Early days at CCD

Apologies that it's been a while since our last post... we've jumped headfirst into things here at CCD, and today's the first chance we've had to find some internet.
We met up with some of the Friends of Kolkata mob in Sudder Street where we were staying(Bad Hotel, glad to leave!) and then shared a cramped jeep ride with 8 people and 15 bags, as we crawled our way the 35km to CCD in Madhyamgram. http://www.ccdftc.org/ccdftcindia/
CCD is based in a 4 storey building that houses offices, and the homes for 38 boys and 3 women, that feed and look after the boys, 24 hours, 365 days a year. The boys are either orphans, or cannot be supported by their mothers at home, and most have some background in child labour.
Madhyamgram is much bigger than we expected, with bustling markets, and shops everywhere. There are some amazing vegie markets, and lots of tasty sweets (misti) to sample.
We're living in a room at Suhaus's home, (think Shoe-house) who is a friend of Swapan the Director of CCD. It's clean and comfortable, though we were initially a bit uncomfortable as Suhaus went out of his way in true Indian Fashion, and installed a western toilet, and built new beds prior to our arrival. Aussies just dont get true hospitality.
We've spent a few days getting our bearings, and spending some great time with the fantastic boys. They're great little blokes, and are loving some extra people to hang out with. They've got an incredibly busy routine of school, chores and study, but we've been able to do some little workshops with them which they love. We spent a day at Sports day, which included fun events like the biscuit race!! (See the attached photo)

Amazingly, we've managed to get a good start on the mosaic project which was just an idea when we left home. On mentioning the idea, we were taken to a local tile shop and bought everything we needed. We've started on a swirly mosaic along the CCD Schools front wall, to brighten the place up a bit. We've been working with a few of the older boys who are great to work alongside, and have been regularly observed by over 30 locals who seem to think we're a bit crazy. We'll keep working on this over the next few weeks , though we're struggling to find good tile adhesive...we'll see how we go.

It's taking some time to adjust to some of the cultural differences here, particularly around gender roles, and how they play out in the organisation where we're working. We've got to keep reminding ourselves that we're operating in a very different culture, and choose our battles.
Despite this, we're really enjoying being here, and feel that our teams contributions to the boys have been really valuable to the boys so far. We're really glad for this opportunity, and are keen to see what the next few weeks brings.