for the event which is currently going on - we decided that we would go and investigate what was going on. There were lots of performances, from Indian dance to the story of the princess and the pea. It was great fun and I somehow managed to be given loads of swaps even though I had little to give.

Sara's 20th

2009-09-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

04/09/09

Today me, Kylie and Katsuko spent the whole day at Katsuko's mobile creche site. The site was probably double the size of the last one and had fewer children to look after. It also seemed to have more equipment that my site. Also the teachers seemed to enjoy being there more than the other sites staff. However, I can't make assumptions it may have been because these staff were more confident English speakers and we didn't spend a whole day on the last site so i'll just have to wait and see. I really enjoyed being on the site and helping out - I just can't wait till Monday when we start properly. At first I think Katsuko was a bit disappointed with the site as there are fewer babies but the teacher were very welcoming and she soon settled in. Whilst we were there the computer bus which has been donated to mobile creche arrived. It's a brilliant idea, basically a bus filled with computers visits the different sites on appointed days, enabling the children to learn how to use a computer and play educational games on the PC. Friday at mobile creche means English lessons, so we helped teach the alphabet. One little girl sat next me for the duration of the lesson, to help her know how the letters are formed I wrote out some letters so that she could draw of them. It was wonderful seeing how happy she was when she got it right. By the end of the day she was calling me Didi, meaning big sister, which I rather enjoyed being called. We stayed at the creche a little longer than expected so that we could watch the children parade the Ganesh (they had made) around the housing area and then watch the immersion of the statue. It was fun taking part in the festivities and to see the children enjoying themselves. As there wasn't a river nearby they immersed the Ganesh into a bucket which was.....different, but the children thought it was great so that's what counts :) The pics are of the precession, the movable shrine the children made (the chair at the top) and the immersion of Ganesh. When we got back me and Kylie secretly decorated the lounge for Sara's Birthday, so that after dinner we could surprise her. Just for the added effect we sat in the dark waiting for her to come looking for us :P rather amusing as we weren't sure whether Sara would be the first one to come in and find us. If she wasn't it would have been rather amusing 3 of us sitting there in the dark with party hats on, luckily that wasn't the case. She seemed thrilled we she found her surprise (we had alreay given her a present - a dot to dot colouring in book, very befitting for a 20th Birthday :) and some chocolate) especially the butterfly me and Kylie had managed to create out of balloons. We then settled down to watch Bollywood movies and eat popcorn - brilliant fun!!!

03/09/09

2009-09-05T03:12:00.000-07:00

This morning Katey's boyfriend Sid came over and brought 3 cakes to celebrate Sara's birthday which is tomorrow and Sayali starting college both of which is tomorrow. We went out for lunch at a place in Koregoan park - the food was great apart from the diaspointing side salad which should really be called a micro salad. It started to ran after lunch so me and Kylie jumped in a rickshaw to MG road to check out the international supermarket (the only place you can find diet coke) and to get party bits for Sara's Birthday celebrations. As it was the last day of the Ganesh festival we were going to meet up with a local family, the tiver, to immerse their Ganesh, only problem was the horrendous traffic. It appeared everyone else was out doing the same thing but eventually we got to the river even before the others had arrived. The crowds were large than the last time we were down, there were even arm men acting as crowd control. It appeared that me and Kylie had loads of time to spare so we decided to walk towards Sangam and meet up with the others along the way. On the way a guy ranted on about why weren't we waring masks to protect against swine flu and Kylie politely replied because it's a proven fact that they don't do anything to protect you - I don't think he really new what to say about that but kept on blathering on anyway. It was rather amusing really. We managed to meet up with the others and paraded the Ganesh shrine to the river, where a very quick ceremony was performed, before the Ganesh was immersed. There were less people around when we arrived for the second time that day, the crowd had lined and the army people dispersed. This meant that we didn't have a recurrence of the previous evening and get overloaded with prasad but got just the right amount. I do love all the food here - probably a bit to much :)

