Kerala Service Project

There were very few moments where there wasn't something to do during the day. The days began with getting up early in the morning to make and drink chai as a group. Some of us would rise earlier to practice some yoga on our own. This moment of solitude combined with a communal activity (making chai) was the perfect way to start the day with a sense of balance.
Then we began our trek to the restaurant to have some breakfast. Because I was there during monsoon season, the weather was a bit difficult to adjust to, particularly in the first week. After having an amazing meal, followed by another glass of chai, we walked over to the school. At the school, the teachers debriefed us on what classes needed to be taught what subjects and we made lesson plans according to the needs. We mostly focused on hygiene practices. We found some struggles when teaching because the younger children struggled with speaking English. There was great joy with interacting with the students, but I felt ambiguous as to whether we were accomplishing what needed to be done due to a lack of continuity with each class. We typically jumped from one class to another.
After school sessions, we went back to the restaurant to have lunch. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and another savory cup(s) of chai. I found the meal times to be the times that I bonded most with my fellow group members. Food broke through the language barriers and cultural differences between the group members. It was something that we all knew we were experiencing for the first time.
After a leisurely lunch, we walked back to the school to have a yoga session with the local university professor. These yoga sessions were incredibly humbling. I learned an incredible amount of valuable lifestyle changes that I still use to this day. It helped with an extreme amount of self-reflection and induced a sense of serenity through a rather chaotic and unfamiliar time in my life.
After yoga, we would embark on a cultural experience that differed from day to day. These experiences were rather exciting and ones that I will not forget.
We would then wind down the day by returning to the house and having food brought to us (women were not allowed out after sundown). I decided to go out with the project leader after dark to retrieve the food and this was an experience I will never forget as I truly felt like a complete outsider as I was starred down as the only woman and the only foreigner.
We would sit down as a group and have dinner. Afterwards, we would do a group activity that was always a time to laugh. Then we would take turns showering or doing laundry (with a bucket and a rock) and then go to sleep. Usually, I would call my family, listen to music, or write in my journal before turning in. It was helpful to have something familiar for a sliver of my day. Although as time continued, the things that were normally familiar felt more new with everyday.