A TRIP TO INDIA
On the 3rd of March a group of
3 rangers from Ashbourne, 3 rangers from Galway, myself and
our leader Claire Davenport from Enfield set off to India.
We left Ireland with snow on the ground and arrived in Italy
at about 4o’clock. We were met by two priests- Padre Davide
and Padre Damain, who are also scout leaders. They drove us
into Monza and there we rested for a little and then had Mass
and met up with the Italian scouts for dinner. They had each
brought a dish from home and we just sat around and ate and
talked.
After dinner we went on a walking tour of Monza and all too
soon to bed. Next day we were up at 6am and on the plane to
India by 9.30am! At around midnight local time – suddenly
there we were. India after an 8 hour flight. The heat and
the smells, a different one around every corner. The noise,
too many people and the mosquitoes. Hustle and bustle, passports,
immigration, packed rucksacks and the minibus.
Everyone went quiet as we drove through Mubai on our way to
Pune. For most of us it was our first intimate realisation
of the poverty in India as we passed people sleeping in the
streets. Children and adults in rags, on the bare dirty earth.
Living in filth and squalor. This is their reality, this is
their home, their life.
We arrived in Sangam at about 4am. Sangam was the place we
stayed, it is one of the Girl Guide World Centres. We were
greeted by Margo and Liz- the World Centre Manager and the
Assistant World Centre Manager. The next day our event began
and we began to explore the concept and the reality of communities
and community action. There were two Canadians and an Australian
in our group with another Canadian and Australian, an Argentinean
and two British people on the staff. We had sessions where
we explored what a community is, who a community is and why
a community is.
We went to the SOS children’s village, which is a village
for orphans. We played some games and sang songs and taught
the children some crafts. We had a speaker in from Family
Circles and we were invited to visit this institution. In
the Family Circles the women learn different skills such as
sewing and cooking.
We also went to visit Deep Griha Family Welfare Centre which
is an educational and medical institution working in the poorest
areas of Pune. We also went sari buying- saris are the traditional
costume that women wear. We visited temples, the uptown shopping
areas of Pune and Phule market where the locals buy their
fruit and vegetables. One evening we went to dinner with an
Indian family. The Indian people are very very hospitable
and we all had a brilliant time. We also had our own mealtimes
at Sangam when we got to know the domestic staff and ate Indian
cuisine.
All too soon the event was over and the two Canadians and
the Australians were going home but we still had a few days
to explore. Some of us went to a Hindi film, which was a different
experience. We also spent a day at Ishwari Training Centre
working with the young women there.
Before we went to India we all collected net bags from the
washing powder and samples of shampoos and cosmetics etc.
As we gave each each woman one of these bags their faces lit
up, they were so grateful for them. Between the 8 of us that
went we managed to raise £3,600 in donations. We gave £1,000
to Ishwari and £1,000 to Sangam and £800 to the SOS children’s
village and £800 to Deep Griha Family Welfare Centre. They
were very grateful for our donations.
It was then the last day and we got up at 5.45am and caught
our train to Mumbai at 6.30. We had a tour of Mumbai all day.
That night at 1am we boarded the plane to Italy. Arriving
in Italy at 6.20am we were met by the two priests again and
taken back to Monza for a rest and a wash.
After this we met up with a local youth group and we went
for a bike ride with them around the famous Monza racecourse.
In the evening we met with the scouts again and they took
us by train to Milan and on a tour of the Cathedral and Galleria.
On the last day we were up at 6am and headed for the airport
at 6.30am. We arrived in Dublin airport on 23rd at 12.20 local
time. We were all glad to be home but we all promised we would
go again.
NICOLA LYNAM, TIERMOHAN, DONADEA
WHO
SAYS KILDARE MEN DON’T GET ABOUT
Part 2
They arrived in Martinique (
Lesser Antilles) at the beginning of Easter Week – very pleased
to be on land and to be able to sample some real fresh fruit
and vegetables again – and of course some of the local wine.
