Every day in Berlin is new and hardly mundane. The things I get to experience and see are so culturally rich, and I am forever grateful to FSL-India for the growth and exposure I have received.

The last month, like every other month, has been quite an exciting journey for me. My work with children has been much better, especially with the good weather and all the different activities we get to do with them. My colleagues are quite nice and I enjoy working with them as well. Over the last week, my coordinator Merel from IJGD visited my project. I received a great review from my project mentor and they mentioned they were very happy with my work.

We had a special day of Summer Fest at my project and I was so happy to be a part of that. There were different cultures being represented by the children. I also got to attend a 2-day seminar hosted by IJGD. This was an amazing experience, as I got to meet many of the future volunteers, some of whom will be coming to volunteer in India with FSL-India. This was a great time to share and network. During this time, we had some time to cook Indian food, and we had little discussion groups where we were able to give them an insight to India and the culture there. The volunteers were quite excited and are looking forward to start their volunteer service. I also got time to spend with the volunteers of my program. These seminars and meetups are always rewarding, as it is a platform for us to meet people from different parts of the world who share common interests and goals.

I got to travel a little bit during the last month. I visited Austria and Sweden, and the experience was very eye opening. I visited the lake town Hallstat which is by the Alps, and is the most beautiful place I have ever been to. The old castles and fortresses that I visited in Vienna and Salzburg are well kept for so many years, and are very informative. I enjoyed the city of Salzburg because of all musical history that it holds.

The Carnival of Cultures was another event in Berlin that was very interesting. During the 3 days of the carnival, many cultures from many countries all over the world were represented, and it was a lot of fun and celebration.

I am having a good time and learning a lot in these last few months. As much as I am looking forward to coming back, I am also making use of every opportunity to learn, grow and see the world through a new perspective.