How I came to spend two weeks in Southern India at the
Blossom Dayspring Home is the epitome of my little to no planning technique,
and as per usual, this technique proved to work extremely well. I really don’t think I could have had
such an amazing volunteer experience even if I had spent months of researching
and planning. Sometimes you just
have to go with your gut, and let fate play its role. I don’t know if I was extremely lucky
or if things just happen for a reason.
There is also the possibility that I would have loved almost any
volunteer experience in India, however I really think this one was extra
special and exactly what I was looking for.
My volunteer experience at Sadhana forest was amazing, but
as I mentioned before I did not feel like I was learning or experiencing much
of India during my stay there.
And
while my two weeks of travelling with Amy and Caecilie gave me a very good
sense of India and South Indian culture, I was ready to stay put for a while
and get to know some people and a region. The day before Caecilie, Amy and I
parted ways I sent a few emails to volunteer opportunities I found on
helpx.com. The first to respond was Mercy Annapoorani,
the the director of Blossom Trust and two days later I was one a night bus to Madurai (which was quite an experience) and then an early morning but to a small town called Virudhunagar. From the first day I could tell it was going to be a good experience. Since it was a Sunday, the volunteers had the day off so I spent the day with Mercy and her family in their office/home. She showed me how to cook homemade dosas and chicken curry and gave me an overview of the organization. She was thrilled that I was a native english speaker and immediately put me to work on the website and annual report which needed to be re-written.
The Blossom Trust is an Indian non profit organization whose aim is to improve the lives of marginalized groups, particularly women, children and people effected by HIV/AIDS and TB. They have numerous projects with a focus in the state of Tamil Nadu. One of these projects is an orphanage called the Dayspring Home which houses and cares for children who either have HIV, are TB cured and/or whose families are effected by the diseases. While volunteering, I lived at the orphanage and was lucky enough get to know 20 children. The orphanage is located in a small village called Chitun and is connected to an organic farm which is also one of Blossom Trust's projects.
When I first arrived, there were 4 other volunteers, one couple from France and the other couple from Belgium. The French couple left after my first week and right afterwards a Welsch couple arrived. It was nice to have other volunteers to spend time with and we all got along very well. For more information visit the following website (which I helped write!):
http://www.blossomtrust.org.in
My average day consisted of waking up at 5:30 in the morning to children's' voices (My room shared a wall with the boys' room). I usually didn't get out of bed until 6:00 am and was often greeted at my door with a cup of tea by the orphanage's wonderful cook named Mary. Mary and I ended up having an amazing connection even though she barely spoke any English.
From about 6:30 until 8:00 the volunteers usually helped out with the farm and/or the children. This either consisted of pulling weeds, expanding a stone wall, mixing manure for the biogas plant or helping the kids get ready for school.
We then usually took the 8:30 bus into town which took about 25 minutes and was usually packed with people. There were often students who would hang onto the outside of the bus because there was no more room inside. We would usually grab a delicious breakfast of either dosa, idly or puri at one of the many "restaurants" in town and then head to the office.
We would work in the office usually until 4:30 where we were provided a delicious homemade lunch everyday. I was very lucky to be doing such substantial work because the other volunteers mostly focused on writing and researching grants for funding which I do not find as interesting. We would usually take the 4:30 bus back to the orphanage where we would play with the kids and help them with their homework until dinner around 8:00pm. After such a long day, I would be as exhausted as the kids and usually went to bed around 9:30. It was a simple life but I don't think I every have woken up in the morning feeling so content and happy.
There were a few memories that will stand out during my time at the Blossom Dayspring Home. Myself and some of the other volunteers wanted to make a donation to the orphanage however we thought instead of just handing over money we'd contribute something directly so that we could see the immediate impact. One thing that the daypsring home/ organic farm needed were chickens for eggs and revenue. The used to have chickens but a few months prior they were killed by dogs or snakes (we are still unsure of the true story). Therefore, myself and another volunteer offered to buy a total of 10 new chickens. In order to do this, we were directed to the local village where farmers grabbed their chickens, weighed them and then handed them to us to carry back to the orphanage. I NEVER thought that I would have the guts to carry a live chicken for a mile but I will never forget this experience and do not regret it for one second.
Another part of the dayspring home that needed a bit of financial aid and attention was the biogas plant. The biogas plant is an amazing energy resource which converts cow manure into gas for the kitchen stove. This is not only environmentally friendly but also saves the organization a lot of money. The only problem was that in order to get the biogas plant started, there needs to be a very large amount of cow waste which the orphanage could not provide with their two cows. Therefore, one of the volunteers offered to purchase a truckload of cow poop to get the biogas plant started. This was a pretty messy and funny process but within a week the plant was working!
On our days off we were able to take a 1.5 hour train into the city of Madurai which is a hustling and bustling city with fun markets and the infamous Meenakshi Amman Temple which is known as the "Taj Mahal" of the Southern India.
One of the highlights of my entire trip in India was the celebration of Diwali, an ancient Hindu festival which is pretty much a combination of New Years and Christmas. The children and almost the whole country look forward to this holiday and it is celebrated with lights, fireworks, firecrackers, gifts and delicious feasts. It was so amazing to participate in this holiday rather than just observe it as a tourist. Mercy suggested that the day before Diwali we take a trip down to KanyaKumari, the southern most tip of India. The volunteers and I suggested that we bring the children along, so we raised a bit more money in order to fund this trip. The kids could not have been more excited-- it was many of their first times seeing the ocean! It was an amazing day. We took a a 4 hour bus where we watched the most popular "Tamil" movies and then spent the day viewing the tourist attractions, taking the kids to the ocean, playing in a park and watching the sunset. The kids (and the adults) were so exhausted by the end of the day that everyone was passed out on the floor of the bus on the way back.
On Diwali we slept in a bit and were surprised with a "special meal" that local families provided for the kids. Special meals usually consisted of some sort of meat curry and idly's which was a treat for the children whose usual meals were rice with a gravy. Myself and one of the other volunteers, Celine, decided that we wanted to purchase the traditional Sari to wear for Diwali. One of the women who works for the organization took us a few days prior to purchase Saris and get them tailored. On Diwali we dressed up and I felt like an Indian princess. Everyone told me I looked "Tamil" and it was surprisingly very comfortable to wear! However, I do not know if I will very be able to wear it again since it is so confusing to put on. The whole day we ate delicious food, so many sweets, gave the children their presents and ended the night with sparklers and fire crackers. It kind of sounded like a war zone with the amount of "bombs" that the children were letting off. We ended the night walking into the local village where religious ceremonies and celebrations were taking place. It was such an amazing and magical day and I will never forget it for the rest of my life.
One of the best parts of this volunteer experience was the relationships I made. I fell in love with the 20 children and really clicked with Mercy, her family and the other members of the organization. I almost felt like part of the family. I got along so well with Mercy that when I had to go to Chennai for a few days at the end of my trip I stayed at her house there where her children live. I hope to see her again in the future and I know that I will back at the Dayspring Home in the future.
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| Mercy and her husband |
