2010/2011 Geberit-Pangaea Pentakatha School Project
“There are two kinds of adventurers; those who go truly hoping to find adventure and those who go secretly hoping they won’t.” Rabindranath Tagore
Pangaea's partner Geberit SA has done some amazing work for a school in Pentakatha (Puri, Orissa, India) by building a new sanitation block in the school area. Certainly a far cry from what they had before! Previous conditions were unkept and squalid but are now completely revamped with cleanliness and hygiene standards kept to a maximim standard.
Mike Horn visited the school in February 2010 and identified work that could be done by our Young Explorers to complement Geberit’s efforts.
Geberit School Project India 
Mike Horn and the YEPs aren’t scared of adventure and are all set to embark on an adventure in ‘Incredible India’ again. This time, 6 YEPs from over the world will go discovering in Pentakatha village, Orissa; a coastal area in Eastern India. Once again, put out of their comfort zones into the laps of nature the YEPs from various selection camps and expeditions will be away from their families for 3 weeks to ACT and contribute to the improvement of the state of the Pentakatha school and its surroundings and complement the work done by Pangaea's partner Geberit SA in September 2010.
What will the YEPs experience in this new land where the language is different, the food and culture is different and everything isn’t a phone call away? Despite these differences and obstacles, one common thing is the human connection – the willingness to help, the smiling faces and the welcoming arms. The YEPs prepare themselves for an experience of a lifetime, where they will ACT to improve the conditions of the school for its 300 or so pupils and teachers while at the same time be physically involved in the teaching and learning process.
Meet the Young Explorers:
Inge Pietersen, 20 yrs, South Africa
I am a student at the University of Pretoria where I studied Industrial Engineering for 2 years, but I am now going to study Microbiology and Genetics with the hopes of one day specialising in Environmental Microbiology and working on projects such as water and soil purification.
Pangaea has taught me that many people working towards a common goal is a very mighty force, and that it is every single person on Earth's choice whether they are part of the problem, or part of the solution. Pangaea has taught me the value of team work and working together.
Through Pangaea I have also learnt that every person on Earth has a responsibility and an obligation to do their utmost to conserve and be environmentally friendly wherever they can. It has definitely changed my outlook on life and on what we can achieve when it comes to environmental protection and sustainability. It has redefined my ideas of a person's limitations, both physically and influentially when I look at Mike Horn, who has achieved so much and done so much for our beautiful planet, through hard work and a steadfast dedication.
My best souvenir of a Pangaea experience would be my old trusty shirt that I bought at the "Black Market" in Mongolia, and which I wore almost every day of the trip - it may have gotten very smelly and dirty along the way but it carried with me all my amazing memories of horse riding around Lake Hovsgul, to trekking through the Gobi desert on horse- and camel back!
I believe that the Pentakatha Project will be an amazing project because it encompasses so many of the goals we would aim to achieve, since there is such a focus on bettering people's living conditions and lifestyles, educating them on health issues, different cultures and eco-sustainability, while also allowing themselves to sustain their lifestyles by supplying them the running water facilities and plumbing they require, as well as knowledge on food and gardening. I cannot wait to experience India’s fascinating and diverse culture, with its rich history, exotic foods and friendly people.
I will have to take my camera to try to capture all the awesome moments we are bound to have on this trip…as well as mosquito mats and repellent, since roughly 60 percent of India’s dangerous pathogens are transmitted by mozzies! I will also be sure to take my South African cricket supporters shirt since South Africa and India are in the middle of a nerve wrecking 5 game series which will end while I am in India (I’m a bit nervous since India is 2-1 ahead in the series!).
I’m very excited for this lovely opportunity which was presented to me simply for staying active and spreading the message of Pangaea, both before and after my expedition. I cannot wait to meet my fellow YEPs who I have been in contact with for over a year now, but have never met, and I cannot wait to see India that I have heard, read, researched but never seen before! :)
My story of how I became a Young Explorer with the Mike Horn’s organisation was all by coincidence.
