Day 27 - 29/01/20
Dear Friends,
Last time I said I had been on a bike, well now I have been on a bike with three people at once. Tinka and I were walking back from the Republic day service, which had been held in a carpark near Cuffe Parade, and Kumar and Fardin came past on their bikes, and offered a lift back. Tinka and I (gracefully) climbed on the back of Fardin's bike, forthwith set off rather more slowly than he had arrived. We all went for chai at Mezeban Cafe, and Kumar said something that was quite touching about how I have grown in confidence a lot since arriving in India and since he met me in the UK which genuinely put a smile on my face. The actual ceremony had been full of joy with lots of dances from the OSCAR children, singing from Ashok and then the release of the flag itself with beautiful flowers bursting out as it dropped, signifying the importance of this day across India.
One of my highlights of my time in India so far, was Ruby's 21st which was hosted on a boat from the Gate of India. All four of us had decided we were going to come in traditional attire so we rocked up in kurtas and sarees but forgot that that would capture the attentions of locals tenth-fold and we felt like celebrities with people lining up to take photos with us - kind of strange to think of the amount of people's camera rolls we must be on now. The whole evening was some of the best fun I've had because I felt like I was surrounded by a genuine family. We danced for most of the night and I felt so comfortable, which is unusual for me, normally I am relatively shy but everyone was radiating energy - it was infectious. I also loved wearing a saree it felt very powerful in a way but now I have the issue with how to get it home.
We also had a very cultural experience with Govind on Sunday afternoon. We met him at Churchgate station and our first stop on a little tour was Dharavi. We walked through the predominantly Muslim section and back through the industrial section where there were little alley ways. The businesses predominantly involved recycling and there were fridges and air con units being made. We then visited the Bandra Reclamation Church, the Siddhivinayek temple and the Haji Ali mosque. The mosque was especially cool as it stretched out over the water and you had to get to it via a walkway that flooded each tide. That afternoon involved a lot of walking and we were all shattered by the time we got back to the Hostel.
On Monday, I visited the Bombay Institute for the deaf and mute, as OSCAR now run a football programme there. It was astonishing to see how much can be achieved purely through expression and body language because I could capture a lot of their communication even without understanding sign language. In the afternoon I went back to the ground session at Cotton Green and visited the houses of two young OSCAR children who we were doing case studies on. I chatted to their parents and they were so welcoming and kind.
Monday night was one of the volunteers, Tom's, last night. We had a calm evening because I think everyone was feeling mixed emotions and we were all sad at the thought of him leaving. We saw him off at 9 the next day, in a taxi to the airport, after going out for a traditional breakfast but we were all feeling a bit ropey.. I personally have less than a week left in Mumbai and I am excited to see what the next couple of months in India have in store. It is going to be an entirely different experience traveling from place to place but I can't wait to see more of this beautiful country.
bye for now,
Phoebe
Last time I said I had been on a bike, well now I have been on a bike with three people at once. Tinka and I were walking back from the Republic day service, which had been held in a carpark near Cuffe Parade, and Kumar and Fardin came past on their bikes, and offered a lift back. Tinka and I (gracefully) climbed on the back of Fardin's bike, forthwith set off rather more slowly than he had arrived. We all went for chai at Mezeban Cafe, and Kumar said something that was quite touching about how I have grown in confidence a lot since arriving in India and since he met me in the UK which genuinely put a smile on my face. The actual ceremony had been full of joy with lots of dances from the OSCAR children, singing from Ashok and then the release of the flag itself with beautiful flowers bursting out as it dropped, signifying the importance of this day across India.
One of my highlights of my time in India so far, was Ruby's 21st which was hosted on a boat from the Gate of India. All four of us had decided we were going to come in traditional attire so we rocked up in kurtas and sarees but forgot that that would capture the attentions of locals tenth-fold and we felt like celebrities with people lining up to take photos with us - kind of strange to think of the amount of people's camera rolls we must be on now. The whole evening was some of the best fun I've had because I felt like I was surrounded by a genuine family. We danced for most of the night and I felt so comfortable, which is unusual for me, normally I am relatively shy but everyone was radiating energy - it was infectious. I also loved wearing a saree it felt very powerful in a way but now I have the issue with how to get it home.
On Monday, I visited the Bombay Institute for the deaf and mute, as OSCAR now run a football programme there. It was astonishing to see how much can be achieved purely through expression and body language because I could capture a lot of their communication even without understanding sign language. In the afternoon I went back to the ground session at Cotton Green and visited the houses of two young OSCAR children who we were doing case studies on. I chatted to their parents and they were so welcoming and kind.
Monday night was one of the volunteers, Tom's, last night. We had a calm evening because I think everyone was feeling mixed emotions and we were all sad at the thought of him leaving. We saw him off at 9 the next day, in a taxi to the airport, after going out for a traditional breakfast but we were all feeling a bit ropey.. I personally have less than a week left in Mumbai and I am excited to see what the next couple of months in India have in store. It is going to be an entirely different experience traveling from place to place but I can't wait to see more of this beautiful country.
bye for now,
Phoebe
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