Webmaster, 8 januari 2012
India , Pondicherry 28°

Start 2012

One month India is going very fast. I arrived on the 8th of December on the airport in Chennai. Some people where waiting for me on the airport to pick me up. After a ride from three hours I reached Auroville. Auroville is the place where I stayed the first days. It’s a town on the coast. Two minutes from the beach. A good place for the first days to get used on the climate and the culture. In Auroville I had my first introduction from AMAIDI. AMAIDI is the organization that work together with the school where I will work. Also they have contacts with the social projects in town where I want to teach to help the children. AMAIDI told me important information about what is important to know, and the things that I can’t do in this culture. Next stories I will give you some examples.

The work:
After one week Auroville I went to a place near Cuddalure for staying. Cuddalure is the town where the school is located. This place was also hitting by the tsunami in 2004. Many people lost her lives here. Also some kids from he school lost there parents and parents that lost their children.

Introduction at school:
In my first week I had a meeting with the staff of the school. The school is very big with more then 500 children from 4 until 15 years old. Its an international school Akshara Vidyaashram. They were very enthusiasm with my skills as sports teacher and swimming instructor. On the school there is a new swimming pool, volley, basket, and football field. But this is not the sport that the people play. In Ecuador, Brazil, Guatemala, and Uganda people where busy with football. Now I see in the breaks that children are playing cricket.
There is a swimming and sports teacher at the school. But the knowledge is not the same. So we can help each other. My job for the upcoming months is to chair my knowledge from sports and development: Don’t play for playing. But teach that they learn something. Sports can change lives. Give motivation. Get self-trust. Have fun, and you are laughing. Work together. Have respect. Listening to each other. Its not important who is winning, but be happy that we can play! Sport is not only a game. But with sport you make friends, and you’re learning to handle with emotions.

Also here I will make again videos.
You can check my videos from the past on
http://youtube.com/user/dekruijfmaarten

Christmas
On the school we celebrate Christmas with the children en with the teaching staff. The children had a small act about the born from Jesus. The little children had an dance act. With the teachers we had also celebration. We came together and gave each other small presents. Also you must write something down about the person that was sitting next to you. And tell this to the whole staff her positive sides. It was very nice and on this way I had also my Christmas feeling.
On Christmas eve I went to church with a friend. I went to an catholic church. We went to a big church where all the Catholics from the city are coming together. Most of the people here are Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism our Buddhism. It surprised me that many people came to church. The ceremony started by twelve o clock (midnight). And was finished by two in the night
The other days of Christmas was football training. The school organized classes for in the holidays to introduce football. It was great. The first week I teaches the basic skills like dribbling, passing and shooting. The last day of the week we wanted to play a small game. I thought that they will now the rules like goal kick, corner, throw-in. But no. I was explaining them that you start the game in the middle of the field, when the ball is out you throw in etc. Good experience. But most important of all that the children learned new things!

New year 2012:
On the 30th of December there was a big cyclone on the south of India. They say on the radio that there is a storm coming. But the people didn’t took it seriously. But it was. It was the heaviest storm from the last couple years. Trees that are already more then 50 years old went down. Many houses were not strong enough. All the electricity cables fold down. The school was hit very strong. Windows were broke, a lot of rain came inside. The roof of some classes went of. And almost all the trees were out. The last week the people worked hard at the school that we can start teaching on the 9th. In the whole city there is no power at all. At some places they have generators. So that is how I can read this story.


This is it for now:
Will try to leave a new message next month.

Take care,

Maarten de Kruijf

Naar Maarten in India bellen kan nu wel heel goedkoop met HalloBuitenland.nl