It all started in March 2009, when I participated in a 2 week workshop of rock climbing: After I received my certificate my passion for this sport grew. I was checking some rock climbing gear on the Petzl website, as I see a small link: Applications for the Mike Horn Expeditions. Out of curiosity I clicked that link and landed in the Malaysian Selection Camp a few months later making me the first young explorer ever from the Middle East and from the smallest country, Lebanon.
Although I was not selected to go on the expedition, the time that I had in Switzerland was simply amazing; the experience I got, the people I met, the activities and workshops we did, all shaped me to be the man I am now.
Thanks to the Mike Horn organization, January 2011 will be another unforgettable experience that I will be having by educating young kids in Puri, India on the importance of hygiene and sanitation.
Other than my backpack, all I am taking with me to India are my hands and those hands belong to a guy called Jose Baz, a fresh graduate in Banking & Finance and a fanatic when it comes to the ”outdoors”.
Before stepping into the real world I decided to ACT in the Pentakatha school project. Knowing that the project is in India, this drove me to want to explore one of the most beautiful countries in the world, act/help in educating its society, and finally learn from them.
Maria Florencia Escudero, 18 yrs, Argentina
Latina girl from Argentina, hockey goalkeeper, 18 years old, studying Business Management and ready to start one of the best life experiences in Puri, India.
Becoming a Young Explorer was one of the greatest things that have happened in my life. At the beginning I wasn’t very sure of what Pangaea meant, but my passion for outdoor sports and environment made me apply for the India Selection Camp in Dec 2009, where I spent the most incredible 10 days of my life and had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world.
This was a big challenge for me as I was the only one who spoke Spanish, however I managed to communicate with everyone there. During the selection camp I had the chance of meeting Mike from whom I learnt “the impossible exists until you find a way of making it possible”, that was one of the things that make me fight for what I want and never give up. I wasn’t chosen for the India Expedition but I didn’t give up and continued getting involved in other projects and doing my work as an ambassador in my country, Argentina.
Then this new project appeared. It was taking place in India so I thought, this is my opportunity to go to India for once and for all. I’m so excited of being into this project because I love to be in touch with kids and to share all my knowledge and also learn from them. What I’m not going to forget to take to the trip is my camera and my notebook where I’m going to write down everything so then I can share my experience with the rest of the world.
Paridhi Rustogi, 15 yrs, India
Namaste! My name is Paridhi Rustogi and I’m a 15 year old girl from New Delhi, India. My claim to fame is that I am the youngest YEP (14! :) ) and some of the best memories of my life are from the Selection Camp and Expedition at Andaman Islands and Calcutta. Pangaea has changed my perspective of the world and given me the courage to go out in the world and explore the beauty of Mother Earth and try to preserve it, one bit at a time because small drops of water only make the huge ocean.
What’s your best souvenir of your Pangaea experience?
Something that I always have with me is the Pangaea handband. It stays on my arm the entire time reminding me of its beautiful message and the great times I’ve had with the Pangaea team and Mike.
Why did you decide to get involved in the Pentakatha school project?
I am Indian and I would love to give back to my society. Helping to set up a sanitation system for my fellow brothers and sisters would be amazing. At the end of the day the world is a family so it’s nice to help out family and do a good deed.
What are you expecting from your experience in Orissa?
I’m expecting to have a heck of a time which I will, considering it’s a YEP project. :) I’m sure to make new friends and learn about different cultures. This is my first trip to Orissa and I can’t wait to sample the beaches and the local cuisine.:D
What is the thing you absolutely will take with you for this trip ?
I won’t go to Orissa without Sun tan lotion. We Indians tan very easily and it’s not the prettiest thing. :P Believe me, I’ve learnt my lesson from the expedition. :P and mosquito repellant for obvious reasons. :P
Apart from that, I would like to invite all the YEP’s to India if they ever can come here. I think no traveling is bad and one just learns new things from the places they go to. So, if you ever want to come and enjoy in ‘Incredible India’, let me know and we’ll have some fun trying to save our planet. :)
What are you going to miss in India ? "Homework and Tests!! Haha, Just Kidding. Its vacation time. :D" !
