Monatsbericht Dezember

Dear Mr. President, dear Rotarians!

First of all I would like to wish you all the best for the new year! I hope you and your families had a good start in 2010. May it bring joy, peace and happiness to everyone!

The last month was again filled with new experiences. In beginning of Dezember I got the chance to get to know Gujarat. For the event “Rann Utsav” not only the 20 exchange students from Mumbai, but also inbounds from other parts of India, like Pune for example, came to the homeland of Gandhi, to see the desert for the first time in their lives. At least for me it was the first time to have this strange feeling of being in the middle of nowhere – there was nothing else on the horizon but camels, no sound that I could hear, only sand, some stones and the strong sun burning down on me.

Over the time of our stay, three days, we were acommodated in tents. Before we saw them, we had imagined to be without water, sleeping on a thin matress on the sand and feeling terribly could during the nights. But we were really lucky: The tents we lived in were more like small houses; every tent had a small separate bathroom and the beds were so soft... I could not imagine a tent with more comfort!

During the three days we saw the Hamirsar lake, we enjoyed watching the Carneval of Bhuj that ended with colourful firecrackers, we saw the limit to Pakistan and the Narayan Sarovar lake, which was almost covered with a thick coat of salt. We walked on the “White Rann”, visited an old villa of the British's, we bought the typical textile with small mirrors and we also could meet Indias Chief Minister Narendra Modi during a speech. The climate in Gujarat was really different to the temperatures in Mumbai: There was heat only during midday, but during the nights and the mornings the air was cool and we were thankful for the small heater and the thick, warm covers provided for us. Also the food changed. Our daily breakfast consisted of Idli and Dosa with Sambar or Chuckny, and also during lunch and dinner all items were much more oily than we get them in the city. On the last day the organising Rotary Club in Bhuj invited us to speak about our experiences of “Rann Utsav”. The only thing we could say, that we did not like so much, was the food. But after the meeting was over, there was Paubadji offered and we finally had our favourite dish before the long train journey back to Mumbai. Like this everybody was satisfied again!

The second big event that took place towards the end of December was, of course, Mood Indigo. Although we had to explore the IIT Campus, the different halls and places on our own, the 19 other inbounds and me quickly organised ourselves and enjoyed many of the attractions offered during five days. There were lots of workshops, all kind of music was played including Indian classical Sitar, Hip Hop, but also Bollywood or Rock music, there was singing, painting, drawing, taking photos, writing, acting, carving,... So many activities took place, that we almost forgot, the 24^th of December was about to come! Luckily we were so distracted, that we did not feel so homesick and passed the days happily. On the last day Michael and me took part in one of the major competitions, ballroom dancing, and unexpectedly won the 3^rd price! Next saturday we will now begin a Salsa Course, wich we got as reward for our performance. This is one of the nicest Christmas gifts of 2009! Thanks again to my first host family, who helped us fto find a hall for dancing rehearsels.

The night of new year we had a great party at the residence of the first host family of Amelie. We danced till the next morning and had a lot of fun. In Germany the temperatures are around -15 degrees, it is snowing, and my parents told me they wore many jackets above the other, not to feel cold while watching the firecrackers at midnight. I am very, very happy to be here and I enjoy the warm climate – This was the warmest Christmas and New year of my life!

The first half of my stay in India is over now, and I am really looking foreward to the second half. I thank my dear host families, who always give me so much love and the whole club for supporting me. Thank you!