1st day

2009-09-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

2/09/09

Me, Kylie and Katsuko visited the site where me and Kylie will be working at today. The creche is actually on the building site and is about 10m away from the building work in the picture. The creche is a single room building which has a partition at one end forming a small kitchen area. Along one of the walls there are small hammocks in which the babies are put in for naps. The creche looks after a varied number of children each day but there was about 60 there yesterday. Ages vary from less than a year old to about 10 years old. In the morning the girls are at school and in the afternoon the boys go to school, this also means the creche's numbers vary from morning to afternoon. The children are usually split into different groups and sit in different areas of the room depending on their age. We didn't do any work yesterday, just had a look around and observed what usually happens. Many of the children can't speak Hindi so it's going to be challenging but they are eager to learn had have fun so I know the experience will enjoyable. I loved finally going to the sit as it felt like my journey had really begun. I realised early on that when looking after the babies I need to constantly be on my guard as they don't wear nappies - the baby Katsuko was holding had a little accident though :S Some of the younger children weren't sure what to make of us at first with our pale skin being unfamiliar and foreign but they slowly got use to us and then became interested in the new people :) I managed to start a craze with some of the older kids, as once I drew around one of the boys hands everyone started to draw a hand, which was nice. One girl even drew Mahindi on hers. When I moved to be with the younger children some of the older ones followed me with their chalk and boards so that they could have my attention for a little bit longer, they seemed eager to befriend the new person :) When I was with the youngest children one girl seemed to become fascinated with my finger nails and their length and once she started examining my hands all of the others wanted to as well, which was rather amusing as my arms were pulled in all directions. Whilst we were there the younger children were weighed to check they were healthy. All of the children were also given lunch which was brilliant as I'm not sure how much food they get at home. For the babies their mum's popped in on their lunch break (they worked on the building site) to feed them - only thing was the crying started when the mum went to leave but it quickly stops when another child comes over to entertain them. One little girl was so tired that she kept on nodding off whilst she was sitting up, and then was jolted awake when she nearly toppled over - sweet really, so determined not to go to sleep but eventually she had to give in and go and lie down.

When we got back we found that our uniforms had arrived!!! I have to admit that we do kind of look like nurses but it feels nice to have a uniform. I also went and topped up my mobile, which was a bit of a challenge, but a nice customer in the shop helped us. He also guessed me and Linnea were from Sangam because apparently you only find foreigners in 2 places - Sangam or at Osho, the ashram.

People

2009-09-02T08:16:00.000-07:00

I've just thought that you may wish to put a face to the names in my blog so here are some pics;

Sara - Sweden (at the Maharastrian dinner)

Linnea - Sweden (she was given an English flag on the international night)

Kylie - New Zeland

Katsuko - Japan

2009-09-02T08:15:00.001-07:00

After lunch all the participants, apart from the 2 Scots left - quiet at last, the joy of being in a more peaceful environment. It felt slightly empty at dinner with only 15 people dinning - compared to the 60 that where here during the event. In the evening we went out to The Hard Rock Cafe for a few drinks and a 2nd pudding :) It was great fun and half way through the evening the staff (waiters, people from the kitchen and even the chef) got up onto a platform between the tables and danced to the YMCA - twice. It was pure comedy!!!

2009-09-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

30/08/09

Today we were set the challenge of collecting the items required for ceremonies using prasad; a coconut, some Kum Kum powder, incense and a sweet. In the afternoon we were taught the art of Rangoli and we were also given Mehendi in preparation for the evening meal. That evening we had a Maharastrian dinner for which
everyone wore their new saris or Punjabi suits, sat on the floor next to their Rangoli art and ate their meal from a plate made of leaves. It was great fun and the atmosphere during dinner was fantastic as you could tell everyone was really enjoying themselves. The evening ended on a high with everyone being taught a stick dance by the local guides and then the guide performing a more advanced piece for us.