Pawel Chmielowski, 19 yrs, Poland
My experience with the PANGAEA Young Explorers Program started just after the New Zealand expedition when my friend Sophie gave a presentation about the program to my class. I realized that it is something I am really interested in, so decided to join the YEP community and then sent in my application form for the India Selection Camp. I never really hoped to get selected so the message announcing ‘Congratulations, your application has been successful! was probably the greatest shock of my entire life.
The Selection Camp was probably the best time of my life. I met plenty of people with similar points of view and with lots of ideas on how to make a difference. Even though I wasn’t selected for the expedition to India, my life has changed a lot. It is hard to describe how much influence on young people this program has! Before the selection camp I wanted to make a difference but it was the program that gave me strength and will to believe that I really CAN do it.
Pentakatha School Project in India will be the next experience I hope to learn from. I will have an opportunity to meet people who really need our help and will meet again some Young Explorers whose presence, as well as that of the Mike Horn Team, always keep me inspired and motivated.
India is a different culture and completely different climate to Poland so I do not really know what to expect but am for sure looking forward to that!
Shruti K Nellakantan, 19 yrs, India
Education: 2nd Year in B.A.Journalism
College: M.O.P . Vaishnav College for Women
Others: International Climate Champion , Young Achiever of Uninor
Pangaea has been a huge influence on me personally. The ten days I spent in the Selection Camp taught me to look at things with a different perspective. For the first time I learnt and experienced that the mind is stronger than the body and how important it is to try the hardest you can. This is the key to success.
I have been living in India for a long time now and I really want to do something for my country. Pangaea decided on a perfect project that is going to help so many children that deserve it. I’m looking forward to having a great time with YEPs from various countries and to work with them on this exciting project!
This I am hoping will be a great learning experience and a project that will make a difference J
My camera will be the one thing I will not leave without!
DAY 1 - 23.01.2011
Our various flights from all over the world finally connected at Bhubaneswar, East India, where we met up at the airport and took a 60km drive in our taxis to the apartments in Puri, where we will be spending the next three weeks. Driving through India is an experience in itself, since there seem to be no conventional rules of the road. The rules I figured out while sitting half petrified in the back, were:
1. He who drives fastest and/or has the biggest car has right of way
2. Hooting with a reverberating horn while overtaking is a way of marking your territory to the oncoming traffic, if you’ve given them fair warning of your approach they should do the decent thing and pull over or even off the road.
3. There are only two types of people and animals in India – the quick and the dead.
The scenery we passed (whenever looking ahead got too much to handle) was truly remarkable. The hustle bustle of people and animals that occupy the streets add such a unique character to the otherwise run-down atmosphere. Palm trees give the entire area a tropical feel, while a constant layer of warm, hazy mist give an aura of mystique. The houses painted brilliant pink, green, yellow, red and the woman in their beautiful sari’s come together in a kaleidoscope of colours, making every minute of the drive a dazzling experience. On the road itself there are buses, trucks, taxis, motorbikes, scooters, cows, dogs, humans, bicycles, donkey cars and trams, all competing to be the fastest and the furthest ahead on the one double lane road available.
Finally after what felt like ages of driving (since we were all exhausted from our long flights) we arrived at our destination – our apartments in Puri with a lovely view of the pool and the sea. Once we were all settled we went out for many of our first “real” Indian meal. We had a lovely dinner of Paneer Tikka Marsala, Butter Naan, Chicken Bryiani, Tendoori Chicken and the like, and a refreshing drink of Fresh Lemon Soda. We finished dinner off with dough puff marinated in a sweet, clear syrup. After dinner we were fortunate enough to witness a real Indian marriage celebration with traditional dancing, music, lights, fireworks and a car covered with enough flowers to fill a shop.
All in all it was an amazing first day and I know we are all extremely excited for tomorrow, our first day at the Pentakatha school, where we will be discussing the painting logistics and interacting with the teachers and
children of the school.
Pentakatha School Act Project-DAY 1
DAY 2 - 24.01.2011
Today was quite eventful for all the YEP’s.
We started off the morning with a lot of excitement. Mr.Barik accompanied us to the wonderful school. All of us were welcomed with great enthusiasm; kids were waiting for us with garlands and a big smile. The Principal and the teachers showed us around the school and the classrooms. We were quite shocked to see that the students learn 4 languages apart from their main subjects.
