This has been quite a fun week overall.
We started off with a trip to a fantastic beach. It is better than many I've been to in England (it had sand instead of stones for starters!), and we were one of the only groups of people there. We had to take a boat to get to the beach, which was on an island. We spent a few hours there, having fun in the sea and relaxing on the shore. It was a great day off. The next day, the guys on the team, along with our visitor from base and our contact here set off to a local TV station where our contact was going to help his friend with a show he was going to broadcast. At least, that is what we thought when we got into the car. While driving, our contact informed us that the meeting had been cancelled, so asked us what else we wanted to do instead! We ended up going to a local park, drinking some coffee from a traditional roadside stall, going to a bookshop and going out for a fantastic meal at a hotel restaurant. My favourite curry is Chicken Tikka Massala. I've not been able to find it here until that day, and the way they made it was fantastic - perhaps the best I've tasted yet. It was a shame about the TV station trip, but that meal just about made up for it. For the rest of the week we continued our study of the culture through trips to the homes of local people, and meeting with the youth of the area. People here are very hospitable. Some of our group have just been walking down the road and been invited into people's houses for a drink or some food. I've also got to play quite a few games of cricket, which have brought back memories of my childhood. We have also sung songs and taught the kids a bit about us too. I think we are making some good progress. It is nice now being able to recognise some of the kids when I see them out and about in the village. We have also continued our work in the orphanage. This week they had a visitor who worked there 6 years ago, soon after they started. It seems they have always had ambitious goals for the place. Meeting them is another matter. We have seen significant impact through our work there though, and our preparation meeting times before hand have also led to answers when we arrive for duty. It has been really fun getting to run around after the kids and bringing them some fun in their lives. We are starting our last (and somehow fourth) week in our current location. Next week we will take the 36 hour train trip up north for next leg of the tour.One of the thoughts we had about the trip before we left was "lasting impact", and I think that is what we are making. It was really good having our visitor from home here this week. He brought us some goodies, including sweets and a set of Uno cards. We played a game a few nights ago. It was funny playing with people who had different ideas of the rules! I'm so pleased that I'm on this trip. I really feel that is has come at the right time in my life, and was the right decision to make. I think it will have significant impact on my own journey when I return home. Thanks for reading. Talk later, at some point when I can get online next!
We started off with a trip to a fantastic beach. It is better than many I've been to in England (it had sand instead of stones for starters!), and we were one of the only groups of people there. We had to take a boat to get to the beach, which was on an island. We spent a few hours there, having fun in the sea and relaxing on the shore. It was a great day off. The next day, the guys on the team, along with our visitor from base and our contact here set off to a local TV station where our contact was going to help his friend with a show he was going to broadcast. At least, that is what we thought when we got into the car. While driving, our contact informed us that the meeting had been cancelled, so asked us what else we wanted to do instead! We ended up going to a local park, drinking some coffee from a traditional roadside stall, going to a bookshop and going out for a fantastic meal at a hotel restaurant. My favourite curry is Chicken Tikka Massala. I've not been able to find it here until that day, and the way they made it was fantastic - perhaps the best I've tasted yet. It was a shame about the TV station trip, but that meal just about made up for it. For the rest of the week we continued our study of the culture through trips to the homes of local people, and meeting with the youth of the area. People here are very hospitable. Some of our group have just been walking down the road and been invited into people's houses for a drink or some food. I've also got to play quite a few games of cricket, which have brought back memories of my childhood. We have also sung songs and taught the kids a bit about us too. I think we are making some good progress. It is nice now being able to recognise some of the kids when I see them out and about in the village. We have also continued our work in the orphanage. This week they had a visitor who worked there 6 years ago, soon after they started. It seems they have always had ambitious goals for the place. Meeting them is another matter. We have seen significant impact through our work there though, and our preparation meeting times before hand have also led to answers when we arrive for duty. It has been really fun getting to run around after the kids and bringing them some fun in their lives. We are starting our last (and somehow fourth) week in our current location. Next week we will take the 36 hour train trip up north for next leg of the tour.One of the thoughts we had about the trip before we left was "lasting impact", and I think that is what we are making. It was really good having our visitor from home here this week. He brought us some goodies, including sweets and a set of Uno cards. We played a game a few nights ago. It was funny playing with people who had different ideas of the rules! I'm so pleased that I'm on this trip. I really feel that is has come at the right time in my life, and was the right decision to make. I think it will have significant impact on my own journey when I return home. Thanks for reading. Talk later, at some point when I can get online next!
