Clementine's blog 17th June 2007
From UK
17th June 2007
On the day of arrival in India my flight got to Calcutta at 5.20am, so after a 9 hour flight I was
very tired and looking forward to some food and rest. Bishnu met me at the airport and took me
to his apartment to meet his family and for some breakfast. We spent the morning at Bishnu's
house, discussing the project with Wendy so that we knew exactly what she had and hadn't
done with the children so that we would be prepared for the following day.
Later in the afternoon we took the train from Calcutta to shankiniketan, as the train was delayed
and over an hour late, we arrived in the village late in the evening and were introduced to the
accommodation, where a hot meal was waiting for us. Shortly after dinner a Bishnu and his
friend Ananda came to the apartment and sang, played the tambourine and drums for us.
Around midnight we went to bed for some well needed sleep.
18th June 2007
On our second day in India we slept in until around 10am, after which we were met with
breakfast and a morning cup of tea. After breakfast we spent a relaxing morning unpacking and
exploring the immediate surroundings.
At 2pm, after lunch, the three of us mounted Bishnu's moped and travelled the 5.5 miles to the
Shehali village to meet the children.
When we arrived at the village the children ran out to meet us shouting 'hello'. We saw the
school where we were to teach for the first time, which is newly built and equipped.
As we approached the village we could hear drums coming from beyond the trees in the
distance discovered that this was the day of a wedding. We were taken to meet people from the
village including the bride, who were all very friendly. We were offered some of the wine they
were drinking that is made in the village , drunk out of cups made from leaves, pinned together
with twigs!
After meeting some of the villagers we headed back to the school to play some games with the
children. The children all gathered around enthusiastically sitting on the floor in front of where
we had a large white board. We went through, the alphabet, some simple words and numbers,
as well as some English songs, especially those with actions.
After they short lesson we all went out into the field to play games including football, tug of war
and skipping. We left the village shortly before dark.
In the evening we were greeted by another freshly cooked hot meal followed by a trip to Tarun's
house for more live music!
19th July 2007
Today the jet lag had worn off, leaving us feeling much more awake. After breakfast we headed
into Shantiniketan and the shops. The priority of the morning being to take the moped in for
repairs after the head light had come off the night before! Shantiniketan is very interesting to
visit, extremely busy to say the least!
Again after lunch we headed for the village for more lessons and games with the children. This
time we split the children into 2 separate groups, the red group (aged 4-6) and the blue group
(aged 6-12). I took the blur group who were all very attentive throughout the lesson until a man
emerged from the village carrying a huge snake (at least 5 feet)!! Shortly after this distraction it
was time for the groups to swap over, so we went out into the fields to play whilst the blue group
had an English lesson.
After the school day we were invited for ginger tea with the leader of the tribe, where we met his
family as well as his many pets, including a chick who insisted on sitting on my shoulder for the
whole time!
Later we headed back to the apartment for some food, and an evening in tonight.
20th July 2007
this morning after breakfast Pari, Bishnu's maid, brought us back a rickshaw after going into the
market so that we could go into Shantiniketan for some more exploring. The journey was quite a
short one which was good as the heat made the rickshaw very hard work for the driver. We
spent a couple of hours spent a couple of hours wandering along the main street in the town,
looking around at the people and shops as well as looking for banks and ATM's that would
accept our English debit cards and give us money. We managed to find a bank that would
change our money eventually, and so hired another rickshaw for the journey back and to get
some lunch before heading off to the school in the afternoon.
After lunch our car eventually arrived to take us to the village where we spent the afternoon
again teaching the children the alphabet, numbers and some songs and games in English.
Playtime followed in the field once again where we ran around together and attempted to
coordinate games! Just before dark, at around 6pm, we waved goodbye to the children and
went back to the apartment for showers and food.
In the evening after dinner 2 members of the Baul's came over to Bishnu's flat for more music,
the evening lasted until around midnight after which we made our way back to our apartment
with a torch.
21st June 2007
This morning we slept very well having got more used to the heat at last, and not waking until
around half past nine. We had a quick breakfast at Bishnu's so that we could get to the
Amarkutir shop to look at the hand made clothes, accessories and ornaments.
