Farewell to Kolkata - until next time

It is with great sadness that we say farewell to our friends and hosts from the Heritage School. Today has been a sad day filled with goodbyes but also with many plans for the future.

We spent the day at the school enjoying some yoga as well as a performance by internationally renowned, Swiss eurythmy performers. It's hard to explain exactly what this was except to say that it was a kind of dance where movements were linked to the sounds of words. It was very impressive and it the kind of thing that the Heritage School regularly invites into school to enrich the students' curriculum.

Whitecross students gave their final presentation on sustainability  - they were brilliant as usual. Then it was time for presentations and farewells.

This exchange programme has been going for over seven years. It has become self sustaining as a result of the hard work and commitment of teachers, families and students who live thousands of miles away from each other on opposite sides of the world. This is remarkable. As the exchange grows and evolves a generation of students from both Whitecross and the Heritage have become better global citizens. We look forward to welcoming our friends from Kolkata back to the UK in October.

The final  thank you today must go to our host families without whom this exchange would not be possible. Their care and open friendship should be an inspiration to us all. Thank you.

Global sustainability - Vikram Solar

Today has been fascinating - we've been to see a factory making solar panels. It's not often that we can see things like this so we felt quite privileged. Alas no photography was allowed so you'll not get to see us in our funny hats and shoes, but we had a full tour of the factory floor and got to see exactly how a solar panel is made. 

Before we were picked up in the morning, the teachers had a little tour of New Market, the main market in the centre of Kolkata. Amongst the things on sale were baskets of live chickens like the ones below. They are sold to restaurants and hotels and carried off on the backs of bicycles.

The students of Whitecross and Heritage outside the Vikram Solar factory

The factory insisted on feeding us in their staff canteen. This is what we had - proper Indian food!

The journey to the factory took us through some beautiful countyside and we stopped at the Falta River where we saw boats being repaired.

We're back in school tomorrow for our final day in India - time has gone so quickly!

Mime, maths, sport and study - a busy day at the Heritage School

A busy, busy day in school today. Students sampled a range of lessons with their hosts before heading to the mime studio for a lesson with renowned mime artist Suvendu Mukhopadhyay. Then we were off to the sports field where we tried our hand at rifle shooting, rock wall climbing, basketball and football. We even managed to fit in a bit of serious work on sustainability ready for our big presentation on Friday.

 Here's Owen attempting the chilli challenge for breakfast!

 Hard at work on our presentations for Friday

 No swimming for us unfortunately - they're repairing the pool during their winter season. At 26 degrees they regard it as too cold!

 Looking around the gym. We had a tour of the school which has around 3,000 students from the age of three to around 19. They study for International Baccalaureates, International GCSEs and soon you'll be able to take a degree at the Heritage School

 Celebrating the mime lesson!

 Martha scales the climbing wall - she later went on to prove she was an amazing shot with an air rifle.

Our Heritage hosts with their Whitecross prefect tops on!

The city tour of Kolkata

We've been out and about today on a tour of Kolkata. Amidst all the hustle and bustle of the chaotic streets of the city are many oases of calm. We were lucky to be shown a few today as we were expertly shown around the city by students and staff from the Heritage.

 This is on the steps of our first stop - a Jain temple. It was exquisitely beautiful.

 After lunch we crossed the Howrah bridge - no photos allowed but we got this from inside the bus!

 Some of these for school perhaps?

 At the Princeps Gat memorial

The new bridge across the Hoogly River

More on our first day at the Heritage School

It's been a very interesting day for us all here at the Heritage School. After the formalities of the assembly and the walk to the local village we had some time to try out a range of different sports including climbing and shooting!

The students have just done some work on the threats to the beautiful wetlands that surround the school. Building is spreading fast, destroying the lakes and habitats for all sorts of wildlife.

A few more photos from today:

 Proudly wearing the school council sashes on the walk to the village

 Washing clothes in a lake

About to take the perfect shot!

