Volunteers loving life at St.Mary’s
We are now 3 weeks into our volunteer work at St Mary’s School and I can easily say it feels like a part of heaven in India. I found the history of how Tibetan refugees came to be living in Dharamsala alarming at first and couldn’t help but sympathise with the families who had been driven out of their homes. Nonetheless, during my stay I have been constantly graced with the generosity, kindness and free-spirit of the locals. This incredible welcoming has helped me create a little home whilst away from Hertfordshire!
Life here at St Mary’s school did nothing but shock me during my first week. Sister Celia- the school principal- is one of the calmest and most level-headed women I have ever met and I was only excited to be helping her with teaching at the school. The students shocked me at how keen they are to learn and how respectful they are of us. Their uniforms are crisp white, hair is perfectly combed and handwriting is immaculate. Although teaching the Year 1′s has proved tricky due to the language barrier, I can honestly say they know more capital cities than I ever have. At times I feel there is a complete role-reversal in class! Although my main aim during my volunteer work at St Mary’s was to introduce a new sport and enhance the already existing PE programme, I feel there is so much more I can do at the school. Teaching Maths, English, singing or dancing as well as sport has been brilliant and I myself am learning so much along the way.
Dharamsala has also been brilliant for meeting people! McLeodganj is packed with volunteers, climbers, skiers and travellers all meeting and greeting at our local restaurants of cafes! A couple of weeks ago, new to the area, the four of us ventured into a bar wearing our Ireland shirts for St Patrick’s Day. Slightly unsure of our whereabouts and knowing we were at the foothills of the Himalayas- quite a way from Ireland- we expected a chilled night out. However, a round of drinks later and our table had doubled in size with people who came from all over joining us for a drink to celebrate St Patrick’s day. What a night it turned out to be!
Last week, I attempted to cook! Quite a momentous day seeing as I can hardly boil water. Milly and I decided on poached eggs and baked beans. Whilst Milly put her feet up, I started cooking. Low and behold, when it came to serving up, I had managed to lose the whites and only had two yolks to accompany our baked beans. Hardly the most filling of meals, so we both made the decision of getting a rather large pudding in town. At the cafe we met two girls from London who we ended up chatting to till closing time over chocolate cheesecake and milk teas! Maybe mucking up dinner was fate? All week long Milly and I have met with the girls to wine, dine and of course shop! It’s been amazing to have some proper girlie time.
We also went to the Monastery to watch the monks debate… It was brilliant to watch as they have a completely different style of debate to home. McLeodganj also has a fab cinema with viewings 3 times a day. We all went down there to watch Alice in Wonderland- the new Tim Burton film! It was such a laugh as during the film people would be walking on screen in and out of the cinema- of course it was a pirate copy! Such a good film and an amazing place to go to chill out after dinner! Milly and I have found new love in Mint Tea, Milk Tea, Munch Bars, Momo’s and Cold coffee! If nothing else pulls you to this little heaven on Earth, that should!
