Final thoughts?

A few final thoughts about the last 19 days...What will stick longest in my memory? The heat? The food? The unique Indian approach to driving? Probably the enthusiasm of the Indian students, the smells, and the hard work put in by our students. I think that, without fail, they have all put a lot into the 2 weeks at Amala, and have all gained a set of memories that will last long after the tans have faded, and the sari's and lunghi's have been packed away.They have all done themselves proud and deserve a good rest over the next week or two.The final word(?) needs to be to congratulate and thank the group leader (in the words of our host Raja the finest ever group leader) Kim Nicholson, who has put in a tireless shift in the 9 months leading up to the trip, and in the 19 days in India. If it hadn't been for her efforts, the experience the students have had would not have been half of what it has been.

We're home...

19.40 - Just landed in Manchester. Alan the bus driver is being informed of our adventures. I think he may well want to go on the next Amala trip. We are hoping to be back at 22.30. See you then.

Kerala

Dear all

Apologies for our tardiness. It has been non stop since we left Amala. Our departure was tearful, both our students and the home children were very emotional. Promises were made to return, especially after the amazing send off we received. The girls in sarees and boys in lunghis, watching a "cultural programme".

Our twelve hour train journey down to kerala was surprisingly pain free. Fortunately this year we had a sleeping carriage meaning many of us were unconscious for the vast majority of the journey.

Now we are in Kovalam, we've had a few days to relax. I personally invested in a four hand massage, others spent their money in western food and gifts for loved ones. Today we went elephant riding and visited Varkala beach, sadly some of the students are suffering from stomach upsets so the day has been quite tough for a few.

Tonight we are holding out own Amala 2012 awards, watch this space to hear the winners and losers. Tomorrow will be an earlier start, off to Allepey to spend an evening on a rice boat. It will be nice to just stop and take in all we have done, achieved and experienced over the past few weeks. I shall upload some pictures of our journey through Kerala.

Ella's thoughts

Everyday they ask us "Auntie, are you happy?" And everyday we reply, "Yes, we are happy, are you happy?" And of course they tell us they are very, very, very happy.

Their strength in life and in God inspires me to reach our and help more motherless and fatherless children. Children who have been through so much in life, yet still have so much love to give. It never ceases to amaze me! 

As the days have gone on I have become attached to some of the children. I have developed favourites and I know it will be difficult to say goodbye to them.

My time at Amala has made me really appreciate the effort teachers have to put into teaching a lesson. However personally my biggest obstacle has been the language barrier.

All in all I do feel that they have learnt as much from us as we have learnt from them. I will really miss this place and the children I have developed relationships with and one day I do hope to return. 

Written by Ella Doshi.

Nearing the end...

 

Pictures courtesy of Harriet Jenkins.

Pictures of us teaching..

Could it be magic?

There are lots of moments at Amala that could be described as magical, but today something rather unusual happened that could only be described in this way. Today we had a visit from a one armed Priest/magician and his sister, Doris. They performed a wonderful magic show for all of the students at the school. However, this was not an ordinary magic show, it carried a message of Christian ethics throughout. Emphasising the importance of respect, truth, justice, love, prayer and service.

The soundtrack of the show deserves a special mention, songs such as the Lambada, Rasputin, Tequila and the Macarena were all merged in to one very interesting performance. It certainly caused a great deal of amusement amongst us, especially when the Priest informed the pupils that they could only make noise when he said so and that only then were they permitted to clap four times.To describe the event as surreal would be a massive understatement.

We have been in India now for well over a week, and we are definitely into the swing of things. However, we are also missing home and our comforts. The food conversation has sprung up repeatedly, what we would choose to eat if we could have anything. Although Victoria's cooking is fantastic, having a completely South Indian diet is a huge shock to us, who normally have so many different cuisines to choose from. Chinese, MacDonalds and roast dinners have all proved to be popular choices, whereas some are simply craving a Costa Coffee.

