Ni Peru Enti? - Avunu avunu! First impressions And again several weeks are over. Where is because your all the time? Just a few months we were still in school and the second appeared in a vast eternity draw. A few months ago, we understood not only train when strangers talked to us. Or knew exactly what the yellow, green and brown thing was on our plate. Not to mention the fact that we mostly all the names of all the people with whom we worked and lived knew. And now? A trip of two days (from Coimbatore to Parvathipuram) has changed so much. We do not even understand "station" when a stranger speaks to us here, have Most really do not know what we eat and we can just all the new names with the best will not remember what the Indians are quite strange. Our names, they can finally have. But please .... What are two names compared to hundreds and always new coming? Saadet's name and can not even pronounce. Flashback. First week in Coimbatore. Visit to a school.
"What's your name?"
-Saadet.
"Saadetsch"
Saadet-No.
"Ah, Saadetsch"
-No, wait. Saadetsch you say, but my name is Saadet.
"Oh I see. Saadetsch "
-No .. SAADET. Det Det DET
"Detsch, Detsch, Detsch"
-No, ttt! ? You like tea "
Since then, they are always at their second name: Saide. But it works not so special. From the Saide, a Saida and none of us really had the power to change that. So here we are. (Please speak with a nicely rolled r) Saida and Zara in a city that brings us again to think. Every day there is something new to experience what the beginning was really hard. Our heads just could not hold as many new experiences. Meanwhile, this is no longer an issue. Our brain has found the process fun and looking eagerly for new information. One of them are pretty busy: garbage disposal.
was fully Eventually our little trash in the apartment and it was time to carry out the bag. We knew aber nicht wohin, weil wir keine Mülleimer entdecken konnten. Also fragten wir die Nachbarn. Sie nahmen Sarah die Tüte ab, liefen ein Stück mit ihr bis zu einer Mauer und zack wurde die Mülltüte sehr elegant über die Steinwand geschmissen. Unser Gehirn befahl uns zu lachen. Also taten wir das. Am nächsten Tag fragten wir aber dann Uma und Sandhya ob die Müllentsorgung immer so aussieht. Da wurde uns erklärt, dass in der Hauptstraße eine Art Müllabfuhr vorbeikommt. Die Seitenstraßen würden aber unbeachtet bleiben. Also wird der Müll von den Bewohnern selbst irgendwie entsorgt. Aus den Augen aus dem Sinn. Auf die Aussage, dass das aber nicht gut sei und ob es jemanden gibt, der vielleicht die Seitenstraßen sauber makes, we were told only with a blank look:
Why? There are pigs, no?
Since our brain had to think about it and after it on the loud rustling remembered when we threw our garbage over the wall, it commanded us to laugh again. So we did this Humourphase. Definitely. We stuck somehow laid in it. As bad is not. That's a lot easier. Initially we suggested to us incredible to know when our mentors were late, but now we just always expect another hour to the planned meeting time on it and everything works. At the beginning it was somewhat difficult because we had appointments and were always late. Eventually we were able to be touching us stunted Director Sir convince them that someone is not always be with us. A few sentences were in Telugu with the Staff exchange members, and whoosh, we got two brand new bikes, which we alone could contribute to our new working drive in the Bridge School, which we thought ... Somehow we were not surprised when on the road to school our two mentors with their scooters next to us drove.
It must have looked really funny. But actually that was not so bad. They could show us the way and we could explore without worry and remember us as the area where each state stands. Two days later we went the first time alone to school and back again.
It was a wonderful feeling. We even went shopping in secret what we but the next day the director told Sir. We wanted to show him that we are cautious and they need not worry. The first they have understood, but that does not work yet with the concerns quite. Well .. We enjoy our freedom won, and we always return to the ride to the children and again.
Seit einer Woche und zwei Tagen geben wir jetzt also schon Englischunterricht in der Brückenschule. Eine Brückenschule ist eine Art Internat für ehemalige Kinderarbeiter, die nicht die Möglichkeit hatten in die Schule zu gehen oder ihre Ausbildung fortzusetzen. Kinder, die ihre Eltern verloren hatten oder/und nie die Schule von innen gesehen hatten, da sie arbeiten mussten ,um ihre Familie und sich selbst zu ernähren. Diesen Kindern wird die Möglichkeit gegeben in einem Jahr alles aufzuholen, was sie schulisch gesehen verpasst hatten und dann auf eine staatliche Schule zu wechseln. Die Eltern werden finanziell unterstützt und entlastet, da die Kinder bis for a few days are always vacation in the bridge school. They sleep, eat, play and learn there.
