Volunteer Voices

There where 21 of us from 10 countries. We painted classrooms and taught classes, and I organized the school\'s library. Besides working at the school we attended two-hour yoga classes every morning and one-Aryuveda classes every afternoon. The classes included a field trip to a state-owned farm where seed for farm cooperatives and medicinal herbs are grown and a visit to an Aryuveda clinic. I spent the whole time in Kerala, so I won\'t generalize about India. One weekend we spent on a houseboat in the backwaters, and another weekend we went to a wildife sanctuary in Wayanad in the Western Ghat, and I stayed in Kannur and Kozhikode on the weekends before and after the camp.

I think these programs are a good way to have a safe adventure. They\'re also a good way to learn about the host country, especially if several of the volunteers are from the host country. You get to learn how the locals live by \"going native\" (I didn\'t see a fork or a roll of toilet paper for three weeks). They\'re a good way to find and bond with travel companions (I learned more about some people\'s bowel movements and menstrual cycles than I care to know). Several volunteers teamed up to travel through India together for a few weeks after the camp ended. They\'re a good way to do some interesting and useful work. They\'re a good way to travel cheaply\"

David Roycroft ~ India 2010