Day 5

Well, today was the day that we got to see one of the 7 Wonders of the World, and it didn't disappoint!  Today was also the day that we got to experience a plethora of sights, sounds and smells as we travelled 200km using the Indian railway system - we will never again complain about NIR!  Following a 5.30am breakfast we arrived in Agra at 11.00am in time for welcome refreshments at the Trident Hilton.

The highlight of the day was seeing the Taj Mahal firsthand, along with many thousands of others who were celebrating the Diwali holiday. It's hard to believe that such a small group of pupils can take so many photos of one building!

During the afternoon we had the opportunity to visit a local rug-making business, and we spent time at the spectacular Agra Fort.

As staff, we just want to take this opportunity to commend each member of our team for their outstanding contribution so far.  Their commitment, enthusiasm and genuine care for each other have exceeded our already high expectations - we are so proud of them all.


As we've now been up for 19 hours and the rest of the team is in bed, it's probably time to sign off......


Toni, Catherine & John








Today's Blogspot is by Shannen


The Taj Mahal is without a doubt the most popular building in India.  Here are a few interesting facts about this beautiful building...

•     The Taj Mahal appears pink in the morning, white in the day and changes its colour to golden in the moonlight.
• 
  

  An identical Taj Mahal was supposed to be built in black marble.  The base of this can still be seen across the river, but it was never constructed.

• The Taj Mahal is perfectly symmetrical except that the male tomb is bigger than the female tomb.
• It took 22 years and 22,000 people to complete the Taj Mahal.
• 
  

  The pillars surrounding the Taj Mahal are slightly tilted outwards so that in the event of an earthquake they will fall away from the tomb.

Day Four

Hello everyone!


We've had another amazing day at the resource centre. We had created an all-time CLASSIC of a video blog, but unfortunately we're having serious issues with the video editing software and it's getting too late. We've managed to add a couple of isolated clips.

Other than mural painting, we've been playing sports with the children.

Other than murals and sports, we've been teaching the children their alphabet and making concertina fish and jewel boxes. The children seemed to really enjoy themselves and we certainly had a good time!


Tomorrow we are visiting the Taj Mahal, which we're really looking forward to. We won't be back until late and because of this, there probably won't be a blog tomorrow. Please expect a bumper edition on Sunday night!


Again, apologies for the lack of blog tonight. Here's Sara's lovely spot on sport in India.

Sport in India

• Sports in India include cricket, chess, badminton, field hockey, tennis, association football and golf. Field Hockey is the official national sport in India, and the country has eight olympic gold medals in field hockey, though cricket is the most popular. Other popular sports include football, tennis, volleyball, and badminton.

• Throughout the country a wide variety of sports are played. India is home to several traditional sports which originated in the country and continue to remain fairly popular. These include kabbadi, kho kho, pehlwani and gilli-danda. The British rule brought many popular sports in India including football, rugby union, cricket, golf, tennis, squash, hockey, boxing, snooker, and billiards.

• India has hosted or co-hosted several international sporting events, such as the 1951 Asian Games and the 1982 Asian Games, the 1987 Cricket World Cup and 1996 Cricket World Cup, the 2003 Afro-Asian Games, the 2010 Hockey World Cup, the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Major international sporting events annually held in India include the Chennai Open, Mumbai Marathon, Delhi Half Marathon and the Indian Masters. India is also scheduled to host the first Indian Grand Prix in 2011.

• Cricket has a long history in India and is the most popular sport by a wide margin in India. Recently, it won the 2011 Cricket World Cup by defeating Sri Lanka in the final match hosted by India. played on local, national and international levels and enjoys consistent support from people in all parts of India. Its development has been closely tied up with the history of the country, mirroring many of the political and cultural developments around issues such as Caste, Religion and Nationality.

• India first participated at the Olympic Games in 1900, with a lone athlete (Norman Pritchard) winning two medals in athletics. The nation first sent a team to the Summer Olympic Games in 1920, and has participated in every Summer Games since then. India has also competed at several Winter Olympic Games since 1964.India had won total 20 medals at Olympic Games. India won its first gold medal in Men's Field hockey in 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games. Abhinav Bindra became the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games and India's first gold medal since 1980, when the Men's Field Hockey Team won the gold.


