Roses and Thorns

Roses: I really enjoyed the whole trip. It was the most amazing experience of my life and I will never forget it. The trip made me think a lot about how lucky I am to have a loving family and how much we take for granted in Canada. Being in India gave me a whole new outlook on life. I had never been out of North America before the trip and therefore I had never been able to realize how developed our country was and how different our lives are than so many people in the world. Some of my favourite moments or things in general were (not in order):1) Near the start of the trip when we played with Harry's House. It was really hot but playing with the kids and seeing them smile was so rewarding!2) Seeing the Monkeys on the way to Ooty and in Conoor after lunch... they were SO cute!!!3) Spending time with the older girls. They were really fun to play with and spending time with them just felt like a constant sleepover. It was also really interesting to hear about their school and their time at the orphanage. 4) Giving out donations with Kalyani. This time was really great because I got to see how happy the donations made the kids. It was really funny to see how much the younger boys liked the toothpaste. I also enjoyed our visit to the young babies room. I really wished we could have spent time in there because they were SO cute. 5) Playing with the toddlers. They were really cute especially the ones from the baby room. 6) Playing with the babies. It was really amazing to see all the different babies. I think my most rewarding (and also most tiring) trip to the baby room was my first morning. I spent this morning entertaining a baby with down syndrome. I learned from one of the "mamas" that babies with down syndrome are generally very lazy and therefore they need to be forced into walking. This baby was just learning to walk with only one finger support. I spent about half an hour walking back and forth down the hallway with her. She was always smiling and seemed to be very determined. That same morning I was able to spend time playing with Brama, a baby who had a very large head. It was really nice to be able to spend time with him even though we couldn't do much. He didn't seem to get much attention in the baby room and was always lying down in his crib alone because he was not able to walk.7) This seems pretty random but I really enjoyed joking around with the people in the markets. If you think about it, the attention that we got and the comments we received would have been completely weird and "sketch" in Toronto but there it was hilarious to play along with it. 8) The IB school. Once the TOK discussion was over, the IB school was a lot of fun to be at. It was really great to interact with the students. (It was also really nice to see their campus! It was absolutely stunning!) 9) The whole trip. If I had to name everything I would really have to write down everything we did on the trip because I really just had SO much fun. FFC was awesome and I can't wait to go back some time soon!Thorns:Like I said, I really enjoyed everything so these thorns were only little.1) Getting sick. Getting sick in Kerala was a bummer because I had REALLY been looking forward to seeing the elephants. Before the trip I was always telling my family about how I was going to be able to pet an elephant and such so not getting to do that was sort of upsetting. That restaurant with the dragon chicken also didn't have the best morning after results. haha. 2) Seeing beggars at in front of the largest Coimbatore temple. Before the trip I had prepared myself for the worst I think but this one group of people really struck me. There was one man who had an immensely swollen foot that stayed in my head for the rest of the trip. However, I think that these were the only beggars we saw for the most part of the trip. 3) The heat. But not really because in Coimbatore it wasn't that bad compared to Kerala. 4) The biggest thorn for me was leaving FFC. It was so hard to say goodbye to everyone especially the older girls. I've already started planning my own trip to go back to FFC in June/ July 2008. Three weeks in India was not nearly enough time especially since we had the trips which took up time. Even though I really enjoyed the trips, I wish we could have had more time at FFC with the kids because I did not get to spend a lot of time with the younger boys and I spent almost no time with the older boys.Anyways I think thats all. I had a really awesome trip! Thanks for sharing the experience with me :D Note:While I was unpacking my sister started screaming. Apparently I brought a friend home with me. A rather large cockroach crawled out of my suitcase. Let's just say my stepdad had it dead pretty fast. haha. Jess