We hired another rickshaw to get to Amurkutir, this was a much longer journey than the
previous day. The shop was full of beautiful hand crafted things, so we spent a while browsing
and bought a few items then took the rickshaw back to the apartment for lunch.
Once again in the afternoon after lunch we were picked up by a car and taken to the school
where the children were eagerly awaiting their next lesson. We went back over songs from the
days before (with actions), as well as the alphabet, the numbers 1-10 and body parts. They are
very intelligent children and remember most of the detail from the previous lessons, despite
their young age.
After the lesson we ran out onto the field for some well deserved games after all the
concentration. After only a couple of minutes a huge gust of wind hit us, strong enough to send
some of the children flying! From this moment the winds are strong and the black sky can be
seen approaching fast, so we quickly head back to the shelter of the school building. Soon after
the rain starts, very heavily, so we spend the rest of play time reading and playing with puzzles,
which the children seem to enjoy. Later the car returned us to our apartment for showers and
more of Pari's lovely cooking and we spent the evening relaxing in the apartment.
22nd June 2007
After breakfast we decided to visit Shantiniketan art gallery as it is listed as one of the main
local attractions and we passed it most days. We walked to the gallery and spent the main part
of the morning looking at the art and discussing it with the resident artist who explained the
people places pictured. It was very interesting talking to him as he also told us a lot about the
town and its history.
In the afternoon we made our way to the village for another lesson with the children, in which we
repeated similar exercises to make sure that the children were really familiar with the alphabet,
and we also took the numbers up to twenty and played some number games, as they were
slightly unsure about some of the later numbers.
The lesson was followed by more playing in the field.
23rd June 2007
Saturday morning, we decided to take a trip into town to find a cash point, and we hired a
rickshaw who took us to the Deer Park afterwards, followed by a tour of the local area, including
an art gallery with natural exhibits resembling animals etc.
In the afternoon it rained heavily so after enjoying another lunch we went back to our flat and
got ourselves ready for our trip to Calcutta. At four-thirty, we took a rickshaw to the station, to
catch our train to Calcutta. The train was delayed by around an hour, but eventually we arrived
in Calcutta and took a taxi to the road with the majority of hostels. We took a room in the
Salvation Army hostel, which was very basic - but you get what you pay for. Our evening meal
wasn't up to the usual standards: we popped into a local café and got a toasted sandwich so
that we could have an early night, ready for our sight-seeing the next day.
24th June 2007
We got up early as we had to pay for our room by 8.30 am, having arrived late the night before.
The early start meant that we could fit a lot into our day, so after paying, we made our way out
into the city. First we headed to the Maidan, where we crossed the park to the Victoria Memorial
and went into the gardens to look around and took shelter from the rain. After this, we took a
cab to the nearest shopping mall and spent the majority of the morning shopping.
We thought we'd make a change from Indian, so we went for a Chinese lunch, followed by a
stroll around Calcutta's backstreet's in search of the Kalighat (which we never found). After our
trekking, we headed back to our hostel to shower and change, and then went out for a lovely
meal at Oasis, followed by the bar with a brilliant band. We had to cut the evening short, as we
were required by the Salvation Army to be in bed by midnight.
25th June 2007
This morning was another early start in order to catch the 10.10 train back from Calcutta in time
to have lunch and go back to the school. Today, we arrived with thirty blackboards, which were
a new and exciting addition to the lessons. The children loved playing with them, but, although it
was very difficult to explain- when I don't speak any Bengali and they don't speak any English-
exactly what was required from the lesson. This was followed by the usual playtime: this time it
was the kids teaching me their games.
26th June 2007
This morning we decided to spend a morning in the apartment, having noticed our whites were
looking less than white. We bought a washing powder containing bleach and spent the majority
of the morning scrubbing our white clothes back to their former colour. Afterwards, having
realised that we were in a hot country and still completely white, we found a secluded spot on
the roof where we could sunbathe without being seen.
The afternoon was spent with the children. Once again, a half hour lesson in which we repeat
similar songs, the alphabet, simple words, names of animals and the numbers one to twenty,
using repetition to help them to remember. We then headed out onto the field once again, for
more fun and games. Today, skipping was the major activity.
