Was
the decision correct? Did we do the right thing for the kids? Will they be fine
staying away from us for 7 days when they were all of 11 years old? Is it safe? These were a few
of the many questions that were running through our heads when we went to drop
the children at the airport on the day they were leaving for the Delhi
excursion. The kids were excited and happy to greet each other and check luggage
and hurriedly confer with their friends.
The
first thing that caught our attention were the yellow ribbons and boxes of
packed food for the morning. The teachers were fully armed, prepared to handle
40+ adrenalin charged children for the next 7 days. We said our goodbyes, our
daughter was insistent we gave her a hug and of course our son preferred a
handshake and a matter of fact goodbye. I gave him also a hug, as I was
definitely missing him already. The teachers collected the kids in groups,
lined them and got the kids through the entrance security gate in an orderly
fashion without disturbing the other passengers. After waving till our eyes
could track them no longer, we loitered in the airport for another 30 minutes
as we did not have the heart to leave. While driving back, we felt their
absence acutely and missed their presence every mile of the ride back.
My
husband and I were greeted by a quiet house and we were wondering what to do
with our time. Meanwhile, we were getting good updates from Sushma that they
had checked in and were airborne. Every day, we looked forward to all the
lovely updates from Sushma. An added bonus was the daily blog by Riad with some
lovely pictures. This year, children called us twice and it was such a sweet
surprise.
The
day of picking up the kids arrived and we were at the airport waiting
eagerly. They came running towards us
and we could see that they were very happy. They had gift and chocolates with
them, were busy saying goodbyes to their friends. I was moved to see one of my
daughter’s classmate crying because the excursion was over and she was going to
miss her friends.
The
first shock came to us when our son who loves restaurant food said : Can I eat
some simple dal, chawal at home? The next surprise was when he had conserved
the pocket money that we had given him and he returned a small sum back to us.
The surprises did not end there, both our children had bought lovely gifts for
us and their near and dear ones amongst friends and family. What surprised us
the most was the many stories that unfolded over a period of time. The instance
where one of my son’s friend would help him by folding all his clothes. The
incident where one of my daughter’s friend had fought with her on the trip and
how they made up in school after a heartfelt apology. The incident where the
school was impromptu and bought them ice creams on entering UP and stories of
how they stayed together, bantered, played pranks and enjoyed the trip. Several
instances of how they bargained with shop keepers at Dilli Haat to strike the
right chord between the cash they had and the price the shopkeepers demanded.
While
the kids learnt a little about wildlife at Jim Corbett National park and a
little about Mughal emperors, architecture, Taj Mahal, India Gate, Qutb Minar
etc, I think they gained a lot more about life, friendships, responsibility,
independence and expression. That for me was such a sweet spot in answering the
very same questions that we started out with. A very warm thank you to Team
Headstart for organizing and executing the Delhi Excursion very well!!
