March 26/12 – To recognize the profound need in others and to want to help out – even in a small way – takes compassion and foresight. Not only did I go away from the experience feeling fulfilled by what I’ve accomplished, but I believe that my level of compassion has also been raised after visiting 6 countries and 13 cities over the last 7 months, especially after my visit to New Delhi, India. My prejudice brought about by previous experiences of Indians vanished and I have learned so much more about this culture now. It’s heartwarming to see the smiles on the people’s face all the time. I really admire the contentment of the people here amidst the situation they are in. Also, I find them more sincere and more genuine than many other cultures I have encountered….
I couldn’t stop thinking of my parents and feeling grateful for the choice they made 35 yrs ago to leave their hometown and move us to Canada. It is such a privilege to be raised in Vancouver. Whatever hardship we went through back then seems nothing compared to the poverty and the life styles I am witnessing here… This is what I want to tell my mother now: “Thank you again for the choice you made back then. You were right that risking losing all our lives in the South China Sea during the escape for the opportunity of raising your children and future grandchildren in a better world was worth the risk. Mom, I am so proud of your wisdom to see beyond.”
I decided to cut short my Delhi stay by 5 days to go to Goa for a “Yoga & Meditation Retreat” since my latest theme is about “self-inquiry and self-discovery.” Goa, very well known for yoga is a 2-hr flight from Delhi. I was told that Goa is India’s version of Hawaii where there’s fine sandy beaches. Also, that it is the only province where we can wear shorts without being stared at. Many Europeans go there for vacation, therefore it is very westernized.
Volunteer teaching at a local NGO
Earth Saviours Foundation, a Non-Government Organization (NGO), is where Deon and I volunteered to teach during our stay in New Delhi, India. We were pre-assigned to teach grade 2 which was great, but we ended up with nursery kids over half of the time because of the exams and field trips the grade 2 were having while we were there. Even though the little kids were adorable, I wasn’t really happy with the last minute changes without notice to us because I didn’t pay to come all the way to India to babysit little kids; this is how I actually felt. I specifically requested for grade 3-5 kids on my application already because I know I have no patience for the younger ones. I couldn’t get the sense of reward through babysitting like I do when I teach older kids. It’s like I feel making more difference when I teach the older kids because I immediately see the effects of teaching them something they don’t know 10 mins before. It’s indeed an instant gratification.
There are a total of 125 students, most of who are underprivileged children from the slum areas. They are from pre-k to grade 6. There are no classrooms here because no concrete walls are allowed on this 1 acre of land. The temperature was 28 degrees during our 1st week which was alright but it went up to 37 degrees Celsius in the 2nd week which was very challenging for both Deon and me to be teaching outdoor. I was told it would only get hotter, up to 47 degrees by the summer. Am I glad even now thinking that I wouldn’t be here by then!
The volunteering experience is very different from that in China, Thailand and India. I am so thankful we didn’t start with India because if we had, then we wouldn’t have continued the volunteer path, meaning, we would have missed out on the amazing experience in Xian and in Chiang Mai. I guess things do happen for a reason and the timing of everything is very important too…
India is an interesting place and religious dominance is fully felt. If you wish to know something about India, you have to empty your mind of all preconceived notions created by what you may have heard or read. Why be imprisoned by the limited vision of the prejudices?
New Delhi is the capital of India. The population of India is 1.22 billion. Of that, New Delhi has 16.7 million now (compared to 13.7 million in 2001). The population of Delhi is expected to rise 40% by the year 2020. My first impression of Delhi was really good due to seeing how neat the airport is. This is the only airport where I saw carts lined up neatly in front of each luggage conveyor, all ready for passengers to use.
Among the many cities and countries I have visited, New Delhi is the only place I feel I have the NEED to wash my face, my hands and my feet thoroughly every single night because it is so dusty here. Unlike in Xian, where you see smog in the sky only, in Delhi, I can literally see dust in front of me whenever I am on the streets. Of course the 2 days of “dust storm” here made things that much worse. Many sidewalks, if there are any, are still unpaved. There is more garbage than I can ever count or imagined. Deon’s glasses are covered with dust every day. Our clothes and shoes are so dusty after being out for more than 2 hours only. Luckily, it only cost 35 cents CND per piece of clothes to be washed and ironed!! This is the reason we stayed indoor more here than in any other places we have so far visited. I was told that foreign women are expected not to show skin therefore forget about wearing shorts while walking around this large apartment complex we are living in. Also, it is prohibited to expose the nape, neck and shoulder because local men find it erotic, therefore women always wear a scarf to cover up even if it is HOT outside.
