Dirks fabulous adventures in Uganda: first stop Mothers Nest, India

We left Switzerland on October 21st with heavy luggage. We packed our personal stuff into our hand luggage and filled some suitcases with loads of things for the children. It took a while to check-in all the luggage as the necessary information about our excess luggage was missing in the computer system. But we had a very nice and patient ground hostess who managed everything with a smile on her face. After a few calls and some waiting time we were checked-in and proceeded to the gates. Our flight was heading to Dubai from where we took a plane to Hyderabad at about 4 am. I spent the time watching movies as I can never manage to sleep during flights. After we landed in India we had a drink outside of the airport as we had to wait for our friends to pick us up. After a while father Joseph and Brigitte arrived and finally drove us to Mothers Nest. Our driver drove very slowly so we felt pretty save during the ride. Somewhere on the way we stopped at some kind of restaurant to have a snack. I don’t exactly know what we had but it was all delicious! Soon we continued our travel to the orphanage. When we finally arrived the children and staff already waited to give us a warm welcome. We were given a floral wreath to be put around our necks and painted a red dot between the eyes. Then some of the children danced for us which was very cute. We said hello to each and every one and although I tried to grasp their names I failed as I was not used to all these beautiful Indian names. We then were shown our room that was prepared nicely. We just stored our luggage in the room when some kids brought a cup of coffee for us. We were then shown around, took pictures and talked a bit with the kids. Later we played games with them before supper which was served outside. It was very delicious and so good to see how much the kids enjoyed it as well. After finishing the meal we played again with the kids and had a chat with Joseph and Brigitte before we went to bed. It’s been a long day and I was up for about 36 hours so it wasn’t very hard to fall asleep.

Next morning I woke up well rested. As we left our room the kids brought us some coffee that we drank in Joseph’s room. We then planned to do an excursion to a water park as it was Sunday. But after we had breakfast and before leaving the place father Joseph held a mass outside as every Sunday. Then we prepared ourselves to leave. As we were around 45 people and only had two cars we had to drive twice. So we filled up both cars with the kids. They then left and the drivers returned with the empty cars to bring us also to the water park. Later one of the cars returned to pick us up and bring us to the park either. We had our personal guide who showed us our pavilion which was reserved only for us. Then we were brought from station to station. The coolest one was “rain dance”. There was a stage covered with showers. After the kids entered the stage, the water was turned on and a DJ played some stomping Indian style disco tracks. It was so funny to see everyone laugh and dance underneath the shower. It was truly like in a Bollywood movie. The kids and the staff were still wearing their clothes which seems to be normal in a water park.

When the next group arrived at the “rain dance” experience our kids had to leave the stage. We then were brought to a meadow where we were served a nice lunch. After the meal we played a bit and then the kids were brought to the swimming pool, another highlight for them. Andy and I didn’t jump into the pool as we wanted to take photographs. The children stayed in the water until they were shaking all over from the cold of the water. In the late afternoon we decided to return to Mothers Nest where we rested for a while. We again spent time with the kids who were doing their homework on the veranda or played outside and inside. It was amazing how well they behaved. They were very nice to us and each other, never squabbling, never screaming, in fact they were very attentive, supportive and acted independently. This was even more surprising as I got to know some of their life stories which were partly heart-breaking. Anyways, we later had supper and went to bed a bit earlier than the day before as the kids had to go to school next day.

After breakfast the children put on their uniforms. One of the children practiced English with three new kids who had never had the chance to go to school before they were brought to Mothers Nest. So they needed to be prepared before they would be sent to school. The kid teacher shouted out loud spelling words that she read from a poster. K – I – T – E, KITE she shouted and her pupils had to repeat. Soon they had to leave so the children squeezed themselves into the cars and then they left. We then took a short walk in the neighbourhood. After that we prepared ourselves for a ride into the city of Hyderabad. We were invited at a judge’s house who sent some kids to Mothers Nest in the past. So we set off and soon got in a massive jam. There were so many people in this city! It somehow reminded me of the daily mess in Kampala. I really admire all those patient people who manage to drive safely through this mess without crashing every five minutes. In the middle of the city our driver stopped the car at some corner and then he left the car with Joseph. Joseph told us to be back in a minute. After a couple of minutes we left the car to watch the hustle and bustle in that busy city. Then went to a teashop on the other side of the street and had an Indian tea. It took quite a while to prepare it and the guy prepared it in a very artistic way. The tea was served in a very small glass, sized like a liquor glass and it tasted wonderfully, a bit sweet though. Soon Joseph returned in a taxi as our driver needed to pick some wood for Mothers Nest. So we hopped the taxi and continued our journey. The ride was much more comfortable as the taxi was air-conditioned. About two hours too late we arrived at the judge’s house. She gave us a warm welcome and introduced us to a friend of hers. As we were late she decided to have lunch with us at her home. After a welcome drink we were asked to sit down at the dining table. Her housekeeper had prepared a couple of wonderful dishes for us. We had a nice conversation and enjoyed the delicious food. The judge was really a wonderful and wise lady and I was very excited to listen to her stories. She later showed us the roof terrace and her guest room and invited me to come and visit her again which I would really love to do. Then we said good bye and drove back to Mothers Nest for our farewell-party. In the meantime the children and staff prepared a stage and decorated the whole place for the party.

Before the party Stephan was asked to lay the foundation of the boys quarter that was going to be built in the next weeks. So he and father Joseph climbed down a ladder to bless the future home of the boys.

After that we moved back to the main house and sat down in front of the stage. One of the kids introduced himself as that nights host and soon introduced the first act, a vocal performance. Then some more kids sang songs for us and some rehearsed sophisticated dance performances. They must have practiced all this for weeks and we were really touched by their show. They really did great! After the show father Joseph, Brigitte, Andy and I were asked to hold a speech which we did. It was such an amazing show and we were sad to say good bye to the kids after the show. They were already so close to our hearts after these few days with them. After another cup of coffee and a drink with Brigitte and Joseph we had to say good bye to them too. Then the taxi driver picked us up to drive us to the airport… Wow, what a wonderful place Mothers Nest has already become! Joseph has already accomplished to build a real home for the kids, it’s all a big loving and caring family. We couldn’t have wished for anything else!

Thank you Joseph, thank you children, thank you Mothers Nest! Bye bye India, It’s been a colourful and wonderful experience… hope to see you all soon!

Stephan with our heavy bags filled with stuff for the kids