Roses:
1. Spending time with the older and younger girls. They were amazing. They were so friendly when we first got to FFC and they made us feel so welcome! I loved talking to them and getting to know their personalities. They are such sweet people and we become such good friends. Learning Tamel dances with the older girls was definitely an interesting experience and fun as well. Doing the henna was also amazing. The girls are so talented!
2. Seeing the elephants! I had never seen elephants before so walking up to them and petting them was something I'll never forget. 3. The IB school! It was so different from York and such an amazing experience to see how kids our age in India are doing the same kind of work and taking the same subjects we are taking here in Canada. The school was also beautiful and huge! Talking to the kids there was also fun even though I think they approached their school life way differently then we do at York.3. Taking pictures with random people! It as hilarious to see strangers asking us to take pictures with them. I felt famous! 4. Playing with the toddlers on the very first day! They were so cute and some of them were really outgoing and excited to see us! They also seemed to enjoy playing with us and seeing different people other than the women who look after them and teach them.
Thorns:1. The heat! It was really hard getting used to such warm temperatures and sometimes because of how hot it was, I wasn't feeling very well. I think it if it had been cooler, all of us would have had more energy than we did. The sun wore us out!2. Being picky about Indian food. As soon as we got to India and it was meal time, everyone was so excited to try the new food. I, on the other hand was hesitant. It was different for me, and I don't like to try new foods. Although I did eat some of the food, it would have been much easier if I had not been so picky and just ate everything!
3. Leaving FFC. That was incredibly sad and there were lots of tears. I made such good friends there and I really didn't want to leave them. I miss everyone there so much and I really hope that we made an impact on their lives because they sure made an impact on mine!
Lauren xo



Roses…
My first rose is simply having had the opportunity to go back to India after seven years away. It is an absolutely unique place full of exotic sights, sounds, smells, flavors, and textures. Even though it is rapidly developing into an economic powerhouse, much of India remains charmingly ‘old world’.My second rose is that our time at the Families for Children orphanage was so rewarding. I loved how quickly the group meshed with the kids of FFC. Whether it was rocking babies in our arms, playing with the toddlers, running around with the boys at Harry’s House or listening to music with the ‘older girls’, the experience was truly memorable.and Thorns…I don’t really have a thorn, but I guess if there was something that got irritating for me it would be the amount of time it takes to go anywhere in India. Traffic always seems snarled and it’s just impossible to go out and run a few quick errands. A trip to a bank and two shops pretty well eats up a whole day – Sigh -
Mr. B (‘handsome’)



One rose is that i got to spend a lot of time with the kids at the orphanage. Also the feeling afterwards helping out was gr8. I actually felt that we made a difference in these few days.Another rose is that after coming back i feel more independent and i feel now i can do things on my own to a greater extent than i used to.Another rose is that i learnt that it doesn't take a lot to make a difference and i realized how lucky we are and how different our lives are from theirs.Another rose- being able to pet the elephants. that was fun and exciting.I don't really have any thorns xcept for the heatOne main rose is that i got to know my friends a lot better than i did before
Abrar

I did not really have one rose in particular because the whole trip was so amazing. If I had to choose one rose in particular it would be playing with the toddlers because they were always so energetic and happy.I did not have any thorns in over the trip. There is one thorn that I have now that I'm back, which is I miss the heat from India because I am finding it really cold here.jon


k, my roses were...1. playing with the kids in the orphanage, especially the babies and theolder girls. They were so much fun and i felt that we made really goodfriends in that short amount of time. 2. taking the older girls out that one day to buy stuff, it was crazy buti think we handled it pretty well with the sound off and everything. 3. Dyanalinga yoga, that’s gotta be one of my favorite things just becauseit was so peaceful compared to a lot of the crazy activity going on inIndia. 4. Seeing the elephants, they were amazing! especially the baby one whichwas really really cute, and they're hairier than i had imagined. 5. Ooty and Kerala were so beautiful. 6. I forget who wrote it, but someone said something about joking aroundwith the vendors, and i have to agree, once you get past the creepinessthey're pretty funny. 7. Special "tea"8. Ravi, he's my hommie (sp?)9. Steak in Ooty, it was delicious10. the food at the orphanage was pretty good, especially the spaghetti,yummmmmmm...11. people taking pictures with us in Ooty, that was pretty funny, it mademe feel special ( i know I’m pathetic)12. I almost forgot about the little kids doing the yoga! that wassoooooooooooooooooooooo cute!!!my thorns were...1. Cockroaches, even though i only saw one, i was pretty much scared forlife because of it. 2. I agree with everyone else the heat was pretty unbearable at times. 3. the slowness and messingupness of our food orders. 4. going home, i cried :'( 5. the flight home, long, boring and near the end i thought i was going todie of a bran aneurism (i seriously did, i was freeking out when we werelanding in toronto)I think I’ve bored you guys enough with my long list, so i'd say that wasabout it. peace~Jessie~


