DAY 17

Day 17. The day of their departure.  I cannot remember a moment sadder than when they left us behind, walking past the security check point at the airport.

  My partner and I woke up at 5 a.m and left by 6 for the airport, even though we had been up very late the previous night.  She had been very enthusiastic about the henna tattoo, commonly known here as mehendi, so we had stayed up late while I applied mehendi to her hands. 

We were the earliest to arrive but soon enough, everyone was there.  Saying their goodbyes, hugging each other for the last time and giving each other small gifts to remember them always.  Tears were a major part of the last farewell and just as fast as the seventeen days had gone, all the German students and teachers left. 

What I realized later was that we were going to meet them in Germany just after 3 and a half months and this was not goodbye forever, but our return to India would be much more difficult and sad than this one.  But just like Aashima said at the farewell dinner, "Goodbyes are not forever, goodbyes are not the end.  They only mean we'll miss you, until we meet again." :)

DAY 16

23rd was the day we were to present our projects.  We had worked on the projects long and hard.  Early that morning, we arrived at school to give little finishing touches to our presentations.  Then at 11 a.m, we were told to assemble in the Art room.  We sat there, excited and nervous at the same time, as the parents arrived one by one.  Then the presentations began.  Each better than the previous one, putting forward their point in their own way.  Praises were received from the teachers and the parents.  The parents left after, and we had lunch, followed by a feedback session.  We were to write a general report about the entire program and also our opinions on teamwork and our peers.
  Soon came the time for us to depart, and seeing that that was to be our last day together in school, most of us broke into tears.  Somehow, we controlled ourselves tpwards the end and left.
  Some of us went shopping with our partners, while some wanted to just rest at home and spend some quality time before they were gone for good.  I took my partner to Secunderabad for some street shopping..
  That evening, Nasr organized a farewell dinner, where we, our German partners and our families were invited.  It was unanimously agreed that the theme would be Indian, so everyone was dressed in the most traditional clothes they had, with the boys in kurtas and the girls in salwars or sarees.  Mr. Bruhn and Miss. Hutmacher, two of the German teachers spoke about how they had enjoyed their experience in India.  Then a few students from Germany came forward and spoke about their time spent here too.  One of them, Susanne, spoke a few lines in Hindi, thanking us all for the wonderful time that they all had in India.  After dinner came the goodbyes again, and soon we were all on our way home to pack and prepare for their departure the next day.

DAY 15

On the 22nd, our day started at 9:00 as usual.  For the first time, every one was on time, as it was our last day to finalize the work on our projects.  We did not have a brief introduction about the day.  We just threw ourselves into the ocean of project work we had left, and went on with it for quite a long time.  We had started our projects at 9:30 and were good to go by 1:30.  In no time we were called by our teachers for lunch, after which we had an official group picture which included even our Principal, Mrs. Madhubala Kapoor. After the group picture, all of us rushed back into the computer lab as it was time for us to present our projects to our teachers. We got feedback from our teachers about how to improvise on our projects for the big day the next day.  Some of us left to surprise Moritz with a birthday party that had been planned for him, whereas the others went into the city for some last-minute shopping their buddies wanted to do.
Ritika Anem

DAY 14

On the 21st, we started an hour earlier than usual, because we had a guest, Mr. Gautham Reddy, the head of RAMKY Industries, who came to address us. He shared with us a lot of valuable information about waste management and waste recycling.  He informed us about how our city alone produces about 4000 tons of waste EVERYDAY.

His speech was very informative, and  through it, he informed us about the importance of segregation of waste. Through his speech he made it possible for us to think on a broader spectrum about how if we produce more waste and do not segregate it, we would have to face the consequences.  He had to leave early for Delhi, so his speech was short and to the point.  We wished it was longer as we wanted to talk in more detail about the problems being faced by the people due to production of so much waste.

After his speech, we got some time to work on our projects after which we were off to the Sewage plant in Necklace Road . This sewage plant did smell terrible, but it was interesting to find out how the dirty water is treated to make pure water that is sent to the Hussain Sagar Lake. This water contributes greatly as it helps purify the lake bit by bit.

We had an amazing guide who explained to us the three different steps of clearing the water and also explained to us the Sewage Plant's objective  to produce an environmentally safe fluid waste stream (or treated effluent) and a solid waste (or treated sludge) suitable for disposal or reuse (usually as farm fertilizer). Using advanced technology, it is now possible to re-use sewage effluent for drinking water. 

After we returned to school, all of us decided that it was time we got serious and started doing our project work, so after that we worked on them until 3 o' clock, after which we left for home. 

DAY 13

Day thirteen was a free day for our buddies to interact with their host families. Many spent their morning sightseeing or shopping. It was a combination of visits to the city’s magnificent monuments, the lively markets, cultural centres, and so on.

  The most exciting part of the day however, was the party in the evening. It was one of our favourite exchange student, Susie’s, birthday.  Her buddy had organized a surprise party for her for which we all gathered at her house.