2009-09-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

29/08/09

My favorite part of today was going down to the river and watching part of the Ganesh festival. Families 1st paraded their Ganesh shrine to the river and then performed a final ceremony before submerging their statue of Ganesh into the river. Whilst we were there a family invited to take part in the final blessing of Ganesh. Everyone was extremely friendly and I loved being part of the festivities. The atmosphere was amazing, all the crowds converging at the river creating a hive of activity. I was given so much prasad I felt like I had a 2nd meal.

2009-09-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

28/08/09

We didn't do much this morning and I some how managed to fall asleep between yoga and breakfast. I have noticed that I have become more tired during the last couple of days, even though I haven't been doing much. We performed our play today as well and were applauded for our human pyramid :) After tea we had a Bollywood dance class which was great fun - even if I wasn't that good but me and Kylie stayed at the back so it was all good. Apart from Gwen recording us - cringe.

2009-09-01T03:09:00.000-07:00

27/08/09
We were set the task of creating a play about the festival Dahi Handi - a festival which celebrates Krishna and how he liked to steal Makhan (curd) with his troops the Makhan Chor. People usher in the festival by enacting the role of the Makhan Chor by creating human pyramids to enable them to smash as many Dahi Handi pots as possible. It was great fun and we just have to sort a few things out before we perform then tommorrow. After lunch my Punjabi suit arrived WOOOOP!!!! I love the trouser there fab. All the participants went to watch a Bollywood movie in the afternoon. There was a slight twist as the whole movie was in Hindi and there were no subtitles - which made it interesting, well rather amusing, as I was somehow able to understand what was going on.

Catch up

2009-08-30T02:18:00.000-07:00

People at Sangam

Community Volunteers - people doing the similar volunteer work as me
Sara - Sweden
Linnea - Sweden
Kylie - New Zealand
Katsuko - Japan

20/08/09

Nothing much happened today we took part in an international conference about climate change which was interesting and rather amusing attempting to watch the conference with the power and internet connection permitting. In the evening I got my A level results. We also had a meeting about work and so on. It turns out that I will be taking part in a 10 day event and then I will start work, which will be nice. Everything is a bit up in the air because of swine flu.

21/08/09

People started arriving for the event today, I have to admit I preferred having fewer people around. Katsuko showed us how to make turtles out of cord and 5 yen which was fun. We went for a walk around the neighborhood in the afternoon and visited the Hindu temple. I really enjoyed being outside of Sangam and seeing a bit of the neighborhood and Indian culture.

22/08/09

I got my 1st rickshaw ride today - LOVED it. Even though there is the feeling you may crash into vehicle in front of you. Me and the rest of the community volunteers went shopping on MG road, which is the western side of town. However, the poverty was still present, it seems to be inescapable unfortunately. Whilst walking along the street, one lady tried to sell me her baby. What to think? Disgust, pity, sorrow. However, it's worse when it's a child asking for money for food. You have such a feeling of helplessness, for you know even if you give them something that only gives them something for that day, what about the rest of their life and will the money if go to getting them food.

When we got back to Sangam all the participants had arrived so we played a few getting to know everyone games. Then we went for another walk around the middle class area and went to Tarabai's (a women who had worked at Sangam for 20 years) house and she gave us prasad. That evening all the participants took part in the welcoming ceremony - in which kum kum was placed on our foreheads and we were given garlands and prasad.

23/08/09

Best part of today was the international night in which each group performed something to do with their culture. Sara and Linnea performed a dance which takes place at Mid-summer festivities, Katsuko sang the Japanese national anthem and a group from the UK did a little medley of things from the Queen having tea to the spice girls. After which we could swap items we brought from our countries and I got a cuddly haggus and some fudge from the 2 Scots in the group.

24/08/09

I woke up bright and early for yoga this morning, which was a great way to start the day. We learned about Hindu Gods and Goddesses which was really interesting. We were supposed to go out for another walk in the afternoon but the monsoon weather would not permit it, instead giving us an amazing thunder and lightning storm and rain that just didn't want to stop. This also prevented us having our campfire outside, so we had it inside instead but minus the fire and a lot more singing.