As well as missing food, some of us are missing loved ones. Whilst we can text and call them it isn't quite the same as being in their company. These emotions pale into comparison to the ones that a lot of the children at the home must feel. Whilst some of the children are orphans, many will have some living relatives that cannot afford to care for them. So they are brought to the home for a better life, away from their family members. Fortunately for us we will be back in the UK soon enough, eating Chinese food and enjoying the company of our loved ones, hopefully thankful that we have such a privileged lifestyle.

Victoria's Kitchen

On Saturday John and Jude spent some time with Victoria in her kitchen. This is what they found out....

We often cook Indian cuisine ourselves, so it was a golden opportunity to watch some authentic Indian cooking in progress. Victoria has prepared some wonderful meals, and for us her cooking is definitely one of the high spots of the visit to Amala. 

When we arrived at 3.30pm Victoria was preparing the cauliflower tikka. She mixed the spices in with the florettes of cauliflower and then left the mixture to marinade for at least an hour before deep frying in ghee later. 

Assisted by her helpers, Victoria was constantly on the go. Next up was a chicken dish; spices were stirred vigorously in a large pan before the chicken pieces were added. Large amounts of coconut paste gave this dish its distinctive flavour. Earlier we had helped break open the coconut husks, and then watched two Amala girls grinding out the coconut from the shells; fresh coconut - delicious!

Victoria combined the ingredients of a pea pilau rice using much more liquid than we would have used at home, but that seems to be the style of South Indian cooking. The sambar and dahl sauces,or stews, are essential features in all meals.

Food for the Amala children and staff and the twenty-six English visitors is prepared on an external wood fire, two calor gas rings and one electric hob. Victoria does have a pressure cooker, and the contrast between wood fire and pressure cooker very much reflects the contrasts of an ox cart and mobile phone economy that makes this visit so fascinating.

We left Victoria's kitchen full of admiration for her imagination, skills, and industry in producing a variety of wonderful food every day. 


Written by John and Jude Haslam.

Stormy Weather

On Friday night there was the most amazing storm. We knew it was coming because Joe was tingling. The thunder boomed and the room was illuminated by flashes of lightening. The thunder was, at times, deafening. After an almightly boom and the crack, flash of a lightening bolt striking, what sounded like, over-head the fans stopped working as the power went out. Joe, who was pacing the room making sure everyone was safe, leapt under his camp bed, shielding his face and screaming, "Lord! Have mercy!" We had to shut the doors and the shutters to prevent the rain from lashing in and so we were roasted. It wasn't the best night's sleep we've ever had and we woke up dripping with sweat. Power cuts are quite common here, we have a few each night, but none have been the length of this one. Most of us have given up sleeping under a mosquito net for it being too hot and we've only seen one since being here. When we went out in the morning, we found the door off it's hinges and the roof flooded. Lightening had hit our building and burst a water pipe which some lads spent the whole of Saturday fixing. 

There was a lot of excitement at tea time on Friday too. Raja came into the room where we eat and told us to come outside as someone had found a deadly scorpion. (Risk assessment had deemed this a measured and acceptable thing to do). We formed a ring around it and Raja proceeded to show us its sting by angering it with a stick. He was in bare feet and was a little closer than I would have felt comfortable myself. It was massive; at least four inches long! Raja's son, Naveen, pinned it down and Raja removed its venom. Naveen then 'removed it'. They are quite rare so we were lucky to find one in such a safe environment. We have yet to see a snake, which a few of us are disappointed about. Sam Brookes is especially determined to find one. I think he wants to eat it. He has earned the nickname ' The Drain', after we have seen how much he eats - every bit of food (and drink) put in front of him!

Written by Dan Overin (assisted by the rest of the boys)

Our Grand Day Out

Raja announced that it was high time that we saw a little bit more of Tamil Nadu, and that on Sunday we would be going for a 'cultural excursion.' The students were given an earlier breakfast time of 7am, and as soon as we were done we piled onto an Amala bus and set off. We were shortly stopped in Virachachalam by Raja himself who appeared to be involved in a road side speech (these appear to be quite common). We were coaxed off the bus with the promise of more pictures being taken that may well grace the front of the Tamil Times - already having a front page story this week, we are feeling somewhat special. Once we had our photo taken and listened to some rousing speeches (in Tamil, so we don't quite know what they were saying) we clambered aboard the bus for a second departure.

