Giorno 17 – L’ultimo

È arrivato l’ultimo giorno qui in India.
Da sabato è come se fossi in ferie, mi ci voleva un periodo di “raffreddamento” dalle travolgenti emozioni delle due settimane passate con i bimbi prima di tornare al lavoro ed alla vita di tutti i giorni, tanto più che martedì prossimo sarò di nuovo in viaggio, questa volta verso Strasburgo.

Prima però di iniziare la travolgente ondata di foto che posterò una volta ritornato a casa (qui non le posso scaricare) volevo condividere anche su questo blog quello che ho scritto nel blog interno dei cattivi.
Perdonatemi la lingua albionica (e gli svarioni)

October 26th.
Fast as it has arrived, the end of this two-weeks adventure has come to its end.

This morning, as we were entering for the last time the slum, my heart was really full of tears which were ready to erupt from my eyes.

Believe me, I’m not a king of guy that got in tears easily, however the idea that this was my last days with the kids at Vidya school in Munirka, that I would have not seen them again most easily for the rest of my life was overwhelming.

However the morning come out easily despite the school today was completely hosted in the front yard over a couple of carpets! Workers were re-laying the building’s floor and it was not possible to get inside.

No problem! One of the things we have learnt here in India is that there is a solution to (almost) everything and that nothing is a problem, it is just a matter of flexibility, something that we, western people, lack sometimes.

“Our” children loves to color, doing craft works and playing with everything and so we did today but with a final surprise; we brought in candies and soft drinks to celebrate and made this day an event. What a huge success!

I also took some minutes for a photo tour of the slum but I won’t be able to post those photos before I’ll be back home as I do not have a PC here.

The tight “streets” of the slum may appears a sort of hell-on-earth for a casual observer but looking more closely you are able to see the dignity and the relative happiness of the people living there; the houses are clean and in order, clean clothes are hanged drying outside and music and cheerful voices erupts from everywhere. Walls are painted in happy colors and everybody does not look at the pale, bearded and clearly wealthy westerner stranger handing a big and expensive camera with suspect or envy, instead all of them cheers him by saying “namasté” ( Hindi for “welcome”), the younger also requesting to be photographed. Tranquility and peace is really bolted with every Indian and we should really learn a lot from them in our hectic lives.

The morning ended, tears tried to surface again when the teachers handed out a thank-you card to each of us and it was an hard job to keep them inside. Walking out from the slum, while some of the kids were following us saying “goodby!” was another tough moment.

But sad and touching moments were not finished yet: after lunch, our debriefing meeting with the CCS staff (Bela, Jaggi, Lalit, Vicki and the others) meant to share with everybody out high and low moments plus our learning, was tearful as well.

The stories that all of us carried in, from Munirka as well from the “Magic Bus” or the “Missionaries of Charity’s home for dying and destitute”, are at the same time great and terrible, alas they does have the huge power to remind us that we are just humble human beings however we could made the difference in the life of many of our disadvantaged fellows.

This evening with TP, Emma, Joy and Jae Moo we decided to hit the Haus Kahs village for a last dinner and after an hilarious ride in a Tuc-Tuc (the typical three-wheeled taxis) we set our feet under the table of a really stylish restaurant where we enjoyed once again how talented Indian chefs are; for sure our trip will remain memorable for the wonderful meals prepared by our staff at CCS and those eaten in the local restaurants.

More sad moments are ahead of us: Emma and TP already left the home base and the others will do the same tomorrow.

Saying farewell to my colleagues and now friends will be hard however we are all part of the same Lilly family and keeping in touch, despite separated by thousands of kilometers, won’t be much difficult. Personally I hope to be able to meet again in person at least those living in Indiana in one of my frequent trip to the corporate HQ but I do not disregard the possibility to meet again all the others (how lovely would be to come back in Ireland or visit for the first time South Corea, Australia, Texas and Oklahoma!)

For sure I’ll have time to elaborate more and post new photos but, now I can say that for sure, this has been “a trip of the lifetime”, that I would not forget forever.

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