Reflecting on our Volunteer Experience in India

“India is a land of contrasts” the coordinator of our volunteer program told us during orientation. This became evident to us immediately. The wealth gap stretches way beyond what most other countries experience. On the street you will see women dressed in the most beautiful sarees in every color of the rainbow, but you will also see more trash and waste everywhere than can be cleaned in several lifetimes. You have access to some of the most delicious food you could ever imagine, but watch out because of the risk you take in having some major stomach issues if you’re not careful (and don’t even think about drinking the water!). India is home to some of the most incredible monuments, temples and forts in the world, but turn the corner and you will find neighborhoods that lack the most basic forms of infrastructure.

The children greeting us at the start of school each day

A typical scene on the side of the road from our tuk-tuk on our drive to school

We were reminded daily of this phrase and experienced these contrasts firsthand (stomach issues included). However, the most striking contrast in our minds has to do with the “street kids” who participate in our program. We went to India to work with a local volunteer organization that runs a number of programs including their own school. Our role as volunteers was to work with small groups of children (Chris worked with three students, Christina with four) and teach them English & Math. These kids live in the slums on the outskirts of Jaipur, in little shacks along the side of the road. They have no electricity and live in deplorable conditions. Many struggle to get access to food or clothing. Yet, they were some of the sweetest, happiest, most loving and energetic kids you could ever imagine.

Christina with her class

The boys of Chris’s class

Slums alongside the road

Our first day at the school, we were welcomed by 40 little voices shouting “Hello, Sir!” and “Hello, Didi!” (which means “sister”). We thought maybe this was just because it was our first day and they were only interested in us because we were new. Nope. Every day we arrived to the same enthusiastic bunch and every recess break the kids would climb all over us, wanting to play and acting like typical kids. It was incredible to see this despite their dire situations.

Chris reading with the boys

The actual volunteering itself took a good amount of time and preparation as well as patience. Neither of us had much experience teaching children in a classroom setting, let alone children who spoke only minimal English. The school itself lacked much structure, including a curriculum, as well as many basic items such as desks, textbooks, and other supplies. Not to mention the fact that if there were no volunteers for that day or week, the students wouldn’t have a teacher and instead were grouped together with one school coordinator, regardless of age or education level. As a result, the children had extremely short attention spans and would sometimes get up and walk out of the classroom, mid-lesson. Prepping a new lesson everyday became part of our afternoon routine, which often meant brushing up on topics we hadn’t studied in years (How exactly do you do long division again?). There were struggles at times for both the students and the teachers when it came to communication and completing our daily tasks.

Christina and Segun during recess

Despite the challenges, after we finished our last day at the school, we both agreed that this is one of the most meaningful things we have ever done. These kids have really pulled at our heartstrings over the past few weeks as we’ve grown attached to them. Although we were only in their lives for a short period of time, we can only hope that we made even the smallest positive impact on them and taught them something they can use in their lives as they move forward. The hardest thing was not saying good-bye, but wishing that we could have done more.

Camel Safari before our night sleeping out in the desert

In addition to our volunteering, we had the opportunity to travel around the city of Jaipur and the state of Rajasthan on the weekends. These mini-excursions included visiting numerous forts and markets, going on a tiger safari in a national park (unfortunately we didn’t see any), and even spending a night sleeping out in the desert under the stars. We were also able to partake in the Diwali festivities that were going on during our first week in Jaipur.

Celebrating Diwali

We were drawn to visit India for many reasons. We wanted to experience the country firsthand and learn more about the culture, eat some delicious food, and see the sights. Christina’s family had an old friend, Helen, who was an incredible lady and very well-traveled. She would always recount her travel stories with fondness, but inevitably it would come up that she never got to see the Taj Mahal. When she died at age 101 a few years ago, Christina vowed to see it in Helen’s memory. We are happy to say we accomplished that and were able to take Helen with us.

The Taj Mahal in all its glory

Us at the spectacular Taj Mahal (Crown Palace)

Helen finally visiting the Taj Mahal

We spent an unforgettable month in India. No blog post we could write would fully capture our experience. The sights were incredible. The food was mind-blowing. The culture was fascinating. But for us, the best part was the kids.

Now off to Sri Lanka!

-The Morts