Thanks for your support!
Peter, Jessica and Georgina.

Day 3

Today's blog is in the form of a video diary by Rachel N, Suzanne and Rachel K

The blogspot is by Naomi
Here's a little bit about the traditional Indian dress...

• The traditional clothing for men is the kurta or the sherwani. The sherwani is a long coat-like jacket fastened with buttons. It comes to just below the knees, hitting somewhere high on the calf. The jacket has a Nehru collar, which is a collar that stands up. This jacket is often cream, light ivory, or gold colored for weddings, especially those in the morning. It can be embroidered with gold or silver. While traditionally light in color, the jackets can be worn in dark colors, like reds, blacks, or navy, typically later in the day. A scarf is sometimes added to the jacket over one or both shoulders.
• Women's clothing in India varies widely and is closely related to local culture, religion and climate. Traditional Indian clothing for women are the saris or the salwar kameez and also gaghra cholis (lehengas). Saris are a graceful elegant clothing. A sari is a strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles.

• A popular attire of women in Indian clothing is the Indian salwar-kameez. This popular Indian dress evolved as a comfortable and respectable garment for women in Kashmir and Punjab region, but is now immensely popular in all regions of India. Salwars are pyjama-like trousers drawn tightly in at the waist and the ankles. Over the salwars, women wear a long and loose tunic known as a kameez. One might occasionally come across women wearing a churidar instead of a salwar. A churidar is similar to the salwar but is tighter fitting at the hips, thighs and ankles. Over this, one might wear a collarless or mandarin-collar tunic called a kurta.
• When it comes to fashion, Bollywood is a huge source of inspiration for all fashion enthusiasts and trend followers. Be it a plain transparent saree or a designer wedding saree, Bollywood films showcase them. What is also seen a lot in Bollywood these days is an explosion of colors. Indian actresses are experimenting with new colors; they are mix-matching and wearing contrasting color sarees that really catch the eye! Bright multi-colored sarees are really something that is totally in vogue. Fine embroideries, zardosi on velvets, blouses with deep cuts, chiffons are all a part of the wardrobe of most Bollywood actresses today.
• Necklaces are very popular fashion accessories across India amongst girls and women of all ages. Necklaces are made of a variety of materials, ranging from glass beads to gold and diamonds. One special necklace is the mangalasutra, worn only by married Indian women. It is the Indian equivalent of the western wedding ring.

Day 2

Day 2 - Wednesday

HAPPY DIWALI EVERYONE!

After an extremely restful sleep, breakfast was at 8:30am which proved to be more eventful than expected with some team members (aka Mr Donnelly, Adam, Shannen and Georgina) deciding that omelettes (mistaking them for pancakes) and honey was a good combination ....we'll maybe try that with the pancakes tomorrow. 

Before heading out for the day, the team met to discuss the crafts, English lessons and murals that are intended for youth in the ASHA centre tomorrow.




We then headed out for a quick (the boys hoped) stop at FabIndia to buy our Indian outfits. Despite the overwhelming number of choices and colours, the trip was relatively quick and painless and everyone was extremely pleased with their purchases. (See below for our outfits.)

After getting our outfits we went to Pizza Hut for a big lunch where we discovered that Diwali wasn't the only festival being celebrated today......

Our next sightseeing spots were India Gate and Humayun's Tomb. Both provided fairly spectacular photo opportunities and were enjoyed by all!

India Gate is a 42m high memorial arch bearing the names of the 85,000 Indian soldiers who died in both WW1 and the 1919 Afghan fiasco

Humayun's Temple was built in the 16th century by Haji Begum. Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor and his wife supervised the construction of his tomb.

Tonight we celebrated the festival of Diwali (for more info on this see Hannah's blogspot). We were able to spend time with the other Ballymena Team and were treated to an exciting fireworks display by the hotel staff. 

The common sight on many street corners today as the people of India prepared for Diwali.

P.S. Members of the 1st XI were keen to show that even while away there was still time to carry out some fitness where possible.

Rebecca, Jacob and Naomi :)


Tonight's blogspot is by Hannah and is about Diwali...