25/08/09

We went to Laxmi road today, which is the main market area in Pune. The roads were packed with people and some were even closed off because of the Ganesh festival is in full swing. On many of the streets there are temporary shrines to Ganesh and lots of people selling coconut on the side of the street to give as offerings. Whilst out we were out we went through the fruit and veg market which was as full with colour as the sari shop we visited. When in Laxmi road we were made to cover our mouths and noses encase we had swine flu, and if we didn't the police threatened to take our passports of us, which i thought was a bit out of outrageous really. When in the sari shop I brought some material for a Punjabi suit and when we got back the tailor came an took my measurement, which means i'll have my 1st Punjabi suit in a couple of days!!!! We also went out for cake as it was Katsuko's Birthday - the cafe took a bit of finding especially as the rickshaw driver wanted to take us to Osho (an ashram whose yoga and meditation is sexually orientated - so we didn't want to go there). At dinner we sang Happy Birthday to Katsuko and she got another cake!!!!

26/8/09

Today we went to Aga Khan Palace, the site where Gandhi was in imprisoned. The architecture was amazing and the palace had beautiful surrounding gardens. After an interesting rickshaw drive back to Sangam (the driver didn't have a clue where he was going luckily me and Kylie realised he was going in the wrong direction) we had our 1st Hindi lesson in which I learned how to say my hello my name is Mollie - Namaste, mera nam Mollie hai. In the afternoon there were craft activates, for which I did Indian embroidery and learned many new stitches including how to secure a mirror onto material - not that I was actually very good at that part but i really enjoyed it :-)

Arrival -18/08/09

2009-08-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

I've just set this up so I thought I would go over everything that has happened so far.

Well the flight here went smoothly, I had the usual entertainment with the added option of Bollywood films. Looking out of the window when we were just about to land I could see a landscape that was awash with colour and crammed full with people. The blocks of flats and high-rise buildings, which usually stand alone in a city, had slums crammed in between them, which gave me an insight into the business to expect below.

On arrival at Mumbai airport I was greated by staff with masks covering their mouth and nose and a man holding a heat detector . Why? Because of swine flu. I was even question and had to fill in a form as to whether or not I had a temperature or a cough etc. (at which time I had a slight cold but nothing on the level to indicate anything serious, so I made sure not to cough whilst talking to the staff ).

The ride to Pune was interesting, as soon as I left the airport I was greeted by such a mixture of aromas that it's difficult to describe. People had mentioned all the smells which would greet me on my arrival and I found that it was wonderful. So different from the culture I'd left behind, something new, and interesting and one I was eager to explore. It didn't take long to get a test of the culture, as we drove towards Pune I saw the business of the city turn into beautiful mountains. Both views where amazing, there was so much going on in the city I didn't know were to look, from the shops to the slums it was all so new. It was difficult seeing the poverty 1st hand, people living on the pavement with just a few sheets (attached to the wall behind) to protect, children sitting by the traffic light, looking after younger sibling, so that when the lights turned red they could ask for money from the passengers of cars and rickshaws.

Driving habits are ...well lets say different. For one everyone is rather horn happy and they use every opportunity to have a blast, just to remind you that they are there and coming up behind you. So move out the way!!! Also though there are lines on the ground no one pays attention to them, you just fit in where you can.

On arrival at Sangam, Pune, I felt immediately at home. After a little rest and refresh I got to know my companions for the next 3 months. I am sharing my room with one of the Swedish girls, Sara, who is great and I feel at complete ease around her. All I can say is that everyone is lovely and I know that I am going to extremely enjoy my time here at Sangam. To top things of the evening started with a beautiful monsoon sunset.

For dinner I not only had cake (which managed to travel all the way from the UK in my suitcase) but also food out at one of the staff's house, which was delicious.