Today was Admissions Day at St. George's, so the school was closed. This is an opportunity for the school staff to organise who comes to the school next year.. Brother Ronnie explained that the criteria isn't as complicated as home...they admit students on the basis of them being 'the poorest of the poor'. This was a stark reminder for us of the backgrounds from which the students come from and how drastically different our lives are. So, today the senior girls came into school to make jewellery with us while some of the younger ones taught us how to make stitched cards. Two other students taught us a dance to the now famous song from yesterday's movie. The dance, albeit complicated, was so much fun!! As you will see in the attached photos, the girls certainly showed us up-their dancing was amazing!! We paired off and learned how to make the crafts, such as colourful jewellery. A mixture of pliers and needles were used and we were soon able to chat and create jewellery masterpieces at the same time. Elodie and Emily's dance skills were put to the test and after we shared a meal of Momos and Frooti juice. Once we had eaten, new music was played and a large circle quickly formed with the girls (and some of the teachers!) from St George's showing up the Killiney girls for the most part. Big smiles (and red faces) can be seen in the group photo and there was one with love hearts too. Once back in the classroom, the intricate work resumed, not only on the crafts but on our hairstyles, too. The girls showed off their talents once again by kindly plaiting our hair. Their precision in this and all things creative is admirable. Many earrings, cards and bracelets were created and the new friendships from the morning were strengthened. Instagram details were swapped and we hope we can stay in contact with the girls. No one rejoiced when it was time to part at 1:30 but none of us went home empty handed. Each of us had pockets full of hand crafted jewellery and special memories to take home with us; each of us delighted with our new wares. We hope the St George's girls enjoyed the day as much as we did. It was truly an unforgettable day.
After a delicious lunch and a little rest-time, we headed out towards New Market. Our final destination was a shop that sold almost everything you could think of! It honestly was an Aladdin's Cave of random Indian-themed items and we sat on the floor perusing jewellery and trousers for hours! A mixture of everything was bought, from summer dresses and trousers to rings and friendship bracelets. On our way back, we stopped at the most aromatic shop in New Market. Here, we had a chance to embrace the scents of spices we've never even heard of and we were even lucky enough to get instructions on how to make the best curry! Our way back seemed shorter as we dodged buses and greeted the friendly students of St George's School who live on the road beside us. Walking by the streets on which they live is a poignant reminder of the massive difference in lifestyles that we have...but yet, today's dancing, jewellery-making and friendship-forming reminded us of how much we have in common as young women. A long-awaited dinner was waiting for us upstairs and we left our bags beside our chairs to get our food and eagerly gobbled it up. Again, we now look forward to discussing the events of our day in our reflection time this evening. It's great to recall what we've seen and find out how everyone is feeling and the reflection space is supportive and positive for all of us.
Thank you to everyone who has been reading our blog and commenting! We loved reading the comments from our classmates, fellow students and staff at breakfast. Please keep them coming! We hope everyone at home is in good spirits and hope that you are looking forward to your hard-earned break!
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