I had the opportunity to teach at a slum school in Jaipur, India. It was an amazing experience. I stayed with a host family and ate vegetarian food. We walked to the school every morning, and taught until about 1:00 p.m. We were able to travel to nearby sites during holidays and weekends.
The school experience was very enlightening, and although we would have appreciated some more information about what learning materials to bring with us, we really enjoyed it. The volunteer experience will only improve as the school program and curriculum better develops. For most of the children, we were involved in the only ‘formal’ education they would receive in their life, and that was quite confronting at times.
If nothing else, my time in India reminded me of the important things in life. As actions speak louder than words, the best review I can give VWI would be to say that we enjoyed our time in India so much that we are looking at going back to India and helping the school further!

I would recommend anyone who is looking for a pleasing, satisfying as well as a real experience of volunteering abroad to go with VWI. The staffs are very warm, friendly and funny and they make feel at home. The project itself was very safe and organized. One is given the opportunity to form strong relationship whilst teaching with the community children and school kids who were all very friendly and eager to learn. The feeling I got when the kids smiled and when they progressed in their learning is an extremely overwhelming and rewarding feeling which is very difficult to describe in words. The time spent with the children will definitely stay in my memories forever. The program also includes sightseeing tour of Pinkcity, Jaipur which include you to visit famous places like Amber Palace, Monkey Palace, Hawa Mahal, City Palace and many more. These trips were enjoyed so much. The Six weeks that I spent in Jaipur with VWI was fun and I did not want to go back home as the time spent so fast. Overall it was a wonderful experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

I had a wonderful time in India doing the teaching Project in Jaipur with VWI for 6 weeks. I met with many people and made a lot of Indian friends, ate a lot of delicious Indian food, and traveled to a lot of beautiful historical places.
I really enjoyed the time I spent at the school center, the time I worked with kids made me understand the meaning of life. I spent about 6 weeks with kids in August- September. The climate is good here in Jaipur as the rain stopped passed away during these months and the entire city which is covered by mountain look pretty by the greenery. In School sometimes kids were very naughty, but sometimes they make me in so much love; they gave me their toys; give their notebook to write my name and they get around me most of the time when I in the classroom. I was so happy and excited with kids every day; they made my heart soft and warm. They don’t know what’s good and bad; they are pure and natural. I hope they grow up happily and healthily.
I was living in the Indian Host Family. A caretaker cleaned my room every day. The host family prepares 3 meals per day for me Breakfast, lunch and dinner. All the meals which they served me during my placement was so delicious. But actually, I haven’t spent a lot of time in the apartment because I spent a lot of time with my Indian friends. The VWI team members invited me to their houses to have dinners. Their parents and other family members were also very hospitable. I not only tried a lot of local snacks, but also traveled to a lot of beautiful spots because they recommended me many beautiful places.
There are hundreds of Gods in India, and my friends have told me some of their legends, like cobra God or the God with an elephant face. The stories are so mysterious, and I think it’s really interesting to know about them. I didn’t meet a lot of cultural shock in India, instead of some interesting cultural habits. My Indian friends taught me how to use hand to have dinner; I saw cows walk in the street freely and even the crowded traffic cannot disturb them. Every family has their own beliefs, and they believe in their Gods very firmly. Everything is fine in India except traffic, and I was afraid to cross the road, because all cars, autos, motorcycles are very fast. I learned one skill in India: bargain with auto men. I not only had to tell the auto man go by meter, but also tell him please go fast or he would choose a longer distance for charging more money.
Anyway, it was an unforgettable experience for me. I like Indian people, Indian culture, and Indian food. I will definitely recommend to my friend because it will give you a beautiful and unforgettable memory.