Sports Day!

Yesterday marked the day where we were asked to be guests of honour at the school's annual sports day. We were woken up by Sergeant Murphy (the house dog!) at 6.30am and walked over Bamboo Bridge to the sports ground. We were amazed to see that the children were already up and decorating the field was well under way... colourful ribbons covered the entire field and there was a great mood about the place.

Once the preparations were all in order we returned home to find that out tailored shirts had been delivered! Mr Funnell's excited face suddenly turned to disappointment as his didn't fit :( Luckily he had a backup shirt for the afternoon. Mr Coomer and Mr Diver were happy with their shirts and so we were all set for the afternoon.

Nice shirts boys!

After an early lunch and a quick change we were ready to head out. Suited and booted we were driven to the school, only to be surprised that the entire school including parents and teachers were ready to receive us. Upon exiting the car we were greeted by a round of applause, beautiful floral necklaces and a nice seat under a large tent, accompanied by the Deveraj family.

Guests of Honour!

But the formalities were not over... the students, in their houses, performed an opening ceremony where the students paraded past and saluted the three of us and the Indian flag! We were amazed at how disciplined and sharp the parade was. Mr Funnell then, helped by Steve, uncurled the Indian flag... and sports day was now underway!

The opening ceremony

The afternoon itself (5 hours in total!) was packed with events from the standard sprint races to traditional Indian dances and human pyramids! Every student was involved in something and it turned out to be a wonderful event. Once the events had all been completed it was time for the awards ceremony. Even after a tiring afternoon ever student was able to sit orderly on the field in view of the supporters and teaching staff. The three Park House teachers then each took to the microphone to give a short speech (translated in Tamil by Steve) to the school. Mr Diver spoke about the rewards and philosophy of winning and losing, Mr Funnell commented on the experiences we have had here and Mr Coomer described the process of fundraising and how we got to be here. Once this daunting task was completed, the awards were given out.

Just as the sun was setting (it couldn't have been timed perfectly!) the Indian flag was lowered and students dispersed home... the Eagle house with happy faces and the Lion house a little disappointed due to the final result. However, all involved had a great day. Amazingly the school policy is that, after sports days, students have the day off... not a bad idea (hint hint to Mr Smith!)

Congratulations to Eagle House!

After another lovely dinner (thanks again Beth) it was straight to bed ready for the final day. But of course... there can be no day in Tamil Nadu without a near death experience... Steve ran home, burst through the door and said he saw a Cobra near to the house. Mr Funnell, grabbed his camera (but forgot his torch... oops!) and ran back with Steve. Unfortunately it has disappeared, much to the disappointment of us all... maybe not Mr Coomer!

Once in bed we were all pleased that the day went so well and it was a really amazing feeling to have been part of this special day. Our thoughts then quickly turned to leaving and moving on to our own next adventures. We were all in agreement that we have really enjoyed our time here and are really going to miss the special people that we have quickly come to know and be friends with. It is amazing how quickly you can feel welcomed and part of a close family... of which we all have. We also realised that it isn't the bricks and mortar that make a good school, it's the community of people in it. We are just so thrilled that Park House has helped to provide the extra classrooms and equipment that these wonderful staff and students deserve. Smiles all round I'd say... well done Park House!