By Dávid Gyula Pinczési from Hungary, Hosted in Vadodara
“Since I arrived to my host community I learned a lot of new things. I started learning the local language and now I can do shopping in Gujarati and also I can ask for directions. I can speak with the Rickshaw wala. I realized that I am speaking much louder then I used to do. The hardest thing to get to used to the traffic. Now I can ride the cycle while I am going for my training, Gujarati classes etc. Here I started to pay attention more to the cars and the pedestrian as everybody is going everywhere on the streets. If I would like to cross the road I need to be careful because nobody stops for anyone here. Other strange thing that in every mall or store there are security gates, it’s really surprising. Now I have got used to the school, I have a lot of friends and we hang out a lot. They always help me in everything regarding school, language, homework. The teachers are really kind and helpful too.
I also learned how to serve a guest in India. If a guest arrives I give them a glass of water on a tray. This was really different to me, because in Hungary the guests will ask for water if they need. I had the opportunity to go to Ahmedabad to see a ring ceremony. In Hungary a ring ceremony is a small event with really close family members (max. 10 people). In Ahmedabad when we entered the place of the ring ceremony I was shocked there were more than 500 people invited. The ceremony was so beautiful and colorful with various dances. After the ceremony the lunch was served. When I ate a lot after my father told me, this was just the starter, so after it we ate second-course. I am looking for other great experiences”