Diwali is probably the most well known festival of the Hindu calender. This year, it takes place on 26th October, which is during the time we are spending in Delhi!

5 Interesting Facts About Diwali:

• The word Diwali means, "rows of lighted lamps". It is often referred to as the festival of light because houses, shops and public areas are decorated with small lamps called diyas for the duration of the festival.



Lakshmi

• For most Indians, Diwali is a time to celebrate the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi.   Lamps are lit and windows and doors are left open to help Lakshmi find her way into people's homes.

•   The festival is celebrated for five continuous days, where the third day is celebrated as the main Diwali festival or 'Festival of lights'. On the first day, traditionally people would wash their money. In their homes, people literally wash coins in milk and water and worship Lakshmi. On day three, many businessmen close their account books and do rituals to open their new account books for the next financial year, in order to gain prosperity in the next financial year. On day four gifts of money or clothes are given and on day five, it is tradition for sisters to call their brothers and their families to her home for a meal. 

• Rangoli are often drawn on the floors over the festival period. These are large colourful patterns and the most common subject to be drawn is the lotus flower.
•    The festival is all about sharing. When a brother visits his sister he traditionally leaves a gift of money under his plate after sharing a meal with her and people present diwali gifts to their friends, family and neighbours.

Day One

Hello from India!

We're writing to you from The Legend Inn, Delhi, and at the moment everyone is having a wee rest before dinner after a very busy day.

It's hard to believe that 24 hours ago we were just leaving school to get home and travel to the airport. An incredible amount has happened since then: flights; arrival at The Legend Inn and a trip to the Tigri resource centre.

We met at 3:30pm in Belfast, and from there flew to Heathrow. After a quick turnaround we got on the flight to Delhi for 10:00pm. The eight hours dragged by, with some sleeping better than others!

Finally we arrived at about 10:35am, Delhi time, and got through the huge queues at security to the baggage carousel. Then, tragedy struck. Jacob's bag was nowhere to be found, and he trawled up and down for about half an hour trying to find it.

Just as we were about to lose hope, a man came running in pulling it behind him. Man and suitcase were reunited. Everything was as it should be.

The drive to the Legend Inn was unforgettable in more ways than one, and I think it was only then that the reality that we were in India began to sink in. After getting some lunch and freshening up a little, we headed out to the slum. Again, the drive was incredible. The roads are massively congested; everyone is beeping their horns like mad and there are motorcycles everywhere, darting through the traffic with little regard for speed, traffic laws, or often their own safety. We even saw one man on his moped overtaking at speed, while he texted two-handed! Here's a  quick flavour of some of the things we saw on the way to the slum.

When we arrived at the resource centre we couldn't believe the welcome we received. The entrance was lined with children, throwing petals and cheering. When we got inside, the room was packed with children of all ages. We were utterly humbled as the children introduced themselves to us and told us about their ambitions and their progress at college. It was amazing to see how much college education means to the teenagers. After introducing ourselves, there was plenty of time for informal chat.

 The kids taught us a brilliant handshake, while we played clapping games with them.

After a chorus of goodbyes we headed back to the hotel, and now we're showered and ready for a quiet dinner at the hotel.

Finally, during our team meetings before we left, each member of the team took their turn to provide a short overview of some aspect of Indian culture. Each update will contain one of these 'blogspots'. The first is Rachel Keys' presentation about Asha.

Asha means "hope" in Hindi and Asha gives hope to people living in slum areas by allowing them to realise their potential, regardless of their background or religious beliefs.

In 1988, Dr Kiran Martin who was a young paediatrician became aware of a cholera outbreak in one of Delhi's slums and was determined to help. She set up a borrowed table below a tree and began to treat the patients. She had a deep desire to help the slum dwellers and set up a clinic where over 100 patients came for treatment every day, most of them suffering from preventable diseases.

Dr Kiran Martin with a child who stands a good chance of growing up to be happy, healthy and completing school, thanks to the work of Asha

In Delhi’s slums, people are marginalised and deprived, in poor health and starved of knowledge and opportunities. With Asha’s help slum communities become healthy, and stay that way by providing access to basic necessities like clean water, toilets and electricity. The slum dwellers can gain information and skills that help them to improve their lives. They can unlock their potential and break free from poverty. Young people can overcome the obstacles to get a good education and this year 188 slum children have been admitted to Delhi University and other prestigious private colleges in one of the most competitive years ever for university places.

