A New Definition of Home
I first came to India in 2019 to heal myself and I discovered a whole lot more.
During this time, I was going through a rough time personally (hello breakup) and I knew one way to get back to myself was through giving to others (enter glow up). I always wanted to volunteer overseas and had heard about IVHQ (International Volunteer HQ) through another program. Consider this trip my low budget “Eat, Pray, Love” journey—in fact, I think the catalyst of finding a volunteer opportunity was right after I watched the movie. I didn’t really hesitate as soon as I saw there was a program opening in the next couple of weeks. I applied and then BOOM! I’m buying a ticket to Delhi and getting my visa. When I decide I’m doing something, I don’t play around.
I signed up for a program that would work with an NGO that was facilitating volunteer teachers at a small school in Faridabad. This school provided resources and education to children of slum workers. I would specifically be working with children ages 5-13 years old and teaching them basic math and English for a few weeks. There was also an opportunity to travel with the group and program coordinators around famous places surrounding Delhi (including Taj Mahal). We were told we didn’t need to prepare a lesson plan, so I thought, “Great! This is going to be a way to just dive in and help.”
Oh, was I not prepared at all.
When I arrived in India, I met with the driver working with the program at the airport and we made our way to the apartment (or society) in Faridabad that houses the volunteers and NGO staff. I had been to Vietnam and Thailand in the recent past, as well as some countries in Europe, however I was simply too over-the-moon that I would be visiting India that I kind of dismissed the small fact that I would be going to live and work in a slum area. The facilities at the apartment were great—very clean and safe. I actually enjoyed the meals prepared by resident cook, Ragu, so much that I had absolutely no desire to even roam elsewhere to try food outside of our facilities. However, the surrounding area and the actual village itself was something I thought I’d only ever seen in movies. It is extremely difficult to explain what that first look into a slum area felt like other than it felt like I had an out of body experience.
It was at that moment that I realized that I had been completely disconnected with reality outside of my own little bubble my entire life.
When we walked into the school, we were greeted with hundreds of children shouting with joy. Within seconds I was tearing up. I’m generally a cry baby, but I didn’t stand a chance with these cute little munchkins. They all wanted to touch our hair, they were fascinated by my Apple Watch, but most importantly they were so extremely eager to learn and be given attention. The program coordinators warned us not to get too attached with the kids because it actually hurts them more than it hurts us when we leave. I’m sorry, but that is actually impossible.
The first day, we jumped right into teaching English using charts and workbooks. I focused on the alphabet with the kids, as well basic arithmetic. However, the classrooms were not completely indicative that each child would be at the same reading, speaking, or math level. Every child was at a different stage in their education. I was extremely lucky that I knew just a TINY bit of Hindi before I came to India. This gave me a slight advantage over the other volunteers, but I still struggled and leaned on the classroom teacher heavily.
I would assign a task for the class to finish in their workbooks and I would walk around and review their work. There was one little girl that was so proud of her work that she would run up to me to have me review a task and then immediately ask for more. I gave her a star on the correct items and she reacted as though I had just gifted her a pony. She took it back to her desk and showed it off to peers, and then they all started begging me to put stars on their work. Something so small was so appreciated by each of them.
I came back to my room after the first day and just wept.
Things we take for granted on a daily basis in the United States mean so much to these kids. A star on their paper, a pencil, fresh paper to write on, sweaters to keep them warm, food… they are used to doing without these basic things. And yet their spirit and excitement to learn never ceases. After that first day, a group of the volunteers and I went to purchase more materials from the village (pencils, workbooks, crayons, erasers, coloring books, Ludo games) and brought them to the school. I continued the teaching every day and actually made the choice to not skip volunteer days for tourist days so I could spend every moment possible with the kids. I did not want to leave and it was extremely difficult to say goodbye on the last day.
Volunteering in India opened up my eyes to what was important and taught me that home may not be a specific place.
Home can be a feeling, a person, or purpose. I had never felt as welcomed ANYWHERE before. I went back to the US from this trip feeling heartbroken because I’d found home in India. The program confirmed that this is the ultimate purpose in life. Now I have traveled back to India three times to explore, and I learn something new every time.
What makes you feel at home?