The school has many rooms and is under further construction; the students sit on the ground and listen to their teachers with great interest. The school is big and has 300 students from the kindergarten to the 8 th standard.
Say Cheeesseeeee! The afternoon was all about taking pictures.The students were so fascinated to see so many cameras and everyone wanted be in the picture! Floren showed them her skipping skills and so many kids loved watching her, Inge was busy capturing some of the best moments, Joe was entertaining the kids with his camera and Pawel was just absolutely amazed by the whole scene. All this was a treat for Dmitry’s camera of course. Chris from the Geberit team had already visited the school earlier and the children were excited to see him.
What we in the school today was quite great over-whelming .. from the premises, the students, the food, teachers, principal, the helpers.. everything had something to look upon and think.
We also planned during the day to make a good impact in the school by the end of the three weeks. We started planning our week and the evening was spent choosing colours and buying paint. We all agreed on a mutual bright colour to make the school look bright and happy just like the students in the school.
We start work tomorrow and we are all looking forward to it.
We are thanking the Mike Horn team every minute of the great opportunity, and it has just started.
Pentakatha School Act Project-DAY 2
DAY 3 - 25.01.2011
25 of January, India, Puri
We woke up at 7.30 am, had breakfast and got ready to start our first day working at the school! But first we made a little tour at the fishermen village from where the students came . On our way we stopped by to buy some clothes in the 'local' market for us to start painting. The market was by the beach and had a lot of people and shops; we were shocked to see that our car was parked near a cemetery where the locals were
burning a body. It seems to be very normal for them but to us it was another side of the world in reality. The trip to the village was over-whelming.
There were so many things that we got to see, the beach was used as a toilet, there was fish everywhere and what was most shocking was the size of the huts in which about 4 or more lived. The huts had no attached bathrooms or any other facilities. We interacted with the kids and it was a special experience, there was also an opportunity to interact with some of the villagers which was very warm and welcoming.
Now more to tough work we started cleaning the classroom by scrapping the paint off the wall, making it smoother and ready to get painted. We spent several hours going class by class, even though we had about 6 workers helping, it took us around five hours (or more) to finish the job. What made us happier was seeing the kids peep in now and then to see what we were up to. We are looking forward to finish our work soon as the students are engaged in other activities for the rest of the week which gives us time to finish painting the interiors. By the end of the day we looked at each other and realized we were all covered with dust which drove us into the swimming pool in our apartment which was refreshing and nice.
After a hard day of work we went to dinner dressed up in Indian clothes and had great fun watching Pawel and Inge playing the 'spoon game' along with Dmitry.
Tomorrow being Republic Day in India, we have been invited by the Principal and the Usthi Foundation to be guests for tomorrow's flag hoisting and other programs.
Pentakatha School Act Project-DAY 3
DAY 4 - 26.01.2011
January 26 is republic day of India, we were invited by the Pentakatha school to watch the ceremony done by the kids and the staff. We arrived around 8:30 and all the kids were already lined up waiting for us to arrive so they could begin. As the principal raised the Indian flag, the children were singing the national anthem, and their faces reflected their patriotism. After that we took our seats to watch the show prepared by the kids and teachers. It was simply amazing with the variety of dancers, speeches, costumes, songs and traditions displayed – 2 boys invited up Inge and Flor to dance with them, and you could hear the rest of the kids applauding and with big smiles on their faces. 5minutes later we(the young explorers) joined in but this time bringing with us the teachers and principal. The kids enjoyed the show we displayed and were laughing hard at their principals dancing moves.
The ceremony was done by 12:30, the students headed back home while our work began, scrubbing walls, doors, windows, blackboards and wiping the dust off the classroom floor! Everyone was working very hard including Dimitri and Christoph the Geberit representative. We also started painting our first classroom, covered all by paint we were excited that the real job has started. Tomorrow ten laborers and four painters will join in to help us finish up the 13 classrooms we still have left. Seventeen days left for our project to be finished, that’s why tomorrow we will go to the school at 8am to start work early. And to end up, while going into our room after that tiring day, Pawel and I found a big white lizard running around on the walls of our small apartment, but the good part of the story is that its hiding somewhere in the room but we don’t know where!!!!!