The evening was spent in the flat. Reading was the plan but following a power cut we decided
to cool off in the porch (having no ceiling fan) where we were spotted by the neighbours, and
sat out on the front steps with them, being given a lesson in Bengali.
27th June 2007
I spent most of the morning washing more clothes: hand-washing seems to be much more
time-consuming than I had expected. Emilie went to the shop in the meantime, to get water.
After the chores, we decided to head back up onto the roof for more sunbathing, although now,
with sunburn, I'm not so sure that was such a good idea.
After sunbathing, we showered, then walked into town so I could phone home, and, I hate to
admit that I was pleased to hear that the weather in England was cold and rainy! Then, after
lunch, once again, we headed to the school, where we were greeted by the children and sat
reading and playing puzzles with them, until we were scarily interrupted by a huge scorpion,
which one of the children spotted, right next to where I was sitting.
Luckily, the older girls seemed quite experienced with this type of scenario, and quickly killed
and removed it. After this minor interruption, I began the lesson with the younger Red group.
However, without a respected Bengali-speaking adult, keeping their concentration was more
difficult than I had anticipated.
We went through the usual songs but it wasn't long before they were chatting and arguing
amongst themselves and without any knowledge of Bengali, it was very difficult to bring their
attention back to the board. So we went out early for play, although this is actually quite
productive for them, to play with the older girls - as it is easier for them to teach them the more
complicated games than it is for me.
In the evening, the students from the local university that Emilie had met in the morning came
round to visit. We took them onto the roof of our apartment where we sat and chatted,
surrounded by storms visible in every direction. This went on until the storms finally reached us.
Then the boys went home and we had an early night.
28th June 2007
In the morning we planned to go shopping in Bolpur, however on our way out we were invited
into our neighbours house for tea and to look at the clothes that they embroider by hand. I think
the idea was that we would buy some and the clothes were beautiful and relatively cheap and I
would loved to have had one but after trying on a couple of tops we had to come to terms with
the fact that we are much larger than the majority of the people here and none of them fit!
In the afternoon we went to the school once again. Today was a wedding in the village and we
were invited to join the party for a while and were given generous helpings of the alcohol that
they make themselves, this turned out too be stronger than I had realised, making the
afternoon lessons even more fun (if slightly more difficult)!
29th June 2007
This morning we managed to go shopping in Bolpur which was fun, we bought a few things
including some wooden jewellery and the most amazing and colourful umbrellas that we had
ever seen, they certainly don't sell these in the UK!
Back to the school this afternoon. The lesson was a little chaotic as the children got out the
blackboards and chalk, which they love, at the beginning of the lesson. This was a slight
problem as there are not enough chalk boards to go round and without Bishnu there to explain
about sharing, it was nearly impossible to get it happening! After about 15 minutes I decided to
collect the black boards back in so that we could do some singing with actions that can involve
everybody, but the children took this to mean the lesson was over and ran out to play, so we
had an extended play time instead, next time I will have to keep guard of the black boards until
later on!
30th June 2007
This Saturday was Emilie's last day in India, so we spent a lot of the morning in our apartment
so that she could pack all her things ready to go to Calcutta in the afternoon. After lunch we got
the taxi to a small market in a forest where they sold all sorts of hand made items including
jewellery made from large seeds and wooden instruments. It was a beautiful day, no rain but
slightly cooler than previously and Ananda was playing the Baul music, the market had a lovely
atmosphere with the music and with the jungle as a backdrop.
At 3.30pm it was time for Emilie to leave for Bolpur station where she was to get a train into
Calcutta, spend the night in the airport, followed by a 9 hour flight, so a long couple of days
ahead for her!
1st July 2007
After waking early I went up onto the roof for a little more sun whilst we still have the weather,
followed by breakfast at Bishnu's where we were pleasantly surprised by an unexpected visit
from Ananda, who played us more Baul music. This was a lovely way to spend a relaxing
Sunday morning!
