We explore the school, and instead of teaching, we go on unplanned missions - Week 2

After a little more than a week in India, one thing has become clear to me: We were warned about a 'culture shock' that doesn't really exist. At least not as long as one is open to other cultures and worlds. Yes, India is different from Germany, very different, but who are we to devalue the country without knowing it and to see it as 'worse' just because it doesn't meet our European standards? Within the first two weeks, we made it clear that we received a very Eurocentric education. Now it is important to break free from this by accepting differences. This does not mean that one must blindly accept and endorse everything; one is also allowed to have an opinion here. However, one does not always have to express that opinion unasked. It is essential to not see oneself as the measure of all things, but to learn that multiple truths can exist simultaneously. India is not a 'dirty' country; it is a different country where people are dealing with the issue of 'environmental protection', but will still need time to reduce and eliminate pollution. The blame does not lie with the people of India. The blame lies with the Europeans who have exploited the country. India is not a poor country because the people are rich in joy, gratitude, faith, and love. They are not as materialistic as we are. Here, differences are celebrated, not judged. Diversity is the wealth of this country, not capitalism. Even now, we have been able to learn so much from India and the people here, and we look forward to what else the journey will bring.

Week 2: January 12-18

Monday, January 12:

Like every day here in India, this one also started with chai before we made our way to DPS in Nava Raipur. The Delhi Public School has two locations. The school in Nava Raipur has only existed for four years, is constantly expanding, and is thus a bit more modern. Notably, it is quieter in Nava Raipur ('New Raipur') because there is less traffic, and not as many people live there as in Raipur. Accordingly, more cows wander around than in the city area, which I personally really like, because if there is one hobby I have found here, it is what Tina and I lovingly call 'watching cows and dogs'. Upon arriving at the school, we were greeted by many friendly teachers and excited children, making the welcome very heartfelt (it is always and everywhere like this in India), as the guest is seen as God here. We were then served breakfast to be freshly strengthened before watching a rehearsal for the upcoming harvest festival and the graduation of the kindergarten children. After that, we visited the second grade, and while the children were painting, we helped the teacher prepare for the event on Saturday. We took some boxes and wrapped them in colorful paper (orange, white, and green - India is a country with great national pride). After a little fruit break on our part, we taught the children 'Happy Birthday', and we were even filmed while doing so (which is generally the case, no matter what we do). A lunch was also prepared especially for us, as the teachers take turns bringing us food (in this case, I use the word 'may' with care, as it is a great honor for everyone to offer us their food). While in Germany small talk is held about the weather when there is no other topic, in India, food is discussed. Back at the apartment, we had to relax for a short while with a midday nap before I could finish and upload last week's blog entry. After that, we read poems from children in different grades and wrote small suggestions for changes. Later, we enjoyed our chai and dinner before picking up our clothes from the mall, which would now be altered by one of the teachers. We also bought cookies, which we always enjoy with our chai.🖍

Tuesday, January 13:

Are you wondering why we didn't come to teach? And with what? Rightly so, because the answer is: Actually, yes, but somehow not really. After we had our morning chai at home and were allowed to have breakfast at school, there was first a routine photo session with the teachers. Afterwards, Jaya (called Jaya Ma'am here in India) took us on a safari. You should know that since last year, I have been making a bingo for each year that has 25 boxes, where I write down what I intend to do or would like to experience in the year. One of those boxes for 2026 is: to see a tiger. I think the pictures speak for themselves. One cannot get closer to a tiger without becoming its appetizer. I have rarely been as happy as at that moment because it was breathtaking. Other native animals were also seen, but Tiger Ma'am and Tiger Sir grabbed the spotlight of the day. For lunch, Jaya took us home, as this is also part of Indian culture: people love to invite guests to their home for a meal to host them. There we met and cuddled with Fluffy, the Golden Retriever. At this point: heartfelt greetings to my little cookie - you are sorely missed, and although Fluffy was very sweet, you are still Mom's favorite and golden boy. Back at school, we eagerly inspected the library inventory and then headed home, where everything went its usual way with chai, dinner, and some reading time.🐯

Wednesday, January 14:

Due to an Indian holiday, our day started at 8:30 am, which was really refreshing. At 10:15 am, the principal picked us up to take us to our breakfast at school. No one was to teach us on this day either, as Irfana (Ma'am) took us to the 'Tribal Museum', where we got to learn a lot about how the indigenous people lived, including their eating and social behavior, lifestyle, festivals, music, and more. We also made a brief visit to the Museum of Liberation, which honors a martyr who resisted the British and their oppression; however, we sadly did not have enough time, so we plan to come back again. We met with Yashoda, the director, and other teachers at a restaurant and had lunch there (very delicious, but a bit spicy, which shouldn’t stop me from stuffing more of the delicacies down despite also having a sore throat), before watching cricket at home. On this day, I decided to reactivate my Duolingo account to learn Hindi. The assumption that all people in India can speak English is simply false, as it is the language of the more educated society, and unfortunately, access to education here is not a free resource. Accordingly, we cannot properly communicate with the household staff (another thing that is standard here due to the large number of workers), which we wish to change. No one expects us to learn Hindi here, but we are intrinsically motivated to do so. Fortunately, we ended up with Yashoda and Raghunath, who place very little value on Indian societal structures, so for them, every person has the same worth. Unlike other people here, they do not have a personal driver who carts them around everywhere; instead, they both have a car and drive independently. Additionally, they are careful to pay their household aides properly and treat them equally. At first, it was hard for us to accept their help, as one is raised very autonomously and independently in Germany, but one has to consider it from their perspective: Cooking for us and helping with the household is their day job, from which they earn their daily bread. If we don't let them do it because it makes us a bit uncomfortable, we give them the feeling that they are not doing their job properly. Nevertheless, they are financially worse off than Yashoda and Raghunath, which is why the two ensure that their children can pursue the desired educational paths, which I find personally very important and beautiful. You might already guess, but if not, let me summarize: The universe has brought us two feminist mice together with perhaps the most feminist Indian there is: our wonderful Yashoda (who married at 35, namely to a man she loves, and does pretty much everything differently than tradition prescribes). To keep the narrative thread: We do not have to learn Hindi, but we want to talk to the household aides who lovingly take care of us every day because we, unlike them, have grown up in a country where education is free. Otherwise, not much else happened that day except for our normal and quiet evening routine. Yashoda and Raghunath go to the gym daily between chai and dinner. Maybe we will join them one day, but that day has not yet come.🪘

