Did the earth move for you?

Amanda and the youth team from St Stephen's arrived last Friday and we met up on Saturday at Asha's offices. It was lovely to see them all and we met again on Sunday evening to eat Indian style in the YWCA and to watch the World Cup Rugby semi final between Australia v Argentina. We guess you all know the result. Some were happy; some weren't.

But back to the question: Did the earth move for you?

Well, it certainly did for Ken last Monday. Monday is our day off, so he was having an afternoon nap and felt the bed tremble a few times - later that evening we heard that there had been an earthquake in Afghanistan and it had been felt pretty strongly in Delhi as well - apparently people in the centre of Delhi ran out into the streets due to the tremors! So it wasn't in his imagination (or his dreams!).

Just to deal with the other domestic issue for those following previous blogs. You will be aware of my ' trouser/material'  problem and be glad to hear that the tailor did a wonderful job! The original trousers are now pretty sleeves, and the new trousers match perfectly and fit! In fact, the 'outfit' was worn at the Asha celebration last night.

Asha hosted a concert  to say thank you to the three teams of volunteers who have been here for the last ten days. It was called 'EAST MEETS WEST'. 

Dr Kiran Martin opened the evening with a selection of Old Lata Mangeshkar songs - some of you may have been at the concert at St. Stephens a few months ago and will know how enchanting listening to Kiran is.

Our team from St. Stephens, and two teams from Northern Ireland, Ballymena and Armagh, performed songs, dances, and musical items. We were also entertained with Rajasthani and Punjabi folk dances and a Bollywood dance all performed and choreographed by Asha students from Zakhira, Peeragarhi and Seelampur slum colonies.  Dilip and Ajay from Ekta Vihar slum colony sang beautifully together and Sandeep, (one of Ken's students who showed us around Delhi a week or so ago) gave a speech thanking all the volunteers for coming to Delhi and for all their work during the 10 days they have been here. It was a wonderful way to join together and celebrate all the skills and talents these young people have.  Afterwards we were invited to have dinner altogether - there must have been over 100 of us all enjoying a buffet of delicious Indian dishes.  It was a wonderful evening and enjoyed by all. Many thanks to all the Asha staff who worked so hard to organise this event.
 

 The contemporary Bollywood dance by students from Seelampur.

A glimpse of the Punjabi folk dance, Bhangra, by students from Peeragarhi slum colony.

St. Stephens with friends from Jeevan Nagar and Seelampur slum colony.

Winter is on its way here! We have noticed a big difference in the temperature especially as we travel home in the auto-rickshaw each evening - it is definitely a chillier ride and I can see that a cardi is going too be needed soon ( Ken's already thinking about his woolly hat!).

Update on the 'nests' - we now have two pigeon nests, both with two chicks and all growing rapidly. We also had a visit from two beautiful parrots who landed in the tree just by our balcony.  Ken spotted them - they were so well camouflaged tho' that the photo doesn't do them justice but you could play the game 'where's the parrot?' 

One is visible, but the other hid behind a branch.  Did you spot him? Clue: he's sitting on the branch to the right of the long seed pod dangling down.

Talking of things being hidden/invisible, we had a very amusing time the other day trying to find a bank!  You can find banks on Google telling you they are here in Delhi and there are many large banners around advertising banks, but when you go, they seem to have disappeared or not be the sort of banks we are used to where you can actually talk to someone and change money etc.  Anyway, after a very long adventure which took us up and down dubious lanes, roads and in and out of shops....(help!)....  looking for a money changer called 'Ameris' (whom we were reliably told everyone knew, but no one we asked seemed to, although they would helpfully direct us in one direction or another with the wave of the hand and sideways nod) we abandoned our search and returned home having had a fruitless journey - we did feel tho' that we had delved into another unknown area of Vasant Kunj.  It happened to be the end of the school day (1.30pm) and we encountered 'home time' when 1000's of young school children all try to cross the busy road at once.

