Sad Farewells

After three fantastic weeks of fascinating experiences, amazing people and crazy challenges we finally said some very tough farewells to our little (and not so little) buddies at CCD. We've been able to get to know these guys quite well - it's amazing how much can be shared despite language barriers! Miraculously, we finished part A of our mosaic - a big feat which we were really stoked with! As we were working outside the school, we unexpectedly found ourselves with loads of opportunities to connect with the wider community beyond CCD. We felt that this was really important - it was great for us to get to know different people, great for the visibility of the school in the area (which is trying to build it's enrolments), and great for the boys from Muktaneer who helped us and who do not have many opportunities to connect with the community. These were unanticipated benefits to the project, which was otherwise more of an aesthetic and creative project. The community connections were extended on Sunday night, when we invited all CCD connections and the broader community to the school (CCD Academy) to give the boys an opportunity to share some of the creative outcomes of the workshops they'd been involved in - short stories, photographs, musical items, drawings, a huge painted quilt, school based activities and a mosaic launch. The turn out was great, and the boys and CCD staff were really proud. Some of this work will be showcased at an exhibition in Melbourne in May - stay tuned for an email!!

We flew to Mumbai yesterday afternoon - exahausted, filthy and pretty damn wrecked! We're feeling better today, having spent the day hanging out doing our own thing around Mumbai. The fact that we find ourselves in a comfortable hotel has already helped. Would have like to spend longer in Mumbai!

Thanks for persevering with our ramblings, and for your comments - it's been really great to feel connected to home. See you all soon.

Jeff and Gin.