60th Republic celebration today. Schools must be having half days. Flag hosting must have already taken place. There must be people selling flags on the roads. Televisions must be playing patrotic movies. I sadly can't really take part in any of the above mentioned things. But I share a proud moment with myself. I got up and sang our national anthem in front of the flag. But thats not it. I decided that I have to write this note today!
My host mom in Germany goes to a yoga class. She is sporty by nature. I asked her why she was doing yoga. She told me that she has played so many games but not many games make her think from inside. Get her close to her own self and god. It costs her 50€ in two months. Which is a lot of money!
The other day she asked me how to make 'ghee'. I was more then surprised! How does she even know the name? Where did she read it from? She then told me her yoga teacher is doing a course about 'ayurvedic cooking'. And they generally don't use oil but use ghee instead. Which again costs the yoga teacher a lot of money!
They call eyeliner in Germany 'kaayal'. They actually written as 'kaajal' too but in German the 'j' is pronounced as 'y'. They call 'shawl' shawl.
I meet new people almost everyday. Most of the girls here find my piercings cool. " Its so awesome that you have a nose pierced. Many of the parents here don't allow." I tell them how its a tradition to have piercing. I told them my grandmom has around 6 ear piercings on each ear,and a nose piercing. They always think India is the coolest place then.
So, since I'm talking about meeting new people everyday. They hear my German. Say I'm pretty good. Then they figure that I speak English too(because my german still isn't all THAT great, I need some English words.) Then they always have big eyes and ask," So you speak 3 languages?". And I always proudly answer," No four. I speak two Indian languages- Hindi and Marathi ."
I met this man here who has been to India 8 times. He knew names of the small temples and villages way better then I knew. He told me that 'India is addictive.' I smiled.
I wouldn't ever realise how important Indian culture is till the time I wouldn't come here. Think about it wikipedia says, 'Individual mother tongues in India number several hundred'. Which country can have around 330 million(33 crores) of gods but still never really have fights about them? Mostly all my friends worship different gods, but there wasn't a single arguement about it. My best friend comes from South of India. She always speak 'Tulu' with her mom and all I do is laugh, I don't understand a thing. But she is still my best friend. Language wasn't even a problem.
We often have these discussions with people that they want to know why I came to Germany. I always first say the language, because for me I know its going to be an advantage learning German for my future. My host dad said the other day," Maybe in the future the western world has to learn Hindi ". Maybe they really have to in the future. Every 6th person in the world is Indian. I believe we do have the power. Even if now 70 Indian Rupees is 1 Euro maybe it would change.
We have poor people. Agreed. We aren't a rich country now. We are now ranked low in the list of developing countries. But we have hopes. Our culture is one of the most ancient one. The Brahmins from the old days didn't eat meat because they knew that in the future the whole world is going to,and so there has to be someone to save them. Thats what I read in a recent article. Maybe true, maybe not but it saves animals.
Imagine you are travelling alone somewhere in India. I sit here and I can predict there are going to be atleast two people who are going to come and ask you your name,and where you come from. We are known to be friendly. And that is true.
Oh! And guess what I realised some days ago? We can actually have a cultural exchange between India to India. From North to South, and Central. Each places has different food, clothes, festivals.
The only reason I'm writting this note is that I want everyone who reads it to be proud about being Indian. We want to be more western, but the western world is now paying so much to learn ancient indian things.
जय हिंद.
PS: I'm not trying to compare any countries. I do want world to be one place. I'm just showing my love for my country :).
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Frohes Neues Jahrrr :D
I celebrated my new year with a German friend and her friends. I was with Jaqueline Hemmers who was an exchange student last year to Argentina. Her boyfriend from Argentina is now here in Germany to visit her. It was great fun! We played karoke, ate good food , played uno. Marcos(Mexican exchangie) was also in the celebration. At 12 we went up to this little hill from which we would see the whole town. We saw many firecrackers. Drank a little and went inside again. It was more like a chill out then a party. But thats totally needed at time :)
This year. This year is going to be one of the best year of my life. I'm going to have never forgetting memories. I'm going to have German friends. I'm going to actually talk German now. I'm going to meet my friends and family from India after a year. This is the same year which is going to make me cry. Cry not because I'm sad,but with happiness.
And so I decided there are bunch of things I'm going to try doing:
1) Talk ONLY in German with Germans.
2) Do everything possible! Each and everyday should be worth something. Its not returning again :)
3) Write my blog more often. I need to store more memories :)
4) Write letters and send parcels at home. Letters don't cost me a lot of money. They ofcourse do cost me some money but letter from another land are always special. I still have all the letters my sister, Hanah and my dad sent me when they were away.
5) I need to be a little more Organised ^^. And a little more punctual^^.
