Sahil's Diary
Day 1
We arrived at Chennai airport in our matching hoodies after a long and tiring flight to be greeted by Lockesh, our driver, and Ravi Shankar. We were taken to our hotel for breakfast and a few hours sleep. We then went to the beach which was amazing and saw a few local stalls. We had dinner on the first night at an excellent Indian Restaurant; however Branavan reacted differently to most and ran off in search of Piriton.
Day 2
We went to a shopping mall to test our bargaining skills while Rajni met with A.R.Rahman. We then went to The Accord Metropolian, a luxury 5 star hotel where Mr Rudy Rudran, Branavan’s father, was staying. He treated us to a wonderful dinner and we also went swimming.
Day 3
We were treated to an extravagant afternoon experience at a resort away from the city. Here we ate lavishly, swam, listened to the fine music of Ryan and Andy and went quad biking. Rajni joined us for dinner, and we had an entertaining evening.
Day 4
On day 4 we paid our first visit to the school, an hour’s drive away. It was an exciting and humbling experience. We tried to show LKG magic, however they were only 4 years old, so we changed our plans to singing nursery rhymes and drawing pictures which was a lot more fun! We then taught Year 11 Economics and they were really engaging and very knowledgeable.
Day 5
On day 5 we taught magic and Spanish to Year 6 who were very lively and it was quite an experience. We also made origami with Year 5 who were really smart and creative. In the afternoon, we went to a science competition which the school took part in and went on to win. The exhibition they made was outstandingly informative and imaginative. We went for a very pleasant dinner at a Chinese restaurant with the owner of the hotel that we were staying in and his family.
Day 6
On the last day we went to school in the morning and taught Spanish to year 6, continuing on from the day before. All the children remembered what we taught them and their will and attitude to learn was inspiring. In the afternoon we played a great game of cricket against Year 11 in the heat of the midday sun. Saying goodbye to the school and the staff was very emotional, and all the younger children asked for our autographs. We presented them with many toys and clothes and we each received a present from the school. As it was our last day we decided to explore our hotel, and we climbed up onto the roof of our hotel at sunset via a suspect ladder and saw Chennai at night which was an amazing sight. We went for our last dinner in Chennai and then packed and said goodbye to all the staff in the hotel who were all so friendly.
Day 7
We left for the airport very early in the morning with none of us getting any sleep, and began our long voyage home. We learned so much about Chennai and its culture, and had a great time teaching at the school, and I would like to thank Rajni for taking us to India and the Wings of Hope Charity for all they have done.