Good night!
Pentakatha School Act Project-DAY 4
DAY 5 - 27.01.2011
Today was a pretty uneventful day. We started our day very early and just after waking up, we headed directly to the restaurant to have our breakfast. When we arrived at Pentakatha school, there were no children there as they had a day off school, so we could start painting the classrooms without interrupting them in their lessons. Firstly, however, we needed to put primer on the walls so that the paint would not be falling off from the walls. We almost finished this part of our work and will start painting classrooms tomorrow. It was a very tiring day since we had loads of work to do but we used almost all of our breaks from work to sunbathe even for a while.
After work we went to the restaurant to have our dinner and there was a ceremony near the restaurant so after dinner we had an opportunity to indulge ourselves with Indian culture while listening to Indian music and watching local dances. We also tried some of local specials called paan, which is beetle leaf filled with beetle nuts, fennel and sugar cubes which is usually eaten after lunch or dinner.
Pentakatha School Act Project-DAY 5
DAY 6 - 28.01.2011
Today was a great day of painting and fun. We were all happy to be finished with the preparation part of the main section of the school and ready to start the painting. We finished off the walls with primer, painted the ceilings white and finally started painting the walls. We managed to put the first coat of paint on 4 classes today and we are hoping to finish all 8 classes in the section tomorrow – we’re all so excited to see the children’s expressions Monday when they return to school and see their newly painted classrooms! A few paint fights broke out and by the end of the day we had multi-coloured polka dots all over us! At the end of the day while waiting for the car to take us to our hotel, we sat up on the roof and took photos of our beautiful surroundings and played a couple of ball (or actually, guava) games with Dmitri and some of the workers helping us. All in all it was a lovely and very efficient day, since we were all working together and tackling the classrooms with our full force, while jamming to some music.
We went to the Hotel Resort where we have our meals, which also happens to be a prime spot for hosting weddings! We saw a very impressive looking wedding taking place after dinner and decided to take a closer look. What we saw took our breath away – a scene of beautiful bright colours created by a variety of flowers, coloured lights and Indian woman in their stunning sarees. The bride was appeared on a throne, carried by 8 men and was led to a podium where she joined her groom. The bride and groom both sparkled like diamonds, and with the combination of music and glitter falling around them it turned out to be a very romantic wedding, even though it was arranged.
Once the ceremony ended the bride and groom took their places on the stage where photographers and family members joined them for the photo shoot, which Dmitri immediately joined. Floren, Shruti and Chris went back to the hotel but we hung around with Dmitri while he was taking photos of the bride, groom and their 400 guests. By Indian standards it was quite a small but very glamorous wedding, since their weddings often have an attendance of 2500 or more guests. The Indian people at the wedding, including the bride, groom and their families were extremely hospitable and accommodating considering that we weren’t guests, and everyone conversed with us, wanting to know where we were from and offering us a variety of foods, drinks and sweets. Dima took many, many photos of the people and also of Pawel, Jose and I with the bride and groom. He took photos of some of the chefs serving the people and photos of the many strange and interesting people we met. One such person was a man preparing a drink of hot milk, sugar and saffron which he would cool for serving by pouring it from one jug to another from a great distance, performing twirls and twists all the while. It was amazing to watch and a lovely end to a fascinating evening.
Pentakatha School Act Project-DAY 6
DAY 7 & 8 - 29.01.2011
The last two days have been quite a journey for the YEP’s . We painted all the walls of the first block which has 8 rooms with bright yellow and turquoise colours which makes the room look happy and cheerful. It’s been week in Orissa and time is flying, with Dima’s guidance and team’s work we’ve had a successful week and we are looking forward for more in the next two weeks. We ended up painting most of the 29th but by the end of the day we were all so happy to see the rooms.
On 30th we had to complete the room with the finishing touches and started with the outside of the school and the next building, while all of us here were quite tired from the week’s work we had the energetic and youngest YEP Paridhi arrive from New Delhi. Though Painting seems like such a tedious task, which it is, working as a team with music playing at the back makes things more fun. We have so much
fun and try to make most of every moment, which is why we are able to see past the tiredness and still have energy to work when we wake up every morning.
