Indian Driving! Week two.

So I’m back again after 3 days rest, at least this update will be recent, unlike the last one which was in theory more than a week old! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy typing it and sending it out to the masses!

So, where were we...

Monday 12^th October was our first day of proper work, so I guess it all starts here. We managed to get an auto into the office for 9am (we later found out Rs. 30 is the standard cost of this trip but we paid Rs. 40 for the first few days) and every morning from 9am – 9.30am the Oasis Chennai team meets for a worship, study and prayer time. This is such an amazing time just worshipping and learning together, bringing any troubles before both the team and more importantly God. So not knowing what to expect we start our first day, most of which is spent with Becky going through various forms and procedures, we also got onto the internet for the first time in India (other than a disgusting & smelly cyber cafe just up the road from our flat, I was getting eaten alive my mozzies, so I paid Rs. 15 for 1hr and left after 10mins) so that was a momentous occasion! So after a morning of preparation for the school clubs and funstations we headed back to the flat for our first sample of a Shanti (our Indian cook/cleaner) lunch!

The lunch was amazing, we all wolfed it down (including me Hannah) if I remember correctly it was some sort of rice (obviously), a potato type mix/sauce and poppadums and it was delicious, it really hit the spot! We ran through our lesson plans for the final time and got our first auto to Vyasarpadi Fire Station (the nearest landmark to all the places we work at in Vyasarpadi), we called John (Vyasarpadi co-ordinator, our translator and generally amazing guy), he met us, but rather than wait with the auto as suggested, the noobs we were we paid and let it go, so we had to get another auto to follow John in, but we haven’t made that mistake since! So we head right into the community, off the beaten track (although every track in Chennai is very beaten) and arrive at BV Colony School, a new government school, with good teaching but zero extra-curricular activities, in stepped Oasis to help out. Becky told us in the office that the community don’t respect the school so rubbish is dumped in the grounds, gangs break in and hang around smoking & drinking so the place gets trashed and they are lacking even in basic toilet facilities. So we head inside (we’re late because we didn’t give ourselves enough time... typical) and the place is literally concrete walls & floor, nothing else, the classrooms the same but with 2 blackboards and a couple of tables/benches. You guys think Les Beaucamps needs to be revamped or rebuilt, well Les Beaucamps is top-class compared to this school, I know it’s all relative but still, BV Colony School has unbelievably basic facilities, however they have a room full of very good PCs sitting collecting dust because nobody knows how to use them, which is why Bala (Oasis youth co-ordinator & chief fundraiser) has stepped in and is now teaching them how to use these PCs, also bear in mind most of these kids have never seen a PC before.

So, our first after school club started late, at 3.45pm not 3.30pm! We played games for the whole 45mins, which is great because they do no physical education as part of their curricular and we played ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’ and What’s the time Mr. Wolf, we also introduced ourselves. It was so great to finally meet some kids, be able to start helping in some way and building relationships with them. After the school finished we walked to the Vyasarpadi Church Fun Station with John (it’s his church, his dad is the Pastor and they live underneath because the church is on the first floor), the kids came in dribs & drabs because they didn’t know the FS (Fun Stations) had started yet. By the time the kids had arrived we did the same games as the BV School apart from Eunice (Education Co-ordinator) was at this FS (we also thought she would be at the school so we had to think on our feet and on the first day!) so she did her game, Fruit Salad. There were about 15 kids and the session went really well, but we agreed we needed some other activities to keep the kids thinking (arts, songs etc.) and challenge them more. We also had our first FS at the Kellys Office (SD Puram), we played the same games apart from Eunice taught the In/Out game, they especially loved What’s the time Mr. Wolf, this lot bounce off the walls and were difficult to control, but so long as they have fun that’s all that matters! This group also has the cutest little girl I’ve ever seen (see Kellys photos) and Joshy L commented on her on Facebook! So our first working day was over, John got us an auto back to the flat and we ate our dinner feeling tired, but rewarded.

We were greatly pleased to hear on Tuesday morning that football wouldn’t start till Wednesday, so at least we had one more sensible wake up time! So Tuesday was the monthly team meeting which would last all day without any FS or kids work happening and we were allowed to contribute to this meeting. We mostly talked about the Chennai team filling in reports, forms etc. and talks on fundraising lasted all afternoon, the Oasis Chennai Team need to raise 55 lakhs which is £76,000 before next March because funding has changed due to the recession, however the team here want to keep all their current project going and not stop any of the work. So Tuesday was a very tiring day, just sitting listening to the team discuss various items on the agenda and then back to the flat at 5pm to have dinner, we then ventured out to do some clothes shopping, picture a large room, lots of rails, tables, shelves, no space to move, clothes everywhere, on the floor, some clean, some dirty and only ceiling fans to cool the room, WELCOME TO INDIAN CLOTHES SHOPPING!

