Gabriel Lau -- Hong Kong

My Simple Times in Cheo

I volunteered for Dakshinayan back in the spring 2003, it seems a long time ago but I am just as eager to talk about my experience as the day I left that memorable place. Arriving in Roldih from Delhi with other volunteers, I was assigned to Cheo Village up on a small hill. Cheo is only separated from Roldih by a 45minutes trek, but it felt far more remote than that at the time.

Going through my first week of a real

rural lifestyle is hard; without a TV or computer to occupied my mind and no longer having endless places to rush to and things to be busy about, I thought I would go crazy if I stare at the mango trees any longer. However, before we knew it, we have already sunk comfortably to this new lifestyle.

I still remember all those daily routines that was my source of fun, beginning my day with a run around the villages, collecting water from the hand pump, chopping up firewood, taking a shower in the mountain stream, grinding up the turmeric for dinner, helping the villagers in the harvest and finishing my day off staring into the clearest star night I ever saw.

Of course, teaching was what we were there for and we started that duty also with a lack of grace. We couldn't even communicate with most of younger kids and with the older ones it was hard to tell where had the last batch of volunteers left off. Though my impression with the Cheo kids was that they were never shy, full of energy, had unlimited capacity to laugh and most importantly eager to learn. And once we came up with a few games and songs to catch their attention while teaching them a bit of English the interactive teaching ideas just keep rolling in. In the end the lessons became a real joy. The older kids are more serious learners and we taught them pronunciation, they improved from reading singles words to longer and longer sentences, there were real encouraging progress in the 2 months that I stayed.

Life can be much simpler and we will still be able to have a good laugh

Looking back at this fulfilling experience years afterward, it still means so much to me. And if I am just to share one thing that it has taught me, it would be that: Life can be much simpler and we will still be able to have a good laugh, just like the Cheo kids entertaining themselves day after day with probably the only two games that they seem to know.

- by Gabriel Lau, Hong Kong

Franca Jorda -- Spain

I was there! October 2008 volunteering for the first time with 62 flourishing years

It was really rewarding to teach in Roldih. The kids had a natural intelligence and ability; enthusiastic, very participative, raising hands at the slightest question, willing to read, write, draw… and even to go on the board! They were appearing early in the morning, by foot if coming from the nearest village or on a bicycle if from others further away, with their bright yellow and blue uniforms, stayed sometime on the playgrounds, and at 08:30, after a short assembly, they attended their correspondent class.

There were 3 modest but sufficiently equipped class units (there two more now) for the different knowledge levels and the students had a half hour break after each different subject. Up to midday and a half… Then you could see the bright yellow river of their uniform tops spread out from the small ground floor classes to the bicycles and gate.

There was also a lot of work being done in our place. Construction of a new building (with a western water closet), whitewashing of the different units, some maintenance work in them and in the wild garden. It was a pleasure to see the project grow.

*

P.S. SORRY, I DIDIN’T HAVE TIME TO MAKE IT SHORTER. My English is mostly autodidact, quite limited for this kind of writing. But it was enough for class I and II… So, non English mother tongue people –and/or with no experience in teaching- shouldn’t be discouraged, and apply: in Dakshinayan intercultural exchange is considered important too. You only need basic English. And love. Is there any better language than love?

With love,

Franca www.francajor@hotmail.com