Do you believe in destiny? Do we actually provoke our own destiny, our own luck? Do you think everything happens for a reason? The things that happened to me that day 10th of August, just 2 days after my arrival in India have changed me. They had actually a very big influence for me as a person. Good or bad, luck or not, I will leave to you to decide. I am here only to be honest, to tell you my story. Because I wish someone did it for me earlier. .
Directly from the Udaipur’s airport the adviser-and the creator of the organization I was teaching for- S.(I don’t use his full name, because I don’t have his permission), escorted me to his house where I was supposed to live while being an English teacher and working for the organization.
Usually there can be found many different types of voluntary programmes, some of them cover your expenses, or a part of them. In this case I paid for everything, by everything understand flights, accommodation(in this house), food and pocket money. In India it wasn’t so much expensive in respect of our standard in Europe but compared to their was quite a fortune.
The house wasn’t bad, actually I felt I was lucky, because when I decided to do a voluntary work in India, I was prepared for everything. Even if I had to live in a village and sleeping on the floor, I knew that it wouldn’t be a problem, I was mentally ready. The room was pretty basic but was separate and has a bed. In this time I was feeling pretty fortunate having this conditions.
(A room for volunteers where I was living while being a teacher in India)
Later on people always were asking me if I was afraid of going there without any preparation of the environment I would be living. The only possible answer is if you really want something and your heart is whispering to you that it is the correct decision, you can’t be afraid, never. And if not fully prepared, that is ok, because there is always a first time. And if you don’t cross your comfort zone from time to time, you would never achieve something important in your life. So maybe a part of me was afraid about going there but that was something that I really wanted then.
When going to the house in Udaipur I met with the other 2 volunteers I knew there is a 3rd one also with them but at this time she was sick of food poisoning. Later on the blog posts I will explain you how all the foreign people I met in India had this problem, even my sister, but fortunately I have some tips, with the help of, I had no problem with the food at all.
(The other 3 girls while teaching in one of the centers. They were also teaching and living with me at the same house)
When talking about food, Udaipur is very famous with it’s roof top restaurants from which you could see very well the the whole town. Me and S.(the founder of the organization) took a bite in one of those places. You can see a photo from the same restaurant, but made during the day while one of the indian festivals.
The next day we went to a school at the morning and I am full with regrets because I had no chance to take any pictures(because at the school it will be considered as an impolite act). It was a very hot day and some of the rooms were open and I was able to see a maths class in one of them. What truly surprised me was how the kids were standing on the floor, listening the teacher, and writing in their notebooks, all in uniforms, while a woman was sweeping with a broom around them. It was so dirty that the dust was lifting in the air and was covering the kids. But that obviously wasn’t bothering the cleaning lady, which I considered as a very low-bred act. I was able to see all this while talking to the headmaster of the school and their english teacher(who, practically, did not speak the language which surprised me because, among with Hindi, India’s national language is also English, because the country was a British colony between 1858 and 1947. But if I am honest, very few people I met in India speak English well. And mostly very affluent and educated one). The headmaster wanted help from the organization I was teaching lately for, for some English lessons in the school. Later I was shocked when S. told me that the school was actually private and that is the reason why it is so well organized. I couldn’t believe but I realized that maybe I underestimated the level of the school because I am comparing it with the schools in Europe. But how they say comparison is the first step of disappointment. So don’t do it. Just appreciate the facts and if you don’t like something try hard to change it!
After we finished at the private school we had some free time before going in the center with the kids because we were after school program so the lessons started usually at 6p.m. So S. proposed me to bring me to a very beautiful place near the town. I accepted the proposal heartily and took many pictures on the go. I was truly fascinated with the beauty of the nature and the rural life of the people in India.
(Local men are staring at me, maybe because they are not used to see foreigners in their village)
(A local kid is having a shower. In the villages in India is very rare people to have bathrooms inside of their houses.)
I thought the leader of the organization is so kind bringing me to this beautiful place outside Udaipur because I am new volunteer and he wants to show me more of his region and indian culture, and furthermore, because unlike the other 3 volunteers I met earlier I was volunteering alone. Sometimes I am so naïve…
To be continued…
Feed Your Humanity 