In the afternoon we went into Bolpur, now Emilie has gone I ride on the back of the moped, side
saddle due to the long skirts. We just did a round of the shops to get essentials, had tea along
with barbecued corn which I had never tried before but enjoyed, followed by an evening spent
relaxing with food and gin.
2nd July 2007
This morning was spent mostly reading in the sun up on the secluded roof, trying to get some
tan before the rainy season really starts.
In the afternoon we were accompanied to the school by Bishnu's sister, her husband and their
maid, an orphan aged 14 who had the good fortune of being 'adopted' by the couple who look
out for her and are giving her a basic education including English lessons. The couple both
speak good English and I enjoyed chatting to them about both the project, travelling and their
children who they tell me are based in various countries all over the world. The guests watched
my lessons, I do both the red and blue groups now that Emilie has gone home. Today the
groups seemed to have got a little mixed up but we covered all the material that both groups
are learning Toward the end of the afternoon it began to rain so that I ended up teaching all the
children together anyway in the end! The children do not seem to mind getting wet in the heavy
monsoon rains, although it always worries me slightly as many of the children only have one set
of clothes, sometimes two but most of them wear the same clothes every day as they can't
afford extra sets.
In the evening the 3 guests stayed for dinner and we spent an enjoyable evening of
conversation that switched between Bengali and English.
3rd July 2007
Another morning spent reading, the book I am reading is very absorbing and I thought to catch
some more sun at the same time, however looking out of the window I realised that this was not
going to happen. Although it was not raining the air was thick with moisture, making sun bathing
a pointless activity as almost no sun was getting through the mist.
By the afternoon it was raining, making it impossible for the children to play in the field so a;;
the children joined together for one lesson, followed by reading which they really seem to enjoy.
The previous evening Bishnu's sister had invited us to dine with them at a hotel nearby, and as
the weather was fine by then we ate outside. The table was surrounded by a trellis covered by
plants and fairy lights, a very pretty garden. After dinner we popped inside and watched the
news where we saw images of the results of the monsoon in Calcutta, waist deep water over the
whole city! We have been very lucky here so far, no flooding at all although I am due to go to
Calcutta on Saturday!
4th July 2007
Today Bishnu's guests included his cousin, his cousin's wife and their daughter, who is
considering taking a role at the school. This afternoon it rained and rained, it seems that the
rain from Calcutta had finally reached us. The rain meant another day with no play time in the
field for the children, although as far as I could see by their faces Bishnu's poetry after the
lesson more than made up for it. The rain continued to pour well into the night making it
impossible for Pori to get home, so the six of us spent the evening together in Bishnu's
apartment.
5th July 2007
In fact the rain turned out to be so severe that the 6 of us ended up having to stay the night in
Bishnu's one bedroom apartment as getting back even for me would have been very difficult.
Today I felt very queasy and not at all with it (the effects of Lariam I think as its not the first
time), and since Bishnu had said to the Buddha the day before that if the weather was very bad
we may not make, so we decided to have a day at home, escaping the rain and recovering from
the side effects of the anti-malaria medicine.
6th July 2007
Today in the morning it was raining again, but this time Bishnu and I decided to cover up in
substantial rain wear and head into town for various chores.
In the afternoon we headed to the school where the effects of the monsoon on the school
building could clearly be seen, with a large amount of erosion of the front of the school. It
became obvious that the school would need a lot of work, possibly even rebuilding, after the
monsoon. However we were greeted with enthusiasm by the children who began the session
with reading and puzzles, followed by lessons for both groups. Today I decided to challenge the
blue group by asking them not only to identify colours and objects, but also to attempt to spell
them. I had to give them a few hints but they seem to have quite a good grasp of the different
letters, the sounds they make and how they fit together.
In the evening Bishnu and I spent the evening discussing, organising and buying online train
tickets. My friend Sarah is arriving from the UK early Sunday morning and we are planning to
travel northern India together, but first I would love her to come to the school and meet the
children. Thanks to Bishnu and the Internet thus has now been organised, so tomorrow I will go
to Calcutta to meet her in and bring her back here for 2 nights before heading to Darjeeling on
the sleeper train.