RosesMy roses are spending time with the older girls and playing that chasing game with the younger boys. I also loved giving out our donations to all of the kids. Another rose that I have is the dance party we had with the whole orphanage. That was so much fun. I also loved seeing the elephants. Basically, my biggest rose was the whole entire trip because I loved it so much.ThornThe only thorn that I had was probably the flight back home because I did not want to leave India.R Persaud



Let me redo my roses and thorns!!!After reading all of yours I realize I should elaborate on mine.First of all I would like to say, a rose is reading all of your roses and seeing how much you guys have all grown from the experience and seeing how you overcame and realized your challenges while in India. I am proud of you guys and for what you have accomplished. And more importantly what you have reflected upon and learned from this experience.Spending time at the orphanage was really special to me, seeing you guys in your element and putting faith in us when we lead you to the children. Each one of you showed your true colours when you were with the children whether it was the toddlers, babies, small boys, or older girls and boys. Realizing how important the "lead up" fundraising money was and how far it would actually go in India. Purchasing all the "things" that make the orphanage tick and having fun shopping with all of our money. And not so fun with the wait times! That last day was a thorn - with my illness too!The side trips were important for us to take, stepping back and seeing other parts of India and having a chance to reflect upon the orphanage while away from it. I loved our adventures, even the paddle boating as it was relaxing and good hang out time with you guys. The elephants we pretty awe inspiring. (Although - Brian Keating's presentation took away from my experience!!), what incredible animals that when you really look at them are quite odd looking. I miss little Sarika and Preenaga, two of my favourites - although I don't play favourites!! They were pretty special children and I cherish the moments with them.My roses could go on and on - but I think you get the jist of them.Thorns: Hmmmmm, how the heat made us all really lethargic. The energy level was not what it could have been if we weren't so hot.As well, the upset tummy that has gone on for 8 days now. It is on the mend and hopefully continues to each day. (I'll keep you posted!).Thanks everyone for such a great trip and being patient with the flights and delays.I look forward to being in a room together to see all of you back at school. Ms. P

Super dee duper weekend!

Hey all!
The York school India trip has spent yet another great weekend at FFC bonding with the kids, and hanging out.

Early saturday we woke up, excited to be back at FFC and seeing all our new friends. Most of us started the day playing in the baby room. They were all so cute, and we could tell that they were becoming more comfortable around us. When the babies went down for their nap at 10 am, some of us went to the kindergarten while others went to see the older girls. While with the older girls a few of us got a chance to meet the new volunteers at the orphanage, the Dutton's from Toronto, who are here for a week. We all moved to the kindergarten class when music was put on, and had a crazy dance party! Soon after the boys were sent on an important mission, to paint the shutters in the small boys house. We didn't realize what a task it was, until paint got everywhere! For supper we got a little taste of home with a big serving of spaghetti and tomatoe sauce! yum yum! After supper we hung out with some of the older girls, playing hand games and reading palms, then off to bed in anticipation of an exciting sunday.

Sunday we had a bit of a slow start, a nice sleep in! off to breakfast, where we discovered spaghetti and sauce awaiting us at the table. After breakfast the girls headed off to be with the older girls, while the boys went to finish painting shutters and play soccer with the older boys.
The after noon was spent with the older girls, listening to music, doing henna and playing with our ever interesting digital cameras.

All in all this weekend was a complete success and completely exhausting!

love the india trip

Elephants, Back waters and much much MORE!

