Princeton university has started Princeton Bridge year programme with where there be Dragons.This group consist of four students and two instructor and me.Instructor are Christina Rivera and Janvie (Janhwi).First of all we went to Kausani from Delhi.we took overnight train from old Delhi railway station.we stayed there for one week and later on we moved to kanda valley in village called sunar gaon.
we all were staying in family home stay accommodation in same house called ROSE.It is an organisation for rural organisation for social elevation.we were doing yoga in the morning under the guidance of janvie for one hour and then we had breakfast.after breakfast students and instructors used to go to site work.they had a project for building the house for a villagers who was very not capable enough to make his house own.so they contributed some money and helped volunteering.
Every evening from 6 pm to 8 pm I had my Hindi class with students.first week they had already learnt some basic in kausani .they were very hardworking and excited for learning Hindi.it was very impressive for me .for while one student was sick so we thought to change the class place as he was sick and he will be disturb but he personally requested to instructor for helding the class at the same place.students were very qurious to learn new stuff and they were memorising all the stuff which has been taught.
In the family there was one young lady and she was very active in doing the house hold things.she used make our breakfast,lunch ,evening tea and dinner.students were very interested in interviewing her about her life .custom ,culture,tradition and festival.so one day we interviewed her and I was translating for them.
It is the tradition of mounatain that when ever they build new roof they sacrifice the goat.as Mr verna has already sacrifice the goat for his own roof.and they offer to worker as these people can not afford. when they were building the roof for the sadhu it is the name of the man for whom they were building the roof.since he can afford the goat sacrifice my student came to know and they wanted my helping getting goat.I asked with one of guy from the same family and he managed to get goat.two of students paid money for the goat.we went to work and villagers scarified the goat.this man was very happy as he couldnot offer gaoat to villagers.
We left for Delhi on 22nd of September by a car .Being living in plane area I am not used with hilly area so I was feeling sick travel.we came to kathgodam train station and took train for Delhi.upon arrival Delhi we stayed in a hotel called Garden view in Karolbagh area.after having breakfast christina ji told us to meet with one of mentors from salam balak in Delhi in pahar ganj.This guy shown us the street kids how they are studying and he told us about the his own experience of life as he was also a street kid in child hood.
Later on we went to cannaught palce and did some shopping.Instructor bought a kurta for me from fabindia a very well known shop among westerners.and we had lunch in south indian restaurant.and we took metro and came back to hotel.
Next morning we went to see Gandhi Museum near India gate and then we returned to hotel and we had lunch in raffels restaurant.in the evening we had overnight train for varanasi from new Delhi railway station.during our travel students watched bollywood movie.we arrived on 25th morning and one of our instructor acme to received us on tarin station.students were wram welcomed in varansi and move to programme house. we had lunch together as it was their first lunch in varanasi.It was awesome experience for me with this programme.
