Traveling to a new country is always a different experience, but when coming to a developing country to live in a rural village and work in community development is an entirely new experience. I have previously lived in India for around 2 years, so I thought I new a lot about the culture and values and what to expect when once again I was set to live here. Unlike my previous experiences, this time I was coming to India to do an…
India is an amazing place with diverse environments and dialects and a peculiar and strong culture. A lot of the aspects of the Indian life may barely show to the tourists passing by, but living and working several months in a rural location will definitely pull you inside the reality of the Indian world. Sometimes you may have to cope with behaviors that can appear senseless to the eye of a foreigner. Even more, your actions will be observed and…
I came to the Bikaner cluster to improve the way they manage waste in the village of Gajner. When I arrived I saw garbage everywhere; trash in the street, in the river and people throwing waste at their feet without consciousness. At first I had plenty of ideas but I soon learned that in this community, time is necessary. People work with you when they know and trust you. Especially as foreigners, we really have to integrate ourselves with the…
This is a love story. A love story that started on a cold February day in Naddi. First minutes of my internship. I just arrived in the place. My first time in India, and everything is new and exciting. The weather is grey and cloudy, but who cares I am in my new home for the next seven months. There is something familiar in the white peaks in can see between the clouds. Even the air reminds me of my…
Living and working in Gajner, a small Rajasthani village, has been amazing so far for me. It is a complex, incredible and intense experience. The surroundings can be a little startling at first, so being prepared can help you overcome the cultural shocks and quicken your adjustment. Here’s a list of ideas to begin your preparation. Build relationships : Here, in Gajner, each person lives with their heart on their sleeve. They are very kind and warm and will quickly…
Working in unprivileged contexts has always been a challenge to me for many different reasons: The sense of guilt for have been luckier than these people (that is also the guilty of being born in the “wealthy West”); The doubts and thoughts about which are the real needs of the people and which is the real utility of my work and my presence there; With every concern about dealing with a different culture, there is also the fear of being…
Before even arriving in India, I had many problems with getting my Indian visa. At this stage, I thought “Is it that India does not want me or what? ” But finally, after all I journeyed to Paris, excited to begin a beautiful day of long transport – meaning three aircraft, a taxi and a little walking. I think I am someone who has already traveled a little bit, and saw many things. Yet when I arrived in Naddi, I knew that I had…
For every beautiful thing I can say about India and my experience here I can also say an ugly thing. It has been such a whirl wind experience, from having people in Delhi over-charge me simply because I was a foreigner, to having a complete stranger with very little English hand over his phone to me to make a phone call. In every situation there are ups and downs. I don’t know what it is about India or if it’s…
Before coming to India, everyone told us about culture shock, everyone was worried how we would manage differences in behaviors, food, weather, work environment… We did not read 1000 books about India before coming, we did not speak with 100 Indian people or past EduCARE interns and yet we did not really experience any hard culture shock. How is that possible? We believe that the most important thing to avoid culture shock is to prepare your mind. You must know…
Before coming for a 6-month internship in India, you have a lot of preconceptions, fears and questions, and one of the biggest ones includes: what are the toilets like in India? What you usually hear in Western countries is that Indians use squat toilets and don’t have toilet paper. But sometimes you hear worst, like I did: that they practice open defecation.Then I arrived in India. Indeed I had to deal with the squat toilet, but in lots of restaurants,…