Easter weekend 2

Here are some photos from Good Friday

This was me just before I got on the minibus to go.

The youngsters as we just arrived on the bus and were waiting to get off. As you can see they are quite excited.

This is St Pauls Church at Asansol which was built by the British in 1876 - you can see by the design it is very British and has stained glass windows here at the west end and also at the East end. The violinist stood where I am standing to take this to play.

Saturday morning up bright and early to dispense travel sick tablets at 7.00 a.m. so we can leave about 8.00 a.m.
They were very keen to go but I needed to go to their kitchen to get a cup of tea. There had been a biog thunderstorm in the night and the power went off and didn't come on before we left therefore could do a brew in my room. Have a gas hob in the kitchen as that is what they cook on. All cylinders though so you see them taking the empties each week and coming back with full ones.

So in the background you can see them packing the violins, stands and bags into the minibus for us to go. In the foreground Shamol and David who wanted to be in the picture, two of the younger ones not going.
The morning was cooler than had been so not too bad for travelling but as time went on and we travelled the sun was up and it did get hot. At one point quite a distinct change in the landscape to sandy soil and palm trees, you could see all the little rice fields but at present totally dry. We waited about 15 minutes at a train crossing for a very long slow goods train to come past, but we still made the journey in just over three hours which was good going arriving about 11.30a.m.

Here are some of the Purulia children who were waiting for our arrival. They have 20 in total in the hostel, 12 girls and 8 boys and on the whole younger than ours at Durgapur as it has it has not been open as long.

Here is Puja and Moyna with some of the girls in the girls hostel room. You can see that there are wooden frames over the beds which they fix their mosquito nets to at night. I've got used to putting mine up every night and crawling into - not something I will need to to when I get back next week.

After sorting sleeping arrangements for the children, I was given one of the guest rooms and the Bishop had the other, it was time for lunch and then the majority of them went to sleep.

  This is three boys that decided they didn't need a sleep and being bored as they didn't know what to do. A bit later they were happy as a cricket bat and ball were found.

Anyway time for a recorder lesson, saga will continue in another blog posting.