22nd of June - Once in a Lifetime Experience

As our first working week in Siliguri came to a close on Saturday night, the chiro team, full of food and soggy with monsoonal rain, decided to enjoy a well-deserved drink and light night chats at the Seva Kendra mission. Many hilarious moments were had, but nothing could prepare us for what we were about to experience the following morning.

Father James had long been touting Sunday as a ‘cultural day’, and we were all curious to find out exactly what he had in store. Some sightseeing perhaps? Instead we were treated was a once in a lifetime experience. Father James had arranged a bus to take us to some of the indigenous farming villages (Taipoo 7 & Taipoo 11) and an orphanage that he has laboured in and supported over the years, and words can scarcely describe our magical experience at these places. We were overwhelmed with the outpouring of love, appreciation and the sheer number of people (165 Families).

Greeted like royalty, the team was presented with flowers, songs and dance from the local villagers. Speeches were made to thank us for our work so far and taking the time to visit these people in their villages. In turn, we expressed our hearty thanks for the efforts the people put into preparation of events for us and the overwhelming warm welcome we were given. We were invited to dance with the locals, loud bongo drums fuelling the magic, so the locals and the chiros shared a very special moment in time. The smiling faces, experience and the people will never be forgotten – it is a memory that we will always cherish.

We also visited an orphanage that Father James is a director of; this gave us a chance to meet some of these beautiful children in their safe and happy community. Perhaps abandoned, lost a mother (if the mother is still alive they encourage the children to stay) or taken from an abusive parent, the children could learn and laugh to their heart’s content in this setting. A large emphasis is placed on the children’s education, building confidence and self-esteem. We met the ‘mothers’ of the orphanage, who each took care of up to ten children each, and we again shared a song and dance experience courtesy of what was surely the cutest group of children in India.

We are rejuvenated from the experience, and will need every ounce of our newfound energy as we enter the second week of volunteer work.