sorry but here it is!

A big sorry to everyone that have been wanting to see the assembly movie preformed by the kids in Rajpur. Due to slow Internet connections in India we've been having to wait for the uploading process. But now finally you all can enjoy one morning in Rajpur as we've been doing many times during our visit there.




Sincerely

Fredrick

edit; Tiffany has requested me to upload pictures she've been choosing, so they will be up soon. It will probebly be within 3 days because I got a HSKP ( SAT ) test tomrrow morning and the day after that my driverstheory test, wish me luck on that (:

Hey Everyone!!!!

I can't believe how fast these two months have gone!!! It's crazy to think that my time at the Moravian is almost over, and I am so sad about it. I am trying not to think about it!

Before we left for our two week holiday to Goa, the kids had been in the midst of exams, and as a result not much was happening beyond tutoring and studying. When we returned, the new school year began. Class 10 and Class 12 unfortunately did not get a break, as they had to prepare for their state exams. Actually, they are still writing their exams…it seems worse than university!

For those who had finished, they were so excited that they had passed their exams and were placed in higher classes. But many were mostly excited because Duke of Ed classes resumed. For those who aren't familiar with the program, it is an optional awards program that focuses on sport, skill, service, and trekking. For skill the kids are learning to play the recorder, (thank goodness for the grade 6 recorder classes!!!); for service they are making posters about the environment and teaching the local town about how to make improvements; for sport we play a variety of games such as basketball, cricket (which is the equivalent in popularity to hockey at home), etc. There has been many a game of tag and red rover! For the trekking section of the program, the class is required to go on a one-day hike, and then a two-day overnight trip. This year they are going to Sahstradhara, also known as Joy Land. It's a river/theme park /temple that many Indians go to swim. For the two- day trek, they are hiking for a total of 40 km, and staying overnight at a place described as the Danger Zone on the map. We're not quite sure what is meant by 'danger zone' but supposedly it's safe as the school is letting them go!!! The volunteers and I suspect there are wild elephants and tigers…but who knows, we can only hope! Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to go on these trips with the kids as Class 10 has not finished exams but I have told them I want full details with tons of pictures!

So our mornings are filled with supervision of classes, Duke of Ed activities takes up most afternoons and evenings are filled with more study and Devotion, where all the borders sing songs and share readings from the bible. I am reading on Thursday, which at most times would not be a big deal, but I have decided to do it in Hindi, so wish me luck!!! Megan and Scarlett, the two Gap volunteers, are in charge of organizing the year-end play. This year they are doing Peter Pan, and we have had so much fun making it into a pantomime with references to the school. Again the kids are so excited, especially to see Nudup, a boy in class 10, play Tinkerbell. We are making him wear a yellow tutu!!! I am continuing to help Boyz and Jesse with their Entrepreneurship class. Their exam is on Monday, so fingers crossed!!!! I am also helping two students in the new Class 12 with their English comprehension. To say the least, I have a new appreciation for the teaching profession.

That pretty much covers our responsibilities at the school….I have loved getting to know all the kids, the teachers and the other volunteers. It is really lucky that we all get along so well, and I will be so sad to leave. They have threatened to steal my passport so I can't leave on Friday, and really I would be ok with that!!

The weekend after we returned from Goa, I decided to stay at the school and hang out with the kids. On Sunday afternoon, after church, Scarlett, Megan, and I met up with Ingrid, another Gap volunteer who was working at a Buddhist Nunnery. We all went to Sahstradhara (the same place the kids will hike to) to go swimming with some of the nuns! Yes, I got to go swimming with Buddhist nuns!!! There was this beautiful temple built into a rock cliff and the water was crystal clear, and a welcome relief because it was so hot. I never thought that nuns could go swimming in public, but they did and it was so much fun. Many had been in the nunnery since they were small, and it was so interesting to spend time with them. In many ways they seemed so innocent, and got such joy from a simple game of tag. It was refreshing!

The next weekend was Palm Sunday. The church has a tradition of hiking in to the surrounding forest to collect palm leaves to decorate the church. So Scarlett, Megan, Eric (another volunteer) and I took up the challenge and joined them. We literally climbed the palm trees and cut the leaves down! It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. Inevitably, when you go on such an adventure with 20 boys, someone is bound to start a water fight so it was a very soggy hike back to the church!

So that brings us to last week, which went by so quickly! Because it was Good Friday, the school had a holiday so Scarlett, Megan, Eric, and I decided to take advantage and go to Rishikesh for some white water rafting on the Ganges, and then over to Haridwar to celebrate Holi (the Festival of Colour). The school also had a holiday on Saturday because of Holi. During Holi, the custom is to throw colour on each other, to symbolize the equality of society. We were warned well in advance that it was not safe for us to go on the streets during Holi because people tend to drink a lot and get a bit aggressive with the colour. Haridwar is a very holy city that is located on the Ganges, and every day at sunrise and sunset a ceremony is performed to show respect to their ancestors and the Mother River. Megan and I performed the flower ceremony, with the help of a priest. This ceremony is done at night to give long life to our family members. The next morning we woke up at 5 am to watch the Sunrise service and then hurried back to play Holi with the kids that lived at the hotel we were staying at! We were dosed in colour, completely unrecognizable and had to travel back to school that way! It was hilarious!!!!

