Blaming it on the Onam Boogie...and the departure of the Fermie phenomenon.

Picture this. A crowded Indian train station. The train to Jaipur lies tethered to the tracks, grumbling like an impatient dragon itching to take flight. Somewhere amongst the throngs of people, some coming, some going, you'll see a group of people, conspicuous in their whiteness. But only two of them have bags...two young, gorgeous men, ready to board the train and start the next leg of their Indian adventure. Two women, one blonde and one raven-haired (both inexplicably beautiful of course) are sobbing, begging them not to leave...begging them to stay on in Kochi to continue their gallant work on the GVI Kerala project. But alas, these two young men must leave...Shining Star Mr Jamie Sir and The Good Lord Fergberg must leave to spread their personal brands of awesomeness to other parts of India. And so, the two bereft women bid them a tearful farewell as they board the dragon train and leave them to manage in their wake.

Ok, so maybe it wasn't quite that dramatic. In reality, the train was less like a pent-up dragon and more like a travelling urinal with beds. And Ridhi and I didn't cry (though I was SOBBING on the inside boys just in case you're reading this), though we did beg them to stay. And they really are gorgeous....I didn't embellish that part. But however you tell it, the fact remains that last weekend, after two months on the project, we said a sad goodbye to the final two of the original GVI Kerala team, Jamie and Fergus. What a spectacular pair of guys. The impact they made on their students and on the project is immeasurable, and we can't thank them enough for their contribution. We'll miss them both terribly. Have fun on the next adventure guys...you've left mighty big shoes here to fill. Thanks for everything...especially the laughs!

Besides the boys' departure, there's been loads going on here in Kochi. Last Friday, the school celebrated Onam. Onam, for those who don't know, is a BIG DEAL here in Kerala. It's an annual festival, which commemorates the homecoming of the legendary King Mahabali with a ten-day celebration of flower carpets, food, paissum, and lots of song and dance. The school put on a fantastic display last Friday, and the volunteers were made to feel very special, with many of the talks given at the special Onam assembly mentioning the school's appreciation of the work we're doing there. With hundreds of students crammed into the hall, we were treated to traditional Onam songs and dances, performed to perfection by the students and teachers of the Auxilium School. When, the day before, the irrefutable Sister Annie had asked (read: TOLD) us to perform, there was a nano-second of consternation among the volunteers about to what we could possibly contribute to such a traditional and auspicious occasion. After a bit of a brain storm, the natural solution floated to the surface. We would perform the traditional Onam song, Blame It On The Boogie. You probably know it as a Michael Jackson classic, but it is, in fact, an ancient Onam song that he bought the rights to and re-recorded. FACT**. So with Jamie on guitar, and the rest of us pulling out our wicked dance moves and vocal stylings, we performed our little hearts out to a somewhat bewildered looking audience.

We were followed by beautiful saree-clad volunteers Lydia and Sarika, who had choreographed a routine to Shakira's world cup song. Given that it seems to be the favourite song of every kid in Kochi, they were met with rapturous applause and were joined on stage by loads of kids to dance it out to the very last 'waka waka'.

It was a great end to another amazing week here on the GVI Kerala project. This week we're looking forward to welcoming our four new volunteers this weekend, and not looking forward to farewelling the beautiful Becca, Lydia, Sarika and Stephanie who have all made our time here all the sweeter, and who will be missed like crazy by their gorgeous students in the Upper Kindergarten, Standard One, and Standard Two classes. Best of luck ladies with all the exciting things you have waiting for you at home...we'll miss you!

Brooke x

**May not actually be a fact...but hey, you never know.

Blaming it on the Onam Boogie...and the departure of the Fermie phenomenon.