Saturday 26 December 2009

Christmas in Goa












The week leading up to Christmas seemed to fly past. I spent most mornings in the school and did some training with the staff and their have be various Christmas activities going on for the children in the school. I have been doing some football training with the older boys although they are so used to just playing in the park that the idea of a training session was a difficult concept for some of them. On Christmas eve there was a party at the school for children where they played games, had food and each received a small gift.
Christmas Day was great! The day started with a short church service at 9,30am that lots of people attended and then I was invited to a Christmas lunch with Beena and Martin at a brand new hotel complex in Panjim. We were joined by Angela and Nita, who are friends of Martin and Beena from London. At the hotel, we were greeted by a rather scary looking Santa Claus who I think might have frightened more children than made them smile! We were offered a glass of fruit punch and then shown to our table. The meal was a large buffet which included starters, main course and dessert. Although it wasn't all a traditional Christmas meal there was roast turkey, bacon and some veg. The rest of the selections were very much Indian. It was very all very delicious but not quite as good as the real Christmas roast I would have back at home. They did keep us well supplied with drinks throughout the meal and we even got to sample a brand new Indian wine.
After the meal, Martin, Angela, Nita and I visited the three children's homes to give them their Christmas day gifts. This was definitely the highlight of the day and the atmosphere in the homes was one of excitement and happiness. When we arrived at the girls home, they were all patiently sitting and waiting for our arrival. One by one the girls came out to receive their gifts and then they all opened them together. Inside they had a note book, a pen and a purse. It was amazing to see how such simple gifts brought such joy to them. Nita had bought some Indian sweets for the children so once they received their presents, they all had a sweet. Before we left they all prayed to say thank you for the gifts that they had received. Next we went onto the smaller boys home where again there was much excitement as we pulled up in the car. The boys were not waiting quite as patiently as the girls but were quickly ushered into the dining hall where they all sat down, eager to receive their gift. Martin spoke to the boys about how it was important to look after their gift and the fact it had come all the way form England. The boys then received their gifts one at a time but were told to not open it. Once each boy had a present they then opened them together. WOW! Their faces were a picture and there was real excitement when they took off the wrapping paper to find a football shirt inside. They looked great when they all tried them on. Thanks to pupils at Cleves School who donated the shirts! Martin told them how to look after their shirts and they were then put away in their cupboards. We were then treated to a excellent display of dancing by one of the boys (I will try and post the video) and we then moved onto the older boys home. Although the excitement was not quite as evident here you could still feel the anticipation as they sat and waited for their gifts. They had all been bought a bottle of aftershave so there was quite an aroma in the air once they had opened their gifts. It had been fantastic to be with all the children when they were opening their gifts. It means a lot more to these kids than to children that receive gifts all the time. It will certainly be a Christmas day that I will never forget!




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