First stop was a lovely basilica loosely translated as 'The Big Mother's Basilica' which caused great amusement amongst us. Here we witnessed a service in Tamil, complete with ten minutes of prostration and some catchy Tamil hymns. We were then whisked off to view a special bridge, sadly the significance of the bridge was somewhat lost in translation. This did however lead us into the discussion of the difference between a bridge and a viaduct, we still don't know so if any readers could enlighten us we would be most grateful. After viewing this bridge of unknown significance we ventured to Thanjavur, former capital of the Chola Empire - not without having to recover lost ground in a traffic jam, being forced to reverse a good 500m on the wrong side of the road. 

At Thanjavur we visited the Brihadeeswarar Temple, built in 1010 AD. Miss N took some of the students in to see some puja and even got involved in the Nataraja (Shiva as a cosmic dancer) worship. Sam Brookes even learnt what a lingum was, ask him when he comes home and he will tell you all about it. Some of the girls received blessings from the sacred elephant, they were relieved to discover that the elephant accepted both notes and coins, but as a consequence Hannah Ley had to spend the rest of the day with elephant snot in her hair. 

Back on the bus we set off for Chidambaram, however by this point it was getting very late. Students and staff were feeling fairly jaded by this point but we stoically persevered. When we arrived, we were quickly ushered into the Nataraja Temple. Again, we were fortunate to witness puja in full swing, but sadly it was too dark to see the Sivaganga tank, a body of water where worshippers ablute. By this point we were all fairly exhausted, so we stopped for some Northern Indian cuisine and then swiftly headed back to the home. Needless to say, we were all so tired that no one has complained of having no sleep last night.

Sublime to the ridiculous?

First I must apologise for the delay in posts, we have been at the mercy of unreliable internet connections. All are well, and coping with the heat just about, although the frequency of midday sleeps appears to be rising. Discussions about bowel movements are starting to take over our evening conversations as well as a little bit of Philosophy vs. Science. The sublime to the ridiculous? Some of our students are surviving well on a diet of just rice, it is really quite remarkable to witness. Last night we experienced the most amazing storm directly above us, the thunder was so loud it felt like the air was vibrating all around us. I was relieved to see a full show of students this morning. We were surprised to see that school was on today, apparently they have specially summoned in the students and teachers for a one off Saturday session. However, we were unaware of this until 10am. Just imagine if Mr Robertson decided to hold a Saturday school for some special visitors only for those visitors not to turn up?! I wonder how many students and teachers would have turned up in the first place anyway. We will be in touch soon, hopefully with some pictures. 

Travels of a Geography Teacher

I thought at the beginning of this trip that I was only an auntie to my sister's two children, however I now seem to have become an auntie to over 80 children today, as we played games, sang songs, answered questions and drew many pictures. In the sweltering heat from 11.30-12.30 I could feel the energy just drain out of my body as more children wanted me to blow up another balloon and write onto it my name and age! What is the fascination with having to reveal that I am at that tender age far beyond thirty but not quite at the next milestone to plan a big birthday bash. Many renditions of the Hokey Cokey were sung along with Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, I just wanted to collapse.

Food has been fabulous, I could almost turn veggie and was for three days, but on Wednesday night, the chicken looked too good so I gave in and devoured many delicious pieces.

Lessons began in earnest today (Friday 13th) with all the students developing creative teaching resources, delivering phonics to standards 1, 2 and 3, whilst others role played and sang more songs. Please bear in mind that this post was initially conceived 24 hours ago, but delayed thanks to India time.

Written by Miss Rachel McNutt, who is sick of disclosing her age.

Inner turmoils of a teacher Part II

This is written four days after setting off from Richmond and is a refelection on what I have seen and learned in that time. We may have travelled in excess of 24 hours but we really could have travelled to another world. We have seen both extreme affluence and poverty - but enough about Newcastle, what about India? We have learned that your typical Indian motorist uses their horn for alerting a motorist of their immanent approach, for alerting a motorist that they have now past them, on approaching a bend in the road, on passing a bend in the road, on passing a moving bike, on passing a stationary bike, on passing a pedestrian, on passing a house, on passing wind...

