A Volunteer's Story: Finding Beauty in Unexpected Places

Volunteer Sylvia Mendez (wearing her favorite kurti) with
Field Assistant Archana Iyer. 

Beauty is a loaded, but often obscure, term that changes cross-culturally. That word, as I had viewed it traditionally growing up in New York City, self-proclaimed fashion capital, was the last thing I expected to find in India. The humid heat, sometimes with very little relief, and the deliciously greasy Indian food that I most-enthusiastically ate, left little room for me feeling ‘pretty’ or ‘beautiful’. The salwar kameez, an outfit consisting of a kurta, a long cotton shirt, and a pair of salwar, roomy linen pants, came to the rescue of my growing belly and my battle with the heat. 


Ahmedabad is somewhat conservative, at least from a Western perspective, and thus there are certain fashion no-nos for women and men. Women, for example, must not wear anything that exposes skin beyond the mid-calf. Sleeveless shirts are not recommendable and cleavage is definitely unacceptable. As for grown men, they cannot wear shorts, because it’s considered boy’s clothing.

Changing the way I dressed to fit into a more traditional environment made me feel as though I was taking a step back into a time in which women were not allowed the freedoms I took for granted in the U.S.. Surprisingly, I had a lot of fun with buying grey, purple, and even orange salwar pants. As for kurtas, my favorite one was red with gold speckles, making me feel special each time I wore it.

Look at all the colors!

The longer I was in Ahmedabad, the more apparent it became that girls have fun with it too - mixing jeans and kurtas, or sometimes wearing skirts. Girls wear bangles of all colors on their arms and, after a special occasion, you can usually spot intrinsic henna designs on their hands. Young women in Ahmedabad are also not shy about wearing make-up; thick, black eyeliner is certainly a staple. 

Whether they are conscious or not of the social restrictions imposed on their dress, women in Ahmedabad have a special gift for revealing and enhancing their beauty.


When I arrived back home to New York in August, I felt a little shy about wearing knee-length skirts or even shorts. With time, I have comfortably slipped into my normal fashion tendencies; however, I do often question the pressure to dress provocatively, a feeling that some women may encounter at one point or another in their life. After encountering a different concept of beauty in Ahmedabad, I have come to understand that there are many ways of expressing beauty with some forms being healthier than others.

Submitted by: Sylvia Mendez, India volunteer 2008, Malawi volunteer January 2008
*Part VIII in our Reflections series: How we internalize what we learn abroad into who we are back home. Email submissions to info@worldcampforkids.org or katy@worldcampforkids.org. All forms of reflection encouraged!

WC Happenings: Meet the Coordinators-Summer 2011

Recruitment, curriculum development, research, new organization partnerships....World Camp activities are in full-swing! But as we look towards our exciting summer, we'd like to take a moment to introduce you to our 2011 Coordinator Team:

Rachel Dudasik

Rachel Dudasik, Volunteer Coordinator

We're thrilled to welcome Rachel back for another summer on the ground in Malawi! Rachel graduated from Appalachian State University, where she studied Sustainable Development and Third World Studies. She returned as a coordinator to World Camp post-graduation for our summer 2010 sessions. Rachel's also volunteers her spare time in the WC Office in Asheville, working on everything from grants to program development. Her humor, comforting nature when it comes to health issues and dedication to fully embracing each day are merely a few of the things volunteers have to look forward to. Rachel will fly over with the Y2Y volunteer group and work with the SS2 program. We're sure John's gonna be pretty happy to have her back as well. No one appreciates his cooking like she does....except Katy, perhaps.

