I can’t imagine life without helping other people. I have been volunteering since high school and last year I decided to volunteer abroad. I chose the program “Live The Himalayas” because of the place. I’m very interested in children’s education and I also wanted to get to know more about Tibetan and Indian culture.

To be honest, my arrival to India was quite a cultural shock. First, it was noisy and crazy in Delhi. Many cars, people, tuk tuks, honking car horns, homeless people, cows on roads, lots of new smells, perceptions. Completely different from everyday life in my country. Dharamshala, the place where we stayed during the whole workcamp, is different, much more peaceful. Sometimes I feel like I’m at my grandparent’s farm. We live almost in the middle of nature with a view of the mountains. It gives me a sense of calm.

Main part of the program includes teaching children in the Government School in Naddi and also renovation work there. The first lesson was definitely different from my expectations. It was not so easy to manage children and keep their attention. Despite this I accepted this as my challenge and other lessons were much better. I really appreciate this opportunity to insight into children’s lives and try to teach them something new. Also renovation of their school yard was quite successful and I hope that our help there was useful.

The second biggest part of this 14-day programme was learning about Tibetan culture. I did not know many details about the story of the Tibetan refugees. These activities related to this topic prepared by FSL drew me into the issue and touched my heart. We had the opportunity to visit The Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, Tibet Museum, Norbulingka Institute and also Tibetan Children’s Village. It was really interesting for me.

This work camp gave me not only new knowledge and lots of experience but also new friends. Atmosphere in our team of volunteers was very nice. After the whole workcamp I have a lot to think about. I learned a lot not only about new cultures, but also about myself. I hope that it is not my last work camp and also visit to India.

– Tereza Nikodemova