Phew!

I'm shattered.  I've just finished my 8th consective day of work.  This shouldn't be a really big deal, lots of people have to work many days without a break and probably for much longer hours than me.  My excuse is that everything is more tiring for me here as it is still unfamiliar and I struggle with communications.  Or maybe it's just old age setting in and getting to me?

Today was the third day of the team meeting.  I can't imagine trying to organise a 3 day team meeting at anywhere I have worked in the UK but it's really worked here.  Many of the team live in remote places and it takes so long to get here that meetings need to be spread ove several days to make the most out of getting everyone together in the same place at the same time.  During the meeting each project team does a review of progress since the last meeting, plans for the next quarter, everyone gives feedback and reviews of any training received, hears about any plans for activities and initiatives plus a load of other things.  I had to do a presentation of the workshop on local fundraising that I attended in Delhi in September.  I was expecting it to take around a couple of hours but it ended up taking over 4 hours.  This was partly down to the fact that there was translation of what I said into Oriya and some other languages during the presentation itself but the activities that I'd set the team triggered lots of discussion and seemed to get people really thinking about the problem.

We could learn alot about running meetings from these people.  What I really liked about the meeting was how everyone seemed to keep motivated and noone fell asleep except for the break after lunch when it's common for people to just lie down on the floor and have a nap.  How civilised.  I didn't manage to work out the trigger (possibly because I don't understand most of what is said) but every now and again, when people start to flag, someone just starts singing and everyone joins in and clapping in rhythm.  The songs are usually led by a soloist or a small group with the rest joining in for what I assume is some sort of chorus or response.  I must try to find out what the songs are about, they are tribal songs and I'm sure they have significant meaning.  They are lovely to listen to.  When it's time to reconvene after an activity session or a break, the people waiting start a rhythmic clapping that gradually gets faster and faster until eventually everyone returns to the room.  And our cricket bats have had some use over the last few days!

The feedback after one of my fundraising exercises.  Can anyone translate for me?  And don't tell me it says media highlights, comit(t)ment and limited time manpower and resource.  Please!

One of my tennis balls being lobbed around to wake people up and get them to talk about what they felt about the workshop

A photo taken a few weeks ago at an the disability orientation workshop during the more usual singing and clapping used to recharge everyone during the day

And at last, more than 7 weeks after arriving in Koraput my housemate has managed to move into her own home.  She had been getting understandably frustrated by all the delays and was really pleased when her apartment was finally vacated last Friday and the place was given a good clean-up on Saturday ready for her to move in.  We had been trying to work out how best to organise carrying all her gear the few hundred metres up the road from my house but of course this was team meeting weekend.  Before 7:30 on Sunday morning a bunch of around half a dozen of the team turned up and made quick work of carrying everything up to her house.  If they'd come much earlier they would have had to carry the bed complete with her still sleeping in it!  It's really good news for her as her husband is due to arrive in Koraput in a few weeks time and she now has a bit of time to get the place sorted out so that it's a real home for him to move into.  Hurrah!