I must say I had no idea what to expect when I decided to volunteer with Samarpan Sansthan. The few ideas I had before going were totally surpassed by my experience in Jaipur. I really, thoroughly enjoyed my four months working with Didi and the wonderful children. My accommodations were better than I had expected, and I found the food good as well. I really wanted to learn about India and about the people and the culture, but at the same time contribute to a greater purpose, and I found that at the orphanage.


The children were so bright and loving that I immediately felt welcomed. Most of their English is quite good, and it was easy to rapidly become friends with all of them. I went to India as a part of a gap year before university, and although I feared that being so close in age with some of the children would cause problems with maintaining discipline, I was pleased to find this was not the case. However, with roughly thirty girls all living in the same house, there were bound to be disagreements between the children, but these were always smoothed over with tact.


Didi is truly an amazing woman, and I will always think of her as a mother. Her dedication to the children is apparent in every choice she makes, which I respect greatly. She was always there for me, whether I needed assistance getting passport photos done, or to teach me Hindi in her spare time. She is filled with so much love, and I felt so welcomed in her home.


I had so many wonderful experiences while in Jaipur, far too many to even attempt to put them all in writing. One of my favorite things was working with the five girls in the third class on their social studies and English homework. My afternoon teaching extended into the night with an hour long grammar class in the evenings that all the children attended and tried to soak up as much as possible. I also genuinely enjoyed the free time spent playing outside throwing a football around, or when the kids taught me games. There were so many opportunities to give to the children, and to receive their love and affection. I consider everyone living in the ashram to be members of my family now, and I will make every effort I can to return to visit them.


Four months was a long time to spend in one place, and unfortunately I did find myself becoming restless. In the western world, we are used to a certain level of freedom and independence that is not granted to women in India. It is difficult to maintain the balance between respecting the culture, but staying true to your own values. I found that to be rather difficult at times, and this resulted in several miscommunications with Didi that could have been easily avoided. I think more open communication between Didi and her volunteers would help to prevent similar situations in the future. Also, I will say the culture differences can be rather wearing. Towards the end of my stay I found my patience with the men especially to be nonexistent. I would not say that it left me feeling seriously hurt or unsafe at any times, it was more of a constant nuisance than a serious problem.


The only complaint I have about my time in Jaipur is towards the end of my stay. There were three volunteers including myself, and we felt a distinct change in the atmosphere that we could not attribute to any one thing. It was disappointing and upsetting, and I ended up leaving earlier than I had planned because I felt uncomfortable. However, the amount of time I enjoyed there far outweighs anything else.


India is a fascinating country, and I plan on returning very soon. I loved the culture and the people, and am so glad to have a home in Mother Teresa Nagar waiting for me to come back.