There's one thing I want to make clear to all the readers right in the beginning. I am not trying to save the world and I'm not going to India to help the poor and underdeveloped locals. Neither is my plan to bring the western progress to the east. I'm going mainly for the following two reasons:
1. I want to get to know India, Indian people and culture.
2. Self-searching. Traveling and especially traveling alone is a way to get to know yourself better.
Put those two reasons together and you'll see that my motives are pretty self-centered. The last thing I want is someone to think I'm going on a mission of some kind or that I do this to help others. No, it really is something I'm doing for myself, not for others. Now that we have that settled, we can continue.
Why India?
I took a course at the University of Osnabrück a few years back that was called "Images of India in 19th-Century Britain". It was about English literature written by English authors in India during the 19th century. I ended up reading a bit more than required for the course. This was not the starting point of my fascination for India though. It goes back much further, but I think the course gave the last push. Without the course, I would probably have chosen Peru or maybe another corner of South-America. (I'm still going there as well one day, I promise!)
The Plan
The planning so far has been made possible mainly by Workaway. I will tell you more about it in a separate post later. There are two projects on my list however that have nothing to do with them. The SARTHI project in Patna I got to know through my mother, who had read about them in an e-mail newsletter from Madison, WI she's subscribed to. And the Association for Social Development (ASD) is something I got introduced to through a German man, who has visited the project himself a few times and who organizes donations and volunteers from Germany for the ASD.
Even though August still is six months away, the adventure has already begun. I'm giving you a rough outline of my journey below as I'm imagining it will be at the moment. I'm very aware of the fact that it will still change a dozen times before I'm actually setting a foot on Indian soil, but I regard planning as being a big part of the fun. I guess it kind of gives me what the spammers always promise: "a prolonged pleasure".
Pretty early in the planning I realized that I really don't want to do teaching during my year off teaching. Other than that, the selection of projects was at least up to now rather random. Here's the momentarily plan:
Mid August to October
- Flight to New Delhi, a few days of acclimatizing and looking around there
- IF I get the job: travel to Himachal Pradesh (volunteering in a hotel in the Himalayas)
- Travel to Uttaranchal (helping on a farm)
- Volunteering in Patna for SARTHI (a social project, orphanage)
- Visit in Kolkata (a.k.a. Calcutta) for two weeks
- Travel down to Tamil Nadu (Vettavalam) volunteering for Association for Social Development
- Helping out at a coffee and pepper farm in Kerala
What about my job?
I have applied for an unpaid year off my work, meaning I would be able to keep my job, but without getting paid. I'm still waiting for a confirmation from the local educational supervisor. The principal in my school supports my application, so I think I've got a good chance of getting what I want. I'm not considering this a key issue, since I'm sure I'll manage to find a job next year without much trouble if needed. It would be a shame though, because I'm feeling very much like home in the town I live and work in right now. The reply from the supervisor is going to come soon and then I'll know whether a letter of resignation is needed or not.
Next post: Workaway
Coming up: Visa-formalities and vaccinations!
No comments:
Post a Comment