Day 5 - Wednesday, December 24th

Righty, well it's 18:45 local time (about 12:15 Irish time, I think), and I'm back in my spot in the Internet cafe around the corner from Loreto Sealdah. It's Day 5, I suppose, but it feels so much later with all that's been happening, and all there is to be taken in around us. It can be a tad overwhelming at times, and you need to step back to clear your head a bit. Myself and Sean were relieved when BA delivered our bags today; they'd been AWOL since Sunday, and it was a relief to have them back.

We're fairly settled into Loreto Sealdah at this stage, and we're getting used to the routine of it all. We get up about 07:30, have a quick wash (a bucket of freezing water - nothing like it to wake you up! It's be the closest I'll get to a Christmas Day swim this year), then brekkie at 08:00. After that we do different things around the school.

Yesterday we were helping sort a seemingly endless supply of chairs in the school, then put them in the right classrooms. Took longer than you'd expect! Then we visited a small village to meet some people, and get a look at the type of building project which we'll be undertaking next week - a kind of septic tank I guess.

Then today we helped the girls of Loreto Sealdah start up their own Scout troop, with an array of neckers of various colours, 'Scouting Trail' books, and games. We also talked them through the Promise and Law, some basic first aid, tent pitching and some other stuff. We finished with a brilliant campfire-style sing-along with a mix of both Irish and Indian songs, and a couple of Christmas carols thrown in.

Right now most people are just looking around the market, and we're meeting at 19:30 to go to Park Street (a big shopping area) for dinner. Then we're heading to a midnight mass which, unlike at home, is actually at midnight, and not half nine! We'll be shattered afterwards, but it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing so we can't wait.