Our first day at the Heritage School

 We have received the warmest of welcomes at the Heritage School this morning. Here we all are after meeting the Principal, Mrs Sapru and attending our first assembly. The students were made prefects and members of the school council and they have roles to fulfil this week. Whitecross students will be on duty supervising other children when the school day ends and the buses arrive to pick them up.

 We went to see a local village a few minutes walk from the school. It is quite poor but some of the villagers have concrete houses. They mostly make a living from fishing in the large pools that cover this part of the edge of Kolkata. The Heritage School provides a free education service for the children of the village.

This is one of the large swampy pools where the villagers grow and harvest their fish. As you can see development is heading their way - these tower blocks did not exist a year ago!

We are touring the school later today before heading off to see a small local primary school. At the moment the students are busy cooking Indian food and then it will be lunch time.

A busy and exciting day!

Sunday in Kolkata

The students have been with their families today having all kinds of fun. We teachers took some time to wander the streets of central Kolkata. We were also given a guided tour of the Victoria Memorial. As you can see we travelled in style right to the steps of the entrance!

Here are a few pictures of our day:

Kids playing cricket in the street

The ever present Kolkata taxi

The fish market was open for business this morning

A water pump near the fish market

The Victoria Memorial

Our thanks to the Ministry of Culture!

Waiting for the train......

Not the finest photo but this is everyone in New Delhi station (platform 10 if you're interested) having just been told our train is going to be two hours late!

We've arrived in Kolkata!

Hello!
We're here - it's very exciting and we've had a few adventures on the way. We couldn't get the blog online in Delhi so all our hilarious tales of arrivals and form filling will have to wait. We had a great day in Delhi though - rickshaw rides were probably the highlight. Waiting two hours for the train at New Delhi station was probably the low light. The train journey was brilliant apart from taking four hours longer than planned.

We received the warmest of welcomes in Sealdah station in Kolkata and the students went off with their host families full of smiles and expectation.

We'll update you more tomorrow once we've showered and had a proper sleep!

A little thank you before we go...

As we get ready to fly off around the world on our great adventure, now might be a good time to reflect on all the hard work that has gone into getting us ready to go.

Firstly there were all the host families - people who selflessly gave up their time and often their bedrooms in order to welcome and care for our Indian guests. Some of these families are sending students to India - some are not. I am always humbled by the generosity of spirit of our students and their parents and without them the friendship and care that underpins this exchange would never exist.

Then there have been the organisers. Mrs Leonard has been the leading light in maintaining this programme and that has been a tough job at times. Her passion for the unique experience of India has kept us all going. Of course it goes without saying that the exchange could never happen without Mrs Rees. She is the one who has organised everything and made it work! She has been the one chasing paperwork, booking flights and all the other myriad of tasks that have to be done. I don't know how she's managed.

Mrs Rees we salute you!

I was speaking to one of our former students the other day. Now 22 and at university studying international management, she came on the first exchange visit in 2008. We were talking about that distant visit and how apprehensive we all were going for the first time! I asked her what going to India back then meant to her now. She said, "It changed my life,"

Heritage 2014 here we come!

We're little more than a week away from setting off on our next visit to India - it's very exciting. The final packing is being done, passports and visas are all in order and everything looks set for what will be the sixth year of our student exchange. We are so proud of every student who has taken part in this great adventure, travelling across the world to explore a culture very different from our own.

We hope to keep this blog up to date with words and pictures during our visit. You can also check out twitter: @WhitecrossIndia

Time to hear from our Heritage visitors

We asked the students of the Heritage School for their thoughts on their visit so far. Here is what they had to say!

