EIL Intercultural Learning

After finishing university, I had some time on my hands and decided to look into some teaching work in India. With the help of Anton and the EIL team, I set off to New Delhi to volunteer in a school for disadvantaged, disabled children.

The school is in Vasant Kunj, a wealthy suburb of Delhi. The children are anything but wealthy; they come from large, low-income families. The “Special Wing” caters for children with serious learning difficulties and also has a class for deaf children. The rest of the school has children from nursery level right up to 17 year-olds, many of whom are in wheelchairs or have leg-braces due to polio. Polio remains a serious problem in only 4 countries in the World and is a completely preventable disease, which made the experience all the more heart-breaking. The children were beautiful. They were friendly and welcoming to me, kind and patient with each other. They were excited to learn and, despite all odds, they were the happiest children I’ve ever come across. They never complained about their physical or financial situations, and while reading the Mr. Men books I brought over, the children identified most with the character of Mr. Happy!

I took several grades for English classes and helped the Maths teacher in Grade 2 and I really enjoyed the teaching. Every morning I literally jumped out of bed, eager to start the day – which, believe me, is completely out-of-character! I wanted to spend all my time at the school, with the children and the other volunteers - if I’d been asked to work a 6 day week, I would have gladly accepted. After a few weeks, I also started working with smaller groups of students who needed some extra help with their reading and writing. This was fun and rewarding for both me and the students and within a few days their English and confidence had improved hugely. They had never received individual academic attention, and several of them had previously un-noticed dyslexia, which was obviously holding them back. I think of these children every day because we formed such a close bond those afternoons spent playing English learning games.

India’s capital, New Delhi was as most people describe it: busy, crowded and polluted. However, for me it was home, and I grew very fond of the city. True, there were some hair-raising, near-death experiences (usually involving the crazy auto-drivers!), and obviously, the class differences were a huge shock to the system, but overall it was a great place to be! I stayed with a host family, with Mrs. Singh. She took great care of me throughout the programme, and I felt very at home. It was nice to have someone looking out for you and making sure that you were home safely every evening. Afternoons and weekends were spent haggling in the vibrant bustling markets, sampling the sizzling street food, relaxing in the quiet parks and gardens, visiting ancient Temples, Mosques, galleries and museums. We had our fortunes told, our henna done, our souls blessed - there was so much to see and do, never a dull moment in Delhi! Everyone I met was friendly and welcoming – both acquaintances and strangers alike. Out and about in the city, people did stare, but it was out of curiosity and I never felt threatened or unsafe.

Living and volunteering in India was the best experience of my life so far. It was exciting, rewarding, eye-opening, vibrant, fun and challenging. I will hold and cherish the memory of the enthusiastic happy faces of the children in my heart forever. My one regret was not staying longer!