Orientation week On September 1st 2024 our journey began and we took our flight to Mangalore, where we were welcomed by a member of FSL India. We took a bus to the Center of Experimental living (CEL) and stopped on the way for breakfast. We all really enjoyed our first Indian meal: Masala Dosa and Poori. At CEL we had a great week where we learned a lot of helpful things about India and its culture as well as our…
After two and a half months here in India I would like to look back on some experiences I have made so far. But first a small disclaimer: My first impressions are just this! My blog is NOT a “single story” about India trying to stress all clichés and western white narratives, but first of all the overwhelming emotions of happiness and welcoming from this beautiful land of Kundapura and its warm-hearted people. It is very easy to generalize my…
My first week in Berlin has been an incredible mix of excitement, independence, and new learning experiences. For the first time, I found myself completely alone, responsible for taking care of myself in a foreign city. From cooking my own meals to exploring the vibrant streets of Berlin, every day has been a learning curve. I even tried out some local dishes (with the help of pepper), pushing myself out of my comfort zone to embrace the rich culinary culture…
We went to Mysore to volunteer at People for Animals, a shelter for every kind of homeless animal sick or healthy. At PFA there is always some work, because they take care of so many animals. In the area they have a vet’s office, so people are coming and going with their pets all the time. But the main focus is on the stray animals, if somebody brings a stray to them, they care for them for free and take…
Hey, my name is Morten, and I’m 19 years old. I’ve embarked on a volunteering journey to India. It all started with a long flight from Frankfurt to Mumbai and then to Mangalore. There, a friendly FSL staff member picked me up at the airport and drove me to Kundapur. The first thing I noticed stepping out of the airport was the intense heat and humidity. During the drive to Kundapur, I quickly realized that traffic rules in India aren’t…
Most of the time I am working at a teaching project at the southern part of the west coast in a town called Udupi. But now there are summer holidays and therefore school is closed. In the meantime, I joined another volunteer coming from Germany as well, named John, at his work at a farm about two hours away. There I was first introduced to our project contact person, Sister Priscilla , working at the farm, the office and the…
The last week in my project was very special. The exams were over and everybody was looking forward for the summer holidays.The whole week there were no classes anymore. Instead, every student could do more or less what they want to do. Playing games, drawing, spending a lot of time outside. I especially liked that all the standards mixed together so all age groups stayed together. I always brought my small speaker with me so we listened to a lot…
As winter faded, I thought about my journey. I started by volunteering, then enjoyed winter,snow and now spring, and explored Potsdam last month.Winter can feel sad and cold, but this year was different. Volunteering was hard sometimes, but it taught me to be strong. When spring came, everything changed. Flowers bloomed, and Easter was fun with bunnies and colorful eggs. Waking up to the symphony of chirping birds and the gentle aroma of blossoms is a daily delight I cherish….
Hey there, my name is Hanno, for context I am a 20-year-old guy from Frankfurt, Germany currently participating in a project in south-eastern India, Pondicherry. I will try to give you guys a quick insight into my project and what I actually do here. The project is primarily a children’s home which is separated into a girls and a boys home 5 minutes apart from each other. The kids that live there are either orphaned or have lived in gated…