A thunderstorm to say good bye!

Hello everyone!      

       I am currently on the bust to Boston to catch my flight to India, at last! Last night was the most intense thunderstorm in Brunswick, that I am happy to be leaving :) It's going to be a long day of travel, but soon enough I will be at my destination. Happy Memorial Day and toasts to an amazing summer.

       I want to give a little detail behind my upcoming adventure for those who don't know exactly what it is I will be doing. As a Global Citizen's Grant recipient, I have been given an opportunity to embark on a self designed project in any place of my choosing. Being a GWS major, and really wanting to be involved in NGO work after Bowdoin, I decided that I wanted to work with a program whose focus was Women's Empowerment. After some research, I came across a program called AIM Abroad. They are located in Delhi, India and work with orphans, local children and women in the community. Their focus is to give the women and children the resources to be self efficient and the tools needed to continue their education.

        As a volunteer there, I will work with the girls in the orphanage to teach English as well as Photography. I was fortunate enough to be given another grant that allows me to bring digital cameras to India and teach the girls photography. I plan to work with the girls to not only shoot photos, but to journal about them and make a collection of their favorite prints into a book they can keep. I'm really excited for this aspect of my experience because I think it will give the girls an opportunity to see their world in a new way. As for the other aspects of my stay, I will be teaching the local woman basic math and English skills. Many women make crafts and in order to sell in the market, need background in math/English. I'm hoping that working with them will allow me the opportunity to hear about their lives. Finally, AIM Abroad has set up a tarped school room to teach some of the local children English. I will work a few days of the week here as well. I'm super pumped to be working on different tasks while I am there.

     My hope for this blog is to share some of the experiences I will have while I am in India, but I also hope that it can inspire more people to volunteer in different areas of the world. I think being in a foreign place can teach people a lot about themselves and even more about the people around them. It is only then, can change be made. I hope you enjoy!