We have just got home after having our Friday teaching groups.  It happens to be the day for wives to celebrate their husbands. They fast all day, pray for long life for their husbands and then, after sunset they make 'puja'. They can eat again once they can see the moon. It's a Hindu festival called Karvachoth. The festival was held just outside our teaching rooms - fabulous colours, smells and community spirit. The women seemed very amused and pleased that I wanted to take photos.  We are learning so much here, and feeling very privileged to be part of this community.

Love

Ken and Heather xx

Asha and chocolate cake!!

Chocolate cake and ASHA!!

Big warning, don't have a birthday if you work in the Asha office or let anyone make you a chocolate cake -  they have the messy tradition of smearing you with the cake  - such lovely people with such a nasty habit!! We've been witness to this twice now! Just glad my birthday is in June ( oh dear, Ken's is in January!) In fact whilst talking about cake, whenever Ken and I arrive at the office before going to teach, they are all always eating!   The Australian volunteers, who have just left, had baked delicious fudge cakes, millionaires shortbread and other tray bakes which have been enjoyed by all and then there's the delicious smells of curry lunch ...... and birthdays ..... It just goes on and on. The Australians have set the bar rather high but I am determined to master a bake of something in our microwave to keep their spirits up!

Today, Thursday is a national holiday to celebrate the festival of Dussehra. The festival recalls the story of when Ram killed Ravanna, the demon King in the story of Rama and Sita. The recitation of Ram's life story is called the Ramlila and begins at 6 am and continues until late at night. It's accompanied with lots of music and loud drumming. As we were leaving Etka Vihar last night we got caught up in a parade through the slum making its way to the Hindu Temple.

We have had a good time with our students - these are my lively Wednesday class:

We did some language work around 'shape' names and using shapes to make pictures. They loved it - for some of the younger ones it was a challenge as they don't get to do this sort of creative work - they were thrilled with their achievements, and so was I. These are just a few - some left early to go to be with family for this festive occasion.

Last Sunday, Sandeep, one of Ken's students, wanted to take us to some special places in Delhi.  He came to church with us first and then we went to the Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, Delhi's biggest Sikh temple.  We removed our shoes, covered our heads and  wandered around the peaceful, cool courtyards.  We went into the temple and heard the live devotional singing as worshippers sat.  We saw large numbers of people waiting for a meal of rice, vegetable curry and chapattis which is served three times a day, free of charge - anyone can volunteer to help prepare, serve, clear plates etc. and many bring offerings of food.  We met Sandeep's granny who was there helping to prepare vegetables.

Some people were enjoying the cooling, healing waters.

Sandeep has immense energy (he obviously thinks we have too) and then took us to see the famous Swaminarayan Akshardham.  It is quite breathtaking in beauty epitomizing 10,000 years of Indian culture.  It was built in 5 years, by 11,000 sadhus, volunteers and artisans taking 300 million man-hours to carve 300,000 stones to create the entire complex! It was finished and opened in 2005. If you are interested have a look at a YouTube clip. We weren't allowed to take cameras, mobiles, or bags in so no photos to share with you. Thank you, Sandeep, for a brilliant day. 

We are really looking forward to Amanda and the youth team arriving tomorrow for a 10 day stay here in Delhi. They will be working in Jeevan Nagar slum, helping to renovate and paint the Asha centre as well as working with the children and students.  We will meet up with them for some events and hopefully to watch some rugby together!

Off now to make the most of our extra free day!

Love and best wishes,
Heather and Ken x

Up the next floor...?

We have had  a busy and enjoyable week of teaching - the children in Heather's groups are 'full of beans' - a joy to be with but she is wishing she had more Hindi at hand and is having to learn some fast!  However, she managed the story of the Rainbow Fish with the help of some puppets and lots of acting! Everyone seemed to understand and enjoy it, asking for it again!!  The 'Bus' this week was also interesting, as half way through the lesson, the air con decided to have a rest, and it got hotter and hotter.  Heather decided to see it as a 'health moment' and enjoyed the free sauna and facial!!