Stephanie Henderson

Stephanie Henderson, Assistant Volunteer Coordinator

Stephanie will join us this summer after graduating with a Political Science degree from Middlebury this spring. Miss Henderson volunteered with World Camp in January 2009, where fellow campers fondly remember her as the "first person to jump out the door, shove bricks under the tires and push the bus when we got stuck in a massive mud hole"...among other things. Don't worry parents, your kids are in good hands. Stephanie's currently writing her thesis on how social perceptions of HIV on a regional level match with global perceptions and whether that level affects the success of prevention programs in Angola, Mozambique and South Africa. She's diving into four norms surrounding HIV: human rights as a health topic, gender equality, the role of MSM in disease prevention and condom use vs. abstinence. Needless to say, her extensive insight into the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa is one among many that will strengthen and broaden our Coordinator Team.

Karen Clark

Karen Clark, Program Coordinator

Karen joins World Camp this summer for her 4th session as coordinator. Originally a January 2010 volunteer, she seemed to plant part of herself in this area of the world for good. She's been one of our most active participants in curriculum development since her volunteer session, and her passion for addressing HIV/AIDS in Africa is inspiring. She plans to live and work abroad post-graduation. Karen began coordinating in Summer 2010. She worked with both adult and Y2Y volunteer programs over the past year. Karen recently returned to Colby College after spending the fall semester in Botswana and January with World Camp in Malawi.

Daniel Thornton

Daniel Thornton, Assistant Volunteer Coordinator

World Camp is excited to have Daniel join our Coordinator Team for the long haul. He is a philosophy graduate from UNC. Daniel describes his experience as a 2007 volunteer as much more than a "passing moment [with] Malawians...[it was] one of the formative experiences of [his] life." His travel experience in Europe and teaching experience in Egypt (where he currently lives) are among the qualities Daniel brings to our team this summer. Daniel has great investment in improving communication between volunteers and students, as well as increasing the effectiveness of our environmental lessons. With both Rina and Jaren gone, we're pumped to see what creativity and vigor Daniel will bring to Boom-Chicka-Boom!

Katie Sacca

Katie Sacca, Volunteer Coordinator

A 2007 Malawi volunteer, Katie spent the summer coordinating our college and Y2Y programs in 2008. Katie has degrees in Environmental Science and Medical Anthropology from Connecticut College and recently finished her Masters in Public Health at Boston University. Her international experience is vast--as a child she spent many years living abroad, studied abroad in Botswana during college and spent a summer in Australia as a blind guide for People to People Student Ambassadors. With her ever-increasing knowledge of HIV/AIDS and environmental issues, dedication to Malawi and all the help she's given to our curriculum over the years, we're so happy to welcome her back!

Katy Lackey

Katy Lackey, Program Coordinator

Katy returns to Malawi for her 8th session as a coordinator. Leaving her 2005 volunteer session, Katy recalls a woman on the flight telling her, "It's hard to leave, isn't it? That's why they call it 'the Warm Heart.' But you left a piece of yours here too and you'll be back." How right she was. Katy has coordinated our programs in India and Malawi since 2008 and spent considerable time on curriculum development and volunteer experience development. Her passion for people and sections such as male empowerment and student activism stems from her degrees in psychology and religious studies as well as her travel experiences throughout India, Central America, SE Asia and Malawi. Volunteers this summer can look forward to joining Katy in the Banana Song, the Lion Game, nsima eating contests and of course, bubbles.

A Volunteer's Story: Vibes from India (and World Camp)

Colors, elephants, markets, and people! The entrance to the Old City in Ahmedabad is a perfect example of "vibes" in India. 

"A blanket of heat lays heavy on my shoulders; I pine for my crisp Colorado air. My senses are overwhelmed; ears ringing from noise pollution and blaring Bollywood beats, nose rank with feces and incense, hair follicles straining to squeeze out every bead of hydration, muscles rigid from the jerking traffic, eyes flooded with prisms of rainbow colored saris and lush marketplaces.  

This is India, a cyclical overstimulation of the country’s embodiment of hyperbole and hypocrisy. Our Jeep pauses at a crossroad only to avoid being smashed; a wave of hallow faces and empty hands paw at our heartstrings. A heavily accented voice commands us to roll up our windows and avoid eye contact; I close my eyes to dam tears.