You can read about all volunteer's adventures.
From UK
17th June 2007
On the day of arrival in India my flight got to Calcutta at 5.20am, so after a 9 hour flight I was
very tired and looking forward to some food and rest. Bishnu met me at the airport and took me
to his apartment to meet his family and for some breakfast. We spent the morning at Bishnu's
house, discussing the project with Wendy so that we knew exactly what she had and hadn't
done with the children so that we would be prepared for the following day.
Later in the afternoon we took the train from Calcutta to shankiniketan, as the train was delayed
and over an hour late, we arrived in the village late in the evening and were introduced to the
accommodation, where a hot meal was waiting for us. Shortly after dinner a Bishnu and his
friend Ananda came to the apartment and sang, played the tambourine and drums for us.
Around midnight we went to bed for some well needed sleep.
18th June 2007
On our second day in India we slept in until around 10am, after which we were met with
breakfast and a morning cup of tea. After breakfast we spent a relaxing morning unpacking and
exploring the immediate surroundings.
At 2pm, after lunch, the three of us mounted Bishnu's moped and travelled the 5.5 miles to the
Shehali village to meet the children.
When we arrived at the village the children ran out to meet us shouting 'hello'. We saw the
school where we were to teach for the first time, which is newly built and equipped.
As we approached the village we could hear drums coming from beyond the trees in the
distance discovered that this was the day of a wedding. We were taken to meet people from the
village including the bride, who were all very friendly. We were offered some of the wine they
were drinking that is made in the village , drunk out of cups made from leaves, pinned together
with twigs!
After meeting some of the villagers we headed back to the school to play some games with the
children. The children all gathered around enthusiastically sitting on the floor in front of where
we had a large white board. We went through, the alphabet, some simple words and numbers,
as well as some English songs, especially those with actions.
After they short lesson we all went out into the field to play games including football, tug of war
and skipping. We left the village shortly before dark.
In the evening we were greeted by another freshly cooked hot meal followed by a trip to Tarun's
house for more live music!
19th July 2007
Today the jet lag had worn off, leaving us feeling much more awake. After breakfast we headed
into Shantiniketan and the shops. The priority of the morning being to take the moped in for
repairs after the head light had come off the night before! Shantiniketan is very interesting to
visit, extremely busy to say the least!
Again after lunch we headed for the village for more lessons and games with the children. This
time we split the children into 2 separate groups, the red group (aged 4-6) and the blue group
(aged 6-12). I took the blur group who were all very attentive throughout the lesson until a man
emerged from the village carrying a huge snake (at least 5 feet)!! Shortly after this distraction it
was time for the groups to swap over, so we went out into the fields to play whilst the blue group
had an English lesson.
After the school day we were invited for ginger tea with the leader of the tribe, where we met his
family as well as his many pets, including a chick who insisted on sitting on my shoulder for the
whole time!
Later we headed back to the apartment for some food, and an evening in tonight.
20th July 2007
this morning after breakfast Pari, Bishnu's maid, brought us back a rickshaw after going into the
market so that we could go into Shantiniketan for some more exploring. The journey was quite a
short one which was good as the heat made the rickshaw very hard work for the driver. We
spent a couple of hours spent a couple of hours wandering along the main street in the town,
looking around at the people and shops as well as looking for banks and ATM's that would
accept our English debit cards and give us money. We managed to find a bank that would
change our money eventually, and so hired another rickshaw for the journey back and to get
some lunch before heading off to the school in the afternoon.
After lunch our car eventually arrived to take us to the village where we spent the afternoon
again teaching the children the alphabet, numbers and some songs and games in English.
Playtime followed in the field once again where we ran around together and attempted to
coordinate games! Just before dark, at around 6pm, we waved goodbye to the children and
went back to the apartment for showers and food.
In the evening after dinner 2 members of the Baul's came over to Bishnu's flat for more music,
the evening lasted until around midnight after which we made our way back to our apartment
with a torch.
21st June 2007
This morning we slept very well having got more used to the heat at last, and not waking until
around half past nine. We had a quick breakfast at Bishnu's so that we could get to the
Amarkutir shop to look at the hand made clothes, accessories and ornaments.