Wednesday came around quickly and it was early morning time, we dragged ourselves out of our air-conditioned cocoon and out into the actually cold Chennai morning air, the streets were relatively deserted compared to a normal day and it was quite bizarre. Having said that the people here seem to love getting up early so even by 6am the roads are busy and people are flowing around the city as normal. We met Vimel (he is the Oasis Chennai messenger boy, he plays football and lives in SD Puram, one of the communities we work in) and travelled the 5km (Rs. 80, but now as low as Rs. 40 when not ripped off) to the ground. This area is the poorest we go to, there are housing blocks with families of 5 crammed into a 270 sq. ft room, with shacks lining the roads and people sleeping on the pavements. The ground is just red dirt with two goals, a concrete stand seating maybe 1000 spectators flanking one side and scrub land flanking another side (see photos of KG Puram Football). The kids are all waiting on the stand, as we ride the auto across the pitch and over to the boys. We meet Viji, introduce ourselves and Laurie sets to work with a warm-up, some stretches, some skill drills and finally a match. It’s really rewarding working with these boys; I pray we can somehow make a difference in their lives. After, one of the boys leads a warm down on the stand and bananas are passed around as some nutritious sustenance (most of them probably don’t eat a balanced diet). We ride back with 6 in an auto (which is our current record), Viji get’s this one cheaply (we always get autos cheaper when one of the team catch one for us) for Rs. 50, we arrive at the flat, have breakfast (a western cuisine of toast & marmalade :P) and rush out the door to make the office for 9am, we were delayed however due to a crash, one car across the road divide and 3 other cars involved, no surprise here!

The morning is spent preparing for the afternoon FS & school club and we leave in the searing heat at 1pm, back to the flat for lunch (we did this everyday during the week, bar Friday when Vimel went to our flat and got our lunch so we could eat at the office). That afternoon we met the older school kids (8^th & 9^th Standard, 11-13 yrs old), we played the same games (the joy of lots of different FS & clubs is that we prepare 1 or 2 a week and we can use them at all the places during the week, so less work for us!), got them to draw us (GAT Team) and again I think they really enjoyed themselves. We had no youth that evening but we had a FS at the Vyasarpadi Office; this was a tiny little room, although the building has a kitchen & office. Funnily enough we played the same games, but we also played the In/Out game and again the kids loved it, there was a gorgeous 6yr old girl who was looking after her baby brother, yes, a 6yr old looking after a 1yr old, so unfair! So because we had no youth our day ended and we headed back to the flat for dinner. The other guys are into working out a bit, so they do push-ups and ‘the plank’ (works on your six-pack), whilst I write my diary, so I have huge hand muscles! ;)

Thursday morning was D-DAY (after training for it with football at 5.30am, this is the morning I took pictures too), we’d discussed our timetable the night before and worked out that firstly our travel budget wouldn’t stretch to what we were doing and secondly our bodies were incapable of holding up for the intensity of the timetable. Becky was grateful that we’d flagged this up early and not let it go on for too long, so by the end we had an amazing timetable that meant sufficient rest and the travel budget fitted perfectly. This also meant 5.30am every day for Laurie, but only Tues & Thurs for the rest. I’ll post up my timetable at some point so you lot can see what I get up to on a day to day basis! We only had the school club on Thursday, so I thought seeing as Diwali was Saturday we’d give them a Diwali colouring sheet (they also don’t do art as part of their curricular). I spent the next hour drawing out a colouring sheet (I was proud of my art ability, thanks Dad & maybe Mrs. Adams too) of fireworks and a Diwali candle. Laurie sorted out some games and we were set for only 1hr teaching till Monday. They enjoyed all the games, but I’d say (biased) that the colouring sheet was the crème de la crème! That evening we spent basking in the presence of our new timetable, amongst other things, possibly food shopping (Spencer’s Daily for crisps, fizzy drinks, Dairy Milk and maybe Tropicana, yes, 3 blokes, what do you expect).

If we were to have a chilled catch up day, Friday was it. We had football in the morning for the last time (unless we want to) and got into the office for 9am. We spent the day setting up blogs (see previous post), sending emails, browsing the internet and I skyped my Mum & Dad for 1.5hrs! It was so great to spend a day in the office, eat with the team at lunch and generally continue to solidify relationships with these awesome people! Viji invited us to CSF (Christian Sports Fellowship) for an English service, then a Tamil service so we left at 6.20pm with Viji driving Becky’s car. Just to put you in picture, the road the office is on is very narrow, only just enough room for 1 car or 2 autos, it’s Friday night, the day before Diwali, so people everywhere. We eventually get to the end of the road and there are loads of bikes blocking our exit, next thing we know this guy comes from nowhere and kicks, YES, KICKS all the bikes over into the walls on the side of the road, it’s comedy in the car, we can’t quite believe it! So the rest of the drive was horn honking, avoiding people, cyclists and other road users, we got to the church late at 6.50pm, but the service was great. At 7.30pm the Tamil service started at Viji lead the worship, it was unreal, God was really present in that place, everyone totally worshipping God and after this Paul Moses brought the word on 1 Kings (Women & Jars of Oil) he spoke so passionately and the message was applicable & challenging. After the services we headed to the Fruit Shop (near our flat, we also went during the week) for a drink with Viji, he told us his testimony, amazing, I’ll write it up at some point, we then walked home and got excited about Diwali and our lie in on Saturday morning.

