My name is Laura, I am 21years old and am in the 4th year of the BBA program at ESSEC
2 years ago I went to Parva School to do my field experience mission
In Jaipur, India; in the state of Rajasthan
Why did you decide to do your field experience in India ?
Because I had already been to India twice, with my parents and I was strongly marked by
the inequalities between the different social classes, and I also realized that it is through education that we can create a new generation
with more chances for their futur
and I wanted to participate through Parva School
It is a school in a Slum
close to Jaipur which help some of the most disadvantaged populations in India
without this school, a lot of children there wouldn't have any chances to go to school
It was very rewarding to see that thanks to the association, the best students of the school
could go to university thanks to god parents
actually the association is divided between the structure in India and the administration in the UK
The administrative part also seeks for donators how will sponsor the best students
so they can go to university
So those who really hang on have a true chance to going to university and completely changing lives
The children live in the slum
and Shaadat (the manager) arrived and said "this building I will use to create a school"
he then wen to meet each family and told them "now your kids are working at home or in the streets
I would like you to to bring them to my school every morning for 4 hours
So that I can offer them education, because I believe that later
They will be able to have a job
He really had to negotiate with the families
otherwise they wouldn't go to school
It is really necessary to convince the families to send the kids to school, but it is very complicated
This is why an Indian person is necessary in the association, to facilitate communication
Did you go alone ?
Yes I went alone. I lived in hotel, it's nice because in India
the prices aren't the same, so we can book a hotel room for a month
The people were very welcoming
They knew the organization Parva School
I felt in security, I was really well
and at the end It didn't scare me to be alone
on the contrary It allowed me to meet plenty of people
and to travel and discover truly the country by myself
What were you expecting ?
I was expecting it to be difficult to teach
because they often have new volunteers coming each month
I didn't understand how there could be a true teaching method
but I was pleasantly surprised because they have school textbooks and follow a curriculum
The director of the school, Shaadat, really made sure the students learned history, geography, mathematics
and had a curriculum so that they really had knowledge of each subject
What were your missions there ?
When I gave classes it was to 10 students
I worked during about 4 hours in the morning
The first class was a mathematics class
To students who were between 7 and 13 years old
The second class, was an English class
For the classes I used the school text books
There was, for example, a session on how to make a division
I used the textbook as a support and prepared the class
and then I gave it to the students, they would do the exercises
and we would correct them
We also had tests.
It was quiet challengin because
I was giving them english classes
knowing they didn't speak english very well
but I also had to give them math classes
in english, so I gave them math classes in a language they didn't speak
It was difficult to pass on new notions
In the afternoon, they had sport classes
Yoga, martial arts
In the afternoons, I went back home it was about 2pm
Since it was very tiring, partly because it was so hot
In the school, the heat was so intense, it felt like it was 50°C.
It's the summer, just before the monsoon so its really the warm period.
I would either visit the city or stayed at the hotel to rest or work
What transportations did you use ?
The director of the school was in charge
He picked me up on his bike in the mornings
We were 3 on the bike, with the other teacher
I had the biggest scares of my life because I didn't have a helmet
and the traffic is very intense, people drive the way they like
He drives between camels, huge delivery trucks trucks and other bikes
and it's kind of complicated !
On the way back from the school, I usually called a rickshaw.
On the cultural level, what marked you the most ?
I was just, once more so pleasantly surprised by India and each time a marveled in front of
of things I had already visited. In Jaipur the architecture, the buildings; its beautiful, it's completely different
than anything we can see anywhere else
The importance of religion
It is also interesting to see how others live
Are there things from the Indian daily life that shocked you?
Not really because I was so used to be told that "India is hard, dirty, dangerous. Something will happen to you."
That at the end, If you a little careful, nothing happens
and we were not expecting it. So no, nothing shocked me negatively.
What is your best souvenir of your field experience ?
I would say, it is when we decided with my english class to make a video
My mother is a school teacher in France, so
they made a video in France in which the presented objects of their daily lives
and we did the same thing in India.
and we sent the videos to the other class and they could discover each ones culture
When we shot the video, one of my students brought his pet goat as an object of his daily life
and it was really funny, everyone was laughing
and he talked about his goat
Explaining to what extent she was important.
He didn't speak english very well so the director of the school told him what to say
and he repeated without understanding
that his goat was his best friend and that he always ate with her.
It was really hilarious.
What is your worst memory?
The only things that have been negative
happened when I traveled alone
I took night buses, It's kind of my fault, but I generally trust people a lot
So I had left my bag next to me, and when I woke up, I had no more cell phone in my bag.
There was my camera, the bag, my wallet, so it was fine, but I had no more phone.
Why Jaipur?
Jaipur because of the organisation, Parva School
Which I really liked, it was a very small school with a basic structure
The classes are given on the ground because there are no chairs or desks
There are only board and 1 computer.
I liked the fact that it had been created from nothing by someone, and he really needed help.
And Jaipur because it's a big city in Rajasthan and its a beautiful state
Its really amazing to visit
and I find it nice to live there for a month
I had already visited Rajasthan during 3 weeks
Why did you decide to go to India alone ??
Because it is so magnificent and there are so many things to see, it is just to frustrating when you don't have the time to visit it all
Especially, I was lucky, I had weekend off to visit
In Jaipur itself, there are plenty of things to see
There is a beautiful palace
I've also been to Jaisalmer, a city close to the Pakistan frontier, in the desert.
I've visited Jodhpur, the blue city
I went to see the Taj Mahal in Agra !
These are day trips, so you really need to wake up early, spend a lot of time in the transports
to see the monument. But it is possible and it's really a chance
Any advice to give to other volunteers?
I would tell them: yes in India you need to be careful and you need to keep an eye on your things
But you shouldn't be too scared of everything, it is useless to restrain because something might happen
It is an experience which truly is worth it
The Indian culture is amazing, the food is really good, the buildings are beautiful, the people are nice
and really you need to go there !
What are the 3 main things this experience brought to you ?
This is very personal, but I am quiet impatient
So there I really learnt how to take a step back,
to listen to the students,
develop communication to really understand why they do not understand a notion
why they didn't do their homework..things like that
It gave me the desire to do something social in my futur work
Meaning, it would have a social and ethical impact
So that I can put my theory skills for this type of project
Because it really makes you want to help others and makes you realize how much chance we have
Because we access to education in France
and we want to appreciate, valorize this chance by helping those who don't
Would you do it again?
Yes yes yes, 100 times
because it was really hard physically and sometimes very frustrating to not be able to communicate properly with them
It's actually very hard to be a teacher, we don't realize this
But to pass on knowledge, it's not easy
But when you think about it again, especially now, it is an awesome experience
and everyone who has the opportunity should go for it!
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