Fireflies and drumming village announcers

Tuesday, 2nd Nov 2010.

Surrounded by at least six kids in a distance of only some centimeters (they just give me enough room to move my fingers on the laptop and actually read every word out loud as I'm typing them), I am desperately trying to concentrate for a little while. Some 7-8 more girls are studying their English books in front of me. Kalyan is in the next room with the volunteers discussing a potential water solution for the ProtoVillage. It's like this from the moment we arrive in the village until the moment we're gone. Well, actually that's not quite correct. Usually we'll come across some villagers on our way there, in the next city or along the road. They stop us for a hike and one person soon becomes two or three. We've never ridden into or out of the village with a car anything less than max passenger number. Today I experimented with the video camera, which Thomas Bernstein gave us to use on the trip and that attracted even more attention than usual. It would be such a laugh to publish this video. A) because I'm totally new to the world of video and B) because you'd see how there is just no chance to hold it still or focus it on any particular scene of interest.

I like what all of this is doing with me. I might be stressed, I might even be in a bad mood or sad. But the minute I'm out there with the kids around me, I'm happy. I forget everything else, my cold, my tiredness, any challenges - imagined or real. Different things matter. Attention, curiosity, thirst for finding out about the world out there. They teach me a million words per second in their native language Telugu and learn English as I translate it for myself and repeat after them with their chorus as background music. They want me to remember their names and they wouldn't leave me alone until I do. I can call at least some 15-20 kids by their name and I'm real proud of it too.

Tonight will be the first night I'll stay here at Tekulodu (the location of ProtoVillage). I look forward to this as Kalyan promised to take me just out of the village to a pond where the fireflies light up the night. I've seen it in the past nights when we drove to Kalyan's home to Hindupur. The first time I saw these beautiful creatures buzz around was on my very first evening here. I waited for Kalyan in the car as he was out in the surrounding villages with the man who makes announcements by first drumming everyone together and then shouting out loud whatever word they want to get out. That night Kalyan wanted to remind the villagers of medical camp next day and the opportunity to get a free health check including free medication if they needed any. Medical camp was a full success with some 300-320 villagers receiving treatment from a dedicated team which will now come regularly at least once per quarter.

So, all of this wonder is now forming part of our bootcamp. Kalyan and I brainstorming, planning, scheduling, strategising, exercising and most of all - getting to know each other better by the minute. He's still very busy with his work here at ProtoVillage and right now I can't even imagine how he'll be able to leave in just a few weeks. But that's only one in many challenges. As off now we still haven't got our bikes secured. On the other hand side, a lot of things have fallen into place and many people have come onboard to support us. Ulrike Saade from Velo Berlin still  hasn't given up despite the fact that we're in India and contacted Trek and Canondale. With Ortlieb joining just before I left Germany, we are well equipped even already for our time here at the village. All the waterproof bags come in very handy with the rain leaking into our house!! Soon we'll even be able to blog independent of Internet thanks to the pilot project with tickertxt.org and betterplace lab. I mean, how good can it get?

And when I still stress, Kalyan will step in to calm me and remind me how everything WILL happen in its own time. I keep forgetting that despite my best intentions. It's an art to see the glass half full instead of half empty, right? And our name IS program and not just a glossy outer shell meant to be meaningful to others. So, I'll better practice. And at the moment that means getting over my cold, acclimatizing and getting used to the (very!!!) spicy local cuisine. Good night to you all!!