Here are some pictures from Ekta Vihar slum we took today on our way to where we teach.

This is where we teach.

We are beginning to get out and about now and discover this area of Delhi.  On Sunday we had a "real" Indian evening out. We went to Chhatarpur, which is just round the corner from us. We'd met a man on the Metro the other week when we went to Dilli Haat market, who'd said we should go to the Chatarpur Mandir (temple). The temple area is huge. It's the second largest Hindu temple complex in India. It's on both sides of a very busy road. In fact so busy, that there were stewards directing the traffic. On one side is a huge statue of the Monkey God, Hanuman, standing 30 metres tall; the statue was very impressive lit up in the evening darkness (see photo). When we tried to cross the road to the main temple (we're learning that if you don't risk it, you don't get across), the stewards just stopped all the traffic for us! We wandered around the temple area, looking at the various shrines within the complex. There were lots of Indians out all over Chhatarpur and in the temple areas; a lot! The man from the Metro had told us it was quiet here and he was right. However, we were beginning to get hungry, so we popped into a little restaurant, called Aggarwal and enjoyed a Thali and Paneer Dosa together. There wasn't any sign of foreigners or tourists (apart from us). Not an expensive night out - £3.50 tip included! Then a tuk-tuk ride home for coffee and bed. An evening that felt a little daring and fun. There were no dire consequences the following morning!
 

 Oh, another tip, specifically about Delhi and Connaught Place, in the very centre of New Delhi. We went there a couple of Sundays ago. We travelled there on the metro, getting off at Rajiv Chowk metro station, which is actually in CP. As soon as we arrived we were advised by a very friendly local to avoid certain places in CP; he ended up showing us to a Government tourist office, where we could get a free map of Delhi. Well, that's what he said. They told us about some trips we could take, but we didn't book anything. However, when we came out of the office someone said to us that it's a private office, so we're not sure if it was a Government office or not. We began to realise that there are lots of friendly people around who insist on helping you to go here or there. This very quickly becomes very annoying! It's difficult to know who is trying to help and who's on commission for some eating place or travel office. Perhaps, it's best to accept advice if you ask for it and not if it's volunteered by strangers, as you walk down the street. Following that we got the metro to Chandni Chowk and the Red Fort, which was great and very educational - There was a  museum about Gandhi and the movement for independence. 

Now why the heading - 'Up the next floor'? over to Heather, she will tell you.
We had such a funny experience trying to buy some material to be made into the trousers needed to complete a salwar kameez suit  that I have - its a long story as to why I can't use the original trousers - one day I'll tell you if you're interested - all you need to know is that when you buy a salwar kameez suit at the market, you can't try anything on, and it comes with dress, trousers and scarf - all matching.  I chose a lovely one for the Indian wedding but when I got it home, found the trousers were really not my style - I needed to be 6ft tall, and skinny skinny - So, I had to abandon that outfit but had the idea of finding some matching material and getting a pair of trousers made.  I was given some great advice from the ladies in the ASHA office who sent us off to Lajpat Nagar by tuk tuk to an amazing market where there are thousands of material shops and one recommended in particular.  From the outside it looked quite small.  Inside we asked for what we needed and were told "up the next floor" - so we climbed up to the next floor - asked again and were told "up the next floor" - went up again - asked for the material and again, "up the next floor" - by now Ken was expiring and I couldn't believe there were any more floors, but there were! So up and up we went.  Eventually, just before the roof, we were shown the material we needed!! Hallelujah!! Now I'm hoping a friendly tailor who works opposite our flat in a little shopping complex will work miracles and a pair of trousers will emerge. Next Sunday I should be able to collect them!! Exciting.


Next week Amanda and team will arrive in Delhi - how exciting.  We hope all your plans are going well and that the suitcases are packed!  We look forward to meeting up with you all.

We are enjoying all your emails, what's apps and messages - thanks so much, we love getting your news too.