They were rather amazed to find that they were the only white
people in Church on Easter morning - and Martinique is a French
Province!! They stayed a few days relaxing and exploring,
but as it is a rather expensive place to live, they soon set
sail for St. Lucia (nearby) and then Curacao, which is off
the north coast of Venezuela, where they arrived at the beginning
of May. This was a deadline they had to make, as Ruth was
flying out to join them – and as she only had a one-way ticket,
Edmund had to be at the airport to vouch that she would be
leaving the country as a crew-member of Santhia. Now they
were 4 – but not only was Ruth an extra crewhand, but she
had navigation qualifications, which meant that Edmund had
someone to share navigational responsibility. Curacao was
not a very pleasant place to be, it seems; first evidence
of a rather seedy type of atmosphere – drugs, prostitution
etc.. While they were there, they were well occupied otherwise,
as the engine’s alternator had developed some form of ailment,
and also the couplings on the propellor shaft needed attention.
Together with trying to sort out these problems, there was
still the problem of the “stowaway” leak, which refused to
be solved, as it was not caused by the loose-fitting shaft.
They finally set sail for the Panama Canal, arriving in Colon
(at the eastern end) on 13 May. While there they met up with
friends they had made in Las Palmas, and they had the opportunity
to go through the Canal on board their yacht. This would probably
have been the first time that Edmund was actually able to
sit back and relax – he was not in charge! They had feared
that the Panamanians (who had taken control of the Canal from
the US government as of 1st January, 2000) would delay their
passing through the Canal for 2 – 3 weeks; but luckily they
were allowed pass through immediately and they stopped in
Panama for some days, trying to stock up on equipment, foodstuffs
etc. So on 21st May they left Panama for the Galapagos – a
group of 13 islands, belonging to Ecuador, which is now a
Nature Reserve and where Darwin established a Research Centre.
The crew were delighted to find that they could get a meal
for $1 – so there was not much cooking done on board; also
– the weather was great - to quote “the weather is lovely
here – cloudy a lot of the time and cold!!! (28 degrees) what
a luxury after hot and sticky Panama”.
This article will be continued in next month’s issue. –
editor.
PERSONAL ATTACK ALARMS
Carephone, the company who supplied the socially monitored alarms
recently installed on behalf of Donadea Community Alert Group
also supply Personal Attack Alarms. The Personal Attack Alarm
is a small device which can be carried in your pocket or handbag.
It is activated by pulling a pin thereby activating a 130db
sonic alarm. It has a small light which can be used as a torch
and will strobe when the alarm is activated. The Personal Attack
Alarm is designed to startle and deter a would-be attacker and
draw attention for assistance. Further details are available
from Morna in the Tir na Mona office @ 045-869977
GRIDDLE
BREAD RECIPE INGREDIENTS
16 ozs. Creamflour
1teasp. Bread Soda
6-8 ozs. Buttermilk
METHOD
Sieve flour and bread soda into a bowl
Add buttermilk to make a stiff dough
Turn onto a floured board Knead into a round shape and flatten
to approx. 1”-1.5” thickness
Place on a hot floured griddlepan and place over a high heat
on top of a stove or range (a heavy pan will do either)
Cook on high heat for approx. 10 minutes on each side, keep
turning over until firm to touch
Cook edges of Griddle Bread by turning cake on it’s side all
the way around Unlike Soda Bread, this cake is flat
A dear lady gave this recipe to me from “The Young at Heart
Group” in Newtown, and it has been enjoyed many times by the
group with their bowl of soup at lunchtime
BERNADETTE CREAN
Kildare & West Wicklow Doctors
on Call Service Ph 1890 599 362
If you need a doctor at night or during the weekend when your
own doctor is not available, the Kildare & West Wicklow Doctors
on Call Service can provide assistance.
The service is operated by Kildare and West Wicklow GPs and
supported by the South western Area Health Board The service
will operate local treatment centres and mobile units to cover
urgent medical problems which occur outside normal surgery
hours.
When you call have the patients name, address, phone number,
doctor’s name and your GMS number (if appropriate) ready.
The service will operate Mon – Fri 6 p.m. 8 a.m. the following
day Saturdays 12 noon – 8 a.m. Sunday, Sundays / Bank holidays
8 a.m. – 8 a.m. the following day.
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