By scarsonnn
Suddenly, Rupali halted and peered up at me over her glasses as we sat in the dingy office. "You are comfortable teaching in the slum school, correct?" She seemed to be sizing me up, her suddenly steely gaze challenging me, expecting a typical foreigner's reflexive shudder at the mention of slums. Comfortable... an interesting word choice, to say the least, and certainly not a word that I would automatically associate with Delhi. Overwhelmed in every way, from the billowing blanket of smog that hangs over the cityscape to the unbelievable kindness and generosity that I have experienced? Absolutely. Claustrophobic, as anyone would feel with this many people packed into such a small area? Always. But comfortable... not exactly.
In fact, the beauty of India is the way it constantly surprises, challenges, and pushes me to break free of my comfort zone. And now, in posing this question, my volunteer supervisor at Sshristi, the small NGO I will be serving with during my time in India, whips out yet more of the unexpected (pretty much the norm so far in India). Ssrishti is an amazing organization, and has an impressive influence in fulfilling its mission of providing education to slum children. Part of the reason I selected this particular NGO was that I was confident that my previous experience teaching English in a small rural Thai school had prepared me well for anything I would face doing the same job in India... But now, within minutes of my very first day of work, my volunteer placement abruptly U-turns from instructing children at one of their two schools near the main office (located near a slum but certainly not inside of one) to this other proposition... And there Rupali is, with that quizzical eyebrow raised, waiting for an answer, looking me straight in the eyes. Knowing that the language barrier would never allow for me to appropriately express my concerns and reservations, the words are out of my mouth before I have any chance weigh pros and cons... "Of course," even managing to muster a tense smile. The tone in my voice was one of steely resolve to combat that steely glaze of hers, although inside my nerves may or may not have been more similar to aluminum, if anything as strong as metal at all... But Rupali nodded approvingly. Apparently my feigned attempt at confidence fooled her. ...continue reading "When Culture Shocks"