We hired another rickshaw to get to Amurkutir, this was a much longer journey than the
previous day. The shop was full of beautiful hand crafted things, so we spent a while browsing
and bought a few items then took the rickshaw back to the apartment for lunch.
Once again in the afternoon after lunch we were picked up by a car and taken to the school
where the children were eagerly awaiting their next lesson. We went back over songs from the
days before (with actions), as well as the alphabet, the numbers 1-10 and body parts. They are
very intelligent children and remember most of the detail from the previous lessons, despite
their young age.
After the lesson we ran out onto the field for some well deserved games after all the
concentration. After only a couple of minutes a huge gust of wind hit us, strong enough to send
some of the children flying! From this moment the winds are strong and the black sky can be
seen approaching fast, so we quickly head back to the shelter of the school building. Soon after
the rain starts, very heavily, so we spend the rest of play time reading and playing with puzzles,
which the children seem to enjoy. Later the car returned us to our apartment for showers and
more of Pari's lovely cooking and we spent the evening relaxing in the apartment.
22nd June 2007
After breakfast we decided to visit Shantiniketan art gallery as it is listed as one of the main
local attractions and we passed it most days. We walked to the gallery and spent the main part
of the morning looking at the art and discussing it with the resident artist who explained the
people places pictured. It was very interesting talking to him as he also told us a lot about the
town and its history.
In the afternoon we made our way to the village for another lesson with the children, in which we
repeated similar exercises to make sure that the children were really familiar with the alphabet,
and we also took the numbers up to twenty and played some number games, as they were
slightly unsure about some of the later numbers.
The lesson was followed by more playing in the field.
23rd June 2007
Saturday morning, we decided to take a trip into town to find a cash point, and we hired a
rickshaw who took us to the Deer Park afterwards, followed by a tour of the local area, including
an art gallery with natural exhibits resembling animals etc.
In the afternoon it rained heavily so after enjoying another lunch we went back to our flat and
got ourselves ready for our trip to Calcutta. At four-thirty, we took a rickshaw to the station, to
catch our train to Calcutta. The train was delayed by around an hour, but eventually we arrived
in Calcutta and took a taxi to the road with the majority of hostels. We took a room in the
Salvation Army hostel, which was very basic - but you get what you pay for. Our evening meal
wasn't up to the usual standards: we popped into a local café and got a toasted sandwich so
that we could have an early night, ready for our sight-seeing the next day.
24th June 2007
We got up early as we had to pay for our room by 8.30 am, having arrived late the night before.
The early start meant that we could fit a lot into our day, so after paying, we made our way out
into the city. First we headed to the Maidan, where we crossed the park to the Victoria Memorial
and went into the gardens to look around and took shelter from the rain. After this, we took a
cab to the nearest shopping mall and spent the majority of the morning shopping.
We thought we'd make a change from Indian, so we went for a Chinese lunch, followed by a
stroll around Calcutta's backstreet's in search of the Kalighat (which we never found). After our
trekking, we headed back to our hostel to shower and change, and then went out for a lovely
meal at Oasis, followed by the bar with a brilliant band. We had to cut the evening short, as we
were required by the Salvation Army to be in bed by midnight.
25th June 2007
This morning was another early start in order to catch the 10.10 train back from Calcutta in time
to have lunch and go back to the school. Today, we arrived with thirty blackboards, which were
a new and exciting addition to the lessons. The children loved playing with them, but, although it
was very difficult to explain- when I don't speak any Bengali and they don't speak any English-
exactly what was required from the lesson. This was followed by the usual playtime: this time it
was the kids teaching me their games.
26th June 2007
This morning we decided to spend a morning in the apartment, having noticed our whites were
looking less than white. We bought a washing powder containing bleach and spent the majority
of the morning scrubbing our white clothes back to their former colour. Afterwards, having
realised that we were in a hot country and still completely white, we found a secluded spot on
the roof where we could sunbathe without being seen.
The afternoon was spent with the children. Once again, a half hour lesson in which we repeat
similar songs, the alphabet, simple words, names of animals and the numbers one to twenty,
using repetition to help them to remember. We then headed out onto the field once again, for
more fun and games. Today, skipping was the major activity.
