Day 1 and 2

So, the journey begins…

Everybody met up in Dublin Airport, positively beaming with anticipation as we embarked on our long yet worthwhile journey. Both our parents and ourselves were nervous, but the hundreds of photos taken by parents and Thérèse probably consoled them somewhat.

We went through all the hoops at the airport together and ended up meeting at 12.30 pm at Gate 306. The first flight went smoothly due to the free Wifi on board and many movies available to watch. We were served lunch on the flight – the options being chicken korma or in Izzy O’R’s case, pasta with a vegetarian sauce (the less said on that the better).

We landed in Dubai for a short layover. We rushed in time to freshen up in the bathrooms and there was just enough time for Katie to lose her phone and find it.

The second flight consisted of snores. Most of us slept at one point or another. Breakfast was mostly good and we definitely appreciated the shorter flight. Upon landing we made our way through arrivals and immigration. Then came a moment where all of us had our hearts in our throats: had our luggage made it? Thankfully, there were no issues and we continued on our way.

We took a small bus through the heart of Kolkata together. Looking through the window and seeing daily life taking place was so interesting. Our excitement for the trip grew. We then arrived at St Joseph’s where we were greeted with a snack and drink for all of us. We rested and unpacked in our rooms and had an amazing lunch. Ice cream on the outside balcony followed. Much to our delight, the weather has been amazing so far.

After lunch, we took the metro to the Mary Rice Centre. This was our first real introduction to Kolkata and all of us were immersed in taking in the sights, smells and noises. The streets were busier than anything we had ever seen before. They were full of life. We were warmly welcomed by Brother Ruvan and Luna, their dog! It was interesting to walk into this centre of peace and tranquillity after our experience on the busy city streets. We liked that we were able to see where we would spend some of our days.

We returned to St Joseph’s and somehow or another, all of us ended up falling asleep by accident! We only just woke up in time for reflection and dinner. It was a great but busy first day, so we went to bed early.

We woke up and had a great breakfast before starting our day in St George’s and St Mary’s respectively.

Those of us who were in St George’s began our day in class 2. Izzy O’R, Issy O’D, and Rachael led this class, the children in this group didn’t have the best English, however, they had amazing enthusiasm and were excited to meet us. Then, Katie, Ruby, and Ava led class 3 with a conversational questions game. We had a short break before Eva and Izzy D took class 4. In this class we taught the children how to make fortune tellers. We participated in a fun and energetic yard-time, full of learning new games. After this we had our final class, these children had very strong English, so we did the conversational cards again and got to know them better. After this we had our lunch and joined Emma, Emily, and Georgie in jewellery making.

Thérèse, Emily, Georgie and Emma were the first group to travel to the Mary Rice Centre. They travelled by metro to Dum Dum followed by a short walk to St. Mary’s school. Their experience was relatively different to the other girls as they participated in helping children with intellectual disabilities. They formed friendships with the children through dances, painting and worksheets. The teachers working in The Mary Rice Centre created fun cultural jewellery and bags which the girls bought to help raise funds for the school. After a great morning in The Mary Rice Centre the girls travelled back to St. George’s to join the other girls in jewellery making. We were all very pleased with our results.

After we made our jewellery, we played a game of basketball with the older girls. We also played many different games with them, taught them how to play Splat, and had good conversations together. We got to know these girls better and formed a good connection with them.

We finished the day with hanging out together, reflecting and having dinner. After dinner and ice cream Brother Franco performed songs on the tin whistle and violin for us. It was a very enjoyable day and we all had a great time. Everyone is in great spirits and we are looking forward to tomorrow!

Xoxo,

The India girls