Thursday, February 7, 2008

Back in Gwalior


On leaving HRI I returned to Gwalior to stay at the Orphanage with Sarah for 4 or 5 days. Here is a photo Sarah took from the top of the main building of the playground and the huts where the children live. I didn't take any photos while here as it didn't seem right photographing the children, who I didn't know well.

I spent some time in with there classes and playing with them at their playtime in the afternoon, they were very sweet and enthusiastic but found I wasn't sure if I was more harm than good, often my presence causing commotion and disruption. There where lots of other volunteers there at the time, so trips to the hostpitals and schools were overcrowded so I didn't go, I'd have been no help anyway. I read quite a bit while I was here. On the last night there was a leaving meal for Sarah at a hotel in town. BK (the head of the charity) invited himself, which people didn't want he then organised transport home at an early hour and charged everyone for it. Lovely.

As I may have said before I found the orphanage materially better than I expect. The main problem seemed to be politics and corruption.

After leaving the Orphanage we got on a 24 hour train to Mumbai.

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