Time to Say Goodbye

It's hard to believe that almost three months teaching in Pokhriabong has gone by. Do I really only have eight days of teaching left and three weeks left here? It seems surreal that in a few short weeks, I will be flying back to Sydney leaving all the faces I've met behind. It's a paradox to return to Sydney, a place so familiar yet a place that I can never look at the same because of all that I've experienced. It's that time of my placement where I'm starting to say goodbye to the people and places that will forever have a place in my heart. It's a bitter sweet time because I am so insanely excited to return.

It was a spontaneous move on my part to apply with Young People Without Borders (YPWB). I was going through a rough time during the end of 2011 and all I wanted to do was escape, disappear and forget. And the best place to go? A different country. One Monday afternoon on my way to class, I was chatting with my friend who had the YPWB interview that weekend. She told me all about the organisation and I was extremely interested. But there was a problem: the final applications were due weeks ago. I decided to ditch class, and rush to the school's career advisor. He helped me call up YPWB and after conversing, explaining and inquiring with friendly staff, a miracle happened. I was scheduled in for a phone interview the next weekend! The phone interview was casual and I'm pretty sure I aced it which was confirmed a few weeks later. I was officially a YPWB Youth and Community Volunteer Worker. Months passed and my initial reasons of journeying to India transformed from running away to exploring the real world. I was ready to travel, discover my place as a global citizen, witness poverty and in general, make a difference.

And boy did I meet those goals! My experiences did not only meet my typical Indian expectations but (prepare for a cliché) exceeded those expectations entirely.

Things I've learnt:

1. The washing machine is the best invention in the history of inventions, followed closely by running hot water. Before arrival, I have never washed my clothes before, not even with the washing machine, so evidently I found washing my clothes by hand quite a struggle. It requires a lot of time and a lot of arm strength, which I do not have. I actually find myself resting mid-wash because it's so tiring! And because it's such a chore, I try my best to keep my washing to the minimum, and I confess, even if it means to wear clothes that smell just a little. I can't wait to return to a place where my dirty clothes magically appear folded neatly on my bed all clean and crisp. Thanks Mum!
2. Primary School teachers do not get enough credit. I don't know how they do it. How do they handle the naughty kids so well? How do they cater for the bright and also the not-so-bright kids at the same time? So much time and effort they put into creating a good educational atmosphere for the children and they hardly get any praise or acknowledgement. Just amazing.
3. Australia is one of the best countries to live in. In the first few weeks of placement, I was sitting with Latika, one of the boarding girls, and out of nowhere she looks at me with desolate eyes and says with a sad smile, “You know what, Miss? You are so lucky to live in Australia. You know that, right? I hate it here.” How was I to respond but nod sadly and whisper, “I know.” Crime rates are low compared to other countries, we are economically stable, unemployment rate low and we get almost everything on a silver platter. Medicare and HECS are just a couple of examples. Our educational system, especially in NSW, is the easiest and most relaxed I've heard of yet! Opportunities are high and the big dreams that children imagine are actually within reach. Not here in the small villages of India. They're extremely lucky to even make it to university.
   I would love to return to Pokhriabong in a few years time but realistically, that's not likely due to financial reasons. Ten years time is a little bit more likely. But if I return, will the kids that I've taught still be there? It's better for them not to be. There really is nothing for them in such a small village. But it is inevitable that some are unable to escape the tight grasps of poverty. But what if it were the unbelievably intelligent kids? Prakit? Mharshang? Yankey? Pranisha? Kshitiz? What if their lack of money prevented them to be the amazing men and women they have the potential to be? That would break me. That famous phrase of “What if the cure for cancer is trapped inside the mind of of someone who can't afford an education?” comes to mind when I think about their future.
4. The real world is so much bigger than what I've previously imagined. The concept of poverty was absolutely foreign to me before I came to India. Seeing it on television is so much more different than seeing it with my own eyes. Can you believe that 48% of the 7billion people living on this planet live on less than $2US a day? Can you believe that 50% of children live in poverty? It makes things like buying $250 jeans a little bit ridiculous. Preena, a girl in Class IV, can't even afford a school bag so her mum made her one from a wheat sack. There are parents whose children attend Sacred Heart, who earn 9rs/hr ($0.18AUS). There are children at the school who are considered 'untouchables', the lowest of the low. Although the caste system is legally banished, it is very much alive socially in the older generation. My hostess even said that if her son married an 'untouchable', she would shun him from the family. I've met girls whose parents mourned and wailed at their birth because they were female. The real world is definitely a desperate and scary place.
5. Money does not buy happiness. One of the strongest memories I'll be taking away are the smiles of the children. They don't have technological gadgets (they've never seen an iPhone or a tablet before Jordan and I arrived) or even have toys but are happier than most of the children I've seen in Australia. It really emphasises the famous phrase: money doesn't buy happiness. Developed countries somehow shifted the concept of happiness to be linked with wealth. But that is such a corrupt perception of happiness. The happiness here that is captured within the kids is pure and innocent.
6. One person can make a difference. This doesn't have to be extravagant and on an international scale like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jnr. but simply providing somebody with confidence, being a role model or acknowledging those who are usually overlooked. The little things can do so much!

Over my time in India, I've learnt so much about myself and the world. I've met amazing people, been to amazing places in an amazing country. 
Now it's time to soak in as much as I can from this unique country in the little time I have left and give my remaining teaching days my all!