The end is so close I can almost reach out and touch it. When I close my eyes, I can feel the sand between my toes and hear the the waves lapping the shore.
Yesterday was lovely. We didn't have to go to school in the morning because it was a holiday, so I dashed into town with Freya and Fergus. It was brilliant to be out and about without Martha slowing us down! We bought lots of lovely stuff, making sure we chose each thing from a a different seller to spread our rewards around.
We came back home to collect Hamish and Martha then we jumped in a taxi and went to school. Even though it was a holiday, the year 8 and 10 classes were there doing revision classes. They have their board exams coming up next month so they are working really hard. We arrived just as their classes were finishing. Hamish set up cricket matches for the boys and Freya and I painted with some of the girls.
As our time comes to a close, I am pleased with the progress I have made. I've got an Eco project well under way. Monika, the science teacher has spent a lot of time with me and I think she understands the importance of environmental education. She will be a good leader and has taken it all on board. Teachers here aren't snowed under with loads of paperwork. They have been following the same curriculum for years, teaching the same lessons year after year. They don't know what it is to plan, assess and evaluate. During their free periods, they sit in the staff room and read the newspaper!
We have painted a fantastic mural on one of the outside walls that was really grotty when we arrived. This means we've left a big visual impact on the place. I've done some great teaching - the kids are like sponges, so keen to learn, though all so spoon fed they have very little creativity. I've shared lots of ideas for good practice with the staff that I have worked with and Sister Jancy. How far she can change this antiquated system is down to her.
Later in the afternoon, she came to collect us and take us to the convent, where we met the Mother Superior and several other nuns. It was pretty crazy. I felt like we were in the 'Sound of Music' except nobody was singing. Martha charmed them all and gave us respite in what was quite a strange, intense yet lovely experience. We all sat very still and very upright as Mother Superior asked us many questions about our lives.
They gave us a very warm welcome and though it felt somewhat awkward to be in such an old fashioned institution, there was an abundance of encouraging smiles from the sisters who all sat listening to us. They explained how their numbers are dwindling as no young blood is joining the sisterhood.
"Perhaps Freya will!" laughed Mother Superior, "That would be very good!"
Freya later told me how weird that moment had been and said, "It's no wonder no young girls want to be nuns. We live in a modern world and they don't,"
They are good people, with good hearts and I'm sure throughout the world they do wonderful, selfless work. But Freya's right in that thought. Their lives are so radically different to anything she has ever known. It's not part of our society. I guess the closest my kids get to this kind of charity is the concept of volunteering.
Freya has completely got the idea that we are lucky and we've come here to make the lives of these children a bit better. Gus can tell you that, but I'm not sure how much he really understands it. To him, the kids are just kids. Same as him.
We had tea at the convent which was delicious! We sat at a long refectory table, with me at the head. We were served by Sister Jancy, which felt a little strange. We had the most scrumptious coconut and lemon pancakes, followed by pakora and sweet coffee.
After we had eaten and the kids had broken the quiet, calm atmosphere with their laughter as they ran through the corridors and played Hide n Seek, we were taken to see the new auditorium they're building at the Sacred Heart School. It's immense, just like you would expect to see in a large secondary school in the UK, but the way it's being built is totally different.
The entire thing has been built by hand. Everything has been carried in on the shoulders of men, or, more likely, on the head of women. It has taken years, but is now near completion.
There is sound proofing on the walls and ceiling, huge arched windows, jagged scaffold poles dotted around precariously and a team of builders - whole families complete with kids - is living in a room under the stage! Their washing was strung on a line that stretched the length of the stage and they pee in the far corner of the hall - that was quite apparent.
A health and safety officer in the UK would have a heart attack. We entered via a concrete staircase with no sides, leading us up to the second floor. There were rocks, holes and rusty scaffold pipes strewn everywhere. The sisters just stepped gracefully over in their floor length robes. You had to see it to believe it.
As we finally shook hands and hugged Mother Superior and Sister Jancy farewell, I was struck by the brilliant opportunities we face almost daily. So much we all now take for granted, like letting the monks in the Internet cafe entertain / be entertained by Martha, as we get on with things.
We came home tired and happy. Hamish went down to town and brought us pizzas which we ate on the bed! We spend so much time talking, eating together, playing games, and watching films together.
Today we're taking a rickshaw to Dharamcot, our neighbouring village, to go to Rajesh's house. We're going to meet the cow whose provided our milk all these weeks.
Whilst I can't wait to get to the beach, I don't want to be so close to the end. We could have easily done this for six months...
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