The evening was spent in the flat. Reading was the plan but following a power cut we decided
to cool off in the porch (having no ceiling fan) where we were spotted by the neighbours, and
sat out on the front steps with them, being given a lesson in Bengali.
27th June 2007
I spent most of the morning washing more clothes: hand-washing seems to be much more
time-consuming than I had expected. Emilie went to the shop in the meantime, to get water.
After the chores, we decided to head back up onto the roof for more sunbathing, although now,
with sunburn, I'm not so sure that was such a good idea.
After sunbathing, we showered, then walked into town so I could phone home, and, I hate to
admit that I was pleased to hear that the weather in England was cold and rainy! Then, after
lunch, once again, we headed to the school, where we were greeted by the children and sat
reading and playing puzzles with them, until we were scarily interrupted by a huge scorpion,
which one of the children spotted, right next to where I was sitting.
Luckily, the older girls seemed quite experienced with this type of scenario, and quickly killed
and removed it. After this minor interruption, I began the lesson with the younger Red group.
However, without a respected Bengali-speaking adult, keeping their concentration was more
difficult than I had anticipated.
We went through the usual songs but it wasn't long before they were chatting and arguing
amongst themselves and without any knowledge of Bengali, it was very difficult to bring their
attention back to the board. So we went out early for play, although this is actually quite
productive for them, to play with the older girls - as it is easier for them to teach them the more
complicated games than it is for me.
In the evening, the students from the local university that Emilie had met in the morning came
round to visit. We took them onto the roof of our apartment where we sat and chatted,
surrounded by storms visible in every direction. This went on until the storms finally reached us.
Then the boys went home and we had an early night.
28th June 2007
In the morning we planned to go shopping in Bolpur, however on our way out we were invited
into our neighbours house for tea and to look at the clothes that they embroider by hand. I think
the idea was that we would buy some and the clothes were beautiful and relatively cheap and I
would loved to have had one but after trying on a couple of tops we had to come to terms with
the fact that we are much larger than the majority of the people here and none of them fit!
In the afternoon we went to the school once again. Today was a wedding in the village and we
were invited to join the party for a while and were given generous helpings of the alcohol that
they make themselves, this turned out too be stronger than I had realised, making the
afternoon lessons even more fun (if slightly more difficult)!
29th June 2007
This morning we managed to go shopping in Bolpur which was fun, we bought a few things
including some wooden jewellery and the most amazing and colourful umbrellas that we had
ever seen, they certainly don't sell these in the UK!
Back to the school this afternoon. The lesson was a little chaotic as the children got out the
blackboards and chalk, which they love, at the beginning of the lesson. This was a slight
problem as there are not enough chalk boards to go round and without Bishnu there to explain
about sharing, it was nearly impossible to get it happening! After about 15 minutes I decided to
collect the black boards back in so that we could do some singing with actions that can involve
everybody, but the children took this to mean the lesson was over and ran out to play, so we
had an extended play time instead, next time I will have to keep guard of the black boards until
later on!
30th June 2007
This Saturday was Emilie's last day in India, so we spent a lot of the morning in our apartment
so that she could pack all her things ready to go to Calcutta in the afternoon. After lunch we got
the taxi to a small market in a forest where they sold all sorts of hand made items including
jewellery made from large seeds and wooden instruments. It was a beautiful day, no rain but
slightly cooler than previously and Ananda was playing the Baul music, the market had a lovely
atmosphere with the music and with the jungle as a backdrop.
At 3.30pm it was time for Emilie to leave for Bolpur station where she was to get a train into
Calcutta, spend the night in the airport, followed by a 9 hour flight, so a long couple of days
ahead for her!
1st July 2007
After waking early I went up onto the roof for a little more sun whilst we still have the weather,
followed by breakfast at Bishnu's where we were pleasantly surprised by an unexpected visit
from Ananda, who played us more Baul music. This was a lovely way to spend a relaxing
Sunday morning!