We didn’t see a huge amount of Saturday because we pretty much got up at 3.30pm and after having a leisurely breakfast & chatting, we headed out to buy some fireworks at 5.30pm because Becky, Viji & Vimel were coming to the flat to celebrate Diwali! They arrived at 7.30pm with a large bag of fireworks, so we headed up to the roof to have some fun. We had Rockets, Hulks (big fire crackers), Hydro Bombs (tiny little bombs but ear drum destroying loud), Roman Candles, Big Beasty (cardboard cylinder with a mortar like look and great display), Catherine Wheels (they spin on the floor and whistle very loudly) and other little things. Viji & Vimal are crazy, they were lighting rocket after rocket and these fuses are so short, like 2 second fuses! So we all had fun lighting fireworks and looking around across all the rooftops at other fireworks, it was a bit like a war zone with explosions going off right, left & centre. So after all the fun we decided enough was enough and that our ear drums were sufficiently destroyed, so we said goodbye to the guys and then realised we hadn’t eaten dinner. So in true western Saturday night we texted Becky for a pizza delivery number, got Pizza Hut’s number, called for a Hawaiian (no ham so chicken instead) and a Chicken Supreme, 45mins later it arrived, it was time for a take-away, a film (Hot Fuzz) and Pepsi! CLASSIC! :P It was an amazing way to round off a relaxing weekend, but little did we know, something not so good was in store for us! We decided to head to bed, late at 1am, which was when we smelt something burning in our bedroom. We worked out it was the A/C, but we were thinking, please, no...no... NOOOOOOOO, the only reason we sleep at night is because of that A/C! So after trying it lots of times, we were condemned to the fact it was broken and couldn’t be looked at let alone fixed till Monday! We decided to sleep in different rooms to spread the body heat out and take up a ceiling fan each, I was in the living area, Ben in the spare room and Laurie in our bedroom. Needless to say, this was an uncomfortable night; however I only woke twice and got a decent amount of sleep, waking up soaked in sweat wasn’t fun though!

Sunday was here at last, our favourite day of the week, Powerhouse, Youth and Sparky’s, does it get any better? So we all showered to rid our bodies of the stinking sweat we’d slept in all night, ate breakfast and hot footed it to Sparky’s for church. We arrived late, but not late enough to have missed anything and church was great. Brownies & lemonade halfway through is a genius idea, they taste so good and it’s also a good time to chat to people. We particularly enjoyed being at Sparky’s because our A/C had broken and Sparky’s has the best A/C in the city in my opinion! After the service we chatted with Taylor & his wife (from Minnesota, working at Sparky’s helping Thom out), Jake (asked Ben & I to lead worship one Sunday, talk about thrown in at the deep end!) and Anju (she won’t invite us around because we’re a team of boys!). We had to get an auto to youth, no lift this time, so we grabbed one for Rs. 60, we got 2/3 of the way there and were turfed out for Rs. 60. So for another Rs. 30 we get to the IID College, the Aminjakarai branch of Powerhouse church. Youth was great, the food was amazing, met two American girls, had a great worship time and a thought provoking word on destiny was brought. The comment of our time so far was made by Attu, it sums up my blog title, she said “In England they drive on the left, in Chennai they drive on WHAT’S left,” classic! We also agreed to play in a Chennai church football tournament for Powerhouse next Saturday, meaning another 5.30am wake up! After scrounging a lift to the church office, we spent the rest of the afternoon/evening playing table tennis with Ebe & Steve; it was great fun, but sweaty work! To round off anther awesome weekend we travelled to Sparky’s to enjoy our Powerhouse Sunday 20% discount; I had General Tsao’s chicken (fried chicken in orange/soy sauce with rice & pasta mayo), it was a beautiful evening spent in the confines of a western style restaurant with A/C! So we got back and for a change decided to have an early night, but what was to follow made this last week very difficult...

Hope you guys enjoyed this blog, I know it’s very late and very long, but I want to give you a good picture of what is happening here. You can always print it off and read it at your leisure!

Take care and God Bless,

Tom xx