We left the orphanage on Tuesday morning for a four hour drive to Fort Cochin in Kerala. Kerala is on the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea and was the port Christopher Columbus thought he was sailing to in 1492. Kerala is covered with palm trees, back water lagoons and beautiful beaches. The actual city of Fort Cochin was crowded with thousands of little shops and touristy restaurants and bars. We couldn’t walk ten meters with out somebody offering to sell us whatever we wanted… On our first afternoon we dined at “Chiles the Joint” right on the shore where we watched ships, ferry boats, the fin of a dolphin and the Chinese fishing nets. It took three hours for the food to come but it was good and what we didn’t eat, the stray cats at our feet enjoyed. We walked along the rows of stalls where people were selling sandal wood carvings, jewelry and tapestries and then we went to the Kathakali cultural center to watch a very strange traditional dance performance. Both male and female parts were played by men heavily made up with green, yellow, red, and black face paint. It was very hot and we were given bamboo fans to cool ourselves down with. After the performance we had dinner under the stars at our hotel.

The next day, we took a seven hour boat tour of the backwaters of Kerala. Along the way we visited a factory that turns muscle shells into lime used for concrete and chalk and we also saw women spinning coconut fibers into rope. There were nutmeg, mace and pepper trees as well as several water snakes along the way. The boat didn’t have a motor but was polled by two guys with long bamboo poles. Jon and Mr. B took turns guiding the boat. Once we got into a large lake, we let the wind push us while our guide had a well deserved afternoon siesta (he snored).

Thursday morning we were awake at 6 am and drove quite a distance to an elephant training center where we were able to witness the trainers washing the elephants in the river. We got to pet the elephants and also took many pictures. They range in age from 8 months to 36 years. The elephants were extremely well trained and they did not forget their commands. They stood, turned, lied down, walked and even wrapped their trunks around us on command. It was a great experience because this was the first time that all of us were able to pet elephants. After lunch, we trove the van on a ferry and took the ferry across Erankulun Bay and headed north to Cherai Beach. Most of us body surfed in the meter high surf of the Arabian Sea. The water was almost as warm as a bath tub and very salty and buoyant. It was a lot of fun and a nice break from the hot temperature of Kerala. We drove back to town and caught a ferry right away that took us back to the hotel just in time for facials and massages. The massages were some what similar to the ones in Canada minus the towel. We were lathered in coconut oils from head to toe for a 45 minute experience we will never forget.

The next day, we slept in and checked out the shops in Jew town and the spice market before driving back to Tamil Nadu, where the kids were so happy to have us back. It feels great to be back at our Indian “home” and we look forward to spending the next five days with the kids before making our way back to Toronto.

