Day 3
After another unexpected and blessed wake-up call filled with song and prayer, many started the day with a relaxing 40 minute session of yoga. Yoga is very popular in Southern India and the exercises are simple and easy to participate in. The team in charge of breakfast decided to prepare scrambled eggs for all travellers (a little reminder of home), much to the delight of the students. After breakfast we split into our groups for the morning activities (which included a leisurely cycle through the area of Silvepura, helping in the garden or visiting the local market.) Those who participated in the bicycle ride encountered a group of monkeys and even some baby monkeys too. The weather was lovely and suited the activities we took part in, making them all the more enjoyable. The lunch for our third day was hotter than anticipated and did not agree with everyone. Before lunch had even finished, we were greeted by some of the girls from Baale Mane, who were very excited to see us. However, many more were soon to arrive on a second bus. We began the afternoon by playing a variety of games with the girls and when the rest arrived (in total about 40) we settled down to carry on with our project of creating the puppets. We introduced them to a new material – modrock, which they had never used before and they were very interested in the way in which it worked. The atmosphere was very friendly and all the girls referred to us as ‘Sister’ or ‘Brother’ and we felt very much like one big family. The puppets looked very realistic and many characters were created, for example, an elephant, a monkey, a cow, a policemen, a merchant and many more. The girls had a lot of fun and smiles filled the garden. The happy afternoon was completed with more song and dance, with Indian and English songs shared. Before the girls left, a snack was provided for everyone and the girls tried an ‘oreo’ which they thoroughly enjoyed. The girls left, waving and smiling, looking forward to their next visit from the Sacred Heart pupils. We thought our afternoon was over but we had a session of learning a traditional folk dance. It was great fun. The night was completed with a warm bonfire after a long but wonderful day.
Written by Froebey (a nickname given by Sophie)
Day 4
The team was woken up in the morning by the blissful sound of nothing… Nearly everyone had a full night’s sleep and didn’t wake up until breakfast time. The morning was started with cereal and toasts- fuel for a big day! The fourth day was the final day where everyone participated in the three activities (either a gentle cycle around Silvepura, visiting the local market or gardening.) Gardening involved planting seeds, replanting tomatoes, digging up soil and making jam out of a bitter fruit known as Rosella. The gardening team also discovered that strawberries could not be grown in India because the climate is too hot. Again the weather was beautiful and everyone participated fully in the activities. In the afternoon, we planned to visit the city of Bangalore but beforehand, we had some free time. Most people used their time to tidy their room and sort out the annex before our trip to Bangalore. The team began their journey and their first stop on the way to the city was to a department store called ‘Fab!India’ where good value products were sold, for example, pottery, clothing, jewellery and spices. After our one-shop-stop, we continued on the bus further into Bangalore, to the market where we stopped and had something for lunch. The group split up into two and either went to a traditional Indian restaurant or some wanted to try something very familiar… pizza! After our meals, the students joined up again and all went around the market together. We visited a wide variety of shops, from traditional Indian shops to music shops of all different genres. The streets were incredibly busy and the city was filled with the sound of people shouting and engines rustling. The girls wanted to buy some form of Indian clothing- most bought either a tunic or a sari. After that, the group visited a henna shop, where many of the students decided to get henna on either their feet or hands. The henna artists were very efficient and everybody’s henna was completed within 3 minutes! We explored a few other shops before heading back to the bus and beginning our journey back to ‘The Land’. The bus ride lasted for just under an hour and we came back to find our Indian dinner ready to eat. A busy day ended with a power cut and everybody had to get their torches out.
Written by Phoebe