  Finally, Susie arrived, all the planning paid off, and she couldn't contain her excitement. We feasted, danced and even taught our buddies some ‘desi moves’. By the end of the day they were all singing ‘chamak challo’!

DAY 12

19th January was spent with the host families.  It  was a day post our return from the Srisailam forest reserve, so we all slept in a little late, exhausted from all the tiring activities along with lack of sleep. Everybody had a wonderful day in the city with their host families while sight seeing, shopping, etc.

Each family chose to take their guest to see the city's monumental sites, shopping at exhibitions or just regular malls according to their own interests. Our buddies were thrilled to see the historical monuments of Golconda Fort, Charminar and the Salarjung Museum of the Nizams of Hyderabad. They appreciated the ancient architectural style of the monuments. They were excited about shopping at local markets and in this way learnt about the daily life of a Hyderabadi. They tried interacting with the local vendors and artisans.  Last but not the least, they were happy to enjoy the street food and coconut water. They evinced a keen interest in helping in the kitchen so as to learn the Indian style of cooking.

DAY 11

On Day 11, that is on the 18^th of January, 2013, our day started early with a visit to a temple in Sri Sailam. The temple was over-crowded and we all could actually see how surprised the Germans were to see people pushing each other and making their way just to have a glance of the idol in the temple… After the visit to temple was done, we headed towards our rooms and met for breakfast and then finally checked out of our rooms and headed towards one of the ‘core areas’ of the forest!!

In the forest we were all instructed to maintain silence and stay together as a group. As we walked into the forest we came across animal pug marks! We mostly saw leopard pug marks and that of spotted deer. In the forest, we came across the cameras which captured the movements of the animals. Finally, we reached a place in the forest and decided that we would not go any further.

We had a brainstorming session related to the forest ecosystem. We were all divided into four groups and each group was given a topic to talk on and after the group was done talking, the rest were made to ask them questions on things related to the given topic! According to me, this activity was very interactive, fun and educative.

Later in the day, we went to  Ecological Knowledge Park, in which we could see statues of how people and animals evolved over a period of time. Then we had lunch at a restaurant and boarded our buses and left for Hyderabad.

DAY 10

On the 17th of January, we had to get up very early to depart for Srisailam at 5:45 in the morning.  The time passed quickly as we had great fun in the bus with both, the teachers and friends. We stopped on the way for breakfast. After that, we were introduced to the team of people working for the World Wildlife Fund who took us to Farahabad.  There, we went on a wildlife safari and witnessed a breathtaking view from the highest point in the Telengana region. Through the safari, we learnt about many trees, animals and came across amazing facts.
After having the delicious lunch they had prepared for us, we walked a tiring 500 steps to refresh ourselves under a waterfall. We had lots of fun and enjoyed every second of it. We also saw the Srisilam dam which was exciting and had a wonderful view.

Then we went to an ecological lab where we saw several species of butterflies, moths, insects, snakes, bats, etc. which were preserved chemically. We also learned a lot about tigers and their importance in the ecosystem through an interesting presentation.

DAY 9

Day 9 was spent in school itself, and were a great way for the students to learn a little more about the two different cultures.

The first two hours, 9:00-11:00 a.m, were allotted for the project work. We were divided into groups of six, and each group was given a topic on which they had to create a presentation. We were given the junior school computer lab for research work. A few groups went around taking interviews of the school staff, non-teaching staff and the students. 

At 11:30 a.m, we started cooking for an intercultural lunch. The Indian and German groups made their separate cuisines for everybody to taste.

The first Indian group made Vegetable Pulav and the second group made an Indian dessert, 'Shahi Tukda'. The ingredients were brought by the students and the cutlery was given by the school in the Home Science laboratory.  Similarly, the Germans made roast potatoes and pancakes. 

  The intercultural cooking helped us interact a little better with each other and at the same time learn the other's culture.  It was a fun-filled experience as we all got together and cooked for each other. Our junior school headmistress Mrs. Shobha was called for the lunch too.

After lunch we were given instructions for the next day's trip to Srisailam and left early as it was going to be a very early morning the next day.

DAY 8

The eighth day had a lot of fun and learning in store for us. The day started at 9 a.m when we all played a friendly basket ball match. It was a good way to instill the spirit of sportsmanship and team work.

The matches ended at 10 a.m after which we had a tea break. We then worked on our project for two hours, gathering and putting the information together.

We had lunch at 1 a.m after which we were scheduled to visit THRIVE Solar Plant. THRIVE was established in 2007 by Dr. Ranganayakulu Bodavala. This company provides solar lights to the deprived children. The motto of this company is 'One Child, One Light'.
There we saw the making of a solar study light aimed to replace kerosene lamps.  This light is a solar powered LED Light that is economical, robust, eco-friendly, safe, dependable, bright, portable and easily rechargeable.

  It was interesting to know that this study lamp could  provide light upto 120 hours when fully charged . We also saw solar panels and also the process of assembling the solar panel. We got the opportunity to interact with Dr. Ranga himself, the founder of THRIVE. He joined us for tea and answered all our queries patiently. This trip to THRIVE helped us in our projects and we left for home at 4:30 p.m.

