A five-day long "picnic"

I never did ask how this annual field trip got the name "picnic", because for me that word means a couple of hours in the park. Yet again, what seemed to me like a crazy undertaking turned out to be an adventure and, most importantly, an outing with no major incident or anyone getting lost!

It started out with a 36 hour train ride south from Mumbai to the city of Cochin. Eighty-six in total (66 children and 20 adult escorts) loaded backpacks, cooking gear, uncooked dry goods and games onto the train. We were all in one coach, although we did not fill it completely. I'm sure the 10-15 other passengers who found themselves exposed to the chaos were wishing they had chosen another day to travel! The children were full of energy and it was difficult to get them to settle. I told myself I would mirror the other adults; if they were not concerned, I would not be concerned. Suffice to say that I was not all that successful at following my own mental prescription and I found myself trying to keep the noise down and stop the children from swinging and jumping from one bed to another.

Although each child was to bring food for the train, the majority did not have enough for a 36-hour period. Those who had enough food, or extra food, shared with those who did not. I must say that the children are extremely good at sharing. If one has a package of 6 cookies, you can be sure that 4 of those cookies will be given to others. 

During our short time in Cochin (only 52 hours in total) we managed to visit water falls, swim in a river, swim in the ocean, visit a museum, tour a mosque, go on a boat ride, compete in an art contest and play games at the hostel! For me, the most amazing part was the handling of the meals. With one gas tank and one burner ALL meals were prepared during our time in Cochin. Remember, this was 86 people in total, three meals each day! We did not have access to the hostel kitchen, just a large shed and an outdoor tap. Our only table was two feet by three feet and we had only 4 knives. Not only were all meals prepared during our stay, but approximately six people stayed up through the night on our last night to prepare the three meals for our last day (which was not at the hostel).

Luckily, the train ride home was only 29 hours long (less stops). We got back to Mumbai at 2330 but by the time we transferred to the local train and hit the sheets it was 0130. I was not the only one who felt the effects of the trip for a few days after. Many of the teachers were moving a bit slow, covering yawns and complaining of headaches in the days after our return. Meanwhile, the children remained perky and were still talking about the "picnic"! Ah, to be a child...

Thanks for stopping by!

PS I typed this entire post on my phone! See how much my patience has improved! Haha (my apologies for any typos or formatting issues!)