Photos from the last couple of days

We've had a busy and exciting couple of days and here are a few photos. A tour of the city and a visit to Chowbaga, the local village were both extremely interesting. Talking to the potter in the last picture we learnt that he earns 10 Rupees for every 90 cups he makes. He reckoned he could make about one thousand cups in a day. That means he earns about £1.20 a day with which he has to feed and keep his family. It was a very thought provoking visit for all of us. 

The students did a fantastic job in the assembly this morning - 1500 students and teachers packed into a massive hall! We're getting ready for the Kolaahal tomorrow which is a kind of school fete. There will be lots of music, competitions, food and stalls. Whitecross has a stall where we'll be offering traditional games like pin the tail on the donkey!

The time has flown by!

Ambassador Taxis 

Whitecross and Heritage students at Belur Temple

Sign outside St John's Church

Cookery class

Ashlee mixing it up!

Fishmonger in Chowbaga

Chowbaga schoolroom

Fast food stall

Bicycle repair

Traditional cooking pit

Potter in Chowbaga

A trip round Kolkata

Yesterday we went on a great tour of the city. We took loads of pictures and we'll try and post some later today. Kolkata is an incredible mix of cultures – we saw Hindu temples, English churches and ornate palaces all mixed up in a city that is crumbling to pieces but also brand new. The shopping mall we went to for lunch would not be out of place in any British town.

Our hosts are taking brilliant care of us and have been showering the students with gifts and treats. Today we are visiting a local village to see what life is like there. Hopefully we'll manage some swimming and some time on the climbing wall too!

Thinking of you all in the snow – keep warm!

Day Two at the Heritage School

We were extremely privileged today to be invited to visit a state run primary school in a local village. The families of the children who attend the school live on about two pounds a day. Speaking to the headmaster it was clear that education is a lifeline for communities like these. The experience was a very thought provoking one for all of us. We were shown round the school and met the children in their classrooms. Mrs Leonard gave a talk about Herefordshire and we showed our achievement evening presentation.

Rhys shows some of the children pictures of his own family.

Tom was a natural when it came to relating to the children. They adored him!

The children were brilliant!

Mrs Leonard with some of the mums. In the background is the school playing field.

Later, at lunch, Craig failed the Chilli Challenge round two. This is the moment the heat took hold.

Our first day at the Heritage

We had a wonderful welcome from Mrs Sapru and all the staff at The Heritage School. We've been to some lessons, eaten some amazing school dinners and even found time for a swim.
Tomorrow we have more swimming and sports planned, a visit to another school and round two of the Whitecross One Day Series International Chilli Eating Competition!

Sunday in Kolkata

Whilst the students enjoyed time with their host families, here are a couple of photos to show the staff trip to the Indian Museum - our thirst for knowledge never ends!

Looking forward to meeting up with the students again tomorrow for our first day in the Heritage School.

A warm welcome

Photos at last

Here at last are some fab photos of the last few days!

Students and our guide at the Red Fort

Avoiding the puddles at the Red Fort

Ready for the off at New Delhi Station

Good morning!

We're here in Kolkata after an amazing journey. We were prepared for lots of stress when we pulled up outside New Delhi station which has a bit of a reputation for being a bit crazy. We sailed in, were directed straight to the right platform and apart from playing spot the rat on the train tracks (there were hundreds) we boarded the train without a problem. There then followed a bit of shuffling around to get us all in the same carriage but the guards were really helpful and is wasn't long before we were all  tucking in to some great food. The price of Sprite was the talk of the group –only 30 rupees which is about 20p. We had sheets and pillows so we all climbed into our bunks and eventually all of us managed to sleep. Phoebe, Anna and Emily all win the prize for most sleep –over 12 hours! We had a lovely welcome at the station,flower garlands and lots of photos. It's warm and sunny here in Kolkata and it's going to be a brilliant week.

Struggling to upload pictures - still a great day. Soaked at the Red Fort, walking through amazing streets, lunch at Macdonalds, the Ghandi museum and a huge temple. Back at the hotel now getting ready for the epic train journey. Next stop Kolka!

Namaste from Delhi! We've had a few problems trying to upload images which may be to do with our wireless signal so you'll have to make do with text today. Unsurprisingly the journey has been a long one the highlight of which was the immigration desk on arrival. How the officials managed to turn stamping a piece of paper into a 90 minute horror was beyond us. Luckily it was also beyond several Indian families who kicked up such a fuss that a supervisor came, told the man off and the whole Whitecross group then got through in about 2 minutes –welcome to India! The hotel is great, pizza hut eased us gently into our adventure and we are all looking forward to a whistle stop tour of Delhi before our marathon train journey to Kolkata.

Here we go! We're leaving school today at 3.30. Last minute checks of packing, passports, money, malaria tablets - the list goes on. Everyone is very excited.

We'll try to blog once we get to Delhi but that will not be until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.

In the meantime here is a picture from our Year 8 Slum Project last summer. Students had to pay for and build a slum dwelling and then work to clear their debts. They learnt about what it might be like to try and survive as one of the world's millions who live in poverty.

The next chapter begins

Whitecross is heading back to India! Wednesday 16th January will see us depart Hereford for Birmingham airport where we`ll fly to Delhi via Dubai. After a day looking around India's capital, we have an 18 hour train journey to Kolkata where we'll spend a week as guests of the Heritage School. It is going to be a fantastic adventure!