• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • e-Catalog
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Register Now
  • Contact Us
Call Us: 800-487-1074
Global Volunteers
  • Support
    • Donation Opportunities
      • Donate Now
      • Changemakers Club – Monthly
      • Gift Catalog
      • More Ways to Give
    • Foundation Opportunities
      • Funding Opportunities for Philanthropic Partners
  • Volunteer
      • Individuals
      • Families
    • Groups
      • Employer/Employee
      • University
      • High School
      • Faith Based
  • Countries
    • International Partnerships
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Ecuador
      • Greece
      • Italy (Sicily)
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs
      • Aguadilla – Puerto Rico
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Española – New Mexico
      • Rio Grande Valley – Texas
  • Projects
    • Community Work Projects
      • Delivering Essential Services
      • Teaching Conversational English
      • Supporting Community Development
      • Supplementing School-Based Curricula
      • View All Community Work Projects
  • Dates & Fees
    • Seasonal
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Monthly
      • January
      • February
      • March
      • April
      • May
      • June
      • July
      • August
      • September
      • October
      • November
      • December
      • All Service Program Dates
  • Impact
  • News
  • Request Information
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
Reaching Children's Potential, Volunteer Voices

Back in India Again – My Second Home

Team Journal for Monday, 21st December 2015

seams

seams

It is great to be back in India again, now for the sixth time.  This year is extra special for me as my “friend”, Erich joined in on the adventure.  It’s rewarding the share such an important part of my life with the people I love.

Now here, it’s hard to imagine that we almost called off the trip due to the flooding.  I’m impressed with how this community has bounced back and is forging forward.

I enjoy coming over Christmas as it allows for more play time with the kids in addition to being here to celebrate the holidays. With this being the holidays, no two day’s schedule will be the same. Today was no exception.

With the kids in their final day of school for the holidays, we took up an offer extended by the principal of Montfort to tour their school.  The youngest children from Assisi, Jasmine, George, John, Sophia, Augustine and Silvia attend Montfort.  We are honored to be invited to see their school.  The principal invited us into his office and shared an overview of the school. There are 2, 700 students from ages 3.5 to 17 years old.  The school has been around for 14 years.  All classes are taught in English (except for language classes). We were happy to hear that most students go onto college and that colleges are recruiting Montfort students. The assistant principal walked us around the impressive campus.  I liked seeing that they have in an inclusive approach to children with special needs.  They have an impressive variety of class offerings include arts in the curriculum.  Last year, Montfort added a robotics offering and this year the class competed in an international competition taking two first place prizes.  The students were excited to showcase their robotic skills for us.  We also took in a rehearsal for an upcoming dance competition.  These girls were exceptionally talented.  We also found out that the Assisi Illam children have been taking music lessons from the robotics teacher.  I am continuously impressed with the opportunities that Sister Rose provides for these children. We even had a tour of the principals’ rooftop garden.  The highlight was seeing two of our children, Sophia and Augustine in action at school. It is comforting to know that these children are getting such an incredible education.  I wish the rest of the children at SEAM and Assisi Illam had the same opportunity.

After a quick break for lunch part of the team continued on for a quick stop for shopping at the Government Emporium Center.  As we approached the store, we saw all of the beautiful garments and carvings soiled on their front yard.  With the recent flooding, their excess inventory stored in the basement was ruined.  It was just a small taste of the disaster.

We continued back to Assisi to continue with the Christmas decorations.  The Sisters are very particular about how they’d like things decorated and we did our best, although sometimes that isn’t good enough.

At SEAMs we continued to work one on one with the children focusing on having them speak in complete sentences and reading comprehension.  The children are eager to work with us and love the one on one attention.  We still have some work to do because when I asked Lazar what his favorite subject was, his response was “banana”.  At least Roshan got a good laugh out of it!  We have a plan for a more structured group lesson followed by small group practice sessions that we are going to kick off tomorrow.   SEAMs isn’t the same without the girls and older boys.  On the bright side, with only 10 children, things are under much better control and we’re able to give them more dedicated attention.

As a team, we walked to a new nearby restaurant to enjoy a variety of Indian food.  Roshan was the entertainment for the evening.

It was a good day.

Entry Submitted by : Katie

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Pocket
December 21, 2015/by Stephen Raja
https://globalvolunteers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png 0 0 Stephen Raja https://globalvolunteers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png Stephen Raja2015-12-21 06:31:412016-10-18 11:51:43Back in India Again – My Second Home
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Partner Communities

  • China (62)
  • Cook Islands (44)
  • Cuba (114)
  • Ecuador (89)
  • Greece (70)
  • Italy (53)
  • Montana (49)
  • Nepal (20)
  • New Mexico (2)
  • Peru (111)
  • Poland (97)
  • Portugal (44)
  • Puerto Rico (3)
  • South Dakota (8)
  • St Lucia (56)
  • Tanzania (230)
  • Texas (6)
  • Vietnam (33)

Categories

  • Classroom Assistance (8)
  • Conversational English (95)
  • Cultures and Traditions (136)
  • Development Impact (123)
  • Family Volunteering (61)
  • Free Time Options (79)
  • Group Volunteering (19)
  • News and Updates (149)
  • Partners' Stories (16)
  • Projects for Professionals (23)
  • Reaching Children's Potential (240)
  • Ripple Effect (6)
  • Service-Learning (50)
  • Staff Worldwide (26)
  • Volunteer Voices (685)
  • Why I Give (18)

Tags

American Indian culture Care for children Caribbean island College groups Conversational English Cuba people-to-people development impact Earthbox gardens Essential Services food insecurity Funding your fee gender equality Health and nutrition High school groups Labor projects retiree volunteers Spring break student volunteer summer volunteer program support children Support women teaching children teaching english team leader things to do peru top places to visit peru tourism cook islands tours peru travel peru volunteer benefits Volunteer impact volunteer time off work on reservations Work with youth youth volunteering

Get Global Volunteers News Here!

Enter your email address to receive fresh new posts in your inbox.

  • About Us
  • Boards of Directors and Advisors
  • US and International Staff
  • Our Beginnings
  • Our Vision
  • Community Partners
  • Collaborators
  • Compare Us
  • Volunteer Vacations FAQs
  • Accountability and Agreements
  • Travel Risks
  • Impact and Outcomes of Service
  • Donate to Global Volunteers
  • Donate to a Volunteer
  • Money Matters – Explaining Your Service Program Contribution
  • Discounts & Fundraising
  • Alumni Center
  • Covid-19 Policy
  • News/Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Agreements
  • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Podcast
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Employment
Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org
Federal EIN: 36-3352680

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST!

Subscribe to receive updates, new blog posts, and inspiring stories from our work around the world.

Global Volunteers - Partners in Development ® | © Copyright 2002 - Present Global Volunteers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Global Volunteers is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. Our tax ID is 36-3352680. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent provided by the law.
  • Send feedback about this web site and its administration.
Christmas in Perusummer day at PPAFamily’s Investment in Worldwide Service Provides Life Lesson for Dau...
Scroll to top