Saturday 2 January 2010

More from Goa!

After the Christmas festivities, I had four more days in Goa, and as the school was shut for the holidays I was able to spend some time with the children in the homes. It was great being able to spend some quality time with them, helping them with their studies and playing games with them. I decided to buy some games equipment for the homes as there is little equipment. They are now stocked with cricket bats, balls, frisbees, carom boards and chess sets. One of the older boys, shivraj, is great at chess as I discovered when I allowed him to play the chess game on my computer after school one day. I also found out that he has an amazing talent for climbing trees. When I was at the boy's home one day, they asked me if I would like some coconut. I said 'Yes' but did not realise that one of them would have to go up the tree and get it. There are about 4 coconut trees in the garden and Shivraj chose the tallest one to climb up - no safety ropes!
I am hoping that the equipment that I have bought will be put to good use and that the children will learn to look after it properly. The Older boys are getting to be expert four square players. We have played it most days since I introduced it to them and they are getting much quicker. For those of you who do not know about four square it is a great ball game. I have taken a video of the boys playing it so I will try posting it on the blog.
On Monday, I met up with the Robjohn family from Weybridge who were in Goa on holiday. They were staying at the Hyatt hotel about 30mins from where I was staying. The hotel was stunning and was right on the beach. We walked along the beach to one of the small restaurants and had a lovely meal. We almost ended up in the sea as we were sat on a table very close to the water and the tide was coming in. The waiter decided to move us which was probably a good decision. I have really enjoyed my time in Goa and although the circumstances are very different to that of Mumbai, there is still a lot need. I want to come back and spend more time with the teachers developing the school curriculum. It would also be great to try and help support and fund vocational training for some of the older girls and boys in the homes.

No comments:

Post a Comment