It is early in the morning when Lisa Yao steps into an auto-rickshaw to drive to her work. The traffic in Bangalore is dense, and the trip can sometimes take up to an hour, she explains, as the driver carefully flips the page of his newspaper, waiting for the traffic light to turn green. When it does, the paper is tucked away for a next step, and the driver hits the gas pedal, skillfully maneuvering the vehicle’s three wheels around some potholes. As the city flashes by, Lisa explains that it was through Adelphi University’s Study Abroad Fair that made her decide to come to India. “I was pursuing an MBA in finance at Adelphi, and wanted to get a different experience. I wanted to make more friends, and experience the Indian culture”.Located in New York, Adelphi offers a rich selection of experiences abroad to its students.
Here in Bangalore, Lisa is volunteering at a center for underprivileged children and women. “This organization wants to give women and children more attention, education and protection. A lot of women just haven’t had a great education; they don’t know how to speak English.” For a week, Lisa has been teaching these women English, even though at first she wasn’t confident she could. “I talked with them and played games, and ended up making a lot of Indian friends. Most are 16 or 17 years old and they are very nice.” While the driver is nearing the organization’s main building, Lisa explains that she thinks Bangalore, which is one of India’s booming city’s, is becoming rather fashionable, even though it’s a slow progress.
As she arrives at the volunteering center, Lisa gets in through a door in the back and is greeted by fifty-four smiling little kids, sitting in neat rows in the small room. As she greets them and moves to the back, Lisa explains that she daily works with these kids now: “Most are three to five years old. In the mornings, I give them milk and food and I play with the kids and their toys. At noon, I give them lunch, after which they get tired, and I mostly watch them sleep. I just want to help give them a happy childhood.” While the small kids run outside to the playground, after the morning meal, Lisa’s manager explains: “Lisa is exactly the kind of volunteer we like to have here. For example, she is a person who is comfortable touching the kids and playing with them: that’s important when you work here.”
For Lisa, the organization is a nice place to work and she finds her co-workers very pleasant. “I really like the people I work with, although sometimes I feel sorry for them: some girls became my friends and told me they wanted to go to college, but needed 15,000 rupees (just over 200 Euros), and simply can’t get that kind of money. Usually their families want these girls to get married very early, and have babies and families, which isn’t really good for them. They just become housewives.”
Although Lisa is sad to be leaving soon, she’s making plans to come again next year, as she promised some of her students she would. “I went to Mysore, two days ago, with some of my new friends. I’d really like to stay longer. When I get back to the States, I will call them again and ask them about their lives over the phone–they don’t have email. I’ll ask them whether they managed to go to college…”
To apply for this project, email info@leaveurmark.com
