Day 3

Day 3

Today was our second full day in Kolkata. We had breakfast (toast and eggs) at 7.30 before making our way to the different schools. Ruby, Ava, and Katie as well as Ms Kinsella took the metro to the Mary Rice Centre in Dum Dum. During their time there, the girls were helping the children with Maths and English worksheets. They ended their enjoyable and enlightening experience with lots of dancing (led by Ruby and Katie) and bag painting (from Ms. Kinsella and Ava). They said their goodbyes to the children they met that day and enjoyed some lunch there. They then took the metro back to St. George’s to join the others in a competitive basketball tournament. Meanwhile, the rest of the girls, Mr Hudson, Thérèse and Ms Hickey made the short walk to St George’s.

Isabelle D. and Eva led the first class of the day which was class 3. We all went into the class together and were greeted by joyful faces throughout the class as we walked in. The lesson began with everyone in the room using the past tense to describe activities they took part in the day before, followed by our main game of Jenga. Each block had a different word on it. The children would then create sentences in front of their class to practise quick thinking. This lesson was thoroughly enjoyed (The sticker rewards definitely helped).

Emily, Georgie and Emma completed their first lesson in St. George’s this morning. As nervous as they were, there was no need. The instant respect and enthusiasm they were greeted with was very encouraging. They practised descriptive communitive skills with a game of ‘two stars and a wish’ and a game of hot seat.  We were all surprised by the participation and enthusiasm they displayed towards their national sports. Never had we seen faces light up so much at the mention of cricket. To round off the class, the class split into groups and created a story, taking it in turns to read out to the class. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next class!

Then we enjoyed a break for coffee and a quick snack. All of us were full of chat!

After the break Izzy O’R., Rachael, and Izzy O’D. took the third class of the day, class 5 (the older class). They did a lesson on sports, games and hobbies. The lesson included brainstorming different sports and playing guessing games. They explained GAA too, which opened up an enlightening conversation about the differences and similarities between our cultures.

Then it was lunch. We were involved in many different games. Every child on the yard was full of energy and it was a fun and boisterous experience.

We did the final class together outside. We engaged in dances with the younger children. We did many dances such as ‘Cha Cha Slide’ and the ‘Hokey Pokey’, as well as traditional Irish dancing such as the Dreolín. The weather was absolutely boiling.

Lunch was very good. After lunch, we did jewellery making. We all enjoyed talking to the older students as we worked. We got to form closer bonds with them. After jewellery making, we played basketball with the girls and boys, including Brother Franco. The atmosphere became quite competitive as we all got involved in the fun.

After this, we took a short walk to a local chai tea shop. The chai was served in disposable clay cups which many of us decided to keep as souvenirs. The chai was delicious and very different, both in taste and price, to anything we’d tried in Ireland.

Overall, we had an extremely enjoyable day where we got to know more about the students and the local area. Tomorrow we will be visiting the Hope Foundation which will be an interesting and educational opportunity.