Monday, June 9

Day 2 as a team, Day 1 as teachers

5:45am – birds sing, hounds bark, people shout, horns honk…

8:00am – food and chat, planning for the day and planning for drop-offs, followed by drop-offs, followed by the driving and waiting before finally arriving at…

10:00 – The morning placement, assignment number 1. For me, chatting with the novices in a great hall with a stage flanked on the one side by a courtyard with a dozen brightly-coloured, caged birds and on the other by a treed and shaded square with a well. The novices are shy at first, but warm up once given some guidelines along which they can speak.

12:30 and beyond: back to the house for lunch and de-briefing, followed by assignment #2 in a small school. And that is followed by walking back to the house and watching the movements of the neighbourhood as we do.

Evening: back to the children’s home, no group performances this time, instead they are split into groups according to age. My group is off in a separate space working and playing with the laptop. After an hour with those children we return to eat and chat and decompress and pass out for the night.

Sunday, June 8

Today is our first day as a team. After breakfast we stated orientation and assigned ourselves to different worksites.
I’ve been freaking out a little bit about getting my lesson plans together. I’ve got 4 levels to teach tomorrow: KG, 1st, 2nd, and 6th. I think that 6th will be the hardest, but I really have no idea.
Just before dinner wee went to a local orphamage that we will be visiting daily from now on. The kids were extremely enthusiastic about our visit. Though the English lessons that we will be giving will be important, I think that just having positive adult role models around will be even more important, especially for the women.
We had dinner out tonight at a local hotel restaurant on one of the main drags. It was fantastic. We came back to the guest house afterwards to go to bed. There seem to be more cows out at night.

Friday June 6

Like Sarah, I am having trouble finding the right words to describe the three weeks I have been here. My parents have me an empty journal to write in before I left, and I haven’t been able to write in it at all since I left Germany on May 16th. After I leave Chennai I am on my way to Paris, and I have no doubt that I will find something to write about while I’m there. I think India is just the kind of place that you have to experience. When people tell you that it’s hot, there are going to be a lot more people, that this is the journey of a lifetime, it sounds like something you might take with a grain of salt. The food, smells, sounds and sights may have been some things that I would have expected, but I never thought I would meet so many amazing people here. Everyone was so vibrant and intelligent and seemed genuinely excited to have us here, even though many volunteers have been here before.

I know that Keith will be shocked to hear that Sarah and I did not cry when we left Assisi Illam this afternoon. I am a little surprised myself, but no doubt if we had stayed another two minutes we would have. I think we didn’t cry because we both knew it really wasn’t goodbye, since how could anyone come here and be with these kids and not come back? Every single one of them will be in my heart forever. Sarah and I have fallen asleep countless nights wondering aloud what each child will grow up to be, and re-living every adorable moment we spent with them.

Obviously none of these incredibly memorable experiences would ever have happened without Global Volunteers, the staff at Assisi Illam and Seam’s Children’s Home, Keith, Sarah, Sheeba and of course Stephen. I wish I could give them all what they have given me, but all I can do is say thank you. I doubt I will ever look at life the same again. This place has opened my eyes and there is no way they will ever close.

Chantal

Thursday June 5

This being my final journal entry, I am finding it near impossible to write. It is incredibly difficult to find the right words to describe my past three weeks in Chennai. As cliché as it may sound, it is indescribable. When I landed at the airport on May 16th, I had no idea what to expect. I have traveled before, but never past Europe. Also, as odd as it may sound, I didn’t really look up any photos of India or Chennai before I decided to come here or after I had made my decision. So when I say that I had no idea, I mean NO idea! When I walked out the arrivals gate at the airport, I found a mob of people waiting for loved ones and was absolutely terrified. I tried to hide it, but the drive from the airport to the guest house made me even more nervous. While making conversation, I was thinking, “What are you doing here Sarah? You can’t handle this!” But now, as my journey is coming to an end and I find myself headed for the departure gates, I know that I was wrong. I did handle this. And having had this experience I feel that I can go into most situations with much more confidence than I otherwise would have. My experience here has left me feeling empowered. And for that I am truly grateful to Global Volunteers.

Another thing that I have learned from this trip is how easy it is to fall in love with children. The children here are incredible and I will forever remember each of them. I will never forget Radhika’s smile, Isaac’s laugh or the way that John says “Ma”. I will never forget their little outstretched arms. Saying my goodbyes to these kids has been beyond difficult.

I have also gained a new understanding of the diversity of the human experience. Studying political science at McGill University in Montreal Quebec, I spend much of my time learning about people, issues and events around the world. However, my three weeks here in Chennai have taught me more about the world than two years of post secondary education. (No offense to McGill. It is impossible to learn from a book the things that I have learned from being here). There is another very important lesson that goes along with my newfound understanding of diversity. This is also something that could not possibly be learned from reading a book or looking at a picture. I have found that, despite our differences, people are basically the same. I see my own family and friends in the people that I have met here. The opportunity to meet these people is a priceless one. It is important to respect diversity but also to remember that people are people. Toronto Canada or Chennai India, people are people.

I would again like to thank Global Volunteers for giving me the opportunity to learn these lessons about the world and about myself. And especially to Stephen and Sheeba for making this trip what it has been. And Chantal, with whom I have found what I hope will be a lasting friendship. I will truly miss this place.

Sarah

Wednesday June 4

Today Sarah and I were expecting to be more tired than usual because it is the first day of day-care at Assissi Illam. It did not bode well when we pulled up we could hear children crying loudly from down the street. It sounded worse than it was though, and only two children were really upset about being away from their parents. The rest of them were calmly sitting on the floor waiting for us to arrive. We got started right away with the lego building blocks, a mini-keyboard, a soccer ball, and a couple toy dolls. John and George seemed particularly excited to have some new playmates. Most of the day was over sooner than we thought, as the majority of the children got picked up around eleven thirty by their parents. The rest of the kids were happy to play with the foam alphabet letters and books for the afternoon.

After our usual quick rest later on, we made our daily trek to Seams Children’s Home for our hourly visit. Today was slightly more serious than the last couple of days have been, as we worked with them on memorizing the alphabet and number up to one hundred. Because their grade levels range from two to seven, the results were quite varied and we had a lot to do. Once most of them passed our little test, they decided to turn their work into paper airplanes and shoot them around outside! Our part of the day with them was over too soon, and we walked home for our wonderfully prepared supper.

Chantal

Tuesday June 3

The kids at Assisi were sleepy this morning and most were sound asleep about an hour after we arrived. So we decided to take John, the only one who was awake, and drive to St. Thomas Mount nearby. From the highest point, there is an amazing view of the city. And John liked watching the planes fly by and land at the airport, which could be seen from one side of the mount. We are looking forward to meeting the new children that are meant to arrive at Assisi tomorrow. Even though Stephen warns us that there are likely to be quite a few tears, as these children will be going to daycare for the first time. I’m sure Chantal and I can handle it!

Tonight, after a short break, we walked over to Seam’s Children’s Home to spend some more time with the children there. The kids finished up their face masks from yesterday and a few new children also got to make some masks. When I took out the camera for a few pictures, I was immediately surrounded by kids saying, “photo sister, one photo please!” They all seemed to get so much excitement out of having their photo taken and then being able to see it on the little screen. Tomorrow, I’ll have to remember to get through some ABCs and 123s before I take out the camera, or they definitely won’t be able to focus! I look forward to the rest of the week at Seams, as I love to learn the personalities of the children a little more with each day.

Sarah