We have also learned that Miss Nicholson can barter a street hawker from 600 Rupees to 200 Rupees through indifference alone, that it isn't the sole reserve of year 7 on a school trip to ask a never ending stream of already answered questions. That crocodiles can jump, that one pound spent on a massage chair is a pound very well spent,that our idea of extreme weather is actually just a drop in the ocean and that a cynical old git like me can still me moved after nineteen years in the profession. Seeing children of four years up who come from nothing and have no prospects of escaping that arriving at school full of interest and excitement has made me think somewhat. Where are we going wrong? Does money even come close to buying happiness? Why am i prepared to fritter away ten pounds on a CD or four hundred pounds on a season ticket to watch Swansea get beaten every week? I may be desperate craving a seventy pence can of Diet Coke but do I really need it? Given the lack of opportunities I have to admit that I do still crave it every hour of every day but my resolve may be wavering....

Written by Mr Fraser Dalgleish, aged 41 and a bit.

Finally here

After another day of travelling we finally reached Amala last night. We stopped at The Crocodile Bank outside Chennai to introduce ourselves to some of India's wildlife. The entrance fee was around 50p which was well worth it. We then stopped and had our lunch at Mamallapuram, where we sampled the delights of a South Indian Thali. Although some of the students felt inclined to order chips. 

The shore temple of Shiva was amazing, Joe Vernon claiming it was his favourite part of the trip so far. After all it is not every day that you can visit a world heritage site. Some students started to learn the art of haggling, buying stone carvings and drums. 

We entered Amala at 9.30pm to a fantastic welcome. Children lined the path and greeted us with jasmine garlands and tilkas. We were all moved by the hospitality shown by Raja and his Amala family. We had a lovely evening meal prepared by Victoria and went swiftly to bed (after chasing some frogs out of our rooms). I (Miss Nicholson) screamed like a girl and left it to Miss McNutt to deal with the amphibian intruder. 

This morning we have been introduced to the school staff, and Raja has shown Mr Dalgleish his office. It would seem that a firm friendship is already being forged. Our students are looking forward to getting into the classrooms and I am certain that the children here can't wait either.

Thank you to our readers, especially Owen's Grandma.

Amala

10am Raja is here, we are about to get on the bus to Amala. Some of the students struggled with the heat last night and didn't get much sleep. Particularly in one of the boys rooms where there were sleep talking conversations and even wrestling matches with mosquito nets. Dan Overin won with the net coming off much worse having been thrown against the wall.

Chennai

We arrived this morning, exceptionally tired and overwhelmed by some of the sights, smells and sounds of this bustling city. I asked some of the students to pick some words that describe their first encounter with Chennai. So far they've said hot, moist, loud and smelly. We have just returned to the YWCA after a trip into the city for a dosa and to exchange some money. Overall the food went down a storm, Sam Brookes polishing off two helpings. Even the most timid amongst us gave it a try.

Tomorrow we will be picked up by Raja and make our way to Amala. Hopefully getting some time in mamallapuram, a scenic town that specialises in stone sculptures. Here's hoping that we get some well earned rest tonight. We'll be in touch soon.

And we're off....

8.40am All gathered and complete with passports. Hurray! Miss N can relax momentarily. We are now on the bus to Newcastle Airport, and there is excitement in the air.

11.25am Checked in and sat in departures. Many of the students and staff have indulged in some fast food. We nearly had to leave Jude Haslam at the Check in desk, she was listed as a Miss when she is in fact a Mrs. All resolved now and waiting to be called for boarding.

13.15pm Boarding now. After discovering the joys of the massage chairs. Next stop, Dubai.

Passport Anxiety

I can’t believe we are finally here. A year of planning, negotiating, fundraising and discussing, the 2012 Amala trip is now ready to leave.

Tomorrow we will depart from Richmond School and start our journey to Amala Children’s Home. So many thoughts and feelings are circulating in my mind, but my first anxiety is focused on whether all of the students will turn up on time, with their passports. I will keep you updated on that situation tomorrow.