Alex's first impression of India!

2011 is going to be a year of travelling for me, all starting off with working for 10 weeks in the Auxilium school in Kerala, India. Obviously I was nervous coming here; new home, new country, new people, new work. And yet within about two days of being here I am genuinely settled in a place completely different to anything I’ve ever experienced. This has to do in large part with the homestay; hidden away in a maze of bright alleyways in Fort Kochin, it has memories of past volunteers in the form of murals and photos but the rooms are simple enough that you can instantly put your own stamp on them. Then of course there’s the school. I was put into standard five (roughly ten and eleven year olds) and from the moment I stood in the doorway and was greeted by ‘Good Morning Alexandra Ma’am’ I knew they were going to be the best class I could have hoped for! More than anything they made me feel so welcome; although I was overwhelmed and pretty useless on my first day I was greeted the next morning with a small bouquet of flowers picked from home from one of my students, Arul, and a small gathering outside the staff room at each break wanting to play hangman. The tutorials each morning and evening with a small group from my standard seemed like a daunting experience but the second I brought out the ‘amazing anagrams’ as they’ve now been dubbed, it was plain sailing and the stories I had them write this morning had me doubting my spelling with requests for Lamborghini, Ferrari and llama! Without doubt some of the most interesting stories I’ve ever read. The Indian teachers here can rule the most raucous class with just a menacing step forward and yet the second you need help they’re there with a huge smile and straightforward advice: having them there makes a big difference and I have huge amounts of respect for them and their work. Finally we have Sister Annie. The headmistress and a five foot power house! She came to the homestay for tea on our first day and made all of the new volunteers feel so relaxed and as though the huge task ahead of us was completely achievable! The free time so far has given us little snapshots into life in Fort Cochin. From the small colourful cafes where I tried musumbi juice (delicious) to drinking coconut water out of a coconut next to the chinese fishing nets, everything I’ve done has just made me want to explore as much as I can as soon as I can! Last night we had big plans to watch a Bollywood movie so John and Rodhi surprised us with a projector up on the roof with candles, fairy lights, rugs and cushions. It was so relaxing and the film was brilliant..until the power cut. Welcome to India Alex

Alexandra Jolly – GVI Kerala Vol

Alex's first impression of India!