Apart from all the painting, we go to a resort to eat dinner every day and now we are busy crashing weddings! It’s the wedding season in India which is a huge celebration and once Dima takes his camera out everyone wants to be in the picture and then we are invited to the weddings and Inge, Pawel, Floren and Joe enjoy joining them dance and clicking pictures with the Indian bride and groom!:) We are looking forward to go to the school tomorrow earlier than usual with our cameras to see the kids reaction to the painted rooms! Pictures coming up soon!:)
Pentakatha ACT Project - Day 7&8
Blog writtten by Paridhi
DAY 9 - 01.02.2011
How can someone add color to people’s lives? Hm… Tough question but, us YEPS at India have an easy solution. PAINT COLOURFUL walls. :-)
Today, we managed to complete painting the outside walls of the ground floor at the Pentakatha School much to our delight and the students. But, we didn’t do it alone. Luckily for us, we were joined by lots of tiny hands and eager faces as the students volunteered to help us with the task.
Earlier in the day, the students returned to school after a tiny break during which we painted their classes. They were excited to see their new classrooms and boy, were they surprised! What once were dark, dull and drab classrooms now have become bright orbs of hope with yellow to represent the warm Indian sun and blue, the cool ocean.
All work and no play would make us dull so we decided to play some games after which the children headed home. After they left, we resumed our job of scrubbing windows and doors. We had a sumptuous dinner and headed back home to rest.
What awaits us tomorrow is another hard day of work as we take on the first floor and start scrubbing the rest of the school. It’s time to get down and dirty again and we just can’t wait!
Pentakatha ACT Project - Day 9
Blog written by Florencia
DAY 10 - 03.02.2011
Today as usual our day began at 9 and we all thought that a long day of work was about to come but actually it wasn't. We worked really hard and we managed to finish painting the ground floor, first and second floor inside.
In the afternoon we started playing some games with the kids and we spent a nice time together. Day by day we get the chance of getting to know more kids, even though they are 300!. The children are excited to learn more games and are very enthusiastic in playing them with us.
Tomorrow our friend and Geberit representative Christophe will head back to Europe and we have decided to accompany him to the airport in Bubhaneshwar.
We will make the most of the trip and buy some stationery for the school there. I'm really looking forward to visit one of the biggest cities in Orissa and have some pizza for dinner:-).
DAY 11 & 12 - 04.02.2011
The work is nearly done, we are finishing up the last touches of the school. Couple of windows, doors and a few remaining walls. We worked till 2pm in the school, afterwards we had to go back to our apartments have a quick bath and take Christoph the Geberit member to the airport. It was a long drive to the capital city of Orissa, it nearly took us around 3hours to get there, but the ride was really nice. So many traffic, lots of people everywhere we looked and insane driving. An experience that one should have when they come to India. After we dropped Chris at the airport, we went looking for Pizza Hut in Bhubaneshwar, it took us a while to find it. Everyone of us had their eyes wide open looking left and right searching for the restaurant, we were very hungry and hallucinating of pizzas!!!
Once we found Pizza Hut, we quickly stormed in and had the menu in our hands ready to order. The table was full of starters, pizzas, and desserts. We had a big dinner which will make our stomachs full for at least a day. The girls brought back with them some pizza for the next day. After dinner we went and bought a couple of books for us to read and headed back to Puri. The drive back didn’t take that long, there wasn’t any traffic. Everyone slept in the car after that big dinner we had.
Today morning we went to the school to finish up the work and started preparing the workshops we need to do with kids and teachers starting next week. Early tomorrow morning we will head to Bhubaneshwar to buy some stationery for the school and spend the day touring around the capital city.
Pentakatha ACT Project - Day 11&12
DAY 13
It was a very busy day today- we went to Bhubaneswar to buy some staff for the kids. We managed to get 300 schoolbags, a lot of pencils and some mattresses so the kids will be sitting on them during the lessons instead of sitting on the floor. I'm really looking forward to see children's reaction when they get their school equipment! Hope they will like it!
