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!