Thursday, January 15:

After our breakfast at school, we were shown around once more. During this, we discovered some cool models by the children that they would showcase on Saturday, as well as the game 'Carrom', which Tina knows from her university days, so she was able to explain it very well to me. It is similar to billiards. We tried it out and got Indian snacks from the children. After that, we watched another rehearsal and applauded each child so that everyone felt seen. Definitely, improvements could already be seen compared to Monday. After lunch (forgive me for never being able to name it; I am still learning), we took the bus home. You can imagine the system just like that in the USA (as long as there is still education there, because the Ministry of Education has already had to bite the dust). The school buses have a number and cover a specific area of the city to pick up and drop off the respective children (and teachers). We spent the afternoon relaxing, consuming chai (as mandated by the law named Raghunath), learning Hindi, reading, and solving crossword puzzles. After we had dinner, we went out again and had Indian sweets because something sweet is served after every hearty meal. During this, we noticed that a cricket game was taking place nearby and attended it for a moment.🚍

Friday, January 16:

Since the dress rehearsal would take place in the evening, we only had to show up at school at 3 pm, which meant we could sleep in comfortably and brunch. In the afternoon, the last preparations took place. The children were visibly excited yet also full of anticipation for the coming day.🤩

Saturday, January 17

The big day had come: today the harvest festival and the graduation of the little ones would take place. While Tina went to the old school in the morning, I enjoyed my time in bed and stayed home to be fit for the celebrations in the evening. After lunch, Barbara from Switzerland delighted us with her presence. Together with her husband Dharmendra, she would stay with us for a while. We got ready and arrived at the school at around 4 pm, where the children were already expecting us and were showing us everything. Much of it was tailored to the program, so both the artworks and the costumes and other things matched the show and prepared the stage. Those who could not be part of the performance, whether in the choir, as dancers, or in acting, had made a model, painted something, or participated creatively in some other way. So every child got their chance to showcase something. From 5 pm, the parents started to arrive. Again, there were some photos with us before we could enjoy some snacks. The crazy thing was that we were sitting at the table with really important guests who actually have authority. During the following program, however, we noticed that we are also considered special guests since our names were announced, both by Raghunath himself and by Irfana (greetings to you; since Saturday, I have been called: Eileen Bjumie - but I am fine with that because some German sounds simply do not exist in other countries). The children presented themselves exceptionally and put on a wonderful show. They also looked really great! After the performance, we went home to eat and then quickly to bed, as we wanted to leave early in the morning for an excursion.🎭

Sunday, January 18:

To our dismay, the alarm rang promptly at 6:30 am on a Sunday. We quickly packed our things into our backpacks and had chai to wake up. We then set off towards Jagdalpur (a city in the same state called Chhattisgarh - there are a total of 28 states in India). What one would refer to as a day trip in Germany is considered a short distance here, as the distance is passable by car and does not require flying. A full 5.5 hours of driving and two days without internet lay ahead of us. After a while, we made a stop for breakfast since the Indian family had of course prepared and packed food. We visited a small store and bought Sprite and chips (we are trying almost everything here, so one is allowed to hold on to some European snacks even if they taste a bit different when made in India). As always, we were asked where we came from, and the nice store owner inquired about a European banknote, as he collects them to tell his customers from which countries he has had visitors, so we gave him a 5€ note and consequently became the highlight of his day. The drive continued: we listened to music and an audiobook, slept a bit and suddenly were very excited, because we saw free-ranging monkeys! No one else was as thrilled as we were because it is normal for the others, but we were very impressed and extremely happy. It is simply different to see animals in open surroundings instead of having to observe them locked up. Just before reaching our destination, we looked at a temple. Then we quickly settled into our rooms to go for lunch. Afterwards, we took a walk to the waterfall, which we could see beautifully from our room, and followed a nature trail. Since we are grandmas, you know what comes next: a little nap on our (B) bed. One might think there was no mattress, as hard as it was. Quote Tina: 'Now we are lying here on our board.' We also forwent showering since we hadn’t packed our flip-flops and didn't truly trust the bathroom (don't worry, we shared our concerns about the bathroom the next day with Yashoda, and she just asked why we hadn't said anything earlier and let us shower at her place with Radhika), but it wasn't long before they came to fetch us for dinner. Although we would have to get up early the next day, we were not yet tired, as it was only 8:30 pm when we were back in the room (normally, dinner just starts then), so we decided to watch the first two episodes of Percy Jackson (I have seen the series before, but I still really like it and had indeed planned the rewatch anyway, and I think having a shared series is something very nice, even if I like to watch new series alone at my own pace). After that, I finished my first book of this year.🐒

➡️ Best wishes and see you next week!