Kendall's new friend, Jemna, and her brother
in Ram Rahim city slum.

 

A honk flashes me back and I’m greeted with a harsh onyx ogle. The beggar-child’s beam starts to consume me until our driver slams on the gas, my head ricochets off the backseat. Katy felicitously swivels her head, donning a cheek-to-cheek grin as she briefs the World Camp team on the next slum-school we’ll be working with. Her words wash over me and our Jeep weaves in and out of the metropolis jungle. 

India volunteer Kendall with field assistants Prerna
and Prachee teaching a women's health workshop to
women around Ahmedabad. 

No training could have braced my psyche for the slums. And the rush comes in, electrifying my skin. It surges through my veins and out my eyes; they open humbly ignorant to this world of poverty. I am born anew; my demeanor effuses terror and resilience. The car stops and a hundred hands embrace me and my team, all vibrating with the idea of truly making an impact on peoples’ lives’. "

Submitted by: Kendall Strautman, India volunteer summer 2010

*Part VII in our Reflections series: How we internalize what we learn abroad into who we are back home. Email submissions to info@worldcampforkids.org or katy@worldcampforkids.org. All forms of reflection encouraged!

Not goodbye...just tionana...

A very special thanks to all of our service interns, field staff and coordinators for another wonderful program. We want to extend a special thanks to Jaren for all he has done for World Camp over the years, and look forward to the day we get to work with him again. We wish you all the best in your new endeavors!

"The volunteers are gone; boxes unpacked, nsima coolers stored away. Our time of azungu chants and give me kwatcha’s, muli bwanji’s and zikomo's, dusty roads and pouring rains, ecstatic kids and hysterical babies, banana songs and condom demos, reflections, evaluations, Ngoni, Mr. Vito, and John Chazimba, has finally, once again, come to an end. The January 2011 World Camp session is over. All I can do now is look back and think.

In my 3 and a half years with World Camp, this program has never ceased, to amaze me, in how quickly in how quickly a group of strangers can become volunteers, and how quickly a group of

volunteers can become teachers, and teachers, become friends. We are together for such a short period of time, but in that time are able to bond so closely; accomplish so much. We laugh with these people; we cry with them. We sing silly songs; dance like idiots for the pure enjoyment of hundreds of delighted children, and I wouldn't want to picture it any other way.

People can be skeptical when I tell them about our program. “What difference can you really make in 5 weeks?” They say. My answer? All the difference. In a month we are able to show a girl she has the power to say no. We can teach a boy that it’s ok to wait, to stay in school and reach for hopes and dreams that he never dare speak about; even dream about. We can convince a teacher to get tested. That using a condom can not only protect yourself, but empower yourself.

And in this short period of time, we can show a young boy or girl, a teacher, a class, a school, a chief, and a community, that they can join together, and rise up to fight a disease ravishing the world, and that together, we each and all, can, make a difference. Personally, I think that this is something well worth 5 weeks of my time. So as I sit alone in this empty house, these are the things I’m left to ponder. This, and the memories I’ve made and friendships I’ll keep . When I go home I can try to explain it to my friends and family. They’ll listen closely; oooo and aaahhh, and tell me how amazing it sounds and how lucky I am. But they'll never really know. Never really understand.

We both know that. They’ll never feel what its like to be here, to meet, and learn, and laugh and play with these kids, and teachers, and friends. No one will every really know…unless they come here and find out for themselves. At least I can take solace in realizing, that this is not really the end. It’s only the beginning."

WC Jan’11 Out.

submitted by: Jaren Folden

Behind the Internship: Tsalani Bwino

10:45pm. This time tomorrow I will be en-route to JFK. Perhaps somewhere high above the Atlantic ocean. It hasn’t really sunk in that we’re leaving yet. If you told me that we had to pack teaching boxes for camp tomorrow morning, I’d believe it.

