Joy as a Volunteer in India

Team Journal by Fran for Wednesday,  August 3^rd, 2016.

Wow! Today as a volunteer in Chennai India was filled with joy. Although it began as a typical morning as a Global Volunteer in Chennai, the sun was out, the dogs barked early in the morning, the crows (a species so different from our American birds) delivered their raucous morning cries, I realized that my time as a volunteer in India is drawing to a close. After today, I have two more days of classes in Chennai, and there is the mixed feeling of joy of returning home along with the sadness of leaving friends here who are also volunteers in India.

But my experience volunteering in Chennai, India has been filled with unexpected joy. The trip to school is always a patchwork of color, shops already displaying their wares, motor bikes carrying passengers often in lovely saris, the brilliant “legal yellow” trucks and three wheeled cars, signs pasted on walls and sides of buildings, and the people going about their morning routine. My eyes are full of the splash of color. Stephen plays great Indian music in the car. The ride is a JOY!

As we approached Christ King School a brindled bovine with menacing horns stood in the middle of the narrow lane. The docile beast did not move as motor bikes, three wheeled carts, and cars eased around it. All the time three jersey colored cows sat on the side of the lane. Even the mixed mechanical and animal traffic is a joy!

Students greeting “Good Morning” to Global Volunteers in Chennai is a joy.  On this day, over 50 of my students prepared pages about themselves with pictures they drew to share with fourth and fifth graders back in Arizona. They were excited to write about themselves in English, knowing that their words will be shared with children their same age in the United States. Tamil is their native language, but they write and speak English quite well. We did a few exercises on the chalk board and finished the time with songs.

The joy-filled surprise of the day was dinner. We had a very traditional Indian dinner served on banana leaves. Everything was delicious. Apparently, the final days will be special because we will join Stephen’s parents at their home for lunch tomorrow and then we will go out for dinner on Friday. Life is Good.  Volunteering in Chennai India is pure joy!

Message for the Day : Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. Harriet Tubman

Visit Global Volunteers’ Volunteer in India website page to learn more about service opportunities in Chennai. Or,  chat online with one of our Volunteer Coordinators. We’re ready to assist you with project descriptions, travel questions, registration guidance and other program details.