Florian Hofer
This is the first day in Shantiniketan. We got up at 8 o clock to breakfast at Bishnu's
apartment. After some good toasts Benjamin and Bishnu went to buy some chicken for the
lunch. They came back with some good fresh chicken which we ate at midday. Afterwards
we relaxed a little and then we went to the school to meet the children for the first time. We
played with them and I saw that they know a lot know, so the other volunteers did some
good work. They can count, they know a lot of body parts... . I really love them they are so
cute and are really willing to learn something so I am going to show them. Afterwards we
ate at Bishnu's place and went to bed at 1 o clock.
Saturday, 11th of August
We slept till 12 o clock because we were so sleepy of the jet lag. Bishnu came to our
apartment, which is by the way very clean, he woke us up and introduced us to Sarah.
Sarah is from South Korea and studies music at the Shantiniketan University. So we had a
good brunch and moved to the market and saw the first time the Baul's. The Baul's are
musicians who carry an old tradition threw their music. First I didn't understand the music
but after some time I got used to the rhythm and melodies. Afterwards we took a good
shower and were eating some food which was so darun( is Bengali for beautiful, awesome )
then went to bed.
Sunday, 12th of August
We met Bishnu in the morning and had a good breakfast from his lovely maid ... Pari . At
lunch Bishnu made some really good self made Mango Lassie. I love it . Darun. In the
afternoon we went to two markets where I bought a shirt which the Baul's wear. I really like it.
In the evening we met Andrea which we know because she introduced us to this
Organisation. She is also Austrian and i like to talk German in Shantiniketan. Afterwards we
went to Bishnu and a Baul was coming who sings so good. His range is amazing. Then we
slept very well.
Monday; 13th of August
We met Bishnu at 9:30 and had some good breakfast. The Indians really know how to
cook. In the Afternoon we saw the children and were introduced to the Santhal Tribe. They
life under very poor circumstances like no electricity no toilets no money so I really want to
help them. The kids are very poor but very intelligent and I am looking forward to help
them. Actually I help them to help themselves, because they need English to get a better
job in India. First I played football with the kids and afterwards i taught them the numbers
and how to count to 150. All the time they are so interested in learning new things. It was
raining the whole day so we went earlier from school because it was getting a bit cold. In
the night Ben and I were philosophising for two hours.
Tuesday, 14th of August
The day started with heavy rain showers. It was good to feel the rain India because then it
is cooling down and you don't sweat so often. After breakfast I went to the Bank to change
some Traveller cheques into Rupees, which didn't work because they made anew system
to change the cheques and they couldn't download the new program. So in the afternoon
we had hariva which is a drink made out of rice. The Shanthal tribe offered us this warm
drink because the monsoon again caused heavy rain showers. We didn't like the drink but
at least it was warm so we got no cold. Afterwards playing football and mud-sliding and I
showed them how to play the diablo. I was so amazed when i told one child to draw a tree
and he made it simply perfect. Some kids have really talents which have to be developed.
So in the evening we met Andrea and were talking about cultural differences. You would
never touch something with your feed that gives you creativity or development, like books,
newspapers,.... . If you do you have to apologize with touching your head and heart with
one hand. I slowly get used to India.
Wednesday, 15th of August
We then wanted to explore Shantiniketan on our own. We went to a market and I bought a
nice students bag. Then we went to an Internet café to chat with some of our friends. We
saw in early evening a football game. What a pity that Shantiniketan's Team lost. Then we
explored the beautiful University campus with all the international students. In the night we
booked our trip to Puri. We will go on the 8th of August to Puri which has a nice beach, just
to relax when our one month work is done in North Sehalli.
Thursday, 16th of August
Benjamin and I went to the Bank to change our Traveller cheques. This time we got what
we wanted but it took a lot of time. But in the Bank they offered us tea so we really enjoyed
our stay because it was raining cats and dogs. In the afternoon after some cycling work to
get to North Sehalli I played with my kids football and catching ball... . In the lesson I taught
them more body parts and I handed them some paper so everybody could draw the words I
said. Like dog, tree, house, snake,.... . I love the kids I wish I could take some of them
home. Then after our lesson the children sang this Tagore song which they do everyday.
We went back to our apartment there were so many kids saying "hello" and "bye bye", so I
had to film this experience. After a good shower and dinner I went to bed.
Friday, 17th of August
We had a really good sleep. No mosquito's nothing. Then we had our breakfast and lunch
and went to school. I showed the kids this song called 'If you're happy and you know it',
they love it. A good thing is that you can be very creative in this song with teaching them
body parts. Now I give them everyday the papers so every child has to write or draw
something. I taught them the days like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,... . Some can really
write good. Then after some time they got a bit bored so if that happens you have to play
with them again so you get the attention and everybody is concentrated. I also taught them
some emotions like sad, happy, scared,.... . After we left the school it was raining like hell,
so some people stopped us in a village and asked us to join them till the rain gone away.