Piyush Agarwal

I along with my fourteen friends and two teachers reached the Whitecross Campus on 13^th October, Sunday. Different host family and teachers were present there to welcome us. From there host families took us to their houses, I liked the way in which they welcomed me. I was quite comfortable in the house. Next morning I with my host Luke and Lydia came to school where we were welcomed by the headmistress. After that we witnessed the whole school. It was quite big and beautiful. Then we attended the classes with our hosts. We met the Sheriff of Hereford, the next day we also had tea and cakes with him. He asked us about our likes in sports and which teams I supported in football. It was an important day as the Sheriff has never come to the Whitecross. He visited, the first time and liked the school and students very much. After that the next day we went to Berrington Hall which was very big. Our guide told us the important points of all the furnituresand its importance. After that we went to the Cathedral which was amazing. I like the school and students very much. This is my most exciting experience.

Bratin Ghosh

It was a lovely evening when we reached Whitecross. Jacob with his little brother, Joshua and his parents were waiting for me. We went to OUR home. On that day we celebrated my birthday. It was my best birthday celebration ever.

On the next day I attended the lessons in school. It was very different from the lessons in the Heritage School. I was taken o a pub. I really enjoyed the food. On Tuesday the Sheriff of Hereford came to Whitecross and  after school Jacob and I had gone to the young beavers camp. It was quite a unique experience. At night we watched the England verses Poland football match. Today we had gone to Berrington Hall and Hereford Cathedral. We enjoyed it a lot.

We went to Berrington Hall on Wednesday. It was overcast. When we reached the destination it was already raining. Our guide gave all the information all of which was interesting to us, together with the Whitecross students. After that we had gone to Hereford Cathedral. We went through the rest of Hereford although we couldn’t buy anything. Our picnic ended. It was an unique experience both the rainy and the sunny weather.

Navya

It has been completely amazing. I’m having a wonderful time here and I love my host family. I love attending classes at the Whitecross Hereford High School, even though it is quite different from the Heritage School.

London was amazing as we got to go to The British Museum, Madame Tussauds and the Tower of London. I loved travelling with my friends and most importantly, I loved how nice my host family is and how warm they made me feel, even though I barely knew them at first. Martha is really sweet and I love spending time with her.

Whitecross is a wonderful school and I’d like to thank the teachers for welcoming me and taking me as their own student. They’ve given me many opportunities. I had a lovely time meeting the High Sheriff. I loved the classes and teachers. I loved everything about Whitecross and I can’t wait to host a Whitecross Student in January and take them to have an equally amazing experience at the Heritage School.

Kusagra

I am Kushagra, Owen’s friend. I am having a really good time here in Hereford. It is quite nice and beautiful. It is very different from Kolkata. The Whitecross School is very beautiful and good. It has some really good facilities. I had a good time on Monday during the school hours. The meeting with the High Sheriff on Tuesday was really fascinating and it also inspired me. I had a good experience in attending classes with Owen and I have also learnt many new things. I am having a really good time and I am enjoying myself here. I am eagerly looking forward for the Whitecross students to be in Kolkata.

On 16^th October Tuesday we went for a trip to Berrington Hall and the Hereford Cathedral. The trip was really exciting and we also got to know about Britains unpredictable weather. The Berrington Hall was very stylish to be in a house. It was built by Thomas Harley as a retirement home. The interiors of the hall were just to make it himself look wealthy and important. The Hereford Cathedral is really big and amazing. It is very silent from inside and it is very beautiful. The weavers out here are very skilful and very talented. Overall I had a good time on this trip and it was an awesome experience.

It is a really nice experience to be hosted with someone I can trust. Owen is a really good friend and I am eager to host him. I am very lucky to be part of this project. I am enjoying myself here. It is really nice to visit new places and ;learn about its history it is a nice place and I would like to come here again.