The staff at CCS were very friendly and were always smiling. Surprisingly, the food that was cooked by CCS chef was very good but still after a week of Indian food, I went to join Deon to look for some pizza. Obviously, that’s because “pho and Chinese food” is too wishful thinking for me to have in Delhi. LOL. Oh btw – Deon and I probably won’t be eating “peanut butter and toast” for a while because we ate more here in 2 weeks than we ever did in a whole year in Vancouver!!! Hahaha.
Surely, I will miss the Chai (Indian tea) after I leave. I don’t mind missing out on breakfast but I do mind missing this tea. So, I purposely go over from our unit (#223) to the meal unit (#167) every morning to have my Chai.
Most shocking for me – Slums in Delhi
One of the most shocking thing for me to learn about India was what Ravi (founder of Earth Saviours Foundation) told me – that 40% of Delhi’s population lives in the slums, which means 6.7 million people living on the streets – that is BC’s population times 1.5 since BC population is only 4.4 million. Given the density and population here, poverty is so “in your face” everywhere you go… It’s very depressing… :(((
Slums in Delhi & Mumbai can be a shock for some people. No matter how fast India is growing, I think slum dwelling is something India will struggle with for a long time to come.
Most wonderful experience – Spa in Delhi
Manicure, Pedicure, Paraffin on hands & feet, oil treatment for hair, scalp & back massage – 5 guys working on me at the same time and only cost $59 CND!! Wow!!
Deon commented “Tough life, Mom.” then pulled the camera out and took those spa shots of me and the 5 guys working on me. LOL
The info below was written by an X CCS volunteer:
You know you’ve been in India too long when…
– You’re not surprised that what should take one day to complete can take 3 days
– Your response to everything is “it doesn’t matter, we’re in India”
– You barely notice honking cars anymore
– You’ve finally trained yourself to look right to left before crossing the street and still have no problem walking into oncoming traffic
– You drink 2 gallons of water and your urine is still dark yellow
The information below is copied from the CCS Handout:
Driving and Traffic in India :
Traffic in India may seem chaotic, but there are some rules and appear like jungle rules. One above all rules is “cow has the first right of way.” No one ever, in their right mind, hit a cow.
Indian roads are fascinating with great sites, some funny, some irritating and some scary. One volunteer described traffic and roads of India as mirrors of the society. It reflects the chaos in the events of their lives – anything can happen in their lives at any tine just as any vehicle or pedestrian or animal can appear from anywhere and you have to make provision for them; variety of religions – variety of vehicles from most expensive cars of the world to a horse cart on the same road moving without any animosity; denseness of the people and progressing at their own pace and style – no vehicle competing with each other and everyone showing patience for slow moving and traffic jams, etc etc
Also from the CCS handout are quick tips for surviving the India traffic:
– Be ready for anything; all road rules are considered to be guidelines only.
– The cow always has the right of way; if you want to cross the road safely, adopt a cow and follow her
– Traffic can include, but is not limited to cars, buses, bicycles, autorickshaws, cycle rickshaws, bullock carts, hand carts, pedestrians, animals (cows, dogs, sheep, horses, monkeys, etc etc)
– Roads are considered useful for getting from one place to another, drying wheat, chillies, etc, taking a nap, enjoying conversations with a friend, changing a flat tire.
– To master the crossing of roads and accepting the traffic, you need to keep your eyes open and have a sense of humour. You will witness many funny sights like family of five travelling on a two-wheeler, selling goods from a mini-van, carrying goods piled high on a small vehicle, scurrying through maze of haphazardly moving or standing vehicles in order to cross the road.
Next time I come back to India, I will be going to some of the places below instead of Delhi again:
Mumbai (an hour flight from Goa) = slums on 1 side and high end on another. Famous for Bollywood (like Hollywood)
North
Dharmasalah – where the Dalai Lama lives. Lots of Buddhists from Tibet, half Tibetan half Indian, very mountainous green and lush
North East
Darjeeling- where all the tea is from, lots of tea fields in the mountains
North West
Rajasthan – the Indian desert – very colourful. Famous for forts – known as the land of the kings (where King use to live)
South Rajasthan
Udapour – romantic city, the Venice of India, lots of floating temples and buildings
Jaipur – the capital of Rajasthan, 45-min flight from Delhi – Pink city (buildings are pink) – elephant rides
Jodhpur – the blue city with a very big fort
East
Haridwar, Rishkeshi – holy city on the Ganges, the Beatles stayed in Rishkeshi – in an ashram (yoga retreat)
Veranassi – burning bodies down the Ganges, supposed to be an incredible city.
Riverside – Haridwar + Rishikesh (5 hours from Delhi)
Originally posted on Amy’s travel blog: TravelwithAmy.ca