Adversity and suffering are two of life’s greatest teachers. Through them we learn how we can grow better, not bitter.

~Jen Williamson

Picking up from where we left off last time. I had taken you till the time Aruna & her family had reached alive at an airport. Here, they were able to board a flight and they finally escaped to Germany.

Even though she was upset about leaving the rest of the family in Afghanistan she was ready to find some place she could call home as she longed for peace and freedom. She hoped that Germany would not be the same and that she could find that.

She described her first few hours in Germany as confusing because after all those months they saw tall buildings – still intact, they could not hear the sounds of firing of weapons. Most importantly they felt very different to see so much peace all around them and the calm sensation in the air. They moved into their new house and they settled down in a few months.

When I asked her one of the things, she remembers very vividly from her early life in Germany she said it was very moving. Everyone was so kind and helpful, her neighbours were always checking on them and constantly offering help. Another person she talked about a lot was Maria who her brothers & she fondly called Aunty Maria. Aunty Maria was their friend’s mother who was always very kind to them and took care of them like her own children. Every time they would spend time there, she would make them really nice food and would make sure that they had lots of fun. 

She remembers asking Aunty Maria the reason behind her kindness. Aunty Maria only very simply & humbly said that her son had found such good friends in them and he considered them family and whatever she did for them, she felt it wasn’t enough. I was truly humbled at hearing this.

“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” ― H. Jackson Brown Jr.

She also told me that going to school in Germany was her first time at a school. She was very excited but also very nervous. Even though she was 11 she had to go to 1st grade! So, she promised herself that she would work hard to reach her level and she did.

So, every night she stayed up working hard while her parents thought she was asleep. She would be reading under her blanket with a torch. So, for many more years she worked hard and aced her exams and skipped a few grades.

After completing her education, she started working for Mercedes-Benz and was one of the youngest employees when she joined and she was so proud. At this point in her story I was beaming with pride too.

Many years later, she moved to Bangalore from Mercedes Benz & felt complete after moving here. The missing piece was found and she finally felt she was at home.  

I learnt from a conversation with my mother that she also involves herself in many charitable activities. So, that got me to ask her why she does it? What made her feel that she had to make it a part of her life? She replied that when she was little everyone seemed to do things for her selflessly and it got her to wonder why she can’t do the same for others. She started imagining how much she could help others, maybe their life can change as hers did. 


She has helped many people, selflessly. She is also a true COVID warrior. She has worked from collecting funds, to cooking and distributing meals, buying essentials and delivering it at the doorstep of the needy without thinking too much about the risks it posed for herself.



I am truly moved after talking to Aruna and I hope that someday I can meet her in person. But the video call still transmitted her beautiful smile. She is truly amazing and has a very big heart, she does her best to help those in need. I really hope that this story has moved & inspired you the way it inspired me.

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