After some biris which we handed them we drove to our apartment and had a fantastic
shower. Then we had some good Indian noodles with soya-sauce and vinegar. Darun(very
good) Darun( very good). Tomorrow we will go to Kolkata for holidays and come back again
here. I'm very excited.
Saturday, 18th of August
We got up and took the Shantiniketan Express at 12 30 to Kolkata. In Kolkata Biba
(Bishnu's son) and his driver were waiting for us. They took us to the Y.W.C.A. (Young
Women's Christ Association) which is a youth hostel. It was very cheap and when we
checked in it was also very clean. Then we had our dinner at KFC which was quite nice. In
Kolkata are a lot of beggers and as a white man they will always go to you. But I can't help
everybody and I think my work in Shantiniketan is more than just giving money. It is a long
term help for those kids. In the evening we met Biba in a pub called "someplace else". It is
really someplace else because it is very British. We saw a Jazz Band which played actually
a lot of Blues but they were unbelievable. So we went at 1 o ' clock to bed.
Sunday, 19th of August
We got up at 12 o' clock and went to a Shopping mall called Pantaloons. They had those
really cheap converse shoes which I wanted to buy but unfortunately not my size. Ben
bought a wallet which is really great. We found a British book store on Park Street and I
bought this book called ''The Catcher in the Rye". So in the afternoon we went to Peter
Cat. It was just one minute away from our hostel. We went in and ordered a chicken sizzler
and a cello kabab. The chicken sizzler was so amazing it blew my mind. It was like a chicken
steak with fries very tasty. And the best it was actually very cheap for us we had a lot of
drinks and the meal and we payed like 12 Eur. Amazing. So then we went to the hostel and
felt asleep for a while. Afterwards we went to Mags which is a bar. We had some drinks and
then went to "someplace else". Nice band a Blues band. I love the Blues so I was in the
right place at the right time. There were also a lot of foreigners and we had a conversation
with two girls from the U.K. . They were nursing in Kolkata at the railway station. So Ben
and I went to Y.W.C.A. and we talked a lot till we fell asleep.
Monday, 20th of August
7 30 the alarm was ringing. So we got a cab and went to Howrah Station to get our train
back to Shantiniketan. We were very hungry and went to a place called "food palace". We
had some chicken Sandwiches and got our train. The train was really clean and we slept
for two hours. Then we had dinner and went to the children. I played football and catching
balls.... . Then I taught them the calender the months, the days and so on.... . Afterwards
we had dinner. So we were really tired and went to bed.
Tuesday, 21th of August
"The sun is up I am so happy I could scream..." (The Cure - Mint Car ). A sunny day in
Shantiniketan. Actually the first day since we are India we saw the sun. The way to the
school was so exhausting but I was happy that I got a bit of a tan. We didn't play Bingo like
usually I showed them how to play with the diablo and Ben showed them how juggle. The in
my teaching hour I prepared some dialogues for the Children. I prepared things like "What
is the time?" and so on. They really enjoyed playing those dialogues. So we went back in
the evening and were very luck to take a shower. So we went to bed
Today it was also sunny and when we went to school there was a huge stomped of cows.
We took some good pictures and went to school. I played football with the Blue Group and
was afterwards so exhausted. I am always amazed by the children's endurance during the
game, I think I am the only one who really sweats during the game. Then in my hour we
draw some houses, trees, snakes,... . Again I showed them the dialogue and they really
improved. For some it is really easy to play the dialogue but others still have to practice a
lot. But for me the important thing is to work on their pronunciation. Beautiful day.
In the morning I went to the Internet - cafe to buy my refill for the Indian Sim card we
bought. It's good to buy that card because you don't pay like 5 Euro per minute, you pay
18 cent to Austria. So the shopkeeper told me that the refill will come in the evening
because they never had such a huge amount (1000 Rs) to change. Anyway We went to
school and the weather was still hot and the sun was shining. When we arrived we saw that
the fencing was going on and the school got a brand new fence. Now when you come to
the school's entrance there is this door with the letters "first light" on it which looks by the
way super. I changed the dialogues and we really had a great time playing them. So I
repeated also the basics for the children like body parts, colours, ABC,... . In the evening I
got my Sim refill and now I am very happy to phone with all of my friends.
Today I went to the Internet Cafe but there was no electricity so I couldn't surf the Internet.
Instead I met Bishnu at the sweet shop and we drank some good tea. The thing is when
start to drink the tea you stop to sweat immediately. So we met a French man his name was
"Dimian". He is an actor and now travels through India. In the afternoon I let the kids draw
and just repeated a few things. In the evening there was a party with the Baul, Dimian,... .
So we enjoyed the music and went really tired afterwards to bed.
