Category Archives: Post Project

Hiya!

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I was having a quick chat with the Chennai Challenge team photo this morning when…

Just kidding guys – I haven’t reached the talking-to-photos stage of reverse culture shock…yet!

I am missing Chennai and the team though, but funny everyday things remind me of the summer – like if anyone says “totes” or “parred!”. I was face painting at a church social evening thing last night, but nobody wanted to be a tiger. Last week, me and Megan went on a school trip to Symphony Hall, but the sing-song on the mini-bus didn’t include “who’s the king of the jungle” – although Megan did try!

I had the longest article in the school newsletter last week about Chennai Challenge – 2 sides and 5 lovely big colourful pictures! This week, my primary school have asked me to pop in as class 3 are starting a project about India! I’m taking photos and Indian sweets, I’ll wear a chuddidar and teach them some of the songs and games we did with the Kottivakam boys, ooh and maybe a bit of Tamil! In a couple of weeks, I’m filling in the Cubs about India and how the money I raised from the Cubs chocolate hamper raffle may have affected children their own age in Chennai.

On Sunday, Emma and Rob are coming for India night at my youth group. It’s a bit like we’ve come full circle because this was sort of how I first heard of Chennai Challenge – Rob showing photos and selling jewelry at PYGS. I was 13 or 14 then, I took a leaflet but didn’t really expect that I’d actually go to Chennai and return with so many photos, friends and memories.

Starting 6th form has been fun and very busy! Lots of teachers asked about what I’d been doing in India. I hadn’t told alot of them that I was even going, so I wasn’t sure how they all knew! Most of them said they were jealous as they’d  had a boring summer and have always wanted to volunteer abroad with a charity like this. I told them to look at this website and to just go for it! I think it’s dead funny, looking back to last winter, to think about when I was sat in the car outside Rob and Cathy’s house with my application form on my lap, debating with myself about whether I could really do it – push the envelope through the door and go to Chennai. I am so sooo glad now that I did.

Mary x

kcohS erutluC esreveR

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kcohS erutluC esreveR

Having not managed to blog during our time in India, thinking about some post return issues.

One of the issues which was highlighted at the training days and as we were getting ready to come home was “kcohS erutluC esreveR” . How would it affect us, what would we identify?

Landing at Heathrow, walking into the terminal, clean, quiet, but most overwhelming was the feeling of calm, which has still not left me; sitting in the passenger seat of the car driving back to Stafford, smooth roads, no horns, no (well little) undertaking, and the tranquillity of our green and pleasant land – everywhere looks finished not half built and being lived in.

Sat and talked for hours with Lynn, about all that has gone on, and catching up with what has happened while I was away. Facebook and Twitter, email all dealt with between trips to the loo! Throat is still sore, but getting better, and certainly not stopping me working, much to my boss’ relief.

Today is Tuesday 21st and life is getting back to normal, back to work this morning, to plough through 250 emails after throwing out the spam and in the pauses catching myself reflecting on an amazing trip away even with illness.

For me there has been little shock returning home so far, but how much of that was due to me having been to India before, and also Lynn being aware of my needs in those first few hours at home, having been out with CC a couple of years ago. Starting to pick up the threads of my life here, but at the moment do not want to allow it to get back to fever pitch where it was before we left. Reading other tweets and posts from all the team has certainly been a help as well – feeling we are still in touch. I hope all my new daughters and nieces are behaving!

As the last of the washing goes in, I know I won’t wash it out of me as easily as we wash it out of our clothes, a part of me will always be in Boys Town and Yellagiri. As one of the older lads said to me on Friday night “Thank you for good times” Les

The final two days! :)

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So we are now sitting on the M25, in slight traffic with no beeping horns, lane structure and quiet! It feels very strange!

Our last few days in Chennai have been so busy – sorry for the lack of social networking activity.

Thursday was again an Oasis day – the teams delivered their last English sessions to their groups, all except two eager shoppers. Mary (aka Happy) and myself (aka The Fresh Prince) were chosen to go and shop for the boys town equipment we had agreed to purchase this year. The list included 3 computer monitors, notebooks ( enough for a years school work), cooking vessels, medicines, ceiling fans, buckets for washing and bed sheets.
I can officially tell you that this is a first and hopefully last experience of this as we were taken to the new 9 storey superstore around the corner, Saravana Stores! I have never been so appreciative of Britain’s queuing system and manners. Although saying this we did have a successful shopping trip after all the pushing and shoving to pay for the said items.

