India was my home for 22 days. The most influential days of my life!

 

Brittny Machel Lowe shares her experience

 

 

It has been 2 months and 5 days since I first step foot in India! Even though time has passed I am still absorbing every second I lived for the 22 days. I say lived because that’s what I/we did. India was my home for 22 days. The most influential days of my life! As I am beginning to write down this so called ‘outline’ of my trip I am getting emotional. It seems that I have locked this journey into my heart and soul and threw away the key! But for the very people that allowed this wonderful experience… I will open the door to my heart. 

 

Part of living is experiencing that very thing. Journeying to India made me feel ALIVE. I can still see the faces of my team members and their curious smiles. We were a group of 18 with 3 being our team leaders. We weren’t a group but a family. We lived in a house on the banks of a river and saw some of the same local faces every day. The daily routine began at 8:25 a.m. not too early! We drove the bus to the Kerala Food House every morning for breakfast. My favourite part of breakfast was the Chai (tea). Mr. Madhu, the cook would always give me an extra cup! The Marian School for Mentally Disabled was where we spent most of our time in volunteering. This was the most humble and memorable part of the entire experience. We spent time with the children playing local games, dancing, singing and smiling! We left our marks by painting a scene on the walls of their play area which displayed the 5 elements of Earth and Yoga. We studied Ayurveda every afternoon after lunch with an amazing teacher and would practice Yoga every day at the St. Mary’s English Medium School with a Yoga Master. We also helped out there and did administrative work. We took pictures of children at the school which. I loved seeing all their smiling faces! 

 

The day-to-day life was challenging. There were times that I couldn’t wait to be at home. But it was in India where I was able to really look at my reflection in the mirror. When you are outside of your element and constantly living on your edge you begin to know your true self. This camp was based more on the study of Ayurveda (natural healing and lifestyle) and Yoga. I chose this camp because I teach Yoga. I can honestly say that I had never experienced Yoga until I was in India. Yoga is a lifestyle. It is incorporated in everything we do and every breath we take. Living in constant awareness and believing in oneself will change the world. It begins with you. 

 

On another note, I was reading suggestions from other volunteers on what to pack and one suggested something nice just in case you are invited to a wedding. Well, I was invited! How exciting! During my last weekend I travelled to Bangalore to attend a wedding. It was so beautiful and will never be forgotten. This is my volunteer experience in short. I can’t wait to volunteer again! Thank you volunteers for and FSL-India!

 

Namaste,

 

Brittny Machel Lowe

FSL-India Work Camp Volunteer

FSL-SPL-166 in June