Last Sunday evening we held a dinner to say thank you to all the
villagers who we have visited in previous weeks. It was very well
attended and all seemed to have a good time. It was good for us to be
finally serving them, after weeks of them giving so much to us! On the Tuesday we went to an event for woman of a certain profession,
hosted by a local group. It was interesting to see the way things are
done here - quite different to what would be done back home, I think.
We got to share some experiences with them, which was good for us all. We also continued with our village visits later in the week. I met a
lady some of the girls had been meeting mith previously. She showed us
how to make some traditional Indian food, which was very nice, and led
us in to the local lake for a wade around, which was fun for all
except one of the girls who cut her foot on a brick in the water! It
has been really good meeting the local people recently- another man
told us that we have become like members of the village! I'vw seen
changes in people and changes in my attitude that will be very
beneficial in the future. We also got to play some more cricket with the kids in the village,
which was enjoyable. We took our last visit to the orphanage we've been helping with too.
Compared to orphanages in the west, things are done very differently
here. It was good to be able to show the kids some love. I hope they
can hold on to the memories of us as we leave them there. On Saturday morning, at about 9:30, we set off on a train to the
north. At about 7:30pm Sunday, we arrived! I think you probably have
to go on one of these trains yourself to really understand what they
are like, but I'm kind-of glad we only have to take one more train on
the trip (only a 24 hour ride this time, to Delhi). The fold up (or
down depending on whick bunk you got) beds were fairly comfortable,
and I managed to get some sleep, but it wasn't great. I just had to
remember who I was doing the journey for, and what they've done for me
already. We got to see a lot of the Indian countryside - useful for a
trip studying the culture. It seems Indians have a different attitude
to waste disposal to westerners: there were mountians of rubbish
laying by the track side. It was interesting to see that even small tin houses - nothing more
than a hut - have satellite dishes installed! I got talking to a software engineer on the train. I enjoyed hearing
about the types of projects he has been working on recently. Attention
geeks: the future is mobile! I am so pleased I'm on this trip. It really was what I needed to do
with my life at this moment. I've learnt a lot being here, and I will
come away a different person. Someone at work when I announced that I was leaving said they thought
I needed to do this course to 'get it out of me'. At the time, and
even more now that I'm so close to the end, I'm actually thinking it
is something I had to 'get in to me'. The whole course has taught me
so much about myself, others and life that has redically changed my
perspective on so much of the world. I'm happy. Up north, we are on an organised tour of the area, staying in various
hotels. This first one has free wireless internet access, so I'm happy
about that too!
villagers who we have visited in previous weeks. It was very well
attended and all seemed to have a good time. It was good for us to be
finally serving them, after weeks of them giving so much to us! On the Tuesday we went to an event for woman of a certain profession,
hosted by a local group. It was interesting to see the way things are
done here - quite different to what would be done back home, I think.
We got to share some experiences with them, which was good for us all. We also continued with our village visits later in the week. I met a
lady some of the girls had been meeting mith previously. She showed us
how to make some traditional Indian food, which was very nice, and led
us in to the local lake for a wade around, which was fun for all
except one of the girls who cut her foot on a brick in the water! It
has been really good meeting the local people recently- another man
told us that we have become like members of the village! I'vw seen
changes in people and changes in my attitude that will be very
beneficial in the future. We also got to play some more cricket with the kids in the village,
which was enjoyable. We took our last visit to the orphanage we've been helping with too.
Compared to orphanages in the west, things are done very differently
here. It was good to be able to show the kids some love. I hope they
can hold on to the memories of us as we leave them there. On Saturday morning, at about 9:30, we set off on a train to the
north. At about 7:30pm Sunday, we arrived! I think you probably have
to go on one of these trains yourself to really understand what they
are like, but I'm kind-of glad we only have to take one more train on
the trip (only a 24 hour ride this time, to Delhi). The fold up (or
down depending on whick bunk you got) beds were fairly comfortable,
and I managed to get some sleep, but it wasn't great. I just had to
remember who I was doing the journey for, and what they've done for me
already. We got to see a lot of the Indian countryside - useful for a
trip studying the culture. It seems Indians have a different attitude
to waste disposal to westerners: there were mountians of rubbish
laying by the track side. It was interesting to see that even small tin houses - nothing more
than a hut - have satellite dishes installed! I got talking to a software engineer on the train. I enjoyed hearing
about the types of projects he has been working on recently. Attention
geeks: the future is mobile! I am so pleased I'm on this trip. It really was what I needed to do
with my life at this moment. I've learnt a lot being here, and I will
come away a different person. Someone at work when I announced that I was leaving said they thought
I needed to do this course to 'get it out of me'. At the time, and
even more now that I'm so close to the end, I'm actually thinking it
is something I had to 'get in to me'. The whole course has taught me
so much about myself, others and life that has redically changed my
perspective on so much of the world. I'm happy. Up north, we are on an organised tour of the area, staying in various
hotels. This first one has free wireless internet access, so I'm happy
about that too!
