Final blog

It was tough waking up this morning because we knew this was probably the second last day with this program and the wonderful P.A students.We were all really exhausted and the thought of parting with them made it even more worse!!!
It was decided that we all would discuss about the most important topic-PRIVILEGE!
It was then that we understood the true meaning of PRIVELEGE.The activity that we had involved each one of us & made us feel really enthusiastic.Thoughts were just flowing in & out of our minds.Each one of us were told to note down the 8 top privileges we as students had in our lives.Then we were asked to eliminate one by one the things we could afford to lose in our lives which was quite tough by the end.We then had to chose one prime privilege.Aishwarya chose 'A supportive family'& saloni chose 'Living a healthy life'.We were really surprised as this activity was an eye-opener & made us more aware of our comforts.
We then also had a group discussion about the activities in all the three weeks which actually created an impact on each one of us.
In the evening we went to Aditya Bajaj's(an Udayachal student)place & had a wonderful time there.We watched a bollywood movie 'JAB WE MET'& enjoyed every bit of it.We then had a lovely home-made dinner(after 3 weeeks)& relished it to the fullest.
It was then that the toughest part came because Micahel,Mr.Housiaux,Miss Cursy,Dr.Shaw were leaving for Boston.It was an emotional moment for each one of us & some of us broke into tears.But we finally realized the truth that we had to depart.Today was a fun-filled day as well as an emotional evening!!!
-We'll miss u NISWARTH & ALL THE P.A KIDS!!!
............SALONI SHARMA & AISHWARYA NAIR(Udayachal students)!!!

After spending a night chit chatting with anabel,lily,neha ...we were all still awake with exxxtra energy !!!we were all really excited as it was our first day out working.At breakfast we(udayachal students) gave a short talk about hinduism and were really surprised to see curious eyes(P.A students) watching us & listening with all interest to the mythological stories.
We then visited the organisation SAVE THE CHILDREN INDIA(STCI)...we were all welcomed by the students & the principal in the traditional Indian way & were really pleased by the beautiful flowers they offered us...!!!We then had a presentation about the various activities undertaken by the STCI.I was really shocked & surprised to hear about the different problems coming up in India.Projects like the SOS(SAVE OUR SISTERS),SAHAS-KENDRA,NALINI,YASMIN,ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAM gave us all an actual idea about what the organisation actually does to help the trafficked people.Another thing that really amazed me was that the children there were so well-mannered,intelligent,bright..& curious to learn more.We were also divided into 4 different groups viz.ART,DANCE,THEATRE,COMPUTERS.I chose the dance group & was really happy bcoz the amazing talents of the children really made it easier for us to teach them mmmm....ya we did have tough times coz they were like really restless after lunch.It was a truly different experience for me there..i just didn't feel like leaving the place.The joy i could see in the children there really brought tears of joy into my eyes.
We then visited the SIDDHIVINYAK TEMPLE & HAJJI ALI MOSQUE.We had to travel through the bustling traffic of Mumbai.All i could see was people biting hot & spicy VADA PAVS(a type of junk food in Mumbai)& sipping hot tea.I could also hear the constant honking of the vehicles & the amazed & perplexed eyes of some of the PA students.
The temple was really crowded (i was used to it ).But the mosque was like really beautiful..i mean the pathway through the ocean was a feast to the eyes...the blue waves crashing against the rocks was so beautiful..!!!
We then had a lavish,delicious dinner..& were like all tired after a long tiring day of travelling,roaming..!!I was really happy coz i had observed so many wonderful things which went unnoticed staying all these 14 years in Mumbai!!!
.......................Aishwarya Nair.
(U.H.S)