Well these are the main ones. The others are not to be mentioned publicly ;). Any suggestions. Any thing you guys want me to improve on, you can always comment :).
Happy new year! I wish everyone a year full on extraaa big smiles. A mega ultra super dupperr fun!
Take care :)
I celebrated my new year with a German friend and her friends. I was with Jaqueline Hemmers who was an exchange student last year to Argentina. Her boyfriend from Argentina is now here in Germany to visit her. It was great fun! We played karoke, ate good food , played uno. Marcos(Mexican exchangie) was also in the celebration. At 12 we went up to this little hill from which we would see the whole town. We saw many firecrackers. Drank a little and went inside again. It was more like a chill out then a party. But thats totally needed at time :)
This year. This year is going to be one of the best year of my life. I'm going to have never forgetting memories. I'm going to have German friends. I'm going to actually talk German now. I'm going to meet my friends and family from India after a year. This is the same year which is going to make me cry. Cry not because I'm sad,but with happiness.
And so I decided there are bunch of things I'm going to try doing:
1) Talk ONLY in German with Germans.
2) Do everything possible! Each and everyday should be worth something. Its not returning again :)
3) Write my blog more often. I need to store more memories :)
4) Write letters and send parcels at home. Letters don't cost me a lot of money. They ofcourse do cost me some money but letter from another land are always special. I still have all the letters my sister, Hanah and my dad sent me when they were away.
5) I need to be a little more Organised ^^. And a little more punctual^^.
Well these are the main ones. The others are not to be mentioned publicly ;). Any suggestions. Any thing you guys want me to improve on, you can always comment :).
Happy new year! I wish everyone a year full on extraaa big smiles. A mega ultra super dupperr fun!
Take care :)
26th December
The last Christmas day in Germany!
We again went to Grandmom 's house for breakfast everyone together. We had breakfast,talked with each other. Then me and Rike saw a dvd which Hanna had sent from US about her threatre play. After it was done both of us came home. I entered the door and my host parents told me my first host mom called. I was so happy. I ofcourse knew they wouldn't forget me but them calling up was still somehow not expected. I called back. My first host dad answered. He asked if I would like to come and celebrate Christmas with them. I was half jumping and said yess :)
My host parents dropped me to my first family 's house. I entered and everything was same,but it still seemed so new. They greeted me. They were all having lunch then. It was all the same. The same how it used to be. Only difference was my host sister(Thekla) was sitting on the place I used to normally sit and I was sitting on hers. I told them about my first actual Christmas. I told them about the Church. About everything. Then after eating my host sibling showed me what they got for Christmas. Their Christmas was huge. It was well decorated. With many small small wooden things. And under the tree was a gift. A gift addressed to me. I didn't expect myself to get a gift. And during such times when you get one its awesome feeling! I first opened what my host sibling gave. I was happy! Then I went to open the second gift. And that was something special something so very special! I was a scrapbook with pictures from my first three months in Germany. It considered of pictures from : First day, Weekend with Exchange students, Family vacations , Birthday, School Friends and the last page had pictures of German houses,my favourite German food. I hugged my host dad and he told me that my host mom was the one who made it. Really. If I could cry as much as many people in my age cry I would have cried then. It was the best thing ever!
Shoes, clothes and such things can't be with me all the time. But gifts like : Learning too paint,and a picture book and both things which will last with me for a really long. I'm lucky I have the best people around me.
Thank you everyone who made my first Christmas so very special :).
We again went to Grandmom 's house for breakfast everyone together. We had breakfast,talked with each other. Then me and Rike saw a dvd which Hanna had sent from US about her threatre play. After it was done both of us came home. I entered the door and my host parents told me my first host mom called. I was so happy. I ofcourse knew they wouldn't forget me but them calling up was still somehow not expected. I called back. My first host dad answered. He asked if I would like to come and celebrate Christmas with them. I was half jumping and said yess :)
My host parents dropped me to my first family 's house. I entered and everything was same,but it still seemed so new. They greeted me. They were all having lunch then. It was all the same. The same how it used to be. Only difference was my host sister(Thekla) was sitting on the place I used to normally sit and I was sitting on hers. I told them about my first actual Christmas. I told them about the Church. About everything. Then after eating my host sibling showed me what they got for Christmas. Their Christmas was huge. It was well decorated. With many small small wooden things. And under the tree was a gift. A gift addressed to me. I didn't expect myself to get a gift. And during such times when you get one its awesome feeling! I first opened what my host sibling gave. I was happy! Then I went to open the second gift. And that was something special something so very special! I was a scrapbook with pictures from my first three months in Germany. It considered of pictures from : First day, Weekend with Exchange students, Family vacations , Birthday, School Friends and the last page had pictures of German houses,my favourite German food. I hugged my host dad and he told me that my host mom was the one who made it. Really. If I could cry as much as many people in my age cry I would have cried then. It was the best thing ever!
