Blending In

I woke up the next morning ready to use everything that I’ve observed over all my visits to India and blend in with the rest of the almost 2 billion Indians. Which is actually quite difficult seeing as for some reason they can just take one glance at you and realize that you don’t live in India.

But I made it back to Pune alright and then spent the rest of the packing and getting ready to move into the hostel that the Yuva for Sewa interns will be staying at. I should probably explain what that is because that’s what the next 10 weeks are going to be about! Yuva for Sewa is basically a volunteer internship offered by Sewa International. You get the opportunity to focus on a project in the area of education, healthcare, women’s empowerment, rural development, or environmental awareness for 10 weeks. Read more at http://sewausa.org/yuva-sewa-appeal. I visited a slum In Yaroda where these projects are run in the summer of 2007 and saw the conditions that they live in and got an idea of how important and effective these projects can be. I’ve always been very passionate about volunteer work and I’m excited that I get to volunteer 100% of my time and efforts to a project for the summer!  

On Tuesday, I left my aunt’s house to go live in the hostel that Sewa Sahyog had arranged for the YFS interns to live in called Maharishi Karve Stri Shikshan Sanstha. But Rhucha (another YFS intern) and I are starting our internships 2 weeks early since we’re going to VSSV right after so we’ll be the only ones staying here until the rest of the interns come.

The entire hostel campus is a really nice environment with lots of people talking and playing outside. We walked into the room and it was just like a typical hostel in India: old furniture, a fan and windows for air, and normal Indian bathrooms. I’m not so sure how well I’ll be able to adjust in these living conditions. I feel so stuck up for even thinking this, but it’s only naturally do so if I compare these conditions to what it’s like back home.But I have to think of everything in a positive way. It’s all a learning experience. 

Our lovely room...don't pay attention to the mess :)