Hi from Mumbai, where I picked up Pete from the airport lastnight and we got to the hotel at 3am, needless to say Pete is sleeping whilst I type this postcard now ! It took me about 18 hours on the train to Mumbai, with the first four hours not able to get a seat (even though I had paid for a first class sleeper, I was still on the waiting list and the ticket hadn't been confirmed by the time I boarded the train from Jhansi), but I met a friendly conductor on the carriage who let me share his seat, a good job really that both of us were huddled together on one seat because it was freezing cold on the train between 2-6 am ! Anyway, finally got my first class sleeper at 6am, so I spent the remaining 14 hours sleeping the time away and feel completely refreshed now, ready to go sightseeing in Mumbai when Pete wakes up. Back to my last few days in Orchha, I have had a terrific week teaching the kids at the Poor Colony. There was one day where I was worried because I was trying to teach them the time, thinking I was having no luck making them understand so I went back to teaching them words, when one of the kids named Ravi called me over and showed me the clock with all the numbers he had written on it, he then came out the front and drew it on the makeshift blackboard we have and read it out to the whole class, so I felt wonderful that this breakthrough had been made ... and then when I gave Ravi a koala bear as a reward, suddenly all the kids discovered that they could draw the clock and times too, funny how a little reward makes them try harder to learn ! I have been trying lots of different games and techniques to help them learn, much better than standing there lecturing and hitting them with a stick, which is the old fashioned method the teachers were using until I came along ... and certainly something that wouldn't be acceptable in English or Australian schools these days. All the school kids call me Madamji or Alliji ('ji' on the end of a name is a mark of respect) and crowd around me every night to shake my hand and say goodnight, which of course makes me feel really great and hopefully shows that they are enjoying coming to school now. About 30 of the kids who live in the Colony next to the school stay and play volleyball with me every night now, which is great fun for all of us, they just kill themselves laughing and then they all clap whenever I hit the ball over the net and my side wins a point. I can't believe there was actually a full week without some sort of festival on, it is the first week I have been here that they haven't had at least one day of holidays to celebrate one god or another ! Teacher Kalpena still hasn't named her baby yet, she has asked my friend Eeva to send the birth details to an astronomer so the most suitable name can be chosen for her daughter, apparently that's what most people in India do when they have a baby. My 'sons' Ganesh & Santosh are upset that I am in Mumbai for a few days, they can't wait until I get back to Orchha to be with them again, it is so touching that people care so much about me over here and it is very easy to love them all in return, especially their beautiful smiling faces. Anyway, my next postcard will have details about our time in Mumbai and the return train trip, which I hope won't be as much of a problem ... although I just checked and we are still on a waiting list right now, so I am already imagining Pete, the conductor and I getting even more cosy on one seat !!!