In Bhubaneswar we met with Shruti's friend who helped as really a lot! Without him, it would be very difficult for us to buy anything as he showed us where we may buy all the staff in possibly best prices and helped us to communicate with local people.
We've spent almost whole day in Bhubaneswar and came back to Puri after 8 p.m. and after leaving all the staff at school, we headed directly to the restaurant for our dinner.
DAY 14 - 06.02.2011
Today was a very fun day for all the YEPs, since it was weekend and we got to enjoy some free time. We went to the school early this morning to sort out the bags we bought yesterday and count them into classes.
We realised, after some calculations, that we paid 500 rupees too much for the bags, and we learnt an important lesson in dealings with Indian market people. We did presentations on our respective countries to the teachers, so that they have a rough idea what we’re talking about before we present to
the children.
After that we were going to go to the Puri market and the beach, but after lunch we were all so exhausted from the long week that we went back to the hotel and caught up on some sleep. Dima, who is an absolute
machine, went back to school to help with the painting and watch over the painters and laborers. Waking up refreshed we went to the beach and played volleyball, soccer and Dmitri’s potato game. We were all covered in sand by the time we went for dinner, but it was very enjoyable as always.
Tonight we are having fun little party to celebrate our last week here, since we have exactly one week left.
We are all very excited for tomorrow and the week ahead since we are going to the Konark Sun Temple in the morning and visiting markets and different villages tomorrow.
During the week we also have a meeting scheduled with UNICEF in Bhubaneshwar, who will hopefully
support the project once we have left India.
Pentakatha ACT Project - Day 14
DAY 15 - 07.02.2011
Today, it is exactly two weeks since we arrived to Puri and time is flying, we have one more week left with us and we have so much to do with the students and the school.
We visited the Sun Temple in Konark today which is about 30kms from where we stay. The drive to the temple was amazing as there was no traffic and there was the beach alongside with a nice breeze. The temple was big and was rich with culture. We had a guide with us who explained to us that the temple was over 700 years old and the history behind every sculpture. It also has 24 sun dials with which people can tell time, it was quite exciting. The temple has been locked for hundreds of years now but Dima kept trying to find out if there was a secret passage, it was hilarious!
After lunch we proceeded to the local plaza to do some shopping, Inge and Flor were amazed by all the fabrics that were here.
We finally got a much needed break and are set to work from tomorrow. We will be going to the city tomorrow to attend a few meetings and hopefully bring back more great news which will benefit the school.
Most importantly we will be distributing school bags to all the students in the school tomorrow and are excited to see the reactions they have for us as it is a surprise gift for the kids from us!
Pentakatha ACT Project - Day 15
DAY 16 - 08.02.2011
Chinese philosophy states the existence of Yin and Yang: two polar opposites that exist in life. Today was the epitome of the very same thing. At one hand, our day was widely invigorating as we YEP’s met and interacted with UNICEF and UNDP officials at Bhubaneswar and at the other hand, grossly appalling and disgusting as Dmitry and Inge walked into the existing sanitation units at the school.
Dmitry described the experience as “disturbing” and “upsetting” as the entrance was a sick mixture of horrible odors and human feces strewn on the floor. Clearly, the indifference of the school authorities towards the students’ hygiene chilled him to the bone. What shocked us even more was the fact that the school lacks soap, a basic necessity without which the task of hand washing becomes futile.
Despite these disappointments, our day at the city was one step towards rectifying the current situation as Orissa Sanitation representatives have agreed to conduct a workshop for the students on Wednesday under the guidelines of School Sanitation and Health Education (SSHE) Program.
Tomorrow, we go back to the school but the students won’t be there because they have a holiday. In their absence we hope to get the school organized for the workshop on Wednesday.
With 5 days left to get our work done, we’re excited to finish what we’ve started to the best of our abilities. :)
Pentakatha ACT Project - Day 16
Day 17 written by Florencia
Today we returned to our painting routine and came back to the school to finish painting the last windows and classes that were resting, taking advantage of the fact that the kids weren’t there, because it was the “God of Knowledge’s “ birthday festival. In the evening Shruti and Paridhi went to the temple while the rest of us used that time to go shopping. It’s really nice to see all we have done during these last 2 weeks, and to see the school changed completely.
