Post number 1, with 3 days 'til I leave

This blog is, primarily, just to keep anyone who's interested updated with what I'm doing whilst in India. Additionally, however, I hope it might be useful for anyone taking, or thinking of taking a Gap Year. I'd also be very grateful for any teaching advice from others on the site!

In February this year I went to the Isle of Coll for a four-day “Selection Course” with Project Trust. Four thousand-odd pounds, eighteen immunisations and one Training Course later, I’m about to leave for India where I’ll be living and teaching English for the next year.

Although I decided many years ago to “take a Gap Year”, it took me a long time to decide what exactly I wanted to do. The range of possibilities was huge: independent travel; an organised placement; studying abroad; working at home or overseas; volunteering locally…

I decided, however, that I wanted to spend some time as a volunteer on an organised placement: attractive as the idea of travelling was, I wanted to be in one place for a reasonable period of time so as to go beyond the status of tourist.

After spending a frankly unnecessary length of time researching the hundreds of organisations which offer such opportunities, I decided to apply to Project Trust, one of the longest-established and most experienced Gap Year organisations. I was initially deterred by the thought of spending the entire year in one place since I’d planned to do a variety of things. However, the helpfulness of the staff, copious information and comprehensive support (before, during and after the year) made the Trust stand out. Another difference was the unusually thorough selection process: prospective volunteers spend four full days at Project Trust’s base on the Isle of Coll. Here, they take part in a variety of activities as well as giving and receiving presentations and talking to staff. At times a little nerve-wracking, the course also gave me a much better idea of what the year would involve and allowed me to meet other prospective volunteers (a reassuringly mixed group).

A few days after Selection I received a letter from Coll telling me that I had been selected, and would (probably) be going to India. Although this was a bit of a surprise – India not even having been mentioned during my conversations with the staff – I knew that there were few more exciting countries in which to spend the year, and quickly warmed to the idea.

After Selection began the task of fundraising, which must be one of the main concerns of anyone taking a Gap Year. Project Trust volunteers have to raise £3,950. Although, at first, this seemed like a near-impossible feat (especially since, having been on the second-last selection course, some had met the total before I’d even started) I found I achieved it with months to spare, thanks in no small part to the help of numerous friends, relatives, companies and Charitable Trusts.

In July I returned to Coll for the Training course, which was even more intense than Selection, with many presentations and discussions and a lot of teaching practice. It was on Training that I met the 9 other girls who are also going to India (as well as the 20 or so China volunteers who shared the course with us). As with any situation where a group of strangers are thrown together artificially, there was the usual initial politeness and self-consciousness, but this soon dissipated and the week was, as well as being hard work, a lot of fun. Surprisingly, one of the things I found most difficult was adjusting to an all-female situation, having come from a group of friends who happen to be mostly male..!

This was, however, good practice for my placement, which will be in a the Maris Stella women’s college in Vijayawada. The city is the third largest in the Andhra Pradesh region of India (“about a third of the way up, on the East side”, as I’ve found myself expertly describing it). It’s home to over a million people, although by Indian standards this does not make it particularly large. A major train junction, it is also an economic hub for the area, although – as with all of India – this wealth is in stark contrast to immense poverty.

The College was established in 1962 and now has 2600 students from age 16 to 22, with classes of around 50. Although some of the students come from relatively affluent backgrounds, many are less well off and are first-generation learners, having won scholarships to the College. In addition to helping these students with their English, I’ll hopefully be able to get involved with projects outside the College, including volunteering for women’s groups and environmental charities.

When we arrive in India (via, for some reason, London, the Maldives and Sri Lanka) we’ll spend a couple of days in Hyderabad, the state capital of Andhra Pradesh, with our country representative, Bharavi. This time should allow us to acclimatise as well as to get used to the general noise, bustle and smells..! We will then travel to our placements using the famous (infamous?) Indian train system. My next post will, therefore – hopefully - be from Vijayawada.