Day 4

Hey there from Dehli in the middle of a power cut. Today was the day everyone was waiting for- to go to Tigri for the first time! With the first lie in of the trip, we woke up full of energy and excitement for the day ahead. After an 8.30am breakfast, we set off in our hectic taxis for the 30 minute drive to the slum. Upon arrival we were faced with some awful sights and smells, but these were all drowned out by the welcoming smiles of the incredibly excited children and staff alike.

Each child got the opportunity to introduce themselves - talking about their future plans yet were still so eager to ask us about ourselves. A few happy tears were shed from the girls in particular, especially at the story of Shubra who told us she was the first one ever in her family to go to college and be educated. She is in second year studying political science and hopes to become a teacher.

Not long after getting to chat to all of the kids, almost straightaway we were all playing together outside running around like eejits! They especially loved the multi-coloured parachute and “cyclone” where we threw it in the air with bean bags going everywhere for the kids to run under. Lyndsey did a fantastic job teaching the children about food and culture where they got to make their own paper pizzas and learn about different countries. However much to our surprise they knew more than us, including maths. Lucy, Emma and Dr. D were hard at work, drawing the outlines of are transport themed murals and Minions.

Meanwhile Mr Donnelly, Sasha, David, Tori and Ella did the first lane visit through the slums of Tigri. It was incredibly moving to see the unbelievably small and cramped rooms, which people called their homes. Although this didn’t stop a good old dance off between Ballymena and Delhi!!

After a lunch in the resource centre of nutella sandwiches and coke, given to us by the centre workers, we quickly got stuck into more fun and games with the children, only this time there were triple the amount of children. It soon turned into a beauty salon, with the girls getting their hair and nails pampered simultaneously, whilst the boys enjoyed an intense game of cricket.

We then made a quick visit to the Sarojini Nagar market for the girls to purchase their Sarees which surprisingly only took 1 hour! Meanwhile the boys went and purchased loads of sports equipment such as footballs, badminton rackets etc along with some board games for us to give to the centre for the children to enjoy. 

Today was an eye-opening and humbling experience that touched all of our hearts. Relationships were quickly formed between the team and the children and we can’t wait to spend the next week building a closer rapport with these amazing people.

The day was topped off with a delicious meal from Daitchi Chinese, with Honey Chilli Chicken and fried rice all round. A few dance routines later, it’s now time for bed in preparation for another action packed day tomorrow.

शुभ रात्रि (Goodnight)

From Tori, Rebecca and Dave xo