We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Deck the halls with bowls of curry
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
(There was supposed to be more after this but I've sat here for half an hour now and can't think of a suitable word that rhymes with curry – all suggestions welcome in the comments section.)

Christmas in India has been a 'foreign' experience to say the least. You certainly wouldn't know it was someone important's birthday (unless you are Lachie Dickson who's been singing Happy Birthday in honour of his dad all day – happy birthday, Braden!) It's been a bit strange, and a bit tough, being on the other side of the world from those we love on a day like today. There's been no decorations, no ham, no crackers, and it's made this place feel even more unfamiliar – as if it needed the help. Fortunately, when it's been difficult, we have had some quality company to sit with us and throw an arm around our shoulder. And when it's been joyful, we've had the same to share a laugh with. We've even had presents, by way of the letters we opened on the train, the phone calls we shared this morning, and whatever weird and wonderful item our Secret Santa got for us from the streets of India. So, it's been a different Christmas but a good one in its own way – here's how it went down:

Monday 25 December

Sickness Update – Poor old Josh Hamilton is the only one doing it tough today, Santa leaving him with a spot of Delhi Belly for Christmas… Josh would like it to be known this was definitely not on the wishlist he sent to the North Pole some months ago. All others have made it through the other side and are back to full health.

12am – The staff woke each of the boys individually with a cheery "Merry Christmas". The sleeping Indians around them were unfortunate collateral in this process and woke too, apparently not so excited that it was the 25^th of December. I'd like to think this is payback for the number of times this country has woken us up at 5am over the past 3 weeks… After tucking into a New Zealand chocolate fish, the boys opened up their cards/letters from home, the emotion of the words immediately evident from the boys' reactions. The laughter, smiles, and tears around the carriages clear evidence that these are some Christmas presents that won't be forgotten any time soon.

12.30am – With the chai wallas fast asleep, Reuben thought it best if he filled the void and sent the boys back to sleep with a beautiful lullaby, "chai, chai, chai".

7.45am – The JP Superfast lived up to its name, pulling into Mumbai Central Station only 5 minutes late after a 17.5 hour journey. It was a big effort from the locomotive and we all thanked Indian Railways for the thoughtful Christmas present.

8.10am – We piled into taxis and marched on to YWCA Colaba, our accommodation for the next few days. Not to be confused with the YMCA, although one taxi driver complained he had to sit through a whole journey of Mr Crook, Raymond, George, and Zac shouting "Young man, there's no need to feel down! I said, young man!..."

9am – Check-in not possible as our rooms weren't ready (no surprises there…), we headed off to Café Mondegar on the Colaba Causeway for a quick bite to eat.

10.30am – After a walk along the Causeway, around the Taj Hotel and the Gatway to India, and past Regal Cinema, we arrived back at the hotel and got the lengthy check-in process going. In the meantime, the boys began calling home. Thank you, Vodafone $5 Mobile Roaming, you saved us this morning after we discovered the payphones we have used in the past are no longer with us. We hope you enjoyed the chance to hear from your sons; they returned a little emotional, but quickly became chirpy when recounting the conversations they had had with their loved ones.

1pm – Phone calls complete, we ventured to the famous Leopold's Café for the feast of a lifetime. Steak and chips was the crowd favourite of the day. The boys also enjoyed talking to 3 Grammar Old Boys – Kaustubha Ghate, Hengxun Zhang, and Binura Wijesinghe – from my class at school who met us for lunch today and shared stories of their recent travels through Nepal and India.

2pm – Free time was given for the boys to explore the local block and most took the opportunity to honour my dad with some last-minute Secret Santa Christmas shopping (Ian Rapson will tell you proudly that he has always been the Warehouse's best customer on Christmas Eve).

3pm – Shopping was replaced by touch rugby as we headed to the Oval Maidan to meet with the Magicians Rugby Club (more to come on this awesome organisation in tomorrow's blog). The boys were split into teams containing some of them and some Magicians (they really do earn the title for their skill with ball in hand) to compete in a 7's touch tournament the Club had organised just for us. The generosity of these people never ceases to amaze; they also brought along bottles of water for everyone, trophies, chocolate cake, and snacks for our boys. As they played into the night, thoughts of Christmas Day drifted to the back of the boys' minds and were replaced with the good vibes shared with their new mates.

7pm – With handshakes, hugs, and a few cheers, we said goodbye to the Magicians and made our way back to the hotel for a much-needed shower. At this point, our collective stench had attracted a swarm of flies to follow us around. Callan Adams, searching for some congratulations for his try in the tournament, claimed this was his "posse, worshipping him for his Lomu-esque efforts".

8pm – Clean and respectable once more, we took dinner at Café Royal down the road. The boys were treated to a house music exposé from the resident DJ that would be more likely found in the Sydney underground music scene than one of Mumbai's best restaurants. Ben Lerner once again impressing on the dance floor, the boys fist-pumped and head-banged their way through their dinner of milkshakes, sizzler plates, pizzas, and burgers, spirits well and truly high.

9.30pm – We debriefed with the students having to complete the sentence "I feel... ". No surprises that sentiments such as "homesick", "loved, at home and here", and "content" were shared. It's a melting pot of emotions here as everyone continues to process and experience things in their own way.

9.45pm – Finally time for presents! Our own ginger Santa (his hair making up for his lack of a red hat) Reuben handed out the collection of Secret Santa presents to their nervous recipients. Nervous because anything picked up off the streets off India for less than the Rs. 250 limit set is bound to be offensive in some way. Highlights included a "Best Girlfriend" trophy for Matt Illing, shampoo and conditioner (stolen from Hotel Surya) for Mr Jordan, and a brick (I think stolen from the pavement) for Bricky (Ollie Schnauer).

10.30pm – After several noise complaints due to the rounds of applause some presents drew, it was time for lights out on what was a challenging day but a great day.

Thought – During the Magicians Rugby tournament prizegiving tonight (yes, there was even a prizegiving with trophies), their leader, Vijay, reminded the group, "Remember, winning is nothing, participating is everything." We staff are incredibly proud of the boys having watched them come to each other's emotional aid, and marvelled at their honesty, resiliency and ability to see the difficulty of today as a necessary part of properly participating in an immersion experience. Their participation and enthusiasm in this programme is all that needs appreciating today.

MVP – Callan Adams. Callan has had somewhat of an identity crisis today. Better known for his academic talents as a top scholar in the 6^th form, after scoring a try in fading light this evening Callan now thinks he is the next Rieko Ioane. Now, there are 2 versions to this story so I'll give you Callan's and then I'll give you the truth. Callan would tell you (at least 6 times) that he picked up a bobbling ball deep in his own half and, under pressure, beat 3 players on his right foot before sidestepping left to beat 3 more and then ran the length of the field, goose-stepping over the last would-be tackler to finish with a swan dive in the corner. Let me tell you, Callan is quite literally dreaming. The real version of events is that Callan, half-asleep, was fed a beautiful cut-out pass on the right wing, leaving him with the simple task of catching it and falling over the try line. To his credit, Callan did just that so to honour him how he would like to be honoured Callan "ankle-breaker" Adams is today's MVP.​

Tom