In the afternoon we went into Bolpur, now Emilie has gone I ride on the back of the moped, side
saddle due to the long skirts. We just did a round of the shops to get essentials, had tea along
with barbecued corn which I had never tried before but enjoyed, followed by an evening spent
relaxing with food and gin.
2nd July 2007
This morning was spent mostly reading in the sun up on the secluded roof, trying to get some
tan before the rainy season really starts.
In the afternoon we were accompanied to the school by Bishnu's sister, her husband and their
maid, an orphan aged 14 who had the good fortune of being 'adopted' by the couple who look
out for her and are giving her a basic education including English lessons. The couple both
speak good English and I enjoyed chatting to them about both the project, travelling and their
children who they tell me are based in various countries all over the world. The guests watched
my lessons, I do both the red and blue groups now that Emilie has gone home. Today the
groups seemed to have got a little mixed up but we covered all the material that both groups
are learning Toward the end of the afternoon it began to rain so that I ended up teaching all the
children together anyway in the end! The children do not seem to mind getting wet in the heavy
monsoon rains, although it always worries me slightly as many of the children only have one set
of clothes, sometimes two but most of them wear the same clothes every day as they can't
afford extra sets.
In the evening the 3 guests stayed for dinner and we spent an enjoyable evening of
conversation that switched between Bengali and English.
3rd July 2007
Another morning spent reading, the book I am reading is very absorbing and I thought to catch
some more sun at the same time, however looking out of the window I realised that this was not
going to happen. Although it was not raining the air was thick with moisture, making sun bathing
a pointless activity as almost no sun was getting through the mist.
By the afternoon it was raining, making it impossible for the children to play in the field so a;;
the children joined together for one lesson, followed by reading which they really seem to enjoy.
The previous evening Bishnu's sister had invited us to dine with them at a hotel nearby, and as
the weather was fine by then we ate outside. The table was surrounded by a trellis covered by
plants and fairy lights, a very pretty garden. After dinner we popped inside and watched the
news where we saw images of the results of the monsoon in Calcutta, waist deep water over the
whole city! We have been very lucky here so far, no flooding at all although I am due to go to
Calcutta on Saturday!
4th July 2007
Today Bishnu's guests included his cousin, his cousin's wife and their daughter, who is
considering taking a role at the school. This afternoon it rained and rained, it seems that the
rain from Calcutta had finally reached us. The rain meant another day with no play time in the
field for the children, although as far as I could see by their faces Bishnu's poetry after the
lesson more than made up for it. The rain continued to pour well into the night making it
impossible for Pori to get home, so the six of us spent the evening together in Bishnu's
apartment.
5th July 2007
In fact the rain turned out to be so severe that the 6 of us ended up having to stay the night in
Bishnu's one bedroom apartment as getting back even for me would have been very difficult.
Today I felt very queasy and not at all with it (the effects of Lariam I think as its not the first
time), and since Bishnu had said to the Buddha the day before that if the weather was very bad
we may not make, so we decided to have a day at home, escaping the rain and recovering from
the side effects of the anti-malaria medicine.
6th July 2007
Today in the morning it was raining again, but this time Bishnu and I decided to cover up in
substantial rain wear and head into town for various chores.
In the afternoon we headed to the school where the effects of the monsoon on the school
building could clearly be seen, with a large amount of erosion of the front of the school. It
became obvious that the school would need a lot of work, possibly even rebuilding, after the
monsoon. However we were greeted with enthusiasm by the children who began the session
with reading and puzzles, followed by lessons for both groups. Today I decided to challenge the
blue group by asking them not only to identify colours and objects, but also to attempt to spell
them. I had to give them a few hints but they seem to have quite a good grasp of the different
letters, the sounds they make and how they fit together.
In the evening Bishnu and I spent the evening discussing, organising and buying online train
tickets. My friend Sarah is arriving from the UK early Sunday morning and we are planning to
travel northern India together, but first I would love her to come to the school and meet the
children. Thanks to Bishnu and the Internet thus has now been organised, so tomorrow I will go
to Calcutta to meet her in and bring her back here for 2 nights before heading to Darjeeling on
the sleeper train.
You can read about all volunteer's adventures.
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