School Field Trip

I was invited to join in on the school field trip that ran between Monday 28th - Tuesday 29th December.  It was a once in a year big event for the school and everybody was very excited.  In total there were about 60 students between that ages of 7-14 years old.  Many students could not attend as they couldn't afford the fees, but having any more students would of made managing the event very difficult.  Overall it was a very real experience for myself as at times it was very difficult, challenging and uncomfortable but also very humbling being shown such kindness by everyone as they were all trying to provide the best for me.  It was a true insight into Indian school life and it was very different to anything in New Zealand.

Map showing the bus route

We all met up at the school the night before and everyone slept on the floor in the hall.  Some of the teachers stayed up all night preparing food for the trip.  We left at 3am in a hired bus that was to take us into north Karnataka, an 8 hour journey.  The bus was reasonably comfortable but quite squished as most of the seats had 2 children on them.  The roads are very bad in India as there are so many bumps and sharp turns everywhere, many of the kids were sick on the bus.

Everyone from the school trip

Python's at the zoo with a chicken in the cage

We reached the first stop at around 9am which was a Tiger and Lion Zoo.  Unfortunately there weren't any tigers or lions but there were a few large snakes which were fun to see.  I'm come to realise that Indian Zoo's take about 10 mins to walk around as there is very little to see.  We then all had breakfast at the Zoo while wild monkeys were watching us in the trees and running through grabbing any leftovers.

Jog Falls - The highest un-tiered waterfall in India - 830ft

The second stop was in a place called Sagara Taluk were we visited the second highest plunge waterfall in India - Jog Falls.  It had four cascading falls each with a name: Raja, Rani, Roarer and Rocket.  It was specular to see such a massive waterfall even though it didn't have much water going off the falls.  However after the monsoon season the falls turn into a really amazing site.  There were crowds of people everywhere and everyone wanted to take a picture with me as I was a foreigner. 

The bus trip was filled with over-the-top bollywood movies and site seeing out the window which all the children really enjoyed. 

View of the west Indian coast line - The Arabian Sea

The Murudeshwara Temple

We reached the third stop at around midday which was a place called Murudeshwara, it is on the west coast of India, next to the Arabian Sea. There we visited a very large and famous Hindu temple.  Again there were crowds of people everywhere. All the students walked in a line holding hands, as you could get lost very easily in a place like this.  It was amazing to see all the crazy statues but way too many people for my liking. After about 20 minutes of walking around in the searing heat we jumped back onto the bus.

Standing in front of the huge 20 story temple

Giant statue of a Hindu god called Shiva

More gigantic statues depicting all sorts of things

For dinner we stopped at a place called Udupi and visited another famous Hindu temple.  There was a big celebration or event of some sorts on and there were masses of people everywhere.  The teachers that were organising it didn't expect there to be this many people.  We stopped here because they serve free meals for anyone inside a big hall. We had to wait in a huge line while trying to hold onto the person in front of us to not lose our place in the queue.  When we were finally allowed inside it was quite the experience as it was a huge hall filled with people sitting on the ground in lines waiting for food.  Some men rushed past slopping rice and a type of vegetable soup on a tin plate.  It was very strange feeling as everyone was looking at me because I was a foreigner and stood out clearly. However I somehow managed to survive, it was interesting to see how the children just fit in so easily and nothing seemed to bother them.  After dinner we all went into a hall that we hired out and slept on the floor.

All the students playing in the sea

In the morning we journeyed in the bus to our last stop which was a place called Mangalore.  We visited the Airport and saw a plane take off, it was most of the children first time ever seeing it and they were very excited. However it was nothing compared to the beach at Mangalore.  The entire trip was worth all the hassle simply to see the joy on the children's faces as they experience the ocean for the first time.  They only went into knee deep water but the waves were strong enough to push most of them over which they loved.

Everyone enjoying the water

Dinner on the beach - 25 Rupees (50 cents) per plate of food

We finished at the beach at around 7pm then drove 7 hours in the bus back to Hunsur. Everyone was well in truly worn out but very happy. The School day was to start at 9:30am which only half the school actually attend.

On New Years Eve there was a big celebration event at the school hall which was fully packed out.  It started at 10pm and ended at around 5am.  There was testimonies, hymns singing, dance performances from all the children, and I gave a gospel message.  It was a very unique experience, one that I will never forget.

Everyone praying at midnight on New Years Eve

Each new day has its challenges and my heart is constantly burdened by all the different needs that I see. However I am very much enjoying my time here and I hope that I will have the strength to complete the task that the Lord has given me.