Friday 10th of August
This is the first day in Shantiniketan. We got up at 8 o clock to breakfast at Bishnu's
apartment. After some good toasts Benjamin and Bishnu went to buy some chicken for the
lunch. They came back with some good fresh chicken which we ate at midday. Afterwards
we relaxed a little and then we went to the school to meet the children for the first time. We
played with them and I saw that they know a lot know, so the other volunteers did some
good work. They can count, they know a lot of body parts... . I really love them they are so
cute and are really willing to learn something so I am going to show them. Afterwards we
ate at Bishnu's place and went to bed at 1 o clock.
Saturday, 11th of August
We slept till 12 o clock because we were so sleepy of the jet lag. Bishnu came to our
apartment, which is by the way very clean, he woke us up and introduced us to Sarah.
Sarah is from South Korea and studies music at the Shantiniketan University. So we had a
good brunch and moved to the market and saw the first time the Baul's. The Baul's are
musicians who carry an old tradition threw their music. First I didn't understand the music
but after some time I got used to the rhythm and melodies. Afterwards we took a good
shower and were eating some food which was so darun( is Bengali for beautiful, awesome )
then went to bed.
Sunday, 12th of August
We met Bishnu in the morning and had a good breakfast from his lovely maid ... Pari . At
lunch Bishnu made some really good self made Mango Lassie. I love it . Darun. In the
afternoon we went to two markets where I bought a shirt which the Baul's wear. I really like it.
In the evening we met Andrea which we know because she introduced us to this
Organisation. She is also Austrian and i like to talk German in Shantiniketan. Afterwards we
went to Bishnu and a Baul was coming who sings so good. His range is amazing. Then we
slept very well.
Monday; 13th of August
We met Bishnu at 9:30 and had some good breakfast. The Indians really know how to
cook. In the Afternoon we saw the children and were introduced to the Santhal Tribe. They
life under very poor circumstances like no electricity no toilets no money so I really want to
help them. The kids are very poor but very intelligent and I am looking forward to help
them. Actually I help them to help themselves, because they need English to get a better
job in India. First I played football with the kids and afterwards i taught them the numbers
and how to count to 150. All the time they are so interested in learning new things. It was
raining the whole day so we went earlier from school because it was getting a bit cold. In
the night Ben and I were philosophising for two hours.
Tuesday, 14th of August
The day started with heavy rain showers. It was good to feel the rain India because then it
is cooling down and you don't sweat so often. After breakfast I went to the Bank to change
some Traveller cheques into Rupees, which didn't work because they made anew system
to change the cheques and they couldn't download the new program. So in the afternoon
we had hariva which is a drink made out of rice. The Shanthal tribe offered us this warm
drink because the monsoon again caused heavy rain showers. We didn't like the drink but
at least it was warm so we got no cold. Afterwards playing football and mud-sliding and I
showed them how to play the diablo. I was so amazed when i told one child to draw a tree
and he made it simply perfect. Some kids have really talents which have to be developed.
So in the evening we met Andrea and were talking about cultural differences. You would
never touch something with your feed that gives you creativity or development, like books,
newspapers,.... . If you do you have to apologize with touching your head and heart with
one hand. I slowly get used to India.
Wednesday, 15th of August
We then wanted to explore Shantiniketan on our own. We went to a market and I bought a
nice students bag. Then we went to an Internet café to chat with some of our friends. We
saw in early evening a football game. What a pity that Shantiniketan's Team lost. Then we
explored the beautiful University campus with all the international students. In the night we
booked our trip to Puri. We will go on the 8th of August to Puri which has a nice beach, just
to relax when our one month work is done in North Sehalli.
Thursday, 16th of August
Benjamin and I went to the Bank to change our Traveller cheques. This time we got what
we wanted but it took a lot of time. But in the Bank they offered us tea so we really enjoyed
our stay because it was raining cats and dogs. In the afternoon after some cycling work to
get to North Sehalli I played with my kids football and catching ball... . In the lesson I taught
them more body parts and I handed them some paper so everybody could draw the words I
said. Like dog, tree, house, snake,.... . I love the kids I wish I could take some of them
home. Then after our lesson the children sang this Tagore song which they do everyday.
We went back to our apartment there were so many kids saying "hello" and "bye bye", so I
had to film this experience. After a good shower and dinner I went to bed.
Friday, 17th of August
We had a really good sleep. No mosquito's nothing. Then we had our breakfast and lunch
and went to school. I showed the kids this song called 'If you're happy and you know it',
they love it. A good thing is that you can be very creative in this song with teaching them
body parts. Now I give them everyday the papers so every child has to write or draw
something. I taught them the days like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,... . Some can really
write good. Then after some time they got a bit bored so if that happens you have to play
with them again so you get the attention and everybody is concentrated. I also taught them
some emotions like sad, happy, scared,.... . After we left the school it was raining like hell,
so some people stopped us in a village and asked us to join them till the rain gone away.