DAY 7

As the kites flew high in the sky on Monday, all of us celebrated Sankranti with our family.  Sankranti is one of the most auspicious occasions  and is celebrated in almost all parts of India with great devotion, fervour, and gaiety. It is a harvest festival. Watching the colorful sky during the kite festival is indeed a feast to the eyes.
 I celebrated Sankranti and flew kites with my friends from the exchange program at the Hyderabad Golf Club. Every year there is a gathering in places or country clubs where families and friends spend time together. Some of us celebrated the same at the Jubilee Hills Club and some others went to Salarjung museum. It was a fun filled day, we competed with other kite-fliers. It was a thrilling day.

DAY 6

   

After a bone-chilling night full of tossing and turning at Greenfields, we all woke tired, but ready to face a new day. We started the day with toast, jam, cereal, and Zenobia ma'am's amazing tomato chutney. We then set out for a trek to the hills nearby.

 

On the way there we saw the various different formations the rocks were in, and our imagination ran wild. Some of us saw elephants, apes, dinosaurs, and several other faces in the rocks.

After reaching a reasonably clear area, we all were asked to form a circle and join hands and close our eyes. It was time for the first activity. We were going to play the classic children's game, 'Connection', with a twist. One person would start the game by squeezing the hand of the person next to them, and that person had to squeeze the hand of the next person, and this continued till the first person got the message back. The objective of the game was for us to communicate without looking at each other or saying anything.

After that, we marched on, dauntless soldiers that we were, braving the initial cold, then the blazing sun and the thorns. On the way we found some very interesting things like beautiful stones, peacock eagles and even some animal bones!

We were then given a short "munch break" in the middle (and I mean this literally).

After that it was time for the second activity of the day. We all were asked to stand in a line according to our heights. We were blindfolded, and made to hold the shoulder of the person in front of us.  We were told to walk ahead, and to squeeze that shoulder if we felt that we couldn't catch up.  This activity was again about team-work and trust-building, and taught us how to adjust ourselves to the pace of others around us.

When we finally opened our eyes, we were surprised to see how far away from the campsite we had actually come. We then had another short break, where we had to sit down, close our eyes, and reflect on all that we had learned over the weekend. That was perhaps the most beautiful moment of the trip as were all sat in complete silence, listening to the sounds of nature around us, and taking in all of its beauty.

It was then time to return to the campsite. We wearily trudged back.

There was only enough time to pack our bags, grab a quick snack and fill out our feedback forms before it was time to bid farewell to everyone at the farm and to what could quite possibly be one of the best weekends of our life.

DAY 5

  With our bags packed and ready for a night at Greenfields, we reached school at 9 a.m and a briefing was given to us.We departed from school at 9:20 a.m and reached the campsite at 10 a.m, where we were warmly greeted by  Mrs. Zenobia and her family. We walked on the Osman Sagar Dam, which was only a few minutes from Greenfields. Zenobia ma'am explained to us how the dam-gate mechanism worked and told us of the problems that had occurred due to the reservoir drying up in the early 90's.  On returning, we freshened up and then played a couple of games.  We went around the farm for a tour where we saw a variety of plants and trees and had lunch of freshly grown farm vegetables.  Later in the afternoon, we were divided into two groups, one of which went to the Burma bridge and the other to test their balance and team work in another activity, switching places after everybody had a chance at each. We cooked dinner ourselves.  The menu included chicken curry, corn salad, pav and a potato curry. After our dinner we had a bonfire where we danced , sang and in between also took chances at fire-blowing.  Though the night was chilly and none of us slept well, it was an unforgetful experience.

DAY 4

A visit to the Rural Technology Park and Goethe Zentrum was scheduled for the fourth day. We reached school at around 9 a.m, and a briefing was given for the trip to the Rural Technology Park. At 10 a.m, we left from our school for the National Institute of Rural Development. The Rural Technology Park represents the technology, development and innovation of the rural people. There, we were shown various units through a PowerPoint presentation.

Through the projector they showed us how to make a solar heater, a rotary mobile charger, a bicycle mobile charger, IKYA red relighting tubelight, conical tiles, LED solar panel, Agro waste chulha and a Ecoflo treadle pump. We were even shown the working of a biogas digester, a solar panel, handmade paper making unit and vermicompost.

It was almost 1:30 p.m when we were given a packed lunch, and at 3:30 p.m we reached Goethe Zentrum. After a short presentation on the various Indian 'shouts' during the flying of a kite (DHEEL!  LAPET!, etc) that were translated to German as best as they could be, we played a game of Kho-kho that the German students enjoyed.  Our German buddies were given the opportunity to do the rangoli outside the Goethe Zentrum on the road. They loved playing with the colours and proudly presented a lovely result that they would not stop taking pictures of.  To celebrate the first festival of the year, Sankranti, we went to the terrace of Goethe Zentrum to fly kites. At 6 p.m, we had some snacks and then left for our homes after a long, tiring, but of course, an exciting day.