After working in a school in Mongolia, I decided that I wanted to do more overseas volunteering during the summer afterwards. Having looked at a variety of volunteering websites I finally settled on Original Volunteers. I chose to volunteer in a school in the state of Tamil Nadu in India, a place that I had always wanted to visit, this was perfect as it was a free volunteering placement. The conditions that we lived in were basic, a squat toilet, a shed to sleep in and a small kitchen. This however was to no surprise due to the fact that OV had been very clear with what we were letting ourselves into.
There were certain aspects of the volunteering that was wonderful, meeting new people, some of whom my companion and I would eventually travel with, it was also a great way to acclimatise in this crazy crazy country, such as using the local transport, honestly I wouldn't have probably used this in the rest of India without having used it here. It was a great confidence booster.
I look back and think that the teaching wasn't all about the volunteering experience, I learnt invaluable life experience, met wonderful people, and had just memorable experiences in a very, very loveable country.
I recommend this, especially as it was free...
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