Placement - Week 3

The adventure continues here in India - we are now well into the youth empowerment programme, in fact there's only one more week left! I am comfortably settled into India life now, but it definitely doesn't stop me missing home comforts........ I would love some meat right now! Plus, living we two boys is wearing off on me even more as Jack is now teaching me boxing, as the house has gone a bit exercise mad this week in an attempt to get fit (we even brought a skipping rope).... eating rice everyday is getting ever more tedious! We have also had many power cuts this week, so thanks for the torches Mum and Dad!

The week began quiet routinely in a school teaching 8th and 11th standard, it really is great the amount of schools that we get to teach in and each one has a unique character of its own. We spent Tuesday delivering poetry books (written by the students on HIV and Aids) to the schools that participated in the previous dance for life module.Wednesday saw us travel far and wide to a beautifully rural school in which their playground was covered in palm trees, it was a lot of traveling to only teach 11th standard.... but the more kids we reach the better. We spent Thursday and Friday at the same all girls school, and it was quiet frankly in a league of its own in comparison to most of the other schools we have taught in. In that, primarily there was some structure in place for the school day. They were so well behaved, and very intelligent, we were able to teach each standard in its entirety (which for 11th meant over 300 students). I think it was part government, part private from what I understood and it also served as a boarding school for many of the girls, it was a real treat to spend two days working there. Because of our disastrous cook (never preparing meals on time) we had to leave Friday morning without lunch, but in true Indian style we are still being fed wherever we go (hence the daily exercise) I can also report that we have already exceeded the new 10,000 target we set ourselves, so all is going well for team Vellore.

Also without exception, the weekend has been jam packed! We were joined on Friday night by Sam and Candice from Chennai. On Saturday we were awake and ready at 6am our destination......... Amarthi falls and forest. Our tour guide..... Vadivalen (our delightful programme manager in Vellore). We quickly learnt that there was no need for us to get up so early (even though Vadi had informed us too so we would avoid the worst of the sun) because in true Indian style he was late.... and didn't turn up till at least 8. Undeterred we headed for the bus stop and stocked up on lunch (bread and an abundance of fruit). The falls were absolutely beautiful, the whole area was breath taking, after climbing up the waterfall we paddled (and often wadded) up stream to enjoy lunch, feet submerged under the shade of a tree. Vadi was the perfect tour guide, and protector..... from monkeys, (they will try to steel anything, several scared the life out of me as we stopped for a casual cucumber, they were growling at us and proceeded to follow us, I instantly gave up my cucumber). A fabulous day that ended up in a zoo - if you could call it that. As the monkeys ran wild around us, terrorizing us for our fruit we stood there looking in a cage full of...... pigeons... it was very backward zoo. Plus not particularly safe as you could easily of picked up a stick and prodded the alligators they were in no way secure. Plus, despite our 6am start we evidently did not miss the scorching sun and I got a little sunburnt...... not looking so pasty white now!

On Sunday we were joined by Katie and Becca, so with nearly the whole team reunited we set off with one of our local volunteers to the market, and in the afternoon she kindly invited us all round to her home for lunch. We spent much of our time dressing in saree's and getting henna on our hands.... much welcomed female company...... although I believe there's another boxing workout planned for tonight!