Shoes, clothes and such things can't be with me all the time. But gifts like : Learning too paint,and a picture book and both things which will last with me for a really long. I'm lucky I have the best people around me.
Thank you everyone who made my first Christmas so very special :).
25th December: The family gets together:)
Germans celebrate Christmas for three days: 24th (Heiligabend), 25th (first Christmas day), 26th ( Second christmas day).
After getting ready in the morning my family decided to go for a walk. It was a lovely Christmas morning with cold wind and a little sunshine. We live in the country side. So we have all the farms and nature around us. Its very pretty. We walked around for sometime. Got ready and went to Oma(grandmom/aaji 's) 's house. She lives just a street away from us. They told me I was even going to meet the rest of the family today. In about sometime the rest of the family came in too. Elke 's sister(Bergit), her husband(Heinz) and their two children(Basti and Marie). We had lunch together. I always think that grandmothers are the best cooks. And I stick to that!:D. Then we chatted till the evening. And every sadly one of my host sisters had something wrong with her hand. So my host mom took her to the hospital. They were there for around three hours in which rest of the family was worried. Naturally,even I was. Christmas day and you never know if you have doctors available! But they did come after three hours. Told that it was nothing that serious. Then finally the whole family was together. I had told my host mom the previous day that I would like to dance indian for them. So my host mom asked me if I still want to do it. I said yes,and the next couple of minutes I found myself in my room wearing Indian clothes. I was dressed up for head to toe: Everything from tikli,to Kolapuries ;). I was about to enter granny 's house and I felt this feeling which I always did before stage performances :D. I went in and I felt in a super star! They took pictures of me,said I looked pretty and things like that. Yes yes. I was on cloud 9 already! But I told them before I dance I want everyone to sing Christmas songs. My host sister Line played the piano and the whole family sang along. I sang one of the songs too as I know it because I heard it everywhere during christmas. Then I danced on 'Jay Hoo' for them. Personally talking I didn't like my dance all that much because lack of practice. But they seemed to be more then happy. They took videos of me dancing! I love the feeling of being praised! Who does n't? Then everyone drank. We spoke about more things. Everything from Gandhiji to Hilter. Knowing so many opinions was fun. And during all the talking my indian music was still in the background !Then I asked them all if they want to dance on a indian song. I played 'Dhantadaan' and made them all dance! And everyone did! It was great great fun! Then the two couple did 'wallz'( German ball dance).
It was totally a fun day with the family. I couldn't ever imagine a German Family dancing on Indian songs during Christmas. World is a small place as someone rightly said :)
After getting ready in the morning my family decided to go for a walk. It was a lovely Christmas morning with cold wind and a little sunshine. We live in the country side. So we have all the farms and nature around us. Its very pretty. We walked around for sometime. Got ready and went to Oma(grandmom/aaji 's) 's house. She lives just a street away from us. They told me I was even going to meet the rest of the family today. In about sometime the rest of the family came in too. Elke 's sister(Bergit), her husband(Heinz) and their two children(Basti and Marie). We had lunch together. I always think that grandmothers are the best cooks. And I stick to that!:D. Then we chatted till the evening. And every sadly one of my host sisters had something wrong with her hand. So my host mom took her to the hospital. They were there for around three hours in which rest of the family was worried. Naturally,even I was. Christmas day and you never know if you have doctors available! But they did come after three hours. Told that it was nothing that serious. Then finally the whole family was together. I had told my host mom the previous day that I would like to dance indian for them. So my host mom asked me if I still want to do it. I said yes,and the next couple of minutes I found myself in my room wearing Indian clothes. I was dressed up for head to toe: Everything from tikli,to Kolapuries ;). I was about to enter granny 's house and I felt this feeling which I always did before stage performances :D. I went in and I felt in a super star! They took pictures of me,said I looked pretty and things like that. Yes yes. I was on cloud 9 already! But I told them before I dance I want everyone to sing Christmas songs. My host sister Line played the piano and the whole family sang along. I sang one of the songs too as I know it because I heard it everywhere during christmas. Then I danced on 'Jay Hoo' for them. Personally talking I didn't like my dance all that much because lack of practice. But they seemed to be more then happy. They took videos of me dancing! I love the feeling of being praised! Who does n't? Then everyone drank. We spoke about more things. Everything from Gandhiji to Hilter. Knowing so many opinions was fun. And during all the talking my indian music was still in the background !Then I asked them all if they want to dance on a indian song. I played 'Dhantadaan' and made them all dance! And everyone did! It was great great fun! Then the two couple did 'wallz'( German ball dance).
It was totally a fun day with the family. I couldn't ever imagine a German Family dancing on Indian songs during Christmas. World is a small place as someone rightly said :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
