Christmas Party

This past weekend was a very busy one with the Christmas Fayre in the morning and early afternoon and then the "A" level party for three (3) homes and/or orphanages. We had girls from Freedom Firm, a group which rescues young girls from prostitution, and Smyrna Home, a home for girls who have been discarded by their families and both boys and girls from Mizpah home, an orphanage run by the Head Caterer's wife.

The children arrived in the afternoon and played games on the Big Pitch with some of the "A" levels while the rest of us prepared the staff room. following the large outdoor group games the approximately 50 children came into the staff room with all the "A" level students who were assisting at this event. (There were 2 other groups of "A" levels doing events with the Junior School and the Middle School) The different groups presented items and we had a Christmas Tree decorating competition.

Each child went home with a gift. The girls of freedom Firm and Smyrna each went home with a new pair of slippers. The children from Mizpah went home with craft and school supplies.

On Sunday afternoon Hebron School hosted the Nilgiris Carol Service. There were a total of 7 school choirs in attendance along with our concert Band. Some of the groups were easy to listen and others were not quite as tuneful! There were congregational carols as well. There was even a Christmas Tree with lights!

Exams are over and the deadline for Reports is Thursday night. I have two (2) classes of French students to mark and report on. The red pen has been flying through the exams.

There will be another Carol Sing on December 9 for the Hebron School and the community. More later.

More pictures!

Are we going to hit?



Street market - fish anyone?



Potatoes anyone?


Open air market!

Lots of sights and sounds to see and experience.

Chennai et al

Here are a few pictures and a bit more detail about the wonderful weekend in Chennai and Pondicherry.

First there is our "air-conditioned" bus with windows wide open for all the sounds of the journey, especially the honking of auto and truck horns.

Then there is the elephant in front of the temple in Pondicherry. The elephant was eating from people's hands and also had small children on its back.

Talk about "fish and chips" for lunch and you got the whole fish.


And talk about "fresh pineapple" juice. It was simply delicious.

You certainly took your life in your hands driving in a three-wheeled auto which didn't seem to obey any of the conventional rules of the road.

If anyone wishes to write, they can try bill.titcombe@gmail.com hopefully this will get through.

More pictures will be posted on flickr.

After a reasonable night's sleep in a room where the air-conditioner stopped at 4 in the morning and we couldn't open the window we were up at 8 and ready to go. The "we" was Tim and myself. The girls were going to go shopping for the day. Tim and I preferred to see the sights. We had breakfast at the hotel. I had a wonderful glass of fresh squeezed orange juice and a scrambled egg sandwich.

We took an auto to Fort St. George and saw the museum and St. Mary's church. The fort complex is now the Secretariat for the government and so there were plenty of military police around. We were not hindered as long as we kept to the tourist areas. When we tried to walk up the steps to the flag pole we were very quickly stopped by two women soldiers with guns. No fooling around here.

The museum showed the outline of the fort when it is in operation. The church was still quite beautiful with some stained glass windows and a small garden.

Following the visit to the fort we walked up to the High Court buildings. There were many auto drivers who offered to take us on a tour of the city for 10 Rs an hour. This is a trick to get you in the auto and then take you to a shop where there is pressure for you to buy! Tim had previously experienced this in Delhi and so we just walked right on. There was a separate entrance for the judges at the High Court. We went in through the main entrance into the grounds and walked around and eventually made our way into the court building itself. We went up to the first floor and saw court was in session. After checking with a black-robed clerk/lawyer or whomever we went into the back of the court room and observed the proceedings for about 20 minutes. The court room was a juxtaposition of old with beamed ceiling and stained glass windows and new with neon lights and air-conditioning.


Following our time at court we headed for Marina beach. This is the longest stretch of beach in India and is very dirty with the flotsam and jetsam of the city. You certainly do not go swimming in the water. There is an advisory to not go barefoot on the sand due to broken glass and other debris. We did see some fish laid out in the sun drying.

After enjoying the sound of the Bay of Bengal and getting all covered in salt spray we took an auto to Spencer's shopping complex. This is a huge mall on 4 levels. We found the Food Court and had lunch. After looking around the shops for a bit we took an auto back to the hotel and just relaxed until it was time to leave. The girls eventually returned with their purchases and we left for the train station. We had supper just across the street and then were on the train at 9:00 P.M. for the overnight trip to Mettupalayam.

Pondicherry

We, the 6 IGs, arrived in Pondi late in the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 10. We went to the suggested hotel and found it was FULL. We went to the second suggested hotel and it was FULL, as well. (People don't believe in Reservations as there is ALWAYS room!) Fortunately our autos drivers were patient and knew where other hotels/guests houses were. We finally found space in guest house 5, the Sri Krishnas Guest House and booked the last rooms.


With a good map of the city we were able to find our way to the Le Rendezvous restaurant for dinner at 7:00 P.M. We were given a roof top table. The place filled up and by 8:00 there was a long line waiting to get in. The restaurant was supposed to be "French" with a wonderful Western menu. I tried the tomato salad and the guiche Lorraine. The food was delicious and the service was S-L-O-W!