Vaibhav Agarwal

Visit to Berrington Hall

I was really excited today because we ‘Heritage’ children and the respective UK host were going to Berrington House. We left Whitecross at 9am when we reached out destination a hour later it was raining really heavily. When we entered the hall we were in a room which had nearly eight lesson (?). We then went to the Berrington dining room and I have never seen such a beautiful dining table. Then we visited some other rooms. After leaving such a wonderful place we went to Hereford Cathedral where we saw the shrine and other religious importance. After that we did some shopping. But as all good things come to an end we had to return back to Whitecross. It was a wonderful day

Pranav Mundhra

We attended the Whitecross Hereford High School for the first time. It was a big and beautiful Campus. The next day we met the Sheriff. He spoke to us about sport and his visit to New Delhi in India. He also showed us his ceremonial sword and we had photographs taken with him. The meeting with the Sheriff was something new to us because we don’t have any in India. We also went to Berrington Hall and our guide told us about the hall. Overall it was an amazing experience in the Whitecross Hereford High School and in the city of Hereford.

Nitish Agarwall

Yesterday, we went to the Berrington Hall. It took us an hour to drive to Berrington Hall. When we got down the minibus it was raining and cold wind was blowing. There was greenery as far as my eyes could see. I could hear the birds chirping. Then we went into the Berrington Hall. The house was totally symmetrical and was very huge. Then we went back to the bus to go to Hereford Cathedral . It was very huge and the towers on one end were amazing. It weighed seven thousand tonnes. There were two towers before but one collapsed because of an earthquake.I had a great experience, knowing about the history of both places. I enjoyed myself a lot.

I have been attending classes with my host James. I am having a great time and I am enjoying myself thoroughly. I have made lots of friends. The students here are very friendly and I find this school really amazing . The way of studies here is very different from ours. I am enjoying myself living with James. It is really cold but I am enjoying attending sports practice before school in the morning with him.

Huge thanks to all the students for taking the time to put down their thoughts. More tomorrow!

A tour of Herefordshire

Yesterday the Heritage staff and students were treated to a tour of Herefordshire. Unfortunately, the weather was not very good but they had a great time nonetheless. Here are a few photos of their visit to Berrington Hall and the Cathedral.

Outside Berrington Hall in the rain!

 Drying off inside and admiring the luxurious dining room

Outside Hereford Cathedral

A wet and windy Hereford

Today the Heritage students are on a tour of Herefordshire, visiting Berrington Hall and Hereford Cathedral. Whilst they are out in the wind and rain, we thought we'd share some more photos of the wonderful visit yesterday of the High Sheriff.

Heritage students meet the High Sheriff of Herfordshire

We were honoured today by a visit from the High Sheriff of Herefordshire who had come to Whitecross to meet the Heritage team. The High Sheriff is an ancient position dating back to Saxon times and they were originally responsible for enforcing the king's law. Today there are 55 High Sheriffs across England and Wales and they play an important part in working alongside the police and legal system in promoting a safer community.

Latest news from Hereford! Our Heritage friends describe the first few days

Namaste!

We landed at Gatwick, on the 12^th in the morning, went on a whirlwind tour of London for the next one and a half days.

We visited Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Madame Tussaud’s, the London Eye, the British Museum, Big Ben and numerous other important heritage buildings.

Travelling across the beautiful picturesque countryside was a blissful experience. On our arrival at Whitecross, Hereford we were greeted by the smiling and cheerful host families. The children from both the schools were happy to meet each other

At Whitecross, passing through the innumerable corridors, colourful classrooms and the bubbling dining hall full of happy children lifted our spirits which even the rainy weather and chill breeze could not dampen.

Watching the Whitecross and Heritage students greet one another on Sunday evening we had to remind ourselves that they hadn’t actually met before, but thanks to Facebook, emails and telephone friendships had already taken root. By the time we met them all again for our pre-school check-in on Monday hosts and exchangees were looking like it was an everyday occurrence.

Walks in the countryside, bowling, dinner out and shopping have already been undertaken. As well as a taster of life as a Whitecross student, including early morning football training, a visit from the Sheriff of Hereford is eagerly anticipated as is the planned excursion to take in some Herefordshire countryside, history and culture.