 Lots of love,
Heather and Ken x

We hope you are enjoying our blog -
Just to let you know, Ken has written this week with Heather interjecting in italics (having read it!).

Good news - the wasps (I thought they were wasps and not bees!) seem to have gone!! That makes living in the flat so much more enjoyable and less stressy.  However, Heather discovered a nest of a different kind today - we have a washing machine on a balcony and as she turned the switch off behind the machine she found a pigeons nest with two eggs in it - so we are looking forward to the flutter of tiny wings one day!!! 

Last Saturday morning I woke very early, so I decided to take my stick and go buy a newspaper. Why the stick? The other morning I ventured out at 6.20 am to buy a newspaper, but it's not like popping to your local newsagent. Newspapers don't seem to be sold from shops round here. So, I asked someone and he told me where to go, but I'd noticed he carried a stick (and there were others doing the same). "We have a stray dog problem around here", he said. He'd been bitten a while ago and didn't fancy another series of nasty injections. "Ah, I thought. I must get a stick!" Just in case. The newspaper man was sitting in the middle of the car park of the local community centre, dishing out piles of papers to his "paperboys" of all ages. I didn't see many dogs around but now I know why there is a stick by the door in the flat and I go out armed.

A tip if you're coming to India. At the airport you will need two forms as well as your passport: one form for immigration and the other for customs. You will probably get the customs form on the plane - we did. You give it up after immigration control. However, we were not given the immigration form on the plane; they don't have them. They are in the large immigration hallway. Problem was there were about 10 forms for 300 people. So we decided to queue up anyway and tell them, as there was no one else around. "Go for the form", the man said. "There aren't any. I've looked everywhere". He pointed to the other side of the hall and said "Over there". Someone had put out another 10 forms, so we scuttled over as quickly as we could and got two copies just before 300 Japanese students arrived, looking for forms. Good luck! See yer, we're off.

Anyway...we've only been here since 23 September but it feels as if we've been here for a very long time. We are now making our own way each day to Asha by tuk-tuk: Heather with her guitar and resources bag (and hand bag, of course) and sometimes other bits and pieces,usually a large roll of paper, and me, with my rucksack, water bottle and my man bag (Heather made me buy it a few years ago - it is very useful, but I say that grudgingly, as it's really a bit Continental) all in the back of a tuk-tuk. The rides are exhilarating (meaning, you think you are going to crash 5 or 6 times every journey!). Today we did!!! Just a small knock and to be fair, our driver was in the right but still it caused a long, and what sounded like, a heated argument as well as drawing a large crowd and then lots of looking at the dented vehicle. Eventually something was agreed and we all carried on our merry way, tuk tuk driver smiling!!!

Last Friday evening we used the Metro to go to Dilli Haat, a very famous market for clothes, carpets, jewelry etc. The Metro is good! Up the Yellow line we went and a 5 minute walk to the market. It cost 50 Rupees to get in (Foreigners rate, as it says on the ticket). We are, after all, videshee (foreign). Although Heather has as many shawls as pairs of shoes, (I really don't know what he means!!!) she bought a new scarf from Sheikh, the stallholder, who said Heather was his first customer to his new stall. Who am I to disbelieve him? (I'm sure you will agree that a girl can never have enough shawls or just the right one - always room for another and anyway I felt it only polite and honored to be his first customer!!)
I bought some Indian shoes (I was delighted and surprised as thought they were lovely but not sure they were Ken's sort of style)  for an Indian wedding we were invited to. Very nice shoes, but they needed wearing in, as it seems "one size fits all". I decided not to buy the shoes with the curled up toes! (Shame, but these ones are really nice and can be worn on other occasions). That evening we ate in the market.  We had been recommended to try the Momos - delicious, a food from Sikkim. (We will be back another evening I'm sure and I will have to resist the shawls this time!!)

