Auto-rickshaw rides to school

As the first step of our move  we sold our car. I wish we could move our vehicles across states, without hassles!

Hardly another 2-3 weeks in Hyderabad (In Sha Allah), so I am taking L in auto-rickshaw to school everyday. She has rarely travelled in a rickshaw and so enjoying the rides to fullest. In her words "two girls rocking in Hyderabad and having so much of fun".


Growing up in a village, where we walked 1 mile everyday to school, with very limited transport facilities, I always wished if someone drop me everyday in a car. Now, here is my girl, wants to go by walking or "have fun" in a rickshaw ride. This is what they call generation gap?

The intention of this post is to share something what I learned from this "less than 1 kilometer" ride. L has evolved to a curious, "thinking" girl ever since she started her schooling. So, we are bombarded with too many questions everyday, to which we can not respond without thinking twice.

Usually, in a car ride, it takes less than 5 minutes to land up in school, but it takes half an hour for our rickshaw trip, one way. Not because it's difficult to find rickshaws but we have so much things to explore during our walk from home till the building gate and from the main road till the school gate.

The first thing she noticed about rickshaw was that "its steering is different from a car's one" so came the next question "if so Momma, where is his horn?" I lifted my hand to point to the "old" blowing balloons I used to see on autos, and was surprised to see that it's not there anymore. I said, let's explore it after we get down. The next question was "why has he drawn a flower on his front glass?" "what's that hanging on the right side, under the rearview mirror, what good does it do?"

She was so much worried that Momma might fall down to the road and adjusted herself to save more space for me and to ensure that I am sitting away from the door.. lol!

As we got down from the rickshaw, I had forgotten about the "horn" question, but she didn't! She ran to the drivers side, as I was paying him and enquired him about "his horn". He laughed and showed her a red button and then the next question came, why is it Red when all other buttons are in black!!

What I learned that it's always good to take preschoolers for a totally different ride, once in a while. Because they are curious and their mind is open to learn and explore, there are so much they can learn from even a silly rickshaw ride.

I wish I had done this much before!

Look whom we spotted today on our way back home...

Hmmm, yes a chameleon in action. we watched it changing in color as it moved along. We followed him for some time.

Did you know why Liya picked these leaves on her way back today? Because she learned in the school about dry leaves and green leaves and gonna teach momma today.

During our daily trip to school, over one week in rickshaw, we explored different flowers, she talked me about why butterflies are sitting on flowers. She talked me about the importance of saving trees. She also told me that trees give us oxygen and they purify our air! Wow!!