Most major attractions were closed on Sunday but we did manage a walk along the Goubert Salai with its statue of Gandhi. We also saw the Notre Dame des Anges church which was built in 1858.


Walking in the French sector, between the canal and the Bay of Bengal, we were surprised at the clean streets and the lack of people. It was pleasant walking as we didn't have to watch where we were putting our feet.


We had picked out a quaint looking Pizzeria for lunch only to find out the dough was rising in the oven. So, we settled for Pizza Hut. An afternoon stroll through the bazaar area was noisy and action packed with all kinds of clothes, articles for the house, and food for sale.


We got to the bus depot at 5:00 P.M. and had to line up and buy a ticket to reserve a seat on the bus for 10 Rs. We left Pondi at 5:30 and arrived in Chennai at 9:45. This time we had a RESERVATION for our Comfort Hotel rooms.

Mamallapuram

After leaving school on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. and taking the overnight train to Chennai we, the 6 IGs, arrived by bus at Mamallapuram around 3:30 Friday afternoon. Almost 24 hours later.



We found a hotel right on the beach and then went for lunch at Bob Marley's. The food was delicious and the view was great. We could watch the fishermen bring in their boats and work with their nets. We could also watch the children play.


There was time for the beach and just walking along and enjoying the sand and the sunset before going off to dinner at another beach-side restaurant. I had grilled prawns with onions as my main course. Again we could hear the ocean in the background and we also had a fireworks display as it was Diwali, the festival of lights.


After a very warm night without air-conditioning it was breakfast at our hotel and then out to visit some of the sights. The Shore Temple and Arjuna's Penance, a huge stone carving in the natural rock, were the highlights.

Mamallapuram is a quaint little fishing village. There are many stone carvers who work outside and the sound of their hammers can be heard all through the town.

After a quick lunch we were on our way to Pondicherry. More about that later.

Keep Posted

Back at school after a whirlwind trip to Chennai (Madras) Mamallapuram, and Pondicherry. Over 300 pictures to review and then prepare post.

So, keep posted.

BBQ "A" Levels

Have you ever had 60 people prepare a B-B-Q? There is a first time for everything. I had that wonderful experience on Saturday afternoon.

The "A" level boys were informed they would be participating in such an event on Friday night. They were divided into teams for shopping and food preparation. Each team was given more than enough money to cover the cost of provisions from the market.

The boys and the girls went shopping on Saturday and all provisions and personnel had to report to Selborn for 4:30 P.M. "Let the games begin!"

It was really interesting to see how the preparations came along.


One team worked on the potato salad. Their cutting technique was interesting to watch. and their mixing technique was quite ingenious!Another team was charged with making the green salad - lettuce, oranges, green peppers, carrots, etc.

A third group worked on preparing the salsa for the chip dip.

The coleslaw was prepared by yet another group.

Not to be outdone was the group charged with making the hamburger patties! You want me to mix that!!! A wood fire was lit in the fire pit and then members of the hamburger team cooked the burgers, chicken sausages, marinated chicken, mushrooms, and some garlic.


The final group was responsible for making the banana splits with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. (no pics)

The meal was delicious even if I still smell of B-B-Q smoke.

Following supper we all went inside to watch the film Rain Man! How prophetic. While we were watching the film the skies opened and the rain came down in torrents. When we left at 10:30 P.M. the sloped driveway was awash in water. My feet got wet as the water came up over the back of my running shoes as I walked down the driveway. I was fortunate to grab an auto for the trip back to Lushington Hall. I was soaked right up to my knees.

Today, Monday, the Road's minister is in Ooty inspecting the poor condition of the roads. Something must be done as the water was at least 6 inches deep on Saturday, right up to the middle of the hub caps on some vehicles

On Thursday a group of IGs leave for our long weekend. We are going to Chennai and Pondicherry on the overnight train Thursday and coming back on the train Sunday night.

Stay tuned for details.

Bollywood?

Saturday, November 3, started off with some very loud music and "one, two, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight" at 7:30 A.M. I had heard a heavy truck drive through the gardens. The film crew were setting up in the Botanical Gardens right below my flat. You will see from the pictures what is meant by "right below." The director or whomever kept calling out "one, two, one, two ..." and the music blared! You can see the roof of my flat through the trees and the group are right below.

After the Men's Breakfast I took my camera and went down to see what was going on at 9:30. I figured there would be a full scale production with all kinds of dancers, singers, actors and others. There was a group of women all in purple saris looking on, as well as others. Was I wrong!

Just one fellow in a green jacket lip-syncing to the music while being filmed. It would seem he never did more than 12 bars of the song before being stopped. The music was a repeated over and over and ... . This continued all day. At least in the afternoon they moved out towards the main gate and the noise diminished. When I went down for the second time at 4:00 P.M. they were still going strong.