Thursday evening we enjoyed our yearly treat of a visit to Prince’s house. This year it was for pudding. Unfortunately for me, I was ill on this day and was unable to, like the rest of the team, fill myself with fresh fruit, ice cream, gulab jamon and payasam.

Friday was a day we were definitely looking forward to! To begin with Isaac and I went to Sathymanager community centre with Asir and an engineer. The purpose of this second visit was to obtain a quote for a rebuild of this amazing but very small centre. Every team member I have visited Sathymanager with has had a soft spot for it, mainly due to how welcoming it is, how active it is and how much community spirit surrounds it. However as we have mentioned before it is very small and not fit for purpose. Isaac fulfilled Rob’s role of senior project leader listening to the extension conversations and I was in the shoes of Cathy talking to the locals about the centre and its activities. By the end of the visit we both had that excited butterfly feeling in our stomachs as the quote came in at a maximum of 8 lak (£10,000). This is now an achievable target for fundraising over the next two years. Please pray for this project and the fundraising - we will keep you updated on the progress of this project.

In true Indian style we were now late for our next engagement – the laying of the foundation stone at Fort School. Last year we pledged 10 lak to assist the rebuilding of Fort School so that during the monsoon season they can still attend school without being sent away due to severe flooding. This year we were fortunate enough to see the rebuild commence. When we got to Fort School, Suzanne had got the rest of the team there and they were enjoying cool drinks and conversations with the GS and Headmistress. Myself and Isaac apologised for our late arrival and we were soon ushered to the end of the newly laid playground/pathway where they had already begun demolishing the classrooms.  After a song and a prayer from the teachers at the school, Isaac was ready to unveil the plaque. This all went smoothly and then the team posed for official photographs by the plaque. (Pictures to be posted soon!) May I mention here that Isaac was soooooo excited to be unveiling the plaque – we could not get the smile off his face!

The team then enjoyed some free time. Some visited the beach whilst others finished gift shopping at Spencer Plaza.

On Friday evening we had our final session at Boys Town. This consisted of an Indian takeaway, lots of dancing and presentations of gifts and equipment. The last session is always a difficult one for the team and once again we had tears from both boys and team members (but not me as I am a machine!). Even though it is a tough session, it is also one of the most rewarding ones. The smiles and expressions of thanks from the boys when they receive our gifts really signifies how important and effective our short time in Chennai really is.

Wow sorry for the long blog but there was just so much to fill you in on!

In the next few months we will continue to keep you updated on the progress of both Fort School and Sathymanager projects. Please pray for the projects and the fundraising for them.

YEmma x

Give and Take

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At the school where I work we have a theme for assemblies each week. This week the theme is “Give and Take”.

It is interesting to reflect on things which we give and take personally. Some times we can feel like all we go is give, give, give. And we see others who take, take, take. Some times we need to give someone  a piece of our mind, or maybe we take the easy way out. Sometimes we feel like we have nothing left to give.

This lent 40 acts  has again been challenging people to look at practising generosity in a variety of ways, not just giving money. It can be a useful way to think about what you are giving and when. Hopefully it will help some of us think about giving more than we think about taking.

But I started to think about Chennai Challenge as a whole, what does Chennai Challenge give? What does Chennai Challenge take? Here are a few of my thoughts on that:

We give people opportunities, by offering to take people to India.

We give team members an experience, by taking them out of their comfort zones.

We give resources and funding for projects in Chennai, by taking money from people (Justgiving).

We take time out of the normal lives, to give something to others.

 

I would like to think that we try to give more than we take, but somehow I am not sure if we do.  Once we have a team in Chennai, we certainly give away more money and resources than people can give us there. As a project leader I have given my wisdom and knowledge(?) to team members during the training. We give out our energy when we are running sessions at YMCA Kottivakkum Boys Town, when we take the Boys who live there to Camp Yellagiri we give out even more energy.  When we work with Oasis and the Blue edge project we give our first hand knowledge of speaking English.

Yet at the end of a project, I have never felt like all I have done is give. In fact I normally feel like I have given less than I have taken. I have always taken a huge sense of being welcomed. I have been given hospitality that is far beyond what I have expected. I have been given such thanks for the small things I have done and shown so much genuine gratitude and love that it seems a cheat to say that I have given anything at all.

I think it is very hard to be able to give and genuinely get nothing back. Even though I may not have been given any great financial or physical reward, I have always taken more than I could ever give through my experiences with Chennai Challenge.