Report Abuse

“A month in India”

written by on 14/06/2013

Coming to India has been the most life changing and life affirming decision I have ever made! When I decided to come, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I came with an open mind with no idea as to how much I was going to come to love the people, appreciate the food and the culture. The most life affirming experience was teaching in both slum schools and learning that I enjoy teaching and also have the opportunity to see firsthand the difference volunteers make in the lives of the children in helping them learn English in the slum school and the orphanage. I found that the work that was done as a volunteer at time seemed inadequate because you could see the huge potential of the children and how smart they are; you quickly find that yourself putting every effort into teaching them o that they can have an advantage in their life and achieve their dreams of becoming doctors, nurses, teachers and law enforcers. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching in slum school; I had the privilege of teaching at both slum schools for two week periods and despite the frustration at times at not being able to communicate with them to make them fully understand the meaning of a word or concept, and the rowdiness of the kids at times (kids will be kids!), and the sweltering heat, you learn to go with the flow and enjoy every moment teaching the kids. I really had a unique experience from teaching the basics of English to teaching secondary school level maths and science.
Another aspect of volunteering in India that was great was having the opportunity to travel to see the monuments and museums such as the Tag Mahal and visiting the Ghandi museum, which is a once in a lifetime experience. One thing that has really stood out for me in my time in India is the diversity of people and religion. It is a country could easily be a continent; as you travel across India, you find that there is a unique culture that varies from state to state. I am especially grateful to Kranti and Vishi for opening the doors of their home and sharing their lives with us; they helped us in organizing our travels, ate with us and laughed with us – by the end of it you feel as though as though you are part of their family which is a great honour.
I leave here knowing that the kids have a great future ahead of them and will be well looked after. I am most definitely coming back to visit as soon as I can! And who knows I might come back to stay in India?!