We’ve finished the first part of the project (painting) and now we’re focusing on one of the main themes: EDUCATION. We were very lucky because we managed to contact one of the representatives of UNICEF in Orissa and tomorrow she is coming to the school to give us a hand in educating the kids on sanitation, as she has an extensive knowledge in that field.
Pentakatha ACT Project - Day 17
Day 18 written by Jose
Today was a very exciting day for the students and the YEPS!!
We started off with a hygiene workshop with Ms. Shikha Nayak, a United Nations spokeswoman who concentrated her speech about the importance of hand washing, the diseases that could spread, and addressed the teachers to take immediate action to force the students to wash their hands!! The workshop
was very important as Ms. Nayak was from Orissa and was able to communicate with the kids and teachers in the local Orissa language. After the workshop, we decided to give out the school bags with the stationeries to the students. They were extremely happy and the smile wasn't going off their faces, on the other hand we were also very glad to see how happy the kids were!! An hour later it was lunch time and we did a revolution for the kids!
We got soap and made sure that every student washed their hands before having their meal, everybody was running around asking for soap and washing their hands not only once but TWICE! We really felt that the workshop affected them and a change has already started! The young explorers distributed sweets for the kids for dessert after their lunch and played games with them for a couple of hours.
After school, Dimitri, Shruti, and Inge took a young boy from the school to an eye doctor because he had problems with his vision. The doctor recommended some tests to be done and required them to come back in 2days to view the results. It was a full day with lots of activity, with two days left with the project and still so much to achieve, tomorrow can't come fast enough.
Pentakatha ACT Project - Day 18
Day 19 written by Inge
Our 19th day started off with a bit of bad news - Floren had gotten ill since there was a quite an outbreak of water-borne illnesses in the region. Dmitri and Shruti took her to the hospital in Bhubaneshwar while the rest of us continued the painting of the school, and making sure that the children implement the new hand washing system. The next day, our last day at the school and our last full day in India was a very busy day! We took the little boy with eye problems to the doctor again and got his diagnoses. Then we went and got him some glasses fitted - he was so chuffed with his glasses, he just couldn't stop smiling when he got back to school.
After that we took some homeless people floor mats and blankets, and bought their children toys. At school we had a meeting with the headmaster, and the entire school did a lovely presentation for us and presented us each with gifts - Gandhi's autobiography, flowers and a beautiful cloth which the children themselves had embroidered. We had a party with the children and gave them some sweets and more stationary as a parting gift from us.
Shanti, a 4 year old girl who attends the school had a terrible fever, so we decided to take her to the doctor. We went to Shanti's house in the village and asked her mother's permission. With Shanti, her mom, her sister and her cousin we then headed off to the doctor, where Shanti was examined. The doctor said that it was flu and he prescribed some medicine which we then bought and took Shanti and her family home. Everyone was so grateful to us and we were invited into Shanti's home. Shanti, with her mother and father
and sister all live in a 2m x 3m room with a single bed which they all share, yet despite their poverty , they were very hospitable and had bought us each a juice. It was a very humbling experience and one that I will never forget.
Luckily Floren was feeling better and was able to return to Puri for our last evening together. We had a lovely dinner and after that we all headed to bed for our last sleep before heading back to our respective countries.Since we were all only flying out the afternoon, we went to a Buddhist temple in Bhubaneshwar, where we got some very interesting photos. Mr Barik, our coordinator in India, took us out for lunch to thank us for all our hard work done at the school. We were taken to a large, beautiful hotel where we
had lunch at one of the various restaurants. Sadly it was time to say goodbye after lunch, and a few tears were shed but it was time to say goodbye. We hope our efforts will have made a real impact on the childrens' lives and we hope that the teachers, headmasters and children will apply what they have learnt.
We have all learnt so much more of India than a travel book could ever describe and it was most certainly a life changing experience, making us all appreciate all that we have so much more. We are so grateful to have been given this opportunity and I know that every single one of us will remember this trip for the rest of our lives.
Pentakatha ACT Project - Day 21
