Cecile Defontaine- France
Being a volunteer is a rewarding experience that I haven ever felt. I joined RCDP on November 2005 and was sent for 2 months to a small school in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, to teach kids Basic English.
I couldn’t expect a better interaction with them:
First, as they were eager to know me, they couldn’t help asking questions about my country which made me feel comfortable. Then we moved on grammar rules, vocabulary, games, songs and stories.
On Christmas time, we even choreographed a song and they really enjoyed performing it for the school programme. By the end, I think they improved their spoken English and could even manage with a bit of French –
Moreover, my stay in the YWCA hostel was another way to assure a lot of Indian culture and this made the adventure more precious.
Obviously, I can’t quit that I had to face culture shock, misunderstandings, religious issues or health problems. But I knew I could always rely on my coordinator to help me out and felt secure.
All in all this experience made me grow, taught me tolerance and opened my mind….
I’ll definitely come back one day to work for another project.
