Mauritius 2009 - Dreams & Teams - Thomas Bennett Community College

Friday 20^th march – Heathrow Departure Lounge

So far so good, we all have got through the passport control. Despite when being asked if you had packed your bag yourself, many students replied ‘no … mum did’. Also when asked if you had been asked to carry anything onboard Timi replied, ‘yes, Miss Harman has!’.

We are now in the departure lounge, spending money, eating sweets and anxiously awaiting boarding which is on time. Will write again soon, enjoy England ;)

Saturday 21^st March – Mauritius on the beach.

Arrived after an epic journey. Thanks to uncle Dave for the message on the flight. We received an extremely warm welcome from our host at the airpot, who greated us with cold towels and flowers. We mad our way down to the hotel where we settled in and headed straight to the beach. In the evening we went back to the beach for a lovely BBQ.

Sunday 22nd - Around the Island.

Wow, what a day. We spent the day visiting some of the most amazing places on the Island. These include the Sacred Hindu Lake, Tea plantations and Black gauge valley. Again our afternoon was spent on a white sandy beach with blue sea and loads of sun. We were joined by the students from our partner schools who have made good friends with the TBCC group.

Wednesday 25th March 2009 - The big day, the Sports Festival

Diary piece written by ‘the Ladybirds’

Everyone was excited about the Sorts Festival at Port Louis today, however we were nervous about singing the national anthem in front of 300 people. The festival had 6 games, 3 English and 3 Mauritian. These games included Capture the flag, Danish long ball and Ultimate Frisbee. Half way through the Festival there was a short refreshments break; during this time there was a Gymnastics demonstration by Kiera, a football display by Charlotte and Sega dancing by some Mauritian students. The festival went well and everyone had a great time.

After leaving pot Louis SSS we headed off to see at traditional Mauritian village. This is where Harris’s parents live. We walked up the mountain to get a view across the valley and out to sea… it was stunning. In the evening we were invited to a dinner at the British Councillors house. His house is on the side of the mountain and has a stunning panoramic view out to sea. The food was lovely and we spent the evening sitting out chatting and relaxing. A great day and defiantly one to remember !

Wednesday 25th March 2009 - The big day, the Sports Festival

Diary piece written by ‘the Ladybirds’

Thursday 26^th March 2009 - Beau Bassin SSS Girl's school visit.

Today we visited Beau Bassin SSS girl’s school. We were greeted with an unbelievable outdoor assembly. We all sat at the front and the rector introduced us before we sung the National Anthem. The School choir then say ‘we are the word’ and they were amazing. Mel said a few words on our behalf before we went off to look around the school.

The school seemed to have a different atmosphere to Port Louis and the classes looked like they had more resources. Everyone was very friendly and we were able to visit some lessons that ere being taught.

After a tour of the school there was a Cultural Festival put on by the girls. They performed some Bollywood style Indian dancing, the Choir sang again and some of the students sang traditional songs in small groups. They are very creative and the quality of their presentation was outstanding.

After the school visit we were taken to a restaurant were we enjoyed a meal with the Rector and some staff from the school, before heading back to the hotel for a gentle evening of relaxation.

We will Write again tomorrow .

Friday 27^th March 2009 – The Last Day :(

Today was our last day so we spent it having fun and seeing a more of the Island. We had a boat trip across to a small surrounding Island just off the coast. Here we went to an Idyllic beach where we spent a few hours chilling in the sea and catching some sun. The beach was stunning with white sands and turquoise sea, oh and it was just a little hot. After a few hours we went a little further around the Island to another beach where there was a BBQ waiting for us. We had cold drinks, chicken and lamb amongst other food. We spent about 3 hours here and after w had eaten and food had settled we did two water sports. We all had ago at riding on the Banana boat and in threes we went on a Ringo. Bother were excellent but we didn’t stay on the Banana boat for long before we fell off.

When we returned to our hotel we all pack our bags ready for our trip home tomorrow and the went across to another hotel for a meal. The food was lovely and Harrish, Morene and Nasrene came to join us.

This was a great day and lovely way to finish our trip!