Looking Back

I've had two opportunities to share about my volunteering experience in India since I came back home 5 months ago. Thanks to VSO Bahaginan that allows the returned volunteers (RV) to stay involved in many different ways. My involvement has been through RV sharing during trainings for pre-departure volunteers (i will refer to them here as pre-deps). The first one was during the Wider Role of Volunteers (WRV), the training when pre-dep volunteers have received placement offers. The other one is Preparing for Change (PfC), that which selected candidates go through after they have passed the Assessment Day.

The objective of the sharing is to give pre-deps glimpses of the lives of the volunteers while in their countries of placement. Both the RV and the pre-deps receive fair warnings that the experiences shared are unique to the RV speaker and does not reflect those of other volunteers. Volunteers can encounter similar situations but as i have told the predeps during my sharing, the experiences vary depending how we approached situations. And that's what makes it unique.

If I helped them, the predeps also helped me reminisce my life in India and allowed me to cull more lessons as I answered their questions.

Most asked questions:

1) On accommodation: How did you get an a/c? The a/c was provided to me by my employer. I got very sick during my first summer in India, aside from recommending to eat curd rice, they allowed me to use their spare a/c unit. I paid for the installation fee. Employers are not required to provide volunteers with a/c. In India, the basic requirements are bed and mattress, fridge, one fan, gas stove, table and chair, almira (cabinet) with lock. The flat must have kitchen and bathroom.

2)What was your most difficult experience? The most difficult was when the organization where I was assigned went through a crisis, all staff and volunteers were on the wait-and-see mode. I was not doing anything substantial and related to my placement. While it was okay for them, it was devastating for me. It was only resolved when I was given another placement.

3) How did you manage the food? I love Indian food. But at times I would crave for Filipino dishes, I also craved for meat so I would buy bacon even if it was too expensive for my limited allowance.

4) How did you deal with isolation? I contacted the Filipino community. I also established very good relation with my organization. Once in the placement, the organization is the first line of support for any volunteer. I also maintained communication with other volunteers.

5) Was your allowance adequate? Yes, the living allowance allowed me to live decently while in India. I had enough to pay for food, transportation and utilities. I could even afford to buy comfort food, although when I did, my allowance could barely make it till the next release.

6) How do you rate your performance as a volunteer? Oh wow, that's a bit hard to answer. I did my best, I was asked to extend my placement, I received good reviews from my organizations. I must have done well.

7) What lessons did you learn from volunteering? I learned that we can only do so much. The concrete outputs I delivered in my placement may not be sustained or be forgotten in time but the way I interacted with people and how inspired some people will remain.

8) How has volunteering changed you as a person? I live a simpler life now. I don't waste food. I learned to be patient.

9) Did you plan to find love while in placement? No. but when I saw Michael I thought he was cute.

10) Where is your partner now and what are your plans? He's still in India. We're figuring out what's going to happen next.

photo credit: one of the volunteers who brought a camera, grabbed from facebook.