After some biris which we handed them we drove to our apartment and had a fantastic
shower. Then we had some good Indian noodles with soya-sauce and vinegar. Darun(very
good) Darun( very good). Tomorrow we will go to Kolkata for holidays and come back again
here. I'm very excited.
Saturday, 18th of August
We got up and took the Shantiniketan Express at 12 30 to Kolkata. In Kolkata Biba
(Bishnu's son) and his driver were waiting for us. They took us to the Y.W.C.A. (Young
Women's Christ Association) which is a youth hostel. It was very cheap and when we
checked in it was also very clean. Then we had our dinner at KFC which was quite nice. In
Kolkata are a lot of beggers and as a white man they will always go to you. But I can't help
everybody and I think my work in Shantiniketan is more than just giving money. It is a long
term help for those kids. In the evening we met Biba in a pub called "someplace else". It is
really someplace else because it is very British. We saw a Jazz Band which played actually
a lot of Blues but they were unbelievable. So we went at 1 o ' clock to bed.
Sunday, 19th of August
We got up at 12 o' clock and went to a Shopping mall called Pantaloons. They had those
really cheap converse shoes which I wanted to buy but unfortunately not my size. Ben
bought a wallet which is really great. We found a British book store on Park Street and I
bought this book called ''The Catcher in the Rye". So in the afternoon we went to Peter
Cat. It was just one minute away from our hostel. We went in and ordered a chicken sizzler
and a cello kabab. The chicken sizzler was so amazing it blew my mind. It was like a chicken
steak with fries very tasty. And the best it was actually very cheap for us we had a lot of
drinks and the meal and we payed like 12 Eur. Amazing. So then we went to the hostel and
felt asleep for a while. Afterwards we went to Mags which is a bar. We had some drinks and
then went to "someplace else". Nice band a Blues band. I love the Blues so I was in the
right place at the right time. There were also a lot of foreigners and we had a conversation
with two girls from the U.K. . They were nursing in Kolkata at the railway station. So Ben
and I went to Y.W.C.A. and we talked a lot till we fell asleep.
Monday, 20th of August
7 30 the alarm was ringing. So we got a cab and went to Howrah Station to get our train
back to Shantiniketan. We were very hungry and went to a place called "food palace". We
had some chicken Sandwiches and got our train. The train was really clean and we slept
for two hours. Then we had dinner and went to the children. I played football and catching
balls.... . Then I taught them the calender the months, the days and so on.... . Afterwards
we had dinner. So we were really tired and went to bed.
Tuesday, 21th of August
"The sun is up I am so happy I could scream..." (The Cure - Mint Car ). A sunny day in
Shantiniketan. Actually the first day since we are India we saw the sun. The way to the
school was so exhausting but I was happy that I got a bit of a tan. We didn't play Bingo like
usually I showed them how to play with the diablo and Ben showed them how juggle. The in
my teaching hour I prepared some dialogues for the Children. I prepared things like "What
is the time?" and so on. They really enjoyed playing those dialogues. So we went back in
the evening and were very luck to take a shower. So we went to bed
- Wednesday, 22th of August
Today it was also sunny and when we went to school there was a huge stomped of cows.
We took some good pictures and went to school. I played football with the Blue Group and
was afterwards so exhausted. I am always amazed by the children's endurance during the
game, I think I am the only one who really sweats during the game. Then in my hour we
draw some houses, trees, snakes,... . Again I showed them the dialogue and they really
improved. For some it is really easy to play the dialogue but others still have to practice a
lot. But for me the important thing is to work on their pronunciation. Beautiful day.
- Thursday, 23th of August
In the morning I went to the Internet - cafe to buy my refill for the Indian Sim card we
bought. It's good to buy that card because you don't pay like 5 Euro per minute, you pay
18 cent to Austria. So the shopkeeper told me that the refill will come in the evening
because they never had such a huge amount (1000 Rs) to change. Anyway We went to
school and the weather was still hot and the sun was shining. When we arrived we saw that
the fencing was going on and the school got a brand new fence. Now when you come to
the school's entrance there is this door with the letters "first light" on it which looks by the
way super. I changed the dialogues and we really had a great time playing them. So I
repeated also the basics for the children like body parts, colours, ABC,... . In the evening I
got my Sim refill and now I am very happy to phone with all of my friends.
- Friday, 24th of August
Today I went to the Internet Cafe but there was no electricity so I couldn't surf the Internet.
Instead I met Bishnu at the sweet shop and we drank some good tea. The thing is when
start to drink the tea you stop to sweat immediately. So we met a French man his name was
"Dimian". He is an actor and now travels through India. In the afternoon I let the kids draw
and just repeated a few things. In the evening there was a party with the Baul, Dimian,... .
So we enjoyed the music and went really tired afterwards to bed.
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