A this was my second
trip to India, I can’t really say I experienced a huge cultural shock, although
even on my last day I thought that I was going to go out and get hit by a bus
because the traffic here is simply crazy!
You can’t really compile a list about India without listing the reasons why it
is known as “Incredible India” throughout the world. For me, the biggest reason
isn’t the amazing towering landmarks or the flavorful food, for me, the thing
that makes India truly Indian is its people.
In
India, you experience all sorts of social approaches, you can be swindled by a
dishonest auto driver, you can be warmly greeted by a child on the street, you
can be dragged into an intense conversation with a complete stranger or even be
shown around town absolutely for free, as was the case for us when we visited
beautiful Mysore. In all of these situations you always think the same thing:
“My, what a peculiar country this is!” And India is in fact a world in its own,
a colorful, unforgettable place where you always want to get away from while
you’re there but where you always want to go back when you leave.
Enough with the description of this incredible, sometimes surreal, country,
let’s now focus on the reason that brought me to this special corner on Earth:
volunteer work. I chose India to work because it was a country that was
familiar to me and I knew that whatever happened, the people here would always
make me feel at home. It was also a prime choice because of all of the
countries that I’ve visited, it was the one that seemed to need the most help.
And
here an important part of my stay in India came into play: SCEAD Foundation.
Seeing as I came to India wanting to become involved with child education, the
foundation was quick to associate me with a government school near Yedyur Lake
where I taught basic conversational English. Parallel to that, I gave out some
General Knowledge classes at a private school in Jayanagar and helped up with
the organization and setup of several events, such as World Population Day, a
“Save Girl Child” photography exhibition raising awareness on the topic of
female infanticide and an exhibition for Hiroshima Day on the dangers of
nuclear weapons.
I
loved doing volunteer work for SCEAD because this NGO always gave me the
freedom to do what I needed to do, what I thought was best. I was totally
independent in the planning of my classes and all the ideas that I had for the
school events were gladly welcomed. I also got to meet a lot of people, local
and foreign, through my experience with this particular organization. This
interaction with different individuals, who shared their distinct opinions and
thoughts on a myriad of topics, really enlightened me on the cultural diversity
of our planet.
I
am shocked at what I know now about myself: me, someone who formerly didn’t
care much about children, am now certain that I am never going to forget the
young eyes that during these 6 weeks stared in awe and amazement at the mere of
fact of me being a foreigner, these young faces so vivacious and eager to learn
that they seem to have come out of a movie.
Manual (Portugal )