PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Teaching
WRITTEN BY: Jasmine Horrocks, Newcastle University
Our trip to India was not easy; it was challenging and exhausting, yet eye-opening. Despite the many difficulties and frustrations that resulted while volunteering in Delhi, I can still say that it was an experience I wouldn’t have missed and in no way regret.
The problem is that no one can adequately prepare you for being pushed outside your comfort zone in a culture and amongst people you’ve never met before (including in my case my fellow university team members). It is easy now to look back and see how much I have gained and learned from these experiences.
After surviving and even eventually relishing this experience, where we were all expected to teach from day one with no teaching background, I now feel that I’m capable of pushing myself further than I previously thought. I’m able to embark with confidence on new adventures that are somewhat uncomfortable!
One of the greatest things I have gained from my UniBreak was a real experience of the culture and daily life of Delhi citizens. Unlike a trip to India as another tourist, I got to taste and see the true underbelly of this city where the minority elite live in gated luxury next door to the child sleeping in the middle of a highway. Working at the project, a street and slum children’s learning centre, allowed me to understand a little of the poverty and hopelessness these people experience daily. While forcing me to grapple with emotions of anger and despair, it has renewed my thankfulness for all the blessings I enjoy in Australia and continued my passion to be part of the global fight against poverty.
No comments:
Post a Comment