I am Eva from France and I chose to do a volunteering project in India for 2 months. Unfortunately, I spent only 5 weeks here, in Shettrakatte, after some Embassy troubles! Anyways, when I arrived here, I didn’t know anything.

I chose to come with the idea to be prepared for anything and to have surprises… and, in fact, I had surprises! I didn’t expect I would be in so rural an area, in a host family, etc. Very soon, I got used to everything and have set up my mind in the right mode. It’s so fascinating to see how everything is different and also to get out of the usual comfort zone.

The lifestyle here was so new for me – how we eat, how we wash plates, clothes, etc! I feel a little bit off limits, probably because of the area where we are, which is good because it forces me to adapt and to be in real immersion. That’s a good way to feel the atmosphere and the culture of a place. I think it is a positive thing to be in this kind of a place and not a big city where we may experience less of the traditional life. The first thing I can say about India – which is also the first thing I realized when I arrived in Bangalore – is that India is a country full of contrasts! It is incredible to see so many differences in the same place (about people, their behaviour, the buildings, shops, streets), it’s incredible.

When I arrived in the host family, the first day I felt a little bit like in a dream. I saw so many children talking together outside with buckets and this scene was so unprecedented for me and so emotional. I realized I would live like that for a while and I was really happy and curious about that.

The host family was a very good opportunity to feel everything as I said, but I have to say I felt more and more frustrated about the language barrier. Obviously, some things are possible to share with gestures and with the help of the older brother of the family who can speak English, but it was not possible to share and exchange everything I wanted to, so I felt disappointed about that. However, it was also an occasion to try to be understood even if the conversation is not possible and it’s an interesting thing to do. Anyways, the family was very kind to me and I felt I could count on them. I also observed a lot and saw that even if a lot of behaviours and habits are very different and it’s incredible to see that and adapt ourselves to it, some things are universal.

About the project where I was, the kindergarten, I could say the thing I preferred was to be surrounded by children, who I love, and to observe them having fun and being happy. It’s appealing. I tried to teach them some English and to show new activities to them. It was more difficult than I expected. In fact, at the beginning, I wanted that everything works as I wanted, but very soon, I understood it was not so simple and sometimes, really impossible. In fact, I also felt the language barrier a lot in the program – the children didn’t understand me. It was frustrating and I tried to learn some Kannada words which helped a lot, but it was not enough for doing the things I wanted. What was even more frustrating is that I couldn’t understand them, so couldn’t understand what they said to me and also, I was so curious about them! But this was not only a negative thing, it was part of the experience and it forced me to adapt myself and to be patient, which is a very good exercise and I felt I had challenges. I wanted to share this point because I felt it a lot, but that doesn’t mean I will not take a very good memory of this experience in the Kindergarten! It was so pleasant for me to have so many children around me and have this contact with them. I hope the work I did was appreciated by them, but also by the teachers, who were not so motivated to do things with children and let me do my things by myself.

For now, I didn’t have the chance to travel so much in India, but the less I did let me understand that India is really “one country, one thousand universes”. This thing is very interesting and pushed me to travel around this country, which I like very much, so far. Also, the Indian population made me very happy and surprised me. They always tried to do something for me and I never felt alone – there is always someone to help! It is a very positive feeling I had in the middle of them. I also had the feeling they are attracted by foreigners and are very curious about us.

It is difficult to explain the feeling I have so far but I can say I am very happy to have this experience and I feel I have tried something very new. It has confirmed to me that it’s good to learn about others’ cultures and being curious by books, movies, etc, but seeing them with our eyes and living them physically is totally different and it deserves to be experienced.