EIL Intercultural Learning

Cathal From Co Mayo shares his is experience of volunteering in the volunteer camps in India

Hey all

Hope all is well with everyone and ye are all good

Everything is going well here now. well settled in. I will admit it was tough the first couple of weeks I just have the 2 weeks left here then before i move on to another camp further up north. it is getting very hot here with most days hitting between 35 and 40

Headed to a town called Pushkar the weekend before last for a camel trek. it is about 6 hours drive from here. It is a small town which is famous for its holy lake, a big Hindi shrine. got there and met the camels. a very interesting experience let me tell you. i dont know who was more worried when we were eyeing each other up, me or the Camel. let me tell you when you are on a camel you are quite a way up hight so was fairly nervous going for the first while into the dessert sitting on a cushion with only a little stick to hold onto. Myself and my 4 legged friend Krishne built up a good trust after a while but a lot of that could of been helped by the fact their was a guide in front leading me. camped out out in the dessert for the night and got a jeep back to the town of pushkar the next morning(dont think the camel was up for a return journey)

scenery during the trip was absolutely spectacular. particularly out in the desert. but yet we came across settlements that families are living in atrocious conditions out in the middle of nowhere and yet again India has the power to amaze and horrify at the same time

spent the morning at the holy lake in pushkar where i prayed with some hindi priests by the water. Definitely interesting and different

spent last week working away on the different projects we are involved with here in the locality. in the mornings I have been helping a German volunteer who is here trying to introduce the concept of sport organisation and that kind of stuff, thats right i'm helping teaching sports. We have been trying to teach them soccer but their knowledge of the game and coordination is not so good. so bad in fact that I'm considered a star player. The first pick each morning, I knew my day would come. I have them calling me maradonna when we play. Its fantastic Craic and we spend about an hour just running wildly after the ball. Great fun

During the day then I teach in two local government primary schools, in morning and afternoons, Its good fun and just trying to introduce the kids to basic english and maths although some days my own aint too good either. It can be tough to get any real progress as attendance from the kids can be very sporadic (think thats the right word) so hard to build up momentum but still its good fun and i try to ake it a bit of craic for them as well. They are great kids who always have a smile

its important that we pay particular attention to the girls and make them feel as important as the boys as this is not often regarded as the case and many are pulled out of school at a very young age. some of the stories you hear about the treatment of women in some sections of society here would frighten you.

In the evening then myself and a Danish volunteer take some of the girls from the schools back to camp for cycling lessons. This is a fantastic project and a pleasure to be involved in. as i have said the treatment of girls aint so good and these girls have never left the village so tis is a massive adventure for me. Women around here dont ride bikes and so these girls are doing something that they have never seen anyone else do. The bikes were got by some volunteers in the city and unfortunately are big bikes but the girls still jump up on them and give it a go. we are holding the bikes and trying to build up their confidence, it really is great fun watching them come along and learn. to give you an idea of how rare it is. the first day we were doing it on the land outside our camp we had about 50 people watching us.

headed to a place called Kota last weekend with six other volunteers. 4 hours away by bus and train. public transport in India is an adventure on its own. Let me put it this way there is no such thing as the Bus is full. Cram everyone in on top of each other and when you literally cant squeeze anyone else in, theres always the roof. It was a nice weekend. not much to do in the city itself but the hotel we stayed in had a shower in the Bath.

Its now Wednesday and ive been trying to type this since Monday but electricity keeps going so i have been saving it in bits. Hope the notes arent too boring and next week i will fill ye in how i have mastered the art of washing clothes in a bucket.....

Hope ye are all keeping well and good

Keep in touch and please keep the emails coming. Really is great to get them

Cathal