The next day (after a night of scrubbing so we would look presentable at church) we got up at 3am and went to the early morning service which was held in a grave yard located behind the school. It was a beautiful ceremony with singing and was followed by a procession through town that ended at the local blind school, where we had another service and fellowship with the students.

Well, I think that covers the last three weeks. Like I said, I still can't believe that I leave on Friday, but its on to the next adventure. The staff held a farewell party for Claire, Fredrick, and I today, and Thsespal presented us with a history book on the school, a copy of the choir's CD, and some beautiful cards depicting different scenes of the school. I can't wait to show everyone!

Thank you to everyone for all of their messages of support! I can't wait to get home to show you all our pictures and videos.

Love you and miss you,

Tiff

*unfortunately my pics won't upload so I will get them up as soon as possible!

This week, the older students have continued with more exams. On Saturday morning, the grade three students presented the morning Assembly to the rest of the school. Fredrick filmed their performance (which includes singing) and we've loaded it on the blog for those who are interested in watching our morning routine here in Rajpur.

Here are a few pictures from our rafting excursion down the Ganges river, just outside of Rishikesh, last Sunday.

The large temple in Rishikesh

Cows sunbathing on the beach of the river Ganges

Fredrick in Rishikesh

Roxanna (kindergarten) blowing everyone a kiss.

Claire at the Moravian Institute

Students posing for a snapshot on their way to class

This past week has been very busy with classes at school and day trips to the surrounding areas. Fredrick and I wnt to Rishikesh (the yoga centre of India) to experience an Indian yoga class and go white water rafting down the river Ganges.

Unfortunately on Tuesday night, I also got to experience and Indian hospital due to an especially bad bout of "Delhi Belly" from which I've now fully recovered.

The kids have been busy with more exams, basketball games, socccer, and chess tournaments this week. Soon Easter is coming and we're looking forward to joining in on the celebrations.

We'll report back soon with more pictures and accounts of what's going on on this side of the world once we've found our memory stick which has disappeared! Thank you for all your support and prayers,

Claire

Mussori, graduation & exams!

Hey everyone

We've now formally experienced an Indian grad, Moravian style. Yesterday (Sunday), Claire Tiffany, and I, along with the other gappers we are staying with, went to the old town of Mussori. It's a small town located on top of a huge mountain from which you can see the Himalayas. We spent most of our free day up on that mountain. After some good shopping and sightseeing, the school driver took us down on the bumpy ride back to Rajpur.

Last Tuesday, we got to experience the 12th graders grad party which really was entertaining (although the graduants were very shy when it came to dancing with eachother; especially, for the symbolic first waltz).

The life in Rajpur is very interseting, how things are done compared to home is very exciting and different from what we are used to. Tiffany, Claire, and I are travelling to Goa on Wednesday for some sightseeing and relaxation in the sun. We will be spending 10 days in Goa and be flying back to Delhi on the 1 st of March. From there we will be taking the night train back to Rajpur and the school.

We found that the Internet accsess in India isn't always on our side, but we're trying to update as frequently as possible for all you guys back home that like to read. I will end this post with some new photos taken off the school and in Mussori.

Cheers Fredrick

This past week has been quite a culture shock all around. From learning the names of 300 children all wanting to be our best friends at once, to learning about how the students are taught here (which isn't always acceptable by North American standards), to becoming vegetarians and trying new Indian treats (they love their sweets) : ) There truly are people everywhere in India! Even up in Rajpur which is very secluded and underpopulated for India, the streets are teeming with people at all hours.

Since Tuesday, the students have been writing final exams. It is our job to supervise them and ensure they aren't cheating. We begin every morning with assembly at which the children sing and pray and recieve instructions for the day. I will have to film it one time because it's quite wonderful. This morning the grade two class led assembly and belted out 3 or 4 songs complete with actions to the rest of the school. Singing is truly a passion of many of the kids.

After assembly, everyone goes to their respective classrooms for their final exams and then goesto lunch. In the afternoons we have an hour or two to ourselves to try to do laundry and eat our lunch before tutoring in the afternoons. In the evenings, all the children who are boarders, gather for devotions. There, they sing, and listen to a sermon.

Most of us go right to sleep after dinner as it's quite exhausting to teach and play with the kids all day.

Tomorrow, the 2 GAP students from England, and Australia, and us will be going to Mussori which is about 1 hour's drive away and farther into the mountains. We will be sure to post some pictures after our trip.

Claire

Here are some pictures we've taken over the last week here in India which we thought everyone would enjoy. The first pictures were taken in Delhi in our first 2 days and the rest were taken at the Moravian Institute and in Dehradun which is a city close-by.

Neha really appreciated getting her card from the Children's Church! We will try to get on the internet soon with more pictures of the school and children.