The wedding was last Wednesday - one of the Asha staff, Jibin married Bhaghavi - all the staff went and it was lovely to be included.  The ceremony took place in an Indian Catholic church - all in English, which was a surprise but also great for us. The reception was outside (you can depend on the weather here!!) with all kinds of delicious food.

Last Sunday we went to the Delhi Bible 
Fellowship Church near Connaught Place which was packed, full. We enjoyed the  lively worship and a message encouraging us to really get into the Bible and to read it everyday.

Our teaching is going well - the weekday students have all been having  exams but they finish today. Heather has been having fun on 'the bus' - they were talking about 'friends' and made crafts to do with friendships - the children love the singing and guitar and found 'the hokey cokey' hilarious (I could never have imagined during my teaching career that one day I would be in India, on a bus parked beside several slums with 25 excited children all dancing and singing " you put your left foot in, left foot out.....etc etc.. - incredible, it's the best place to be for me at the moment anyway!!!  Soni, who organises the bus, is delightful - we are really getting on well and have had some lovely conversations together.)

We are beginning to get to know the older students well and hope to go out with them one day soon - they are keen to take us around Delhi and show us some of the special places.

We will update you next week.  

We send you our love.

Ken and Heather  xx

 

 

   

To Bee or not To Bee?  

Answer:  Yes,  Two Bees of Indian origin (look very different to our bees so I am wondering whether they are actually wasps but called bees??). One stung Ken on the foot and the other stung me on my thumb!!!  Very painful but sorted quickly with some anti sting cream and all fine!!  Think the neighbours must think 'the foreigners living next door to them are very strange people, as one night Ken let out blood curdling screams as he stepped on one and the next evening my screams woke up all the local dogs who had just gone to sleep!!! We then became aware that we were experiencing visits from many bees/wasps - we have now tracked them down to an air con unit in the lounge where we suspect a nest!!!!  They don't make a sound so a bit intimidating when they suddenly appear.
On to better news!!  All going well with our teaching - and have now met all the children/students for our classes.  They are so keen and enthusiastic - very helpful during the sessions and they have loved the craft activities too. We are using the Asha building in Ekta Viha slum colony which consists of two adjoining rooms.  A good space for the numbers we have - both rooms have two large ceiling fans (very noisy) which keep the temperature a bit cooler (very welcome).  To get to the building, we walk through the slum, along the narrow streets lined with every kind of life - tiny babies toddling around naked, old women sitting on iron beds sometimes begging, or washing, children playing, chickens roaming, people filling bowls with water from a central tap - many greet us, others stare and the children want to shake our hands or have a 'selfie' taken. We see this as a great opportunity to give God's blessing to them - we have nothing else to give. "He who is blessed on earth will be blessed in heaven" (paraphrase by Heather).
Yesterday, I had my first session on the Asha bus.  It's a fairly large vehicle usually used as a mobile medical centre - really helpful for visiting lots of the slums.  I will be 'on' the bus on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the children.  I got to the bus yesterday with a large roll of paper under one arm, a heavy resource bag and guitar and was met at the steps to the bus by hundreds of tiny fip flops on the steps - I stumbled up the steps and there were about 40 little faces all waiting expectantly with enormous smiles and then loud cheers!! A bit overwhelming really.  Soni was there, a  lovely lady who is in charge of the bus, and she soon realised that 40 children crammed together on the floor was not going to work very well so sadly 20 were chosen to leave but promised that they would have their turn on Tuesday.  We had a really lovely few hours together.  I took the theme, 'we are all special and needed'.  They learned some English greeting sentences, made a jigsaw piece about themselves and then put it together as a complete puzzle, sung lots of songs, including the butterfly song and then made butterfly puppets to take home. We all had a lovely time and it was such a pleasure to be there.  Looking forward now to making Tuesday special for those who missed out this time!!!
Tomorrow Ken has his very busy day - College, University and working students all day and I have my class of yr12 students for computer work and English conversation - they said last week that they like singing and dancing so might see what happens with that!!

Love Ken and Heather X