VERY HAPPY AND PROUD 

Farewell present for Swaran Public School

Our last day in school we spent painting a mural for our children. We had only one day to finish it, so we started very early in the morning. With hardly any break we enjoyed a lot to cover the plain white wall with bright colours and whimsical creatures. Our hostfamily provided us during this painting marathon with most delicious food and endless cups of chai and coffee to keep us motivated. Shortly before darkness we finished and tired but satisfied we only regret not be able to see the faces of the children.

Thanks a lot for two amazing weeks in Swaran Public School in Shimla.

Christel and Sina

Dear colleagues and wonderful students,

for two weeks, my niece Sina and I had the pleasure to be part of your school community and to teach English. We felt extremely welcomed from the very first moment. Every morning the students arrived full of excitement and enthusiasm. With high discipline and eagerness to learn, they looked at us full of expectation, which we didn't want to disappoint.  

For every class they came well prepared, their curiosity about our home countries (Canada and Germany) showed in the many questions they asked.

One of the highlights for them was a video conference we organized with Canada and my husband, as well with international students from five different countries. We could have spent the whole morning just asking and answering questions, they didn't get tired to learn about others.

They also loved the most welcomed interruptions after learning the more academic subjects of English grammar, when they could show us their creativity in pantomiming, language games and many more fun activities.

The kindergarten children and little preschoolers were engaged with Sina in lots of sports activities and plays. They couldn't tell us in English about their experience, but their sparkling eyes, their joyful laughter, their happy clapping and jubilant voices said enough. 

Well, the two weeks went too fast. We both feel, that teaching in this outstanding school rewarded us with more than we ever will be able to give back. We will miss all of you, but we will take life-lasting memories home with us.