Ooty continued/at the orphanage

When we went to the botanical gardens, one of the fun parts that we encountered was everyone wanting to take pictures of us. At first it was funny, but after a while it became kind of annoying because so many people were asking us for a picture, it made us feel kind of famous. After our day was over, we went back to our hotel which had an amazing view over the town of Ooty. Our hotel was very cozy, comfortable, and welcoming. Every night we had someone come into our rooms and start a fire for us. It may sound kind of crazy to have a fire to warm up in India, but Ooty is around 2600 meters above sea level so it gets cold at night. The only downside to the hotel was that when we ordered dinner it took almost two hours for it to come each night. The next morning, we woke up and took a train ride to Coonoor which was down the mountain a little bit. The view from the train ride was spectacular, and we got many great shots of all the tea plantations along the sides of the mountain. When we got to Coonoor we got Ravi, our driver, to pick us up and take us to Sim's Park. Sim's Park was a green area that was very jungle like because there were so many trees that were drooping down. From there we went to a tea plantation, and learnt how they make tea. The process is very interesting, because it is so simple because nothing is added. It starts off being dried, then gets crushed up into little pieces, then it goes into sheets of crushed tea leaves, from there it gets put into another drier, and then it gets crushed again, the colour of tea leaves goes from green to brown to black, and takes around 12 hours. After we learnt about the tea plantation we were allowed to run around in the tea fields. The boys went running through the tea fields, and got dirty. After running in the tea we went to a nearby tea shop that got fresh tea from the plantation, we tasted and bought different types of tea. 80% of the tea gets exported to Germany and South Africa. From there we went shopping in a market, suggested by our driver, that was very traditional to Indian standards, and everyone was fairly scared (the students). After, we went shopping in Ooty for a couple of hours, which we all felt safer in because it was more like our North American standards. In Ooty a couple of people called home, and then we went back to our hotel for dinner and to sleep. The next morning we left our hotel to travel back to Coimbatore, and to Black Thunder, a water park. This was fairly hard to do because the bus ride down the mountain made most of us feel nauseous because it was a very bumpy road with many curves to get down. However there was a bright side to going down the mountain, the view from the road was amazing, and we were all looking forward to Black Thunder. Black Thunder was a ton of fun and it was nice to cool off in the hot day. There were not many rides open because it was the off season, but the wave pool and this one ride that was in the shape of a U was open, and those were fun to go on. Another fun ride that the boys spent a lot of time on was the "lazy river". This ride was just still water that you pushed yourself along on a tube. They spent a lot of time there because they were pushing each other off the tubes and it was nice to stay in the water. After two hours of fun we were back on the road again barelling towards Coimbatore, Podanur more specifically, at a blazing speed of 20km/h on average. The rest of the ride was around 2 hours. In total, the length of the journey home (back to Coimbatore) was 90km and it took us 4 hours. The next day we woke up and worked at the orphanage. We played with the kids until around 10:30am which was when we started handing out the donations. All of the children were very greatful to recieve the gifts. We gave donations to every section, from the babies to special care. Everyone that was present seemed so happy that we were giving them gifts, and for that we have to thank everyone, back home who donated gifts for the children. One of the things that we were not used to after getting back from Ooty was the heat. We were all exhausted by lunch, and when it was over we took a two hour break where we all slept because we were so tired. After our nap (which ended at 4pm) we worked at the orphanage again. Most of us went to the toddlers section to play with them because the room was cooler. However, Abrar and Jon fought through the heat and went to play soccer with the older boys. They played for a while and then the head of the older boys house told Jon that he had to clean up a cut on his knee. After that they went back to playing soccer again. They played all the way until dinner which was at 7:30pm that night, and the only reason why they stopped was because it was dark out. One of the amazing things about Podanur, effectively a suburb of Coimbatore, is the street vendors and how they always have mounds of watermelon and cawliflower outside on the streets. Another great thing to see is when there is someone on a motorcycle with a mound of cawliflower bigger than the driver, racing down the street. The town itself is a very happy town where everyone is very kind grateful.

Wednesday in Ooty

On Wednesday after breakfast we took off with Ravi in the van headed for the hill station town of Ooty. The ride was chaotic and colorful as we drove through the endless Indian suburban landscape. Tiny shops lining a thin winding road; dodging small motorcycles carrying entire families with sari draped moms riding sidesaddle in the middle; trucks blowing their horns driving way too fast;and on all sides, people. After arriving at the King's Cliff Bed and Breakfast we drove back to town and checked out the botanical gardens. We walked around it twice - I think the upper section was closed - either that or none of us could find an open foot path up to it. There's nothing special about this place to people who live where there are parks and lawns and pleasant views everywhere. But to Indians, spending an afternoon at the Ooty botanical garden might represent the only time in their lives when they can wander around a big open manicured space with somewhat well tended trees and shrubs laid out in an orderly kind of way. Indian cities feature no green space, they are totally covered in a man made landscape , and an unpleasant one at that. The countryside is beautiful to our eyes with its palm groves, fruit plantations, rice paddies and small villages but even there, no part is left for public 're-creation'. I can forgive Indians their cheesey botanic garden in Ooty. Following the botanic garden, we went to the boathouse by the side of a small lake right in the town of Ooty. We rented two paddle boats and went for a tour of the lake none of us dared dip a finger in. It was touristy, hot, and fun. Had our photos taken several times as Indian families and groups politely asked if they could pose beside us. We became tourist attractions ourselves. What a strange experience.

First few days...

Hello All Readers!