I wish I had time to detail the events of our last weekend together: two nights at Lake Malawi…laying on the beach, eating fresh Chambo for dinner– a traditional Malawian fish (not to be confused with Chamba :), watching the sun come up at 5:00am this morning, bargaining at the craft market…and enjoying a wonderful (and delicious) meal at Michael and Amanda’s house tonight. But given that it's well past ten, and thus, well past my bedtime here...and given that my belongings are still scattered all over the floor in my room…I’ll keep it short…and leave you all with an experience – one hour of one day – that to me, seemed to characterize my four weeks here in Malawi.

It happened at the soccer game we went to last Sunday at the stadium here in Lilonwe. Despite overcast skies, the 8 of from World Camp, along with Chikabachi, one of our Field Staff, and his 5-year old daughter, drove across town to catch the match at 2:30. I couldn’t tell you who was playing – a blue team and a black team, maybe. But that’s irrelevant.

There were no seats in the stadium...not even metal benches, just a terraced landscape that wrapped around the field. When we found an area that wasn’t infested with ants, we sat down. I was on the end…no one to my left.

After half time, a group of girls started to approach us…giggling at the sight of azungus. They settled down nearby. Soon, however, they inched over...all the way until one girl was seated directly next to me, our knees touching.

“Muli bwanji,” I said, smiling and surprised. “Ndili bwino, kai aynu,” she said. “Ndili bwino, zikomo,” I answered. The girl laughed at my Chichewa. “What’s your name?” the girl in the sunflower dress asked me in surprisingly good English. "I'm Kayla." “Kay-ra,” she repeated. “What’s your name?” I asked. She answered, but it was a name I had never heard before and probably couldn’t even repeat it at the time. The next several names weren’t any easier. I did understand, however, that they were 12-13 years old, the majority in Standard 8 or Form 1.

While it had been drizzling during the first half of the game, the rain began to pick up around the 60-minute mark. I had forgotten my raincoat and umbrella back at the house, and was becoming a) cold, and b) increasingly concerned that my white t-shirt would soak through. I began to scan the stadium for shelter. Then, out of nowhere, a little arm reached across my shoulder and pulled a piece of fabric over me, so it was draped over my head, covering my shoulders and back. Four of the girls were using it to protect themselves from the rain, and they extended it so I could squeeze under it as well. It was a tight fit, and I was tempted to tell them not to worry about me, but they were smiling at the prospect of sharing their fabric with an azungu, and honestly, I was grateful to escape the rain.

The girl in the sunflower dress and I talked like that – tucked under the fabric – for the rest of the game – about her family, where she went to school, the U.S., the fact that I wasn’t married (which was the most shocking of all…) Later, at the game’s end, all the girls wanted to hug me goodbye. “Have a nice journey,” one shouted. The girl in the sunflower dress said, “It was very nice to meet you.” “It was nice to meet you too,” I said. She turned to walk away, but then stopped – as if she had an afterthought. “You’re my sister now,” she said, looking at me directly in the eye. I smiled. “As you are mine,” I said back. And you know, she may not be able to pronounce my name...nor may she even remember me a year from now, but this wasn’t the first time in Malawi someone who I had just met, someone who I barely knew, welcomed me into their family. For the entire time I've been here I’ve been continually impressed with the openness…the friendliness of the population.

And so, as I sit here the night before I leave…and play and replay the events of this month in my mind, the first memories that come to mind are not the ones in which I am sitting in the van gazing out at the maize-covered landscape (although it is beautiful), nor the ones in which we are at the primary schools, sharing bowls of nsima for lunch (although this happened often), or even the one of the lion eating the zebra on safari (although that was wild). The first images I see are the faces of the people I’ve met here. And if I ever come back to Malawi – I imagine it’ll be to reconnect with these people. Or hopefully meet others like them.

But for now, goodnight…and here’s to one last evening sleeping under a mosquito net.

Submitted by: Kayla Kawalick