THE LAST WEEK: At the Day Care we has our usual clan back which was good to see, it was so strange to think it was our last week, at times if felt like I had been in India for years but then again it feels like its gone quick too!

We spent the last week wondering when the last time we were going to see the kids was, we made everyday like the last as to me it was the kids that made the experience. As it’s the last week we are performing the street play, the women from women’s empowerment are performing Little Red Riding Hood and we did a Hindi play. But unfortunately the first day of performances has to be postponed due to the rain.

The storm persisted through the night, getting heavier and heavier which meant we couldn’t go to work; which was really disappointing as it was the last week and we just wanted to be with the kids. We spent the day doing reports on the kids for the next volunteers it really hit us that we were going and it only felt like the week before that we were reading the report ourselves! With no internet, water, electricity and being unable to go any where because of the weather we were left to think about our time here and our trip back to the UK. The aspects of India I love are the ones I hate at home, the country has so much beauty and is so laid back. At home life is all a big rush and the least stressful events can become stressful; I don’t miss my phone attached to my hand and the stress of the media impact on society. Sometime I miss home unbearably but if I had my home comforts, friends and family I don’t think it would be half as hard.

I moan and moan for tomorrow to come just so I’m one step closer to home; but I know when the time comes I will miss India; the kids the most!

We had a full class with the exception of Tamana and Akshit, the morning went really well and the rain managed to keep off. It was always in the back of our minds that soon we were going and it made me wonder what kinds of lives the kids have ahead of them.

The last visit to Palampur (our local town), I can’t say I’ll miss the chaos, smell or rip offs! We then spent the evening organising the last night in the house –Chapati awards, Chapatti’s are round flat breads that we have eaten every day for 70 days, and we thought it would be nice to get all 40 of us together to award every house mate!

The last day of work was perfect we spent the first half of the morning with our children doing races and playing games and then went over to the other side of the community to the other local school with all our children and played games together. Most of the kids turned up which was a success and the rain kept off! It was a really emotional morning all playing with the kids for the last time and on all our faces you could see the devastation to leave these beautiful children. Typically the heavens opened and the storm began just as we were saying goodbye to the kids making it even more emotional. Driving back to the house felt so sad to leave the kids and the village we working in for 9 weeks, the realisation that we had done what we had come to do hit home. We began preparation for the final night –Chapatti awards; I also received a letter form my mum which had us all crying as it was really sweet! The last night was amazing everyone in the house dressed up and it brought us all together for the last time. The awards were funny but light hearted and there was a few acts making us laugh one minute and crying the next. It occurred to us all that we were leaving which of course made us all want to stay.

We spent the last day in the house cleaning and packing, our room which was home to us for 9 weeks. Once we were packed up I was just prepared to go home but the realisation of going home was also a bit scary. Leaving the house was as bad as leaving the kids, the staff who worked in the house had become our family and had looked after us so well.

By the time we got on the train I was beyond fed up of India, when you tired, hot and persistently harassed it can become really tedious. As the train journeys are so long there are bunk beds, three story high the bunk and the curtains are dirty and the bed is plastic and cold. Whenever trying to sleep you are awoke by men screaming sommmmmmmmmmossssass, veggggetabbbbleeeee cuuutttletttt, ommmmmmletttttttt’.

On the way I was awoke to every sound convincing myself it was a cockroach or that my bunk bed was going to collapse at any second. But on the way back I slept so well it was weird how we had become so used to the environment. I still slept with both hands clenched to my hand bag with my passport in determined nothing was going to stop me from returning to my mum’s arms at Heathrow.

Arriving in Delhi it was so hot and crowded, walking from the train to the coach one of the volunteers was nearly had her bag robbed. The city was disappointing nothing like what I’d read or imagined. When traveling to the hotel we could see how deprived the city was, there were huge business building that could be in New York and right along side them the shanty houses, sometime not even a shanty house just families sleeping rough on the road. Where ever we went we felt in danger the beggars were horrendous, one woman with a baby that looked barely alive followed us for 45 minutes until we had to return to the hotel as it was so upsetting.

Arriving at the airport was so exciting I was ready to go home and see everyone, whilst at the same time it was a bit scary. The airport could have been in London it was lovely and the only toilet I’ve ever used in 10 weeks that was clean! Boarding the plane was such as good feeling and we got first class treatment, the captain did a shout out for us volunteers praising us for our work. When we got off the plane we were all practically running to greet our family.

Anyone considering applying for Platform2 I would absolutely encourage to do, it’s been a whirl wind adventure but the best 10 weeks of my life.

I’ve learnt so much, seen so many amazing and traumatising things, met some amazing people and mostly made a change however big or small. Alike anything in life you get out of the experience what you put into it. I want to thank platform 2 and their sponsors for giving me this once in a life time opportunity.