The past two days have been great!
Yesterday (Monday) was our first volunteer day at the orphanage. We were all really busy all day and got to spend a lot of time with all of the younger children and babies. The older kids all go to school during the day so we don't really get to spend a lot of time with them but the younger kids are still great! A group of us went over to Harry's House yesterday in the afternoon. Harry's house is where all the younger boys stay. It is about a 10 minute walk from the main orphanage location. We played a very tiring game of hide and seek/tag which they all beat us in. We can all say now that we have a lot less energy than little boys and that it's really hard to win a game of catch when you have 5 people trying to catch 20 or 30 little boys. One of the things we enjoyed most was being called Auntie, Uncle, Anna (brother), Sister and Mr. Brickell being called Daddy (but to us, he'll always be "Handsome").

Today (Tuesday) we left the orphanage early in the morning. We drove through Coimbatore to the Chin Maya IB school. The drive was amazing and the view from the school was breathtaking! The buildings were surrounded by mountains and beautiful flowers and trees. When we got to the school we were greeted by their IB coordinator who gave us a tour of the campus. We were also lucky to visit the school on a grade 12 exam day and we were able to join the students in a "good luck prayer". After our tour and prayer session, we were able to attend a class with the IB1 students (grade 11 IB). The boys attended physics and the girls went to economics. After the class, we all went to the Audio Visual room (like an auditorium) where we discussed TOK and the Extended Essay. It was really interesting to hear what the other students had to say about these IB topics. It was really awkward though because they were very aggressive. After this discussion we were given time to socialize about anything we wanted with the Chin Maya students. We were able to take pictures and exchange emails as well as find out a lot about their boarding school experience. We then enjoyed an Indian lunch with the students in their dining hall. After visiting the IB school, we went to the Isha Yoga Centre where we experienced some highly spiritual meditation. We stood in highly purified water where we were able to gain new energy and we meditated in a beautiful temple. The experience was amazing as it was a first time experience for all of us. After our meditation session we went to the largest temple in Coimbatore. At this temple we saw an elephant and walked around in our bare feet. We saw many spiritual statues and our driver Ravi gave us a lot of information on the background of the temple. It was also an incredible experience.

We are looking forward to our 3 day voyage to the mountains in Ooty where we will be visiting a tea plantation and taking a train within the hill stations.

Crazy snow storm leaves us in Mississauga

And the Story begins...this has certainly been eventful. Greetings from Mississauga!! It is March 2nd! We have not yet left Canada due to horrible weather conditions. This is what has happened so far..we got to the airport and were all ready to check in when the weather started to get really bad and our flight was cancelled. We then tried to rebook flights but couldn't do it at the airport and had to call a 1-800 number to rebook. Ms. Prevedello was on the phone for and hour and a half trying to get us a flight! We had many options - our agent had us on a flight to Montreal, sold out, JFK, sold out, Washington, sold out, Chicago, sold out, can we drive to Montreal or New York?? hmmm the options. Oh look there is one to Vancouver - yeah cause that is the right direction!! Sold out...ok we can go through San Francisco. It gets more dramatic-- Abrar couldn't land in the USA because he doesn't have the correct Visa so he was going to have to fly by himself on our original flight from Toronto to Frankfurt to Chennai but a few days later. So we were booked to leave at 7:10am which meant we would have to leave the hotel at 4 in the morning! How insane is that?! Once at the hotel in Mississauga we went to eat dinner around 10pm. Then we got back to our rooms and there was a call from David Hamilton (york school represent!!) He received a call from Luftansa to let us know if yet another routing due to ticketing problems and that it was impossible to make this flight . We are now flying from Toronto to England to Chennai to Coimbatore at 6:30pm tonight with Abrar! We will keep you updated. Many thanks to David Hamilton and Melanie Simpson for the late night phone calls to cancel hotels, rebook other hotels, cancel drivers from go it to Chennai to Bangalore and back to Chennai, it has been quite a ride.
Lauren
PS: Shout out to Krista, Janet, Linda, Bibi, and Cynthia!! Woot. (and all the rest of you..)
Have fun in Argentina Maru+Sol. (Jess says get Fall Out Boy tickets)
Oh one more thing...I'm EXCITED!!!!