Photos finally added!

Just letting you know that we've finally managed to add new photos. Scroll back through to see the images that go with the reflections!!

This photo on the left is Deep Das, the youngest boy in the home, who has become one of my little friends. Today I spent the day at ISW, another FOK Partner in Barasat, where I was able to assit in surveying a site for a Womans Shelter that is soon to be built. It was nice to be able to apply a few of my skills! Gin continues to work hard on resources at the school, and has begun assisting in writing funding applications for CCD - Something she's pretty good at! Continuing to enjoy things here...hope you're all well.

Cheers...Jeff

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.

Phase II: Discovering Kolkata...

We're a little sad that we have now had the last of our train trips across India as far as planned. Train is a great way to travel India - we've met some really interesting characters, including our friends travelling from Nagaland (see earlier blog), heaps of children who are very interested in how different we look (as well as many adults!!), and last night a friendly bunch of teenage boys (not quite your average teenagers from Melbourne's suburbs!). These guys were really keen to practise their English with us, on their nightly train trip from school in Varanasi to home in Mughal. They hunt for tourists to practise with. They have been learning English for 4-6 months (about the same amount of time we learnet Bengali for), but totally killed us in terms of their fluency!! They were keen to talk about Australia, cricket (everyone loves Ricky Ponting - more than any Indian cricketer especially at the moment!!), marriage, future... like I said their English was great! They were also nice enough to let us know that our very late train had had a change of platform, or we might still be waiting in Varanasi for the Doon Express!! Jeff informs me that overnight trains aren't the most comfortable for a nasty dose of the travel bug... but he endured it heroically!! He's on the improve now, hopefully!
Arrival in Kolkata came around quickly. Until now it had been a nervous wait to try and work out whether we would get an English sign at the station of destination, and if not whether we would meet someone who spoke enough English to help us out. This morning we were both asleep when we pulled into Kolkata, and it was a quick dash off the train and into the crazy station that is Howrah (the old name for Kolkata). We were a little nervous, as we had not booked a hotel for our one night in the city part of Kolkata, but with a few quick prayers and fingers crossed, the first place we tried took us in no worries.
Kolkata seems to be quite a different city to Delhi - not nearly as many animals roaming the streets and it feels a little more organised. We even found a park to sit in, and had a chat to a luvly guy named George. Today has been laying low, trying to kick the travel bugs that have been lingering a bit (nothing too dramatic though). We ran into one of our crew from Melbourne. We will all meet up tomorrow to head out to CCD where our work with Friends of Kolkata will begin. Who knows what lays ahead... things change everyday... but regardless there will surely be plenty to experience and learn and much to challenge us! Not sure what our internet access will be like in Madyamgram (where the boys home is), so our updates may become less regular. Thanks for tuning in and reading our ramblins thus far - your comments have made us feel really connected with our ozzie mob.
Lotsa luv.

some more of varanasi...

After a frustrating morning of persistant touts, being stalked down the street, and dodgy internet cafes, we've finally found a place to update you on our travels. Luvly.
Yesterday we had a full day of touristy stuff around Varanasi, beginning with a 5.30am sunrise boatride along the Ganges. This was a clear standout for us, as we slowly meandered past the ghats, observing hindus as they prayed, washed, swam, stretched, bathed, and in some cases cremated their family members. Needless to say this was an amazing glimpse into the cultures and rituals of hinduism. We have much to learn about spiritual discipline, or even spirituality. Many of these guys wash at this spiritually significant place everyday, summer and winter.

While we sat rugged up in the boat before the sun came up, mothers bathed their small children in the open air. Brrrrrr. We noticed a western woman brave the cold to do her Hindu prayers, but she only braved the cold water for a quick head and footwash. After an hour and a half on the Ganges, we were driven to a few Hindu Temples, and also took a drive around the huge campus of Banaras Hindu University, one of Indias largest universities.
We headed out again in the afternoon and visited Sarnath, which is the Buddhist centre of Varanasi. We really enjoyed this area, and it was a nice change from the plethora of Hindu Temples that we've already visited. The area had a nice feel to it as well, more trees and gardens, and many buddhist monks doing laps...it was all very welcoming.
At sunset we returned to the Ganges, and jumped on a boat to checkout Ganga Puja, the evening hindu prayers on one of the Ghats, complete with lights and microphones. It was a little like a hindu version of the nightly show at Ayers Rock...bit cheesy really, but it was nice to be on the river. (No offence intended!!)

Varanasi surely has its extremes, perhaps more than anywhere else we've visited in India so far. The levels of street badgering was pretty full on, but the streets and markets were fantastic, as was the glimpse into so much hindu ritual. The ganges river provides a peaceful oasis amongst all this, though it is atad eery after dark.

We leave for Kolkata this afternoon, signalling the end of the first travelling phase of our adventures.

