Switzerland
Adel ...
I spent one month where I felt at home from day one. Everyone—students, staff, workers and priests–was very friendly and supportive. The accommodation was comfortable and the campus was peaceful.
I was assigned a buddy teacher (Arjan) to help me get oriented to my new environment. He helped me understand a lot about the school system, the culture and also Hinduism. I got involved in almost everything: teaching, visiting villages with the medical team, socializing with senior citizens, morning and evening prayers, student tutorial, participated in school events and even helping in the bakery. Sometimes I served the students in the restaurant. One of the great things is that I did not feel under pressure to do anything. I could always choose how to help, or I took the initiative and suggested something that was well-received and supported.
Rajesh, the principal, always welcomed my suggestions and made arrangements for me to go ahead with them. He even helped me with other personal issues I had when, for example, I needed a new computer charger. Milind efficiently dealt with the logistics. He always responded to my requests whether these requests had to do with the school activities, or arranging for me to visit places in Gujarat. The students were chatty and curious about me and my culture. The senior citizens appreciated my visits even with little communication due to the language barrier. The priests (the swamis) were surprisingly approachable and friendly. I had long, interesting, intellectual discussions with Swami Harikrishna. He honoured and blessed me a number of times in their religious events. I enjoyed the freshly made meals. I also enjoyed spending hours in the garden watching families of monkeys playing, jumping, and eating. I could not spend enough time watching the baby monkeys climbing up and down trees and even playing on the children’s swing. I could also observe green parrots and peacocks. I took hundreds of photos and videos. Above all, I felt in peace and appreciated the harmony, respect and support in the community between the teachers, the students and the senior citizens.
I managed to visit other places in Gujarat such as Ahmadabad, The Statue of Unity and Vadodara. There are only 2 points I would like to point out to future volunteers: 1) girls might feel overprotected. As a man, I did not have a problem. 2) If you are a teacher, you might face a totally different experience in the classroom. Regardless of your experience, you will not be able to keep the students quiet as they get too excited by the volunteer giving them a lesson. So you might have to be either very strict or have patience until you find the right balance with them. In general, my experience was very rewarding as I learned a lot about the Indian culture and Hindu religion. I recommend this place to anyone, but, please, read about the India & Indian culture before you go. Watch videos and learn about the customs, food, religions, climate, etc.
I would like to thank everyone in the school, but I should not forget to thank Urvashi who was extremely helpful, an excellent communicator and liaised very well before, during and even after my visit to India. She provided me with advanced background information, photos of key staff members, dozens of tips, and a lot more. Because of her wise choice of volunteers, I tremendously enjoyed the company of my fellow volunteers: Ashley, Shweta and Fleur who made my stay even more enjoyable.
I was assigned a buddy teacher (Arjan) to help me get oriented to my new environment. He helped me understand a lot about the school system, the culture and also Hinduism. I got involved in almost everything: teaching, visiting villages with the medical team, socializing with senior citizens, morning and evening prayers, student tutorial, participated in school events and even helping in the bakery. Sometimes I served the students in the restaurant. One of the great things is that I did not feel under pressure to do anything. I could always choose how to help, or I took the initiative and suggested something that was well-received and supported.
Rajesh, the principal, always welcomed my suggestions and made arrangements for me to go ahead with them. He even helped me with other personal issues I had when, for example, I needed a new computer charger. Milind efficiently dealt with the logistics. He always responded to my requests whether these requests had to do with the school activities, or arranging for me to visit places in Gujarat. The students were chatty and curious about me and my culture. The senior citizens appreciated my visits even with little communication due to the language barrier. The priests (the swamis) were surprisingly approachable and friendly. I had long, interesting, intellectual discussions with Swami Harikrishna. He honoured and blessed me a number of times in their religious events. I enjoyed the freshly made meals. I also enjoyed spending hours in the garden watching families of monkeys playing, jumping, and eating. I could not spend enough time watching the baby monkeys climbing up and down trees and even playing on the children’s swing. I could also observe green parrots and peacocks. I took hundreds of photos and videos. Above all, I felt in peace and appreciated the harmony, respect and support in the community between the teachers, the students and the senior citizens.
I managed to visit other places in Gujarat such as Ahmadabad, The Statue of Unity and Vadodara. There are only 2 points I would like to point out to future volunteers: 1) girls might feel overprotected. As a man, I did not have a problem. 2) If you are a teacher, you might face a totally different experience in the classroom. Regardless of your experience, you will not be able to keep the students quiet as they get too excited by the volunteer giving them a lesson. So you might have to be either very strict or have patience until you find the right balance with them. In general, my experience was very rewarding as I learned a lot about the Indian culture and Hindu religion. I recommend this place to anyone, but, please, read about the India & Indian culture before you go. Watch videos and learn about the customs, food, religions, climate, etc.
I would like to thank everyone in the school, but I should not forget to thank Urvashi who was extremely helpful, an excellent communicator and liaised very well before, during and even after my visit to India. She provided me with advanced background information, photos of key staff members, dozens of tips, and a lot more. Because of her wise choice of volunteers, I tremendously enjoyed the company of my fellow volunteers: Ashley, Shweta and Fleur who made my stay even more enjoyable.
