{"id":6546,"date":"2013-09-13T18:04:55","date_gmt":"2013-09-13T12:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fsl-india.org\/blog\/?p=6546"},"modified":"2013-09-13T18:04:55","modified_gmt":"2013-09-13T12:34:55","slug":"what-can-i-say-about-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fsl-india.org\/blog\/what-can-i-say-about-india\/","title":{"rendered":"‘What can I say about India?’"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of our volunteers, Marta Troc, writes about her experience in India:<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Marta_troc\"<\/a>What can I say about India after being here almost three months? I didn\u2019t expect that it\u2019ll happen so soon, but I already found MY OWN India and I must admit – it is incredible. Five paragraphs to prove it:<\/p>\n

I<\/b>ntercultural experience<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I think everybody would agree \u2013 this is one of a kind intercultural experience. Starting from the Orientation Week, when I met volunteers from all over Europe, to all the Indian people who came my way here, ending with my friends from Health on Stage work camp \u2013 it\u2019s a mixture of cultures, lifestyles and individuals.\u00a0 I always enjoy talking to people from different places, spending time with them and sharing opinions and experiences. The famous quote \u201ctravel is the only thing you buy, that makes you richer\u201d is true not only because of the places you visit, but mostly thanks to the people you meet and their different cultures.<\/p>\n

N<\/b>amaskara<\/p>\n

This was the first word that I heard when I entered Sparsha Trust Centre \u2013 the orphanage for street children \u2013 in other words, my project. Almost 30 boys, altogether said \u2018Namaskara\u2019 to me. In the beginning I was a bit scared \u2013 I didn\u2019t understand the local language, children were everywhere, screaming and jumping, teachers were a bit distant. Luckily, 10 minutes in, I discovered an easy way to feel more comfortable \u2013 I taught the children an easy Polish song-game and started to play with them. After singing the same song the whole day, I hate it now, but the goal was reached and the beast, tamed. With time everything started to seem more familiar. Working in Sparsha Trust is one of the best projects I can imagine. Of course, sometimes it\u2019s hard and really challenging, but for sure it\u2019s worth the effort.<\/p>\n

D<\/b>ifferences<\/p>\n

In India almost everything is different. Each day there is something new which surprises me \u2013 traffic in the streets, a policeman\u2019s hat, the way of jewelry is sold, specific family life or the amount of rice eaten every day. These are only some examples. Adapting to a different lifestyle is not always easy. It needs time, openness and curiosity, but if you dare to cross your own prejudices and barriers, you\u2019ll see that \u2018different\u2019 is just \u2018different\u2019. It doesn\u2019t have to be better or worse. And differences are only the top of a metaphorical culture-iceberg. Below you find a lot of similarities \u2013 at the end of the day we are all humans! J<\/p>\n

I<\/b>nside the crowd<\/p>\n

As I live in Bangalore \u2013 on of the biggest cities in India \u2013 I know what traffic and crowd is. And I know it well! Noise, chaotic driving in the streets, dust and never-ending horn sounds make me like this city a little less than I would prefer to. Nevertheless, it is inside the crowd, that will give you a deep insight into the city, its people and their culture. A crowded bus was a perfect place to exchange a few nice words with an old Indian lady. A long queue at a temple taught me more about Hindu gods. A street market full of people \u2013 to learn new way of bargaining.<\/p>\n

A<\/b>dventure<\/p>\n

Although I have still to stay in India 4 months more, I can already say \u2013 this is the most amazing adventure that I\u2019ve been living so far. Full of surprises, challenges and funny stories. Adventure which gives me satisfaction and makes me discover the surrounding world step by step. Adventure that will never be forgotten. An adventure called India<\/b>!<\/p>\n

By Marta Troc<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of our volunteers, Marta Troc, writes about her experience in India: What can I say about India after being here almost three months? I didn\u2019t expect that it\u2019ll happen so soon, but I already found MY OWN India and I must admit – it is incredible. Five paragraphs to prove it: Intercultural experience<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"Closed","ping_status":"Closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-volunteers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fsl-india.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fsl-india.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fsl-india.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fsl-india.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fsl-india.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fsl-india.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6546\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fsl-india.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fsl-india.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fsl-india.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}