The spiritual centre...Varanasi

Somehow we've managed to make it to Varanasi. As predicted, our train journey was long and drawn out, with the train arriving at 2.30am, 3 hours late. We'd managed to kill a few hours earlier in the evening in the lobby of our hotel, and they arranged a car for us to travel the 30km to the station, which was great... but we were still lucky enought to sit in the absolutely freezing cold for 5 hours! Lovely!
We passed the time shivering, eating sensational potato fritters and attempting conversation with some other indian travellers. Our cross cultural communication skills are improving (I think!?) and the little bengali we learnt in Melbourne has already been useful, even with Hindi speakers.
Eventually our train arrived, and we went straight to bed, sleeping well. We arrived at our station 5 hours late (although our western minds are slowly geting around the fact that there is not late in India!), having met some Canadian travellers (Michelle and Magic) who we decided to make the 30km trip to Varanasi with. We were suprised to be found by a contact from our hotel who agreed to drive all of us to varanasi as part of the hotel cost. The dramas began when the driver attempted to stop at "the office" which was a travel agent, as an attempt to organise our hotels, travel and tours. We protested, and luckily the boss was not there, so we escaped.
We dropped Magic and Michelle at their hotel, and then on the way to our hotel, we were informed that we were going to another hotel. We again emphasised our booking, and miraculously "the boss" drove by on his motorbike and gave the driver some instructions. When finally dropped at our hotel, I was handed a mobile phone by the driver, and his boss informed me that the hotel was fully booked so we could not stay there. I said we'd go in anyway and he hung up. Followed closely by the driver, we checked in, although the driver informed the porter we were checking out in attempt to get our bags back!!
After all this we settled in our comfortable room, ordered a big lunch, and relaxed and slet for the evening.
Varanasi is the city of Shiva, the Hindu God. Hindu pilgrims flock to Varanasi to wash away their sins in the Ganges. It is also where Hindus come to die as it offers moksha - liberation from the cycle of life and death. It is home to many ghats (baths) where many hindu rituals and ceremonies occur, particularly connected to dying. We're taking a sunrise trip along the ghats tomorrow, so we'll include some photos soon. Unfortunately Varanasi is also known for it's darker side, including massive levels of pollution in the ganges, crime and scamming.
Upto this point we've been pretty lucky to escape these elements in our travels, but were warned in broken english by locals in Agra to "Remain Alert" So we shall!

Today we'll take it easy and wander a bit, before a full day of touristy things tomorrow. We're looking forward to it. Hope all is well downunder...we're not missing the heat...though these nights are pretty bluddy cold!

Agra...our return to the city

After easily finding our train and seat in Jaipur, we settled in for our 7 hour stop start journey to Agra. We enjoyed being in a slightly lower class, with openable windows, and a chance to see the countryside. We discovered the travelling economy that is the Indian Railway, with many hawkers selling chai, peanuts, meals, lollies, chips, pani(water) the entire journey, as well as the odd beggar and busker. The chai here is fantastic, and we don't usually need to be asked twice(although we were a bit disillusioned to see it being made with a tea bag on the train!). It's been warming as the nights have been cold. Despite the chilly nights, the days have been clear and sunny, and quite warm in the sun...(even a tad of sunburn). We've adjusted pretty well to the food, and eating with our hands, although the spice is still a little fiery sometimes!

We arrived in Agra Fort a hour or so late, and amazingly found an autorickshaw driver who again took us straight to our hotel. The nice hotel in the middle of the tourist city was a bit of a culture shock after saharia... but it was great to have a warm shower!

Today we've spent some mandatory time at the Taj Mahal, which is pretty impressive in reality, and we're glad we made the effort to get out here. We're ready to leave the tourists though! We're learning that Internet Cafes are a lovely refuge from the busy streets.
We'll pass some time in Agra this afternoon, and then find our train station, which is about 35km away. Our train to Varanasi doesnt depart until 11.20pm tonight, so we're in for an interesting evening.

The sensational Saharia Organic Farm

So...New Years Eve. Our normal experiences are parties with friends, lots of food, lots of noise, and perhaps a drink or two. Picture if you can a mud brick shack with thatched roof sitting amongst fields of wheat and mustard, with the resident camel keeping an eye on things from out the back. This was where we found ourselves on Sunday night after taking a bit of a risk in Melbourne and booking a few days at a farm 28kms from Jaipur.
We passed the new year, strangely enough, sitting in a thatched room, watching Narnia in Hindi on a laptop, through the smoke of a fire set at our feet. Similar to last year but different!! (We watched Narnia in Canberra with Paul and Amber just on a year ago when it came out). We were joined with some of the local families, and Bill, a volunteer from England who's Woofiing his way through India. (http://www.wwoof.com.au/)

Saharia turned out to be an amazing experience of connecting with some local organic farming families, and being let into their simple yet amazing lives. Saharia allowed us to relax after some pretty intense days in the city and on trains, as well as giving us the opportunity to share a chai squatting in an outdoor kitchen with local families, taste the most amazing chapatti straight of the fire(drizzled with gee...hmmm), and walk through the fields and learn about their organic techniques. Did you know Cow's urine is great for polishing wood?? Harley...you'll have to give that a try on your next project!! We were thrown in the deep end at a village school nearby, where we were expected to teach 4 rowdy classes English in 20 minutes. Needless to say, we wont be giving up our day jobs in a hurry. It definitely gave us a good taste in preperation for Kolkata. We're stuffed!

We were blessed to spend some time with amazing people at Saharia who shared their lives and their wisdom with us, with inspiring integrity. It was a really grassroots example of community and communal living in action. The families all lived completely self sufficiently from the farm, and the happy contentedness that emerged from this simple living was contagious.

We were sad to leave this amazing place after only a few days. It encouraged us to give Wwoofing a try sometime, and challenged us about living more simply in Melbourne.
We left Saharia on the Camel Cart, a sensationally slow way to tear ourselves away from the place. We caught a local bus to Jaipur, took a wander, and prepared for our train trip to Agra.