What sounds bad, is actually a wonderful opportunity for the children. All teachers are incredible individuals who deal with each child as it is necessary for the child. The teaching method is new in India and very successful. It is learned playful and nothing is forced. On each student is discussed individually. At the beginning it was incredibly difficult for the children to stay away from her family. We were told that in the first few weeks only crying children were in school and no one se ran left. With each passing day, the children open more and more. Start to laugh and have fun. The project is celebrating a big success. Years before former child workers were taught in school and yet none of these students have dropped out of his training so far. We were and are enthusiastic about the method of teaching and learning here a lot. For example, that not every child can laugh. Some people simply can not. Something from her past, she stops them. We found it so difficult to deal with these children to understand that they mean no harm and simply have a laugh blockade. The sad and fearful faces of the children become softer with every day. You can adapt sich an uns. Beginnen uns zu vertrauen. Wir können nicht beschreiben was für ein wundervolles Gefühl es war, als wir die ersten Mundwinkel von solch verschreckten Wesen nach oben zucken sahen. Nur kurz.. Aber so, dass wir es bemerken und schätzen konnten. Das haben wir unseren regelmäßigen Englischstunden zu verdanken, der wirklich anstrengend ist, aber ungeheuren Spaß macht. Es ist aber schwer jemandem eine Fremdsprache beizubringen, ohne die Muttersprache der Personen zu kennen. Deswegen sind wir den Lehrerinnen endlos dankbar, dass sie uns unterstützen und alles noch einmal auf telugu erklären. Wenn wir dann versuchen auch ein paar Sätze auf telugu zu sagen, dann stößt das auf große Sympathien. Die Kleinen und the adults started to laugh and open up even more. Today we will spend the first time in school. We are really excited ...
The night of nights
there we were. Around us, some 60 children, all in turn asked with wide eyes:
Sleep? Here? Sleep?
And the golden enjoyed a head shake.
We played games, watched some TV with the little ones (This is really incredible. The kids are looking to prefer violent action films. If no blood flows, the film is not good. At the same time please send an flatly love story. Yes, thank you.) singing and one day it was then 22 and clock time to go to bed. We were allowed to Satya, one of the teachers, and two of the older girls sleep in the computer room.
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| Saide and Satja |
were placed thin mattresses on the floor, the fan turned on and a big black spider on the window discovered ... The women wanted to scare the spider with a broom, but we fought against. We would rather have a spider in the eye and knew exactly where it is, as different. After a long hot to turn cold night and it was then (finally?) 5 clock and time to get up. Strangely, Saida was full of energy (perhaps because they simply could not sleep the night and had never in her life so happy about having to get up at 5 clock). After Sarah noticed that the spider was gone, and is perhaps crept into her bag, she was wide awake and raring to go. Imagine: You wanted to participate in yoga classes.
wanted. It was, unfortunately, but unfortunately not because they had no small blanket. What is perhaps not so bad. The yoga classes turned out to be high-performance sports hour.
We need to think about even sure if we ever want to join since. Sarah would probably do that even if we would have to get up every day at 4, to make us ready to go to school and to "enjoy" just after 5 clock the yoga class. Well. Look but really fun. One of the little ones is torn during a stretching exercise pants back and he has not noticed it. We had to be very inconspicuous draw your attention to. Intimidated then he darted past us, and changed his pants. Sweet.
summary we can say that it was exhausting, as many curious children to have one around, but that it was a wonderful feeling as we drove with a satisfied smile and a little proud home.
Family Visit: Sandhya
10 o’clock in the morning. The bell rings:
Hey, my sweet volunteers are you ready?
Ready? Of course! We have been waiting such a long time for this day! Today we are going to visit Sandhyas family. We take some sweets for the children our camera and the key for our bicycle… Suddenly Varghese Sir, our Director, calls and tells us, that it is very hot and we should not go by bicycle, but by car. Varghese Sir, thank you so much! Your’re the best! So Sandhya, her nephew, Sarah and Saide get in the car and enjoy the short journey. Our first stop is a temple. A small, but very beautiful one. We get out of the car, go inside the temple and… surprise surprise: there is a big wonderful turtle!!