A few of the first students from the slums who were admitted to Delhi University

After being founded by one person who worked surrounded by dirt, ignorance and despair, Asha is now transforming the lives of 400,000 slum dwellers in 50 slum colonies in Delhi.

Thank you for following our progress. It really means the world to us to have your support.


See you tomorrow, with our next update, during the Hindu festival of lights: Diwali!


Rachel, Naomi and Georgina.

Indian Dinner and Auction, 6th October

Hello everyone!


The team is delighted to say that in just over a week a dinner and auction will be held at school to raise money for Asha. What follows is the official release.


Ballymena Academy to welcome Lord Rana as Guest of Honour at Asha fundraising dinner on Thursday 6^th October 2011

Ballymena Academy is delighted to announce that Lord Rana MBE, Honorary Counsul of India to Northern Ireland will be the Guest of Honour and keynote speaker at a dinner to be held in the school on Thursday 6 October 2011.

The event is to raise funds to support the work of the charity Asha helping children in the slums of Delhi.  Asha’s objective is to transform lives by making healthcare more accessible, empowering people to make changes and improving access to education.  A team of 13 pupils and 3 teachers from Ballymena Academy will be heading out to work with the charity for 10 days at the end of October 2011.

Academy Principal, Mr J R Hassard said “we are privileged that Lord Rana has accepted our invitation to come to Ballymena Academy next month.  Not only does he promote business links between Northern Ireland and India but he is also passionate about education and has set up a charitable trust to create a college in his native village in India.  He is familiar with the work of Asha and we very much look forward to welcoming him to Ballymena Academy.”

The dinner will be the final fundraising event and will include a presentation by team members about their trip, their aspirations and how the funds raised will be used.  An auction of generously donated items will take place conducted by leading auctioneer Mr Richard Bell and Lord Rana will conclude the evening with his keynote address.

Miss Toni Bassett, one of the leaders of the group commented, “the dinner will be the culmination of a very active and successful 6 months of fundraising.  It is hard to believe that in five weeks time the team will actually be in India seeing first hand the uses to which these funds can be put and we are all very excited at the prospect.”

Tickets for the dinner on Thursday 6 October 2011 are priced at £20 each and can be ordered by contacting Hiliary Taylor on 028 2565 2350.

It's set to be an incredible night, and we're all getting really excited about it! The dinner will be a three course Indian feast, and by the looks of things the assembly hall will be completely transformed. However, the highlight of the evening will no doubt be the auction itself, for which we have an incredible range of items. The list is not completely confirmed, however we can tell you about some of our larger prizes.

Five seats in a box for the Ulster VS Leinster match, the weekend of 20-22nd April will be sold off. The prize includes a three course meal and a free bar.

 A shirt signed by some of the Irish Rugby team is also up for sale. (Here's hoping for the world cup!)

Bidding will take place for a football fully signed by Rangers FC. This comes with a certificate of authenticity.

We are also privileged to have two shirts signed by members of the Northern Irish football team.

Finally, we are delighted to announce that we will also be auctioning two signed Manchester United shirts! One shirt is signed by most of the current 2011/2012 squad including Berbatov, Nani and Anderson. The second is a limited edition shirt from the 2010 season, signed by Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. Make sure you don't miss out on these amazing items!

As you can see, we've done particularly well with the sports prizes! However the ladies shouldn't be discouraged; there are plenty of lovely treats for them too.

The evening has proved extremely popular and we're nearly sold out of tickets, so if you'd like to attend, please contact Miss Taylor (as above) as soon as possible. If you cannot or do not wish to attend, but still would like to make a bid, we welcome advance bids. If you would like to place an advance bid, please contact Miss Toni Bassett or Miss Catherine Donnelly on the school number: 028 2565 2782.

After the dinner things are likely to be fairly quiet for the team as we rest and prepare for the trip. We'll be updating this blog regularly whilst away, so if you'd like to see how we're getting on, please check back for updates closer to the time.

Thank you.