Soppy farewells

It’s time to turn on the waterworks... again. After school had finished I had more time to hang out with the other volunteers and friends who I met during my trip. Because of this, saying goodbye was all the more difficult because of the strength of these friendships. I consider some of the friends I made on this trip better friends than many that I have had back in the UK. Now, I don’t consider myself to be much of a crier, though other people may disagree, but my goodbyes in India were major exceptions. This is the end of the most incredible life changing experience, how could I not cry?

After saying goodbye to our Indian friends and volunteers, we headed to the airport, had our last beedi (Indian cigarette) in the hot Indian sun and went to check in to our flight. Upon checking in, me and 2 of my friends were upgraded to premium economy, this definitely lifted our spirits! We were met on the flight with offers of champagne and an even nicer surprise when I looked up and saw Hugh Laurie coming out of the toilet. “Hey guys! Hugh Laurie just came out of the bog!”

After landing we had to do yet more goodbyes which was once again very difficult. I had to say goodbye to the people I had lived with for the last 3 months, they had been my support system and my family and now I was leaving them. So, here I am back in dull old England, freezing my arse off and crying on the train back to York. What a sight I must be!

My last 2 weeks at school

In the last weeks of school most of our work consisted of tying up loose ends and creating display boards presenting the work we had done throughout our project. Stepping back and looking at the work we’ve done gave me a real sense of achievement and I’m so proud of all that we’ve accomplished! It is one thing to design and create a garden and library within a school but it is something else entirely to see the kids faces when they’re climbing on the monkey bars or reading a book in clear English from the library. Most rewarding of all is hearing “thank you didi. I love our new garden” and lots more positive feedback from the children, that’s the real reason I was so passionate about this project, it’s all about doing things for the children that will hopefully be sustained after we leave.

My last day at school was an emotional one to say the least. The children showered me with homemade cards stating how beautiful and amazing I am! I also received a wonderful reference from the Teach For India fellows that managed to start off my waterworks. There is something very surreal about standing in front of a class of 40 children in India sobbing and trying to explain how I’m feeling in broken English so the kids will understand me. I have decided that the worst thing to hear when you’re crying is “Why you cry didi? When you cry, it makes us want to cry”.

I’ve had an incredible experience in this school, I have learnt so much about the world and myself and I consider this the most rewarding experience of my life and I’ll never forget it. (Right, that’s enough cheese for one day!)