Sarah takes pictures of the men owning the temple with the turtle and after praying we go out of the temple, get again in the car and drive a few minutes until we arrive at the house of Sandhyas parents-in-law. There we meet Sandhyas husband, her mother-in-law, the sister of her nephew and many other children.
The children are very shy. That’s what we think at the beginning. But after a short While we do not here anything but “Sister! Sister! Sister!”. Annoying? No! Loveable! Just two of the hundred children could speak a little bit English. But not much more than we can speak telugu. So it was so much fun to “talk” with them. They want Sarah to show them her eyes (she can shake her eyes) and Saida to show them her “magic” (Acutally we cannot explain what this so called magic is, but it is not very special. It is just a question of muscles…).
After finding the way out of the house without losing one of the kids we go to Sandhyas former house, where her mother and father live. There we have a kind of music hour. Loud music, dancing children and believe it or not… Michael Jackson is alive. He is in that house. Dancing in front of us. He is smaller than before, younger and has dark skin. He even has a new name. But we cannot remember. That is not important. You only have to know that he is a wonderful dancer… Well, in comparison to us he is not wonderful but perfect.
As always our new friends want us to dance, too. It is always fun for them to see us dancing to an Indian song. After shaking our body it is time for lunch!!! Yes! Indian dishes. So tasty! We give our best to eat everything on our banana leaves, and then, all of a sudden, there is again rice and chicken on our leaves. Magic? Oh no. Indians are very fast. They ask: “More rice?” and before you open your mouth to say “It was very good, but no thank you” there is again rice on your leaf. After visiting the house of Sandhyas Nephew and taking hundreds of pictures it is time to leave.
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| Saida, our Mentor Sandhya, her husband, Sarah and Sandhyas Nephew and his sister |
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| Sandhyas parents, sister and funny children |
The car is already there. But who is the driver? He looks like our Director Sir and guess what: It IS Varghese Sir. We are speechless and cannot believe that he just took the car because he did not want to wait longer for the driver. Every day there are new things we learn about him. We do not know if Sandhya is right with saying
Varghese Sir knows everything
But we think we can say that he does nearly know everything. Well. After being back home we feel very tired, but also happy. Thank you for the wonderful day!
Family Visit: Uma
Yes, yes, yes!!! We do love family visits, especially meeting the families of our dear mentors. After visiting Sandhyas village it was time to meet Uma’s family. Our adventure began by getting in the Ato. Our first real journey in an Ato! So exciting!!! As some roads in India are full of potholes it is so much fun to sit in an Ato. You do not really sit, while driving but jumping and shaking. As there are no doors in the vehicle we were afraid of falling out of the car. And now imagine, you do not only have this one fear but also the fear that the car in front of you won’t change the roadway or the bus behind you will crash against you… It was really fun. We have never seen something like that before.
If you believe it or not we arrived at Uma’s village without getting hurt and were welcomed in a traditional way of her mother in law. After getting to know Uma’s family and some neighbors we went outside to see some rice fields and banana plantations. It was very hot so we had to walk under umbrellas.
Umas mother in law
Umas sister in law
As it was not really windy we broke out in a sweat and were really relived when we entered Uma’s house again. It was time for lunch. We know you will never be able to imagine how tasty it was. Maybe you think that you can imagine it because you have been in India before, but I am sure you have never been a guest in Umas house. She had prepared a tomato sauce that tasted so good. Everything was amazing! Not to mention the chicken that Uma’s husband had prepared! And the sweets!!! Even when we think of it our mouths water.
After taking a rest we heard someone walking around the place and drumming. Uma told us that the drum shows that it is time for the meeting of all men. That day a sheep was toped. All men met and joined the ceremony. Each of them brought some one bowl rice along. After topping the head of the sheep some men opened the animal’s mouth and gave it water. Afterwards the sheep’s blood was poured over every rice bowl. Then the rice was dispersed over the fields. We were told that the blood of the sheep makes sure that the plants will thrive and prosper. We joined the ceremony but could not look when the sheep was topped.
As it was very hot we went back home, said good-bye to everyone and got in the Ato.
On our way back home we visited a famous temple and two water dams. It was amazing.
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| Uma's daughter and Saide |
The journey was very tiring and we were happy when we arrived at home. Nevertheless we are deeply grateful for the joyful and exciting hours.
